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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 397 records · Page 22

Characterization of deliberately nickel-doped silicon wafers and solar cells

Microstructural and electrical evaluation tests were performed on nickel-doped p-type silicon wafers before and after solar cell fabrication. The concentration levels of nickel in silicon were 5 x 10 to the 14th power, 4 x 10 to the 15th power, and 8 x 10 to the 15th power atoms/cu cm. It was found that nickel precipitated out during the growth process in all three ingots. Clumps of precipitates, some of which exhibited star shape, were present at different depths. If the clumps are distributed at depths approximately 20 micron apart and if they are larger than 10 micron in diameter, degradation occurs in solar cell electrical properties and cell conversion efficiency. The larger the size of the precipitate clump, the greater the degradation in solar cell efficiency. A large grain boundary around the cell effective area acted as a gettering center for the precipitates and impurities and caused improvement in solar cell efficiency. Details of the evaluation test results are given.

Salama, A. M.↗

FY22 X-Hab: Colorado School of Mines: Planetary Resource & In-Situ Material Habitat Outfitting for Space Exploration (PRISM-HOUSE)

The Colorado School of Mines (CSM) was awarded a project under the Moon to Mars eXploration Systems and Habitation (M2M X-Hab) Academic Innovation Challenge on June 10, 2021 for the proposed Planetary Resource & In-Situ Material Habitat Outfitting for Space Exploration (PRISM-HOUSE) lunar habitat system. The project deliverables have been executed concurrently with coursework in the CSM Space Resources program, specifically for the Space Resources Project I & II classes. A team was established in the fall semester of 2021 and a Systems Engineering process was followed to brainstorm initial concepts, determine objectives, flow down top-level requirements, and identify areas for which the project could best further the understanding of the overall system through targeted detailed design and design evaluation testing. This report summarizes the overall project, as well as specific work completed in the spring semester of 2022. PRISM-HOUSE is a lunar habitat system that is deployed on the lunar surface robotically and supports safe, long-term human occupancy while maximizing the use of in-situ resources and minimizing the mass of supplies and equipment that must be delivered from Earth. In this report, the team provides an overview and description of the objectives, the system, and how the current design was selected from various alternatives, as well as the resulting products of systems engineering tasks such as product and specification trees and flow-down requirements. A review of current risks and planned mitigation are reviewed. Four key PRISM-HOUSE systems are explored: the inflatable Habitat, External Structures & Environmental Protection (ESEP), Human Interior Goods (HIG), and ECLSS & Remote Outfitting (E&RO); for each, the team provides a detailed system description and an overview of analyses performed supporting final design, followed by a review of each Design Evaluation Test (DET) performed and resulting conclusions. The report closes with a suggestion of next steps.

Peter Corwin↗

Mechanical properties of wire insulation automatically determined

Three separate mechanisms test the insulation on electrical wire specimens for mechanical resistance to flexure, abrasion or wear, and vibration. The test mechanisms perform the evaluation tests on insulated wire specimens in a chamber which can be controlled to simulate space or spacecraft cabin environments.

Dawn, F. S.↗