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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 469 records · Page 26
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1998

Applications of telemedicine in the United States space program

Since the beginning of human space flight, NASA has been placing humans in extreme and remote environments. There are many challenges in maintaining humans in outer space, including the provision of life-support systems, radiation shielding, and countermeasures for minimizing the effect of microgravity. Because astronauts are selected for their health, among other factors, disease and illness are minimized. However, it is still of great importance to have appropriate medical care systems in place to address illness and injury should they occur. With the exception of the Apollo program, exploration of space has been limited to missions that are within several hundred miles of the surface of the Earth. At the drawn of the 21st century and the new millennium, human exploration will be focused on operation of the International Space Station (ISS) and preparation for human missions to Mars. These missions will present inherent risks to human health, and, therefore, appropriate plans must be established to address these challenges and risks. Crews of long-duration missions must become more independent from ground controllers. New systems, protocols, and procedures are currently being perfected. Application of emerging technologies in information systems and telecommunications will be critical to inflight medical care. Application of these technologies through telemedicine will provide crew members access to information, noninvasive procedures for assessing health status, and guidance through the integration of sensors, holography, decision-support systems, and virtual environments. These technologies will also serve as a basis to enhance training and medical education. The design of medical care for space flight should lead to a redesign of the practice of medicine on Earth.

Review, Tutorial↗
NASA NTRS1968

Acceleration

Human responses to linear sustained and rotary acceleration, zero and reduced gravity environments, and impact in manned space flight

Craig, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Glossary of software engineering laboratory terms

A glossary of terms used in the Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) is presented. The terms are defined within the context of the software development environment for flight dynamics at Goddard Space Flight Center. A concise reference for clarifying and understanding the language employed in SEL documents and data collection forms is provided.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1985

Effects of the Low Earth Orbital environment on spacecraft materials

Recession of organic-polymer-based surfaces due to oxidation by atomic oxygen, the major component of the LEO environment, was studied in Space Shuttle flights 5, 8, and 41-G to measure reaction rates and the effects of various parameters on reaction rates. Surface recession on the flights indicates reaction rates of 3 x10 to the minus 24th power cc atom for unfilled organic polymers. Application of these rates to Space Station-type exposure for main structural items indicates that as much as 0.075 cm of surface recession occurs in 30 yr. Because of the importance of this effect on Space Station systems, additional experiments are planned to obtain better reaction rate measurements ensuring and adequate data base for Space Station design.

Leger, L. J.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Measuring Ada as a software development technology in the Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL)

An experiment is in progress to measure the effectiveness of Ada in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration/Goddard Space Flight Center flight dynamics software development environment. The experiment features the parallel development of software in FORTRAN and Ada. The experiment organization, objectives, and status are discussed. Experiences with an Ada training program and data from the development of a 5700-line Ada training exercise are reported.

Agresti, W. W.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Microgravity Experiments On Animals

Paper describes experiments on animal subjects planned for Spacelab Life Sciences 1 mission. Laboratory equipment evaluated, and physiological experiments performed. Represents first step in establishing technology for maintaining and manipulating rodents, nonhuman primates, amphibians, and plants during space flight without jeopardizing crew's environment. In addition, experiments focus on effects of microgravity on cardiopulmonary, cardiovascular, and musculoskeletal systems; on regulation of volume of blood and production of red blood cells; and on calcium metabolism and gravity receptors.

Dalton, B. P.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Preliminary design of a universal Martian lander

In the next 25 years, mankind will be undertaking yet another giant leap forward in the exploration of the solar system: a manned mission to Mars. This journey will provide important information on the composition and history of both Mars and the Solar System. A manned mission will also provide the opportunity to study how humans can adapt to long term space flight conditions and the Martian environment. As part of the NASA/USRA program, nineteen West Virginia University students conducted a preliminary design of a manned Universal Martian Lander (UML). The UML's design will provide a 'universal' platform, consisting of four modules for living and laboratory experiments and a liquid-fuel propelled Manned Ascent Return Vehicle (MARV). The distinguishing feature of the UML is the 'universal' design of the modules which can be connected to form a network of laboratories and living quarters for future missions thereby reducing development and production costs. The WVU design considers descent to Mars from polar orbit, a six month surface stay, and ascent for rendezvous. The design begins with an unmanned UML landing at Elysium Mons followed by the manned UML landing nearby. During the six month surface stay, the eight modules will be assembled to form a Martian base where scientific experiments will be performed. The mission will also incorporate hydroponic plant growth into a Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS) for water recycling, food production, and to counteract psychological effects of living on Mars. In situ fuel production for the MARV will be produced from gases in the Martian atmosphere. Following surface operations, the eight member crew will use the MARV to return to the Martian Transfer Vehicle (MTV) for the journey home to Earth.

Norman, Timothy L.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Analysis and Assessment of Peak Lightning Current Probabilities at the NASA Kennedy Space Center

This technical memorandum presents a summary by the Electromagnetics and Aerospace Environments Branch at the Marshall Space Flight Center of lightning characteristics and lightning criteria for the protection of aerospace vehicles. Probability estimates are included for certain lightning strikes (peak currents of 200, 100, and 50 kA) applicable to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Space Shuttle at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, during rollout, on-pad, and boost/launch phases. Results of an extensive literature search to compile information on this subject are presented in order to answer key questions posed by the Space Shuttle Program Office at the Johnson Space Center concerning peak lightning current probabilities if a vehicle is hit by a lightning cloud-to-ground stroke. Vehicle-triggered lightning probability estimates for the aforementioned peak currents are still being worked. Section 4.5, however, does provide some insight on estimating these same peaks.

Johnson, D. L.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Space Technology for Book Preservation

The Library of Congress has patented a process to extend book life. It is called vapor phased deacidification, and involves the use of DEZ (diethyl zinc), a chemical vapor which neutralizes acid and deposits an alkaline reserve on book pages. As the process must be done in an airless environment, the library utilized Goddard Space Flight Center's vacuum chamber for deacidification. The chamber can treat 5,000 books at once, and a new facility is planned. The Library plans to license the technology to private companies; several universities are interested in the process.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2009

Applications of Meteorological Tower Data at Kennedy Space Center

Members of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) design and operation communities rely on meteorological information collected at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), located near Cape Canaveral, Florida, to correctly apply the ambient environment to various tasks. The Natural Environments Branch/EV44, located at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama, is responsible for providing its NASA customers with meteorological data using various climatological data sources including balloons, surface stations, aircraft, hindcast models, and meteorological towers. Of the many resources available within the KSC region, meteorological towers are preferred for near-surface applications because they record data at regular, frequent intervals over an extensive period of record at a single location. This paper discusses the uses of data measured at several different meteorological towers for a common period of record and how the data can be applied to various engineering decisions for the new Constellation Program Ares and Orion space vehicles.

Altino, Karen M.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Configural Scoring of Simulator Sickness, Cybersickness and Space Adaptation Syndrome: Similarities and Differences?

From a survey of ten U.S. Navy flight simulators a large number (N > 1,600 exposures) of self-reports of motion sickness symptomatology were obtained. Using these data, scoring algorithms were derived, which permit examination of groups of individuals that can be scored either for 1) their total sickness experience in a particular device; or, 2) according to three separable symptom clusters which emerged from a Factor Analysis. Scores from this total score are found to be proportional to other global motion sickness symptom checklist scores with which they correlate (r = 0.82). The factors that surfaced from the analysis include clusters of symptoms referable as nausea, oculomotor disturbances, and disorientation (N, 0, and D). The factor scores may have utility in differentiating the source of symptoms in different devices. The present chapter describes our experience with the use of both of these types of scores and illustrates their use with examples from flight simulators, space sickness and virtual environments.

Kennedy, Robert S.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Reliability and Validity of Ultrasound Cross Sectional Area Measurements for Long-Duration Spaceflight

Limb muscle atrophy and the accompanying decline in function can adversely affect the performance of astronauts during mission-related activities and upon re-ambulation in a gravitational environment. Previous characterization of space flight-induced muscle atrophy has been performed using pre and post flight magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In addition to being costly and time consuming, MRI is an impractical methodology for assessing in-flight changes in muscle size. Given the mobility of ultrasound (US) equipment, it may be more feasible to evaluate changes in muscle size using this technique. PURPOSE: To examine the reliability and validity of using a customized template to acquire panoramic ultrasound (US) images for determining quadriceps and gastrocnemius anatomical cross sectional area (CSA). METHODS: Vastus lateralis (VL), rectus femoris (RF), medial gastrocnemius (MG), and lateral gastrocnemius (LG) CSA were assessed in 10 healthy individuals (36+/-2 yrs) using US and MRI. Panoramic US images were acquired by 2 sonographers using a customized template placed on the thigh and calf and analyzed by the same 2 sonographers (CX50 Philips). MRI images of the leg were acquired while subjects were supine in a 1.5T scanner (Signa Horizon LX, General Electric) and were analyzed by 3 trained investigators. The average of the 2 US and 3 MRI values were used for validity analysis. RESULTS: High inter-experimenter reliability was found for both the US template and MRI analysis as coefficients of variation across muscles ranged from 2.4 to 4.1% and 2.8 to 3.8%, respectively. Significant correlations were found between US and MRI CSA measures (VL, r = 0.85; RF, r = 0.60; MG, r = 0.86; LG, r = 0.73; p < 0.05). Furthermore, the standard error of measurement between US and MRI ranged from 0.91 to 2.09 sq cm with high limits of agreement analyzed by Bland-Altman plots. However, there were significant differences between absolute values of MRI and US for all muscles. CONCLUSION: The present results indicate that utilizing a customized US template provides reliable measures of leg muscle CSA, and thus could be used to characterize changes in muscle CSA both in flight and on the ground.

Scott, Jessica M.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Space Environments Testbed

The Space Environments Testbed (SET) is a flight controller data system for the Common Carrier Assembly. The SET-1 flight software provides the command, telemetry, and experiment control to ground operators for the SET-1 mission. Modes of operation (see dia gram) include: a) Boot Mode that is initiated at application of power to the processor card, and runs memory diagnostics. It may be entered via ground command or autonomously based upon fault detection. b) Maintenance Mode that allows for limited carrier health monitoring, including power telemetry monitoring on a non-interference basis. c) Safe Mode is a predefined, minimum power safehold configuration with power to experiments removed and carrier functionality minimized. It is used to troubleshoot problems that occur during flight. d) Operations Mode is used for normal experiment carrier operations. It may be entered only via ground command from Safe Mode.

Leucht, David K.↗
NASA NTRS2017

The Profile Envision and Splice Tool (PRESTO): Developing an Atmospheric Wind Analysis Tool for Space Launch Vehicles Using Python

Tropospheric winds are an important driver of the design and operation of space launch vehicles. Multiple types of weather balloons and Doppler Radar Wind Profiler (DRWP) systems exist at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC), co-located on the United States Air Force's (USAF) Eastern Range (ER) at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS), that are capable of measuring atmospheric winds. Meteorological data gathered by these instruments are being used in the design of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) and other space launch vehicles, and will be used during the day-of-launch (DOL) of SLS to aid in loads and trajectory analyses. For the purpose of SLS day-of-launch needs, the balloons have the altitude coverage needed, but take over an hour to reach the maximum altitude and can drift far from the vehicle's path. The DRWPs have the spatial and temporal resolutions needed, but do not provide complete altitude coverage. Therefore, the Natural Environments Branch (EV44) at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) developed the Profile Envision and Splice Tool (PRESTO) to combine balloon profiles and profiles from multiple DRWPs, filter the spliced profile to a common wavelength, and allow the operator to generate output files as well as to visualize the inputs and the spliced profile for SLS DOL operations. PRESTO was developed in Python taking advantage of NumPy and SciPy for the splicing procedure, matplotlib for the visualization, and Tkinter for the execution of the graphical user interface (GUI). This paper describes in detail the Python coding implementation for the splicing, filtering, and visualization methodology used in PRESTO.

Orcutt, John M.↗
NASA NTRS2018

The SPECTRAL Ice Chamber: Application to Titan's Stratospheric Ice Clouds

An ice chamber for obtaining thin-film transmission spectra of Titan-relevant organic ices between 50 and 11,700 cm−1 (200–0.85 μm) is described in detail in this work. The ice chamber, called the SPECtroscopy of Titan-Related ice AnaLogs chamber, is located in the Spectroscopy for Planetary ICes Environments laboratory at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Organic vapors are typically deposited between 30 and 150 K via a variable leak valve onto a chemical vapor deposition diamond substrate, where condensation directly into the solid state occurs. Quantitative thin-film infrared transmission spectra of the given ice or ice mixture are then measured, from which optical constants (complex indices of refraction) are computed. These optical constants in turn provide the necessary input for interpreting radiative transfer analyses of Cassini’s Composite InfraRed Spectrometer observations of Titan’s organic stratospheric ice clouds to determine their chemical compositions, abundances, and vertical distributions as functions of Titan latitude and season.

Anderson, C. M.↗