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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

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NASA NTRS2000

In Situ Instruments: Overview of In Situ Instruments for Deployment in Extreme Environments

This presentation reviews the design and specifications for several instruments for deployment in extreme environments. The instruments are: (1) In Situ Geochronology Instrument, (2) Laser Ablation Sampling Instrument, (3) Micro Hygrometer (4) Micro Lidar, (5) Atmospheric Electron X-Ray Spectrometer and (6) Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer. Included in the descriptions are the contact people and the objective of each instrument.

Taylor, M.↗

NASA NTRS1998

Human and team performance in extreme environments: Antarctica

Analogous experience is often instructive when attempting to understand human behavior in extreme environments. The current paper refers to the experiences of polar explorers and remote duty personnel to help identify the factors that influence individual and team performance when small groups are isolated and confined for long durations. The principal factors discussed include organizational structure, intracrew communications, interpersonal relations, leadership style, personnel selection, and training. Behavioral implications also are addressed for the design of procedures and equipment to facilitate sustained individual and group performance under conditions of isolation and confinement. To be consistent with the theme of the symposium, this paper emphasizes the crew requirements for an international expedition to Mars.

Non-NASA Center↗

NASA NTRS2005

Characterizing the Chemical Stability of High Temperature Materials for Application in Extreme Environments

The chemical stability of high temperature materials must be known for use in the extreme environments of combustion applications. The characterization techniques available at NASA Glenn Research Center vary from fundamental thermodynamic property determination to material durability testing in actual engine environments. In this paper some of the unique techniques and facilities available at NASA Glenn will be reviewed. Multiple cell Knudsen effusion mass spectrometry is used to determine thermodynamic data by sampling gas species formed by reaction or equilibration in a Knudsen cell held in a vacuum. The transpiration technique can also be used to determine thermodynamic data of volatile species but at atmospheric pressures. Thermodynamic data in the Si-O-H(g) system were determined with this technique. Free Jet Sampling Mass Spectrometry can be used to study gas-solid interactions at a pressure of one atmosphere. Volatile Si(OH)4(g) was identified by this mass spectrometry technique. A High Pressure Burner Rig is used to expose high temperature materials in hydrocarbon-fueled combustion environments. Silicon carbide (SiC) volatility rates were measured in the burner rig as a function of total pressure, gas velocity and temperature. Finally, the Research Combustion Lab Rocket Test Cell is used to expose high temperature materials in hydrogen/oxygen rocket engine environments to assess material durability. SiC recession due to rocket engine exposures was measured as a function of oxidant/fuel ratio, temperature, and total pressure. The emphasis of the discussion for all techniques will be placed on experimental factors that must be controlled for accurate acquisition of results and reliable prediction of high temperature material chemical stability.

Opila, Elizabeth↗

NASA NTRS2012

Terrestrial Applications of Extreme Environment Stirling Space Power Systems

NASA has been developing power systems capable of long-term operation in extreme environments such as the surface of Venus. This technology can use any external heat source to efficiently provide electrical power and cooling; and it is designed to be extremely efficient and reliable for extended space missions. Terrestrial applications include: use in electric hybrid vehicles; distributed home co-generation/cooling; and quiet recreational vehicle power generation. This technology can reduce environmental emissions, petroleum consumption, and noise while eliminating maintenance and environmental damage from automotive fluids such as oil lubricants and air conditioning coolant. This report will provide an overview of this new technology and its applications.

Dyson, Rodger. W.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Micro-Spectrometer for Resource Mapping in Extreme Environments

Measurements and analyses of resources within permanently shadowed craters and along steep embankments on extraterrestrial surfaces pose extreme challenges since astronauts and rovers cannot access them. However, these areas offer the potential for the greatest scientific returns. Researchers at the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) invented a deployable wireless micro-spectrometer that can access those challenging areas and deliver telemetry data to a receiver safely outside those extreme environments. The micro-spectrometers are designed for deployment by an astronaut, a rover, or a lander flying overhead. This device can also be installed on rover tires, under the astronaut’s shoes, or on a cane stick. The bullet-like, expendable micro-spectrometer can penetrate into soil to spectrally identify the components of soil, such as water, He-3, or other minerals. The signals from the soil assay data are transmitted to a mother station through a telemetry system. This LaRC developed micro-spectrometer bullet consists of micro-spectrometer optics with an all-imbedded, burst-mode, light-emitting-diode ultraviolet (LED UV) light source, a super-capacitor with control electronics, and telemetry electronics. Prototypes have been fabricated to demonstrate a spectral assay of soil components. Further maturation of this technology would be necessary for demonstrations on the Moon.

micro-spectrometer↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Overview of the Findings of the Extreme Environment Power Systems Standards Evaluation and Gap Analysis

This lightning talk gives an overview of the findings of the NASA funded Extreme Environment Power Systems Standards Evaluation and Gap Analysis. This document highlighted the gaps between terrestrial distribution system component standards and future lunar distribution system component standards. This shows that existing standards cannot be applied with small modifications for the lunar environment.

electrical power↗

NASA NTRS2012

Remotely Powered Reconfigurable Receiver for Extreme Environment Sensing Platforms

Wireless sensors connected in a local network offer revolutionary exploration capabilities, but the current solutions do not work in extreme environments of low temperatures (200K) and low to moderate radiation levels (<50 krad). These sensors (temperature, radiation, infrared, etc.) would need to operate outside the spacecraft/ lander and be totally independent of power from the spacecraft/lander. Flash memory field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) are being used as the main signal processing and protocol generation platform in a new receiver. Flash-based FPGAs have been shown to have at least 100 reduced standby power and 10 reduction operating power when compared to normal SRAM-based FPGA technology.

Sheldon, Douglas J.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Devices and Systems for Communications in Extreme Environment

The feasibility of gallium nitride based wide bandgap semiconductor devices for signal amplification in extreme planetary environment is investigated. The measured performance of these devices at S-band, X-band, and Ka-band are presented. The data indicates excellent performance at the above frequencies. Potential application of these devices includes communication systems required to operate in the extreme hot environment of Venus and in the extreme cold and high radiation environment of Jupiter’s icy moons.

Gallium Nitride↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Multifunctional Structural Materials for Sustainable Human Exploration in Extreme Space Environments

Extreme space environments such as space vacuum, radiation, jagged lunar dust, microgravity, high thermal excursion, micrometeoroids, thrust plume ejecta, seismic events, and their synergistically-adverse effects make sustainable space exploration extremely challenging. More robust and sustainable advanced materials and structures are needed to protect crew and equipment to extend space missions longer and safer with minimum service and repair needs. Recent progress of NASA efforts on sustainable multifunctional structural materials will be introduced.

Space Exploration↗

NASA NTRS2023

A 3D Printable Alloy Designed for Extreme Environments

Multiprincipal-element alloys are an enabling class of materials owing to their impressive mechanical and oxidation-resistant properties, especially in extreme environments. Here we develop a new oxide-dispersion-strengthened NiCoCr-based alloy using a model-driven alloy design approach and laser-based additive manufacturing. This oxide-dispersion-strengthened alloy, called GRX-810, uses laser powder bed fusion to disperse nanoscale Y 2 O 3 particles throughout the microstructure without the use of resource-intensive processing steps such as mechanical or in situ alloying. We show the successful incorporation and dispersion of nanoscale oxides throughout the GRX-810 build volume via high-resolution characterization of its microstructure. The mechanical results of GRX-810 show a twofold improvement in strength, over 1,000-fold better creep performance and twofold improvement in oxidation resistance compared with the traditional polycrystalline wrought Ni-based alloys used extensively in additive manufacturing at 1,093 °C. The success of this alloy highlights how model-driven alloy designs can provide superior compositions using far fewer resources compared with the ‘trial-and-error’ methods of the past. These results showcase how future alloy development that leverages dispersion strengthening combined with additive manufacturing processing can accelerate the discovery of revolutionary materials.

Timothy M. Smith↗

NASA NTRS2001

Evolvable Hardware for Extreme Environments: Hot or Cold

Temperature tolerant electronics and long life survivability are key capabilities required for future NASA/JPL missions. Current approaches to electronics for extreme environments focus on component level robustness and hardening. Compensation techniques, e.g., as offered by bias cancellation circuits, have also been employed. This paper presents a novel approach, based on evolvable hardware technology, which allows adaptive in situ circuit redesign/reconfiguration during the operation in the environment. This technology would complement material/device advancements and bring closer the success of missions in harsh environments. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

Stoica, A.↗

NASA NTRS2003

Structures and Materials Technologies for Extreme Environments Applied to Reusable Launch Vehicles

This paper provides an overview of the evolution of structures and materials technology approaches to survive the challenging extreme environments encountered by earth-to-orbit space transportation systems, with emphasis on more recent developments in the USA. The evolution of technology requirements and experience in the various approaches to meeting these requirements has significantly influenced the technology approaches. While previous goals were primarily performance driven, more recently dramatic improvements in costs/operations and in safety have been paramount goals. Technologies that focus on the cost/operations and safety goals in the area of hot structures and thermal protection systems for reusable launch vehicles are presented. Assessments of the potential ability of the various technologies to satisfy the technology requirements, and their current technology readiness status are also presented.

Scotti, Stephen J.↗

NASA NTRS2005

Reconfiguration of Analog Electronics for Extreme Environments: Problem or Solution?

This paper argues in favor of adaptive reconfiguration as a technique to expand the operational envelope of analog electronics for extreme environments (EE). In addition to hardening-by-process and hardening-by-design, "hardening-by-reconfiguration", when applicable, could be used to mitigate drifts, degradation, or damage on electronic devices (chips) in EE, by using re-configurable devices and an adaptive self-reconfiguration of their circuit topology. Conventional circuit design exploits device characteristics within a certain temperature/radiation range; when that is exceeded, the circuit function degrades. On a reconfigurable device, although component parameters change in EE, as long as devices still operate, albeit degraded, a new circuit design, suitable for new parameter values, may be mapped into the reconfigurable structure to recover the initial circuit function. Partly degraded resources are still used, while completely damaged resources are bypassed. Designs suitable for various environmental conditions can be determined prior to operation or can be determined in-situ, by adaptive reconfiguration algorithms running on built-in digital controllers. Laboratory demonstrations of this technique were performed by JPL in several independent experiments in which bulk CMOS reconfigurable devices were exposed to, and degraded by, low temperatures (approx. 196 C), high temperatures (approx.300 C) or radiation (300kRad TID), and then recovered by adaptive reconfiguration using evolutionary search algorithms. Taking this technology from Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3 to TRL 5 is the target of a current NASA project.

Field Programmable Transistor Array (FPTA)↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Glenn Extreme Environments Rig (GEER)

World class facility and a Planetary Science Community's asset. GEER is capable of simulating a variety of temperature, pressure and atmospheric gas mixes to simulate extreme environments in the Solar System.

GEER↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Glenn Extreme Environments Rig (GEER)

GEER↗

NASA NTRS2004

Nutritional status changes in humans during a 14-day saturation dive: the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations V project

Ground-based analogs of spaceflight are an important means of studying physiologic and nutritional changes associated with space travel, and the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations V (NEEMO) is such an analog. To determine whether saturation diving has nutrition-related effects similar to those of spaceflight, we conducted a clinical nutritional assessment of the NEEMO crew (4 men, 2 women) before, during, and after their 14-d saturation dive. Blood and urine samples were collected before, during, and after the dive. The foods consumed by the crew were typical of the spaceflight food system. A number of physiologic changes were observed, during and after the dive, that are also commonly observed during spaceflight. Hemoglobin and hematocrit were lower (P < 0.05) after the dive. Transferrin receptors were significantly lower immediately after the dive. Serum ferritin increased significantly during the dive. There was also evidence indicating that oxidative damage and stress increased during the dive. Glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase decreased during and after the dive (P < 0.05). Decreased leptin during the dive (P < 0.05) may have been related to the increased stress. Subjects had decreased energy intake and weight loss during the dive, similar to what is observed during spaceflight. Together, these similarities to spaceflight provide a model to use in further defining the physiologic effects of spaceflight and investigating potential countermeasures.

Diving/physiology↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Devices & Systems for Communications in Extreme Environment

The feasibility of Ka-band gallium nitride (GaN) based high power amplifier (HPA) for signal amplification in extreme planetary environment is investigated and its measured performance is presented. The data includes Pout, PAE, EVM for several waveforms and data rates, output spectrum, IMD, Noise Figure, and Gain. The data indicates excellent overall performance. Potential application of this HPA includes communication systems required to operate in the extreme hot environment of Mercury and Venus, extreme cold and high radiation environment of Jupiter’s icy moons, and Artemis missions that involve human/robotic exploration and long-term presence on the Moon.

Gallium Nitride↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Cultivating Capabilities for Lunar Extreme Environments

Space Directive 1 establishes that NASA is to " return of humans to the Moon for long-term exploration and utilization". Inherent in this direction, there are environmental challenges including ionizing radiation, extreme thermal ranges, and lunar dust. NASA is making significant investments in technologies to address the array of destinations and mission applications inherent in that challenge. As part of commercial, industry, and academic engagement, NASA has established Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium (LSIC) as an open forum to engage a larger community through six focus groups: in-situ resource utilization (ISRU), excavation and construction, power, extreme access, dust mitigation, and extreme environments. A general overview of the investments – both technology and community development – is presented.

technology↗