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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 NTRS2013

Heliogyro Solar Sail Research at NASA

The recent successful flight of the JAXA IKAROS solar sail has renewed interest within NASA in spinning solar sail concepts for high-performance solar sailing. The heliogyro solar sail, in particular, is being re-examined as a potential game-changing architecture for future solar sailing missions. In this paper, we present an overview of ongoing heliogyro technology development and feasibility assessment activities within NASA. In particular, a small-scale heliogyro solar sail technology demonstration concept will be described. We will also discuss ongoing analytical and experimental heliogyro structural dynamics and controls investigations and provide an outline of future heliogyro development work directed toward enabling a low cost heliogyro technology demonstration mission ca. 2020.

Wilkie, W. Keats↗

NASA NTRS2017

On the Development and Application of High Data Rate Architecture (HiDRA) in Future Space Networks

Historically, space missions have been severely constrained by their ability to downlink the data they have collected. These constraints are a result of relatively low link rates on the spacecraft as well as limitations on the time during which data can be sent. As part of a coherent strategy to address existing limitations and get more data to the ground more quickly, the Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program has been developing an architecture for a future solar system Internet. The High Data Rate Architecture (HiDRA) project is designed to fit into such a future SCaN network. HiDRA's goal is to describe a general packet-based networking capability which can be used to provide assets with efficient networking capabilities while simultaneously reducing the capital costs and operational costs of developing and flying future space systems.Along these lines, this paper begins by reviewing various characteristics of modern satellite design as well as relevant characteristics of emerging technologies (such as free-space optical links capable of working at 100+ Gbps). Next, the paper describes HiDRA's design, and how the system is able to both integrate and support the operation of not only today's high-rate systems, but also the high-rate systems likely to be found in the future. This section also explores both existing and future networking technologies, such as Delay Tolerant Networking (DTN) protocol (RFC4838 citeRFC:1, RFC5050citeRFC:2), and explains how HiDRA supports them. Additionally, this section explores how HiDRA is used for scheduling data movement through both proactive and reactive link management. After this, the paper moves on to explore a reference implementation of HiDRA. This implementation is currently being realized based on a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) memory and interface controller that is itself controlled by a local computer running DTN software. Next, this paper explores HiDRA's natural evolution, which includes an integration path for software-defined networking (SDN) switches. This section also describes considerations for both near-Earth and deep-space instantiations of HiDRA, describing how differences in latencies between the environments will necessarily influence how the system is configured and the networks operate. Finally, this paper describes future work. This section includes a description of a potential ISS implementation which will allow rapid advancement through the technology readiness levels (TRL). This section also explores work being done to support HiDRA's successful implementation and operation in a heterogeneous network: such a network could include communications equipment spanning many vintages and capabilities, and one significant aspect of HiDRA's future development involves balancing compatibility with capability.

DTN↗

NASA NTRS2020

LunaNet: a Flexible and Extensible Lunar Exploration Communications and Navigation Infrastructure

NASA has set the ambitious goal of establishing a sustainable human presence on the Moon. Diverse commercial and international partners are engaged in this effort to catalyze scientific discovery, lunar resource utilization and economic development on both the Earth and at the Moon. Lunar development will serve as a critical proving ground for deeper exploration into the solar system. Space communications and navigation infrastructure will play an integral part in realizing this goal. This paper provides a high-level description of an extensible and scalable lunar communications and navigation architecture, known as LunaNet. LunaNet is a services network to enable lunar operations. Three LunaNet service types are defined: networking services, position, navigation and timing services, and science utilization services. The LunaNet architecture encompasses a wide variety of topology implementations, including surface and orbiting provider nodes. In this paper several systems engineering considerations within the service architecture are highlighted. Additionally, several alternative LunaNet instantiations are presented. Extensibility of the LunaNet architecture to the solar system internet is discussed.

Israel, David J.↗

NASA NTRS2020

LunaNet: A Flexible and Extensible Lunar Exploration Communication and Navigation Infrastructure

Israel, David J.↗

NASA NTRS2018

Constraining Solar System Bombardment Using In Situ Radiometric Dating

The leading, but contentious, model for lunar impact history includes a pronounced increase in impact events at around 3.9 Ga. This late heavy bombardment would have scarred Mars and the terrestrial planets, influenced the course of biologic evolution on the early Earth, and rearranged the very architecture of our Solar System. But what if it's not true? In the last decade, new observations and sample analyses have reinterpreted basin ages and "pulled the pin" on the cataclysm - we may only have the age of one large basin (Imbrium). The Curie mission would constrain the onset of the cataclysm by determining the age of a major pre-Imbrium lunar basin (Nectaris or Crisium), characterize new lunar lithologies far from the Apollo and Luna landing sites, including the basalts in the basin-filling maria and olivine-rich lithologies in the basin margins, and provide a unique vantage point to assess volatiles in the lunar regolith from dawn to dusk.

Cohen, Barbara A.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Attitude Control System for the Solar Cruiser and Future Solar Sail Missions

NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is developing the Solar Cruiser solar sail mission to continue to mature solar sail propulsion. Solar Cruiser is a 95kg spacecraft capable of deploying a 1654 square meter solar sail. Solar Cruiser will demonstrate science observation capabilities and navigation in sub Lagrange Point (L1) halo-orbits. Solar Cruiser sail technology can be scaled to larger solar sail missions, including attitude control system and sail membrane and boom technology. Larger solar sails could be used to image the solar poles, enabling Solar Polar Imager (SPI) missions currently prohibitively expensive for propellant-based propulsion methods. Similarly, solar sails can be used to create artificial equilibria and indefinite station-keeping at locations sunward of Lagrange Point one, L1, along the Sun-Earth line (SEL), which can provide space-weather monitor and prediction and reveal discoveries about our Sun and solar system. To achieve the high characteristic acceleration required for larger solar sail missions such as SPI, a solar sail area of approximately 7000 square-meters would be needed. In comparison, the largest solar sail flown to date is the JAXA’s IKAROS mission with a 196 square-meters sail. Attitude control an SPI-size sail poses challenges, including station keeping under solar sail induced torques and thrust vector pointing. In this study, the scalability of the Solar Cruiser sail attitude control architecture to larger sails is studied, such as pointing control performance, mass and power requirements. Solar Cruiser attitude control actuators include propellant-based, such as ion engines, and propellantless options which create differential solar pressures to generate spacecraft torques. Propellantless attitude control includes active translation of the center of mass, Reflectivity Control Devices (RCDs), and tip vanes. The study summarizes the scalability characteristics of the different attitude control architectures for larger solar sail missions.

Solar Sail Propulsion↗

NASA NTRS2004

NASA's Integrated Development of Solar Sail Propulsion Project

Solar sails have been studied for a variety of missions and have the potential to provide cost effective, propellantless propulsion that enables longer on-station operation, increased scientific payload mass fraction, and access to previously inaccessible orbits (e. g., non-Keplerian, high solar latitudes, etc.). Research being conducted by the In-Space Propulsion (ISP) Technologies Projects is at the forefront of NASA's efforts to mature propulsion technologies that will enable or enhance a variety of space science missions. Solar sail propulsion systems will be required to meet the challenge of monitoring and predicting space weather by the Office of Space Science's (OSS) Living with a Star (LWS) program. Near-to-mid-term mission needs include monitoring of solar activity and observations at high solar latitudes. Work currently funded by the ISP s Solar Sail Propulsion (SSP) project is based on the quantitative demonstration of scalability of present solar sail subsystem designs and concepts to future mission requirements through ground testing of hardware, computational modeling and analytical simulations. This paper will give an overview of the Solar Sail Propulsion project's major development tasks of fabricating and testing two different subscale (400 square meter sail) solar sail system architectures. It will then be shown how either of these subscale prototypes can evolve into a flight validation system and briefly discuss the mission parameter. The paper will conclude with a discussion on how a flight validation will exercise the quantitative tools needed to demonstrate the scale to the size needed for the Solar Polar Imager and L1-Diamond SEC roadmap missions.

Garbe, Gregory↗

NASA NTRS2018

VAMOS: A SmallSat Mission Concept for Remote Sensing of Venusian Seismic Activity from Orbit

The apparent youthfulness of Venus’ surface features, given a lack of plate tectonics, is very intriguing; however, longduration seismic observations are essentially impossible given the inhospitable surface of Venus. The Venus Airglow Measurements and Orbiter for Seismicity (VAMOS) mission concept uses the fact that the dense Venusian atmosphere conducts seismic vibrations from the surface to the airglow layer of the ionosphere, as observed on Earth. Similarly, atmospheric gravity waves have been observed by the European Venus Express’s Visible and Infrared Thermal Imaging Spectrometer (VIRTIS) instrument. Such observations would enable VAMOS to determine the crustal structure and ionospheric variability of Venus without approaching the surface or atmosphere. Equipped with an instrument of modest size and mass, the baseline VAMOS spacecraft is designed to fit within an ESPA Grande form factor and travel to Venus predominantly under its own power. Trade studies have been conducted to determine mission architecture robustness to launch and rideshare opportunities. The VAMOS mission concept was studied at JPL as part of the NASA Planetary Science Deep Space SmallSat Studies (PSDS3) program, which has not only produced a viable and exciting mission concept for a Venus SmallSat, but has also examined many issues facing the development of SmallSats for planetary exploration, such as SmallSat solar electric propulsion, autonomy, telecommunications, and resource management that can be applied to various inner solar system mission architectures.

Wallace, Mark↗

NASA NTRS2011

Power and Propulsion System Design for Near-Earth Object Robotic Exploration

Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) are exciting targets for exploration; they are relatively easy to reach but relatively little is known about them. With solar electric propulsion, a vast number of interesting NEOs can be reached within a few years and with extensive flexibility in launch date. An additional advantage of electric propulsion for these missions is that a spacecraft can be small, enabling a fleet of explorers launched on a single vehicle or as secondary payloads. Commercial, flight-proven Hall thruster systems have great appeal based on their performance and low cost risk, but one issue with these systems is that the power processing units (PPUs) are designed for regulated spacecraft power architectures which are not attractive for small NEO missions. In this study we consider the integrated design of power and propulsion systems that utilize the capabilities of existing PPUs in an unregulated power architecture. Models for solar array and engine performance are combined with low-thrust trajectory analyses to bound spacecraft design parameters for a large class of NEO missions, then detailed array performance models are used to examine the array output voltage and current over a bounded mission set. Operational relationships between the power and electric propulsion systems are discussed, and it is shown that both the SPT-100 and BPT-4000 PPUs can perform missions over a solar range of 0.7 AU to 1.5 AU - encompassing NEOs, Venus, and Mars - within their operable input voltage ranges. A number of design trades to control the array voltage are available, including cell string layout, array offpointing during mission operations, and power draw by the Hall thruster system.

Near Earth Object (NEO)↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA/GEWEX SRB Surface Radiation Budget Fluxes Through the Prism of Weather States

The NASA/GEWEX Surface Radiation Budget Version 4 (SRB Rel4) product is now publicly available, covering the period from July 1983 through June 2017. This supersedes the SRB Rel3 (Stackhouse et al., 2011) product which has been used in the community for a wide variety of applications, including climate model validation, agriculture, solar energy, and architecture. SRB Rel4 uses the newly recalibrated and processed ISCCP HXS product as its primary input for cloud and radiance data, replacing ISCCP DX with a ninefold increase in pixel count (10km instead of 30km). This version retains a 1°x1° resolution but benefits from a much larger number of samples per grid box than the SRB Rel3. ISCCP also provides an atmospheric temperature and moisture dataset known as nnHIRS which we use here, along with Seaflux and Landflux surface and near-surface meteorological parameters. Rel4 incorporates several important algorithm improvements. These include recalculated shortwave (SW) atmospheric transmissivities and reflectivities yielding a somewhat less transmissive atmosphere. Both shortwave and longwave (LW) now also include variable aerosol composition and radiative properties, allowing for the use of a detailed aerosol history from the Max Planck Institute Aerosol Climatology (MACv1). LW and SW algorithms now produce pristine sky fluxes, allowing the aerosol flux effects to be quantified. For SW, ocean albedo and snow/ice albedo are improved from Release 3. Total solar irradiance is now variable, and reduced to an average of 1361 Wm-2. The radiative treatment of ice cloud is improved. For the LW, a climatological monthly varying spectral surface emissivity is added. Here we evaluate the SRB Rel4 top of atmosphere (TOA) and surface fluxes in the context of weather states and oceanic regions. Weather states (Tselioudis et al., 2013, Tselioudis et al., 2021) are defined by K-means clustering 2-D histograms of satellite-retrieved cloud optical depths and cloud top pressures. The most recent (Tselioudis et al., 2021) weather states derived from the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) H-series data results in eight cloud weather states and one clear sky weather state, for a total of nine weather states. We examine the statistics of SRB Rel4 fluxes for each weather state and a variety of relevant land and ocean regions. We compare to similar analyses performed on CERES EBAF and SYN1Deg flux products, and validate against Baseline Surface Radiometer Network (BSRN) land stations and Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) ocean buoy data. It is demonstrated that the weather state concept is valuable when examining the comparative strengths and weaknesses of satellite radiative flux algorithms.

Atmospheric Radiation↗

NASA NTRS2001

Fresnel Concentrators for Space Solar Power and Solar Thermal Propulsion

Large deployable Fresnel concentrators are applicable to solar thermal propulsion and multiple space solar power generation concepts. These concentrators can be used with thermophotovoltaic, solar thermionic, and solar dynamic conversion systems. Thin polyimide Fresnel lenses and reflectors can provide tailored flux distribution and concentration ratios matched to receiver requirements. Thin, preformed polyimide film structure components assembled into support structures for Fresnel concentrators provide the capability to produce large inflation-deployed concentrator assemblies. The polyimide film is resistant to the space environment and allows large lightweight assemblies to be fabricated that can be compactly stowed for launch. This work addressed design and fabrication of lightweight polyimide film Fresnel concentrators, alternate materials evaluation, and data management functions for space solar power concepts, architectures, and supporting technology development.

Bradford, Rodney↗

NASA NTRS2001

The Hybrid Propellant Module (HPM): A New Concept for Space Transfer in the Earth's Neighborhood and Beyond

The safe, affordable and effective transfer of ever-larger payloads and eventually personnel beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO) is a major challenge facing future commercial development and human exploration of space. Without reusable systems, sustained exploration or large scale development beyond LEO appears to be economically non-viable. However, reusable systems must be capable of both good fuel efficiency and "high utilization of capacity", or else economic costs will remain unacceptably high. Various options exist that can provide high fuel efficiency - for example, Solar Electric Propulsion Systems (SEPS) - but only at the cost of low thrust and concomitant long transit times. Chemical propulsion systems offer the potential for high thrust and short transit times - including both cryogenic and non-cryogenic options - but only at the cost of relatively low specific impulse (Isp). Nuclear thermal propulsion systems offer relatively good thrust-to-weight and Isp - but involve public concerns that may be insurmountable for all except the most-critical of public purposes. Fixed infrastructures have been suggested as one approach to solving this challenge; for example, rotating tether approaches. However, these systems tend to suffer from high initial costs or unacceptable operational constraints. A new concept has been identified - the Hybrid Propellant Module (HPM) - that integrates the best features of both chemical and solar electric transportation architectures. The HPM approach appears to hold promise of solving the issues associated with other approaches, opening a new family of capabilities for future space exploration and development of near-Earth space and beyond. This paper provides a summary overview of the challenge of Earth neighborhood transportation and discusses how various systems concepts might be applied to meet the needs of these architectures. The paper describes a new approach, the HPM, and illustrates the application of the concept for a typical mission concept. The paper concludes with a discussion of needed technologies and a possible timeline for the development and evolution of this class of systems concepts.

Mankins, John C.↗

NASA NTRS2004

The Search for Young Planetary Systems And the Evolution of Young Stars

The Space Interferometer Mission (SIM) will provide a census of planetary systems by con- ducting a broad survey of 2,000 stars that will be sensitive to the presence of planets with masses as small as approx. 15 Earth masses (1 Uranus mass) and a deep survey of approx. 250 of the nearest, stars with a mass limit of approx.3 Earth masses. The broad survey will include stars spanning a wide range of ages, spectral types, metallicity, and other important parameters. Within this larger context, the Young Stars and Planets Key Project will study approx. 200 stars with ages from 1 Myr to 100 Myr to understand the formation and dynamical evolution of gas giant planets. The SIM Young Stars and Planets Project will investigate both the frequency of giant planet formation and the early dynamical history of planetary systems. We will gain insight into how common the basic architecture of our solar system is compared with recently discovered systems with close-in giant planets by examining 200 of the nearest (less than 150 pc) and youngest (1-100 Myr) solar-type stars for planets. The sensitivity of the survey for stars located 140 pc away is shown in the planet mass-separation plane. We expect to find anywhere from 10 (assuming that only the presently known fraction of stars. 5-7%, has planets) to 200 (all young stars have planets) planetary systems. W-e have set our sensitivity threshold to ensure the detection of Jupiter-mass planets in the critical orbital range of 1 to 5 AU. These observations, when combined with the results of planetary searches of mature stars, will allow us to test theories of planetary formation and early solar system evolution. By searching for planets around pre-main sequence stars carefully selected to span an age range from 1 to 100 Myr, we will learn a t what epoch and with what frequency giant planets are found at the water-ice snowline where they are expected to form. This will provide insight into the physical mechanisms by which planets form and migrate from their place of birth, and about their survival rate. With these data in hand, we will provide data, for the first time, on such important questions as: What processes affect the formation and dynamical evolution of planets? When and where do planets form? What is initial mass distribution of planetary systems around young stars? How might planets be destroyed? What is the origin of the eccentricity of planetary orbits? What is the origin of the apparent dearth of companion objects between planets and brown dwarfs seen in mature stars? The observational strategy is a compromise between the desire to extend the planetary mass function as low as possible and the essential need to build up sufficient statistics on planetary occurrence. About half of the sample will be used to address the "where" and "when" of planet formation. We will study classical T Tauri stars (cTTs) which have massive accretion disks and post- accretion, weak-lined T Tauri stars (wTTs). Preliminary estimates suggest the sample will consist of approx. 30% cTTs and approx. 70% wTTs, driven in part by the difficulty of making accurate astrometric measurements toward objects with strong variability or prominent disks.

Beichman, Charles A.↗

NASA NTRS2019

Overview of the Optomechanical Design of the LUVOIR Instruments

The Large Ultraviolet/Optical/Infrared Surveyor (LUVOIR) is a space telescope being submitted for review to the 2020 Decadal Survey in Astronomy and Astrophysics. Its science objectives include both direct imaging and spectral characterization of habitable exoplanets around sun-like stars, the study of planet, star, and galaxy formation, the transfer of matter between different galaxies, and the remote sensing of objects within the Solar System. Two architectures have been designed: a 15 m diameter on-axis telescope (LUVOIR-A) and an 8 m off-axis telescope (LUVOIR-B). This paper discusses the opto-mechanical design of the three LUVOIR instruments: the High Definition Imager (HDI), the LUVOIR UV Multi-object Spectrograph (LUMOS), and the Extreme Coronagraph for Living Planetary Systems (ECLIPS). For both the LUVOIR-A and LUVOIR-B variants of each instrument, optical design specifications are presented including first-order constraints, packaging requirements, and optical performance metrics. These factors are used to illustrate the final design of each instrument and LUVOIR as a whole. In addition to the optical designs, mechanical models are presented for each instrument showing the optical mounts, mechanisms, support structure, etc.

Decadal Study↗

NASA NTRS2016

End-to-End Trajectory for Conjunction Class Mars Missions Using Hybrid Solar-Electric/Chemical Transportation System

NASA's Human Spaceflight Architecture Team is developing a reusable hybrid transportation architecture in which both chemical and solar-electric propulsion systems are used to deliver crew and cargo to exploration destinations. By combining chemical and solar-electric propulsion into a single spacecraft and applying each where it is most effective, the hybrid architecture enables a series of Mars trajectories that are more fuel efficient than an all chemical propulsion architecture without significant increases to trip time. The architecture calls for the aggregation of exploration assets in cislunar space prior to departure for Mars and utilizes high energy lunar-distant high Earth orbits for the final staging prior to departure. This paper presents the detailed analysis of various cislunar operations for the EMC Hybrid architecture as well as the result of the higher fidelity end-to-end trajectory analysis to understand the implications of the design choices on the Mars exploration campaign.

Chai, Patrick R.↗

NASA NTRS2018

A Breakthrough Propulsion Architecture for Interstellar Precursor Missions: Phase I Final Report

Our breakthrough propulsion architecture is an innovative way to take advantage of kilometer-scale, multi-hundred megawatt, space-based, phased-array lasers to enable rapid transportation throughout the solar system. In this architecture, the laser would beam power over distances of up to 40 AU increasing the available power density relative to solar insolation by two orders of magnitude. The receiving vehicle would have a photovoltaic array with cells tuned to the laser frequency that outputs a voltage of 6 kV to directly-drive a lithium-fueled gridded ion thruster system at an ultra-high specific impulse of 40,000 s. Such a system could enable final spacecraft speeds of greater than 40 AU/year, potentially enabling missions to the solar gravity lens focus at 550 AU in less than 15 years. This is the propulsion architecture of the 22nd century.

Brophy, John↗

NASA NTRS2020

Architectures and Technologies for a Space Telescope for Solar System Science

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

K M Sayanagi↗

NASA NTRS2021

Historical “Duration of Use” Power Figure Research and Update

Compared to actual demonstrated mission usage, boundaries in recent historical figures were much higher than actual required levels, especially for primary batteries, fuel cells, and dynamic RPS. Boundaries for solar and static RPS architectures remained mostly unchanged. Beyond looking only at demonstrated mission performance, current funded programs that would change the boundaries further were also considered. Considering these programs, boundaries for primary batteries, solar, and dynamic RPS do increase modestly. The investigation of the power level versus distance (AU) revealed the most practical locations of use for each architecture. Fuel cell use has been concentrated around earth’s orbit as they provide high power levels for shorter duration. Solar has been demonstrated from very close to the Sun out to Jupiter as solar power generation levels begin to dissipate. Primary batteries have been demonstrated in numerous probes from Venus out to Saturn. Finally, static RPS systems have traveled from Venus out past 150 AU outside the solar system. Considering current funded programs, power levels for solar do increase at Earth and Jupiter. The investigation of the historical power level change over time revealed that early assumed chemical power levels were quite high compared to current projections. Solar power sources appear to have matured over time and seem to have increased as chemical decreased. Static RPS systems have remained relatively stable since their introduction.

Marc R Hayhurst↗