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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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Effects of Solar Activity on the Atmosphere and the Effects on Drag in relation to the recent SpaceX Starlink Satellite Launch Anomaly
No abstract provided
NASA to launch cooperative international satellite
Launch plans for the International Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) are provided.
NASA to launch third NATO communications satellite
Launching of the third NATO communications satellite is discussed. The Delta launch vehicle is briefly described along with launch operations. Management of the Delta program is considered.
NASA to launch NATO III-B communications satellite
Launching of the NATO-iii-B communications satellite is discussed. The spacecraft and the Delta 2914 Launch Vehicle are briefly described.
The Alouette II satellite.
Launch of Alouette II satellite noting experiments on board
NASA to Launch 10th Tiros Satellite for Weather Bureau
TIROS weather satellite launch - flight plan, configuration, vidicon television system, polar synchronous orbit, stabilization and control, and Delta launch vehicle
Nasa to launch second pegasus meteoroid satellite
Second Pegasus meteoroid satellite launching by NASA
SECOND SYNCOM SCHEDULED FOR LAUNCH
Synchronous communication satellite - second syncom satellite launching
Nasa to launch another relay communications satellite news release 64-9
Relay communications satellite launching aboard delta rocket
Nasa to launch second echo communications satellite news release 64-11
Echo ii communications satellite launching
Saturn i to launch pegasus meteoroid detection satellite
Pegasus meteoroid detection satellite launching by Saturn I launch vehicle
Minuteman 2 launched small satellite
The goal of LEOSat Industries' Spring 1994 project was to design a small satellite that has a strong technology demonstration or scientific justification and incorporates a high level of student involvement. The satellite is to be launched into low earth orbit by the converted Minuteman 2 satellite launcher designed by Minotaur Designs, Inc. in 1993. The launch vehicle shroud was modified to a height of 90 inches, a diameter of 48 inches at the bottom and 35 inches at the top for a total volume of 85 cubic feet. The maximum allowable mass of the payload is about 1100 lb., depending on the launch site, orbit altitude, and inclination. The satellite designed by LEOSat Industries is TerraSat, a remote-sensing satellite that will provide information for use in space-based earth studies. It will consist of infrared and ultraviolet/visible sensors similar to the SDI-developed sensors being tested on Clementine. The sensors will be mounted on the Defense Systems, Inc. Standard Satellite-1 spacecraft bus. LEOSat has planned for two satellites orbiting the Earth with trajectories similar to that of LANDSAT 5. The semi-major axis is 7080 kilometers, the eccentricity is 0, and the inclination is 98.2 degrees. The estimated mass of TerraSat is 145 kilograms and the estimated volume is 1.8 cubic meters. The estimated cost of TerraSat is $13.7 million. The projected length of time from assembly of the sensors to launch of the spacecraft is 13 months.
Constellations: A New Paradigm for Earth Observations
The last decade has seen a significant increase in the number and the capabilities of remote sensing satellites launched by the international community. A relatively new approach has been the launching of satellites into heterogeneous constellations. Constellations provide the scientists a capability to acquire science data, not only from specific instruments on a single satellite, but also from instruments on other satellites that fly in the same orbit. Initial results from the A-Train (especially following the CALIPSO/CloudSat launch) attest to the tremendous scientific value of constellation flying. This paper provides a history of the constellations (particularly the A-Train) and how the A-Train mission design was driven by science requirements. The A-Train has presented operational challenges which had not previously been encountered. Operations planning had to address not only how the satellites of each constellation operate safely together, but also how the two constellations fly in the same orbits without interfering with each other when commands are uplinked or data are downlinked to their respective ground stations. This paper discusses the benefits of joining an on-orbit constellation. When compared to a single, large satellite, a constellation infrastructure offers more than just the opportunities for coincidental science observations. For example, constellations reduce risks by distributing observing instruments among numerous satellites; in contrast, a failed launch or a system failure in a single satellite would lead to loss of all observations. Constellations allow for more focused, less complex satellites. Constellations distribute the development, testing, and operations costs among various agencies and organizations for example, the Morning and Afternoon Constellations involve several agencies within the U.S. and in other countries. Lastly, this paper addresses the need to plan for the long-term evolution of a constellation. Agencies need to have a replenishment strategy as some satellites age and eventually leave the constellation. This will ensure overlap of observations, thus providing continuous, calibrated science data over a much longer time period. Thoughts on the evolution of the A-Train will also be presented.
Meteorological satellites.
Launch vehicle, spacecraft, command and data station and data utilization for meteorological satellite systems, satellite stabilization and orbit types
Availability of a communications satellite - Requirement and feasibility
An estimated 45 communications satellites will be in geostationary orbit in the 1980s. Based on past history, half of the subsystem failures will be due to design failures. Methods now used to achieve present availabilities are summarized in this paper. To increase the availability of a single satellite to 99.99%, new techniques are needed; several possibilities are suggested herein. New developments, including nickel-hydrogen batteries, magnetic bearings, and solid-state amplifiers, are possible solutions to long standing problem areas in communications satellites. Launching a satellite two or three years before the system is needed is one way to reduce design failures in subsequent satellites. Diversity of manufacture can be used to obtain the maximum advantage from redundant elements. Finally, unmanned module exchange at geostationary orbit has been shown to be technically feasible.
Weekly Solutions of Time-Variable Gravity from 1993 to 2010
The GRACE mission has been highly successful in determining the time-variable gravity field of the Earth, producing monthly or even more frequent solutions (cf. 10-day) solutions using both spherical harmonics and mascons. However the GRACE time series only commences in 2002 - 2003 and a gap of several years may occur in the series before a GRACE follow-on satellite is launched. Satellites tracked by SLR and DORIS have also been used to study time variations in the Earth's gravitational field. These include (most recently) the solutions of Cox and Chao (2002), Cheng et al. (2004, 2007) and Lemoine et al. (2007). In this paper we discuss the development of a new time series of low degree spherical harmonic fields based on the available SLR, DORIS and GPS data. We develop simultaneous solutions for both the geocenter and the low degree harmonics up to 5x5. The solutions integrate data from SLR geodetic satellites (e.g., Lageos1, Lageos2, Starlette, Stella, Ajisai, Larets, Westpac), altimetry satellites (TOPEX/Poseidon, Envisat, Jason-1, Jason-2), and satellites tracked solely by DORIS (e.g. SPOT2-5). We discuss some pertinent aspects of the satellite-specific modeling. We include altimeter crossovers in the weekly solutions where feasible and time permits. The resulting geocenter time series is compared with geophysical model predictions and other independently-derived solutions. Over the GRACE time period the fidelity and consistency with the GRACE solutions are presented.
Key Observations and Discoveries from the Vector Electric Field Investigation on the C/NOFS Satellite
Launched in 2008 and operating for 7.5 years, the Air Force Communication /Navigation Outage Forecasting System (C/NOFS) satellite included the Vector Electric Field Investigation (VEFI) designed and built at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. VEFI successfully met its objectives: 1) investigate the role of ambient electric fields in initiating nighttime density depletions and turbulence; 2) determine the quasi-DC electric fields associated with abrupt density depletions, and 3) quantify the spectrum of the irregularities associated with density depletions, providing many key observations and discoveries including: -- Global (low latitude) vector DC electric fields at 16 s/sec revealing variations with local time, longitude, and season between extremely low and moderate solar activity-- Reversed zonal E x B drifts below the F-region ledge at sunset and simultaneous observations of large scale Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities as seeds of spread-F -- Large expanses of quasi-coherent kilometer-scale vector wave observations (electric field and density) below 450 km and their discovery as a source of scintillations using the C/NOFS GPS -- Reversed zonal DC electric fields and simultaneous observations of afternoon counter electrojet-- Enhanced zonal DC electric fields at sunrise and full vector plasma flow continuity at the terminator-- Vector electric field and density irregularities extending to meter-scales within equatorial plasma depletions -- Intense electric field structure within the equatorial ionosphere at night in the absence of density depletions -- First observations of the westward equatorial electrojet in post-midnight ionosphere and possible association with downward meridional drifts-- Spaceborne Dst observations and implications for ring current asymmetries-- Vector electric and magnetic field Poynting flux within depletions and TIDs-- Measurements of ionospheric reflectance and Alfvenic waves associated with TIDs-- Observations of Alfven resonators -- ULF magnetic field structure within the nightime equatorial ionosphere-- Discovery of Schumman resonances in space and implications of ELF radiowave propagation-- Vector observations of 50-60 Hz powerline radiation without harmonics-- Ion cyclotron resonance absorption lines associated with ELF hiss and the identification of ambient ions-- Parallel electric fields associated with lower hybrid waves driven by thunderstorm lightning-related sferics-- Discovery of Z-mode radiation in the equatorial ionosphere including its associated with density depletions-- Optical lightning detector waveforms and electric field sferics observed up to altitudes of 800 km