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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 NTRS2012

Kennedy Space Center: Creating a Spaceport Reality from the Dreams of Many

On December 17, 1903, Orville Wright piloted the first powered airplane only 20 feet above the ground near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The flight lasted 12 seconds and covered 120 feet. Who would have guessed that the bizarre looking contraption developed by brothers in the bicycle business would lay the ground work eventually resulting in over a million passengers moved daily in a sky filled with the contrails of jets flying at over 30,000 feet in elevation and over 500 miles per hour. Similarly, who would have guessed that the destructive nature of V-2 rockets of Germany would spark the genesis of spaceflight to explore our solar system and beyond? Yet the interest in using the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) continues to grow. Potential customers have expressed interest in KSC as a location for testing new rocket engines, servicing the world's largest airborne launching platform for drop-launch rockets, developing multi-use launch platforms that permit diverse customers to use the same launch platform, developing new spacecraft, and implementing advanced modifications for lifting 150 metric ton payloads to low earth orbit. The multitude of customers has grown and with this growth comes a need to provide a command, control, communication, and range infrastructure that maximizes flexibility and reconfigurability to address a much more frequent launch rate of diverse vehicles and spacecraft. The Ground Systems Development and Operations (GSDO) Program Office at KSC is embarking upon these developments to realize the dream of a robust spaceport. Many unique technical trade studies have been completed or are underway to successfully transition KSC into a multi-user customer focused spaceport. Like the evolution of the airplane, GSDO is working to transform KSC infrastructures that will turn once unthinkable space opportunities into a reality for today.

Gray, James A.↗

NASA NTRS2011

Attitude Determination and Control Systems

In the year 1900, Galveston, Texas, was a bustling community of approximately 40,000 people. The former capital of the Republic of Texas remained a trade center for the state and was one of the largest cotton ports in the United States. On September 8 of that year, however, a powerful hurricane struck Galveston island, tearing the Weather Bureau wind gauge away as the winds exceeded 100 mph and bringing a storm surge that flooded the entire city. The worst natural disaster in United States history even today the hurricane caused the deaths of between 6000 and 8000 people. Critical in the events that led to such a terrible loss of life was the lack of precise knowledge of the strength of the storm before it hit. In 2008, Hurricane Ike, the third costliest hurricane ever to hit the United States coast, traveled through the Gulf of Mexico. Ike was gigantic, and the devastation in its path included the Turk and Caicos Islands, Haiti, and huge swaths of the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Once again, Galveston, now a city of nearly 60,000, took the direct hit as Ike came ashore. Almost 200 people in the Caribbean and the United States lost their lives; a tragedy to be sure, but far less deadly than the 1900 storm. This time, people were prepared, having received excellent warning from the GOES satellite network. The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites have been a continuous monitor of the world's weather since 1975, and they have since been joined by other Earth-observing satellites. This weather surveillance to which so many now owe their lives is possible in part because of the ability to point accurately and steadily at the Earth below. The importance of accurately pointing spacecraft to our daily lives is pervasive, yet somehow escapes the notice of most people. But the example of the lives saved from Hurricane Ike as compared to the 1900 storm is something no one should ignore. In this section, we will summarize the processes and technologies used in designing and operating spacecraft pointing (i.e. attitude) systems.

Starin, Scott R.↗

NASA NTRS2010

Florida Tech CubeSat Experiment Feasibility Study

CubeSats are a relatively new type of satellite. Smaller than long-term (5+ year life expectancy) satellites, these pico-satellites are comparatively cheap, small (10x10x10 cm), and are very versatile. Universities world-wide are using CubeSats to conduct a variety of experiments in space without the need for a large experimental platform. Today CubeSats are considered to be one of the most effective ways to send a small payload into space and has attracted the attention of many educational and non-profit organizations. As this pico-satellite model continues to gain penetration into the satellite build and launch industry, it is expected that more governmental, educational, and commercial interests will emerge. As an example, more of the space-related items of high interest to the National Science Foundation may be tackled with a CubeSat platform resulting in lower life cycle costs than traditional satellite options. NASA LSP, in cooperation with the Florida Institute of Technology, has initiated a feasibility study to investigate the technical aspects of measuring and transferring vibration, acceleration, temperature, and video data from a CubeSat to NASA Hanger AE on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) a.k.a. Kennedy Space Center (KSC). This report provides a technical feasibility analysis to determine whether-or-not a specific set of NASA/LSP requirements can be accomplished. Our approach has been to provide a "notional" component layout to determine the feasibility of the NASA/LSP stakeholder requirements. The notional layout is used to consider component level technical issues such as size, weight, & power (SWaP), bandwidth, and other critical technical parameters. Even though the notional components may satisfy the stated requirements and thereby demonstrate feasibility, the notional layout is NOT considered a design since no component optimization and design trade-off analysis has taken place. This activity should be accomplished in an appropriate design phase that is outside of the scope of this effort.

Arrasmith, William W.↗