Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Constellation Program”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 415 records · Page 23
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2009

Thoughts on Earned Value Assessments

This slide presentation reviews the concepts of Earned Value reporting and Earned Value Metrics (EVM) and the implementation for the Constellation Program. EVM is used to manage both the contract and civil service workforce, and used as a measure of contractor costs and performance. The Program EVM is not as useful for Level of Effort tasking, for either contractor, or civil service employees. Some issues and concerns in reference to EVM and the process for the use of EVM for Mission assurance are reviewed,

Pido, Kelle↗
NASA NTRS2009

Altair Lander Life Support: Requirement Analysis Cycles 1 and 2

Life support systems are a critical part of human exploration beyond low earth orbit. NASA s Altair Lunar Lander has unique missions to perform and will need a unique life support system to complete them. Initial work demonstrated a feasible minimally-functional Lander design. This work was completed in Design Analysis Cycles (DAC) 1, 2, and 3 were reported in a previous paper. On October 21, 2008, the Altair project completed the Mission Concept Review (MCR), moving the project into Phase A. In Phase A activities, the project is preparing for the System Requirements Review (SRR). Altair has conducted two Requirements Analysis Cycles (RACs) to begin this work. During this time, the life support team must examine the Altair mission concepts, Constellation Program level requirements, and interfaces with other vehicles and spacesuits to derive the right set of requirements for the new vehicle. The minimum functionality design meets some of these requirements already and can be easily adapted to meet others. But Altair must identify which will be more costly in mass, power, or other resources to meet. These especially costly requirements must be analyzed carefully to be sure they are truly necessary, and are the best way of explaining and meeting the true need. If they are necessary and clear, they become important mass threats to track at the vehicle level. If they are not clear or do not seem necessary to all stakeholders, Altair must work to redefine them or push back on the requirements writers. Additionally, the life support team is evaluating new technologies to see if they are more effective than the existing baseline design at performing necessary functions in Altair s life support system.

Anderson, Molly↗
NASA NTRS2009

Defining the Physiological Factors that Contribute to Postflight Changes in Functional Performance

Astronauts experience alterations in multiple physiological systems due to exposure to the microgravity conditions of space flight. These physiological changes include sensorimotor disturbances, cardiovascular deconditioning and loss of muscle mass and strength. These changes might affect the ability of crewmembers to perform critical mission tasks immediately after landing on lunar and Martian surfaces. To date, changes in functional performance have not been systematically studied or correlated with physiological changes. To understand how changes in physiological function impact functional performance an interdisciplinary pre/postflight testing regimen (Functional Task Test, FTT) has been developed that systematically evaluates both astronaut postflight functional performance and related physiological changes. The overall objective of the FTT is to identify the key underlying physiological factors that contribute to performance of functional tests that are representative of critical mission tasks. This study will identify which physiological systems contribute the most to impaired performance on each functional test. This will allow us to identify the physiological systems that play the largest role in decrement in functional performance. Using this information we can then design and implement countermeasures that specifically target the physiological systems most responsible for the altered functional performance associated with space flight. The functional test battery was designed to address high priority tasks identified by the Constellation program as critical for mission success. The set of functional tests making up the FTT include the: 1) Seat Egress and Walk Test, 2) Ladder Climb Test, 3) Recovery from Fall/Stand Test, 4) Rock Translation Test, 5) Jump Down Test, 6) Torque Generation Test, and 7) Construction Activity Board Test. Corresponding physiological measures include assessments of postural and gait control, dynamic visual acuity, fine motor control, plasma volume, orthostatic intolerance, upper and lower body muscle strength, power, fatigue, control and neuromuscular drive. Crewmembers perform both functional and physiological tests before and after short (Shuttle) and long-duration (ISS) space flight. Data are collected on R+0 (Shuttle only), R+1, R+6 and R+30.

Bloomberg, J. J.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Implementing Earned Value Management in the CxP EVA Systems Project Office

Earned Value Management (EVM), like project management, is as much art as it is science to develop an implementation plan for a project. This presentation will cover issues that were overcome and the implementation strategy to deploy Earned Value Management (EVM) within the Constellation Program (CxP), EVA Systems Project Office (ESPO), as well as discuss additional hurdles that currently prevent the organization from optimizing EVM. Each organization and each project within an organization needs to mold an EVM implementation plan around existing processes and tools, while at the same time revising those existing processes and tools as necessary to make them compatible with EVM. The ESPO EVM implementation covers work breakdown structure, organizational breakdown structure, control account, work/planning package development; integrated master schedule development using an integrated master plan; incorporating reporting requirements for existing funding process such as Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) and JSC Internal Task Agreements (ITA); and interfacing with other software tools such as the Systems Applications and Products (SAP) accounting system and the CxP wInsight EVM analysis tool. However, there are always areas for improvement and EVM is no exception. As EVM continues to mature within the NASA CxP, these areas will continue to be worked to resolution to provide the Program Managers, Project Managers, and Control Account Managers the best EVM data possible to make informed decisions.

Sorge, Les L.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Combining Disparate Measures of Metabolic Rate During Simulated Spacewalks

Scientists from NASA's Extravehicular Activities (EVA) Physiology Systems and Performance Project help design space suits for future missions, during which astronauts are expected to perform EVA activities on the Lunar or Martian surface. During an EVA, an astronaut's integrated metabolic rate is used to predict how much longer the activity can continue and still provide a safe margin of remaining consumables. For EVAs in the Apollo era, NASA physicians monitored live data feeds of heart rate, O 2 consumption, and liquid cooled garment (LCG) temperatures, which were subjectively combined or compared to produce an estimate of metabolic rate. But these multiple data feeds sometimes provided conflicting estimates of metabolic rate, making real-time calculations of remaining time difficult for physician/monitors. Currently, designs planned for the Constellation Program EVAs utilize an automated, but largely heuristic methodology for incorporating the above three measurements, plus an additional one - CO 2 production, ignoring data that appears in conflict; however a more rigorous model-based approach is desirable. In this study, we show how principal axis factor analysis, in combination with OLS regression and LOWESS smoothing can be used to estimate metabolic rate as a data-driven weighted average of heart rate, O 2 consumption, LCG temperature data, and CO 2 production. Preliminary results suggest less sensitivity to occasional spikes in observed data feeds, and reasonable within-subject reproducibility when applied to subsequent tasks. These methods do not require physician monitoring and as such can be automated in the electronic components of future space suits. With additional validation, our models show promise for increasing astronaut safety, while reducing the need for and potential errors associated with human monitoring of multiple systems.

Alan H Feiveson↗
NASA NTRS2009

The Ares Projects: Building America's Future in Space

NASA's Constellation Program is depending on the Ares Projects to deliver the crew and cargo launch capabilities needed to send human explorers to the Moon and beyond. In 2009, the Ares Projects plan to conduct the first test flight of Ares I, Ares I-X; the first firing of a five-segment development solid rocket motor for the Ares I first stage; building the first integrated Ares I upper stage; continue component testing for the J-2X upper stage engine; and perform more-detailed design studies for the Ares V cargo launch vehicle. Ares I and V will provide the core space launch capabilities needed to continue providing crew and cargo access to the International Space Station (ISS), and to build upon the U.S. history of human spaceflight to the Moon and beyond.

Cook, Stephen A.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Optimization of System Maturity and Equivalent System Mass for Exploration Systems Development Planning

The Exploration Systems Mission Directorate of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is currently pursuing the development of the next generation of human spacecraft and exploration systems throughout the Constellation Program. This includes, among others, habitation technologies for supporting lunar and Mars exploration. The key to these systems is the Exploration Life Support (ELS) system that composes several technology development projects related to atmosphere revitalization, water recovery, waste management and habitation. The proper functioning of these technologies is meant to produce sufficient and balanced resources of water, air, and food to maintain a safe and comfortable environment for long-term human habitation and exploration of space.

Magnaye, Romulo↗
NASA NTRS2010

Planning for Plume Diagnostics for Ground Testing of J-2X Engines at the SSC

John C. Stennis Space Center (SSC) is the premier test facility for liquid rocket engine development and certification for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Therefore, it is no surprise that the SSC will play the most prominent role in the engine development testing and certification for the J-2X engine. The Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne J-2X engine has been selected by the Constellation Program to power the Ares I Upper Stage Element and the Ares V Earth Departure Stage in NASA s strategy of risk mitigation for hardware development by building on the Apollo program and other lessons learned to deliver a human-rated engine that is on an aggressive development schedule, with first demonstration flight in 2010 and human test flights in 2012. Accordingly, J-2X engine design, development, test, and evaluation is to build upon heritage hardware and apply valuable experience gained from past development and testing efforts. In order to leverage SSC s successful and innovative expertise in the plume diagnostics for the space shuttle main engine (SSME) health monitoring,1-10 this paper will present a blueprint for plume diagnostics for various proposed ground testing activities for J-2X at SSC. Complete description of the SSC s test facilities, supporting infrastructure, and test facilities is available in Ref. 11. The A-1 Test Stand is currently being prepared for testing the J-2X engine at sea level conditions. The A-2 Test Stand is currently being used for testing the SSME and may also be used for testing the J-2X engine at sea level conditions in the future. Very recently, ground-breaking ceremony for the new A-3 rocket engine test stand took place at SSC on August 23, 2007. A-3 is the first large - scale test stand to be built at the SSC since the A and B stands were constructed in the 1960s. The A-3 Test Stand will be used for testing J-2X engines under vacuum conditions simulating high altitude operation at approximately 30,480 m (100,000 ft). To achieve the simulated altitude environment, chemical steam generators using isopropyl alcohol, LOX, and RELEASED - Printed documents may be obsolete; validate prior to use. water would run for the duration of the test and would generate approximately 2096 Kg/s of steam to reduce pressure in the test cell and downstream of the engine. The testing at the A-3 Test Stand is projected to begin in late 2010, meanwhile the J-2X component testing on A-1 is scheduled to begin later this year.

SaintCyr, William W.↗
NASA NTRS2008

NASA's Earth Science Use of Commercially Availiable Remote Sensing Datasets: Cover Image

The cover image incorporates high resolution stereo pairs acquired from the DigitalGlobe(R) QuickBird sensor. It shows a digital elevation model of Meteor Crater, Arizona at approximately 1.3 meter point-spacing. Image analysts used the Leica Photogrammetry Suite to produce the DEM. The outside portion was computed from two QuickBird panchromatic scenes acquired October 2006, while an Optech laser scan dataset was used for the crater s interior elevations. The crater s terrain model and image drape were created in a NASA Constellation Program project focused on simulating lunar surface environments for prototyping and testing lunar surface mission analysis and planning tools. This work exemplifies NASA s Scientific Data Purchase legacy and commercial high resolution imagery applications, as scientists use commercial high resolution data to examine lunar analog Earth landscapes for advanced planning and trade studies for future lunar surface activities. Other applications include landscape dynamics related to volcanism, hydrologic events, climate change, and ice movement.

Underwood, Lauren W.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Geolab 2010 Hardware in NASA's Pressurized Excursion Module

NASA is designing and building the Habitat Demonstration Unit - 1 in a Pressurized Excursion Module (HDU1- PEM) configuration for analog testing at NASA s annual Desert Research and Technology Studies (DRATS) near Flagstaff, Arizona in late summer 2010. The HDU1-PEM design is based on NASA Constellation program s Lunar Scenario 12.1 (nicknamed "Lunabago"). This scenario uses Lunar Electric Rovers (LER) and a PEM for long-distance lunar exploration. The 2010 HDU version 1.0 will be an unpressurized PEM that contains a GeoLab in one of the eight PEM sections. The GeoLab is designed to facilitate sample curation protocol development including such activities as preliminary examination, sample archiving, and high grading of astromaterials for return to Earth. Geolab operations will be integrated with the DRATS science traverses and operations.

Calaway, M. J.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Study of Plume Impingement Effects in the Lunar Lander Environment

Plume impingement effects from the descent and ascent engine firings of the Lunar Lander were analyzed in support of the Lunar Architecture Team under the Constellation Program. The descent stage analysis was performed to obtain shear and pressure forces on the lunar surface as well as velocity and density profiles in the flow field in an effort to understand lunar soil erosion and ejected soil impact damage which was analyzed as part of a separate study. A CFD/DSMC decoupled methodology was used with the Bird continuum breakdown parameter to distinguish the continuum flow from the rarefied flow. The ascent stage analysis was performed to ascertain the forces and moments acting on the Lunar Lander Ascent Module due to the firing of the main engine on take-off. The Reacting and Multiphase Program (RAMP) method of characteristics (MOC) code was used to model the continuum region of the nozzle plume, and the Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) Analysis Code (DAC) was used to model the impingement results in the rarefied region. The ascent module (AM) was analyzed for various pitch and yaw rotations and for various heights in relation to the descent module (DM). For the ascent stage analysis, the plume inflow boundary was located near the nozzle exit plane in a region where the flow number density was large enough to make the DSMC solution computationally expensive. Therefore, a scaling coefficient was used to make the DSMC solution more computationally manageable. An analysis of the effectiveness of this scaling technique was performed by investigating various scaling parameters for a single height and rotation of the AM. Because the inflow boundary was near the nozzle exit plane, another analysis was performed investigating three different inflow contours to determine the effects of the flow expansion around the nozzle lip on the final plume impingement results.

Marichalar, Jeremiah↗
NASA NTRS2010

Lessons Learned in Launching Ares I-X

The Ares I-X flight test, scheduled for 2009, is the first opportunity for the Constellation Program and Ares Projects to obtain important data on the in-flight loads, first stage recovery, and ground-handling characteristics of the Ares I crew launch vehicle. The flight test vehicle will incorporate a mix of flight and mockup hardware, reflecting an acceptable representation of the mass and outer mold line characteristics of the operational Ares I vehicle. It will be powered by a four-segment solid rocket motor from the Space Shuttle inventory and will include a fifth, inert spacer segment and new forward structures to make it the same shape as the Ares I first stage. The vehicle also includes mass simulators for the upper stage, Orion crew module, and launch abort system to match the outer mold line of Ares I; an active roll control system; and avionics derived from Shuttle and Atlas hardware. This suborbital mission will take the flight test vehicle from stacking in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) through liftoff, maximum dynamic pressure, first stage separation, and recovery. Ares I-X presented NASA with unique project management challenges. This presentation will address those unique challenges, including managing a virtual nationwide team under a constrained timeline; designing and building the launch vehicle and ground systems; working concurrently with Space Shuttle activities; and integrating technical and management functions. It also will identify key data collected and lessons learned from the flight that will be applied to future exploration missions.

Davis, Stephan R.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Building and Leading the Next Generation of Exploration Launch Vehicles

NASA s Constellation Program is depending on the Ares Projects to deliver the crew and cargo launch capabilities needed to send human explorers to the Moon and beyond. Ares I and V will provide the core space launch capabilities needed to continue providing crew and cargo access to the International Space Station (ISS), and to build upon the U.S. history of human spaceflight to the Moon and beyond. Since 2005, Ares has made substantial progress on designing, developing, and testing the Ares I crew launch vehicle and has continued its in-depth studies of the Ares V cargo launch vehicle. In 2009, the Ares Projects plan to: conduct the first flight test of Ares I, test-fire the Ares I first stage solid rocket motor; build the first integrated Ares I upper stage; continue testing hardware for the J-2X upper stage engine, and continue refining the design of the Ares V cargo launch vehicle. These efforts come with serious challenges for the project leadership team as it continues to foster a culture of ownership and accountability, operate with limited funding, and works to maintain effective internal and external communications under intense external scrutiny.

Cook, Stephen A.↗
NASA NTRS2010

CxP Medical Operations Concept of Operations (CONOPS)

This slide presentation reviews the planned medical operations for manned missions to the Moon and Mars as outlined in the Constellation program. Many of the issues involving the medical operations are examined.

Scheuring, Richard A.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Multiple Approaches to Down Sizing of the Lunar Sample Return Collection

Future Lunar missions are planned for at least 7 days, significantly longer than the 3 days of the later Apollo missions. The last of those missions, A-17, returned 111 kg of samples plus another 20 kg of containers. The current Constellation program requirements for return weight for science is 100 kg with the hope of raising that limit to near 250 kg including containers and other non-geological materials. The estimated return weight for rock and soil samples will, at best, be about 175 kg. One method proposed to accomplish down-sizing of the collection is the use of a Geo-Lab in the lunar habitat to complete a preliminary examination of selected samples and facilitate prioritizing the return samples.

Lofgren, Gary E.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Use of Traditional and Novel Methods to Evaluate the Influence of an EVA Glove on Hand Performance

The gloved hand is one of an astronaut s primary means of interacting with the environment, and any restrictions imposed by the glove can strongly affect performance during extravehicular activity (EVA). Glove restrictions have been the subject of study for decades, yet previous studies have generally been unsuccessful in quantifying glove mobility and tactility. Past studies have tended to focus on the dexterity, strength, and functional performance of the gloved hand; this provides only a circumspect analysis of the impact of each type of restriction on the glove s overall capability. The aim of this study was to develop novel capabilities to provide metrics for mobility and tactility that can be used to assess the performance of a glove in a way that could enable designers and engineers to improve their current designs. A series of evaluations were performed to compare unpressurized and pressurized (4.3 psi) gloved conditions with the ungloved condition. A second series of evaluations were performed with the Thermal Micrometeoroid Garment (TMG) removed. This series of tests provided interesting insight into how much of an effect the TMG has on gloved mobility - in some cases, the presence of the TMG restricted glove mobility as much as pressurization did. Previous hypotheses had assumed that the TMG would have a much lower impact on mobility, but these results suggest that an improvement in the design of the TMG could have a significant impact on glove performance. Tactility testing illustrated the effect of glove pressurization, provided insight into the design of hardware that interfaces with the glove, and highlighted areas of concern. The metrics developed in this study served to benchmark the Phase VI EVA glove and to develop requirements for the next-generation glove for the Constellation program.

Benson, Elizabeth A.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Ares I Avionics Introduction

The Ares I is the next generation human-rated launcher for the United States Constellation program. This system is required to provide single fault tolerance within defined crew safety and mission reliability limits. As part of the effort to achieve those safety goals, Ares I includes an avionics subsystem built as a multistring, voting architecture. The avionics design draws upon experience gained from building fly-by-wire systems for Shuttle, X- 38, and Seawolf. Architectural drivers for the avionics design include using proven technologies with existing suppliers of space rated parts for critical functions (to reduce overall development risk), easing the software development effort by using an off-theshelf, DO-178B certifiable, ARINC-653 operating system in the main flight computers, minimizing mutual data and power connections that might lead to a common-mode hardware failure of the redundant avionics strings, and centralizing overall Ares I command & control within the Upper Stage.

Marchant, Christopher C.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Rocket + Science = Dialogue

It's a cliche that rocket engineers and space scientists don t see eye-to-eye. That goes double for rocket engineers working on human spaceflight and scientists working on space telescopes and planetary probes. They work fundamentally different problems but often feel that they are competing for the same pot of money. Put the two groups together for a weekend, and the results could be unscientific or perhaps combustible. Fortunately, that wasn't the case when NASA put heavy lift launch vehicle designers together with astronomers and planetary scientists for two weekend workshops in 2008. The goal was to bring the top people from both groups together to see how the mass and volume capabilities of NASA's Ares V heavy lift launch vehicle could benefit the science community. Ares V is part of NASA's Constellation Program for resuming human exploration beyond low Earth orbit, starting with missions to the Moon. In the current mission scenario, Ares V launches a lunar lander into Earth orbit. A smaller Ares I rocket launches the Orion crew vehicle with up to four astronauts. Orion docks with the lander, attached to the Ares V Earth departure stage. The stage fires its engine to send the mated spacecraft to the Moon. Standing 360 feet high and weighing 7.4 million pounds, NASA's new heavy lifter will be bigger than the 1960s-era Saturn V. It can launch almost 60 percent more payload to translunar insertion together with the Ares I and 35 percent more mass to low Earth orbit than the Saturn V. This super-sized capability is, in short, designed to send more people to more places to do more things than the six Apollo missions.

Morris,Bruce↗