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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 NTRS2002

Astrobiology: A Roadmap for Charting Life in the Universe

Astrobiology is the study of the origin, evolution and distribution of life in the universe. It provides a biological perspective to many areas of NASA research. It links such endeavors as the search for habitable planets, exploration missions to Mars and the outer Solar System, efforts to understand the origins and early evolution of life, and charting the potential of life to adapt to future challenges, both on Earth and in space. Astrobiology addresses the following three basic questions, which have been asked in some form for generations. How does life begin and evolve? Does life exist elsewhere in the universe? What is future of life on Earth and beyond? The NASA Astrobiology Roadmap provides guidance for research and technology development across several NASA Enterprises: Space Science, Earth Science, and the Human Exploration and Development of Space. The Roadmap is formulated in terms of eight Science Goals that outline key domains of investigation that might require perhaps decades of effort to consolidate. For each of these goals, Science Objectives outline more specific high priority near-term efforts for the next three to five years. These twenty objectives will be integrated with NASA strategic planning.

DesMarais, David J.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Thermal Development Test of the NEXT PM1 ION Engine

NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT) is a next-generation high-power ion thruster under development by NASA as a part of the In-Space Propulsion Technology Program. NEXT is designed for use on robotic exploration missions of the solar system using solar electric power. Potential mission destinations that could benefit from a NEXT Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) system include inner planets, small bodies, and outer planets and their moons. This range of robotic exploration missions generally calls for ion propulsion systems with deep throttling capability and system input power ranging from 0.6 to 25 kW, as referenced to solar array output at 1 Astronomical Unit (AU). Thermal development testing of the NEXT prototype model 1 (PM1) was conducted at JPL to assist in developing and validating a thruster thermal model and assessing the thermal design margins. NEXT PM1 performance prior to, during and subsequent to thermal testing are presented. Test results are compared to the predicted hot and cold environments expected missions and the functionality of the thruster for these missions is discussed.

NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT)↗
NASA NTRS2010

Thermal Development Test of the NEXT PM1 Ion Engine

NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT) is a next-generation high-power ion propulsion system under development by NASA as a part of the In-Space Propulsion Technology Program. NEXT is designed for use on robotic exploration missions of the solar system using solar electric power. Potential mission destinations that could benefit from a NEXT Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) system include inner planets, small bodies, and outer planets and their moons. This range of robotic exploration missions generally calls for ion propulsion systems with deep throttling capability and system input power ranging from 0.6 to 25 kW, as referenced to solar array output at 1 Astronomical Unit (AU). Thermal development testing of the NEXT prototype model 1 (PM1) was conducted at JPL to assist in developing and validating a thruster thermal model and assessing the thermal design margins. NEXT PM1 performance prior to, during and subsequent to thermal testing are presented. Test results are compared to the predicted hot and cold environments expected missions and the functionality of the thruster for these missions is discussed.

Anderson, John R.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Adaptable, Deployable Entry and Placement Technology (ADEPT) for Future Mars Missions

The concept of a mechanically deploy- able hypersonic decelerator, developed initially for high mass (40 MT) human Mars missions, is currently funded by OCT for technology maturation. The ADEPT (Adaptive, Deployable Entry and Placement Technology) project has broad, game-changing applicability to in situ science missions to Venus, Mars, and the Outer Planets.

TPS↗
NASA NTRS1994

(abstract) MEASURE-Jupiter: Low Cost Missions to Explore Jupiter in the Post-Galileo Era

MEASURE-Jupiter is a new mission concept for the exploration of giant planets, with initial application to Jupiter. By flying sets of lightweight spacecraft with highly focused measurement objectives, it is designed to break the apparent impass in giant planet exploration beyond Cassini. The MEASURE-Jupiter concept is characterized by: 1) intensive exploration of a giant planet system, 2) multiple small missions flown in focused waves using spacecraft costing $100M to $200M, and 3) mission sets launched every 2 to 3 years. Why Jupiter? Jupiter is the most complex planetary system in the Solar System with many scientifically intriguing bodies and phenomena to explore. The Galileo mission will scratch the surface of the exploration of Jupiter, posing many questions for the MEASURE-Jupiter missions to address. Jupiter is also the easiest planet in the Outer Solar System to reach, making possible flight times of 2 years and total mission durations of 3 years or less. Concept design studies have uncovered a number of scientifically rewarding, simple, low-cost mission options. These options have the additional attraction of being able to launch on 2-year trajectories to Jupiter with low-cost Delta II expendable launch vehicles. A partial list of mission concepts studied to date include: Io Very Close Flyby, Jupiter Close Polar Pass, Mini-Orbiters, and Galilean Satellite Penetrators. Key to the realization of the MEASURE-Jupiter missions is the judicious use of the new low power consuming advanced technology and applicable systems from the Pluto Fast Flyby mission spacecraft design. Foremost of the new technologies planned for inclusion are the elements of hybrid solar array/battery power systems which make it possible to perform the identified missions without the need for Radioactive Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs). This relieves the mission design of the attendant programmatic complexities, cost, and constraints attendant with the use of RTGs.

MEASURE-Jupiter Jupiter Pluto Fast Flyby low cost ↗
NASA NTRS2016

MAGNETOUR: Surfing Planetary Systems on Electromagnetic and Multi-Body Gravity Fields

A comprehensive visit of the complex outer planet systems is a central goal in space science. However, orbiting multiple moons of the same planet would be extremely prohibitive using traditional propulsion and power technologies. In this paper, a new mission concept, named Magnetour, is presented to facilitate the exploration of outer planet systems and address both power and propulsion challenges. This approach would enable a single spacecraft to orbit and travel between multiple moons of an outer planet, without significant propellant or onboard power source. To achieve this free-lunch ‘Grand Tour’, Magnetour exploits the unexplored combination of magnetic and multi-body gravitational fields of planetary systems, with a unique focus on using a bare electrodynamic tether for power and propulsion. Preliminary results indicate that the Magnetour concept is sound and is potentially highly promising at Jupiter.

Lantoine, Gregory↗
NASA NTRS2001

Balloon/Parachute to Orbiter Communications Using a Dipole Antenna

Currently, quite a few missions are being studied to send satellites to the outer and inner planets and their moons of the solar system; a large percentage of these missions will have a landed element. NASA's Origins program, Solar System Exploration, Program and Sun Earth Connection (SEC) program, etc., will have a variety of spacecrafts to various solar system planets and their moons to sample and analyze the related atmospheres as well as the soil once the lander lands on the body. These sampling missions may involve a tender element sampling the atmosphere by performing experiments while descending into the atmosphere or a rover collecting samples to return to Earth or a station for experimentation on the planet surface. In either of these cases, the pertinent data generated will have to be sent to the Earth through a communication link. Communications with the Tender during the Entry, Decent and Landing (EDL) phases of a mission is of paramount importance. This article explores a particular method of passing through the atmosphere while communicating with the ground station (DSN station) before landing an instrument package (the lander) on the surface of the planet or moon of interest.

Kantak, Anil V.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Power Systems Evaluated for Solar Electric Propulsion Vehicles

Solar electric propulsion (SEP) mission architectures are applicable to a wide range NASA missions including the robotic exploration of the outer planets in the next decade and the human exploration of Mars within the next 2 decades. SEP enables architectures that are very mass efficient with reasonable power levels (1-MW class) aerobrake and cryogenic upper-stage transportation technologies are utilized. In this architecture, the efficient SEP stage transfers the payload from low Earth orbit (LEO) High Energy Elliptical Parking Orbit (HEEPO) within a period of 6 to 12 months. highthrust, cryogenic upper stage and payload then separate from the SEP vehicle for injection to the planetary target, allowing for fast heliocentric trip times. This mission architecture offers a potential reduction in mass to LEO in comparison to alternative all-chemical nuclear propulsion schemes. Mass reductions may allow launch vehicle downsizing enable missions that would have been grounded because of cost constraints. The preceding figure illustrates a conceptual SEP stage design for a human Mars mission. Researchers at the NASA Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field designed conceptual SEP vehicle, conceived the mission architecture to use this vehicle, and analyzed the vehicle s performance. This SEP stage has a dry mass of 35 metric tons (MT), 40 MT of xenon propellant, and a photovoltaic array that spans 110 m, providing power to a cluster of eight 100-kW Hall thrusters. The stage can transfer an 80-MT payload and upper stage to the desired HEEPO. Preliminary packaging studies show this space-station-class SEP vehicle meets the proposed "Magnum" launch vehicle and volume requirements with considerable margin. An SEP vehicle for outer planetary missions, such as the Europa Mapper Mission, would be dramatically smaller than human Mars mission SEP stage. In this mission architecture, the SEP power system with the payload to provide spacecraft power throughout the mission. Several photovoltaic array design concepts were considered for the SEP vehicle power system for the human mission to Mars. These include a space station derivative, a SCARLET (Solar Concentrator Arrays with Refractive Linear Element Technology) derivative, and a hybrid inflatable-deployable thin polymer membrane array with thin-film solar cells (as shown in the concept illustration). This concept is based on a design developed for the Next Generation Space Telescope Sun shield. The array is divided into 16 independent electrical sections with 500-V, negative-grounded solar cell strings. The power system employs a channelized, 500-Vdc power management and distribution (PMAD) architecture with lithium ion batteries for energy storage for vehicle and payload secondary loads (the high-power Hall thrusters do not operate in eclipse periods). The 500-V PMAD voltage permits "direct-drive" thruster operation, greatly reducing the power processing unit size, complexity, and power loss. Similar power system architecture, designs, and technology are assumed for the Europa Mapper Mission SEP vehicle. The primary exceptions are that the photovoltaic array is assumed to consist of two rectangular wings and that the power system rating is 15 kW in Earth orbit and 200 W at Europa. To size the SEP vehicle power system, a dedicated Fortran code was developed to predict detailed power system performance, mass, and thermal control requirements. This code also modeled all the relevant Earth orbit environments; that is, the particulate radiation, plasma, meteoroids and debris, ultraviolet radiation, contamination, and thermal conditions. Analysis results for the Human Mars Mission SEP vehicle show a power system mass of 9-MT and photovoltaic array area of 5800-square meters for the thin-membrane design concept with CuInS2 thin-film cells. Power processing unit input power for a thin-membrane array design with three-junction, amorphous SiGe solar cells is shown in the graph. Power falls off rapidly inhe first weeks of the mission because of light-induced (Staebler-Wronksi) solar cell losses. During the next 200 days, power decreases steadily as the SEP stage spirals through the proton belts and sustains the bulk of the mission radiation damage. Once the vehicle apogee is above approximately four Earth radii, little additional degradation is incurred. From 400 to 800 days, a 1100-km "parking" orbit is maintained to await the next payload transfer opportunity. This orbit is below the main proton belt, and thus, little radiation dose is accumulated during this time period. During the second LEO-to-HEEPO transfer, power degrades somewhat further, but power requirements are still met. In comparison, the Europa Mapper SEP vehicle power system had a mass of 150 kg and a thin membrane array area of 100 square meters.

Kerslake, Thomas W.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Conceptual Design of an Electric Sail Technology Demonstration Mission Spacecraft

There is great interest in examining the outer planets of our solar system and Heliopause region (edge of Solar System) and beyond regions of interstellar space by both the Planetary and Heliophysics communities. These needs are well docu-mented in the recent National Academy of Sciences Decadal Surveys. There is significant interest in developing revolutionary propulsion techniques that will enable such Heliopause scientific missions to be completed within 10 to15 years of the launch date. One such enabling propulsion technique commonly known as Electric Sail (E-Sail) propulsion employs positively charged bare wire tethers that extend radially outward from a rotating spacecraft spinning at a rate of one revolution per hour. Around the positively charged bare-wire tethers, a Debye Sheath is created once positive voltage is applied. This sheath stands off of the bare wire tether at a sheath diameter that is proportional to the voltage in the wire coupled with the flux density of solar wind ions within the solar system (or the location of spacecraft in the solar system. The protons that are expended from the sun (solar wind) at 400 to 800 km/sec are electrostatically repelled away from these positively charged Debye sheaths and propulsive thrust is produced via the resulting momentum transfer. The amount of thrust produced is directly proportional to the total wire length. The Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Electric Sail team is currently funded via a two year Phase II NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) awarded in July 2015. The team's current activities are: 1) Developing a Particle in Cell (PIC) numeric engineering model from the experimental data collected at MSFC's Solar Wind Facility on the interaction between simulated solar wind interaction with a charged bare wire that can be applied to a variety of missions, 2) The development of the necessary tether deployers and tethers to enable successful de-ployment of multiple, multi km length bare tethers, 3) Controllability of the space-craft via a voltage bias to steer itself through the solar system to destinations of discovery. These activities once demonstrated analytically, will require a technology demonstration mission (TDM) around the year2020 to demonstrate that all systems work together seamlessly before a Heliophysics Electrostatic Rapid Transit System (HERTS) mission could be initiated. A notional TDM spacecraft that meets the requirements of such a mission will be showcased in this paper.

Wiegmann, Bruce M.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Early Track NEP system options for SEI missions

A development option for nuclear electric propulsion, the 'Early Track' option, is considered from system and mission application viewpoints. The intent of this development option is to address demanding missions of the future, such as robotic outer planet exploration or the Space Exploration Initiative. The 'Early Track' scheme utilizes existing technologies, such as the SP-100 space reactor and radiator components, as well as subsystems scalable from existing programs, such as 50 to 100 kWe ion thrusters. Up to 1.5 MWe of powder can be generated by the existing 2.4 MWt SP-100 reactor through the use of dynamic Rankine or Brayton power conversion. The performance characteristics of these systems are projected, and assessed for SEI missions currently under consideration.

Gilland, J. H.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Immersive Environment Technologies for Mars Exploration

JPL's charter includes the unmanned exploration of the Solar System. One of the tools for exploring other planets is the rover as exemplified by Sojourner on the Mars Pathfinder mission. The light speed turnaround time between Earth and the outer planets precludes the use of teleoperated rovers so autonomous operations are built in to the current and upcoming generation devices. As the level of autonomy increases, the mode of operations shifts from low-level specification of activities to a higher-level specification of goals. To support this higher-level activity, it is necessary to provide the operator with an effective understanding of the in-situ environment and also the tools needed to specify the higher-level goals. Immersive environments provide the needed sense of presence to achieve this goal. Use of immersive environments at JPL has two main thrusts that will be discussed in this talk. One is the generation of 3D models of the in-situ environment, in particular the merging of models from different sensors, different modes (orbital, descent, and lander), and even different missions. The other is the use of various tools to visualize the environment within which the rover will be operating to maximize the understanding by the operator. A suite of tools is under development which provide an integrated view into the environment while providing a variety of modes of visualization. This allows the operator to smoothly switch from one mode to another depending on the information and presentation desired.

Wright, John R.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Overview of Heatshield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology (HEEET) Project

The objective of the Heatshield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology (HEEET) projects is to mature a 3-D Woven Thermal Protection System (TPS) to Technical Readiness Level (TRL) 6 to support future NASA missions to destinations such as Venus and Saturn. Destinations that have extreme entry environments with heat fluxes up to 5000 watts per square centimeter and pressures up to 5 atmospheres, entry environments that NASA has not flown since Pioneer-Venus and Galileo. The scope of the project is broad and can be split into roughly four areas, Manufacturing/Integration, Structural Testing and Analysis, Thermal Testing and Analysis and Documentation. Manufactruing/Integration covers from raw materials, piece part fabrication to final integration on a 1-meter base diameter 45-degree sphere cone Engineering Test Unit (ETU). A key aspect of the project was to transfer as much of the manufacturing technology to industry in preparation to support future mission infusion. The forming, infusion and machining approaches were transferred to Fiber Materials Inc. and FMI then fabricated the piece parts from which the ETU was manufactured. The base 3D-woven material consists of a dual layer weave with a high density outer layer to manage recession in the system and a lower density, lower thermal conductivity inner layer to manage the heat load. At the start of the project it was understood that due to weaving limitations the heat shield was going to be manufactured from a series of tiles. And it was recognized that the development of a seam solution that met the structural and thermal requirements of the system was going to be the most challenging aspect of the project. It was also recognized that the seam design would drive the final integration approach and therefore the integration of the ETU was kept in-house within NASA. A final seam concept has been successfully developed and implemented on the ETU and will be discussed. The structural testing and analysis covers from characterization of the different layers of the infused material as functions of weave direction and temperature, to sub-component level testing such as 4-pt bend testing at sub-ambient and elevated temperature. ETU test results are used to validate the structural models developed using the element and sub-component level tests. Given the seam has to perform both structurally and aerothermally during entry a novel 4-pt bend test fixture was developed allowing articles to be tested while the front surface is heated with a laser. These tests are intended to establish the system's structural capability during entry. A broad range of aerothermal tests (arcjet tests) are being performed to develop material response models for predicting the required TPS thickness to meet a mission's needs and to evaluate failure modes. These tests establish the capability of the system and assure robustness of the system during entry. The final aspect of the project is to develop a comprehensive Design and Data Book such that a future mission will have the information necessary to adopt the technology. This presentation will provide an overview and status of the project and describe the status of the tehnology maturation level for the inner and outer planet as well as earth entry sample return missions.

Ellerby, Don↗
NASA NTRS2010

Planetary Geochemistry Using Active Neutron and Gamma Ray Instrumentation

The Pulsed Neutron Generator-Gamma Ray And Neutron Detector (PNG-GRAND) experiment is an innovative application of the active neutron-gamma ray technology so successfully used in oil field well logging and mineral exploration on Earth, The objective of our active neutron-gamma ray technology program at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (NASA/GSFC) is to bring the PNG-GRAND instrument to the point where it can be flown on a variety of surface lander or rover missions to the Moon, Mars, Venus, asterOIds, comets and the satellites of the outer planets, Gamma-Ray Spectrometers have been incorporated into numerous orbital planetary science missions and, especially in the case of Mars Odyssey, have contributed detailed maps of the elemental composition over the entire surface of Mars, Neutron detectors have also been placed onboard orbital missions such as the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and Lunar Prospector to measure the hydrogen content of the surface of the moon, The DAN in situ experiment on the Mars Science Laboratory not only includes neutron detectors, but also has its own neutron generator, However, no one has ever combined the three into one instrument PNG-GRAND combines a pulsed neutron generator (PNG) with gamma ray and neutron detectors to produce a landed instrument that can determine subsurface elemental composition without drilling. We are testing PNG-GRAND at a unique outdoor neutron instrumentation test facility recently constructed at NASA/GSFC that consists of a 2 m x 2 m x 1 m granite structure in an empty field, We will present data from the operation of PNG-GRAND in various experimental configurations on a known sample in a geometry that is identical to that which can be achieved on a planetary surface. We will also compare the material composition results inferred from our experiments to both an independent laboratory elemental composition analysis and MCNPX computer modeling results,

Parsons, A.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Microwave communications from outer planets - The Voyager Project

The paper summarizes the Voyager Project, the mission objectives, and the spacecraft communications system required to meet the mission objectives. The primary emphasis of the mission is on comparative studies of the Jupiter and Saturn systems in the areas of: (1) the environment, atmosphere and body characteristics of the planets, and one or more of the satellites, (2) the nature of the recently discovered Jovian ring and the rings of Saturn, and (3) the interplanetary medium at increasing distances from the sun. The complexities and problems, such as power consumption, weight, and antenna pointing constraints are presented, along with a detailed description of the radio frequency and S/X-band antenna subsystems.

Brejcha, A. G.↗
NASA NTRS2002

The Next Generation of Space Cells for Diverse Environments

Future science, military and commercial space missions are incredibly diverse. Military and commercial missions range from large arrays of hundreds of kilowatt to small arrays of ten watts in various Earth orbits. While science missions also have small to very large power needs there are additional unique requirements to provide power for near-sun missions and planetary exploration including orbiters, landers and rovers both to the inner planets and the outer planets with a major emphasis in the near term on Mars. These mission requirements demand cells for low intensity, low temperature applications, high intensity, high temperature applications, dusty environments and often high radiation environments. This paper discusses mission requirements, the current state of the art of space solar cells, and a variety of both evolving thin-film cells as well as new technologies that may impact the future choice of space solar cells for a specific mission application.

Landis, Geoffrey A.↗
NASA NTRS2002

The Next Generation of Space Cells for Diverse Environments

Future science, military and commercial space missions are incredibly diverse. Military and commercial missions range from large arrays of hundreds of kilowatt to small arrays of ten watts in various Earth orbits. While science missions also have small to very large power needs there are additional unique requirements to provide power for near-sun missions and planetary exploration including orbiters, landers and rovers both to the inner planets and the outer planets with a major emphasis in the near term on Mars. These mission requirements demand cells for low intensity, low temperature applications, high intensity, high temperature applications, dusty environments and often high radiation environments. This paper discusses mission requirements, the current state of the art of space solar cells, and a variety of both evolving thin-film cells as well as new technologies that may impact the future choice of space solar cells for a specific mission application.

Bailey, Sheila↗
NASA NTRS2006

Systems Analysis for a Venus Aerocapture Mission

Previous high level analysis has indicated that significant mass savings may be possible for planetary science missions if aerocapture is employed to place a spacecraft in orbit. In 2001 the In-Space Propulsion program identified aerocapture as one of the top three propulsion technologies for planetary exploration but that higher fidelity analysis was required to verify the favorable results and to determine if any supporting technology gaps exist that would enable or enhance aerocapture missions. A series of three studies has been conducted to assess, from an overall system point of view, the merit of using aerocapture at Titan, Neptune and Venus. These were chosen as representative of a moon with an atmosphere, an outer giant gas planet and an inner planet. The Venus mission, based on desirable science from plans for Solar System Exploration and Principal Investigator proposals, to place a spacecraft in a 300km polar orbit was examined and the details of the study are presented in this paper.

Lockwood, Mary Kae↗