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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 55 records · Page 3

WEB - A Wireless Experiment Box for the Dextre Pointing Package ELC Payload

The Wireless Experiment Box (WEB) was proposed to work with the International Space Station (ISS) External Wireless Communication (EWC) system to support high-definition video from the Dextre Pointing Package (DPP). DPP/WEB was a NASA GSFC proposed ExPRESS Logistics Carrier (ELC) payload designed to flight test an integrated suite of Autonomous Rendezvous and Docking (AR&D) technologies to enable a wide spectrum of future missions across NASA and other US Government agencies. The ISS EWC uses COTS Wireless Access Points (WAPs) to provide high-rate bi-directional communications to ISS. In this paper, we discuss WEB s packaging, operation, antenna development, and performance testing.

Bleier, Leor Z.↗

Visual Odometry for Autonomous Deep-Space Navigation

Visual Odometry fills two critical needs shared by all future exploration architectures considered by NASA: Autonomous Rendezvous and Docking (AR&D), and autonomous navigation during loss of comm. To do this, a camera is combined with cutting-edge algorithms (called Visual Odometry) into a unit that provides accurate relative pose between the camera and the object in the imagery. Recent simulation analyses have demonstrated the ability of this new technology to reliably, accurately, and quickly compute a relative pose. This project advances this technology by both preparing the system to process flight imagery and creating an activity to capture said imagery. This technology can provide a pioneering optical navigation platform capable of supporting a wide variety of future missions scenarios: deep space rendezvous, asteroid exploration, loss-of-comm.

Robinson, Shane↗

Satellite Servicing's Autonomous Rendezvous and Docking Testbed on the International Space Station

The Space Servicing Capabilities Project (SSCP) at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has been tasked with developing systems for servicing space assets. Starting in 2009, the SSCP completed a study documenting potential customers and the business case for servicing, as well as defining several notional missions and required technologies. In 2010, SSCP moved to the implementation stage by completing several ground demonstrations and commencing development of two International Space Station (ISS) payloads-the Robotic Refueling Mission (RRM) and the Dextre Pointing Package (DPP)--to mitigate new technology risks for a robotic mission to service existing assets in geosynchronous orbit. This paper introduces the DPP, scheduled to fly in July of 2012 on the third operational SpaceX Dragon mission, and its Autonomous Rendezvous and Docking (AR&D) instruments. The combination of sensors and advanced avionics provide valuable on-orbit demonstrations of essential technologies for servicing existing vehicles, both cooperative and non-cooperative.

Naasz, Bo J.↗

Spacecraft Passive Safety Assessment Using Ellipse Constraints and Relative Orbital Elements

This paper presents necessary and sufficient conditions for validating spacecraft passive safety using relative orbital elements (ROE) centered around the far-field to near-field trajectory design of a hypothetical autonomous rendezvous and docking (AR&D) mission. The specific formulation of the ROEs used in this study are of quasi-nonsingular form based on elative eccentricity/inclination vectors. Current methodologies for ensuring passive safety apply keep-out volumes (KOV) to maintain appropriate separation between the Servicer and Client. Widely used techniques to assess the integrity of the KOV involve forward propagation of the relative Cartesian state to check for a potential KOV breach. In this study, an alternative approach to the propagation-based method is proposed using ROEs due to their valuable geometric insights of spacecraft relative motion. Modeling the relative trajectory and KOV ellipsoids as ellipses into the 2-D ROE sub-space simplifies the passive safety validation to a root-finding problem within the unit disk with high computational efficiency. Other approaches to intersection detection of the KOV are also evaluated in accuracy and run-time. Furthermore, a Monte Carlo simulation was employed to compare the ROE-based and relative Cartesian approaches in terms of maneuver error.

Bruce Barbour↗

Payload accommodations. Satellite servicing support

The proposed technology studies discussed at the Space Transportation Avionics Symposium in Williamsburg, VA on 7 to 9 November 1989, are discussed. The discussions and findings of the Payload Accommodations Subpanel are also summarized. The major objective of the proposed focused technology development is to develop and demonstrate (ground and flight) autonomous rendezvous, proximity operations, and docking/berthing capabilities to support satellite servicing. It is expected that autonomous rendezvous and docking (AR and D) capabilities will benefit both the users (e.g., satellite developers and operators) and the transportation system developers and operators. AR and D will provide increased availability of rendezvous and docking services by reducing the operational constraints associated with current capabilities. These constraints include specific lighting conditions, continuous space-to-ground communications, and lengthy ground tracking periods. AR and D will provide increased cost efficiency with the potential for reduced propellant expenditures and workloads (flight and/or ground crews). The AR and D operations will be more consistent, allowing more flexibility in the design of the satellite control system and docking/berthing mechanisms.

Lee, Roscoe↗

A flash photolysis-resonance fluorescence study of the formation of O(D-1) in the photolysis of water and reaction of O(D-1) with H2, Ar and He

The relative importance of two primary processes in the photolyis of water: (1) H2O + h (nu) yields H + OH, and (2) H2O + h (nu) yields H2 + OD-1 were determined in a direct manner by time resolved detection (via resonance fluorescence) of H and O formed in processes 1 and 2 respectively. The initially formed OD-1 was deactivated to ground state OP-3 prior to detection via resonance fluorescence. The relative quantum yields for processes 1 and 2 are 0.89 and 0.11 for the wavelength interval 105 to 145nm and = to or greater than 0.99, and = to or less than 0.01 for the wavelength interval 145 to 185nm. Rate constants at 300 K for the reactions OD-1 + H2, + Ar, and + He are presented.

Stief, L. J.↗

Oscillator strengths for Ar VII, Ca IX and Fe XV

The excitation energies and oscillator strengths are calculated for electric-dipole-allowed and intercombination transitions between 3s2 1S, 3s3p(1,3)P0, 3p2 3P, 1D, 1S and 3s3d(1,3)D states in Ar VII, Ca IX, and Fe XV ions of the magnesium sequence. These states are represented by the fairly large configuration-interaction expansions. The calculations have been carried out in both LS and intermediate coupling schemes. The relativistic corrections have been included through the Breit-Pauli Hamiltonian. The results are compared with previous theoretical calculations and with measurements.

Tayal, S. S.↗

The interstellar medium on the Gamma Cassiopeiae line of sight

The interstellar medium on the Gamma Cas line of sight is studied through the observations of O I, H2, H I, D I, and Ar I absorption features with the Copernicus satellite. By using the velocity structure of the line of sight previously determined through atomic nitrogen, it is demonstrated that these neutrals are located in the same physical regions and that the O I and Ar I abundances could be solar, on the average, relative to N I in all components. The 1066.660 A Ar I line profile is contaminated by an unidentified line, already detected in the spectrum of Zeta Pup. Furthermore, a peculiar behavior of the Ar I abundance in the different components is reported, possibly associated with high-velocity interstellar gas present on the line of sight. It is concluded that the Gamma Cas line of sight could intercept a dense cloud which has been engulfed and disrupted by a shock.

Ferlet, R.↗

He, Xe and Ne isotopes in a steady-state mass transport model and implications about terrestrial volatiles

We present a model of the steady-state transport assuming three reservoirs: a lower mantle (P) with a relatively undepleted inventory of U, Th, Pu, I, He, Ne, Xe, Ar; an upper mantle that has been extensively outgassed (D); and the atmosphere. There is mass transport at a rate M(sub PD) by plumes from the lower mantle, a fraction of which is outgassed directly into the atmosphere, while the remainder feeds matter and associated nuclei into D. D is well outgassed at spreading centers and has material containing atmospheric gases added to it by subduction. In the case of He, there is no subduction component. The approach follows the treatment of Kellogg and Wasserburg. A summary of the pertinent equations and constraints was reported earlier. The U, Th and Pu in P are estimated for Earth models from refractory element abundances in meteorites. In this model the inventory of rare gases in D is governed by the simple mixing of components from P (both radiogenic and original) with distinctive atmospheric components. In addition, alpha decay and spontaneous fission of U, and (alpha, n) reaction on oxygen from energetic alpha particles produce radiogenic/nuclear daughter products in D. These include (4)He, (136)Xe and (21)Ne. (40)K in D generates excess radiogenic (40)Ar.

Wasserburg, G. J.↗

The abundance of argon at the galactic center

Measurements of forbidden line Ar II 6.99 micron and Pf alpha 7.45 micron made from the Kuiper Airborne Observatory are presented for Sgr A, the H II region at the center of the Galaxy. These line strengths, when combined with ground-based measurements, suggest a factor of enhancement of two in the Ar/H ratio in the galactic center region relative to that in the sun and in the solar neighborhood. The accuracy of the determination is presently limited by the uncertainty in the collision strength for Ar(+).

Lester, D. F.↗

Doppler echo evaluation of pulmonary venous-left atrial pressure gradients: human and numerical model studies

The simplified Bernoulli equation relates fluid convective energy derived from flow velocities to a pressure gradient and is commonly used in clinical echocardiography to determine pressure differences across stenotic orifices. Its application to pulmonary venous flow has not been described in humans. Twelve patients undergoing cardiac surgery had simultaneous high-fidelity pulmonary venous and left atrial pressure measurements and pulmonary venous pulsed Doppler echocardiography performed. Convective gradients for the systolic (S), diastolic (D), and atrial reversal (AR) phases of pulmonary venous flow were determined using the simplified Bernoulli equation and correlated with measured actual pressure differences. A linear relationship was observed between the convective (y) and actual (x) pressure differences for the S (y = 0.23x + 0.0074, r = 0.82) and D (y = 0.22x + 0.092, r = 0.81) waves, but not for the AR wave (y = 0. 030x + 0.13, r = 0.10). Numerical modeling resulted in similar slopes for the S (y = 0.200x - 0.127, r = 0.97), D (y = 0.247x - 0. 354, r = 0.99), and AR (y = 0.087x - 0.083, r = 0.96) waves. Consistent with numerical modeling, the convective term strongly correlates with but significantly underestimates actual gradient because of large inertial forces.

Non-NASA Center↗

Electron detachment from negative ions - The effects of isotopic substitution

Absolute total electron-detachment cross sections and relative elastic-scattering cross sections are presented for collisions of H(-) or D(-) with He, Ne, Ar, and N2 for collision energies ranging from about 2 eV up to 100 eV. Special emphasis has been given to the effect of isotopic substitution. It was found that, with the exception of the helium target, the results cannot be in accord with a model using a localized complex potential. On the other hand, the results for H(-) or D(-) with He are in excellent agreement with predictions based on previous (local complex potential) analysis of differential elastic-scattering measurements.

Champion, R. L.↗

Mantle rare gas relative abundances in a steady-state mass transport model

A model for He and Xe was presented previously which incorporates mass transfer of rare gases from an undegassed lower mantle (P) and the atmosphere into a degassed upper mantle (D). We extend the model to include Ne and Ar. Model constraints on rare gas relative abundances within P are derived. Discussions of terrestrial volatile acquisition have focused on the rare gas abundance pattern of the atmosphere relative to meteoritic components, and the pattern of rare gases still trapped in the Ear,th is important in identifying volatile capture and loss processes operating during Earth formation. The assumptions and principles of the model are discussed in Wasserburg and Porcelli (this volume). For P, the concentrations in P of the decay/nuclear products 4 He, 21 Ne, 40 Ar, and 136 Xe can be calculated from the concentrations of the parent elements U, Th, K, and Pu. The total concentration of the daughter element in P is proportional to the isotopic shifts in P. For Ar, ((40)Ar/(36)Ar)p - ((40)Ar/(36)Ar)o =Delta (exp 40) p= 40 Cp/(exp 36)C where(i)C(sub j) the concentration of isotope i in j. In D, isotope compositions are the result of mixing rare gases from P, decay/nuclear products generated in the upper mantle, and subducted rare gases (for Ar and Xe).

Porcelli, D.↗