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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 NTRSDate not supplied

An Advanced Mars Helicopter Design

Ingenuity may be the first of many Mars aerial vehicles. Rotorcraft increase the range and speed that can be traveled to locations of interest. This enables mission concepts previously considered not viable on Mars, such as missions performing science investigations in regions of high elevation, steep terrain, caves/lava tubes, and surveys of the lower atmosphere. Recent work done at NASA Ames Research Center and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) show that significant science can be performed by rotorcraft either independently or as assistants to rovers and landers. Small rotorcraft of Ingenuity’s general size can be potentially integrated into missions already scheduled for launch. Additionally, larger rotorcraft can support standalone novel mission concepts but are still be able to be sized and configured for deployment from heritage entry, descent, and landing (EDL) systems. One such mission concept of interest is to determine if organics are associated with clay-bearing or silica-rich soil. For such a mission, a small rotorcraft “robotic assistant” to a lander or rover could help determine if ancient sediment contains biosignatures in regions such as Mawrth Vallis. Ingenuity has demonstrated that rotorcraft can be developed relatively quickly and inexpensively and increase the types and amount of science that can be performed on any given mission. Recent research has suggested that rotorcraft of Ingenuity’s general size can have their performance characteristics significantly enhanced – increasing their range, speed, and payload capacity – by using new generation rotor blade airfoils optimized for Mars operating conditions. Rotorcraft could potentially be a standard adjunct to all future lander and rover missions. This paper presents an advanced Mars helicopter design that leverages significantly the design heritage of the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Technology Demonstrator (MHTD).

Advanced↗

NASA NTRS2014

Enabling Dedicated, Affordable Space Access Through Aggressive Technology Maturation

A recent explosion in nano-sat, small-sat, and university class payloads has been driven by low cost electronics and sensors, wide component availability, as well as low cost, miniature computational capability and open source code. Increasing numbers of these very small spacecraft are being launched as secondary payloads, dramatically decreasing costs, and allowing greater access to operations and experimentation using actual space flight systems. While manifesting as a secondary payload provides inexpensive rides to orbit, these arrangements also have certain limitations. Small, secondary payloads are typically included with very limited payload accommodations, supported on a non interference basis (to the prime payload), and are delivered to orbital conditions driven by the primary launch customer. Integration of propulsion systems or other hazardous capabilities will further complicate secondary launch arrangements, and accommodation requirements. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Marshall Space Flight Center has begun work on the development of small, low cost launch system concepts that could provide dedicated, affordable launch alternatives to small, risk tolerant university type payloads and spacecraft. These efforts include development of small propulsion systems and highly optimized structural efficiency, utilizing modern advanced manufacturing techniques. This paper outlines the plans and accomplishments of these efforts and investigates opportunities for truly revolutionary reductions in launch and operations costs. Both evolution of existing sounding rocket systems to orbital delivery, and the development of clean sheet, optimized small launch systems are addressed. A launch vehicle at the scale and price point which allows developers to take reasonable risks with new propulsion and avionics hardware solutions does not exist today. Establishing this service provides a ride through the proverbial "valley of death" that lies between demonstration in laboratory and flight environments. This effort will provide the framework to mature both on-orbit and earth-to-orbit avionics and propulsion technologies while also providing dedicated, affordable access to LEO for cubesat class payloads.

Jones, Jonathan↗

NASA NTRS1975

Lightweight fuel cell powerplant for Tug

The design and characteristics of a lightweight powerplant based on advanced cell technology to meet the requirements of the Space Tug are described. The powerplant can be operated off low-pressure hydrogen and oxygen rocket propellant tanks and avoid the need for a dedicated reactant supply. Product water can be condensed or not, depending on vehicle or payload requirements. The heart of the unit, the fuel cell power section, consist of lightweight, series-connected, alkaline cells, while the power section contains accessory components for reactant conditioning, distribution, and venting, coolant circulation, passive product water removal and electric control. The proposed design offers at least a 50 per cent saving in powerplant weight, so that the total estimated powerplant dry weight including structure, tubing, wiring, interface connectors, and interface heat exchanger is 48 lb.

Handley, L. M.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Advanced communications satellite systems

There is a rapidly growing demand for satellite circuits, particularly for domestic service within the U.S. NASA's current program is aimed at developing the high risk, advanced satellite communications technologies required to significantly increase the capacity of future satellite communications systems. Attention is given to aspects of traffic distribution and service scenario, problems related to effects of rain attenuation, details regarding system configuration, a 30/20 GHz technology development approach, an experimental flight system, the communications payload for the experimental flight system, a typical experiment flight system coverage, and a typical three axis stabilized flight spacecraft.

Sivo, J. N.↗

NASA NTRS1991

The data distribution satellite system

The Data Distributed Satellite (DDS) will be capable of providing the space research community with inexpensive and easy access to space payloads and space data. Furthermore, the DDS is shown to be a natural outgrowth of advances and evolution in both NASA's Space Network and commercial satellite communications. The roadmap and timescale for this evolution is described along with key demonstrations, proof-of-concept models, and required technology development that will support the projected system evolution toward the DDS.

Bruno, Ronald C.↗

NASA NTRS2004

A Moderate-resolution Geosynchronous Microwave Sounder

The introduction of microwave radiometers for remote sensing of atmospheric temperature and humidity began in early 1970s, when NASA's Nimbus series experimental satellites tested a number of microwave payloads which are the precursors of today's operational microwave temperature and humidity sounders such as the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU-A and AMSU-B), now flying on several Lower Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellites, notably the National Oceanic and Atmospheric (NOAA)-series weather satellites. The Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) will be the next generation microwave sounder, now being developed by NASA for the future U.S. National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellites System (NPOESS), slated for operation late this decade. The unique feature of a microwave sensor is its cloud-penetrating capability. And the visible and IR sensors are usually greatly degraded by cloud covers. But under the cloud cover is where the weather can be most "active," and atmospheric measurements are most urgently needed. This unique capability has been well proven by AMSU-A, and AMSU-B on LEO satellites. The same capability is also true for a microwave sounder on a GEO satellite. The key advantage of a sensor on a GEO-platform is its "high temporal resolution." A sensor on a GEO-platform can almost "continuous" monitor a given scene on Earth. On the other hand, the major drawback the GEO-platform is its poor spatial resolution. This is probably the main reason why a geosynchronous microwave sounder has yet to be realized. Take the ATMS as an example. It has a 20 cm diameter antenna (temperature channels), producing a 2.2 degree beam, resulting in a footprint of 32 km (from the NPOESS 833 km orbit). From a GEO-orbit the same 32 km footprint would need an antenna 43 times larger, or 860 cm diameter. We will discuss the needs and advantages of such a GEO-microwave sounder with a straw-man design, and show the expected performance characteristics, such as the radiometric temperature sensitivity, surface spatial resolution etc, plus the status of the technology.

Shiue, James↗

NASA NTRS2018

CubeX: A Compact X-Ray Telescope Enables Both X-Ray Fluorescence Imaging Spectroscopy and Pulsar Timing Based Navigation

This paper describes the benefits of a miniaturized X-ray telescope payload in the context of a lunar mission. The first part describes the payload in detail, the second part summarizes a small satellite mission concept that utilizes its compact form factor and performance. The CubeX instrument can be used for both X-ray fluorescence (XRF) imaging spectroscopy and X-ray pulsar timing based navigation (XNAV). Using our recent technological advances in X-ray optics and sensors, CubeX combines high angular resolution (<1 arcminutes) Miniature Wolter-I X-ray optics (MiXO) with a common focal plane consisting of high spectral resolution (<150 eV at 1 keV) CMOS X-ray sensors and a high timing resolution (< 1 usec) SDD X-ray sensor. This novel combination of the instruments enables both XRF measurements and XNAV operations without moving parts. The high angular resolution of the MiXO opens a wide range of orbital configurations for observation. Given that performance, the instrument has unprecedented small volume (~1×1×6U), mass (<6 kg), and power (<9W) requirements and opens a wide range of applications for a variety of targets and missions including NEOs and Martian moons. In this paper we illustrate one potential application for a lunar mission concept: The elemental composition of the Moon holds keys to understanding the origin and evolution of both the Moon and the Earth. X-ray fluorescence (XRF), induced either by solar X-ray flux or energetic ions, carries decisive signatures of surface elemental composition. X-ray observations, therefore, give a unique, powerful diagnostic tool for remotely determining elemental abundances including major rock forming elements such as Mg, Al, Na, Si, Fe, and Ca. Through high-resolution XRF imaging spectroscopy, CubeX searches for small patches of elusive lower crust and mantle material excavated within and around impact craters. CubeX identifies regional compositional variations and allows straightforward comparison of elemental distributions with the surface topography from LRO and the gravity data from GRAIL. The elemental compositions of the lower crust and the mantle are sensitive to the conditions of the giant impact which led to the Moon's formation and the subsequent lunar magma ocean (LMO), and thus they are key missing pieces in understanding the formation and early evolution of the Moon. In between XRF observations, CubeX also leverages the technology of high resolution X-ray imaging and time series measurements to conduct XNAV operations and evaluate their performance. Deep space navigation is a critical issue for small planetary missions. XNAV can enable low-cost autonomous deep-space navigation, and has the potential to greatly assist, or even outperform, NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN) or ESA's European Space Tracking (ESTRACK). CubeX is designed to perform sequential observations of 3-4 millisecond pulsars (MSPs) to solve the spacecraft trajectory for absolute navigation, and explore the remote sensing capability of XNAV. In the presented mission concept, the Moon's relative proximity enables a straightforward evaluation of the XNAV performance through DSN.

x-ray spectroscopy↗

NASA NTRS1989

An advanced telerobotic system for shuttle payload changeout room processing applications

To potentially alleviate the inherent difficulties in the ground processing of the Space Shuttle and its associated payloads, a teleoperated, semi-autonomous robotic processing system for the Payload Changeout Room (PCR) is now in the conceptual stages. The complete PCR robotic system as currently conceived is described and critical design issues and the required technologies are discussed.

Sklar, M.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Laser Beam Welding Advancements for In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing

NASA is currently working to develop in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing (ISAM) capabilities for low Earth orbit and the lunar surface. One crucial technology for this effort is laser beam welding. Laser systems can perform joining, cleaning, cutting, and repair activities, which will enable the construction of large in-space structures that could not fit on a single launch vehicle, such as trusses for solar panels, radiators, or communications infrastructure. Multiple projects studying laser welding for space applications are currently underway at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. One of these, the DIsk-Shaped Configurable and Modular vAcuum uNit (DISCMAN), is a compact vacuum chamber designed to support parameter development for laser welding in microgravity. It contains a rotating platen with weld samples made from aluminum, steel, and titanium, a high-power infrared laser, and integrated pumps for pulling vacuum inside the sample cartridge. The DISCMAN payload is planned to launch to the International Space Station, where welds will be performed under sustained microgravity inside the Bishop Airlock. Another effort underway at Marshall is the Lunar Assembly and Servicing by Autonomous Robotics (LASAR) initiative. This project uses a space-rated robotic arm equipped with a laser weld head, wire feeder, and multiple cameras to perform welds in a thermal vacuum chamber simulating the lunar surface environment. Some of these welds are done on snowflake joints, which are specially designed to slot together to join segments of trussN structures, allowing for the construction of tall surface infrastructure. DISCMAN, LASAR, and other projects are being carried out to advance the technological maturity of in-space laser beam welding, collect data to inform computational models, and learn reliable processes for creating weld joints in space. This work supports NASA’s greater goals to expand humanity’s presence in low Earth orbit, establish a permanent moon base, and eventually send crewed missions to Mars and beyond.

Manufacturing↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Laser Beam Welding Advancements for In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing

Robotics↗

NASA NTRS1976

Payload software technology

A software analysis was performed of known STS sortie payload elements and their associated experiments. This provided basic data for STS payload software characteristics and sizes. A set of technology drivers was identified based on a survey of future technology needs and an assessment of current software technology. The results will be used to evolve a planned approach to software technology development. The purpose of this plan is to ensure that software technology is advanced at a pace and a depth sufficient to fulfill the identified future needs.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2002

Advanced Microgravity Acceleration Measurement Systems Being Developed

The Advanced Microgravity Acceleration Measurement Systems (AMAMS) project at the NASA Glenn Research Center is part of the Instrument Technology Development program to develop advanced sensor systems. The primary focus of the AMAMS project is to develop microelectromechanical (MEMS) acceleration sensor systems to replace existing electromechanical-sensor-based systems presently used to assess relative gravity levels aboard spacecraft. These systems are used in characterizing both vehicle and payload responses to low-gravity vibroacoustic environments. The collection of microgravity acceleration data has cross-disciplinary utility to the microgravity life and physical sciences and the structural dynamics communities. The inherent advantages of semiconductor-based systems are reduced size, mass, and power consumption, while providing enhanced stability.

Sicker, Ronald J.↗

NASA NTRS2003

Advanced Microgravity Acceleration Measurement Systems (AMAMS) Being Developed

The Advanced Microgravity Acceleration Measurement Systems (AMAMS) project is part of NASA s Instrument Technology Development program to develop advanced sensor systems. The primary focus of the AMAMS project is to develop microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) for acceleration sensor systems to replace existing electromechanical sensor systems presently used to assess relative gravity levels aboard spacecraft. These systems are used to characterize both vehicle and payload responses to low-gravity vibroacoustic environments. The collection of microgravity acceleration data is useful to the microgravity life sciences, microgravity physical sciences, and structural dynamics communities. The inherent advantages of semiconductor-based systems are reduced size, mass, and power consumption, with enhanced long-term calibration stability.

Sicker, Ronald J.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Surface Systems Capability Gaps for Enabling NASA’s Sustainable Lunar Operations

This paper discusses the NASA Ground, Test, and Surface Systems Taxonomy (TX-13) related capability gaps, including details of architecture, technology, engineering, and policy gaps for enabling sustainable lunar surface operations and subsequent Mars missions. Architecture gaps include standardized architectures and interfaces, multi-element systems engineering and integration, design for supportability, and nuclear payload processing and launch approach. Technology gaps, primarily focused on uncrewed surface operations, include automated/autonomous cryogenic loading, transfer, servicing, and storage of commodities; health determination and fault management; automated/autonomous planning and scheduling; automated/autonomous inspection, maintenance and repair; logistics management and reliability; launch and landing site preparation; commodity management; and advanced umbilicals and dust tolerant interfaces. Engineering gaps include high-purity propellant production for ground and surface applications and large-scale xenon servicing capabilities. The policy gap includes nuclear propulsion acceptance testing and qualification approach. Strategically identifying human/automation roles and tasks and infusing automation and autonomy practices early in a system’s lifecycle is essential for achieving the mission objectives for a sustainable human lunar presence, improving performance and mission effectiveness, reducing operations costs and reliance on humans to perform tasks, and accommodating ground communication delays.

Surface Systems↗

NASA NTRS2022

The Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment (SunRISE) Mission

The Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment (SunRISE) will provide an entirely new view on particle acceleration and transport in the inner heliosphere by creating the first low radio frequency interferometer in space to localize heliospheric radio emissions. By imaging and determining the location of decametric-hectometric (DH, 0.1 MHz–23 MHz) solar radio bursts, SunRISE will provide key information on particle acceleration mechanisms associated with coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and the magnetic field topology from active regions into interplanetary space. The SunRISE Observatory will consist of six space vehicles in a passive formation, in orbits designed to keep them within approximately 10 km of each other, and flying in a supersynchronous geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO). Each space vehicle consists of a Solar DH-GNSS payload and a 6U form factor spacecraft. The SunRISE Observatory together with significant ground-based processing, will enable imaging of the Sun in a portion of the spectrum that is blocked by the ionosphere and cannot be observed from Earth. Key aspects that enable this mission are that only position knowledge of the space vehicles is required, not active control, and that the architecture involves a modest amount of on-board processing coupled with significant ground-based processing for navigation, position determination, and science operations. Mission-enabling advances in software-defined radios, GPS navigation and timing, and small spacecraft technologies, developed and flown on the DARPA High Frequency Research (DHFR) and the Community Initiative for Continuing Earth Radio Occultation (CICERO) have made this mission affordable and low-risk. The SunRISE mission will exploit the multiple spacecraft per aperture (MSPA) capability of NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN), for more efficient data transfers of larger data volumes, and utilize commercial access to space, in which the SunRISE space vehicles will be carried to their target orbit as secondary payloads in conjunction with a larger host spacecraft intended for GEO.

Neilson, Tim↗

NASA NTRS1991

Intelligent perturbation algorithms to space scheduling optimization

The limited availability and high cost of crew time and scarce resources make optimization of space operations critical. Advances in computer technology coupled with new iterative search techniques permit the near optimization of complex scheduling problems that were previously considered computationally intractable. Described here is a class of search techniques called Intelligent Perturbation Algorithms. Several scheduling systems which use these algorithms to optimize the scheduling of space crew, payload, and resource operations are also discussed.

Kurtzman, Clifford R.↗

NASA NTRS1998

Space Manufacturing: The Next Great Challenge

Space manufacturing encompasses the research, development and manufacture necessary for the production of any product to be used in near zero gravity, and the production of spacecraft required for transporting research or production devices to space. Manufacturing for space, and manufacturing in space will require significant breakthroughs in materials and manufacturing technology, as well as in equipment designs. This report reviews some of the current initiatives in achieving space manufacturing. The first initiative deals with materials processing in space, e.g., processing non-terrestrial and terrestrial materials, especially metals. Some of the ramifications of the United States Microgravity Payloads fourth (USMP-4) mission are discussed. Some problems in non-terrestrial materials processing are mentioned. The second initiative is structures processing in space. In order to accomplish this, the International Space Welding Experiment was designed to demonstrate welding technology in near-zero gravity. The third initiative is advancements in earth-based manufacturing technologies necessary to achieve low cost access to space. The advancements discussed include development of lightweight material having high specific strength, and automated fabrication and manufacturing methods for these materials.

Whitaker, Ann F.↗

NASA NTRS2016

Cryogenic Propulsion for the Titan Orbiter Polar Surveyor

Liquid hydrogen (LH2) and liquid oxygen (LO2) cryogenic propellants can dramatically enhance NASA sability to explore the solar system due to their superior specific impulse (Isp) capability. Although these cryogenic propellants can be challenging to manage and store, they allow significant mass advantages over traditional hypergolic propulsion systems and are therefore enabling for many planetary science missions. New cryogenic storage techniques such as sub-cooling and the use of advanced insulation and low thermal conductivity support structures will allow for the long term storage and use of cryogenic propellants for solar system exploration and hence allow NASA to deliver more payloads to targets of interest, launch on smaller and less expensive launch vehicles, or both. These new cryogenic storage technologies were implemented in a design study for the Titan Orbiter Polar Surveyor (TOPS) mission, with LH2 and LO2 as propellants, and the resulting spacecraft design was able to achieve a 43 launch mass reduction over a TOPS mission, that utilized a traditional hypergolic propulsion system with monomethylhydrazine (MMH) and nitrogen tetroxide (NTO) propellants. This paper describes the cryogenic propellant storage design for the TOPS mission and demonstrates how these cryogenic propellants are stored passively for a decade-long Titan mission that requires the cryogenics propellants to be stored for 8.5 years.

Cryogenic Propellant Storage↗