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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 NTRS2010

Constellation Ground Systems Launch Availability Analysis: Enhancing Highly Reliable Launch Systems Design

Success of the Constellation Program's lunar architecture requires successfully launching two vehicles, Ares I/Orion and Ares V/Altair, within a very limited time period. The reliability and maintainability of flight vehicles and ground systems must deliver a high probability of successfully launching the second vehicle in order to avoid wasting the on-orbit asset launched by the first vehicle. The Ground Operations Project determined which ground subsystems had the potential to affect the probability of the second launch and allocated quantitative availability requirements to these subsystems. The Ground Operations Project also developed a methodology to estimate subsystem reliability, availability, and maintainability to ensure that ground subsystems complied with allocated launch availability and maintainability requirements. The verification analysis developed quantitative estimates of subsystem availability based on design documentation, testing results, and other information. Where appropriate, actual performance history was used to calculate failure rates for legacy subsystems or comparative components that will support Constellation. The results of the verification analysis will be used to assess compliance with requirements and to highlight design or performance shortcomings for further decision making. This case study will discuss the subsystem requirements allocation process, describe the ground systems methodology for completing quantitative reliability, availability, and maintainability analysis, and present findings and observation based on analysis leading to the Ground Operations Project Preliminary Design Review milestone.

Gernand, Jeffrey L.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Constellation Ground Systems Launch Availability Analysis: Enhancing Highly Reliable Launch Systems Design

Success of the Constellation Program's lunar architecture requires successfully launching two vehicles, Ares I/Orion and Ares V/Altair, in a very limited time period. The reliability and maintainability of flight vehicles and ground systems must deliver a high probability of successfully launching the second vehicle in order to avoid wasting the on-orbit asset launched by the first vehicle. The Ground Operations Project determined which ground subsystems had the potential to affect the probability of the second launch and allocated quantitative availability requirements to these subsystems. The Ground Operations Project also developed a methodology to estimate subsystem reliability, availability and maintainability to ensure that ground subsystems complied with allocated launch availability and maintainability requirements. The verification analysis developed quantitative estimates of subsystem availability based on design documentation; testing results, and other information. Where appropriate, actual performance history was used for legacy subsystems or comparative components that will support Constellation. The results of the verification analysis will be used to verify compliance with requirements and to highlight design or performance shortcomings for further decision-making. This case study will discuss the subsystem requirements allocation process, describe the ground systems methodology for completing quantitative reliability, availability and maintainability analysis, and present findings and observation based on analysis leading to the Ground Systems Preliminary Design Review milestone.

Gernand, Jeffrey L.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Organic Contamination Baseline Study in NASA Johnson Space Center Astromaterials Curation Laboratories

Future robotic and human spaceflight missions to the Moon, Mars, asteroids, and comets will require curating astromaterial samples with minimal inorganic and organic contamination to preserve the scientific integrity of each sample. 21st century sample return missions will focus on strict protocols for reducing organic contamination that have not been seen since the Apollo manned lunar landing program. To properly curate these materials, the Astromaterials Acquisition and Curation Office under the Astromaterial Research and Exploration Science Directorate at NASA Johnson Space Center houses and protects all extraterrestrial materials brought back to Earth that are controlled by the United States government. During fiscal year 2012, we conducted a year-long project to compile historical documentation and laboratory tests involving organic investigations at these facilities. In addition, we developed a plan to determine the current state of organic cleanliness in curation laboratories housing astromaterials. This was accomplished by focusing on current procedures and protocols for cleaning, sample handling, and storage. While the intention of this report is to give a comprehensive overview of the current state of organic cleanliness in JSC curation laboratories, it also provides a baseline for determining whether our cleaning procedures and sample handling protocols need to be adapted and/or augmented to meet the new requirements for future human spaceflight and robotic sample return missions.

Calaway, Michael J.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Static Controls Performance Tool for Lunar Landers

This document presents a static analysis tool used to evaluate the controllability of Lunar landers. This was created as part of the NASA Lunar Cargo Transportation and Landing by Soft Touchdown (Lunar CATALYST) program. This tool is capable of accepting typical design information such as location and direction of thrusters, maximum thruster forces, gravity vectors, and center of mass locations. The tool evaluates how far the center of gravity can move from its starting position while still maintaining control. This type of analysis is intended to support results produced by time domain simulations. The code created for this project was implemented in Python, and it was designed to be integrated into systems level optimization tools to yield first-cut results on optimal thruster placement.

Aretskin-Hariton, Eliot D.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Challenges of Designing a Passive Thermal Control System for the Astrobotic Peregrine Lunar Lander

The Astrobotic Peregrine is a lunar lander currently undergoing design by Astrobotic Technology with help from NASA through the Lunar Cargo Transportation and Landing by Soft Touchdown (Lunar CATALYST) program. This paper will discuss the challenges of designing a passive thermal control system for the lander, and how the design has evolved from the initial passive concept. These challenges include drastically varying worst hot and worst cold case thermal environments, narrow temperature limits of critical components, limited available locations for spacecraft component mounting, and unexpected changes causing significant thermal impacts. The initial thermal control strategy was to cold bias the spacecraft by thermally coupling all spacecraft components to one mounting deck, which also doubled as a radiator, and using heaters to maintain each component’s temperature above its lower temperature limit when in the cold environments. As the design evolved, this strategy alone became inadequate. As heat dissipations increased and became more varying with the addition of components, the thermal design was changed and additional thermal control technologies added. Thermal control strategies incorporated into the design include dictating the lander orientation in demanding environments, defining locations for critical spacecraft components, limiting component operation when possible, and using technology to create variable thermal contacts. Additional design changes will occur as the design continues to evolve to optimize the most effective thermal control system. The thermal design of Peregrine is still in progress, with Critical Design Review (CDR) scheduled for December 2019.

Mauro, Stephanie↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA Space Launch System Completes Green Run Testing, Begins Assembly

NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) Program is poised in 2021 to shift its focus to the launch site with the completion of its last major integrated hardware and software test. SLS is NASA’s evolvable super heavy-lift launch vehicle for deep space exploration. Using proven propulsion technologies, SLS will be the most powerful launch vehicle in the world. That capability translates not only into more mass and volume to destinations but also simplified payload design and mission operations and greater opportunity for mission success. These capabilities will be important for the Artemis program, NASA’s plan to return humans to the Moon to stay in a sustainable way in order to develop and test technologies and operations needed for human missions to Mars and other destinations. SLS will anchor the transportation leg of an innovative, sustainable program of lunar exploration with commercial and international partners as the first step of human exploration of deep space. While all major hardware and software efforts made significant progress in 2020 and 2021, the most visible was the Green Run test series of the Artemis I core stage conducted at NASA’s Stennis Space Center (SSC) on the B-2 test stand. The series validated core stage design, performance, workmanship, and readiness for shipment to NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) for final processing, integration and launch. The core stage provides the backbone for SLS’ main propulsion system, consisting of two five-segment solid rocket boosters and four RS-25 liquid hydrogen (LH2)/liquid oxygen (LOX) engines. SLS also includes an Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) that will insert the Orion crew spacecraft into a lunar trajectory.

John Honeycutt↗
NASA NTRS2021

RealTOR TechPort Info

NASA is continuously working to advance optical communications technologies to meet the demand for higher communications data rates by developing and testing low cost ground-based optical receivers for space-to-ground communications required for future space explorations systems such as Artemis and Lunar Gateway Programs. The Real Time Optical Receiver (RealTOR) Project’s goal is to provide a commercial-off-the-shell (COTS) portable, scalable, modular, low cost solution for optical communications ground photon counting receivers. The RealTOR system implements the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) Optical Communications High Photon Efficiency (HPE) standard, which will be used in future photon counting missions such as the Optical Artemis-2 Orion Communications (O2O) mission.

optical communications↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Gateway bi-propellant refueling development testing and model validation activities

The Gateway is an upcoming long term lunar exploration program to be completed by NASA in partnership with ESA and other US and international partners. The system design of the Gateway contains both a high performance Xenon based Solar Electric Propulsion system, as well as a bi-propellant attitude control system. Both propulsion systems are designed for on-orbit refueling to enable long life performance of the Gateway. The ESPRIT-RM is a module which will expand the pressurized volume of Gateway, while also providing refueling capability for both the Xenon and Bipropellant propulsion systems, therefore extending the Gateway life on orbit. As part of the Gateway bi-propellant refueling system development, a simplified fluidic breadboard system was created to evaluate system performance and response using simulant fluids. The test plan includes verification activities with simulant (water, HFE-7100) to verify joined subsystem behavior in the critical operations, including propellant transfer demonstration between modules, transient tests and venting tests. Integrated testing occurred at TASUK in collaboration with NASA to support joint verification activities to de-risk the major functions of the ESPRIT BTS and the overall CONOPS of the refueling of the Gateway chemical propulsion system. Initially collected test data from the system testing is presented, as well as initial model validation, and correlated to collected high frequency test data and system response is shown. Initially collected data has shown the architected system performance is closing initial design assumptions, but much forward work remains to characterize and develop the system.

Christopher Daniel Radke↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Joint Development Testing of the Integrated Gateway-Esprit Bipropellant Refuelling System

The Gateway is an upcoming long term lunar exploration program to be completed by NASA in partnership with ESA and other US and international partners. The system design of the Gateway contains both a high performance Xenon based Solar Electric Propulsion system, as well as a bi-propellant attitude control system. Both propulsion systems are designed for on-orbit refuelling to enable long life performance of the Gateway. The ESPRIT-RM is a module which will expand the pressurized volume of Gateway, while also providing refuelling capability for both the Xenon and Bipropellant propulsion systems, therefore extending the Gateway life on orbit. As part of the Gateway bi-propellant refuelling system development, a simplified fluidic breadboard system was created to evaluate system performance and response using simulant fluids. The test plan includes verification activities with simulant (water, HFE-7100) to verify joined subsystem behaviour in the critical operations, including propellant transfer demonstration between modules, transient tests and venting tests. Integrated testing will occur at TASUK in collaboration with NASA to support joint verification activities to de-risk the major functions of the ESPRIT Bipropellant Transfer Subsystem (BTS) and the overall CONOPS of the refuelling of the Gateway chemical propulsion system. Initially collected test data is presented and has shown the architected system performance is closing initial design assumptions, but much forward work is identified to continue to characterize and develop the system.

Sebastian Hill↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA’s Space Launch System Stands Ready on Doorstep of Maiden Voyage Launch and Progress Made to Future Missions

NASA and its partners made significant progress towards the Artemis I launch in 2022. The integrated Space Launch System (SLS)vehicleand Orion spacecraft were first rolled out of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in March. SLS is a super heavy-lift vehicle to send large, strategic payloads to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. It isthebackbone of the Artemis human lunar exploration program. Rollout transported the vehicle to Launch Pad 39B for a series of tests, including the wet dress rehearsal (WDR). Multiple attempts were required to complete WDR, each building on the one before. Following the WDR campaign, NASA teams refined hardware and launch procedures, and the vehicle was prepared for its first launch attempt scheduled for August 29. Challenges with the weather and hardware resulted in a scrub on the 29th, and the second attempt was set for Sept. 3. A hydrogen leak on the tail service mast umbilical forced a scrub. NASA teams completed repairs and testing on the vehicle on Launch Pad 39B to preserve a launch attempt at the end of September. Managers chose to return the vehicle to the VAB to protect it fromthe threat of Hurricane Ian. Within the VAB, NASA further inspected and prepared SLS for selected November windows. In addition to progress to the Artemis I mission, significant progress was made on the Artemis II and Artemis III rockets. Progress was also made towards on the Block 1B and Block 2 variants, beginning on the fourth and ninth flight, respectively. Both variants will provide significant improvements in both launch mass and mission flexibility to multiple destinations. This paper will discuss Artemis I vehicle integration, testing, and available results from the launch campaign to date.

Bruce Askins↗
NASA NTRS2023

Human Landing System (HLS) Program Non-Design Driver Lunar Environments

The purpose of this white paper is to provide a source of information on lunar environments which, according to scientific and engineering consensus, should not impact human-class spacecraft design. Additionally, comparisons are shown between the Apollo missions and Artemis mission parameters for solar lighting angles at the landing sites and plasma region exposure.

HLS↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Design, Development, and Use of a Lunar Lander Simulation for NASA's Artemis Program

This paper describes the design, development, and initial use of a generalized and configurable lunar lander simulation to support NASA’s Artemis Program. This simulation is being developed for the Crew Compartment Office (CrewCo) in the Human Landing Systems (HLS) program and is called the HLS CrewCo Lander Simulation (HCLS). The HCLS provides insight into the challenges associated with returning humans to the Moon and the particular difficulties of operating at the Lunar South Pole. The simulation models a generalized integrated lunar landing spacecraft based on a government reference design but can and has been adapted to model vendor specific designs as well. The simulation architecture and tool sets provide a flexible framework that allows for quickly prototyping and evaluating various aspects of a piloted lunar landing system. This includes the modeling of all principal human controlled flight phases: rendezvous and docking with crew transfer systems; docked orbital outpost operations; undocking and lunar transfer; lunar orbital operations; lunar deorbit, descent, and landing (DDL); lunar surface operations; lunar ascent; and return to the orbital outpost. The flexibility of the simulation allows for the integrated evaluation of potential vehicle subsystems, crew displays, guidance and control modes, and trajectory designs. The purpose of the HCLS is not to design the ideal lunar lander, but rather to understand and the strengths and weaknesses of vehicle design choices. This paper describes the basic simulation architecture and discusses the tool sets used to develop the HCLS. This includes a number of open source tool sets and publicly available data sets. This paper also describes some of the early use cases and findings. The primary focus of early HCLS use has been on the manual piloting task to safely get the crew to the desired landing site in case of a failure in the automated guidance system. Several guidance modes and cues have been implemented which allow a pilot to manually fly the vehicle to the targeted landing site starting anywhere from powered descent initiation. It has been a valuable tool for understanding what is required to manually fly a lunar lander as well as giving a sense of the vehicle dynamics, which are much different than anything that is flown on Earth. A number of experienced test pilots have participated in manual piloting evaluations using the HCLS and provided valuable feedback on the piloting task which has been very beneficial to NASA and the HLS program.

James Michael Gentile↗
NASA NTRS2020

Nano-ALSEP: Use of Nano-Sat Technology to Advance Lunar Exploration Science/Engineering

During the Apollo program, unique ALSEP (Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package) stations were deployed and left on the surface for long term data collection. Powered by a SNAP-27 electrical power source, the packages continued to transmit useful data until September 30, 1977 (the end of the Fiscal year and termination of the budget). The instruments were varied but included an active seismic experiment (ASE), charged particle experiments, magnetometer experiment, micro-meteoroide/bolide detection experiments. Only only one, the Laser Ranging Retro-Reflector (LRRR) was continued to be used to the present day due to the passive nature of the device. After a dearth of data during an absence of 50 years, is it possible to restart similar packages using the advances in nano-sat technologies? An innovation effort is proposed that would first look at a 2U nano-sat package evolving to an eventual radio-isotope powered system that could be either part of a lunar lander or as an independent package. In the first phase, the packages would only survive during the Lunar day. In a second phase, the later radio-isotope options would place the surface packages in a semi-dormant mode during the Lunar night cycle. Communication capability developed in the TechEdSat-n flight series (UHF, S, X and optical bands) would help to independently close the link and potentially explore IoT devices that were powered only in the sunlight. In addition, limited mobility in the form factor of a nano-rover might also greatly extend the utility of such packages while adding evolutionary capability - and finally continue where the Apollo program was forced to leave off.

M Murbach↗
NASA NTRS2024

Design, Development, and Use of a Lunar Lander Simulation for NASA's Artemis Program

This paper describes the design, development, and initial use of a generalized and configurable lunar lander simulation to support NASA’s Artemis Program. This simulation is being developed for the Crew Compartment Office (CrewCo) in the Human Landing Systems (HLS) program and is called the HLS CrewCo Lander Simulation (HCLS). The HCLS provides insight into the challenges associated with returning humans to the Moon and the particular difficulties of operating at the Lunar South Pole. A generalized lunar landing spacecraft based on a government reference design has been modeled but the simulation can be modified and adapted to model vendor designs as well. The simulation architecture and toolsets provide a flexible framework that allows for quickly prototyping and evaluating various aspects of a piloted lunar landing system. This includes the modeling of all principal human controlled flight phases: rendezvous and docking with crew transfer systems; docked orbital outpost operations; undocking and lunar transfer; lunar orbital operations; lunar deorbit, descent, and landing (DDL); lunar surface operations; lunar ascent; and return to the orbital outpost. The flexibility of the simulation allows for the integrated evaluation of potential vehicle subsystems, crew displays, guidance and control modes, and trajectory designs. The purpose of the HCLS is not to design the ideal lunar lander, but rather to understand the strengths and weaknesses of vehicle design choices.

Edwin Z Crues↗
NASA NTRS2024

Design, Development, and Use of a Lunar Lander Simulation for NASA’s Artemis Program

This paper describes the design, development, and initial use of a generalized and configurable lunar lander simulation to support NASA’s Artemis Program. This simulation is being developed for the Crew Compartment Office (CrewCo) in the Human Landing Systems (HLS) program and is called the HLS CrewCo Lander Simulation (HCLS). The HCLS provides insight into the challenges associated with returning humans to the Moon and the particular difficulties of operating at the Lunar South Pole. A generalized lunar landing spacecraft based on a government reference design has been modeled but the simulation can be modified and adapted to model vendor designs as well. The simulation architecture and toolsets provide a flexible framework that allows for quickly prototyping and evaluating various aspects of a piloted lunar landing system. This includes the modeling of all principal human controlled flight phases: rendezvous and docking with crew transfer systems; docked orbital outpost operations; undocking and lunar transfer; lunar orbital operations; lunar deorbit, descent, and landing (DDL); lunar surface operations; lunar ascent; and return to the orbital outpost. The flexibility of the simulation allows for the integrated evaluation of potential vehicle subsystems, crew displays, guidance and control modes, and trajectory designs. The purpose of the HCLS is not to design the ideal lunar lander, but rather to understand the strengths and weaknesses of vehicle design choices.

James Gentile↗