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NASA NTRSDate not supplied

BioSentinel Avionics Design Approach with COTS Parts

This presentation focuses on ARC's avionics design approach using Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) parts for high-risk, high-reward missions. Examples of ARC's past missions in small spacecraft, nano-satellites, and Class D payloads are highlighted, emphasizing the benefits of COTS, such as wider selections, faster development schedules, and lower costs. The challenges and limitations of traditional Qualified Parts List (QPL) approaches are discussed, along with observations from ARC missions, which show that design and workmanship issues are more significant than component failures. Mitigations for radiation risks associated with COTS are proposed, emphasizing risk awareness, proper software and hardware design, and careful parts selection. The success of ARC's 30+ projects using COTS over the past 17 years underscores its viability for high-risk missions.

BioSentinel↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Power Hibernation for Low-Cost Solar Powered Lunar Missions

Lunar Surface temperatures can span from equatorial highs near 400K and polar lows of 50K. The extreme cold combined with the 354-hour duration of the lunar night is particularly challenging for small robotic lander missions. NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) missions involve robotic landers intended to provide low-cost access to the lunar surface. Current CLPS Missions are solar powered and are only intended to survive a single lunar day. The ability to survive the night and continue operations over many lunar cycles would provide a dramatic increase in science productivity. The Power Hibernation approach relies on battery cells that can tolerate the extreme cold night and recover once temperatures return to normal. System recovery from hibernation depends on power electronics that can “cold start” at lunar dawn and operate on solar array output alone. Once battery and avionics systems are restored the spacecraft resumes daytime operations. The challenge is to achieve this capability with minimum impact to the spacecraft design and payload capacity. This talk will describe recent and ongoing investigations in battery and electronics technologies that will enable power hibernation and recovery.

Space Power↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Power Hibernation for Low-Cost Solar Powered Lunar Missions

Space Power↗

NASA NTRS1997

STS-85 Day 05 Highlights

On this fifth day of the STS-85 mission, the flight crew, Cmdr. Curtis L. Brown, Jr., Pilot Kent V. Rominger, Payload Cmdr. N. Jan Davis (Ph.D.), Mission Specialists Robert L. Curbeam, Jr. and Stephen K. Robinson (Ph.D.), and Payload Specialist Bjarni V. Tryggvason once again test the small robotic arm serving as a prototype for one that will fly as part of the Japanese Experiment Module on the International Space Station. Simulated orbital replacement unit detachment and reattachment will be the focus. Bob Curbeam discusses the progress of the flight with a television station in St Louis, before continuing his work with the Bioreactor Demonstration System designed to perform cell biology experiments under controlled conditions. Immediately after Curbeam's interview, Canadian Payload Specialist Bjarni Tryggvason is set to talk to elementary and high school students at a summer camp in Saskatchewan, Canada.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2014

Designing an Alternate Mission Operations Control Room

The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) is a multi-project facility that is responsible for 24x7 real-time International Space Station (ISS) payload operations management, integration, and control and has the capability to support small satellite projects and will provide real-time support for SLS launches. The HOSC is a serviceoriented/ highly available operations center for ISS payloads-directly supporting science teams across the world responsible for the payloads. The HOSC is required to endure an annual 2-day power outage event for facility preventive maintenance and safety inspection of the core electro-mechanical systems. While complete system shut-downs are against the grain of a highly available sub-system, the entire facility must be powered down for a weekend for environmental and safety purposes. The consequence of this ground system outage is far reaching: any science performed on ISS during this outage weekend is lost. Engineering efforts were focused to maximize the ISS investment by engineering a suitable solution capable of continuing HOSC services while supporting safety requirements. The HOSC Power Outage Contingency (HPOC) System is a physically diversified compliment of systems capable of providing identified real-time services for the duration of a planned power outage condition from an alternate control room. HPOC was designed to maintain ISS payload operations for approximately three continuous days during planned HOSC power outages and support a local Payload Operations Team, International Partners, as well as remote users from the alternate control room located in another building. This paper presents the HPOC architecture and lessons learned during testing and the planned maiden operational commissioning. Additionally, this paper documents the necessity of an HPOC capability given the unplanned HOSC Facility power outage on April 27th, 2011, as a result of the tornado outbreak that damaged the electrical grid to such a degree that significantly inhibited the Tennessee Valley Authority's ability to transmit electricity throughout the North Alabama region.

Montgomery, Patty↗

NASA NTRS2020

IXPE Mission System Concept and Development Status

The Goal of the Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) Mi SMEX), is to expand understanding of high-energy astrophysical processes and sources, in support of NASA’s first science objective in Astrophysics: “Discover how the universe works.” IXPE, an international collaboration, will conduct X-ray imaging polarimetry for multiple categories of cosmic X-ray sources such as neutron stars, stellar-mass black holes, supernova remnants and active galactic nuclei. The Observatory uses a single science operational mode capturing the X-ray data from the targets. The IXPE Observatory consists of spacecraft and payload modules built up in parallel to form the Observatory during system integration and test. The payload includes three X-ray telescopes each consisting of a polarization-sensitive, gas pixel X-ray detector, paired with its corresponding grazing incidence mirror module assembly (MMA). A deployable boom provides the correct separation (focal length) between the detector units (DU) and MMAs. These payload elements are supported by the IXPE spacecraft which is derived from the BCP-small spacecraft architecture. This paper summarizes the IXPE mission science objectives, updates the Observatory implementation concept including the payload and spacecraft ts and summarizes the mission status since last year’s conference.

Deininger, William D.↗

NASA NTRS2023

A Multi-Sensor, Low Volume, Automated Culture System for Space Biology Experiments

Optical density (absorbance) is commonly used in microbiology to measure cell concentration and other colorimetric indicators. It is the main type of bioscience data returned from the BioSentinel small spacecraft mission, which was recently launched as a secondary payload on Artemis I. The flight unit takes absorbance measurements of yeast cultures at 570 nm, 630 nm, and 850 nm to track cell concentration and oxidation-reduction (redox) state of the metabolic indicator dye alamarBlue over time [1]. Because the data returned from a small spacecraft mission is necessarily limited, BioSentinel uses a specialized ground-based experiment apparatus to map the absorbance data onto several other parameters. This culture apparatus is composed of a polycarbonate base and lid which contain ports for several commercial sensors, including a standard 12 mm dissolved oxygen probe, gaseous CO2, fluid pressure, and two micro-probes for measuring pH and redox potential. It also contains a pressure relief valve, a rubber membrane for culture interaction, and a 12mm port for the custom optical probe designed to match in-flight measurements. Modules in two corners expand the culture volume into narrow columns, enabling solid-state optical density measurement and dielectric spectroscopy. The apparatus can be fit to a plate for magnetic stirring. The apparatus’s optical probe allows mapping between the flight unit’s optical data and the additional parameters measured by the ground-based experiments. Within the probe, a linear actuator pulls a plunger, drawing culture volume into the optical path. The actuator then pushes out the plunger and culture volume, cleaning any stray yeast from the inside surface of the probe. The probe chassis is 3D-printed from biocompatible resin with the optoelectronics cured inside an optically clear conformal coat which functions as a lens. To optimize the probe’s dimensions, including optical path, a test harness was developed to manipulate and measure distance while the LED light sources and photodiode detector are in operation. The test harness was composed of two 3/64” thick polycarbonate plates mounted to a set of calipers. The LEDs and photodiode were mounted on the outside of each plate. A cuvette of sample fluid was then clamped between the plates in line between the LEDs and photodiode. The test harness generated a 78% signal change between water and a dye standard for the green (570 nm) LED, a 90% signal change for the red (630 nm) LED, and a 25% signal change between water and overgrown yeast for the infrared (850 nm) LED. The improvements to the ground experiment apparatus (culture volume reduction, inclusion of an optical probe to measure flight-like optical data, and magnetic stirring for culture homogeneity) allow for more flight-like measurements to be taken and more accurate mapping of these additional parameters to the optical data returned from the flight unit. This enhancement to mission science return will give insight into how deep space radiation may affect human biology for future long-term space exploration.

Multi-Sensor↗

NASA NTRS1999

Human Mars Mission: SEP Architecture Crew Taxi Propulsion Stage Study and Design and Technology for Reaction and Control System

The Mars exploration is a candidate pathway to expand human presence and useful activities in the solar system. There are several propulsion system options being considered to place the Mars payload on its inter-planetary transfer trajectory. One propulsion option is the use of Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) to spiral out with the Mars payload from an initial Low Earth Orbit (LEO) to an elliptical High Earth Orbit (HEO). This report, presented in annotated facing page format, describes the work completed on the design of a crew taxi propulsion stage used in conjunction with the SEP. Transportation system/mission analysis topics covered in this report include sub-system analysis, trajectory profile description, mass performance and crew taxi stage sizing, stage configuration, stage cost, and Trans-Mars Injection (TMI) launch window. The high efficiency of SEP is used to provide the major part of the TMI propulsion maneuver. Orbital energy is continuously added over a period of approximately twelve months. The SEP and Mars payload follow a spiral trajectory from an initial LEO to a final elliptical HEO. A small chemical stage is then used to provide the final part of the TMI. The now unloaded SEP returns to LEO to repeat another spiral trajectory with payload to HEO. The spiral phase of the SEP's trajectory takes several months to reach HEO, thus significantly increasing the exposure time of the crew to zero-gravity. In order to minimize the long zero-gravity effects, a high thrust chemical stage delivers the crew to the SEP's HEO. The crew rendezvous with the Mars payload in HEO. After a checkout period the Mars payload with the crew is injected onto a Trans-Mars Trajectory by a small chemical stage.

Young, Archie↗

NASA NTRS1999

Human Mars Mission: SEP Architecture, Crew Taxi Propulsion Stage Study and Design and Technology for Reaction and Control System

The Mars exploration is a candidate pathway to expand human presence and useful activities in the solar system. There are several propulsion system options being considered to place the Mars payload on its interplanetary transfer trajectory. One propulsion option is the use of Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) to spiral out with the Mars payload from an initial Low Earth Orbit (LEO) to an elliptical High Earth Orbit (HEO). This report, presented in annotated facing page format, describes the work completed on the design of a crew taxi propulsion stage used in conjunction with the SEP. Transportation system/mission analysis topics covered in this report include sub-system analysis, trajectory profile description, mass performance and crew taxi stage sizing, stage configuration, stage cost, and Trans-Mars Injection (TMI) launch window. The high efficiency of SEP is used to provide the major part of the TMI propulsion maneuver. Orbital energy is continuously added over a period of approximately twelve months. The SEP and Mars payload follow a spiral trajectory from an initial LEO to a final elliptical HEO. A small chemical stage is then used to provide the final part of the TMI. The now unloaded SEP returns to LEO to repeat another spiral trajectory with payload to HEO. The spiral phase of the SEP's trajectory takes several months to reach HEO, thus significantly increasing the exposure time of the crew to zero-gravity. In order to minimize the long zero-gravity effects, a high thrust chemical stage delivers the crew to the SEP's HEO. The crew rendezvous with the Mars payload in HEO. After a checkout period the Mars payload with the crew is injected onto a Trans-Mars Trajectory by a small chemical stage.

Young, Archie↗

NASA NTRS1992

Control-structure interaction/mirror motion compensation

Space Systems/Loral (formerly Ford Aerospace, Space Systems Division) has implemented a rigid-body Mirror Motion Compensation (MMC) scheme for the GOES-I/M spacecraft currently being built for NASA and NOAA. This has resulted in a factor of 15 reduction in pointing error due to rigid-body spacecraft motion induced by the periodic black-body calibration maneuvers required for the instruments. For GOES the spacecraft and the payload mirrors are considered as rigid bodies. The structural flexibility effects are small and are included in the total pointing budget as a separate item. This paper extends the MMC technique to include structural flexibility. For large multi-payload platforms, the structural flexibility effects can be more important in sensor pointing jitter as the result of payload motion. Sensitivity results are included to show the importance of the dynamic model fidelity.

Mclaren, Mark↗

NASA NTRS2014

Designing an Alternate Mission Operations Control Room

The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) is a multi-project facility that is responsible for 24x7 real-time International Space Station (ISS) payload operations management, integration, and control and has the capability to support small satellite projects and will provide real-time support for SLS launches. The HOSC is a service-oriented/ highly available operations center for ISS payloads-directly supporting science teams across the world responsible for the payloads. The HOSC is required to endure an annual 2-day power outage event for facility preventive maintenance and safety inspection of the core electro-mechanical systems. While complete system shut-downs are against the grain of a highly available sub-system, the entire facility must be powered down for a weekend for environmental and safety purposes. The consequence of this ground system outage is far reaching: any science performed on ISS during this outage weekend is lost. Engineering efforts were focused to maximize the ISS investment by engineering a suitable solution capable of continuing HOSC services while supporting safety requirements. The HOSC Power Outage Contingency (HPOC) System is a physically diversified compliment of systems capable of providing identified real-time services for the duration of a planned power outage condition from an alternate control room. HPOC was designed to maintain ISS payload operations for approximately three continuous days during planned HOSC power outages and support a local Payload Operations Team, International Partners, as well as remote users from the alternate control room located in another building.

Montgomery, Patty↗

NASA NTRS1999

Propulsive Small Expendable Deployer System (ProSEDS) Experiment

ProSEDS is a secondary (i.e. piggyback) payload on a Delta-11 GPS 8 mission scheduled for launch in August 2000. It will test the feasibility of generating generate electrodynamic thrust without propellant using a 5 kilometer conducting wire (tether). The ProSEDS obtains thrust as the tether cuts across the magnetic field, a voltage is induced across the wire. Electrons are attracted to the positively based far end of the wire. Electrons flow downward through the conductive tether. Earth's magnetic field exerts a drag force on the current in the tether segments, that is mechanically transferred via the wire to the stage. The primary objective for the ProSEDs mission is to demonstrate that a significant, measurable electrodynamic thrust through a tether in space. The primary mission will last one day, as the primary battery assures at least three orbits of data will be collected, the remaining power will be provided by the secondary battery, which uses tether generated power to recharge. The extended mission begins using the power provided through the tether, and wil terminate when a system ceases to function; (i.e., either degradation of the tether,through Atomic Oxygen contact, a micrometeoroid or other debris impact, or another malfunction.) The technology has many potential applications. Amongst the applications, which are reviewed in detail, are: (1) satellite deorbit, (2) reboost of the International Space Station, (3) propellantless reusable Orbit Transfer Vehicles, (4) Propulsion and power generation for future Jovian missions.

Johnson, Les↗

NASA NTRS2002

Orbital Propagation of Momentum Exchange Tether Systems

An advanced concept in in-space transportation currently being studied is the Momentum-Exchange/Electrodynamic Reboost Tether System (MXER). The system acts as a large momentum wheel, imparting a Av to a payload in low earth orbit (LEO) at the expense of its own orbital energy. After throwing a payload, the system reboosts itself using an electrodynamic tether to push against Earth's magnetic field and brings itself back up to an operational orbit to prepare for the next payload. The ability to reboost itself allows for continued reuse of the system without the expenditure of propellants. Considering the cost of lifting propellant from the ,ground to LEO to do the same Av boost at $10000 per pound, the system cuts the launch cost of the payload dramatically, and subsequently, the MXER system pays for itself after a small number of missions.1 One of the technical hurdles to be overcome with the MXER concept is the rendezvous maneuver. The rendezvous window for the capture of the payload is on the order of a few seconds, as opposed to traditional docking maneuvers, which can take as long ets necessary to complete a precise docking. The payload, therefore, must be able to match its orbit to meet up with the capture device on the end of the tether at a specific time and location in the future. In order to be able to determine that location, the MXER system must be numerically propagated forward in time to predict where the capture device will be at that instant. It should be kept in mind that the propagation computation must be done faster than real-time. This study focuses on the efforts to find and/or build the tools necessary to numerically propagate the motion of the MXER system as accurately as possible.

John Westerhoff↗

NASA NTRS1981

Small velocity changes using a SEP spacecraft

The Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) system is designed to deliver large payloads using extended thrusting periods. However, for certain classes of missions, it would be desirable to also use the low thrust propulsion system to impart the small velocity changes typically required to control an orbit in the vicinity of the target body. This paper examines the characteristics and capabilities of using an example SEP system to apply small velocity changes in arbitrary directions. Formulas are developed and examples presented for the rotation and translation which results when the ion thrusters are used to make large turns about all three of the spacecraft axes. This data is then used to propose various techniques for achieving arbitrary velocity changes. While still in a formative stage, the results may be useful in both the design of SEP spacecraft and formulation of future missions.

Jones, J. B.↗

NASA NTRS2017

Multispectral Snapshot Imagers Onboard Small Satellite Formations for Multi-Angular Remote Sensing

Multispectral snapshot imagers are capable of producing 2D spatial images with a single exposure at selected, numerous wavelengths using the same camera, therefore operate differently from push broom or whiskbroom imagers. They are payloads of choice in multi-angular, multi-spectral imaging missions that use small satellites flying in controlled formation, to retrieve Earth science measurements dependent on the targets Bidirectional Reflectance-Distribution Function (BRDF). Narrow fields of view are needed to capture images with moderate spatial resolution. This paper quantifies the dependencies of the imagers optical system, spectral elements and camera on the requirements of the formation mission and their impact on performance metrics such as spectral range, swath and signal to noise ratio (SNR). All variables and metrics have been generated from a comprehensive, payload design tool. The baseline optical parameters selected (diameter 7 cm, focal length 10.5 cm, pixel size 20 micron, field of view 1.15 deg) and snapshot imaging technologies are available. The spectral components shortlisted were waveguide spectrometers, acousto-optic tunable filters (AOTF), electronically actuated Fabry-Perot interferometers, and integral field spectrographs. Qualitative evaluation favored AOTFs because of their low weight, small size, and flight heritage. Quantitative analysis showed that waveguide spectrometers perform better in terms of achievable swath (10-90 km) and SNR (greater than 20) for 86 wavebands, but the data volume generated will need very high bandwidth communication to downlink. AOTFs meet the external data volume caps well as the minimum spectral (wavebands) and radiometric (SNR) requirements, therefore are found to be currently feasible in spite of lower swath and SNR.

Nag, Sreeja↗

NASA NTRS1975

Hybrid measurement chains for the SAS-C spacecraft

Spacecraft electronic systems usually demand tight packaging. It was this consideration which initially forced us to consider hybrid circuits for the analog signal processing circuits in the Small Astronomy Satellite-C (SAS-C) scientific payload. We gradually discovered that increased reliability, low power consumption, and reduced program costs all followed. This paper will attempt to share our laboratory's first experience with hybrid circuits and indicate those areas which we found to be important.

Goeke, R. F.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Risks of nuclear waste disposal in space. III - Long-term orbital evolution of small particle distribution

A study of long term risks is presented that treats an additional pathway that could result in earth reentry, namely, small radioactive particles released in solar orbit due to payload fragmentation by accidental explosion or meteoroid impact. A characterization of such an event and of the initial mass size distribution of particles is given for two extremes of waste form strength. Attention is given to numerical results showing the mass-time distribution of material and the fraction of initial mass intercepted by earth. It is concluded that it appears that program planners need not be to concerned about the risks of this particular failure mechanism and return pathway.

Friedlander, A. L.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Control strategy for cooperating disparate manipulators

To manipulate large payloads typical of space construction, the concept of a small arm mounted on the end of a large arm is introduced. The main purposes of such a configuration are to increase the structural stiffness of the robot by bracing against or locking to a stationary frame, and to maintain a firm position constraint between the robot's base and workpieces by grasping them. Possible topologies for a combination of disparate large and small arms are discussed, and kinematics, dynamics, controls, and coordination of the two arms, especially when they brace at the tip of the small arm, are developed. The feasibility and improvement in performance are verified, not only with analytical work and simulation results but also with experiments on the existing arrangement Robotic Arm Large and Flexible and Small Articulated Manipulator.

Lew, Jae Young↗