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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 37 records · Page 2

Shuttle/Payload Contamination Evaluation /SPACE/ - A systems level contamination model

The Shuttle/Payload Contamination Evaluation (SPACE) computer program was designed to three dimensionally synthesize the dynamics of the induced on-orbit molecular contaminant environment of the Shuttle Orbiter and a number of Spacelab payload carrier configurations. SPACE has the capability to accept any instrument or spacecraft configuration for contamination evaluation through manipulation of program input data. It represents a significant advancement over previous analytical or modeling techniques in that it is the first integrated systems level model of its type to collectively consider geometry (emphasizing surface shadowing), any arbitrary contaminant source(s) and the contaminant transport mechanisms of: (1) direct source-to-surface; (2) return flux due to molecular collisions with the ambient atmosphere and other contaminant molecules; and (3) reflection/reemission from structural surfaces.

Jarossy, F. J.↗

Strategy for contamination control to improve Wide-Field/Planetary Camera far-ultraviolet performance

A multifaceted contamination control strategy has been developed for the second generated Wide-Field and Planetary Camera (WFPC-2) to improve the FUV stability by several orders of magnitude, compared to the first camera (WFPC-1). The strategy involves: improved on-orbit boil-off capability of the detector optics, added internal shielding and instrument venting, in-process subassembly vacuum bakeout at elevated temperatures, material substitution, sample testing in ultraclean vacuum facility, and internal instrument contamination-transport modeling. A science performance goal of 1 percent photometric accuracy at 1470 A over an extended time (of at least 30 days) has been established as a contamination control target for WFPC-2. The WFPC-2 is currently planned to be launched by the Shuttle in mid-1993 and replace the WFPC-1 which was recently launched with the HST.

Leschly, Kim↗

Physics, chemistry and pulmonary sequelae of thermodegradation events in long-mission space flight

An event in which electronic insulation consisting of polytetrafluoroethylene undergoes thermodegradation on the Space Station Freedom is considered experimentally and theoretically from the initial chemistry and convective transport through pulmonary deposition in humans. The low-gravity enviroment impacts various stages of event simulation. Vapor-phase and particulate thermodegradation products were considered as potential spacecraft contaminants. A potential pathway for the production of ultrafine particles was identified. Different approaches to the simulation and prediction of contaminant transport were studied and used to predict the distribution of generic vapor-phase products in a Space Station model. A lung transport model was used to assess the pulmonary distribution of inhaled particles, and, finally, the impact of adaptation to low gravity on the human response to this inhalation risk was explored on the basis of known physiological modifications of the immune, endocrine, musculoskeletal and pulmonary systems that accompany space flight.

Todd, Paul↗

The 1990 Western Pacific Geophysics meeting

The 1990 Western Pacific Geophysics Meeting was held in Kanazawa, Japan from 15-21 Aug. 1990. This was the first meeting of a new series of meetings for the American Geophysical Union, and it proved to be very successful in terms of the scientific program and attendance, which included over 1,000 participants. The intent of this meeting was an effort on the part of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and several Japanese geophysical societies to gather individual Earth and space scientists at a major scientific meeting to focus on geophysical problems being studied in the western Pacific rim. The meeting was organized along the lines of a typical AGU annual meeting with some invited talks, many contributed talks, poster sessions, and with emphasis on presentations and informal discussions. The program committee consisted of scientists from both the U.S. and Japan. This meeting provided ample opportunities for U.S. and Japanese scientists to get to know each other and their works on a one-to-one basis. It was also a valuable opportunity for students studying geophysics to get together and interact with each other and with scientists from both the U.S. and Japan. There were 939 abstracts submitted to the conference and a total of 102 sessions designed as a result of the abstracts received. The topics of interest are as follows: space geodetic and observatory measurements for earthquake and tectonic studies; gravity, sea level, and vertical motion; variations in earth rotation and earth dynamics; sedimentary magnetism; global processes and precipitation; subsurface contaminant transport; U.S. Western Pacific Rim initiatives in hydrology; shelf and coastal circulation; tectonics, magmatism, and hydrothermal processes; earthquake prediction and hazard assessment; seismic wave propagation in realistic media; and dynamics and structure of plate boundaries and of the Earth's deep interior.

Source record↗

Molecular Contamination Investigation Facility (MCIF) Capabilities

This facility was used to guide the development of ASTM E 1559 center dot Multiple Quartz Crystal Microbalances (QCMs), large sample and spectral effects capability center dot Several instrumented, high vacuum chamber systems are used to evaluate the molecular outgassing characteristics of materials, flight components and other sensitive surfaces. Test materials for spacecraft/instrument selection center.Test flight components for acceptable molecular outgas levels center dot Determine time/temperature vacuum bake-out requirements center. Data used to set limits for use of materials and specific components center. Provide Input Data to Contamination Transport Models -Applied to numerous flight projects over the past 20 years.

Soules, David M.↗

Transport of trace contaminants through porous media

Research accomplishments in the following areas are discussed: (1) the calibration of the gas chromatograph for acetaldehyde and ethanol; (2) the development of data reduction and analysis methods; (3) the generation and analysis of experimental data for the transport of 100 ppm acetaldehyde through a cylindrical bed packed with activated carbon granules; (4) the generation and analysis of experimental data for the transport of 100 ppm ethanol through a cylindrical bed packed with activated carbon granules; and (5) a comparison of the volume adsorption capacity of activated carbon for 100 ppm concentrations of acetaldehyde, ethanol, and acetone. Activities in progress and planned activities are reviewed.

Madey, R.↗

Compatibility of Niobium Alloys and Superalloys in a Flowing He-Xe Power Conversion System

Proposed concepts for an ambitious mission to explore Jupiter's three icy moons place significant demands on the various spacecraft systems. There are many challenges related to the high output power conversion systems being considered, and one example is the need to ensure system compatibility at all levels. The utilization of appropriate materials for component structures is important to ensuring long mission life. Refractory metal alloys have attractive high-temperature properties in inert environments, but these alloys are sometimes susceptible to contamination. Potential material compatibility issues exist between refractory metal candidates and more conventional alloys. Nb-1Zr has long been considered one of the most well characterized refractory alloys that is well suited for elevated-temperature use and liquid-metal compatibility. However, previous studies have suggested that niobium alloys can not co-exist in a closed system with traditional stainless steels or superalloys due to transport of contaminants. The relevance of this information to a proposed power conversion system is discussed. Also, experiments and fundamental calculations are being performed to determine contamination transport from candidate superalloys to Nb-1Zr in a closed system with an inert carrier gas. Potential protective schemes are explored to ensure system level compatibility between the refractory alloy Nb-1Zr and a nickel-based superalloy.

Bowman, Cheryl L.↗

Molecular and particulate contaminants - A contamination data base within ENVIRONET

The Space Transportation System contamination environment appears in the ENVIRONET data base in two parallel chapters, Molecular Contamination and Particulate Environment. The design objectives and a description of the content of this contamination data base are presented. A treatment of the use of the data base is intended to interest the reader in accessing and browsing these chapters. Future plans are discussed briefly, with the emphasis on the approach to providing a dynamic data base.

Barengoltz, Jack↗

Robotic and Crewed Mars Missions Increasing the Demand for Planetary Protection Technology Needs

Planetary protection (PP) policy seeks to avoid harmful contamination by limiting biological and relevant organic contamination from spacecraft as well as preventing adverse changes to Earth’s biosphere when extraterrestial samples are brought back to Earth. The PP policy at NASA was updated in 2021 (NPR 8715.24) and 2022 (NASA-STD-8719.27) to enable missions by expanding the decades old prescriptive requirements to allow for an option of adopting performance-based requirements that are objectivesdriven, risk-informed and case-assured. In parallel, the final PP knowledge gap workshop was completed representing the international consensus on the key areas to be considered in developing crew PP policy. These knowledge gaps focused on key technology development areas in 1) microbial and human health monitoring, 2) technical and operations needed for contamination control and 3) natural transport of contamination on Mars. As robotic missions start to implement performance-based approaches and research and technology efforts commence to inform crew policy the demand for data quality driven verification and validation in relevant space environments. Examples of the types of testing that is envisioned includes test as you fly validation and verification of decontamination systems in a relevant on-orbit and Mars environment, developing lethality curves of terrestrial organisms to further our understanding of the biocidal impacts of Mars and the space environment, and particle transport model validation and verification. Thus, the PP discipline has identified the need for groundbased space environments to perform preliminary testing as validation and verification of flight systems and to advance the technology readiness level prior to further testing on-orbit or lunar environments to prepare for Mars.

J. Nick Benardini↗

Robotic and Crewed Mars Missions Increasing the Demand for Planetary Protection Technology Needs

Planetary protection (PP) policy seeks to avoid harmful contamination by limiting biological and relevant organic contamination from spacecraft as well as preventing adverse changes to Earth’s biosphere when extraterrestrial samples are brought back to Earth. The PP policy at NASA was updated in 2021 (NPR 8715.24) and 2022 (NASA-STD-8719.27) to enable missions by expanding the decades old prescriptive requirements to allow for an option of adopting performance-based requirements that are objectives-driven, risk-informed and case-assured. In parallel, the final PP knowledge gap workshop was completed representing the international consensus on the key areas to be considered in developing crew PP policy. These knowledge gaps focused on key technology development areas in 1) microbial and human health monitoring, 2) technical and operations needed for contamination control and 3) natural transport of contamination on Mars. As robotic missions start to implement performance-based approaches and research and technology efforts commence to inform crew policy the demand for data quality driven verification and validation in relevant space environments. Examples of the types of testing that is envisioned includes test as you fly validation and verification of decontamination systems in a relevant on-orbit and Mars environment, developing lethality curves of terrestrial organisms to further our understanding of the biocidal impacts of Mars and the space environment, and particle transport model validation and verification. Thus, the PP discipline has identified the need for ground-based space environments to perform preliminary testing as validation and verification of flight systems and to advance the technology readiness level prior to further testing on-orbit or lunar environments to prepare for Mars.

J Nick Benardini↗

Spacecraft contamination environment; Proceedings of the Meeting, Arlington, VA, May 4-6, 1982

Aspects of IECM debriefing are considered, taking into account preliminary results of the induced environment contamination monitor measurements of STS-2, the humidity monitor and dew point hygrometer, the induced environment contamination monitor cascade impactor, the optical effects module and passive sample array, temperature-controlled quartz crystal microbalance measurements on STS-2, camera/photometer results, the mass spectrometer, and a summary regarding the induced environment contamination monitor/space transport system. Other subjects explored are related to contamination management and control, contamination/optical degradation, and contamination assessments and measurements. Attention is given to approaches for controlling contamination before launch, the coronagraph as the ultimate device to monitor orbiting particulates in the Space Transport System environment, and the contamination sensitivity of typical mirror coatings.

Maag, C. R.↗

Shuttle payload integration - Contamination aspects

As part of the development of the Space Shuttle, a payload integration system has been established. This integration system or process encompasses several technical disciplines, one of which is concerned with the control of molecular and particulate contamination. Specific integration procedures and documentation have evolved that reflect the incorporation of payload/Space Transportation System contamination requirements and capabilities. Of the 38 payloads in the payload integration system currently, about 20% are considered sensitive to contamination in that special precautions must be taken to ensure that contamination from the Space Shuttle Orbiter does not impair payload function. Most of these payload requirements have been satisfied by the incorporation of controlled ground operations discipline and installation of a payload bay liner, which isolates the payload from the Orbiter systems. Some payloads, however, provide covers for sensitive payload instrumentation.

Jacobs, S.↗

Combined Silane Pyrolysis and Silicon-Particle Melt

Melter directly coupled to pyrolyzer eliminates difficulties of transport. Proposed coupling of free-space silane pyrolyzer and melter without intervening steps produce molten silicon with no problems of fine-particle movement, storage, contamination in transport, or oxide formation.

Levin, H.↗

Flight evidence of spacecraft surface contamination rate enhancement by spacecraft charging obtained with a quartz crystal microbalance

The significance of the fraction of the mass outgassed by a negatively charged space vehicle which is ionized within the vehicle plasma sheath and electrostatically reattracted to the space vehicle was determined. The ML-12 retarding potential analyzer/temperature controlled quartz crystal microbalances (RPA/TQCMs) distinguishes between charged and neutral molecules and investigates contamination mass transport mechanism. Two long term, quick look flight data sets indicate that on the average a significant fraction of mass arriving at one RPA/TQCM is ionized. It is assumed that vehicle frame charging during these periods was approximately uniformly distributed in degree and frequency. It is shown that electrostatic reattraction of ionized molecules is an important contamination mechanism at and near geosynchronous altitudes.

Clark, D. M.↗

Cargo transfer vehicle RCS propellant contamination issues

The purpose of this report is to address Cargo Transfer Vehicle (CTV) RCS contamination issues and contribute to the resources necessary to optimize the vehicle and propulsion systems required in the CTV of the National Launch System (NLS) Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle (HLLV). This study reviews the thruster-induced contaminants; their transportation from the thrust chamber to the vehicle, payload, and SSF; and the mechanism by which damage is inflicted on their components. The effect of both monopropellant and bipropellant RCS rocket exhaust plumes on a spacecraft and related functional surfaces has been the subject of considerable study over the years. It is recognized that the RCS rocket produces contaminants which can significantly degrade the performance of optical windows, solar cells, thermal-protective coatings, and other external vehicle components. This is particularly true when the rocket is operating in the pulse mode. The exhaust plume impingement pressure and heat-transfer phenomena also complicate the environment to which the vehicle and its functional surfaces are exposed, but are not addressed in this study. Bipropellant contamination presented several modes of damage to incident surfaces, which can pose a long-term deleterious consequence to CTV payloads and the Space Station Freedom (SSF). Monopropellant contamination did not pose any significant long-term issues other than the possibility of aniline deposition. The use of either bipropellant and monopropellant propulsion systems can have a design impact on the CTV propulsion system with respect to maneuvering operations in the proximity of SSF.

Ballard, Richard O.↗