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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
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2017

Aerial Vehicles to Detect Maximum Volume of Plume Material Associated with Habitable Areas in Extreme Environments

Current technologies of exploring habitable areas of icy moons are limited to flybys of space probes. This research project addresses long-term navigation of icy moons by developing a MATLAB adjustable trajectory based on the volume of plume material observed. Plumes expose materials from the sub-surface without accessing the subsurface. Aerial vehicles capable of scouting vapor plumes and detecting maximum plume material volumes, which are considered potentially habitable in inhospitable environments, would enable future deep-space missions to search for extraterrestrial organisms on the surface of icy moons. Although this platform is still a prototype, it demonstrates the potential aerial vehicles can have in improving the capabilities of long-term space navigation and enabling technology for detecting life in extreme environments. Additionally, this work is developing the capabilities that could be utilized as a platform for space biology research. For example, aerial vehicles that are sent to map extreme environments of icy moons or the planet Mars, could also carry small payloads with automated cell-biology experiments, designed to probe the biological response of low-gravity and high-radiation planetary environments, serving as a pathfinder for future human missions.

Vehicles Extreme Environment↗
NASA NTRS2014

TransFormers for Extreme Environments: Projecting Favorable Micro-Environments Around Robots and Areas of Interest

“Surviving Extreme Space Environments” (EE) is one of NASA’s Space Technology Grand Challenges; we propose a paradigm shift in addressing this challenge. TransFormers (TFs) transform a region of an extreme environment into a favorable micro-environment, projecting energy at the precise location where robots or humans operate. TFs often use shape transformation to control the energy projection.

Stoica, Adrian↗
NASA NTRS2004

Extreme Environments Development of Decision Processes and Training Programs for Medical Policy Formulation

The purpose of this workshop was to survey existing health and safety policies as well as processes and practices for various extreme environments; to identify strengths and shortcomings of these processes; and to recommend parameters for inclusion in a generic approach to policy formulation, applicable to the broadest categories of extreme environments. It was anticipated that two additional workshops would follow. The November 7, 2003 workshop would be devoted to the evaluation of different model(s) and a concluding expert evaluation of the usefulness of the model using a policy formulation example. The final workshop was planned for March 2004.

Stough, Roger↗
NASA NTRS2019

Glenn Extreme Environment Rig (GEER)

Visions and Voyages for Planetary Science in the Decade 2013-2022[1] identified the goal of understanding the origin, evolution, and processes that control climate on terrestrial planets,with direct interest in Venus. The Glenn Extreme Environment Rig (GEER), located at NASA Glenn Research Center, was developed to address a community need for a facility which could simulate the extreme environments of the Venus surface. It actively supports science investigations and technical development activities of research institutions and industry partners. It is uniquely suited for studying the interactions between Venus' substantial atmosphere, its surface, and exploration components. Ongoing facility enhancements will provide significant additional value to the research community and maintain GEERs status as a world-class Venus simulation facility.

probe↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Extreme Environments Solar Power Project For Use Near Jupiter

The Extreme Environment Solar Power (EESP) Project goal was to develop solar cell and solar array design concept technologies for space power applications in high radiation and low solar intensity, low temperature (LILT) environments. NASA missions focused on outer planets, such as Jupiter, are subjected to intense radiation while experiencing less than ten percent of the solar flux relative to a mission in the general vicinity of Earth. Under these conditions, present solar array technology is not as efficient in converting the sun’s energy, and the solar array performance degrades quickly due to the additional radiation exposure. The EESP Project objectives were accomplished through four competitively selected contracts. These contracts were awarded with a Base and two option periods of performance. The Base requirements included System Design and Component Test & Analysis with a duration of nine and one half (9.5) months. The Option I requirements involved the fabrication of test hardware that NASA would evaluate following its delivery, and this period of performance had a duration of thirteen (13) months. The Option II requirements involved the fabrication of a scalable system prototype that can be integrated into a system level application and be demonstrated in a relevant environment. Option II had a duration of fifteen (15) months. The Transformational Array (TA) is an array concept developed by JHU-APL with Deployable Space Systems (DSS), SolAero Technologies and NewForge Technologies that proceeded through all three contract periods. The TA combines the DSS Roll Out Solar Array (ROSA) with Flexible Array Concentrator Technology (FACT) and SolAero’s Inverted Metamorphic Multijunction (IMM) solar cells for operation in the EESP Project environment. To achieve the EESP Project goals, the JHU-APL team conducted several investigations to improve performance of the solar cells and increase their efficiency, reduce outgassing contamination of the concentrators from the solar cell assembly adhesives, and to test the robustness of a sample blanket during deployment and retraction. Additionally, the team performed vibration, thermal cycling, and performance tests at a Standard Power Module (SPM) level. At the end of Option II, the JHU-APL team achieved the following performance metrics: • 39% beginning of life (BOL) cell efficiency at 5 AU and -125 C • 29% end of life (EOL) efficiency at the blanket level at 50 W/m2, -125 C and 4x1015 1 MeV e/cm2 • Increased specific power to 8 W/kg at EOL for the entire array including structure, deployment, and pointing mechanisms • Demonstrated the ability to survive numerous deploy-retract cycles without degradation • Reached a current System-Level Technology Readiness Level, TRL5 This presentation will describe the Transformational Array and component technologies and will discuss future potential uses for the system.

Anna Maria Pal↗
NASA NTRS2013

Extreme Environment Capable, Modular and Scalable Power Processing Unit for Solar Electric Propulsion

This paper is to present a concept of a modular and scalable High Temperature Boost (HTB) Power Processing Unit (PPU) capable of operating at temperatures beyond the standard military temperature range. The various extreme environments technologies are also described as the fundamental technology path to this concept. The proposed HTB PPU is intended for power processing in the area of space solar electric propulsion, where reduction of in-space mass and volume are desired, and sometimes even critical, to achieve the goals of future space flight missions. The concept of the HTB PPU can also be applied to other extreme environment applications, such as geothermal and petroleum deep-well drilling, where higher temperature operation is required.

Carr, Gregory A.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Extreme Environment Capable, Modular and Scalable Power Processing Unit for Solar Electric Propulsion

This paper is to present a concept of a modular and scalable High Temperature Boost (HTB) Power Processing Unit (PPU) capable of operating at temperatures beyond the standard military temperature range. The various extreme environments technologies are also described as the fundamental technology path to this concept. The proposed HTB PPU is intended for power processing in the area of space solar electric propulsion, where the reduction of in-space mass and volume are desired, and sometimes even critical, to achieve the goals of future space flight missions. The concept of the HTB PPU can also be applied to other extreme environment applications, such as geothermal and petroleum deep-well drilling, where higher temperature operation is required.

Electronics↗
NASA NTRS2023

B 4 C-Al Metal Matrix Composites for Extreme Space Environments

Extreme space environments such as space vacuum, radiation, thermal extremes and cycles, jagged lunar dust, microgravity, micrometeoroids and orbit debris (MMOD), thrust plume ejecta, and their synergistically-adverse effects are difficult challenges for safe and sustainable space exploration to outer planets and satellites. Prolonged space radiation exposure embrittles materials and structures and abrasive jagged dust particles aggressively wear and erode moving parts leading to premature failure. To counter or even alleviate such potential failures, robust and exceptional materials are needed to make NASA missions including Artemis program sustainable with minimum service and repair needs. This study reports that boron-containing inclusion, B 4 C, can improve wear resistance and radiation shielding/resistance of aluminum alloy (Al6061) significantly to extend the service life in extreme space environments. With increasing B 4 C inclusions, the tensile strength increased up to 20 vol% at both room temperature and an elevated temperature (200˚C) while thermal conductivity decreased gradually as a function of B 4 C concentration. The neutron shielding effectiveness increased more than 110 times when 50 vol% B 4 C is incorporated in Al6061 when compared with the pristine Al6061. The shielding effectiveness under galactic cosmic rays (GCR) and solar particle events (SPE) was also studied computationally using on-line tool for the assessment of radiation in space (OLTARIS). By adding B 4 C, the adverse effect caused by secondary radiation through the Al6061 matrix was effectively suppressed to improve the shielding effectiveness against GCR and SPE. The presence of boron in B 4 C was the main reason for the enhanced radiation shielding capability against neutron, GCR, and SPE environments.

Sang-Hyon Chu↗
NASA NTRS2017

Automation Rover for Extreme Environments

Almost 2,300 years ago the ancient Greeks built the Antikythera automaton. This purely mechanical computer accurately predicted past and future astronomical events long before electronics existed1. Automata have been credibly used for hundreds of years as computers, art pieces, and clocks. However, in the past several decades automata have become less popular as the capabilities of electronics increased, leaving them an unexplored solution for robotic spacecraft. The Automaton Rover for Extreme Environments (AREE) proposes an exciting paradigm shift from electronics to a fully mechanical system, enabling longitudinal exploration of the most extreme environments within the solar system.

automata↗
NASA NTRS2018

Electrostatic Levitation for Studies of Additive Manufacturing Materials for Extreme Environments

The electrostatic levitation (ESL) laboratory at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is a national resource for researchers developing advanced materials for new technologies. Researchers have used MSFC's ESL Laboratory to develop advanced high-temperature materials for aerospace applications, coatings and structural materials for rocket nozzles, improved medical and industrial optics, metallic glasses, ablatives for reentry vehicles, and materials with memory. Modeling of additive manufacturing materials for extreme environments is necessary for the control of their resulting materials properties. Unfortunately, there is very little materials properties data for many additive manufacturing materials, especially of the materials in the liquid state. The MSFC ESL lab is ideal for the study of additive manufacturing materials to be used in extreme environments. The lab can provide density, surface tension, and viscosity of molten materials, emissivity measurements, and even creep strength measurements.

SanSoucie, Michael↗
DOE OSTI2025

Radiation‐Resistant Aluminum Alloy for Space Missions in the Extreme Environment of the Solar System

Future human exploration of the solar system demands advanced materials capable of withstanding extreme environments, particularly exposure to solar energetic particle radiation. Current material selection criteria for space applications prioritize a high strength-to-weight ratio, high corrosion resistance and manufacturability, favoring age-hardenable Al-based alloys. However, conventional precipitation-hardened Al alloys suffer from irradiation-assisted dissolution of strengthening phases at doses as low as 0.2 displacements-per-atom (dpa), undermining their performance. Furthermore, these alloys develop radiation-induced defects, such as dislocation loops and voids, even at low doses. This study presents a novel ultrafine-grained (UFG) Al-based alloy, designed using the crossover alloying concept and strengthened by T-phase precipitates, featuring a chemically-complex structure with 162 atoms in its unit cell composed of Mg 32 (Zn,Al) 49 . It is showed that T-phase precipitates have exceptional radiation tolerance up to 24 dpa. Owing to the nanoscale UFG structure, dislocation loops are suppressed, and voids are only observed beyond 75 dpa. Microtensile tests up to 20 dpa confirm the preservation of mechanical performance under irradiation. The results underline the potential of this alloy as a radiation-resistant, lightweight material for future space applications. Three key strategies enable this performance: (i) stabilization of a UFG microstructure, (ii) T-phase precipitation featuring a highly negative Gibbs free energy and chemically-complex giant unit cell, and (iii) precise process control to prevent grain growth during heat treatment and irradiation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS2013

A Motor Drive Electronics Assembly for Mars Curiosity Rover: An Example of Assembly Qualification for Extreme Environments

This paper describes the technology development and infusion of a motor drive electronics assembly for Mars Curiosity Rover under space extreme environments. The technology evaluation and qualification as well as space qualification of the assembly are detailed and summarized. Because of the uncertainty of the technologies operating under the extreme space environments and that a high level reliability was required for this assembly application, both component and assembly board level qualifications were performed.

Kolawa, Elizabeth↗
NASA NTRS1984

Microbial ecology of extreme environments: Antarctic yeasts and growth in substrate-limited habitats

An extreme environment is by definition one with a depauperate biota. While the Ross Desert is by no means homogeneous, the most exposed and arid habitats, soils in the unglaciated high valleys, do indeed contain a very sparse biota of low diversity. So sparse that the natives could easily be outnumbered by airborne exogenous microbes. Native biota must be capable of overwintering as well as growing in the high valley summer. Tourists may undergo a few divisions before contributing their enzymes and, ultimately, elements to the soil - or may die before landing. The simplest way to demonstrate the indigenicity of a particular microbe is therefore to establish unique distribution; occurrence only in the habitat in question precludes foreign origin.

Vishniac, H. S.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Endurance cycling results in extreme environments

A new test bed for life testing flash memories in extreme environments is introducted. the test bed is based on a state-of-the-art development board. Since space applications often desire state-of-the-art devices, such a basis seems appropriate. Comparison of this tester to other such systems, including those with data presented here in the past is made. Limitations of different testers for varying applications are discussed. Recently developed data, using this test bed is also presented.

microelectronics↗
NASA NTRS2020

High Performance Thermal Switch for Lunar and Planetary Surface Extreme Environments

This paper describes a high performance thermal switch for lunar/planetary extreme environments. This device has been given the name Reverse-Operation DTE Thermal Switch (or ROD-TSW). Two different prototypes were designed, built, and tested. Their basis of operation is the mating/de-mating of parallel flat metal surfaces driven by the differential thermal expansion (DTE) between mid-to-high CTE metal/polymer or metal-only end-pieces and a low CTE, low thermal conductivity (k) metal/polymer support rod. The requirements were to be fully ON above 300 K and fully OFF below 260 K. A series of four tests were carried out to verify/qualify the prototypes. In the first (non-vacuum) test, the thermal switches were cooled with freeze-spray and the non-conductive rod in the OFF thermal path allowed electrical resistance to confirm the 273 K as-designed ON/OFF actuation temperature. In the second (vacuum) test, a calibrated Q-meter was used, which indicated 5 W/K ON, 0.002 W/K OFF conductance (2500:1 ON/OFF ratio). To increase readiness to TRL6, a vibration test with pre/post thermal cycling followed by a 36-day test in a relevant environment were also carried out. This paper describes the development program and on-going related work at JPL.

Bugby, David C↗
NASA NTRS2020

High Performance Thermal Switch for Lunar and Planetary Surface Extreme Environments

This paper describes a high performance thermal switch for lunar/planetary extreme environments. This device has been given the name Reverse-Operation DTE Thermal Switch (or ROD-TSW). Two different prototypes were designed, built, and tested. Their basis of operation is the mating/de-mating of parallel flat metal surfaces driven by the differential thermal expansion (DTE) between mid-to-high CTE metal/polymer or metal-only end-pieces and a low CTE, low thermal conductivity (k) metal/polymer support rod. The requirements were to be fully ON above 300 K and fully OFF below 260 K. A series of four tests were carried out to verify/qualify the prototypes. In the first (non-vacuum) test, the thermal switches were cooled with freeze-spray and the non-conductive rod in the OFF thermal path allowed electrical resistance to confirm the 273 K as-designed ON/OFF actuation temperature. In the second (vacuum) test, a calibrated Q-meter was used, which indicated 5 W/K ON, 0.002 W/K OFF conductance (2500:1 ON/OFF ratio). To increase readiness to TRL6, a vibration test with pre/post thermal cycling followed by a 36-day test in a relevant environment were also carried out. This paper describes the development program and on-going related work at JPL.

Bugby, David C.↗