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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 451 records · Page 25

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NASA NTRS1993

Pressurized modules for Space Station Freedom

Crew workstations, storage, and facilities in the SSF Habitation module along with station housekeeping and supporting subsystems (power, thermal, and life support) are considered. The U.S. Laboratory and Habitation modules are based on a common structural design. The pressurized logistics modules (PLMs) have maximum commonality with the other pressurized modules including common ring frames and waffle grid skin; multilayer insulation and debris shield; and one common endcone.

Hopson, George D.↗

NASA NTRS2005

International Laser Ranging Service (ILRS) 2003-2004 Annual Report

The International Laser Ranging Service (ILRS) organizes and coordinates Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) and Lunar Laser Ranging (LLR) to support programs in geodetic, geophysical, and lunar research activities and provides the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS) with products important to the maintenance of an accurate International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF). This reference frame provides the stability through which systematic measurements of the Earth can be made over thousands of kilometers, decades of time, and evolution of measurement technology. This 2003-2004 ILRS annual report is comprised of individual contributions from ILRS components within the international geodetic community for the years 2003-2004. The report documents changes and progress of the ILRS and is also available on the ILRS Web site at http://ilrs.gsfc.nasa.gov/reports/ilrs_reports/ilrsar_2003.html.

Pearlman, Michael↗

NASA NTRS2012

Radiation-Hard SpaceWire/Gigabit Ethernet-Compatible Transponder

A radiation-hard transponder was developed utilizing submicron/nanotechnology from IBM. The device consumes low power and has a low fabrication cost. This device utilizes a Plug-and-Play concept, and can be integrated into intra-satellite networks, supporting SpaceWire and Gigabit Ethernet I/O. A space-qualified, 100-pin package also was developed, allowing space-qualified (class K) transponders to be delivered within a six-month time frame. The novel, optical, radiation-tolerant transponder was implemented as a standalone board, containing the transponder ASIC (application specific integrated circuit) and optical module, with an FPGA (field-programmable gate array) friendly parallel interface. It features improved radiation tolerance; high-data-rate, low-power consumption; and advanced functionality. The transponder utilizes a patented current mode logic library of radiation-hardened-by-architecture cells. The transponder was developed, fabricated, and radhard tested up to 1 MRad. It was fabricated using 90-nm CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) 9 SF process from IBM, and incorporates full BIT circuitry, allowing a loop back test. The low-speed parallel LVCMOS (lowvoltage complementary metal oxide semiconductor) bus is compatible with Actel FPGA. The output LVDS (low-voltage differential signaling) interface operates up to 1.5 Gb/s. Built-in CDR (clock-data recovery) circuitry provides robust synchronization and incorporates two alarm signals such as synch loss and signal loss. The ultra-linear peak detector scheme allows on-line control of the amplitude of the input signal. Power consumption is less than 300 mW. The developed transponder with a 1.25 Gb/s serial data rate incorporates a 10-to-1 serializer with an internal clock multiplication unit and a 10-1 deserializer with internal clock and data recovery block, which can operate with 8B10B encoded signals. Three loop-back test modes are provided to facilitate the built-in-test functionality. The design is based on a proprietary library of differential current switching logic cells implemented in the standard 90-nm CMOS 9SF technology from IBM. The proprietary low-power LVDS physical interface is fully compatible with the SpaceWire standard, and can be directly connected to the SFP MSA (small form factor pluggable Multiple Source Agreement) optical transponder. The low-speed parallel interfaces are fully compatible with the standard 1.8 V CMOS input/output devices. The utilized proprietary annular CMOS layout structures provide TID tolerance above 1.2 MRad. The complete chip consumes less than 150 mW of power from a single 1.8-V positive supply source.

Katzman, Vladimir↗

NASA NTRS1981

Image motion compensation on the Spacelab 2 Solar Optical Universal Polarimeter /SL2 SOUP/

The SOUP experiment on Spacelab 2 includes a 30 cm visible light telescope and focal plane package mounted on the Instrument Pointing System (IPS). Scientific goals of the experiment dictate pointing stability requirements of less than 0.05 arcsecond jitter over periods of 5-20 seconds. Quantitative derivations of these requirements from two different aspects are presented: (1) avoidance of motion blurring of diffraction-limited images; (2) precise coalignment of consecutive frames to allow measurement of small image differences. To achieve this stability, a fine guider system capable of removing residual jitter of the IPS and image motions generated on the IPS cruciform instrument support structure has been constructed. This system uses solar limb detectors in the prime focal plane to derive an error signal. Image motion due to pointing errors is compensated by the agile secondary mirror mounted on piezoelectric transducers, controlled by a closed-loop servo system.

Tarbell, T. D.↗

NASA NTRS1992

An airborne system for collecting polarization imagery

This paper describes a recently completed electrooptical camera flying onboard the NASA ER-2 high altitude aircraft. The device includes a six-position filter wheel which can be fitted with a combination of polarizing and/or spectral filters. An alternate configuration will include a polarizing filter which can be rotated to any angle under computer control. The camera mount in the nose of the ER-2 can tilt forward or aft up to 40 degrees, both for bidirectional reflectance studies and for image motion compensation (the aircraft moves 34 meters between frame acquisitions). The ground resolution is nominally 5 meters from and altitude of 20 km. Spectral responsivity is that of the silicon imaging array (Kodak KAF-1400). Initial data sets were acquired in support of the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Program Regional Experiment of November, 1991, and will be used to study cirrus cloud properties.

Hildum, Edward A.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Program Supports Scientific Visualization

Primary purpose of General Visualization System (GVS) computer program is to support scientific visualization of data generated by panel-method computer program PMARC_12 (inventory number ARC-13362) on Silicon Graphics Iris workstation. Enables user to view PMARC geometries and wakes as wire frames or as light shaded objects. GVS is written in C language.

Keith, Stephan↗

NASA NTRS1993

Erosion of ejecta at Meteor Crater, Arizona

New methods for estimating erosion at Meteor Crater, Arizona, indicate that continuous ejecta deposits beyond 1/4-1/2 crater radii from the rim have been lowered less than 1 m on the average. This conclusion is based on the results of two approaches: coarsening of unweathered ejecta into surface lag deposits and calculation of the sediment budget within a drainage basin on the ejecta. Preserved ejecta morphologies beneath thin alluvium revealed by ground-penetrating radar provide qualitative support for the derived estimates. Although slightly greater erosion of less resistant ejecta locally has occurred, such deposits were limited in extent, particularly beyond 0.25R-0.5R from the present rim. Subtle but preserved primary ejecta features further support our estimate of minimal erosion of ejecta since the crater formed about 50,000 years ago. Unconsolidated deposits formed during other sudden extreme events exhibit similarly low erosion over the same time frame; the common factor is the presence of large fragments or large fragments in a matrix of finer debris. At Meteor Crater, fluvial and eolian processes remove surrounding fines leaving behind a surface lag of coarse-grained ejecta fragments that armor surfaces and slow vertical lowering.

Grant, John A.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Abscisic acid, xanthoxin and violaxanthin in the caps of gravistimulated maize roots

The occurrence and distribution of abscisic acid (ABA), xanthoxin (Xa) and the carotenoid violaxanthin (Va) were investigated in root tips of maize (Zea mays L. cv. Merit). In roots grown in the dark, Va and ABA were present in relatively high amounts in the root cap and in low amounts in the adjacent terminal 1.5 mm of the root. Xanthoxin was present in equal concentrations in both regions. In roots exposed to light, the ABA distribution was reversed, with relatively low levels in the root cap and high levels in the adjacent 1.5-mm segment. Light also caused a decrease in Va in both regions of the root and an increase in Xa, especially in the cap. In the maize cultivar used for this work, light is necessary for gravitropic curving. This response occurs within the same time frame as the light-induced ABA redistribution as well as the changes in the levels of Va and Xa. These data are consistent with a role for ABA in root gravitropism and support the proposal that Xa may arise from the turnover of Va.

NASA Discipline Plant Biology↗

NASA NTRS2008

Control System for Bearingless Motor-generator

A control system for an electromagnetic rotary drive for bearingless motor-generators comprises a winding configuration comprising a plurality of individual pole pairs through which phase current flows, each phase current producing both a lateral force and a torque. A motor-generator comprises a stator, a rotor supported for movement relative to the stator, and a control system. The motor-generator comprises a winding configuration supported by the stator. The winding configuration comprises at least three pole pairs through which phase current flows resulting in three three-phase systems. Each phase system has a first rotor reference frame axis current that produces a levitating force with no average torque and a second rotor reference frame axis current that produces torque.

Kascak, Peter E.↗

NASA NTRS2010

Control system for bearingless motor-generator

Kascak, Peter E.↗

NASA NTRS2013

Real-Time Optimization for use in a Control Allocation System to Recover from Pilot Induced Oscillations

Integration of the Control Allocation technique to recover from Pilot Induced Oscillations (CAPIO) System into the control system of a Short Takeoff and Landing Mobility Concept Vehicle simulation presents a challenge because the CAPIO formulation requires that constrained optimization problems be solved at the controller operating frequency. We present a solution that utilizes a modified version of the well-known L-BFGS-B solver. Despite the iterative nature of the solver, the method is seen to converge in real time with sufficient reliability to support three weeks of piloted runs at the NASA Ames Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS) facility. The results of the optimization are seen to be excellent in the vast majority of real-time frames. Deficiencies in the quality of the results in some frames are shown to be improvable with simple termination criteria adjustments, though more real-time optimization iterations would be required.

optimal control↗

DOE OSTI2022

DESIGN AND TESTING OF A 275 BAR 700 DEGREE CELSIUS EXPANDER FOR AN INTEGRALLY GEARED SUPERCRITICAL CO2 COMPANDER

An integrally-geared (IG) compressor-expander (compander) for use in a nominal 10 MW-scale concentrated solar power (CSP) supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) plant application was designed, manufactured, and tested. The integrally-geared compander (IGC) developed for this application comprises multiple pinion shafts interacting through a single bull gear to create a compact package and utilize a lowcost, low-speed driver. The present work will detail the design of the high-pressure high-temperature expander casing on an integrally geared frame, and illustrate how the project successfully mitigated the risk of fatigue and creep while allowing for rapid thermal transients in the design. Furthermore, test data from the test campaign will be presented supporting the analysis. Test results also show temperature profiles during operation exceeding 720° Celsius.

wilkes, jason↗

DOE OSTI2022

TEAMER: FOSWEC Mooring Modeling and Analysis, Post Access Report and Data

Floating oscillating surge wave energy converters (FOSWECs) offer several advantages over bottom-hinged oscillating surge wave energy converters, including large wave potential at deep-water sites with fewer permitting and environmental concerns outside territorial waters. As a team, Stevens Institute of Technology, Virginia Tech and Resolute Marine Energy are designing a 100 kW FOSWEC with DOE support (2020-2021) for the PacWave test site "PacWave". The proposed FOSWEC consists of a floating platform, two pivoting flaps, and an innovative power-take-off (PTO). The distance between the two flaps is around half the typical wavelength, resulting in out-of-phase motion and a reduction in motion of the frame and mooring loads. The overall goal of the project is to design, build, deploy and analyze a 1:2 scale (100-kW annual averaged electrical power output) device with reduced levelized cost of energy (LCOE) and peak-to-average power ratio, through the co-design and control of the PTO, WEC, and floating platform. This submission includes a Post Access Report and data for the project of Mooring Modeling and Analysis for Floating Oscillating Surge Wave Energy Converter that Powers Marine Aquaculture of RFTS2 (request for technical support). The data are used to generate all figures in the Post Access Report. Project was a collaboration between Virginia Tech and the National Renewable Energy Lab, with funding from TEAMER.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗

DOE OSTI2026

Online task-space motion control for positioner-coordinated multi-robot manufacturing systems

Incorporating multiple robotic manipulators into large-scale manufacturing systems enhances production efficiency and expands manufacturing capabilities beyond those of single-robot systems. Workpiece positioners in robotic manufacturing have demonstrated significant benefits for process optimization, but coordination strategies for multi-robot systems with shared positioners have received limited attention. This work presents a task-space coordinated trajectory-tracking control framework for multi-robot manufacturing systems, in which robots coordinate their motions within a shared, dynamic workpiece positioning frame. A workpiece positioner actively adjusts the pose of the manufactured component to enable greater operational concurrency and improve overall production efficiency. The proposed motion-coordination scheme employs a distributed and scalable architecture, supporting coordination across heterogeneous multi-robot systems. Two optimization methodologies are introduced to manage kinematic redundancies and maintain continuous, near-optimal operation throughout the manufacturing process. The first strategy exploits a task-space dimensionality reduction to achieve locally optimal configurations by leveraging symmetry-axis rotations of the tool. The second strategy utilizes the workpiece positioner to drive the coordinated robots toward stable and kinematically favorable configurations. For both optimization strategies, multiple objectives are defined to improve key performance metrics, including manipulability, configuration consistency, proximity to mechanical limits, and motion efficiency. Addressing a key limitation of existing coordination approaches, the framework is designed around online setpoint modification, allowing coordinated robots to respond effectively to in-situ process feedback. The proposed control framework is validated using the Robot Operating System (ROS) middleware on a combination of physical and simulated multi-robot system hardware.

Arbogast, Alex [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000154740723)↗

DOE OSTI2025

Design, Construction, and Installation of In-Glovebox Pumped Actinide Molten Salt Loops

This report summarizes the work conducted in FY25 to construct and install pumped actinide-bearing molten salt loopsin a radiological glovebox. The establishment of such a capability will provide a platform in which technologies developed for Gen. IV molten salt reactors may be tested under relevant operating conditions. A review of convective molten salt systems is provided to frame Argonne’s pumped actinide loop relative to contemporary and historical systems. Moreover, the infrastructure needed to operate the system is detailed to provide additional context as to design metrics of the loops and supporting equipment. The pumps’ performance in water testing is outlined and used to inform operational activities planned in FY26. Finally, electrochemical experiments investigating fundamental reaction mechanisms governing reactive oxygen species that promote corrosion of molten salt media is also reported. In total, these combined loop installation and sensor development tasks will serve to aid in the future commercial deployment of molten salt reactors in the U.S.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

NASA NTRS1988

Functional component approach to telemetry data capture systems

A functional component approach to telemetry data capture systems is under development at the Mission Operations and Data Systems Directorate at the Goddard Space Flight Center which could support telemetry system needs in the next decade. The objective is to develop a library of functional modules which perform common telemetry functions. Some common telemetry data capture functions are NASA communications block processing, frame synchronization, Reed/Solomon decoding, packet processing, and virtual channel sorting/multiplexing.

Sabia, Steve↗

NASA NTRS2014

Using Tests Designed to Measure Individual Sensorimotor Subsystem Perfomance to Predict Locomotor Adaptability

Astronauts experience sensorimotor disturbances during the initial exposure to microgravity and during the readapation phase following a return to a gravitational environment. These alterations may lead to disruption in the ability to perform mission critical functions during and after these gravitational transitions. Astronauts show significant inter-subject variation in adaptive capability following gravitational transitions. The way each individual's brain synthesizes the available visual, vestibular and somatosensory information is likely the basis for much of the variation. Identifying the presence of biases in each person's use of information available from these sensorimotor subsystems and relating it to their ability to adapt to a novel locomotor task will allow us to customize a training program designed to enhance sensorimotor adaptability. Eight tests are being used to measure sensorimotor subsystem performance. Three of these use measures of body sway to characterize balance during varying sensorimotor challenges. The effect of vision is assessed by repeating conditions with eyes open and eyes closed. Standing on foam, or on a support surface that pitches to maintain a constant ankle angle provide somatosensory challenges. Information from the vestibular system is isolated when vision is removed and the support surface is compromised, and it is challenged when the tasks are done while the head is in motion. The integration and dominance of visual information is assessed in three additional tests. The Rod & Frame Test measures the degree to which a subject's perception of the visual vertical is affected by the orientation of a tilted frame in the periphery. Locomotor visual dependence is determined by assessing how much an oscillating virtual visual world affects a treadmill-walking subject. In the third of the visual manipulation tests, subjects walk an obstacle course while wearing up-down reversing prisms. The two remaining tests include direct measures of knee and ankle proprioception and a functional movement assessment that screens for movement restrictions and asymmetries. To assess each subject's locomotor adaptability subjects walk for twenty minutes on a treadmill that oscillates laterally at 0.3 Hz. Throughout the test metabolic cost provides a measure of exertion and step frequency provides a measure of stability. Additionally, at four points during the perturbation period, reaction time tests are used to probe changes in the amount of mental effort being used to perform the task. As with the adaptive capability observed in astronauts during gravitational transitions, our data shows significant variability between subjects. To aid in the analysis of the results, custom software tools have been developed to enhance in the visualization of the large number of output variables. Preliminary analyses of the data collected to date do not show a strong relationship between adaptability and any single predictor variable. Analysis continues to identify a multifactorial predictor outcome "signature" that do inform us of locomotor adaptability.

Peters, B. T.↗

NASA NTRS2019

The ILRS: Approaching 20 Years and Planning for the Future

The International Laser Ranging Service (ILRS) was established by the International Association of Geodesy (IAG) in 1998 to support programs in geodesy, geophysics, fundamental constants and lunar research, and to provide the International Earth Rotation Service with data products that are essential to the maintenance and improvement in the International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF), the basis for metric measurements of changes in the Earth and Earth–Moon system. Other scientific products derived from laser ranging include precise geocentric positions and motions of ground stations, satellite orbits, components of Earth’s gravity field and their temporal variations, Earth Orientation Parameters, precise lunar ephemerides and information about the internal structure of the Moon. Laser ranging systems are already measuring the one-way distance to remote optical receivers in space and are performing very accurate time transfer between remote sites in the Earth and in Space. The ILRS works closely with the IAG’s Global Geodetic Observing System. The ILRS develops (1) the standards and specifications necessary for product consistency, and (2) the priorities and tracking strategies required to maximize network efficiency. The service collects, merges, analyzes, archives and distributes satellite and lunar laser ranging data to satisfy a variety of scientific, engineering, and operational needs and encourages the application of new technologies to enhance the quality, quantity, and cost effectiveness of its data products. The ILRS works with (1) new satellite missions in the design and building of retroreflector targets to maximize data quality and quantity, and (2) science programs to optimize scientific data yield. Since its inception, the ILRS has grown to include forty laser ranging stations distributed around the world. The ILRS stations track more than ninety satellites from low Earth orbit (LEO) to the geosynchronous orbit altitude as well as retroreflector arrays on the surface of the Moon. Applications have been expanded to include time transfer, asynchronous ranging for targets at extended ranges, free space quantum telecommunications, and the tracking of space debris. Laser ranging technology is moving to lower energy, higher repetition rates (kHz), single-photon-sensitive detectors, shorter pulse widths, shorter normal point intervals for faster data acquisition, and increased pass interleaving, automated to autonomous operation with remote access, and embedded software for real-time updates and decision making. An example of pass interleaving is presented for the Yarragadee station (see Fig. 4); tracking of LEO satellites is often accommodated during break in LEO and GNSS passes. New satellites arrays provide more compact targets and work continues on the development of lighter less expensive arrays for satellites and the moon. The service now provides operational ITRF products including daily/ weekly station positions and daily resolution Earth orientation products; the flow of weekly combination of satellite orbit files for LAGEOS/Etalon-1 and -2 has recently been established. New products are under testing through a pilot project on systematic error monitoring currently underway. The article will give an overview of activities underway within the service, paths forward presently envisioned, and current issues and challenges.

Laser retroreflectors↗