Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “scout”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 325 records · Page 18
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1991

Feasibility of solar power for Mars

NASA, through Project Pathfinder, has put in place an advanced technology program to address future needs of manned space exploration. Included in the missions under study is the establishment of outposts on the surface of Mars. The Surface Power program in Pathfinder is aimed at providing photovoltaic array technology for such an application (as well as for the lunar surface). Another important application is for unmanned precursor missions, such as the photovoltaic-power aircraft, which will scout landing sites and investigate Mars geology for a 1 to 2 year mission without landing on the surface. Effective design and utilization of solar energy depend to a large extent on adequate knowledge of solar radiation characteristics in the region of solar energy system operation. The two major climatic components needed for photovoltaic system designs are the distributions of solar insolation and ambient temperature. These distributions for the Martian climate are given at the two Viking lander locations but can also be used, to the first approximation, for other latitudes. One of the most important results is that there is a large diffuse component of the insolation, even at high optical depth, so that solar energy system operation is still possible. If the power system is to continue to generate power even on high optical opacity days, it is thus important that the photovoltaic system be designed to collect diffuse irradiance as well as direct. In absence of long term insolation and temperature data for Mars, the data presented can be used until updated data are available. The ambient temperature data are given as measured directly by the temperature sensor; the insolation data are calculated from optical depth measurements of the atmosphere.

Appelbaum, Joseph↗
NASA NTRS1991

Next generation: Unmanned launch vehicles and upper stages: The needs

The focus is on common vehicle elements, higher mission success, and lower transportation cost with respect to the common needs of the Department of Defense, NASA, and U.S. Industry. The following are presented in viewgraph form: (1) perspectives on mission costs and failures; (2) the recurring costs of the Delta 7925, Atlas/Centar, Titan 3, and Titan 4; (3) U.S. launches from 1957-1987 of Vanguard, Jupiter, Thor/Delta, Juno, Atlas, Scout, Redstone, Saturn, Titan, and the Space Transportation System; and (4) subsystem sources of failure. The following topics are also briefly presented: (1) engine costs; (2) a summary of flight experience; (3) recommendations for next generation space transportation; (4) low cost engine demonstration; and (5) the next generation commercial expendable launch vehicle (ELV) needs estimate.

Gunn, Charles R.↗
NASA NTRS1992

High-Clearance Six-Wheel Suspension

Multilevered suspension system gives body of vehicle high clearance and allows wheels to be steered independently. Suspension linkages above wheels enable body to skim over obstacles as high as wheel. Levers and independently steered wheels enable vehicle to climb steps 1 1/2 wheel diameters high and cross gaps 1 3/4 wide. Adaptable to off-the-road recreational vehicles, military scout vehicles, and robotic emergency vehicles.

Bickler, Donald B.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Solar system exploration in the 1990's and beyond

Exploration of Venus by Magellan and Pioneer Venus continues. Additionally, Galileo's Venus-earth-earth gravity assist trajectory to Jupiter has already provided targets of opportunity at Venus and at earth. Additional opportunities exist during the October 29, 1991, flyby of the asteroid Gaspra, the second earth gravity assist on December 8, 1992, and the flyby of the asteroid Ida on October 18, 1993. A fully successful mission through entry of the Jupiter atmospheric probe is anticipated in 1995/1996. The buildup of the Mars Observer spacecraft for a September 1992 launch is accelerating, and the development of the CRAF spacecraft and the orbiter for the NASA-ESA Cassini mission to Saturn is proceeding. Strategic plans to continue this ambitious program include early initiation of a phased program to detect other planetary systems; start of a program of low-cost, near-earth missions beginning with a near-earth asteroid rendezvous; continuation of moon-Mars exploration using sequentially launched single experiment Lunar Scouts and clusters of small landers to build up a Mars network of 16 stations; and finally, start of a major mission late in the century to explore Neptune and/or Pluto.

Huntress, Wesley T., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1991

ELV payload environment; Proceedings of the NASA-Industry Conference on Launch Environments of ELV Payloads, Elkridge, MD, June 4-6, 1990

Various papers on the ELV payload environment are presented. Individual topics addressed include: EnviroNET: the Space Environment Information Service, ELV Payload Environments Study, perspective of GSFC Orbital Launch Services Office, Cosmic Background Explorer, the Standard Booster Interface, MLV Standard Interface Study, future payload requirements, General Dynamics Atlas family, Delta II Launch Vehicle environments, Titan vibroacoustics, Titan IV, the Scout Launch Vehicle, Pegasus.

Lauriente, Michael↗
NASA NTRS1992

NASA Pocket Statistics

NASA administrative and organizational information is presented along with summaries of space flight activity including the NASA Major Launch Record, and NASA procurement, financial and manpower data. The Major Launch Record includes all launches of Scout class and larger vehicles. Vehicle and spacecraft development flights are also included. Shuttle missions are counted as one launch and one payload, where free flying payloads are not involved. Satellites deployed from the cargo bay of the Shuttle and placed in a separate orbit or trajectory are counted as an additional payload.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1988

Gamma ray astrophysics to the year 2000. Report of the NASA Gamma Ray Program Working Group

Important developments in gamma-ray astrophysics up to energies of 100 GeV during the last decade are reviewed. Also, the report seeks to define the major current scientific goals of the field and proposes a vigorous program to pursue them, extending to the year 2000. The goals of gamma-ray astronomy include the study of gamma rays which provide the most direct means of studying many important problems in high energy astrophysics including explosive nucleosynthesis, accelerated particle interactions and sources, and high-energy processes around compact objects. The current research program in gamma-ray astronomy in the U.S. including the space program, balloon program and foreign programs in gamma-ray astronomy is described. The high priority recommendations for future study include an Explorer-class high resolution gamma-ray spectroscopy mission and a Get Away Special cannister (GAS-can) or Scout class multiwavelength experiment for the study of gamma-ray bursts. Continuing programs include an extended Gamma Ray Observatory mission, continuation of the vigorous program of balloon observations of the nearby Supernova 1987A, augmentation of the balloon program to provide for new instruments and rapid scientific results, and continuation of support for theoretical research. Long term recommendations include new space missions using advanced detectors to better study gamma-ray sources, the development of these detectors, continued study for the assembly of large detectors in space, collaboration with the gamma-ray astronomy missions initiated by other countries, and consideration of the Space Station attached payloads for gamma-ray experiments.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1992

STS-44 Space Shuttle mission report

The STS-44 Space Shuttle Program Mission Report is a summary of the vehicle subsystem operations during the forty-fourth flight of the Space Shuttle Program and the tenth flight of the Orbiter vehicle Atlantis (OV-104). In addition to the Atlantis vehicle, the flight vehicle consisted of the following: an External Tank (ET) designated as ET-53 (LWT-46); three Space Shuttle main engines (SSME's) (serial numbers 2015, 2030, and 2029 in positions 1, 2, and 3, respectively); and two Solid Rocket Boosters (SRB's) designated as BI-047. The lightweight redesigned Solid Rocket Motors (RSRM's) installed in each one of the SRB's were designated as 360L019A for the left SRB and 360W019B for the right SRB. The primary objective of the STS-44 mission was to successfully deploy the Department of Defense (DOD) Defense Support Program (DSP) satellite/inertial upper stage (IUS) into a 195 nmi. earth orbit at an inclination of 28.45 deg. Secondary objectives of this flight were to perform all operations necessary to support the requirements of the following: Terra Scout, Military Man in Space (M88-1), Air Force Maui Optical System Calibration Test (AMOS), Cosmic Radiation Effects and Activation Monitor (CREAM), Shuttle Activation Monitor (SAM), Radiation Monitoring Equipment-3 (RME-3), Visual Function Tester-1 (VFT-1), and the Interim Operational Contamination Monitor (IOCM) secondary payloads/experiments.

Fricke, Robert W.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Gamma Ray/neutron Spectrometers for Planetary Elemental Mapping

Los Alamos has designed gamma ray and neutron spectrometers for Lunar Scout, two robotic missions to map the Moon from 100 km polar orbits. Knowledge of the elemental composition is desirable in identifying resources and for geochemical studies and can be obtained using gamma ray and neutron spectrometers. Measurements with gamma ray and neutron spectrometers complement each other in determining elemental abundances in a planet's surface. Various aspects of the instruments are discussed.

Reedy, R. C.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Lunar Science: Using the Moon as a Testbed

The Moon is an excellent test bed for innovative instruments and spacecraft. Excellent science can be done, the Moon has a convenient location, and previous measurements have calibrated many parts of it. I summarize these attributes and give some suggestions for the types of future measurements. The Lunar Scout missions planned by NASA's Office of Exploration will not make all the measurements needed. Thus, test missions to the Moon can also return significant scientific results, making them more than technology demonstrations. The Moon is close to Earth, so cruise time is insignificant, tracking is precise, and some operations can be controlled from Earth, but it is in the deep space environment, allowing full tests of instruments and spacecraft components. The existing database on the Moon allows tests of new instruments against known information. The most precise data come from lunar samples, where detailed analyses of samples from a few places on the Moon provide data on chemical and mineralogical composition and physical properties.

Taylor, G. J.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Use of particle beams for lunar prospecting

A key issue in choosing the appropriate site for a manned lunar base is the availability of resources, particularly oxygen and hydrogen for the production of water, and ores for the production of fuels and building materials. NASA has proposed two Lunar Scout missions that would orbit the Moon and use, among other instruments, a hard X-ray spectrometer, a neutron spectrometer, and a Ge gamma ray spectrometer to map the lunar surface. This passive instrumentation will have low resolution (tens of kilometers) due to the low signal levels produced by natural radioactivity and the interaction of cosmic rays and the solar wind with the lunar surface. This paper presents the results of a concept definition effort for a neutral particle beam lunar mapper probe. The idea of using particle beam probes to survey asteroids was first proposed by Sagdeev et al., and an ion beam device was fielded on the 1988 Soviet probe to the Mars moon Phobos. During the past five years, significant advances in the technology of neutral particle beams (NPB) have led to a suborbital flight of a neutral hydrogen beam device in the SDIO-sponsored BEAR experiment. An orbital experiment, the Neutral Particle Beam Far Field Optics Experiment (NPB-FOX) is presently in the preliminary design phase. The development of NPB accelerators that are space-operable leads one to consider the utility of these devices for probing the surface of the Moon using gamma ray, X-ray, and optical/UV spectroscopy to locate various elements and compounds. We consider the utility of the NPB-FOX satellite containing a 5-MeV particle beam accelerator as a probe in lunar orbit. Irradiation of the lunar surface by the particle beam will induce secondary and back scattered radiation from the lunar surface to be detected by a sensor that may be co-orbital with or on the particle beam satellite platform, or may be in a separate orbit. The secondary radiation is characteristic of the make-up of the lunar surface. The size of the spot irradiated by the beam is less than 1 km wide along the ground track of the satellite, resulting in the potential for high resolution. The fact that the probe could be placed in polar orbit would result in global coverage of the lunar surface. The orbital particle beam probe could provide the basis for selection of sites for more detailed prospecting by surface rovers.

Toepfer, A. J.↗
NASA NTRS1990

United States launch vehicle systems

United States policy for national space launch capability provides for a balanced mix of launches, utilizing the Space Shuttle and Expendable Launch Vehicles (ELVs). The current mixed fleet includes the Space Shuttle and four expendable launch vehicles - Titan, Atlas, Delta, and Scout. New small class launch vehicles, including Pegasus, are in development. In addition, studies are underway to assure that the United States has cost-effective, reliable access to space, heavy-lift launch capability, and a new manned spacecraft after the current Space Shuttle reaches the end of its operational life. This paper highlights the current capabilities of the mixed fleet and summarizes the plans for new or modified United States launch vehicles through the first decade of the next century.

Krause, Robert B.↗
NASA NTRS1993

NASA Pocket Statistics

Pocket Statistics is published for the use of NASA managers and their staff. Included herein is Administrative and Organizational information, summaries of Space Flight Activity including the NASA Major Launch Record, and NASA Procurement, Financial, and Manpower data. The NASA Major Launch Record includes all launches of Scout class and larger vehicles. Vehicle and spacecraft development flights are also included in the Major Launch Record. Shuttle missions are counted as one launch and one payload, where free flying payloads are not involved. Satellites deployed from the cargo bay of the Shuttle and placed in a separate orbit or trajectory are counted as an additional payload.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1936

Effect of Several Factors on the Cooling of a Radial Engine in Flight

Flight tests of a Grumman Scout (XSF-2) airplane fitted with a Pratt & Whitney 1535 supercharged engine were conducted to determine the effect of engine power, mass flow of the cooling air, and atmospheric temperature on cylinder temperature. The tests indicated that the difference in temperature between the cylinder wall and the cooling air varied as the 0.38 power of the brake horsepower for a constant mass flow of cooling air, cooling-air temperature, engine speed, and brake fuel consumption. The difference in temperature was also found to vary inversely as the 0.39 power of the mass flow for points on the head and the 0.35 power for points on the barrel, provided that engine power, engine speed, brake fuel consumption, and cooling-air temperature were kept constant. The results of the tests of the effect of atmospheric temperature on cylinder temperature were inconclusive owing to unfavorable weather conditions prevailing at the time of the tests. The method used for controlling the test conditions, however, was found to be feasible.

Schey, Oscar W↗
NASA NTRS1946

Flight Measurements to Determine Effect of a Spring-Loaded Tab on Longitudinal Stability of an Airplane

In conjunction with a program of research on the general problem of stability of airplanes in the climbing condition, tests have been made of a spring-loaded tb which. is referred to as a ?springy tab,? installed on the elevator of a low-wing scout bomber. The tab was arranged to deflect upward with decrease in speed which caused an increase in the pull force required to trim at low speeds and thereby increased the stick-free static longitudinal stability of the airplane. It was found that the springy tab would increase the stick-free stability in all flight conditions, would reduce the danger of inadvertent stalling because of the definite pull force required to stall the airplane with power on, would reduce the effect of center-of-gravity position on stick-free static stability, and would have little effect on the elevator stick forces in accelerated f11ght. Another advantage of the springy tab is that it might be used to provide almost any desired variation of elevator stick force with speed by adjusting the tab hinge-moment characteristics and the variation of spring moment with tab deflection. Unlike the bungee and the bobweight, the springy tab would provide stick-free static stability without requiring a pull force to hold the stick back while taxying. A device similar to the springy tab may be used on the rudder or ailerons to eliminate undesirable trim-force variations with speed.

TABS, ELEVATOR↗
NASA NTRS1943

Flight Tests of Various Tail Modifications on the Brewster XSBA-1 Airplane II : Measurements of Flying Qualities with Tail Configuration Number Two

Several tail modifications of the Brewster XSBA-1 scout-bomber were investigated and results compared. Modifications consisted of variation of the chord of the elevator and rudder while the total area of the surfaces is kept constant and variations of the total area of the vertical tail surface. Configuration number 2 reduced trim changes by 50 percent and reduced average elevator control force gradient from 30 to 27 pounds/g. Stick travel required to stall in maneuver was 4.6 inches.

STABILITY & CONTROL - BREWSTER SBA-1↗
NASA NTRS1994

Improved All-Terrain Suspension System

Redesigned suspension system for all-terrain vehicle exhibits enhanced ability to negotiate sand and rocks. Improved six-wheel suspension system includes only two links on each side. Bogie tends to pull rear wheels with it as it climbs. Designed for rover vehicle for exploration of Mars, also has potential application in off-road vehicles, military scout vehicles, robotic emergency vehicles, and toys. Predecessors of suspension system described in "Articulated Suspension Without Springs" (NPO-17354), "Four-Wheel Vehicle Suspension System" (NPO-17407), and "High-Clearance Six-Wheel Suspension" (NPO-17821).

Bickler, Donald B.↗
NASA NTRS1994

NASA Pocket Statistics

Pocket Statistics is published for the use of NASA managers and their staff. Included herein is Administrative and Organizational information, summaries of Space Flight Activity including the NASA Major Launch Record, and NASA Procurement, Financial, and Manpower data. The NASA Major Launch Record includes all launches of Scout class and larger vehicles. Vehicle and spacecraft development flights are also included in the Major Launch Record. Shuttle missions are counted as one launch and one payload, where free flying payloads are not involved. Satellites deployed from the cargo bay of the Shuttle and placed in a separate orbit or trajectory are counted as an additional payload.

Source record↗