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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 415 records · Page 23
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1999

Trade Study of Five In-Situ Propellant Production Systems for a Mars Sample Return Mission

One of the goals of NASA's HEDS enterprise is to establish a long-term human presence on Mars at a fraction of the cost of employing today's technology. The most direct method of reducing mission cost is to reduce the launch mass of the spacecraft. If the propellants for the return phase of the mission are produced on Mars, the total spacecraft mass could be reduced significantly. An interim goal is a Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission, which is proposed to demonstrate the feasibility of in-situ propellant production (ISPP). Five candidate ISPP systems for producing two fuels and oxygen from the Martian atmosphere are considered in this design trade-off study: 1) Zirconia cell with methanol synthesis, 2) Reverse water gas shift with water electrolysis and methanol synthesis, 3) Sabatier process for methane product ion with water electrolysis, 4) Sabatier process with water electrolysis and partial methane pyrolysis, and 5) Sabatier/RWGS combination with water electrolysis.

Green, S. T.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Trade Study of Five In-Situ Propellant Production System for a Mars Sample Return Mission

One of the goals of NASA''s HEDS enterprise is to establish a long-term human presence on Mars at a fraction of the cost of employing today''s technology. The most direct method of reducing mission cost is to reduce the launch mass of the spacecraft. If the propellants for the return phase of the mission are produced on Mars, the total spacecraft mass could be reduced significantly. An interim goal is a Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission, which is proposed to demonstrate the feasibility of in-situ propellant production (ISPP). Five candidate ISPP systems for producing two fuels and oxygen from the Martian atmosphere are considered in this design trade-off study:(1) Zirconia cell with methanol synthesis, (2) Reverse water gas shift (RWGS) with water electrolysis and methanol synthesis, (3) Sabatier process for methane production with water electrolysis, (4) Sabatier process with water electrolysis and partial methane pyrolysis, and (5) Sabatier/RWGS combination with water electrolysis. These systems have been the subject of numerous previous analytical studies and laboratory demonstrations. In this investigation, the systems are objectively compared on the basis of thermochemical performance models using a commonly used chemical plant analysis software package. The realistic effects of incomplete chemical conversion and gas phase separator performance are included in these models. This study focuses on the chemical processing and product separation subsystems. The CO2 compression upstream of the chemical plane and the liquefaction/storage components are not included here.

Green, S. T.↗
NASA NTRS2000

The Strategy for the Second Phase of Aerobraking Mars Global Surveyor

On February 19, 1999, the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) spacecraft was able to propulsively establish its mapping orbit. This event followed the completion of the second phase of aerobraking for the MGS spacecraft on February 4, 1999. For the first time, a spacecraft at Mars had successfully employed aerobraking methods in order to reach its desired pre-launch mapping orbit. This was accomplished despite a damaged spacecraft solar array. The MGS spacecraft was launched on November 7, 1996, and after a ten month interplanetary transit was inserted into a highly elliptical capture orbit at Mars on September 12, 1997. Unlike other interplanetary missions, the MGS spacecraft was launched with a planned mission delta-V ((Delta)V) deficit of nearly 1250 m/s. To overcome this AV deficit, aerobraking techniques were employed. However, damage discovered to one of the spacecraft's two solar arrays after launch forced major revisions to the original aerobraking planning of the MGS mission. In order to avoid a complete structural failure of the array, peak dynamic pressure levels for the spacecraft were established at a major spacecraft health review in November 1997. These peak dynamic pressure levels were roughly one-third of the original mission design values. Incorporating the new dynamic pressure limitations into mission replanning efforts resulted in an 'extended' orbit insertion phase for the mission. This 'extended' orbit insertion phase was characterized by two distinct periods of aerobraking separated by an aerobraking hiatus that would last for several months in an intermediate orbit called the "Science Phasing Orbit" (SPO). This paper describes and focuses on the strategy for the second phase of aerobraking for the MGS mission called "Aerobraking Phase 2." This description will include the baseline aerobraking flight profile, the trajectory control methodology, as well as the key trajectory metrics that were monitored in order to successfully "guide' the spacecraft to its desired mapping orbit. Additionally, the actual aerobraking progress is contrasted to the planned aerobraking flight profile. (A separate paper will describe the navigation aspects of MGS aerobraking in detail.) Key to the success of the MGS mission is the delivery of the spacecraft to its final mapping orbit and the synergy the instrument complement provides to its scientific investigators when science data is returned from that orbit. The MGS mapping orbit is characterized as a low altitude, near-circular, near-polar orbit that is Sun-synchronous with the descending equatorial crossing at 2:00 AM local mean solar time (LMST).

Johnston, M. D.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Buckling Testing and Analysis of Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Motor Cylinders

A series of full-scale buckling tests were performed on the space shuttle Reusable Solid Rocket Motor (RSRM) cylinders. The tests were performed to determine the buckling capability of the cylinders and to provide data for analytical comparison. A nonlinear ANSYS Finite Element Analysis (FEA) model was used to represent and evaluate the testing. Analytical results demonstrated excellent correlation to test results, predicting the failure load within 5%. The analytical value was on the conservative side, predicting a lower failure load than was applied to the test. The resulting study and analysis indicated the important parameters for FEA to accurately predict buckling failure. The resulting method was subsequently used to establish the pre-launch buckling capability of the space shuttle system.

Weidner, Thomas J.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Cryopumping in Cryogenic Insulations for a Reusable Launch Vehicle

Testing at cryogenic temperatures was performed to verify the material characteristics and manufacturing processes of reusable propellant tank cryogenic insulations for a Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV). The unique test apparatus and test methods developed for the investigation of cryopumping in cryogenic insulations are described. Panel level test specimens with various types of cryogenic insulations were subjected to a specific thermal profile where the temperature varied from -262 C to 21 C. Cryopumping occurred if the interior temperature of the specimen exhibited abnormal temperature fluctuations, such as a sudden decrease in temperature during the heating phase.

Johnson, Theodore F.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Field demonstration of DNAPL dehalogenation using emulsified zero-valent iron

This paper describes the results of the first field-scale demonstration conducted to evaluate the performance of nanoscale emulsified zero-valent iron (EZVI) injected into the saturated zone to enhance in situ dehalogenation of dense, nonaqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs) containing trichloroethene (TCE). EZVI is an innovative and emerging remediation technology. EZVI is a surfactant-stabilized, biodegradable emulsion that forms emulsion droplets consisting of an oil-liquid membrane surrounding zero-valent iron (ZVI) particles in water. EZVI was injected over a five day period into eight wells in a demonstration test area within a larger DNAPL source area at NASA's Launch Complex 34 (LC34) using a pressure pulse injection method. Soil and groundwater samples were collected before and after treatment and analyzed for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to evaluate the changes in VOC mass, concentration and mass flux. Significant reductions in TCE soil concentrations (>80%) were observed at four of the six soil sampling locations within 90 days of EZVI injection. Somewhat lower reductions were observed at the other two soil sampling locations where visual observations suggest that most of the EZVI migrated up above the target treatment depth. Significant reductions in TCE groundwater concentrations (57 to 100%) were observed at all depths targeted with EZVI. Groundwater samples from the treatment area also showed significant increases in the concentrations of cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cDCE), vinyl chloride (VC) and ethene. The decrease in concentrations of TCE in soil and groundwater samples following treatment with EZVI is believed to be due to abiotic degradation associated with the ZVI as well as biodegradation enhanced by the presence of the oil and surfactant in the EZVI emulsion.

Water Pollutants/isolation & purification↗
NASA NTRS2003

Microbial Certification of the MER spacecraft

Spacecraft such as the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) must meet acceptable microbial population levels prior to launch. Sensitive parts and materials prevent any single sterilization method from being used as a final step on the assembled spacecraft.

spore bioburden Mars Exploration Rover dry hear mi↗
NASA NTRS2004

Mars Exploration Rover - a new standard for interplanetary navigation

The twin Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, arrived at Mars for landings respectively at Gusev Crater (on January 4, 2004) and Meridiani Planum (on January 25, 2004). During the development of the mission, the capability of the navigation system to deliver the landers within a particular accuracy played a major role in landing site selection. This process ultimately resulted in commitments to deliver each lander within a specified landing ellipse (about 70 km x 5 km) determined to be safe for landing and also judged to be scientifically interesting. Achieving atmospheric entry delivery accuracies consistent with this landing requirement necessitated significant improvements to the interplanetary navigation system used for MER. These improvements included new processes and software for orbit determination, aggressive, mission-critical use of interferometric ADOR tracking data, propulsive maneuver design, and entry, descent, and landing (EDL) trajectory simulation. Because these advances pressed the state -of -the art, innovative methods to verify the assumptions in the pre-launch covariance analyses were also developed. The actual achieved atmospheric entry accuracies for Spirit and Opportunity significantly bettered the requirements.

navigation↗
NASA NTRS2006

High Resolution Millimeter Wave Detection of Vertical Cracks in the Space Shuttle External Tank Spray-On-Foam Insulation (SOFI)

Space Shuttle Columbia s catastrophic failure, the separation of a piece of spray-on-foam insulation (SOFI) from the external tank (ET) in the Space Shuttle Discovery s flight in 2005 and crack detected in its ET foam prior to its successful launch in 2006 emphasize the need for effective nondestructive methods for inspecting the shuttle ET SOFI. Millimeter wave nondestructive testing methods have been considered as potential and effective inspection tools for evaluating the integrity of the SOFI. This paper presents recent results of an investigation for the purpose of detecting vertical cracks in SOFI panels using a focused millimeter wave (150 GHz) reflectometer. The presented images of the SOFI panels show the capability of this reflectometer for detecting tight vertical cracks (also as a function of crack opening dimension) in exposed SOFI panels and while covered by a piece of SOFI ramp simulating a more realistic and challenging situation.

Kharkovsky, S.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Ares I-X In-Flight Modal Identification

Operational modal analysis is a procedure that allows the extraction of modal parameters of a structure in its operating environment. It is based on the idealized premise that input to the structure is white noise. In some cases, when free decay responses are corrupted by unmeasured random disturbances, the response data can be processed into cross-correlation functions that approximate free decay responses. Modal parameters can be computed from these functions by time domain identification methods such as the Eigenvalue Realization Algorithm (ERA). The extracted modal parameters have the same characteristics as impulse response functions of the original system. Operational modal analysis is performed on Ares I-X in-flight data. Since the dynamic system is not stationary due to propellant mass loss, modal identification is only possible by analyzing the system as a series of linearized models over short periods of time via a sliding time-window of short time intervals. A time-domain zooming technique was also employed to enhance the modal parameter extraction. Results of this study demonstrate that free-decay time domain modal identification methods can be successfully employed for in-flight launch vehicle modal extraction.

Bartkowicz, Theodore J.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Innovative Approaches to Space-Based Manufacturing and Rapid Prototyping of Composite Materials

The ability to deploy large habitable structures, construct, and service exploration vehicles in low earth orbit will be an enabling capability for continued human exploration of the solar system. It is evident that advanced manufacturing methods to fabricate replacement parts and re-utilize launch vehicle structural mass by converting it to different uses will be necessary to minimize costs and allow flexibility to remote crews engaged in space travel. Recent conceptual developments and the combination of inter-related approaches to low-cost manufacturing of composite materials and structures are described in context leading to the possibility of on-orbit and space-based manufacturing.

Hill, Charles S.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Field Demonstration of DNAPL Dehalogenation Using Emulsified Zero-Valent Iron

This paper describes the results of the first field-scale demonstration conducted to evaluate the performance of nano-scale emulsified zero-valent iron (EZVI) injected into the saturated zone to enhance in situ dehalogenation of dense, non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs) containing trichloroethene (TCE). EZVI is an innovative and emerging remediation technology. EZVI is a surfactant-stabilized, biodegradable emulsion that forms emulsion droplets consisting of an oil-liquid membrane surrounding zero-valent iron (ZVI) particles in water. EZVI was injected over a five day period into eight wells in a demonstration test area within a larger DNAPL source area at NASA's Launch Complex 34 (LC34) using a pressure pulse injection method. Soil and groundwater samples were collected before and after treatment and analyzed for volatile organic compounds (V005) to evaluate the changes in VOC mass, concentration and mass flux. Significant reductions in TCE soil concentrations (>80%) were observed at four of the six soil sampling locations within 90 days of EZVI injection. Somewhat lower reductions were observed at the other two soil sampling locations where visual observations suggest that most of the EZVI migrated up above the target treatment depth. Significant reductions in TCE groundwater concentrations (57 to 100%) were observed at all depths targeted with EZVI. Groundwater samples from the treatment area also showed significant increases in the concentrations of cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cDCE), vinyl chloride (VC) and ethene. The decrease in concentrations of TCE in soil and groundwater samples following treatment with EZVI is believed to be due to abiotic degradation associated with the ZVI as well as biodegradation enhanced by the presence of the oil and surfactant in the EZVI emulsion.

Quinn, Jacqueline↗
NASA NTRS2013

NASA Tech Briefs, July 2013

Dielectrophoresis-Based Particle Sensor Using Nanoelectrode Arrays; Multi-Dimensional Damage Detection for Surfaces and Structures; ULTRA: Underwater Localization for Transit and Reconnaissance Autonomy; Autonomous Cryogenic Leak Detector for Improving Launch Site Operations; Submillimeter Planetary Atmospheric Chemistry Exploration Sounder; Method for Reduction of Silver Biocide Plating on Metal Surfaces; Silicon Micromachined Microlens Array for THz Antennas; Forward-Looking IED Detector Ground Penetrating Radar; Fully Printed, Flexible, Phased Array Antenna for Lunar Surface Communication, Battery Charge Equalizer with Transformer Array; An Efficient, Highly Flexible Multi-Channel Digital Downconverter Architecture; Dimmable Electronic Ballast for a Gas Discharge Lamp; Conductive Carbon Nanotube Inks for Use with Desktop Inkjet Printing Technology; Enhanced Schapery Theory Software Development for Modeling Failure of Fiber-Reinforced Laminates; High-Performance, Low-Temperature-Operating, Long-Lifetime Aerospace Lubricants; Carbon Nanotube Microarrays Grown on Nanoflake Substrates; Differential Muon Tomography to Continuously Monitor Changes in the Composition of Subsurface Fluids; Microgravity Drill and Anchor System; 20 Granular Media-Based Tunable Passive Vibration Suppressor; 21 Miga Aero Actuator and 2D Machined Mechanical Binary Latch; Micro-XRF for In Situ Geological Exploration of Other Planets; Hydrogen-Enhanced Lunar Oxygen Extraction and Storage Using Only Solar Power; Uplift of Ionospheric Oxygen Ions During Extreme Magnetic Storms; Miniaturized, High-Speed, Modulated X-Ray Source; Hollow-Fiber Spacesuit Water Membrane Evaporator 25 High-Power Single-Mode 2.65-micrometers InGaAsSb/AlInGaAsSb Diode Lasers; Optical Device for Converting a Laser Beam Into Two Co-aligned but Oppositely Directed Beams; A Hybrid Fiber/Solid-State Regenerative Amplifier with Tunable Pulse Widths for Satellite Laser Ranging; X-Ray Diffractive Optics; SynGenics Optimization System (SynOptSys); 29 CFD Script for Rapid TPS Damage Assessment; radEq Add-On Module for CFD Solver Loci-CHEM; Science Opportunity Analyzer (SOA) Version 8; 30 Autonomous Byte Stream Randomizer; Distributed Engine Control Empirical/Analytical Verification Tools; Dynamic Server-Based KML Code Generator Method for Level-of-Detail Traversal of Geospatial Data; Automated Planning of Science Products Based on Nadir Overflights and Alerts for Onboard and Ground Processing; Linked Autonomous Interplanetary Satellite Orbit Navigation; Risk-Constrained Dynamic Programming for Optimal Mars Entry, Descent, and Landing; Scheduling Operations for Massive Heterogeneous Clusters; Deepak Condenser Model (DeCoM); Flight Software Math Library; Recirculating 1-K-Pot for Pulse-Tube Cryostats; 35 Method for Processing Lunar Regolith Using Microwaves; Wells for In Situ Extraction of Volatiles from Regolith (WIEVR); and Estimating the Backup Reaction Wheel Orientation Using Reaction Wheel Spin Rates Flight Telemetry from a Spacecraft.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2015

A High-Resolution Merged Wind Dataset for DYNAMO: Progress and Future Plans

In order to support research on optimal data assimilation methods for the Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS), launching in 2016, work has been ongoing to produce a high‐resolution merged wind dataset for the Dynamics of the Madden Julian Oscillation (DYNAMO) field campaign, which took place during late 2011/early 2012. The winds are produced by assimilating DYNAMO observations into the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) three‐dimensional variational (3DVAR) system. Data sources from the DYNAMO campaign include the upper‐air sounding network, radial velocities from the radar network, vector winds from the Advanced Scatterometer (ASCAT) and Oceansat‐2 Scatterometer (OSCAT) satellite instruments, the NOAA High Resolution Doppler Lidar (HRDL), and several others. In order the prep them for 3DVAR, significant additional quality control work is being done for the currently available TOGA and SMART‐R radar datasets, including automatically dealiasing radial velocities and correcting for intermittent TOGA antenna azimuth angle errors. The assimilated winds are being made available as model output fields from WRF on two separate grids with different horizontal resolutions ‐ a 3‐km grid focusing on the main DYNAMO quadrilateral (i.e., Gan Island, the R/V Revelle, the R/V Mirai, and Diego Garcia), and a 1‐km grid focusing on the Revelle. The wind dataset is focused on three separate approximately 2‐week periods during the Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO) onsets that occurred in October, November, and December 2011. Work is ongoing to convert the 10‐m surface winds from these model fields to simulated CYGNSS observations using the CYGNSS End‐To‐End Simulator (E2ES), and these simulated satellite observations are being compared to radar observations of DYNAMO precipitation systems to document the anticipated ability of CYGNSS to provide information on the relationships between surface winds and oceanic precipitation at the mesoscale level. This research will improve our understanding of the future utility of CYGNSS for documenting key MJO processes.

Lang, Timothy J.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Strain Monitoring of Flexible Structures

One of the biggest challenges facing NASA's deep space exploration goals is structural mass. A long duration transit vehicle on a journey to Mars, for example, requires a large internal volume for cargo, supplies and crew support. As with all space structures, a large pressure vessel is not enough. The vehicle also requires thermal, micro-meteoroid, and radiation protection, a navigation and control system, a propulsion system, and a power system, etc. As vehicles get larger, their associated systems also get larger and more complex. These vehicles require larger lift capacities and force the mission to become extremely costly. In order to build large volume habitable vehicles, with only minimal increases in launch volume and mass, NASA is developing lightweight structures. Lightweight structures are made from non-metallic materials including graphite composites and high strength fabrics and could provide similar or better structural capability than metals, but with significant launch volume and mass savings. Fabric structures specifically, have been worked by NASA off and on since its inception, but most notably in the 1990's with the TransHAB program. These TransHAB developed structures use a layered material approach to form a pressure vessel with integrated thermal and micro-meteoroid and orbital debris (MMOD) protection. The flexible fabrics allow the vessel to be packed in a small volume during launch and expand into a much larger volume once in orbit. NASA and Bigelow Aerospace recently installed the first human-rated inflatable module on the International Space Station (ISS), known as the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) in May of 2016. The module provides a similar internal volume to that of an Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo vehicle, but with a 77% launch volume savings. As lightweight structures are developed, testing methods are vital to understanding their behavior and validating analytical models. Common techniques can be applied to fabric materials, such as tensile testing, fatigue testing, and shear testing, but common measurement techniques cannot be used on fabric. Measuring strain in a material and during a test is a critical parameter for an engineer to monitor the structure during the test and correlate to an analytical model. The ability to measure strain in fabric structures is a challenge for NASA. Foil strain gauges, for example, are commonplace on metallic structures testing, but are extremely difficult to interface with a fabric substrate. New strain measuring techniques need to be developed for use with fabric structures. This paper investigates options for measuring strain in fabric structures for both ground testing and in-space structural health monitoring. It evaluates current commercially available options and outlines development work underway to build custom measurement solutions for NASA's fabric structures.

Litteken, Douglas A.↗
NASA NTRS2020

Simulation-Based Analysis and Prediction of Thrust Vector Servoelastic Coupling

A method of analysis and prediction of servoelastic coupling in launch vehicles is presented, surveying the discovery and subsequent resolution of a predicted servoelastic resonance phenomenon affecting the NASA Space Launch System launch vehicle at specific flight conditions. A physics-based linearized multibody mechanization of the governing equations is combined with first principles analysis to demonstrate that antisymmetric bending of the solid rocket motors leads to a reduction of equivalent viscous modal damping through coupling with the thrust vector control actuators. The sensitivity to parameters and the effects of the resonance phenomenon on flight control performance and stability are confirmed through extensive simulation verification in the time and frequency domain. A novel enhancement in model fidelity that accounts for Coriolis effects of fluid flow on bending within the solid rocket motor case and nozzle is shown to add sufficient damping to reduce the risk of adverse control-structure interaction.

Jeb S Orr↗
NASA NTRS1980

Spacecraft loads methodology - Transient vs. shock spectra method

The methodology for the establishment of spacecraft loads is strongly influenced by project constraints which include the cost, schedule and allowable weight. The most rigorous approach is the transient loads analysis which requires a composite mathematical model of the spacecraft and launch vehicle. The structural member loads for the entire composite structure are computed by applying the forcing functions, which represent various dynamic environments during the mission, to the composite model. Although this method ideally leads to a lightweight design, it is costly and time consuming due to complex interfaces involving many organizations. To reduce complexity and cost a shock spectra method has been used to design spacecraft structures. This method utilizes envelopes of shock spectra of launch vehicle accelerations obtained from analysis and/or flight measurements. Since only limited information on the launch vehicle model is involved in this process the design loads iteration cycle can be rapidly performed within the payload organization. In the present paper, these two methods will be evaluated by comparing the loads for several spacecraft. Flight measured loads will also be used in the evaluation.

Chen, J. C.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Structural Design for a Neptune Aerocapture Mission

A multi-center study was conducted in 2003 to assess the feasibility of and technology requirements for using aerocapture to insert a scientific platform into orbit around Neptune. The aerocapture technique offers a potential method of greatly reducing orbiter mass and thus total spacecraft launch mass by minimizing the required propulsion system mass. This study involved the collaborative efforts of personnel from Langley Research Center (LaRC), Johnson Space Flight Center (JSFC), Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Ames Research Center (ARC), and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). One aspect of this effort was the structural design of the full spacecraft configuration, including the ellipsled aerocapture orbiter and the in-space solar electric propulsion (SEP) module/cruise stage. This paper will discuss the functional and structural requirements for each of these components, some of the design trades leading to the final configuration, the loading environments, and the analysis methods used to ensure structural integrity. It will also highlight the design and structural challenges faced while trying to integrate all the mission requirements. Component sizes, materials, construction methods and analytical results, including masses and natural frequencies, will be presented, showing the feasibility of the resulting design for use in a Neptune aerocapture mission. Lastly, results of a post-study structural mass optimization effort on the ellipsled will be discussed, showing potential mass savings and their influence on structural strength and stiffness

Dyke, R. Eric↗