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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
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1974

Testing and evaluation of solid lubricants for gas bearings

The testing and results of testing solid film lubricants for gas lubricated bearing applications are reported. The tests simulated operational hazards of tilting pad gas bearings. The presence of a low coefficient of friction and the endurance of the solid film lubricant were the criteria for judging superior performance. All solid lubricants tested were applied to a plasma sprayed chrome oxide surface. Molybdenum disulfide and graphite fluoride were the solid lubricants tested; other test parameters included the method of application of the solid lubricant and the surface finish of the plasma sprayed coating. In general, the application of a solid film lubricant was found to significantly improve the coefficient of friction of the rubbing surfaces.

Albrecht, P. R.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Satellite Relaying of Geophysical Data

Data Collection Platforms (DCPs) for transmitting surface data to an orbiting satellite for relaying to a central data distribution center are being used in a number of geophysical applications. "Off-the-shelf" DCP's, transmitting through Landsat or GOES satellites, are fully capable of relaying data from low-data-rate instruments, such as tiltmeters or tide gauges. In cooperation with the Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory, Goddard has successfully installed DCP systems on a tide gauge and tiltmeter array on Anegada, British Virgin Islands. Because of the high-data-rate requirements, a practical relay system capable of handling seismic information is not yet available. Such a system could become the basis of an operational hazard prediction system for reducing losses due to major natural catastrophies such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides or tsunamis.

Allenby, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Self-energized screw coupling

Threaded coupling carries its own store of rotational energy. Originally developed to ease task of astronauts assembling structures in space, coupling offers same advantages in other hazardous operations, such as underwater and in and around nuclear reactors. Coupling consists of two parts: crew portion and receptacle. When screw portion is inserted into receptacle and given slight push by operator, trigger pins release ratchet, allowing energy stored in springs to rotate screw into nut in receptacle.

Lefever, A. E.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Observation of damage growth in compressively loaded laminates

Graphite/epoxy laminates have a definite advantage with respect to the strength-to-weight relation over many standard engineering materials used in aerospace applications. However, this advantage is somewhat reduced by the sensitivity of these laminates to operational hazards, which include a low-velocity impact by foreign objects. Investigations conducted by Chai (1982) and Knauss et al. (1980) have been concerned with the growth of impact damage in compressively loaded laminates, and the visualization of such an impact damage. The present study represents a condensation of parts of these investigations, taking into account a determination of the damage-growth mechanism via real-time recording of the impact event. The material considered, a T300/5208 graphite/epoxy laminate, is typical of the configuration proposed for future heavily loaded primary structures. It has stiffness properties similar to those of the wing skins in existing transport aircraft.

Knauss, W. G.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Selection of burn-resistant materials for oxygen-driven turbopumps

NASA goals for reusable space-based, high-performance orbit transfer vehicle propulsion systems have resulted in a need for oxygen/hydrogen engines which include lightweight, highly reliable, liquid oxygen pumps. The selection of ignition- and burn-resistant materials is a major factor in the design of a compact 75,000-rpm turbopump which can deliver 6 lbM/sec of liquid oxygen at 5,000 psia. The potential operational hazards of rubbing friction and impact of foreign particles at high velocity were investigated experimentally for a wide range of candidate materials, i.e., nickel, copper, monel, 316 Stainless Steel, Hastelloy-X, Invar-36, and silicon carbide. Test parameters included oxygen pressure and temperature up to 5,000 psia and 800 F, respectively. The effect of increasing the O2 pressure from 1000 to 5000 psi is discussed. The applicability of the candidate materials to oxygen pump design was ranked by comparing the experimental results among themselves and with an analytically determined parameter, i.e., the burn factor. Nickel and copper demonstrated superior resistance to ignition and burn in the friction rubbing and particle impact tests relative to monel, stainless steel, and nickel-iron base superalloys.

Schoenman, L.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Operational complexities of real tether systems in space

Some of the major operational concerns that have to be addressed in planning a real tether mission, such as the TTS-1 mission, which is due to fly on the Space Shuttle in the early 1990's, are discussed. Specifically, several operational hazards, such as the tether reel overtorque and the loss of tether system control, are considered from the viewpoint of flight crew, who must be able to detect the presence of a problem and to determine the corrective action to be taken. Various safety measures are discussed.

Hoffman, Jeffrey A.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Lightning location system supervising Swedish power transmission network

For electric utilities, the ability to prevent or minimize lightning damage on personnel and power systems is of great importance. Therefore, the Swedish State Power Board, has been using data since 1983 from a nationwide lightning location system (LLS) for accurately locating lightning ground strikes. Lightning data is distributed and presented on color graphic displays at regional power network control centers as well as at the national power system control center for optimal data use. The main objectives for use of LLS data are: supervising the power system for optimal and safe use of the transmission and generating capacity during periods of thunderstorms; warning service to maintenance and service crews at power line and substations to end operations hazardous when lightning; rapid positioning of emergency crews to locate network damage at areas of detected lightning; and post analysis of power outages and transmission faults in relation to lightning, using archived lightning data for determination of appropriate design and insulation levels of equipment. Staff have found LLS data useful and economically justified since the availability of power system has increased as well as level of personnel safety.

Melin, Stefan A.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Advanced automation for in-space vehicle processing

The primary objective of this 3-year planned study is to assure that the fully evolved Space Station Freedom (SSF) can support automated processing of exploratory mission vehicles. Current study assessments show that required extravehicular activity (EVA) and to some extent intravehicular activity (IVA) manpower requirements for required processing tasks far exceeds the available manpower. Furthermore, many processing tasks are either hazardous operations or they exceed EVA capability. Thus, automation is essential for SSF transportation node functionality. Here, advanced automation represents the replacement of human performed tasks beyond the planned baseline automated tasks. Both physical tasks such as manipulation, assembly and actuation, and cognitive tasks such as visual inspection, monitoring and diagnosis, and task planning are considered. During this first year of activity both the Phobos/Gateway Mars Expedition and Lunar Evolution missions proposed by the Office of Exploration have been evaluated. A methodology for choosing optimal tasks to be automated has been developed. Processing tasks for both missions have been ranked on the basis of automation potential. The underlying concept in evaluating and describing processing tasks has been the use of a common set of 'Primitive' task descriptions. Primitive or standard tasks have been developed both for manual or crew processing and automated machine processing.

Sklar, Michael↗
NASA NTRS1999

A Comparison of Two Different Approaches to Hydrazine Loading of Spacecraft: The Use of SCAPE and Alternative Approaches

The loading of spacecraft with Hydrazine type fuels has long been recognized as a hazardous operation. This has led to safety strategies that include the use of SCAPE protective suits for personnel. The use of SCAPE suits have an excellent safety record, however there are associated drawbacks. Drawbacks include the high cost of maintaining and cleaning the suits, reduced mobility and dexterity when wearing the suits, the requirement for extensive specialized health and safety training, and the need to rotate personnel every two hours. A study was undertaken to look at procedures and/or equipment to eliminate or reduce the time spent in SCAPE-type operations. The major conclusions are drawn from observations of the loading of the JPL/NASA spacecraft Deep Space One (DS1) at KSC and the loading of a commercial communications satellite by Motorola at Vandenberg AF Base. The DS1 operations require extensive use of SCAPE suits, while the Motorola operation uses only SPLASH attire with a two-man team on standby in SCAPE. The Motorola team used very different loading equipment and procedures based on an integrated approach involving the propellant supplier. Overall, the Motorola approach was very clean, much faster and simpler than the DS1 procedure. The DS1 spacecraft used a bladder in the propellant tank, whereas the Motorola spacecraft used a Propellant Management Device (PMD). The Motorola approach cannot be used for tanks with bladders. To overcome this problem, some new procedures and new equipment are proposed to enable tanks with bladders to be loaded without using SCAPE, using a modified Motorola approach. Overall, it appears feasible to adopt the non-SCAPE approach while maintaining a very high degree of safety and reliability.

Houseman, John↗
NASA NTRS2001

An Experimental Investigation of the Effects of Charging on the International Space Station

An experimental investigation has been undertaken to determine the effects associated with operating the International Space Station (ISS) without a Plasma Contactor Unit (PCU). The role of the PCU is to maintain the potential of the ISS to within 40 volts of the ambient plasma potential. In the event of a PCU failure, ISS structure may charge to - 160 volts with respect to the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) plasma, due to the use of high voltage photovoltaic solar arrays. Operation without a PCU will result in the charging of the oxide layers on anodized aluminum components facing into the RAM direction. In this investigation, arcs were observed as a result of anodized materials charging in a plasma environment. Actual ISS materials were used in the investigation. The materials included meteoroid and debris shield samples, as well as components from the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU). Results show that the occurrence of arcs was dependent on several factors including material composition and applied voltage. The breakdown thresholds for the materials tested will be shown, as well as the voltage and current waveforms during an arc event. The damage resulting from an arc will also be described. In addition, a description of associated operational hazards resulting from arcing on the spacecraft will be provided.

Schneider, Todd↗
NASA NTRS2000

Detailed Chemical Kinetic Modeling of Hydrazine Decomposition

The purpose of this research project is to develop and validate a detailed chemical kinetic mechanism for gas-phase hydrazine decomposition. Hydrazine is used extensively in aerospace propulsion, and although liquid hydrazine is not considered detonable, many fuel handling systems create multiphase mixtures of fuels and fuel vapors during their operation. Therefore, a thorough knowledge of the decomposition chemistry of hydrazine under a variety of conditions can be of value in assessing potential operational hazards in hydrazine fuel systems. To gain such knowledge, a reasonable starting point is the development and validation of a detailed chemical kinetic mechanism for gas-phase hydrazine decomposition. A reasonably complete mechanism was published in 1996, however, many of the elementary steps included had outdated rate expressions and a thorough investigation of the behavior of the mechanism under a variety of conditions was not presented. The current work has included substantial revision of the previously published mechanism, along with a more extensive examination of the decomposition behavior of hydrazine. An attempt to validate the mechanism against the limited experimental data available has been made and was moderately successful. Further computational and experimental research into the chemistry of this fuel needs to be completed.

Meagher, Nancy E.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Recovery of postural equilibrium control following spaceflight

Decreased postural stability is observed in most astronauts immediately following spaceflight. Because ataxia may present postflight operational hazards, it is important to determine the incidence of postural instability immediately following landing and the dynamics of recovery of normal postural equilibrium control. It is postulated that postflight postural instability results from in-flight adaptive changes in central nervous system (CNS) processing of sensory information from the visual, vestibular, and proprioceptive systems. The purpose of the present investigation was to determine the magnitude and time course of postflight recovery of postural equilibrium control and, hence, readaptation of CNS processing of sensory information. Thirteen crew members from six spaceflight missions were studied pre- and postflight using a modified commercial posturography system. Postural equilibrium control was found to be seriously disrupted immediately following spaceflight in all subjects. Readaptation to the terrestrial environment began immediately upon landing, proceeded rapidly for the first 10-12 hours, and then proceeded much more slowly for the subsequent 2-4 days until preflight stability levels were reachieved. It is concluded that the overall postflight recovery of postural stability follows a predictable time course.

NASA Discipline Neuroscience↗
NASA NTRS2007

Lunar Surface-to-Surface Power Transfer

A human lunar outpost, under NASA study for construction in the 2020's, has potential requirements to transfer electric power up to 50-kW across the lunar surface from 0.1 to 10-km distances. This power would be used to operate surface payloads located remotely from the outpost and/or outpost primary power grid. This paper describes concept designs for state-of-the-art technology power transfer subsystems including AC or DC power via cables, beamed radio frequency power and beamed laser power. Power transfer subsystem mass and performance are calculated and compared for each option. A simplified qualitative assessment of option operations, hazards, costs and technology needs is also described. Based on these concept designs and performance analyses, a DC power cabling subsystem is recommended to minimize subsystem mass and to minimize mission and programmatic costs and risks. Avenues for additional power transfer subsystem studies are recommended.

Kerslake, Thomas W.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Wave Meteorology and Soaring

This viewgraph document reviews some mountain wave turbulence and operational hazards while soaring. Maps, photographs, and satellite images of the meteorological phenomena are included. Additionally, photographs of aircraft that sustained mountain wave damage are provided.

Wiley, Scott↗
NASA NTRS2003

Flasher Powered by Photovoltaic Cells and Ultracapacitors

A unique safety flasher powered by photovoltaic cells and ultracapacitors has been developed. Safety flashers are used wherever there are needs to mark actually or potentially hazardous locations. Examples of such locations include construction sites, highway work sites, and locations of hazardous operations. Heretofore, safety flashers have been powered by batteries, the use of which entails several disadvantages: Batteries must be kept adequately charged, and must not be allowed to become completely discharged. Batteries have rather short cycle lives, and their internal constituents that react chemically to generate electricity deteriorate (and hence power-generating capacities decrease) over time. The performances of batteries are very poor at low temperatures, which often occur in the circumstances in which safety flashers are most needed. The disposal of batteries poses a threat to the environment. The development of the present photovoltaic/ultracapacitor- powered safety flasher, in which the ultracapacitors are used to store energy, overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages of using batteries to store energy. The ultracapacitors in this flasher are electrochemical units that have extremely high volumetric capacitances because they contain large-surface-area electrodes separated by very small gaps. Ultracapacitors have extremely long cycle lives, as compared to batteries; consequently, it will never be necessary to replace the ultracapacitors in the safety flasher. The reliability of the flasher is correspondingly increased, and the life-of-system cost and the adverse environmental effects of the flasher are correspondingly reduced. Moreover, ultracapacitors have excellent low-temperature characteristics, are maintenance-free, and provide consistent performance over time.

Eichenberg, Dennis J.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Effects of Varying Gravity Levels on fNIRS Headgear Performance and Signal Recovery

This paper reviews the effects of varying gravitational levels on functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) headgear. The fNIRS systems quantify neural activations in the cortex by measuring hemoglobin concentration changes via optical intensity. Such activation measurement allows for the detection of cognitive state, which can be important for emotional stability, human performance and vigilance optimization, and the detection of hazardous operator state. The technique depends on coupling between the fNIRS probe and users skin. Such coupling may be highly susceptible to motion if probe-containing headgear designs are not adequately tested. The lack of reliable and self-applicable headgear robust to the influence of motion artifact currently inhibits its operational use in aerospace environments. Both NASAs Aviation Safety and Human Research Programs are interested in this technology as a method of monitoring cognitive state of pilots and crew.

fNIRS↗
NASA NTRS2015

Color Changing Hydrogen Sensors

During the Space Shuttle Program, one of the most hazardous operation that occurred was the loading of liquid hydrogen (LH2) during fueling operations of the spacecraft. Due to hydrogen's low explosive limit, any amount leaked could lead to catastrophic event. Hydrogen's chemical properties make it ideal as a rocket fuel; however, the fuel is deemed unsafe for most commercial use because of the inability to easily detect the gas leaking. The increased use of hydrogen over traditional fossil fuels would reduce greenhouse gases and America's dependency on foreign oil. Therefore a technology that would improve safety at NASA and in the commercial sector while creating a new economic sector would have a huge impact to NASA's mission. The Chemochromic Detector for sensing hydrogen gas leakage is a color-changing detector that is useful in any application where it is important to know not only the presence but also the location of the hydrogen gas leak. This technology utilizes a chemochromicpigment and polymer matrix that can be molded or spun into rigid or pliable shapes useable in variable temperature environments including atmospheres of inert gas, hydrogen gas, or mixtures of gases. A change in color of the detector material indicates where gaseous hydrogen leaks are occurring. The irreversible sensor has a dramatic color change from beige to dark grey and remains dark grey after exposure. A reversible pigment changes from white to blue in the presence of hydrogen and reverts back to white in the presence of oxygen. Both versions of the sensor's pigments were comprised of a mixture of a metal oxide substrate and a hydro-chromic compound (i.e., the compound that changed color in the presence of hydrogen) and immediately notified the operator of the presence of low levels of hydrogen. The detector can be used in a variety of formats including paint, tape, caulking, injection molded parts, textiles and fabrics, composites, and films. This technology brings numerous benefits over the traditional hydrogen sensors: The technology has excellent temperature stability (4K to 373 K), it can be used in cryogenic fluid applications, it is easy to apply and remove; it requires no power to operate; it has a quick response time; the leak points can be detected visually or electronically; it is nonhazardous, thus environmentally friendly; it can be reversible or irreversible; it does not require on-site monitoring; has a long shelf life; the detector is very durable; and the technology is inexpensive to manufacture.

Chemochromic sensor↗