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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 433 records · Page 24
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1990

Solid state neutron dosimeter for space applications

Personnel engaged in space flight are exposed to significant flux of high energy neutrons arising from both primary and secondary sources of ionizing radiation. Presently, there exist no compact neutron sensor capable of being integrated in a flight instrument to provide real time measurement of this radiation flux. A proposal was made to construct such an instrument using special PIN silicon diode which has the property of being insensitive to the other forms of ionizing radiation. Studies were performed to determine the design and construction of a better reading system to allow the PIN diode to be read with high precision. The physics of the device was studied, especially with respect to those factors which affect the sensitivity and reproducibility of the neutron response. This information was then used to develop methods to achieve high sensitivity at low neutron doses. The feasibility was shown of enhancing the PIN diode sensitivity to make possible the measurement of the low doses of neutrons encountered in space flights. The new PIN diode will make possible the development of a very compact, accurate, personal neutron dosimeter.

Entine, Gerald↗
NASA NTRS1999

The Rondonia Lightning Detection Network: Network Description, Science Objectives, Data Processing/Archival Methodology, and First Results

A four station Advanced Lightning Direction Finder (ALDF) network was recently established in the state of Rondonia in western Brazil through a collaboration of U.S. and Brazilian participants from NASA, INPE, INMET, and various universities. The network utilizes ALDF IMPACT (Improved Accuracy from Combined Technology) sensors to provide cloud-to-ground lightning observations (i.e., stroke/flash locations, signal amplitude, and polarity) using both time-of-arrival and magnetic direction finding techniques. The observations are collected, processed and archived at a central site in Brasilia and at the NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama. Initial, non-quality assured quick-look results are made available in near real-time over the internet. The network will remain deployed for several years to provide ground truth data for the Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) on the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) satellite which was launched in November 1997. The measurements will also be used to investigate the relationship between the electrical, microphysical and kinematic properties of tropical convection. In addition, the long-term observations from this network will contribute in establishing a regional lightning climatological data base, supplementing other data bases in Brazil that already exist or may soon be implemented. Analytic inversion algorithms developed at NASA/MSFC are now being applied to the Rondonian ALDF lightning observations to obtain site error corrections and improved location retrievals. The processing methodology and the initial results from an analysis of the first 6 months of network operations will be presented.

Blakelee, Richard↗
NASA NTRS1985

Influence of control parameters on the joint tracking performance of a coaxial weld vision system

The first phase of a series of evaluations of a vision-based welding control sensor for the Space Shuttle Main Engine Robotic Welding System is described. The robotic welding system is presently under development at the Marshall Space Flight Center. This evaluation determines the standard control response parameters necessary for proper trajectory of the welding torch along the joint.

Gangl, K. J.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Space missions for automation and robotics technologies (SMART) program

The motivations, features and expected benefits and applications of the NASA SMART program are summarized. SMART is intended to push the state of the art in automation and robotics, a goal that Public Law 98-371 mandated be an inherent part of the Space Station program. The effort would first require tests of sensors, manipulators, computers and other subsystems as seeds for the evolution of flight-qualified subsystems. Consideration is currently being given to robotics systems as add-ons to the RMS, MMU and OMV and a self-contained automation and robotics module which would be tended by astronaut visits. Probable experimentation and development paths that would be pursued with the equipment are discussed, along with the management structure and procedures for the program. The first hardware flight is projected for 1989.

Ciffone, D. L.↗
NASA NTRS1989

The use of aircraft and satellite remote sensing of phytoplankton chlorophyll concentrations in case 2 estuarine waters of the Chesapeake Bay

Two projects using remote sensing of phytoplankton chlorophyll concentrations in the Chesapeake Bay estuary were proposed. The first project used aircraft remote sensing with a compact radiometer system developed at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), the Ocean Data Acquisition System (ODAS). ODAS includes three radiometers at 460, 490, and 520 nm, an infrared temperature sensor (PRT-5), Loran-C for navigation, and a data acquisition system using a PC and mass storage device. This instrument package can be flown in light aircraft at relatively low expense, permitting regular and frequent flights. Sixteen flights with ODAS were completed using the Virginia Institute of Marine Science's De Havilland 'Beaver'. The goal was to increase spatial and temporal resolution in assaying phytoplankton pigment concentrations in the Chesapeake. At present, analysis is underway of flight data collected between March and July 1989. The second project focused on satellite data gathered with the Nimbus-7 Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZSC) between late 1978 and mid 1986. The problem in using CZSC data for the Chesapeake Bay is that the optical characteristics of this (and many) coastal and estuarine waters are distinct from those of the open ocean for which algorithms for computing pigment concentrations were developed. The successful use of CZCS data for the estuary requires development of site-specific algorithms and analytical approaches. Of principal importance in developing site-specific procedures is the availability of in-situ data on pigment concentrations. A significant data set was acquired from EPA's Chesapeake Bay Program in Annapolis, Maryland, and clear satellite scenes are being analyzed for which same-day sea truth measurements of pigment were obtained. Both the University of Miami and GSFC Seapak systems are being used in this effort. The main finding to date is an expected one, i.e., the algorithms developed for oceanic waters are inadequate to compute pigment concentrations for the Case 2 waters of the Chesapeake Bay. One reason is the overestimation of aerosol radiances by assuming that water-leaving radiance in Band 4 of CZCS (670 nm) is zero, an assumption that is invalid for the Bay. This prompted any attempts to iterative procedures for estimating the proportion of the Band 4 radiance that is actually attributable to aerosol by estimating the water-leaving component using optical data. A cruise on the Chesapeake the week of 7 August 1989 was conducted to collect additional optical data necessary to this task.

Harding, Lawrence W., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Space Station Freedom Attitude Determination and Control System Overview

Viewgraphs on Space Station Freedom attitude determination and control system overview are presented. Topics covered include: highly dynamic plant; SSF flight attitudes; effectors; inertial attitude sensors; control system performance requirements; control system functional requirements; and controller architecture.

Penrod, Jeff↗
NASA NTRS1995

Ultra-high, resolution, modular optical angle encoder for space-based opto-mechanical applications

A 27-bit optical encoder using a novel patent pending technology has been developed by the MicroE Development Center of BEI Sensors & Systems Company and tested by the Sensor Systems Group (SSG) Inc., in a positioning and stabilization mirror assembly (PSMA) designed and constructed under a grant from the Marshall Space Flight Center. Test results verified performance within the specifications of the PSMA.

Luther, Holger↗
NASA NTRS2001

Calibration of Gyros with Temperature Dependent Scale Factors

The general problem of gyro calibration can be stated as the estimation of the scale factors, misalignments, and drift-rate biases of the gyro using the on-orbit sensor measurements. These gyro parameters have been traditionally treated as temperature-independent in the operational flight dynamics ground systems at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), a scenario which has been successfully applied in the gyro calibration of a large number of missions. A significant departure from this is the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) mission where, due to the high thermal variations expected during the mission phase, it is necessary to model the scale factors as functions of temperature. This paper addresses the issue of gyro calibration for the MAP gyro model using a manufacturer-supplied model of the variation of scale factors with temperature. The problem is formulated as a least squares problem and solved using the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm in the MATLAB(R) library function NLSQ. The algorithm was tested on simulated data with Gaussian noise for the quaternions as well as the gyro rates and was found to consistently converge close to the true values. Significant improvement in accuracy was noticed due to the estimation of the temperature-dependent scale factors as against constant scale factors.

Belur, Sheela V.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Ocean Drifters Get the Facts

With the help of Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, of Greenbelt, Maryland, Clearwater Instrumentation, of Watertown, Massachusetts, created the ClearSat-Autonomous Drifting Ocean Station (ADOS). The multi-sensor array ocean drifting station was developed to support observations of Earth by NASA satellites. It is a low-cost device for gathering an assortment of data necessary to the integration of present and future satellite measurements of biological and physical processes. Clearwater Instrumentation developed its ADOS technology based on Goddard's Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) project, but on a scale that is practical for commercial use. ADOS is used for the in situ measuring of ocean surface layer properties such as ocean color, surface thermal structure, and surface winds. Thus far, multiple ADOS units have been sold to The Scripps Institution of Oceanography, where they are being applied in the field of academic science research. Fisheries can also benefit, because ADOS can locate prime cultivation conditions for this fast-growing industry.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2010

Cameras Reveal Elements in the Short Wave Infrared

Goodrich ISR Systems Inc. (formerly Sensors Unlimited Inc.), based out of Princeton, New Jersey, received Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Marshall Space Flight Center, Kennedy Space Center, Goddard Space Flight Center, Ames Research Center, Stennis Space Center, and Langley Research Center to assist in advancing and refining indium gallium arsenide imaging technology. Used on the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) mission in 2009 for imaging the short wave infrared wavelengths, the technology has dozens of applications in military, security and surveillance, machine vision, medical, spectroscopy, semiconductor inspection, instrumentation, thermography, and telecommunications.

Source record↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Status of the Microwave Barometric Radar and Sounder (MBARS)

Atmospheric surface pressure and pressure profiles are essential variables in weather modeling and forecasting. Pressure gradients generate atmospheric motion and are essential to the air-sea heat exchange feedbacks within the planetary boundary layer (PBL) that lead to convective storms and heavy precipitation. Despite the importance of pressure and pressure gradients on meso-, synoptic-, and global-scale weather patterns, current technology relies almost entirely on buoy measurements over the majority of the ocean. These measurements are too sparse to capture pressure gradients of even many synoptic scale events, and leave models starved of information. NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), NASA/Langley Research Center (LaRC), and Tomorrow.io have begun development of the Microwave Barometric Radar and Sounder (MBARS), an airborne sensor to retrieve surface air pressure and vertical pressure profiles, especially over oceans. MBARS is a new combined active/passive microwave instrument in the O2 absorption V-band (64-70 GHz) funded by the NASA Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO) Instrument Incubator Program (IIP). This instrument consists of an innovative scanning multi-channel differential absorption radar (DAR) to provide an estimation of total atmospheric column oxygen content and thus the surface dry air pressure. MBARS also will provide hyperspectral radiometric temperature profiling to enables vertical pressure profiles using the hypsometric relationship between pressure and temperature. A co-located microwave radiometer will provide the integrated water vapor mass contribution to atmospheric pressure. This presentation will summarize the project, retrieval concept, and engineering status of the MBARS project.

Radar, Radiometer↗
NASA NTRS1999

The Multi-Center Airborne Coherent Atmospheric Wind Sensor: Recent Measurements and Future Applications

The coherent Doppler lidar, when operated from an airborne platform, offers a unique measurement capability for study of atmospheric dynamical and physical properties. This is especially true for scientific objectives requiring measurements in optically-clear air, where other remote sensing technologies such as Doppler radar are at a disadvantage in terms of spatial resolution and coverage. Recent experience suggests airborne coherent Doppler lidar can yield unique wind measurements of--and during operation within--extreme weather phenomena. This paper presents the first airborne coherent Doppler lidar measurements of hurricane wind fields. The lidar atmospheric remote sensing groups of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Marshall Space Flight Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Environmental Technology Laboratory, and Jet Propulsion Laboratory jointly developed an airborne lidar system, the Multi-center Airborne Coherent Atmospheric Wind Sensor (MACAWS). The centerpiece of MACAWS is the lidar transmitter from the highly successful NOAA Windvan. Other field-tested lidar components have also been used, when feasible, to reduce costs and development time. The methodology for remotely sensing atmospheric wind fields with scanning coherent Doppler lidar was demonstrated in 1981; enhancements were made and the system was reflown in 1984. MACAWS has potentially greater scientific utility, compared to the original airborne scanning lidar system, owing to a factor of approx. 60 greater energy-per-pulse from the NOAA transmitter. MACAWS development was completed and the system was first flown in 1995. Following enhancements to improve performance, the system was re-flown in 1996 and 1998. The scientific motivation for MACAWS is three-fold: obtain fundamental measurements of subgrid scale (i.e., approx. 2-200 km) processes and features which may be used to improve parameterizations in hydrological, climate, and general/regional circulation models; obtain similar datasets to improve understanding and predictive capabilities for similarly-scaled processes and features; and simulate and validate the performance of prospective satellite Doppler lidars for global tropospheric wind measurement.

Rothermel, Jeffry↗
NASA NTRS2005

STS-114: Discovery Launch Readiness Press Conference

Michael Griffin, NASA Administrator; Wayne Hale, Space Shuttle Deputy Program Manager; Mike Wetmore, Director of Shuttle Processing; and 1st Lieutenant Mindy Chavez, Launch Weather Officer-United States Air Force 45th Weather Squadron are in attendance for this STS-114 Discovery launch readiness press conference. The discussion begins with Wayne Hale bringing to the table a low level sensor device for everyone to view. He talks in detail about all of the extensive tests that were performed on these sensors and the completion of these ambient tests. Chavez presents her weather forecast for the launch day of July 26th 2005. Michael Griffin and Wayne Hale answer questions from the news media pertaining to the sensors and launch readiness. The video ends with footage of Pilot Jim Kelly and Commander Eileen Collins conducting test flights in a Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) that simulates Space Shuttle landing.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2010

Pulsed Airborne Lidar Measurements of Atmospheric CO2 Column Absorption and Line Shapes from 3-13 km Altitudes

We have developed a pulsed lidar technique for measuring the tropospheric CO2 concentrations as a candidate for NASA's planned ASCENDS space mission. Our technique uses two pulsed laser transmitters allowing simultaneous measurement of a CO2 absorption line in the 1570 nm band, O2 extinction in the Oxygen A-band and surface height and backscatter. The lidar measures the energy and time of flight of the laser echoes reflected from the atmosphere and surface. The lasers are rapidly and precisely stepped in wavelength across the CO2 line and an O2 line region during the measurement. The direct detection receiver uses a telescope and photon counting detectors, and measures the background light and energies of the laser echoes from the surface along with scattering from any aerosols in the path. The gas extinction and column densities for the CO2 and O2 gases are estimated from the ratio of the on- and off- line signals via the DIAL technique. Time gating is used to isolate the laser echo signals from the surface, and to reject laser photons scattered in the atmosphere. The time of flight of the laser pulses are also used to estimate the height of the scattering surface and to identify cases of mixed cloud and ground scattering. We have developed an airborne lidar to demonstrate the CO2 measurement from the NASA Glenn Lear-25 aircraft. The airborne lidar steps the pulsed laser's wavelength across the selected CO2 line with 20 steps per scan. The line scan rate is 450 Hz, the laser pulse widths are 1 usec, and laser pulse energy is 24 uJ. The time resolved laser backscatter is collected by a 20 cm telescope, detected by a photomultiplier and is recorded by a photon counting system. We made initial airborne measurements on flights during fall 2008. Laser backscatter and absorption measurements were made over a variety of land and water surfaces and through thin clouds. The atmospheric CO2 column measurements using the 1572.33 nm CO2 lines. Two flights were made above the US Department of Energy's (DOE) SGP ARM site at altitudes from 3-8 km. These flights were coordinated with DOE investigators who flew an in-situ CO2 sensor on a Cessna aircraft under the path. The increasing CO2 line absorptions with altitudes were evident and comparison with in-situ measurements showed agreements to 6 ppm. In spring 2009 we improved the aircraft's nadir window and during July and August we made 9 additional 2 hour long flights and measured the atmospheric CO2 absorption and line shapes using the 1572.33 nm CO2 line. Measurements were made at stepped altitudes from 3-13 km over a variety of surface types in Nebraska, Illinois, the SGP ARM site, and near and over the Chesapeake Bay in North Carolina and eastern Virginia. Strong laser signals and clear CO2 line shapes were observed at all altitudes, and some measurements were made through thin clouds. The flights over the ARM site were underflown with in-situ measurements made from the DOE Cessna. Analysis shows that the average signal levels follow predicted values, the altimetry measurements had an uncertainty of about 4 m, and that the average optical line depths follow the number density calculated from in-situ sensor readings. The Oklahoma and east coast flights were coordinated with a LaRC/ITT CO2 lidar on the LaRC UC-12 aircraft, a LaRC in-situ CO2 sensor, and the Oklahoma flights also included a JPL CO2 lidar on a Twin Otter aircraft. More details of the flights, measurements, analysis and scaling to space will be described in the presentation.

Abshire, James↗
NASA NTRS2002

Microgravity Investigation of Crew Reactions in 0-G (MICR0-G): Ground-Based Development Effort

This report describes the technology development of an advanced load sensor ground-based prototype and details the preliminary tests in microgravity during parabolic flights. The research effort is entitled, the Microgravity Investigation and Crew Reactions in 0-G (MICR0-G), a ground-based research effort funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The MICR0-G project was a follow-on to the Enhanced Dynamic Load Sensors (EDLS) spaceflight experiment flown on the Russian Space Station Mir. The technology development of the advanced load sensor prototype has been carried out by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), with collaboration from Politecnico di Milano University and the Italian Space Agency (ASI). The key hardware of the advanced sensor prototype is a set of two types of load sensors - a hand-hold and foot restraints - similar in appearance to the mobility aids found in the Space Shuttle orbiter to assist the crew in moving inside the spacecraft, but able to measure the applied forces and moments about the x-, y-, and z- axes. The aim of Chapter 1 is to give a brief overview of the report contents. The first section summarizes the previous research efforts on astronaut-induced loads in microgravity. The second section provides information on the MICR0-G research project and the technology development work conducted at MIT. Section 1.3 details the motivation for designing a new generation of load sensors and describes the main enhancements and contributions of the MICR0-G advanced load sensors system compared to the EDLS system. Finally, the last section presents the outline of the report.

Newman, Dava J.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Precision pointing control for an orbital earth observing system

The design concept developed for the pointing system of the high-resolution imaging spectrometer (HIRIS) which will be flown on one of NASA's earth observing system platforms is presented. The instrument is an F/5.4-aperture spectrometer with a focal length of 1222 mm, and it uses a precision two-axis gimballed mirror pointing system to image and track targets. Pointing accuracy of better than 585 arcsec (peak-to-peak), and pointing jitter of less than 2.65 arcsec in 33 ms are ensured through the use of gimbal position and basebody rate sensors. A state-space controller implemented with a digital computer is used to provide a position loop bandwidth of 1 Hz and a rate loop bandwidth of 7 Hz. An overview of the system design and flight hardware is given, the development of the controller architecture is addressed, and a simulation assessment of the pointing system that takes into consideration issues such as nonlinear effects, sensor noise, and noncollocated sensors and actuators in a flexible structure is discussed.

Robeck, Linda S.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED) Flight Software (FSW): A Unique Approach to Exercise in Long Duration Habitats

ARED flight instrumentation software is associated with an overall custom designed resistive exercise system that will be deployed on the International Space Station (ISS). This innovative software application fuses together many diverse and new technologies into a robust and usable package. The software takes advantage of touchscreen user interface technology by providing a graphical user interface on a Windows based tablet PC, meeting a design constraint of keyboard-less interaction with flight crewmembers. The software interacts with modified commercial data acquisition (DAQ) hardware to acquire multiple channels of sensor measurment from the ARED device. This information is recorded on the tablet PC and made available, via International Space Station (ISS) Wireless LAN (WLAN) and telemetry subsystems, to ground based mission medics and trainers for analysis. The software includes a feature to accept electronically encoded prescriptions of exercises that guide crewmembers through a customized regimen of resistive weight training, based on personal analysis. These electronically encoded prescriptions are provided to the crew via ISS WLAN and telemetry subsystems. All personal data is securely associated with an individual crew member, based on a PIN ID mechanism.

Mangieri, Mark↗
NASA NTRS1988

Flight Mechanics/Estimation Theory Symposium 1988

This conference publication includes 28 papers and abstracts presented at the Flight Mechanics/Estimation Theory Symposium on May 10 to 11, 1988. Sponsored by the Flight Dynamics Division of Goddard Space Flight Center, this symposium features technical papers on a wide range of issue related to orbit-attitude prediction, determination and control; attitude sensor calibration; attitude determination error analysis; attitude dynamics; and orbit decay and maneuver strategy. Government, industry, and the academic community participated in the preparation and presentation of these papers.

Stengle, Thomas↗