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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 NTRS1976

Ionospheric Refraction Corrections in the GTDS for Satellite-To-Satellite Tracking Data

In satellite-to-satellite tracking (SST) geographic as well as diurnal ionospheric effects must be contended with, for the line of sight between satellites can cross a day-night interface or lie within the equatorial ionosphere. These various effects were examined and a method of computing ionospheric refraction corrections to range and range rate measurements with sufficient accuracy were devised to be used in orbit determinations. The Bent Ionospheric Model is used for SST refraction corrections. Making use of this model a method of computing corrections through large ionospheric gradients was devised and implemented into the Goddard Trajectory Determination System. The various considerations taken in designing and implementing this SST refraction correction algorithm are reported.

Nesterczuk, G.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Optical Observations of the Orbital Debris Environment at NASA

To gain a better understanding of the LEO and MEO (low and middle earth orbit) optical orbital debris environments, especially in the important, but difficult to track one to ten centimeter size range, NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) has built a zenith-staring Liquid Mirror Telescope (LMT) near Cloudcroft, NM. The mirror of the LMT consists of a three-meter diameter parabolic dish containing several gallons of mercury that is spun at a rate of ten revolutions per minute. A disadvantage of the LMT is its inability to point in any direction other than the zenith. However, this is not a major limitation for statistical sampling of the LEO and MEO orbital debris population. While the LMT is used for the characterization of the LEO and MEO orbital debris environments, its inability to point off zenith limits its utility for the GEO environment where objects are concentrated over the equator. To gain a better understanding of the GEO debris environment, NASA JSC has built a CCD Debris Telescope (CDT). The CDT is a 12.5-inch aperture Schmidt portable telescope with automated pointing capability. The CDT is presently co-located with the LMT. The CDT can see down to 17.1 magnitude in a 30 second exposure with a 1.5 degree field of view. This corresponds to a ten percent reflective, 0.8-meter diameter object at geosynchronous altitude. Both telescopes are used every clear night. We present results from 3 years of observations from the LMT and preliminary results from the CDT.

Africano, John L.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Mountain-Top-to-Mountain-Top Optical Link Demonstration

A mountain-top-to-mountain-top optical communications demonstration was conducted between the JPL Table Mountain Facility (TMF), Wrightwood, California, and Strawberry Peak (SP), Lake Arrowhead, California, during the months of August and September of 2000. The link was nearly horizontal at an altitude of 2 km and spanned a range of 46.8 km. A 780-nm multibeam beacon broadcast from TMF was received by the JPL Optical Communications Demonstrator (OCD) located at SP. The received beacon was utilized as a pointing reference to retransmit an 852-nm communications laser beam, modulated at 400 Mb/s by a PN7 pseudo-random bit stream (PRBS) sequence. The long atmospheric path resulted in atmospheric-turbulence-induced angle-of-arrival fluctuations of the beacon at the OCD aperture. A .ne-steering control loop was used to track the resulting beacon centroid motion and update the pointing of the communications laser beam transmitted from SP to TMF. Fried parameters, or r0, inferred from focal spot sizes received at SP were 4 to 5 cm whereas, using the spot sizes received at TMF, they were 2 to 3 cm. In both cases, theory predicts larger r0 values. The predicted angle-of-arrival fluctuations compare well with measured rms displacements exhibited by the focal spots at either end of the link. An uncompensated error of ~1.1 rad in the x-axis and ~2 rad in the y-axis was obtained using centroid data logged by the OCD. Average bit-error rates of 10-5 were recorded for extended periods of time. An atmospheric coherence length r0 of 3 to 5 cm was inferred using the focal-plane spot size measured on the CCD tracking sensor and compared to a predicted value of 5 to 7 cm using reasonable atmospheric models. The irradiance bounds required for the CCD tracking sensor to perform centroiding was found to range from 2000 to 3000 integrated pixel counts, although a more reliable range was 600 to 3000, indicating a dynamic range of 6 to 11 dB. The motion of the spot on the focal plane was also recorded and yielded rms angle-of-arrival-induced focal-plane displacement of 9 to 11 m, compared to a predicted value of 7.8 to 11 m. The irradiance measurements made with the OCD clearly indicate that best tracking performance is obtained when the mean received signal is 2000 to 2200 counts. The best tracking performance resulted in an rms uncompensated error of 1.1 rad. The uncompensated error appeared to increase with either an increase or decrease in mean beacon-signal level. The rms uncompensated error determined by deriving the beacon displacement power spectral density from the beacon centroid-versustime data and the rejection function of the control loop yielded a higher value of 3.4 rad.

Biswas, A.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Short-term solar pressure effect and GM uncertainty on TDRS orbital accuracy: A study of the interaction of modeling error with tracking and orbit determination

The TDRS was modeled as a combination of a sun-pointing solar panel and earth-pointing plate. Based on this model, explanations are given for the following orbit determination error characteristics: inherent limits in orbital accuracy, the variation of solar pressure induced orbital error with time of the day of epoch, the insensitivity of range-rate orbits to GM error, and optimum bilateration baseline.

Fang, B. T.↗
NASA NTRS1981

The gravity field in the central Pacific from satellite-to-satellite tracking

Satellite-to-satellite Doppler tracking between the ATS 6 and the GEOS 3 spacecraft was used to measure the high-degree and high-order gravity field over an 80-deg region in the central Pacific Ocean. Forty passes of GEOS 3/ATS 6 Doppler data have been analyzed. The precision of these range rate data is about 0.3 mm/s, and the line-of-sight gravity anomalies recovered from these data have a precision of about 0.2 mGal at the GEOS 3 altitude of about 840 km. In general, the agreement between the SST-derived map and the conventional GEM method and an altimeter-derived geoid is good. Eight significant positive gravity anomalies were exposed in the central Pacific. Generally speaking, the anomalies form a roughly east-west pattern of alternating sign in the central region, and near the East Pacific they strike about north and south.

Marsh, J. G.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Optoelectronic Sensor System for Guidance in Docking

The Video Guidance Sensor (VGS) system is an optoelectronic sensor that provides automated guidance between two vehicles. In the original intended application, the two vehicles would be spacecraft docking together, but the basic principles of design and operation of the sensor are applicable to aircraft, robots, vehicles, or other objects that may be required to be aligned for docking, assembly, resupply, or precise separation. The system includes a sensor head containing a monochrome charge-coupled- device video camera and pulsed laser diodes mounted on the tracking vehicle, and passive reflective targets on the tracked vehicle. The lasers illuminate the targets, and the resulting video images of the targets are digitized. Then, from the positions of the digitized target images and known geometric relationships among the targets, the relative position and orientation of the vehicles are computed. As described thus far, the VGS system is based on the same principles as those of the system described in "Improved Video Sensor System for Guidance in Docking" (MFS-31150), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 21, No. 4 (April 1997), page 9a. However, the two systems differ in the details of design and operation. The VGS system is designed to operate with the target completely visible within a relative-azimuth range of +/-10.5deg and a relative-elevation range of +/-8deg. The VGS acquires and tracks the target within that field of view at any distance from 1.0 to 110 m and at any relative roll, pitch, and/or yaw angle within +/-10deg. The VGS produces sets of distance and relative-orientation data at a repetition rate of 5 Hz. The software of this system also accommodates the simultaneous operation of two sensors for redundancy

Howard, Richard T.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Insights into Regolith Dynamics from the Irradiation Record Preserved in Hayabusa Samples

The rates of space weathering processes are poorly constrained for asteroid surfaces, with recent estimates ranging over 5 orders of magnitude. The return of the first surface samples from a space-weathered asteroid by the Hayabusa mission and their laboratory analysis provides "ground truth" to anchor the timescales for space weathering. We determine the rates of space weathering on Itokawa by measuring solar flare track densities and the widths of solar wind damaged rims on grains. These measurements are made possible through novel focused ion beam (FIB) sample preparation methods.

Keller, Lindsay P.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Gravitational-wave bursts from the nuclei of distant galaxies and quasars - Proposal for detection using Doppler tracking of interplanetary spacecraft

It is argued that the collapse which forms the supermassive black holes that are likely to exist in the nuclei of many quasars and galaxies, and collisions between those holes, should produce strong broadband bursts of gravitational waves. The mean time between such gravitational-wave bursts at earth is analyzed in terms of the present Hubble expansion rate, the present deceleration parameter of the universe, the redshift z = 2.5 (at which most of the bursts are assumed to have been generated), the present number density of 'centers' where the bursts originated, the mean number of bursts generated in each center during its active life, and the speed of light. The analysis shows that the range from one week to 300 years is reasonable for the time between bursts, although it is admitted that hardly any bursts at all is also reasonable. Expected characteristics of the bursts are deduced, and it is shown that the best detector for these bursts will probably be Doppler tracking of one or more interplanetary spacecraft.

Thorne, K. S.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Lunar surface dynamics - Some general conclusions and new results from Apollo 16 and 17

The exposure ages of Apollo 17 rocks as measured by tracks and rare gases are discussed and a description is given of an investigation of a unique rock. The investigation will be an aid for the establishment of the long-term energy spectrum of solar flare heavy particles. The track record of several Apollo 17 soils is examined. It is shown that the Apollo 17 deep drill stem might make it possible to extend the energy range over which the fossil record of galactic cosmic rays can be studied. A review is provided regarding the experimental data obtained for the rates of several dynamical processes on the lunar surface.

Crozaz, G.↗
NASA NTRS1992

The Ulysses dust experiment

The Ulysses dust experiment is intended to provide direct observations of dust grains with masses between 10(exp -16) g and 10(exp -6) g in interplanetary space, to investigate their physical and dynamical properties as functions of heliocentric distance and ecliptic latitude. Of special interest is the question of what portion is provided by comets, asteroids and interstellar particles. The investigation is performed with an instrument that measures the mass, speed, flight direction, and electric charge of individual dust particles. It is a multicoincidence detector with a mass sensitivity 10(exp 6) times higher than that of previous in-situ experiments which measured dust in the outer solar system. The instrument weighs 3.8 kg, consumes 2.2 W, and has a normal data transmission rate of 8 bits/s in nominal spacecraft tracking mode. On 27 Oct. 1990 the instrument was switched on. The instrument was configured to flight conditions, and science data collection started immediately. At least 44 dust impacts had been recorded by 13 Jan. 1991. Flux values are given covering the heliocentric distance range from 1.04 to 1.7 AU.

Gruen, E.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Video-Based Sensor for Robotic Position and Attitude determination

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has, for the last ten years, developed various video-based sensors for use in automated docking systems. The latest generation of sensor will operate at rates of up to 100 Hz, determining the relative position (X, Y, and Z) and attitude (Roll, Pitch, and Yaw) between the sensor and a small 3-dimensional target, making it suitable for applications in robotic sensing. The Advanced Video Guidance Sensor (AVGS) is designed to track multiple targets at different ranges and determine the position and attitude of each one. The previous generation of video sensor, the Video Guidance Sensor (VGS), was flown twice on the Space Shuttle to test its performance on orbit. One of the tests performed was determining the relative positions and attitudes between the VGS and its target, which was moved to various positions using the Remote Manipulator System (RMS). The RMS position data and VGS measured data were analyzed after the flights, with good correlation between the position and attitude data of the two data sets. The test using the RMS gives a good idea of the ability of the use of the AVGS as a sensor for end-effector position and attitude determination.

Howard, Richard T.↗
DOE OSTI2023

S 5 : Probing the Milky Way and Magellanic Clouds potentials with the 6D map of the Orphan–Chenab stream

We present a 6D map of the Orphan–Chenab (OC) stream by combining the data from Southern Stellar Stream Spectroscopic Survey (S 5 ) and Gaia. We reconstruct the proper motion, radial velocity, distance, on-sky track, and stellar density along the stream with spline models. The stream has a total luminosity of M V = -8.2 and metallicity of [Fe/H] = -1.9, similar to classical Milky Way (MW) satellites like Draco. The stream shows drastic changes in its physical width varying from 200 pc to 1kpc, but a constant line-of-sight velocity dispersion of 5 km s -1 . Despite the large apparent variation in the stellar number density along the stream, the flow rate of stars along the stream is remarkably constant. We model the 6D stream track by a Lagrange-point stripping method with a flexible MW potential in the presence of a moving extended Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). This allows us to constrain the mass profile of the MW within the distance range 15.6 < r < 55∙5 kpc, with the best measured enclosed mass of (2.85 ± 0.1) X 10 11 M ⊙ within 32.4 kpc. Our stream measurements are highly sensitive to the LMC mass profile with the most precise measurement of its enclosed mass made at 32.8 kpc, 7.02 ± 0.9) X 10 11 M ⊙ . We also detect that the LMC dark matter halo extends to at least 53 kpc. The fitting of the OC stream allows us to constrain the past LMC trajectory and the degree of dynamical friction it experienced. We demonstrate that the stars in the OC stream show large energy and angular momentum spreads caused by LMC perturbation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Physics-based Models, Machine Learning, and Experiment: Towards Understanding Complex Electrode Degradation

Degradation phenomena in Li-ion batteries are highly complex, coupled, and sensitive to use history and operating conditions. In this study, we show how tracking model parameters in continuum-level physics-based models, expedited by machine learning, can be useful in testing hypotheses for degradation mechanisms. An exemplary analysis using this approach is presented for a set of lithium trivanadate ( L i x V 3 O 8 ) cathodes cycled over a range of current rates. A simple cell revival process is combined with the parameter estimates over the course of cycling to extract valuable insights into cathode evolution and eliminate hypothesized degradation mechanisms for these cathodes. The presented approach is expected to be broadly applicable for degradation analysis of other electrodes.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
NASA NTRS1992

Vision-based recursive estimation of rotorcraft obstacle locations

The authors address vision-based passive ranging during nap-of-the-earth (NOE) rotorcraft flight. They consider the problem of estimating the relative location of identifiable features on nearby obstacles, assuming a sequence of noisy camera images and imperfect measurements of the camera's translation and rotation. An iterated extended Kalman filter is used to provide recursive range estimation. The correspondence problem is simplified by predicting and tracking each feature's image within the Kalman filter framework. Simulation results are presented which show convergent estimates and generally successful feature point tracking. Estimation performance degrades for features near the optical axis and for accelerating motions. Image tracking is also sensitive to angular rate.

Leblanc, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Better Weather Prediction and Climate Diagnostics Using Rainfall Measurements from Space

Progress in understanding of the role of water in global weather and climate is currently limited by our knowledge of the spatial and temporal variability of primary hydrological fields such as precipitation and evaporation. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) has recently demonstrated that use of microwave-based rainfall observations from space in data assimilation can provide better climate data sets and improve short-range weather forecasting. At NASA, we have been exploring non-traditional approaches to assimilating TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) and Special Sensor Microwavehager (SSM/I) surface rain rate and latent heating profile information in global systems. In this talk we show that assimilating microwave rain rates using a continuous variational assimilation scheme based on moisture tendency corrections improves quantitative precipitation estimates (QPE) and related clouds, radiation energy fluxes, and large-scale circulations in the Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) reanalyses. Short-range forecasts initialized with these improved analyses also yield better QPE scores and storm track predictions for Hurricanes Bonnie and Floyd. We present a status report on current efforts to assimilate convective and stratiform latent heating profile information within the general variational framework of model parameter estimation to seek further improvements. Within the next 5 years, there will be a gradual increase in microwave rain products available from operational and research satellites, culminating to a target constellation of 9 satellites to provide global rain measurements every 3 hours with the proposed Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission in 2007/2008. Based on what has been learned from TRMM, there is a high degree of confidence that these observations can play a'major role in improving weather forecasts and producing better global datasets for understanding the Earth's water and energy cycle. The key to success is to adopt an integrated approach to retrieval, validation, modeling, and data assimilation in a coordinated end-to-end observation-application program.

Hou, Arthur↗
NASA NTRS2017

Small Orbital Stereo Tracking Camera Technology Development

Any exploration vehicle assembled or Spacecraft placed in LEO or GTO must pass through this debris cloud and survive. Large cross section, low thrust vehicles will spend more time spiraling out through the cloud and will suffer more impacts.Better knowledge of small debris will improve survival odds. Current estimated Density of debris at various orbital attitudes with notation of recent collisions and resulting spikes. Orbital Debris Tracking and Characterization has now been added to NASA Office of Chief Technologists Technology Development Roadmap in Technology Area 5 (TA5.7)[Orbital Debris Tracking and Characterization] and is a technical gap in the current National Space Situational Awareness necessary to safeguard orbital assets and crews due to the risk of Orbital Debris damage to ISS Exploration vehicles. The Problem: Traditional orbital trackers looking for small, dim orbital derelicts and debris typically will stare at the stars and let any reflected light off the debris integrate in the imager for seconds, thus creating a streak across the image. The Solution: The Small Tracker will see Stars and other celestial objects rise through its Field of View (FOV) at the rotational rate of its orbit, but the glint off of orbital objects will move through the FOV at different rates and directions. Debris on a head-on collision course (or close) will stay in the FOV at 14 Km per sec. The Small Tracker can track at 60 frames per sec allowing up to 30 fixes before a near-miss pass. A Stereo pair of Small Trackers can provide range data within 5-7 Km for better orbit measurements.

Bryan, Tom↗
NASA NTRS2017

Atmospheric Instrument Systems and Technology in the Goddard Earth Sciences Division

Studies of the Earth’s atmosphere require a comprehensive set of observations that rely on instruments flown on spacecraft, aircraft, and balloons as well as those deployed on the surface. Within NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Earth Sciences Division-Atmospheres, laboratories and offices maintain an active program of instrument system development and observational studies that provide: 1) information leading to a basic understanding of atmospheric processes and their relationships with the Earth’s climate system, 2) prototypes for future flight instruments, 3) instruments to serve as calibration references for satellite missions, and 4) instruments for future field validation campaigns that support ongoing space missions. Our scientists participate in all aspects of instrument activity, including component and system design, calibration techniques, retrieval algorithm development, and data processing systems. The Atmospheres Program has well-equipped labs and test equipment to support the development and testing of instrument systems, such as a radiometric calibration and development facility to support the calibration of ultraviolet and visible (UV/VIS), space-borne solar backscatter instruments. This document summarizes the features and characteristics of 46 instrument systems that currently exist or are under development. The report is organized according to active, passive, or in situ remote sensing across the electromagnetic spectrum. Most of the systems are considered operational in that they have demonstrated performance in the field and are capable of being deployed on relatively short notice. Other systems are under study or of low technical readiness level (TRL). The systems described herein are designed mainly for surface or airborne platforms. However, two Cubesat systems also have been developed through collaborative efforts. The Solar Disk Sextant (SDS) is the single balloon-borne instrument. The lidar systems described herein are designed to retrieve clouds, aerosols, methane, water vapor pressure, temperature, and winds. Most of the lasers operate at some wavelength combination of 355, 532, and 1064 nm. The various systems provide high sensitivity measurements based on returns from backscatter or Raman scattering including intensity and polarization. Measurements of the frequency (Doppler) shift of light scattered from various atmospheric constitutes can also be made. Microwave sensors consist of both active (radar) and passive (radiometer) systems. These systems are important for studying processes involving water in various forms. The dielectric properties of water affect microwave brightness temperatures, which are used to retrieve atmospheric parameters such as rainfall rate and other key elements of the hydrological cycle. Atmosphere radar systems operate in the range from 9.6 GHz to 94 GHz and have measurement accuracies from -5 to 1 dBZ; radiometers operate in the 50 GHz to 874 GHz range with accuracies from 0.5 to 1 degree K; conical and cross-track scan modes are used. Our passive optical sensors, consisting of radiometers and spectrometers, collectively operate from the UV into the infrared. These systems measure energy fluxes and atmospheric parameters such as trace gases, aerosols, cloud properties, or altitude profiles of various species. Imager spatial resolution varies from 37 m to 400 m depending on altitude; spectral resolution is as small as 0.5 nm. Many of the airborne systems have been developed to fly on multiple aircraft.

Platnick, Steven E.↗
NASA NTRS2016

The Laser Ranging Experiment of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter: Five Years of Operations and Data Analysis

We describe the results of the Laser Ranging (LR) experiment carried out from June 2009 to September 2014 in order to make one-way time-of-flight measurements of laser pulses between Earth-based laser ranging stations and the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) orbiting the Moon. Over 4,000 hours of successful LR data are obtained from 10 international ground stations. The 20-30 centimeter precision of the full-rate LR data is further improved to 5-10 centimeter after conversion into normal points. The main purpose of LR is to utilize the high accuracy normal point data to improve the quality of the LRO orbits, which are nomi- nally determined by the radiometric S-band tracking data. When independently used in the LRO precision orbit determination process with the high-resolution GRAIL (Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory) gravity model, LR data provide good orbit solutions, with an average difference of approximately 50 meters in total position, and approximately 20 centimeters in radial direction, compared to the definitive LRO trajectory. When used in combination with the S-band tracking data, LR data help to improve the orbit accuracy in the radial direction to approximately 15 centimeters. In order to obtain highly accurate LR range measurements for precise orbit determination results, it is critical to closely model the behavior of the clocks both at the ground stations and on the spacecraft. LR provides a unique data set to calibrate the spacecraft clock. The LRO spacecraft clock is characterized by the LR data to a timing knowledge of 0.015 milliseconds over the entire 5 years of LR operation. We here present both the engineering setup of the LR experiments and the detailed analysis results of the LR data.

Mao, Dandan↗