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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2011

Air Force Reusable Booster System: A Quick-look, Design Focused Modeling and Cost Analysis Study

This paper presents a method and an initial analysis of the costs of a reusable booster system (RBS) as envisioned by the US Department of Defense (DoD) and numerous initiatives that form the concept of Operationally Responsive Space (ORS). This paper leverages the knowledge gained from decades of experience with the semi-reusable NASA Space Shuttle to understand how the costs of a military next generation semi-reusable space transport might behave in the real world - and how it might be made as affordable as desired. The NASA Space Shuttle had a semi-expendable booster, that being the reusable Solid Rocket MotorslBoosters (SRMlSRB) and the expendable cryogenic External Tank (ET), with a reusable cargo and crew capable orbiter. This paper will explore DoD concepts that invert this architectural arrangement, using a reusable booster plane that flies back to base soon after launch, with the in-space elements of the launch system being the expendable portions. Cost estimating in the earliest stages of any potential, large scale program has limited usefulness. As a result, the emphasis here is on developing an approach, a structure, and the basic concepts that could continue to be matured as the program gains knowledge. Where cost estimates are provided, these results by necessity carry many caveats and assumptions, and this analysis becomes more about ways in which drivers of costs for diverse scenarios can be better understood. The paper is informed throughout with a design-for-cost philosophy whereby the design and technology features of the proposed RBS (who and what, the "architecture") are taken as linked at the hip to a desire to perform a certain mission (where and when), and together these inform the cost, responsiveness, performance and sustainability (how) of the system. Concepts for developing, acquiring, producing or operating the system will be shown for their inextricable relationship to the "architecture" of the system, and how these too relate to costs. Design and technology features bear special relevance to early program research and development directions. Given the uncertainties involved in both their actual performance promise and their relation to costs of operational systems, this later relationship is also given special attention.

Zapata, Edgar↗
NASA NTRS2006

Comanche Helmet-Mounted Display Symbology Simulation

The Aeroflightdynamics Directorate (AMRDEC) conducted a simulation to examine the performance of the Comanche Contact Analog world-referenced symbology displayed on the Comanche HIDSS when compared with a compressed symbology design similar to that specified by the former MIL-STD 1295. Six experimental test pilots flew one modified ADS-33 maneuver (hover turn, bob-up), an unusual attitude recovery, and two terrain flight tactical tasks in the NASA Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS). Analysis of the pilot objective performance data and subjective data showed the following results. Objective test results showed that 1295 symbology yielded more rapid maneuvering in the hover turn bob-up than Contact Analog symbology. The average margin of difference in the time to complete the maneuver was approximately two seconds, which was statistically significant. There were no significant differences measured between symbology sets with respect to altitude or position performance measures for all other maneuvers. The NOE target ID task data showed improved accuracy in determining heading to target when using Contact Analog over MIL-STD-1295. Subjective test results, including handling qualities ratings (HQRs) and NASA-TLX workload ratings, showed small but consistent advantages of 1295 symbology over Contact Analog for most parameters. For the bob-up maneuver, 1295 symbology handling qualities were rated Desired for lateral position error and time to complete whereas Contact Analog was rated adequate. The average HQRs for all other maneuvers were rated the same for both symbology sets. Pilot comments and the results of an online questionnaire more strongly favored 1295 over Contact Analog. Repeated comments from all six pilots led to a focus on design issues with six Contact Analog symbols. Those symbols were the heading tape, horizon line, radar altitude six-second predictor, the position of the torque symbol, the absence of a hover position cue, and the widespread positioning of the symbology to the outer edges of the display field-of-view. Pilots rated the present design of three of the six symbols as having safety-of-flight implications. Those symbols were the heading tape, horizon line, and six-second predictor. To summarize, test results showed no objective data that would warrant restricting experimental test pilots from flying constrained tasks. Small but consistent advantages were recorded for the MILSTD-1295 symbology design when executing ADS-33 constrained tasks. No general performance differences were recorded for the operational maneuvers (NOE, contour flight modes) except for the azimuth-to-target task, which favored the Contact Analog heading tape design. There were consistent and strong pilot comments supporting the MIL-STD-1295 design over Contact Analog in both this current simulation and in Comanche Sim I. Three Contact Analog symbols warrant modification and further evaluation to mitigate safety-of-flight implications noted by participating test pilots. A plan for symbology redesign and testing was developed. However, the Comanche program was cancelled by Department of Army in February 2004.

Turpin, Terry S.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Development of Handling Qualities Criteria for Rotorcraft with Externally Slung Loads

Piloted simulations were performed on the NASA-Ames Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS) to explore handling qualities issues for large cargo helicopters, particularly focusing on external slung load operations. The purpose of this work was based upon the need to include handling qualities criteria for cargo helicopters in an upgrade to the U.S. Army's rotorcraft handling qualities specification, Aeronautical Design Standard-33 (ADS-33E-PRF). From the VMS results, handling qualities criteria were developed fro cargo helicopters carrying external slung loads in the degraded visual environment (DVE). If satisfied, these criteria provide assurance that the handling quality rating (HQR) will be 4 or better for operations in the DVE, and with a load mass ratio of 0.33 or less. For lighter loads, flying qualities were found to be less dependent on the load geometry and therefore the significance of the criteria is less. For heavier loads, meeting the criteria ensures the best possible handling qualities, albeit Level 2 for load mass ratios greater than 0.33.

Hoh, Roger H.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Behavioral Health and Performance Operations at the NASA Johnson Space Center: A Comprehensive Program that Addresses Flight and Spaceflight Duty Adaptability

NASA astronauts on active status require medical certification for aircraft flying duties as well as readiness for long duration spaceflight training, launch to the International Space Station (ISS), and mission continuation during spaceflight operations. Behavioral fitness and adaptability is an inherent component of medical certification at NASA and requires a unique approach that spans the professional life-span of all active astronauts. TOPIC: This presentation will address the Behavioral Health and Performance (BHP) operations program at the Johnson Space Center. Components of BHP operations include astronaut selection, as well as annual, elective, preflight, inflight, and postflight BHP assessments. Each aspect of the BHP operations program will be discussed, with a focus on behavioral fitness determination and resultant outcomes. Specifically, astronaut selection generates a rating of suitability for long duration spaceflight as well as psychiatric qualification; annual, preflight and postflight BHP assessments provoke a decision regarding the presence of any aeromedical concerns; and inflight assessment requires a conclusion pertaining to mission impact. The combination of these elements provide for a unique, comprehensive approach to flight and spaceflight adaptability. APPLICATIONS: Attendees will understand the differing facets of NASA's comprehensive BHP operations program that occurs over the course of an astronaut's career and be able to compare and contrast this to the Adaptability Rating for Military Aviation (ARMA) and proposed models presented by others on this panel.

Beven, G. E.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Phase-Conjugate Receiver for Gaussian-State Quantum Illumination

An active optical sensor probes a region of free space that is engulfed in bright thermal noise to determine the presence (or absence) of a weakly reflecting target. The returned light (which is just thermal noise if no target is present, and thermal noise plus a weak reflection of the probe beam if a target is present) is measured and processed by a receiver and a decision is made on whether a target is present. It has been shown that generating an entangled pair of photons (which is a highly nonclassical state of light), using one photon as the probe beam and storing the other photon for comparison to the returned light, has superior performance to the traditional classical-light (coherent-state) target detection sensors. An entangled-photon transmitter and optimal receiver combination can yield up to a factor of 4 (i.e., 6 dB) gain in the error-probability exponent over a coherent state transmitter and optimal receiver combination, in a highly lossy and noisy scenario (when both sensors have the same number of transmitted photons). However, the receiver that achieves this advantage is not known. One structured receiver can close half of the 6-dB gap (i.e., a 3-dB improvement). It is based on phase-conjugating the returned light, then performing dual-balanced difference detection with the stored half of the entangled-photon pair. Active optical sensors are of tremendous value to NASA s missions. Although this work focuses on target detection, it can be extended to imaging (2D, 3D, hyperspectral, etc.) scenarios as well, where the image quality can be better than that offered by traditional active sensors. Although the current work is theoretical, NASA s future missions could benefit significantly from developing and demonstrating this capability. This is an optical receiver design whose components are, in principle, all implementable. However, the work is currently entirely theoretical. It is necessary to: 1. Demonstrate a bench-top proof of the theoretical principle, 2. Create an operational prototype off-the-bench, and 3. Build a practical sensor that can fly in a mission.

Erkmen, Baris I.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Hercules Single-Stage Reusable Vehicle (HSRV) Operating Base

Conceptual design for the layout of lunar-planetary surface support systems remains an important area needing further master planning. This paper explores a structured approach to organize the layout of a Mars-based site equipped for routinely flying a human-scale reusable taxi system. The proposed Hercules Transportation System requires a surface support capability to sustain its routine, affordable, and dependable operation. The approach organizes a conceptual Hercules operating base through functional station sets. The station set approach will allow follow-on work to trade design approaches and consider technologies for more efficient flow of material, energy, and information at future Mars bases and settlements. The station set requirements at a Mars site point to specific capabilities needed. By drawing from specific Hercules design characteristics, the technology requirements for surface-based systems will come into greater focus. This paper begins a comprehensive process for documenting functional needs, architectural design methods, and analysis techniques necessary for follow-on concept studies.

Surface Support Architectur↗
NASA NTRS1997

Automated Fabrication of High Performance Composites: An Overview of Research at the Langley Research Center

Automated heated placement of consolidated fiber reinforced polymer ribbon/tape is a rapid, cost effective technique for net shape fabrication of high performance composites. Several research efforts in the United States are developing the heated head robotic hardware and associated software needed to bring this technology into widespread use for building aircraft parts. These efforts emphasize the use of pre-consolidated thermoplastic ribbon or tape which is thermally welded on-the-fly . The approach provides in-situ consolidation and obviates the need for autoclave processing and massive debulking, thereby reducing costs. Addressed in this paper are some key issues being pursued at NASA Langley related to this technology. These include: (a) preparation of high quality intermediate materials forms such as thermoplastic powders, powder-coated towpreg and consolidated ribbon/tape and (b) achievement of precise control of the following: robot head positioning on the tool; material placement; heat delivery to the lay-down zone; and cut/add, start/stop capability. Heated head development has dealt with the use of hot gases alone and in combination with focused infrared radiation as heat sources.

Johnston, N. J.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Science Traverses in the Canadian High Arctic

The presentation is divided into three parts. Part I is an overview of early expeditions to the High Arctic, and their political consequences at the time. The focus then shifts to the Geological Survey of Canada s mapping program in the North (Operation Franklin), and to the Polar Continental Shelf Project (PCSP), a unique organization that resides within the Government of Canada s Department of Natural Resources, and supports mapping projects and science investigations. PCSP is highlighted throughout the presentation so a description of mandate, budgets, and support infrastructure is warranted. In Part II, the presenter describes the planning required in advance of scientific deployments carried out in the Canadian High Arctic from the perspective of government and university investigators. Field operations and challenges encountered while leading arctic field teams in fly camps are also described in this part of the presentation, with particular emphasis on the 2008 field season. Part III is a summary of preliminary results obtained from a Polar Survey questionnaire sent out to members of the Arctic research community in anticipation of the workshop. The last part of the talk is an update on the analog program at the Canadian Space Agency, specifically, the Canadian Analog Research Network (CARN) and current activities related to Analog missions, 2009-2010.

Williamson, Marie-Claude↗
NASA NTRS1999

Deep Space Control Challenges of the New Millennium

The exploration of deep space presents a variety of significant control challenges. Long communication delays coupled with challenging new science objectives require high levels of system autonomy and increasingly demanding pointing and control capabilities. Historically, missions based on the use of a large single spacecraft have been successful and popular since the early days of NASA. However, these large spacecraft missions are currently being displaced by more frequent and more focused missions based on the use of smaller and less expensive spacecraft designs. This trend drives the need to design smart software and good algorithms which together with the miniaturization of control components will improve performance while replacing the heavier and more expensive hardware used in the past. NASA's future space exploration will also include mission types that have never been attempted before, posing significant challenges to the underlying control system. This includes controlled landing on small bodies (e.g., asteroids and comets), sample return missions (where samples are brought back from other planets), robotic exploration of planetary surfaces (e.g., intelligent rovers), high precision formation flying, and deep space optical interferometry, While the control of planetary spacecraft for traditional flyby and orbiter missions are based on well-understood methodologies, control approaches for many future missions will be fundamentally different. This paradigm shift will require completely new control system development approaches, system architectures, and much greater levels of system autonomy to meet expected performance in the presence of significant environmental disturbances, and plant uncertainties. This paper will trace the motivation for these changes and will layout the approach taken to meet the new challenges. Emerging missions will be used to explain and illustrate the need for these changes.

Bayard, David S.↗
NASA NTRS2012

SOFIA: Flying the Telescope

The Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is an international cooperative development and operations program between the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the German Space Agency, DLR (Deutsches Zentrum fuer Luft-und Raumfahrt). SOFIA is a 2.5 meter, optical/infrared/sub-millimeter telescope mounted in a Boeing model 747SP-21 aircraft and will be used for many basic astronomical observations performed at stratospheric altitudes. It will accommodate installation of different focal plane instruments with in-flight accessibility provided by investigators selected from the international science community. The Facility operational lifetime is planned to be greater than 20 years. This presentation will present the results of developmental testing of SOFIA, including analysis, envelope expansion and the first operational mission. It will describe a brief history of open cavities in flight, how NASA designed and tested SOFIAs cavity, as well as flight test results. It will focus on how the test team achieved key milestones by systematically and efficiently reducing the number of test points to only those absolutely necessary to achieve mission requirements, thereby meeting all requirements and saving the potential loss of program funding. Finally, it will showcase examples of the observatory in action and the first operational mission of the observatory, illustrating the usefulness of the system to the international scientific community. Lessons learned on how to whittle a mountain of test points into a manageable sum will be presented at the conclusion.

Asher, Troy↗
NASA NTRS2004

Development and Testing of the Phase 0 Autonomous Formation Flight Research System

The Autonomous Formation Flight (AFF) project was initiated in 1995 to demonstrate at least 10-percent drag reduction by positioning a trailing aircraft in the wingtip vortex of a leading aircraft. If successful, this technology would provide increased fuel savings, reduced emissions, and extended flight duration for fleet aircraft flying in formation. To demonstrate this technology, the AFF project at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center developed a system architecture incorporating two F-18 aircraft flying in leading-trailing formation. The system architecture has been designed to allow the trailing aircraft to maintain station-keeping position relative to the leading aircraft within +/-10 ft. Development of this architecture would be directed at the design and development of a computing system to feed surface position commands into the flight control computers, thereby controlling the longitudinal and lateral position of the trailing aircraft. In addition, modification to the instrumentation systems of both aircraft, pilot displays, and a means of broadcasting the leading aircraft inertial and global positioning system-based positional data to the trailing aircraft would be needed. This presentation focuses on the design and testing of the AFF Phase 0 research system.

Petersen, Shane↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

PPE Electric Propulsion Advancing to CDR: 12kW String

String level testing is a vital part of electric propulsion development. With the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) spacecraft flying two new models of Hall Thrusters, this work is even more critical. PPE will have both 6kW and 12kW thruster strings onboard, all powered by Maxar power processing units (PPU). Both strings have recently undergone end-to-end string level hot fire testing to verify the ability of all components to work together. This entails operating the thruster with the Xenon Flow Controller (XFC) and PPUs under both nominal and off-nominal conditions to stress the system and determine weak points. Such testing has long been a standard Maxar practice since our first 1.5kW electric propulsion system in 2004. This paper will focus on Phase 1 of the 12kW testing recently completed at NASA Glenn. The primary conclusion of the test effort was that the 12kW string operated nominally and that the PPU and XFC could operate the thruster within specifications.

Electric propulsion↗
NASA NTRS2007

Flight Testing of the Gulfstream Quiet Spike(TradeMark) on a NASA F-15B

Gulfstream Aerospace has long been interested in the development of an economically viable supersonic business jet (SBJ). A design requirement for such an aircraft is the ability for unrestricted supersonic flight over land. Although independent studies continue to substantiate that a market for a SBJ exists, regulatory and public acceptance challenges still remain for supersonic operation over land. The largest technical barrier to achieving this goal is sonic boom attenuation. Gulfstream's attention has been focused on fundamental research into sonic boom suppression for several years. This research was conducted in partnership with the NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) supersonic airframe cruise efficiency technical challenge. The Quiet Spike, a multi-stage telescopic nose boom and a Gulfstream-patented design (references 1 and 2), was developed to address the sonic boom attenuation challenge and validate the technical feasibility of a morphing fuselage. The Quiet Spike Flight Test Program represents a major step into supersonic technology development for sonic boom suppression. The Gulfstream Aerospace Quiet Spike was designed to reduce the sonic boom signature of the forward fuselage for an aircraft flying at supersonic speeds. In 2004, the Quiet Spike Flight Test Program was conceived by Gulfstream and NASA to demonstrate the feasibility of sonic boom mitigation and centered on the structural and mechanical viability of the translating test article design. Research testing of the Quiet Spike consisted of numerous ground and flight operations. Each step in the process had unique objectives, and involved numerous test team members from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC) and Gulfstream Aerospace. Flight testing of the Quiet Spike was conducted at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center on an F-15B aircraft from August, 2006, to February, 2007. During this period, the Quiet Spike was flown at supersonic speeds up to Mach 1.8 at the maximum design dynamic pressure of 685 pounds per square foot. Extension and retraction tests were conducted at speeds up to Mach 1.4. The design of the Quiet Spike to shape the forward shock wave environment of the aircraft was confirmed during near-field shock wave probing at Mach 1.4. Thirty-two flights were performed without incident and all project objectives were achieved. The success of the Quiet Spike Flight Test Program represents an important step towards developing commercial aircraft capable of supersonic flight over land within the continental United States and in international airspace.

Smolka, James W.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Parametric Flutter Analysis of the TCA Configuration and Recommendation for FFM Design and Scaling

The current HSR Aeroelasticity plan to design, build, and test a full span, free flying transonic flutter model in the TDT has many technical obstacles that must be overcome for a successful program. One technical obstacle is the determination of a suitable configuration and point in the sky to use in setting the scaling point for the ASE models program. Determining this configuration and point in the sky requires balancing several conflicting requirements, including model buildability, tunnel test safety, and the ability of the model to represent the flutter mechanisms of interest. As will be discussed in detail in subsequent sections, the current TCA design exhibits several flutter mechanisms of interest. It has been decided that the ASE models program will focus on the low frequency symmetric flutter mechanism, and will make no attempt to investigate high frequency flutter mechanisms. There are several reasons for this choice. First, it is believed that the high frequency flutter mechanisms are similar in nature to classical wing bending/torsion flutter, and therefore there is more confidence that this mechanism can be predicted using current techniques. The low frequency mode, on the other hand, is a highly coupled mechanism involving wing, body, tail, and engine motion which may be very difficult to predict. Second, the high frequency flutter modes result in very small weight penalties (several hundred pounds), while suppression of the low frequency mechanism inside the flight envelope causes thousands of pounds to be added to the structure. In order to successfully test the low frequency flutter mode of interest, a suitable starting configuration and point in the sky must be identified. The configuration and point in the sky must result in a wind tunnel model that (1) represents the low-frequency wing/body/engine/empennage flutter mechanisms that are unique to HSCT configurations, (2) flutters at an acceptably low frequency in the tunnel, (3) flutters at an acceptably low dynamic pressure in the tunnel, (4) allows sufficient weight for model buildability without inordinately high cost, and (5) has significant separation between the target flutter mechanism and other, potentially catastrophic, flutter mechanisms.

Baker, Myles↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Corridor Design and Analysis for UAM Operations

The Urban Air Mobility (UAM) concept is a part of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), a joint initiative between the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), NASA, and industry to develop an air transportation system that uses new electric (i.e., green) air vehicles in geographical areas previously underserved by traditional aviation. Market forecast studies predict that there will be demand for alternate modes of air transportation using electric Vertical Take-off and Landing aircraft. UAM expands transportation networks by introducing short flights to move people and goods around metropolitan areas​. UAM is expected to improve mobility for the public, decongest road traffic, reduce trip time, and decrease strain on existing public transportation networks. Various challenges exist to make the introduction of UAM operations successful in the U.S. National Airspace System (NAS). These include but are not limited to integration with existing airports and airspace, provision of air traffic services (e.g., separation), vehicle design and certification, and community acceptance. The focus of this paper is on integration of UAM operations into the NAS via introduction of new airspace structures. UAM will operate within a regulatory, operational, and technical environment that is incorporated into the NAS​. As per the UAM Concept of Operations (ConOps), the FAA retains regulatory authority and is responsible for establishing operational parameters and maintaining oversight. The FAA’s UAM ConOps describes flights at low altitudes (below 5,000 ft) with minimal disruption to established conventional aircraft traffic and limited voice interactions with the Air Traffic Control (ATC). Early stages of UAM may use existing procedures to safely integrate UAM with conventional flights. This would involve flying under Part 91 Visual Flight Rules (VFR) and using voice for communications. The initial UAM ecosystem will utilize the current infrastructure such as routes, helipads, and ATC services, where practicable. ​A NASA study explored the use of existing helicopter routes in Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) airspace for initial UAM operations with a Letter of Agreement (LOA) that included procedures to request a Class B (controlled airspace) clearance. The research showed that the chosen approach was feasible for near-term, low-demand UAM traffic, but was not scalable. The growth of operations in today’s aviation system has resulted in airspace reorganization and procedures to ensure safety and efficiency as traffic rates increase. One proposed operating innovation that can help with the scalability of UAM is establishing routes and corridors. This may look similar to the Area Navigation (RNAV) procedures used today to streamline operations into busy airports. However, instead of FAA automation systems and ATC managing the flow of traffic, some UAM concepts envision a third-party service provider performing this role as part of the Provider of Services for UAM (PSU) network. The FAA’s UAM ConOps posits that new airspace structures such as UAM corridors include the following design criteria: 1) Minimal impact on existing NAS operations, 2) no or minimal additional ATC services, 3) public interest considerations such as noise, safety, and security, and 4) customer needs. The airspace available in urban environments is limited by the height of buildings, the effect of weather including wind gusts, privacy needs, and a clearance envelope. The new airspace structure would need to be designed around large airports and urban areas where the initial market demand is likely to exist. NASA has started evaluating airspace in the Dallas Fort Worth area to design new airspace structures, keeping the first two design criteria in mind. It is assumed that there will be an on-board pilot-in-command, and the flights will operate under VFR in Visual Meteorological Conditions. Corridors will be required in controlled airspace, whereas UAM operations can fly in uncontrolled Class G and E airspace using current day rules. Keeler et. al identified factors and heuristics for development of routes for UAM operations for integration with airspace close to large airports such as Dallas Fort Worth and Dallas Love Field. This paper describes the heuristics applied to define the corridors, analyzes them with respect to legacy traffic and presents key results.

Urban Air Mobility↗
NASA NTRS2019

Joint Assimilation of the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder and Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite Limb Profiler Data: Towards a Reanalysis of Stratospheric Ozone for Trend Studies

The future trajectory of the stratospheric ozone recovery will be sensitive to greenhouse gas concentrations through thermal control of chemical loss and via stratospheric circulation changes. The latter in particular is subject to considerable uncertainty meriting continuing monitoring of the evolution of ozone throughout the depth of the stratosphere. Atmospheric reanalyses utilize the data assimilation methodology to obtain comprehensive representations of the state of the atmosphere, including its composition, on multidecadal scales by combining diverse measurements from satellite-borne and conventional data sources. Systematic biases among these various data types pose a challenge for assimilation by introducing spurious discontinuities that affect the utility of reanalyses for studies of long-term variability and trends.In this presentation we will outline an approach, developed at NASA's Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO), that allows joint assimilation of stratospheric ozone profiles from the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) on EOS Aura and the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite Limb Profiler (OMPS-LP) currently flying on the Suomi-NPP satellite with future missions projected into the 2030s. We will demonstrate that a simple offline correction significantly reduces biases between MLS and OMPS-LP ozone data providing a strategy for generating a long-term vertically resolved homogenized representation of stratospheric ozone in future reanalyses. One novel element of our approach compared to previous GMAO reanalysis is the use of a version of the Goddard Earth Observing System model with full stratospheric chemistry. We will show selected comparisons of MLS and OMPS-LP assimilation experiments with independent ozonesonde and satellite data as well as two examples of process-based evaluation focused on the 2016 QBO disruption and Arctic winter ozone loss focusing on the relative performance of the MLS and OMPS-LP analyses.

Wargan, K.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Aerospace Cognitive Engineering Laboratory (ACELAB) Simulator for Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVOTL) Research and Development

A new generation of aerospace innovators are looking for ways to quickly and efficiently transport people in a safe and environmentally friendly manner. In the not-too-distant future, passengers and goods are expected to routinely fly aboard a new breed of cleaner, smarter air vehicles. This represents a new and significant challenge to the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) which is responsible for aircraft certification, pilot licensing, operating approval and airspace integration. To help streamline this process, NASA has formulated its Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) project to provide research capabilities for development and evaluation of these new concepts and an environment where industry and regulators can work together to understand the requirements and work toward consensus standards for the new market. This paper will describe the development of the Aerospace Cognitive Engineering Lab Rapid Automation Test (ACELeRATE) simulator. ACELeRATE is an adaptable fixed-base aircraft simulator focused on the investigation of the performance and interaction of pilots and increasingly automated aircraft systems. ACELeRATE can be re-configured to support various simulation environments. The simulator includes a simple reconfigurable cockpit placed within a 10-foot spherical dome with a cluster of real-time image generators, high-resolution displays and highly realistic scenery with the surrounding digital terrain and required cultural area details (e.g., hangars, runways, ramp areas, taxiways, test range apparatus, buildings with designated rooftop landing areas, and other man-made 3D structures). This paper will also describe the various hardware and software tools employed in the ACELeRATE simulator, including engineering tools used by NASA for electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) vehicle equations of motion, wind-model simulation in an urban environment, as well as the various modeling techniques and tools used to quickly generate highly realistic 3D terrain models for low level flight including urban terrain and obstacle depictions.

AAM Simulation Cockpit↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Testing of the Veggie Vegetable Production System on the International Space Station

The Veggie vegetable production system has been flying on the International Space Station since 2014, with a second Veggie chamber added in 2017. Veggie is a simple, low power, flexible platform for space plant cultivation. Since 2014, over a dozen crop cycles have been conducted in Veggie. Primarily leafy green crops have been grown, and many of these have been used to supplement the crew diet. Flowers were also grown, and the seeds returned produced viable progeny. In addition to the crop plants, Veggie has been used as a platform for model plants grown in Petri dishes or custom magenta jar chambers. Other used have included algal culture and an education seed germination experiment. Science in Veggie has focused on the plant microbiome, the chemistry and food safety of space-grown produce, the impacts of light quality on crop growth, and the behavioral health benefits of cultivating and eating space crops. Veggie is allowing testing and maturation of NASA’s early-stage space crop production research in a relevant environment, and the lessons that we are learning from this research are helping to shape future exploration scenarios. This research was funded by NASA Space Biology and NASA’s Human Research Program.

Veggie↗