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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 523 records · Page 29

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NASA NTRS1981

Materials science

The first Spacelab space processing payload includes the following categories of hardware: (1) multiuser facilities, (2) common-support equipment, and (3) six autonomous experiments. All the hardware, with the exception of two elements (covering three experiments), will be integrated in a Spacelab double rack called the materials science double rack. The payload experimental facilities are intended to perform, during the first Spacelab mission, a number of significant pilot experiments in the fields of crystal growth, fluid physics and metallurgy, and, at the same time, to flight-verify the materials science hardware items developed (e.g., various furnaces, process chambers, etc.).

Huth, U.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Proceedings of the Second International Colloquium on Drops and Bubbles

Applications of bubble and drop technologies are discussed and include: low gravity manufacturing, containerless melts, microballoon fabrication, ink printers, laser fusion targets, generation of organic glass and metal shells, and space processing. The fluid dynamics of bubbles and drops were examined. Thermomigration, capillary flow, and interfacial tension are discussed. Techniques for drop control are presented and include drop size control and drop shape control.

Lecroissette, D. H.↗

NASA NTRS1981

High voltage cabling for high power spacecraft

Studies by NASA have shown that many of the space missions proposed for the time period 1980 to 2000 will require large spacecraft structures to be assembled in orbit. Large antennas and power systems up to 2.5 MW size are predicted to supply the electrical/electronic subsystems, solar electric subsystems, solar electric propulsion, and space processing for the near-term programs. Platforms of 100 meters/length for stable foundations, utility stations, and supports for these multi-antenna and electronic powered mechanisms are also being considered. This paper includes the findings of an analytic and conceptual design study for large spacecraft power distribution, and electrical loads and their influence on the cable and connector requirements for these proposed large spacecraft.

Dunbar, W. G.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Electrophoresis operations in space

Application of electrophoresis in space processing is described. Spaceborne experiments in areas such as biological products and FDA approved drugs are discussed. These experiments will be carried on shuttle payloads.

Richman, D. W.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Experimental observation of the thermocapillary driven motion of bubbles in a molten glass under low gravity conditions

An experiment was carried out on board a Space Processing Applications Rocket with the aim of demonstrating bubble migration in molten glass due to a temperature gradient under low gravity conditions. During the flight, a sample of a sodium borate melt with a specific bubble array, contained in a platinum/fused silica cell, was subjected to a well defined temperature gradient for more than 4 minutes. Photographs taken at one second intervals during the experiment clearly show that the bubbles move toward the hot spot on the platinum heater strip. This result is consistent with the predictions of the theory of thermocapillary driven bubble motion.

Smith, H. D.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Low gravity solidification structures in the tin-15 wt pct lead and tin-3 wt pct bismuth alloys

The tin-15 wt pct lead and tin-3 wt pct bismuth alloys have been solidified in the low-gravity environment provided by the Space Processing Applications Rocket (SPAR), on the KC-135 airplane, and at high 'g' levels in a centrifuge furnace. In each case the resultant cast structure was significantly different from that obtained in ground based experiments. Earlier low-gravity studies with the metal-model system NH4Cl-H2O presaged these results. This paper presents and discusses the influence of changes in the gravity force on the grain structure of these materials.

Johnston, M. H.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Opportunities for the chemical industry in space, part 1

The chemical/petrochemical industry devotes a large percentage of its gross income to research and development, with much of its R and D of a long-term nature. As the chemical industry is examined as a candidate for space investigations, it is readily apparent that research and development in the space environment may lead to attractive commercial opportunities. The advantages of low gravity manufacturing, with a particular emphasis on chemical catalysts, are presented herein specifically for the chemical industry. Research from the Skylab program and Apollo Soyuz test project is reviewed, including acoustic levitation, crystal growth, and container less melts. Space processing of composite materials, alloys, and coatings is also discussed.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1983

Space station: Cost and benefits

Costs for developing, producing, operating, and supporting the initial space station, a 4 to 8 man space station, and a 4 to 24 man space station are estimated and compared. These costs include contractor hardware; space station assembly and logistics flight costs; and payload support elements. Transportation system options examined include orbiter modules; standard and extended duration STS fights; reusable spacebased perigee kick motor OTV; and upper stages. Space station service charges assessed include crew hours; energy requirements; payload support module storage; pressurized port usage; and OTV service facility. Graphs show costs for science missions, space processing research, small communication satellites; large GEO transportation; OVT launch costs; DOD payload costs, and user costs.

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NASA NTRS1983

Space station needs, attributes, and architectural options. Volume 1. Executive summary

The initial space station should be manned, placed in 28.5 deg orbit, and provide substantial economic, performance, and social benefits. The most beneficial space station capabilities include: a space test facility; a transport harbor; satellite servicing and assembly; and an observatory. A space industrial park could be added once further development effort validates the cost and expanding commercial market for space processed materials. The potential accrued gross mission model benefit derived from these capabilities is $5.9B without the industrial park, and $9.3B with it. An unclassified overview of all phases of the study is presented.

Pritchard, E. B.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Fluids Experiment Apparatus (FEA)

The Fluids Experiment Apparatus FEA is a modular zero gravity chemistry/physics laboratory to support fundamental space processing research. It can be used to conduct basic and applied process or product experiments in general liquid chemistry, crystal growth, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, and cell culturing. The various FEA subsystems are readily configured to perform a wide range of investigations.

Martin, M.↗

NASA NTRS1984

International cooperation in the commercial era of space

NASA plans permitting international participation in space activities are reviewed, with an emphasis on the increasing commercialization of these endeavors. The potential indicated by the recent success of the STS, long-term and large-scale Soviet missions, and the Ariane launcher is discussed; the development of the Space Station concept is traced; the increasing use of remote-sensing and telecommunications satellites is documented; currently planned space science missions are listed; and the NASA policy on international cooperation (full payment by the second nation, clean payload-spacecraft interfaces to prevent technology transfer, and open availability of scientific results) is outlined. It is argued that space activity, having passed through first and second phases dominated by exploration and military goals, respectively, will now soon enter a primarily commercial phase, with competition in telecommunications and remote-sensing services and private investment in space processing, manufacturing, and even launchers.

Allnutt, R. F.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Glass Formation in Reluctant Glass Formers

The crystallization kinetics and glass forming ability of reluctant glass formers is investigated. This could ultimately aid the formation of bulk samples of unique glass compositions outside of normal glass forming regions allowing the optimization of certain properties of the glass. One important aspect of processing space is the containerless undercooling of molten substances. Theoretically, the extent of undercooling can be greatly enhanced by solidifying in the absence of heterogeneous nucleation resulting from contact with crucibles or molds. Techniques were established for the measurement of crystallization kinetics and critical cooling rates. The glass formation ability and crystallization kinetics of Ga2O-43CaO and several Al2O3-CaO compositions were measured. An apparatus was set up to measure the temperature of spherical samples on a thermocouple at large cooling rates. The time and temperature of nucleation is recorded and the probability of nucleation at various cooling rates can be measured.

Ethridge, E. C.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Viscous damping of the oscillations of a rotating simple drop

The viscous damping of the small-amplitude capillary oscillations of a rotating simple drop is calculated in the small viscosity limit. The calculation concerns the case of a liquid drop in a gaseous medium, which is relevant to the space processing of materials using acoustic levitation. The method used is that of Lamb in which the inviscid solutions of the problem are used as trial functions in the energy equation to find the damping coefficient.

Lee, C. P.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Space ultra-vacuum facility and method of operation

A wake shield facility providing an ultrahigh vacuum level for space processing is described. The facility is in the shape of a truncated, hollow hemispherical section, one side of the shield convex and the other concave. The shield surface is preferably made of material that has low out-gassing characteristics such as stainless steel. A material sample supporting fixture in the form of a carousel is disposed on the convex side of the shield at its apex. Movable arms, also on the convex side, are connected by the shield in proximity to the carousel, the arms supporting processing fixtures, and providing for movement of the fixtures to predetermined locations required for producing interations with material samples. For MBE processes a vapor jet projects a stream of vaporized material onto a sample surface. The fixtures are oriented to face the surface of the sample being processed when in their extended position, and when not in use they are retractable to a storage position. The concave side of the shield has a support structure including metal struts connected to the shield, extending radially inward. The struts are joined to an end plate disposed parallel to the outer edge of the shield. This system eliminates outgassing contamination.

Naumann, Robert J.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Six micrometer period wide-gap permalloy magnetic bubble devices

This report describes the progress made toward the goal of developing a 1 Mbit bubble memory chip, based on a 6 micron period wide-gap permalloy technology. Characterization of the functions showed that the guard-rail, generator, swap, write-line, read-line and after several revisions, the replicator and the expander-detector performed acceptably in preliminary testing. Several investigations were initiated to solve the problem of low minor loop yield. A dual-spacing process, which allows the minor loop propagation elements to be more tightly coupled to the garnet film was developed. Several new propagate structures, intended to be more tolerant of small defects were also conceived.

Chirovsky, L. M. F.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Effect of convection on the microstructure of the MnBi/Bi eutectic

For the quasi-regular fibrous microstructure of MnBi formed at freezing rates of 9 mm/h and above, good agreement between experimental and theoretical results for fiber spacing, freezing rate, radial position, and ampoule rotation rate is found. For the irregular blade-like microstructure formed at lower freezing rates, convection is found to coarsen the microstructure somwhat more than predicted. The volume fraction of MnBi was also shown to depend on ampoule rotation and radial position, even in the absence of ampoule rotation. The two-fold finer microstructure observed in space-processed material could not be explained by the elimination of buoyancy-driven natural convection.

Eisa, Gaber Faheem↗

NASA NTRS1988

Convective effects on directional solidification of a simulated metal alloy

The first significant results of a ground-based experimental program which supports a low gravity space processing Spacelab experiment are reported. The phenomena which precipitate pluming and thus freckling in a metal alloy analog (ammonium chloride and water) are studied in detail and the sequential events leading to massive channeling and convection are optically documented. The pluming is shown to be other than a random burst of unstable fluid from a preferred channel but rather a natural occurrence resulting from a fundamental (Rayleigh-Benard) fluid dynamic instability at the density inversion interface. This extrapolates to critical size parameters appropriate to processing of actual metal alloys.

Mccay, T. D.↗

NASA NTRS1987

A physicist's view of biotechnology

Theories and techniques for small molecule crystal growth are reviewed, with emphasis on space processing possibilities, particularly for protein crystal growth. The general principles of nucleation, growth, and mass and heat transport are first discussed. Optical systems using schlieren, shadowgraph, and holographic techniques are considered, and are illustrated with the example of the NASA developed Fluids Experiment System flow aboard Spacelab 3.

Kroes, Roger L.↗