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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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Specially fitted barge is used to load and transport large, heavy objects to a dock side site. There the barge itself can lift, rotate, and position the objects. Typical functions are economically accomplished by water buoyancy.
Recommended procedures for stability, control, and structural loading analysis of large liquid fueled rocket booster sloshing parameters
Vacuum probe microbiological device for sampling large areas lightly loaded with microorganisms
Small bending stiffness effect on inflated torus and cylindrical shells under radial load for determining large space structure stiffness
Variable water load for dissipating large amounts of electrical power during high voltage power supply tests
Hybrid computer solutions for optimal control of time varying systems with parameter uncertainties, exemplifying minimax load relief for large launch vehicles
The erratic operation of the mapping camera assemblies on board Apollo 15, 16, 17 is investigated. The exact causes of the problems with the scientific equipment module deployment mechanisms are not identified. However, the possibility of increased friction in hard vacuum is implied. It is suggested that since hard vacuum conditions are not attainable in large chambers, realistically loaded components could be tested in small chambers capable of vacuums to 10 to the minus 14th power torr. It is concluded that this technique carries with it the greatest promise for future investigations.
Development of a boundary layer correction for an analysis program previously used by Bauer et al. (1972) to study two-dimensional flow past transonic airfoils at off-design conditions where shocks which interact with the boundary layer appear. Using a method which combines conformal mapping with a finite-difference scheme due to Murman and Cole (1971), an analysis is made of the interaction between shock waves on a supercritical wing section and a turbulent boundary layer, assuming that the shocks are weak and that separation is insignificant. It is shown that relatively simple shock wave/boundary layer interactions of the kind envisioned in this study can be treated by determining the displacement thickness iteratively together with the flow and altering the profile accordingly. It is concluded that the proposed boundary layer correction appears to furnish an essential improvement in cases where both pronounced aft loading and a large enclosed supersonic region of flow are present.
A preliminary design study of the performance and economics resulting from the application of the distributed load concept to large freighter aircraft was made. The study was limited to configurations having the payload entirely contained in unswept wings of constant chord with conventional tail surfaces supported from the wing by twin booms. A parametric study based on current technology showed that increases in chord had a similar effect on the economics as increases in span. Increases in both span and chord or airplane size had the largest and most favorable effect. At 600,000 lbs payload a configuration was selected and refined to incorporate advanced technology that could be in production by 1990 and compared with a reference conventional airplane having similar technology.
The current air cargo environment and the relevance of advanced technology aircraft in enhancing the efficiency of the 1990 air cargo system are discussed. NASA preliminary design studies are shown to indicate significant potential gains in aircraft efficiency and operational economics for future freighter concepts. Required research and technology elements are outlined to develop a better base for evaluating advanced design concepts. Current studies of the market operation are reviewed which will develop design criteria for a future dedicated cargo transport. Design features desirable in an all-freighter design are reviewed. NASA-sponsored studies of large, distributed-load freighters are reviewed and these designs are compared to current wide-body aircraft. These concepts vary in gross takeoff weight from 0.5 Gg (one million lbs.) to 1.5 Gg (three million lbs.) and are found to exhibit economic advantages over conventional design concepts.
A program is underway to design, develop, fabricate, and qualify large high-load forward and aft separation bolts for the Space Shuttle; the bolts will serve as attachment between two solid rocket boosters and the external tank. This paper reviews bolt development, with emphasis on the scaling of components, the use of high strength maraging steel for the internal components, and the use of lead as a hydraulic fluid.
An alternative method of analysis to determine the dynamic response of structures subjected to base accelerations is presented. The method is exact as opposed to the approximate technique of using unusually large masses and loads to enforce desired base accelerations. This paper presents the relevant equations to motion, ALTERs for direct and modal frequency-, random- and transient-response rigid formats, and illustrative examples.
The planned missions for the space shuttle dictated a unique and technology-extending rocket engine. The high specific impulse requirements in conjunction with a 55-mission lifetime, plus volume and weight constraints, produced unique structural design, manufacturing, and verification requirements. Operations from Earth to orbit produce severe dynamic environments, which couple with the extreme pressure and thermal environments associated with the high performance, creating large low cycle loads and high alternating stresses above endurance limit which result in high sensitivity to alternating stresses. Combining all of these effects resulted in the requirements for exotic materials, which are more susceptible to manufacturing problems, and the use of an all-welded structure. The challenge of integrating environments, dynamics, structures, and materials into a verified SSME structure is discussed. The verification program and developmental flight results are included. The first six shuttle flights had engine performance as predicted with no failures. The engine system has met the basic design challenges.
A refrigerator/freezer has been designed with an oil-free compressor to provide an economical two-phase flow system for heat transfer. A computer simulation has been done for the condenser and evaporator to determine the design parameters, such as length, diameter, and flow regimes, for different refrigerants and load requirements. A large Reynolds number was considered to ensure annular flow (in order to maximize heat transfer coefficients) and large Froude number. The simulation was correlated with the test data of a vapor compression refrigerator/freezer flown on STS-4 (which provided information on vapor compression in a zero-gravity environment). The two-phase system will be used for the Spacelab mission SLS-1 and can be used in future spacecraft and high-speed aircraft, where weight, volume, and power requirements are critical.
Space power systems generating powers of 1 MWe and higher will require new approaches in radiator design in order to reject large waste heat loads without the unmanageable weight burden of conventional pumped-loop radiator systems. This paper discusses recent design concepts for radiator systems which have the potential for reducing radiator mass by as much as an order of magnitude below the mass of conventional systems. These advanced concepts, including the heat pipe radiator, particle (dust and droplet) radiators, moving belt radiator, rotating membrane radiator, and several interesting variations of these, achieve low mass by reducing the armor requirement for protection against micrometeoroids. The design and performance of each of these concepts is discussed, along with technical issues which must be addressed to bring these concepts to fruition.
Capillary Pumped Loop (CPL) Modeler computer program is amalgamation of software that mathematically models performance of CPL system and its environment. Two-phase heat-transport device capable of transferring heat loads efficiently over large distance with little temperature differential. Utilizes surface-tension forces established in fine-pore capillary wick to circulate working fluid, requiring no external pumpling power. Predicts steady-state or quasi-steady behavior of CPL embedded in spacecraft or other thermal environment. Also predicts location of liquid/vapor interface in each condenser. Written in VAX/VMS FORTAN 77.
One-year periodic variations in the near earth solar wind ion density and bulk flow velocity are reported. The variations show an inverse relationship between the ion velocity and density. The peak strength of the observed density variation ranges from 50-100 percent over the background. These variations imply either large scale mass loading inside the earth's orbit or intrinsic solar modulations. Analyses of both near earth and Pioneer Venus Orbiter spacecraft data provide a comparison at two different heliocentric distances. Several explanations for these variations are discussed.
The average tilt of Mars' equator with respect to its orbital plane may have increased significantly over the age of the solar system. Obliquity oscillations might have induced changes in the climate, which altered the mass distribution and hence the solar torque on the planet. Viscous deformation attributable to loading by the large polar caps expected at low obliquity may have induced secular changes in the axial tilt. Earth-like effective viscosities can account for virtually the entire present obliquity of 24.4 degrees. Thus the present average tilt of Mars may not be primordial.