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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 379 records · Page 21

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NASA NTRS1992

Spacecraft thermal control coatings

The Experiment AO 138-6 was located on the trailing edge of the Long Duration Exposure Facility as part of the French Cooperative Payload (FRECOPA) Experiment. It was purely passive in nature: material specimens 2 x 2 cm, independently mounted in sample-holders, with their surface in the same reference plane, were exposed to space. Thirty samples were set in a vacuum-tight canister which was opened in space a few days after LDEF deployment and closed while still in orbit ten months later; twenty-four samples were directly exposed to space for the total flight duration (preflight handling, shuttle bay environment, separation from shuttle, shuttle environment, LEO environment, docking, descent, transfer to KSC). Materials included paints (conductive or nonconductive), SSM's, polymeric films, surface coatings, composite materials, and metals. After sample retrieving, inspection and measurements were carried out in atmospheric laboratory conditions on each sample: observation with binocular lenses and scanning electron microscopy, spectral relectance and transmittance using an integrating sphere in the wavelength range 280-2300 nm, emissivity by the means of a Gier & Dunkle portable reflectometer, electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis-x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (ESCA-XPS), and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS) measurements on some selected samples. The results obtained from flight were compared to laboratory data obtained in UV-irradiation tests when these data were available. As a general statement a good spectral concordance is observed for all samples not in the canister so long as air recoveries are taken into account. For one material, the degradation is more important for the sample in the canister than for those of the same material mounted at the surface of the tray; for most samples in the canister the degradation is slightly higher than the one which can be predicted from laboratory standard irradiations. Contamination problems having been ruled out, the higher temperature experience by the samples on the inside of canister probably explains these phenomena.

Guillaumon, Jean-Claude↗

NASA NTRS1985

Forklift Support Dolly

Long, heavy loads handled safely. Forklift support dolly enables operator to manipulate safely large sections of materials around corners and through narrow aisles and doorways. Dolly has pivoting tandem wheels for maneuverability. Plate laid out lengthwise along truck axis, with one end clamped to forklift and other end clamped to dolly. With this arrangement, minimum width of passage determined by short side of plate rather than by long side.

Young, W.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Is structural interface standardization beneficial?

Factors applicable to fixed angle, large field and fixed angle, large building flat plate photovoltaic (PV) generator arrays are discussed in the context of standardization. It is concluded that structural interface standardization may be highly desirable in any one major project, but not at this time in the overall PV industry. Attempts to mandate such standardization will act as a deterrent to long-range improvements. In specific projects, structural standardization should be defined at the largest practical interface, leaving the maximum possible freedom to the module and array manufacturer. There is a corollary area, however, where detailed standards would benefit the industry; the matter of Standard Practices. Work being done towards definition of acceptable/desirable practices in materials, finishes, fastening and locking methods, grounding techniques, lightning protection, etc., and in handling the environmental ranges, should be continued.

Dombert, W. E.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Environmental stability of intercalated graphite fibers

Graphite fibers intercalated with bromine, iodine monochloride, ferric chloride, and cupric chloride were subjected to stability tests under four environments which are encountered by engineering materials in the aerospace industry: ambient laboratory conditions, as would be experienced during handling operations and terrestrial applications; high vacuum, as would be experienced in space applications; high humidity, as would be experienced in marine applications; and high temperature, as would be experienced in some processing steps and applications. Monitoring the resistance of the fibers at ambient laboratory conditions revealed that only the ferric chloride intercalated fibers were unstable, due to absorption of water from the air. All four types of intercalated fibers were unstable, due to absorption of water from the air. All four types of intercalated fibers were stable for long periods under high vacuum. Ferric chloride, cupric chloride, and iodine monochloride intercalated fibers were sensitive to high humidity conditions. All intercalated fibers began to degrade above 250 C. The order of their thermal stability, from lowest to highest, was cupric chloride, iodine monochloride, bromine, and ferric chloride. Of the four types of intercalated fibers tested, the bromine intercalated fibers appear to have the most potential for application, based on environmental stability.

Gaier, J. R.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Environmental stability of intercalated graphite fibers

Gaier, J. R.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Technology for increased human productivity and safety on orbit

Technologies are addressed that can facilitate the efficient performance of station operations on the Space Station Freedom (SSF) and thereby optimize the utilization of SSF for scientific research. The dedication of SSF capabilities to scientific study and to the payload-user community is a key goal of the program. Robotics applications are discussed in terms of automating the processing of experiment materials on-orbit by transferring ampules to a furnace system or by handling plant-tissue cultures. Noncontact temperature measurement and medical support technology are considered important technologies for maximizing time for scientific purposes. Detailed examinations are conducted of other technologies including advanced data systems and furnace designs. The addition of the listed technologies can provide an environment in which scientific research is more efficient and accurate.

Ambrus, Judith↗

NASA NTRS1995

Space Station program status and research capabilities

Space Station will be a permanent orbiting laboratory in space which will provide researchers with unprecedented opportunities for access to the space environment. Space Station is designed to provide essential resources of volume, crew, power, data handling and communications to accommodate experiments for long-duration studies in technology, materials and the life sciences. Materials and coatings for exposure research will be supported by Space Station, providing new knowledge for applications in Earthbased technology and future space missions. Space Station has been redesigned at the direction of the President. The redesign was performed to significantly reduce development, operations and utilization costs while achieving many of the original goals for long duration scientific research. An overview of the Space Station Program and capabilities for research following the redesign is presented below. Accommodations for pressurized and external payloads are described.

Holt, Alan C.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Thermal-Structural Optimization of Integrated Cryogenic Propellant Tank Concepts for a Reusable Launch Vehicle

A next generation reusable launch vehicle (RLV) will require thermally efficient and light-weight cryogenic propellant tank structures. Since these tanks will be weight-critical, analytical tools must be developed to aid in sizing the thickness of insulation layers and structural geometry for optimal performance. Finite element method (FEM) models of the tank and insulation layers were created to analyze the thermal performance of the cryogenic insulation layer and thermal protection system (TPS) of the tanks. The thermal conditions of ground-hold and re-entry/soak-through for a typical RLV mission were used in the thermal sizing study. A general-purpose nonlinear FEM analysis code, capable of using temperature and pressure dependent material properties, was used as the thermal analysis code. Mechanical loads from ground handling and proof-pressure testing were used to size the structural geometry of an aluminum cryogenic tank wall. Nonlinear deterministic optimization and reliability optimization techniques were the analytical tools used to size the geometry of the isogrid stiffeners and thickness of the skin. The results from the sizing study indicate that a commercial FEM code can be used for thermal analyses to size the insulation thicknesses where the temperature and pressure were varied. The results from the structural sizing study show that using combined deterministic and reliability optimization techniques can obtain alternate and lighter designs than the designs obtained from deterministic optimization methods alone.

Johnson, Theodore F.↗

NASA NTRS2014

In-Situ Resource Utilization for Space Exploration: Resource Processing, Mission-Enabling Technologies, and Lessons for Sustainability on Earth and Beyond

As humanity begins to reach out into the solar system, it has become apparent that supporting a human or robotic presence in transit and/or on station requires significant expendable resources including consumables (to support people), fuel, and convenient reliable power. Transporting all necessary expendables is inefficient, inconvenient, costly, and, in the final analysis, a complicating factor for mission planners and a significant source of potential failure modes. Over the past twenty-five years, beginning with the Space Exploration Initiative, researchers at the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC), academic collaborators, and industrial partners have analyzed, researched, and developed successful solutions for the challenges posed by surviving and even thriving in the resource limited environment(s) presented by near-Earth space and non-terrestrial surface operations. In this retrospective paper, we highlight the efforts of the co-authors in resource simulation and utilization, materials processing and consumable(s) production, power systems and analysis, fuel storage and handling, propulsion systems, and mission operations. As we move forward in our quest to explore space using a resource-optimized approach, it is worthwhile to consider lessons learned relative to efficient utilization of the (comparatively) abundant natural resources and improving the sustainability (and environment) for life on Earth. We reconsider Lunar (and briefly Martian) resource utilization for potential colonization, and discuss next steps moving away from Earth.

Hepp, A. F.↗

NASA NTRS2015

In-Situ Resource Utilization for Space Exploration: Resource Processing, Mission-Enabling Technologies, and Lessons for Sustainability on Earth and Beyond

As humanity begins to reach out into the solar system, it has become apparent that supporting a human or robotic presence in transit andor on station requires significant expendable resources including consumables (to support people), fuel, and convenient reliable power. Transporting all necessary expendables is inefficient, inconvenient, costly, and, in the final analysis, a complicating factor for mission planners and a significant source of potential failure modes. Over the past twenty-five years, beginning with the Space Exploration Initiative, researchers at the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC), academic collaborators, and industrial partners have analyzed, researched, and developed successful solutions for the challenges posed by surviving and even thriving in the resource limited environment(s) presented by near-Earth space and non-terrestrial surface operations. In this retrospective paper, we highlight the efforts of the co-authors in resource simulation and utilization, materials processing and consumable(s) production, power systems and analysis, fuel storage and handling, propulsion systems, and mission operations. As we move forward in our quest to explore space using a resource-optimized approach, it is worthwhile to consider lessons learned relative to efficient utilization of the (comparatively) abundant natural resources and improving the sustainability (and environment) for life on Earth. We reconsider Lunar (and briefly Martian) resource utilization for potential colonization, and discuss next steps moving away from Earth.

Specific impulse↗

NASA NTRS2019

Using Paraffin PCM for Thermal Management of BOLAS Planetary CubeSats with Ion Thrusters

The Bi-sat Observations of the Lunar Atmosphere above Swirls (BOLAS) is a NASA planetary CubeSat mission concept in low lunar orbit. The BOLAS lower CubeSat is at a 90 km altitude above the lunar surface during spiraling down from the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) Secondary Payload Adapter (ESPA) to the Moon. Without phase change material (PCM), the worst hot case temperature prediction for the Command and Data Handling (C&DH) exceeds the 61°C maximum operating limit, and those for the Iris solid state power amplifier (SSPA) and transponder exceed the 50°C maximum operating limit. Miniature n-Tricosane PCM packs on the Iris SSPA and transponder, and miniature n-Hexacosane PCM packs on the C&DH are used to store thermal energy in sunlight and release it in the eclipse. With paraffin PCM, all the temperatures are within the maximum operating limits.

Choi, Michael K.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Design of a Jettison System For Space Transit Vehicles

Many options to re-use waste are currently being developed by NASA. These include combustion, compaction, torrefaction, and converting waste materials to an easily stored base polymer for future use. Human exploration missions require large amounts of supplies such as food, clothing and spare parts. A many-month journey to Mars will result in the generation of a substantial amount of problematic waste products. It is thought that this waste must be discarded to enable a Mars transit mission. The most cost-effective, reliable, and safest method to address this problem may be to simply jettison these materials from the spacecraft. The ability to jettison requires a multi-component integrated system design. Major components include a launcher, airlocks, trash bags, and tracking system. Depending upon mission requirements, a jettison dedicated airlock may be necessary. In other cases, the crew airlock might be all that’s needed. Examples of what to jettison include food waste, fecal containers, broken equipment, foam, expendables, hygiene products, health items, wipes, and clothing. The most important design factor is always crew safety. Other features to consider are loss of air due to the inefficiencies of vacuum pumps in the airlock, outgassing from the bags, and liquids condensing on the airlock that result in unwanted coatings. The launching system design must consider many different features: while in planetary orbit, a minimum exit velocity is necessary so the jettisoned material will not complete an orbit only to return and strike the ship. Also, for planetary protection issues, enabling waste to be sent to distant non-critical locations is highly desirable. When the space craft is in planetary transit to say, Mars, the jettison exit velocity should be low if the material is not released along the direction of travel. This is to minimize trajectory perturbations due to jettison-imposed torque on the spacecraft. Design considerations for the launcher include exit velocity, power consumption, volume and mass of material jettisoned, and frequency of jettison. Finally, the launcher must be able to handle many different types and shapes of waste products. This paper will discuss these design issues and give guidance to a pathway forward.

Steve Sepka↗

NASA NTRS1989

Nonlinear mechanical behavior of thermoplastic matrix materials for advanced composites

Two recent theories of nonlinear mechanical response are quantitatively compared and related to experimental data. Computer techniques are formulated to handle the numerical integration and iterative procedures needed to solve the associated sets of coupled nonlinear differential equations. Problems encountered during these formulations are discussed and some open questions described. Bearing in mind these cautions, the consequences of changing parameters that appear in the formulations on the resulting engineering properties are discussed. Hence, engineering approaches to the analysis of thermoplastic matrix material can be suggested.

Arenz, R. J.↗

NASA NTRS2006

Cassini-Huygens maneuver automation for navigation

Many times during the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn, propulsive maneuvers must be spaced so closely together that there isn't enough time or workforce to execute the maneuver-related software manually, one subsystem at a time. Automation is required. Automating the maneuver design process has involved close cooperation between teams. We present the contribution from the Navigation system. In scope, this includes trajectory propagation and search, generation of ephemerides, general tasks such as email notification and file transfer, and presentation materials. The software has been used to help understand maneuver optimization results, Huygens probe delivery statistics, and Saturn ring-plane crossing geometry. The Maneuver Automation Software (MAS), developed for the Cassini-Huygens program enables frequent maneuvers by handling mundane tasks such as creation of deliverable files, file delivery, generation and transmission of email announcements, generation of presentation material and other supporting documentation. By hand, these tasks took up hours, if not days, of work for each maneuver. Automated, these tasks may be completed in under an hour. During the cruise trajectory the spacing of maneuvers was such that development of a maneuver design could span about a month, involving several other processes in addition to that described, above. Often, about the last five days of this process covered the generation of a final design using an updated orbit-determination estimate. To support the tour trajectory, the orbit determination data cut-off of five days before the maneuver needed to be reduced to approximately one day and the whole maneuver development process needed to be reduced to less than a week..

propulsion maneuvers↗

NASA NTRS2009

The Reconstruction and Failure Analysis of the Space Shuttle Columbia

Several days following the Columbia accident a team formed and began planning for the reconstruction of Columbia. A hangar at the Kennedy Space Center was selected for this effort due to it's size, available technical workforce and materials science laboratories and access to the vehicle ground processing infrastructure. The Reconstruction team established processes for receiving, handling, decontamination, tracking, identifying, cleaning and assessment of the debris. Initially, a 2-dimensional reconstruction of the Orbiter outer mold line was developed. As the investigation progressed fixtures which allowed a 3-dimensional reconstruction of the forward portions of the left wing's leading edge was developed. To support the reconstructions and forensic analyses a Materials and Processes (M&P) 'team was formed. This M&P team established processes for recording factual observations, debris cleaning, and engineering analysis. Fracture surfaces and thermal effects of selected airframe debris were assessed, and process flows for both nondestructive and destructive sampling and evaluation of debris were developed. The Team also assessed left hand airframe components that were believed to be associated with a structural breach of Columbia. A major portion of this analysis was evaluation of metallic deposits were prevalent on left wing leading edge components. Extensive evaluation of the visual, metallurgical and chemical nature of the deposits provided conclusions that were consistent with the visual assessments and interpretations of the NASA lead teams and the findings of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board. Analytical data collected by the M&P Team showed that a significant thermal event occurred at the left wing leading edge in the proximity of LH RCC Panels 8-9, and a correlation was formed between the deposits and overheating in these areas to the wing leading edge components. The analysis of deposits also showed exposure to temperatures in excess of 1649 C (3200 F), which would severely degrade support structure, tiles, and RCC panel materials. The integrated failure analysis of wing leading edge debris and deposits strongly supported the hypothesis that a breach occurred at LH RCC Panel 8.

Russell, Richard↗

NASA NTRS2013

Microgravity Storage Vessels and Conveying-Line Feeders for Cohesive Regolith

Under microgravity, the usual methods of placing granular solids into, or extracting them from, containers or storage vessels will not function. Alternative methods are required to provide a motive force to move the material. New configurations for microgravity regolith storage vessels that do not resemble terrestrial silos, hoppers, or tanks are proposed. The microgravity-compatible bulk-material storage vessels and exit feed configurations are designed to reliably empty and feed cohesive material to transfer vessels or conveying ducts or lines without gravity. A controllable motive force drives the cohesive material to the exit opening(s), and provides a reliable means to empty storage vessels and/or to feed microgravity conveying lines. The proposed designs will function equally well in vacuum, or inside of pressurized enclosures. Typical terrestrial granular solids handling and storage equipment will not function under microgravity, since almost all such equipment relies on gravity to at least move material to an exit location or to place it in the bottom of a container. Under microgravity, there effectively are no directions of up or down, and in order to effect movement of material, some other motive force must be applied to the material. The proposed storage vessels utilize dynamic centrifugal force to effect movement of regolith whenever material needs to be removed from the storage vessel. During simple storage, no dynamic motion or forces are required. The rotation rate during emptying can be controlled to ensure that material will move to the desired exit opening, even if the material is highly cohesive, or has acquired an electrostatic charge. The general concept of this Swirl Action Utilized for Centrifugal Ejection of Regolith (SAUCER) microgravity storage unit/dynamic feeder is to have an effective slot-hopper (based on the converging angles of the top and bottom conical section of the vessel) with an exit slot around the entire periphery of the SAUCER. The basic shape of such a unit is like two Chinese straw hats (douli) - one upside down, on the bottom, and another on top; or two wokpans, one upright on the bottom and another inverted on top, with a small gap between the upright and inverted pans or hats (around the periphery). A stationary outer ring, much like an unmounted bicycle tire, surrounds the gap between the two coaxial, nearly conical pieces, forming the top and bottom of the unit.

Walton, Otis R.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Geological material discrimination from Nimbus satellite data

An analysis was made of Nimbus satellite data to determine its suitability in determining the physical properties of surface materials. Attempts were also made to use these data in developing analytical techniques for handling data from other earth resources and meteorological satellites.

Pohn, H. A.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Evaluation of Agfacontour professional film

The results obtained by the Photo Science Office in the evaluation of Agfacontour Professional Film are presented. The feasibility of utilizing this film in the evaluation of aerial or extraterrestrial imagery has been investigated. Sensitometric properties have been determined, and optimum handling techniques have been identified in an attempt to facilitate better use of the material.

Goodding, R. A.↗