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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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NASA NTRS1997

Structure of Microgravity Transitional and Pulsed Jet Diffusion Flames

This paper describes results obtained in a study of pulsed gas jet diffusion flames to better characterize the recently observed vortex/flame interactions in microgravity transitional and turbulent diffusion flames, and to improve the understanding of large-scale structures in corresponding normal-gravity flames. In preparation for a space experiment, tests were conducted in the 5.18-Second Zero-Gravity Facility of the NASA Lewis Research Center. Both unpulsed and pulsed laminar flames were studied and numerical modeling of these flames was carried out for data comparison and model validation. In addition, complementary tests for a series of unpulsed flames were conducted on-board the NASA KC-135 research aircraft. The microgravity transitional and turbulent gas-jet diffusion flames have been observed to be dominated by large-scale disturbances, or structures. These structures first appear intermittently in the flame at Reynolds numbers (based on the cold jet injection properties) of about 2100. With increase in injection Reynolds number, the rate of intermittent disturbances increases until the generation becomes continuous at Reynolds numbers of 3000 and higher. The behavior of these structures depends upon the velocity and temperature characteristics of the jet/flame shear layer. These characteristics are different in normal gravity and microgravity.

Bahadori, M. Yousef↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Laminar Non-Premixed Flames of Gaseous Fuel Aboard the International Space Station

From late 2017 to early 2022, six independent studies with flames of gaseous fuels were conducted on the International Space Station (ISS) in the U.S. combustion research facility. An exploration of flames at the extremes of high sooting and high dilution was conducted with a coaxial coflow burner, where the fuel and oxidizer velocities were typically matched. An investigation of electric-field effects also used the same coflow burner as well as a simple gas-jet burner, with a circular electrode mesh, downstream of the burner, at voltages of either polarity up to 10 kV. A study focused on material flammability in a quiescent atmosphere emulated the burning of condensed-phased fuels using cylindrical burners with a flat perforated outlet instrumented to measure the heat flux to the burner, i.e., emulated fuel. Three studies of soot processes, flame dynamics, and low-temperature combustion used porous spherical burners, yielding a nominally one-dimensional flame structure. The objectives and selected findings of each investigation will be briefly discussed after a short review of the advantages of studying combustion in microgravity, earlier ISS research, and the experimental hardware and its operation.

flames↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Laminar Non-Premixed Flames of Gaseous Fuel Aboard the International Space Station

flames↗

NASA NTRS1999

Principal Investigator Microgravity Services Role in ISS Acceleration Data Distribution

Measurement of the microgravity acceleration environment on the International Space Station will be accomplished by two accelerometer systems. The Microgravity Acceleration Measurement System will record the quasi-steady microgravity environment, including the influences of aerodynamic drag, vehicle rotation, and venting effects. Measurement of the vibratory/transient regime comprised of vehicle, crew, and equipment disturbances will be accomplished by the Space Acceleration Measurement System-II. Due to the dynamic nature of the microgravity environment and its potential to influence sensitive experiments, Principal Investigators require distribution of microgravity acceleration in a timely and straightforward fashion. In addition to this timely distribution of the data, long term access to International Space Station microgravity environment acceleration data is required. The NASA Glenn Research Center's Principal Investigator Microgravity Services project will provide the means for real-time and post experiment distribution of microgravity acceleration data to microgravity science Principal Investigators. Real-time distribution of microgravity environment acceleration data will be accomplished via the World Wide Web. Data packets from the Microgravity Acceleration Measurement System and the Space Acceleration Measurement System-II will be routed from onboard the International Space Station to the NASA Glenn Research Center's Telescience Support Center. Principal Investigator Microgravity Services' ground support equipment located at the Telescience Support Center will be capable of generating a standard suite of acceleration data displays, including various time domain and frequency domain options. These data displays will be updated in real-time and will periodically update images available via the Principal Investigator Microgravity Services web page.

McPherson, Kevin↗

NASA NTRS2018

Chapter 8: Materials for Exploration Systems

Materials science and processing research in space can be thought of as a field of study that began with the sounding rocket experiments in the 1950s. Material science studies of the lunar surface materials returned during the Apollo missions enabled the study of lunar resource utilization. The study of materials science and processing in space continued with over 30 years of microgravity materials processing research which continues today in the International Space Station. These studies are the technical foundation that could enable lower cost human exploration through the use of in-situ propellant production, the production of energy from space resources, and the eventual establishment of a substantial portion of humanity living self sufficiently off Earth.

Curreri, Peter A.↗

NASA NTRS2008

An Overview of the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) Facility, and the Gravity-Dependent Phenomena Research Performed in the MSG on the International Space Station (ISS)

The Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) is a double rack facility aboard the International Space Station (ISS) designed for gravity-dependent phenomena investigation handling. The MSG has been operating in the ISS US Laboratory Module since July 2002. The MSG facility provides an enclosed working area for investigation manipulation and observation, The MSG's unique design provides two levels of containment to protect the ISS crew from hazardous operations. Research investigations operating inside the MSG are provided a large 255 liter work volume, 1000 watts of dc power via a versatile supply interface (120, 28, +/-12, and 5 Vdc), 1000 watts of cooling capability, video and data recording and real time downlink, ground commanding capabilities, access to ISS Vacuum Exhaust and Vacuum Resource Systems, and gaseous nitrogen supply. With these capabilities, the MSG is an ideal platform for research required to advance the technology readiness levels (TRL) needed for the Crew Exploration Vehicle and the Exploration Initiative. Areas of research that will benefit from investigations in the MSG include thermal management, fluid physics, spacecraft fire safety, materials science, combustion, reaction control systems, in situ fabrication and repair, and advanced life support technologies. This paper will provide a detailed explanation of the MSG facility, a synopsis of the research that has already been accomplished in the MSG and an overview of investigations planning to operate in the MSG. In addition, this paper will address possible changes to the MSG utilization process that will be brought about by the transition to ISS as a National Laboratory.

Spivey, Reggie A.↗

NASA NTRS2014

Gaseous Non-Premixed Flame Research Planned for the International Space Station

Thus far, studies of gaseous diffusion flames on the International Space Station (ISS) have been limited to research conducted in the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) in mid-2009 and early 2012. The research was performed with limited instrumentation, but novel techniques allowed for the determination of the soot temperature and volume fraction. Development is now underway for the next experiments of this type. The Advanced Combustion via Microgravity Experiments (ACME) project consists of five independent experiments that will be conducted with expanded instrumentation within the stations Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR). ACMEs goals are to improve our understanding of flame stability and extinction limits, soot control and reduction, oxygen-enriched combustion which could enable practical carbon sequestration, combustion at fuel lean conditions where both optimum performance and low emissions can be achieved, the use of electric fields for combustion control, and materials flammability. The microgravity environment provides longer residence times and larger length scales, yielding a broad range of flame conditions which are beneficial for simplified analysis, e.g., of limit behaviour where chemical kinetics are important. The detailed design of the modular ACME hardware, e.g., with exchangeable burners, is nearing completion, and it is expected that on-orbit testing will begin in 2016.

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NASA NTRS1984

Overview of materials processing in space activity at Marshall Space Flight Center

An overview of activities involving the Space Transportation System (STS), now in the operational phase, and results of some of the current space experiments, as well as future research opportunities in microgravity environment, are presented. The experiments of the Materials Processing in Space Program flown on the STS, such as bioseparation processes, isoelectric focusing, solidification and crystal growth processes, containerless processes, and the Materials Experiment Assembly experiments are discussed. Special consideration is given to the experiments to be flown aboard the Spacelab 3 module, the Fluids Experiments System, and the Vapor Crystal Growth System. Ground-based test facilities and planned space research facilities, as well as the nature of the commercialization activities, are briefly explained.

Williams, J. R.↗

NASA NTRS1995

NASA science utilization plans for the Space Station

The Mir-1 and International Space Station Alpha capabilities present the science community with unique long duration platforms to conduct a wide range of scientific research in the microgravity and life sciences as well as in the observational sciences, NASA is developing plans to use the capabilities of Mir and Space Station as they emerge during the development of the orbital program. In both cases the planned science utilization programs take advantage of the volume, crew, power, microgravity and logistics resupply unique to each phase. The paper will present these utilization plans in the context of an evolving scientific program.

manned↗

NASA NTRS1996

Specimen Sample Preservation for Cell and Tissue Cultures

The era of the International Space Station with its longer duration missions will pose unique challenges to microgravity life sciences research. The Space Station Biological Research Project (SSBRP) is responsible for addressing these challenges and defining the science requirements necessary to conduct life science research on-board the International Space Station. Space Station will support a wide range of cell and tissue culture experiments for durations of 1 to 30 days. Space Shuttle flights to bring experimental samples back to Earth for analyses will only occur every 90 days. Therefore, samples may have to be retained for periods up to 60 days. This presents a new challenge in fresh specimen sample storage for cell biology. Fresh specimen samples are defined as samples that are preserved by means other than fixation and cryopreservation. The challenge of long-term storage of fresh specimen samples includes the need to suspend or inhibit proliferation and metabolism pending return to Earth-based laboratories. With this challenge being unique to space research, there have not been any ground based studies performed to address this issue. It was decided hy SSBRP that experiment support studies to address the following issues were needed: Fixative Solution Management; Media Storage Conditions; Fresh Specimen Sample Storage of Mammalian Cell/Tissue Cultures; Fresh Specimen Sample Storage of Plant Cell/Tissue Cultures; Fresh Specimen Sample Storage of Aquatic Cell/Tissue Cultures; and Fresh Specimen Sample Storage of Microbial Cell/Tissue Cultures. The objective of these studies was to derive a set of conditions and recommendations that can be used in a long duration microgravity environment such as Space Station that will permit extended storage of cell and tissue culture specimens in a state consistent with zero or minimal growth, while at the same time maintaining their stability and viability.

Meeker, Gabrielle↗

NASA NTRS2002

Physical Sciences Research Priorities and Plans in OBPR

This paper presents viewgraphs of physical sciences research priorities and plans at the Office of Biological and Physical Sciences Research (OBPR). The topics include: 1) Sixth Microgravity Fluid Physics and Transport Phenomena Conference; 2) Beneficial Characteristics of the Space Environment; 3) Windows of Opportunity for Research Derived from Microgravity; 4) Physical Sciences Research Program; 5) Fundamental Research: Space-based Results and Ground-based Applications; 6) Nonlinear Oscillations; and 7) Fundamental Research: Applications to Mission-Oriented Research.

Trinh, Eugene↗

NASA NTRS1999

An Experiment Investigation of Fully-Modulated, Turbulent Diffusion Flames in Reduced Gravity

Pulsed combustion appears to have the potential to provide for rapid fuel/air mixing, compact and economical combustors, and reduced exhaust emissions. The ultimate objective of this program is to increase the fundamental understanding of the fuel/air mixing and combustion behavior of pulsed, turbulent diffusion flames by conducting experiments in microgravity. In this research the fuel jet is fully-modulated (i.e., completely shut off between pulses) by an externally controlled valve system. This can give rise to drastic modification of the combustion and flow characteristics of flames, leading to enhanced fuel/air mixing mechanisms not operative for the case of acoustically excited or partially-modulated jets. In addition, the fully-modulated injection approach avoids the strong acoustic forcing present in pulsed combustion devices, significantly simplifying the mixing and combustion processes. Relatively little is known of the behavior of turbulent flames in reduced-gravity conditions, even in the absence of pulsing. The goal of this Flight-Definition experiment (PUFF, for PUlsed-Fully Flames) is to establish the behavior of fully-modulated, turbulent diffusion flames under microgravity conditions. Fundamental issues to be addressed in this experiment include the mechanisms responsible for the flame length decrease for fully-modulated, turbulent diffusion flames compared with steady flames, the impact of buoyancy on the mixing and combustion characteristics of these flames, and the characteristics of turbulent flame puffs under fully momentum-dominated conditions.

Hermanson, J. C.↗

NASA NTRS1998

Neural Control Mechanisms and Body Fluid Homeostasis

The goal of the proposed research was to study the nature of afferent signals to the brain that reflect the status of body fluid balance and to investigate the central neural mechanisms that process this information for the activation of response systems which restore body fluid homeostasis. That is, in the face of loss of fluids from intracellular or extracellular fluid compartments, animals seek and ingest water and ionic solutions (particularly Na(+) solutions) to restore the intracellular and extracellular spaces. Over recent years, our laboratory has generated a substantial body of information indicating that: (1) a fall in systemic arterial pressure facilitates the ingestion of rehydrating solutions and (2) that the actions of brain amine systems (e.g., norepinephrine; serotonin) are critical for precise correction of fluid losses. Because both acute and chronic dehydration are associated with physiological stresses, such as exercise and sustained exposure to microgravity, the present research will aid in achieving a better understanding of how vital information is handled by the nervous system for maintenance of the body's fluid matrix which is critical for health and well-being.

Johnson, Alan Kim↗

NASA NTRS1988

Industrial applications of the microgravity environment

Opportunities for commercialization of the microgravity environment will depend upon the success of basic research projects performed in space. Significant demands for manufacturing opportunities are unlikely in the near term. The microgravity environment is to be considered primarily as a tool for research and secondarily as a manufacturing site. This research tool is unique, valuable, and presently available to U.S. investigators only through resources provided by NASA. The United States has an obligation to facilitate corporate research, maintain a flexible international policy, foster use of and assure access to a wide variety of facilities, and develop a posture of national and international leadership in and stewardship of research and materials processing in the microgravity environment. The National Research Council's Committee on Industrial Applications of the Microgravity Environment recommends six actions that strengthen this posture, including the formation of an authoritative organization to oversee the implementation of a program of microgravity research and its industrial applications.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1985

Control of Cast Iron Microstructure

The use of microgravity for industrial research in the processing of cast iron was investigated. Solidification experiments were conducted using the KC-135 and F-104 aircraft, and an experiment plan was developed for follow-on experiments using the Shuttle. Three areas of interest are identified: (1) measurement of thermophysical properties in the melt; (2) understanding of the relative roles of homogeneous nucleation, grain multiplication, and innocultants in forming the microstructure; and (3) exploring the possibility of obtaining an aligned graphite structure in hypereutectic Fe, Ni, and Co.

Graham, J.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Life Sciences Laboratory Equipment Catalog

A composite inventory of equipment available from the Ames Research Center for microgravity experiments using the Shuttle Transportation System (STS) Middeck and Spacelab is provided.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1988

Noncontact temperature measurement: Requirements and applications for metals and alloys research

Temperature measurement is an essential capability for almost all areas of metals and alloys research. In the microgravity environment many of the science priorities that have been identified for metals and alloys also require noncontact temperature measurement capability. For example, in order to exploit the full potential of containerless processing, it is critical to have available a suitable noncontact temperature measurement system. This system is needed to track continuously the thermal history, including melt undercooling and rapid recalescence, of relatively small metal spheres during free-fall motion in drop tube systems. During containerless processing with levitation-based equipment, accurate noncontact temperature measurement is required to monitor one or more quasi-static samples with sufficient spatial and thermal resolution to follow the progress of solidification fronts originating in undercooled melts. In crystal growth, thermal migration, coarsening and other experiments high resolution thermal maps would be a valuable asset in the understanding and modeling of solidification processes, fluid flows and microstructure development. The science and applications requirements place several constraints on the spatial resolution, response time and accuracy of suitable instrumentation.

Perepezko, J. H.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Space science in the United States

Despite the hiatus in spacecraft launches after the Space Shuttle Challenger accident in 1986, the U.S. space program continues to generate research data on the basis of the productive operation of 18 scientific spacecraft. Attention is presently given to NASA's planned missions for the 1990s in such fields as astronomy and astrophysics (the Hubble Space Telescope, the Extreme UV Explorer), solar system exploration (the Magellan Venus orbiter, the Galileo Jupiter orbiter), space physics (the Tethered Satellite System, the Combined Release and Radiation Effects Satellite), earth science (the Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite), and microgravity sciences (the International Microgravity Observatory).

Alexander, Joseph K.↗