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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 541 records · Page 30
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1977

Design and development of a passive propellant management system

This paper describes the passive propellant management system program being conducted for the NASA-Marshall Space Flight Center. The objectives of this program are to design and develop a hydrazine propellant acquisition system which will acquire propellant in low- or zero-g environments and also retain this propellant under high axially directed accelerations that may be experienced during launch and orbit-to-orbit transfer. The system design requirements were established to satisfy requirements for a large number of potential NASA and military applications, such as orbit-to-orbit shuttles and satellite vehicles. The resulting concept is a multicompartmented tank with independent surface-tension acquisition channels in each compartment. The tank is designed to provide greater than 98% expulsion efficiency when subjected to the simultaneous requirements of acceleration, vibration, and outflow usage. The system design has the unique capability to demonstrate low-g performance in a one-g test environment, and the test program has been structured around this capability.

Regnier, W. W.↗
NASA NTRS1998

NASA/FAA/NCAR Supercooled Large Droplet Icing Flight Research: Summary of Winter 1996-1997 Flight Operations

During the winter of 1996-1997, a flight research program was conducted at the NASA-Lewis Research Center to study the characteristics of Supercooled Large Droplets (SLD) within the Great Lakes region. This flight program was a joint effort between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Based on weather forecasts and real-time in-flight guidance provided by NCAR, the NASA-Lewis Icing Research Aircraft was flown to locations where conditions were believed to be conducive to the formation of Supercooled Large Droplets aloft. Onboard instrumentation was then used to record meteorological, ice accretion, and aero-performance characteristics encountered during the flight. A total of 29 icing research flights were conducted, during which "conventional" small droplet icing, SLD, and mixed phase conditions were encountered aloft. This paper will describe how flight operations were conducted, provide an operational summary of the flights, present selected experimental results from one typical research flight, and conclude with practical "lessons learned" from this first year of operation.

Miller, Dean↗
NASA NTRS2014

Recommendation of a More Effective Alternative to the NASA Launch Services Program Mission Integration Reporting System (MIRS) and Implementation of Updates to the Mission Plan

Over the course of my internship in the Flight Projects Office of NASA's Launch Services Program (LSP), I worked on two major projects, both of which dealt with updating current systems to make them more accurate and to allow them to operate more efficiently. The first project dealt with the Mission Integration Reporting System (MIRS), a web-accessible database application used to manage and provide mission status reporting for the LSP portfolio of awarded missions. MIRS had not gone through any major updates since its implementation in 2005, and it was my job to formulate a recommendation for the improvement of the system. The second project I worked on dealt with the Mission Plan, a document that contains an overview of the general life cycle that is followed by every LSP mission. My job on this project was to update the information currently in the mission plan and to add certain features in order to increase the accuracy and thoroughness of the document. The outcomes of these projects have implications in the orderly and efficient operation of the Flight Projects Office, and the process of Mission Management in the Launch Services Program as a whole.

recommendation↗
NASA NTRS1996

An introduction to NASA's advanced computing program: Integrated computing systems in advanced multichip modules

Recent changes within NASA's space exploration program favor the design, implementation, and operation of low cost, lightweight, small and micro spacecraft with multiple launches per year. In order to meet the future needs of these missions with regard to the use of spacecraft microelectronics, NASA's advanced flight computing (AFC) program is currently considering industrial cooperation and advanced packaging architectures. In relation to this, the AFC program is reviewed, considering the design and implementation of NASA's AFC multichip module.

Fang, Wai-Chi↗
NASA NTRS2014

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Integrated Science Instruments Module (ISIM) Cryo-Vacuum (CV) Test at GSFC

JWST ISIM has entered into its system-level testing program at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). In December 2013, ISIM successfully completed the first in a series of three cryo-vacuum tests, which included two flight science instruments. Since then, there have been full-fledged efforts towards the CV2 test scheduled to finish at the end of 2014. The complexity of the mission has generated challenging requirements that demand highly reliable system performance and capabilities from the Space Environment Simulator (SES) vacuum chamber. In order to satisfy the program requirements, GSFC had to develop unique structural and thermal hardware to test ISIM. Most noteworthy is a helium shroud structure and cooling system built in order to achieve operational temperatures below 20K (-253C). This paper: (1) provides an overview of the integrated mechanical and thermal facility systems required to achieve the objectives of JWST ISIM testing, (2) communicates the performance and challenges of the SES during the first ISIM test, and (3) summarizes the action plan to improve the system prior to the next test.

Thermal Vacuum Cryo Testing Chamber↗
NASA NTRS2011

Ares I-X Test Flight Reference Trajectory Development

Ares I-X was the first test flight of NASA's Constellation Program's Ares I crew launch vehicle. Ares I is a two stage to orbit launch vehicle that provides crew access to low Earth orbit for NASA's future manned exploration missions. The Ares I first stage consists of a Shuttle solid rocket motor (SRM) modified to include an additional propellant segment and a liquid propellant upper stage with an Apollo J2X engine modified to increase its thrust capability. The modified propulsion systems were not available for the first test flight, thus the test had to be conducted with an existing Shuttle 4 segment reusable solid rocket motor (RSRM) and an inert Upper Stage. The test flight's primary objective was to demonstrate controllability of an Ares I vehicle during first stage boost and the ability to perform a successful separation. In order to demonstrate controllability, the Ares I-X ascent control algorithms had to maintain stable flight throughout a flight environment equivalent to Ares I. The goal of the test flight reference trajectory development was to design a boost trajectory using the existing RSRM that results in a flight environment equivalent to Ares I. A trajectory similarity metric was defined as the integrated difference between the Ares I and Ares I-X Mach versus dynamic pressure relationships. Optimization analyses were performed that minimized the metric by adjusting the inert upper stage weight and the ascent steering profile. The sensitivity of the optimal upper stage weight and steering profile to launch month was also investigated. A response surface approach was used to verify the optimization results. The analyses successfully defined monthly ascent trajectories that matched the Ares I reference trajectory dynamic pressure versus Mach number relationship to within 10% through Mach 3.5. The upper stage weight required to achieve the match was found to be feasible and varied less than 5% throughout the year. The paper will discuss the flight test requirements, provide Ares I-X vehicle background, discuss the optimization analyses used to meet the requirements, present analysis results, and compare the reference trajectory to the reconstructed flight trajectory.

Starr, Brett R.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Recovery of Voyager Plasma Electron Observations at Jupiter

We will present our recovery of Voyager 1 and 2 plasma electron observations during their Jupiter flybys. The analysis is expected to be completed by the time of the Fall AGU 2023 Meeting and stored in Goddard’s Data Center and we will present new results never published before. The original summary data tapes and later data files at first appeared to be permanently lost but eventually located at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, while data analysis results done at Goddard Space Flight Center, except for that published in journals, were permanently lost such as electron distribution functions, spacecraft trajectory and spacecraft attitude information. In addition to recovering the electron plasma observations (electron intensities and fluid parameters of the thermal and suprathermal electron populations, respectively), we use Spice Kernels for Voyager 1 and 2 trajectory and spacecraft attitude information, fortunately produced by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. We will present new results of our work, originally funded under the Planetary Data Archiving, Restoration, and Tools (PDART) program but now being funded by the Internal Scientist Funding Model (ISFM) Exosphere Ionosphere Magnetospheres Modeling (EIMM) program at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. If time permits, we will also present some of our recovery of the Voyager 2 Uranus plasma electron data and analysis similar to what was done for Jupiter.

E.C. Sittler Jr.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Recovery of Voyager Plasma Electron Observations at Jupiter

We will present our recovery of Voyager 1 and 2 plasma electron observations during their Jupiter flybys. The analysis is expected to be completed by the time of the Fall AGU 2023 Meeting and stored in Goddard’s Data Center and we will present new results never published before. The original summary data tapes and later data files at first appeared to be permanently lost but eventually located at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, while data analysis results done at Goddard Space Flight Center, except for that published in journals, were permanently lost such as electron distribution functions, spacecraft trajectory and spacecraft attitude information. In addition to recovering the electron plasma observations (electron intensities and fluid parameters of the thermal and suprathermal electron populations, respectively), we use Spice Kernels for Voyager 1 and 2 trajectory and spacecraft attitude information, fortunately produced by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. We will present new results of our work, originally funded under the Planetary Data Archiving, Restoration, and Tools (PDART) program but now being funded by the Internal Scientist Funding Model (ISFM) Exosphere Ionosphere Magnetospheres Modeling (EIMM) program at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. If time permits, we will also present some of our recovery of the Voyager 2 Uranus plasma electron data and analysis similar to what was done for Jupiter.

E.C. Sittler Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Compilation and development of K-6 aerospace materials for implementation in NASA spacelink electronic information system

Spacelink is an electronic information service to be operated by the Marshall Space Flight Center. It will provide NASA news and educational resources including software programs that can be accessed by anyone with a computer and modem. Spacelink is currently being installed and will soon begin service. It will provide daily updates of NASA programs, information about NASA educational services, manned space flight, unmanned space flight, aeronautics, NASA itself, lesson plans and activities, and space program spinoffs. Lesson plans and activities were extracted from existing NASA publications on aerospace activities for the elementary school. These materials were arranged into 206 documents which have been entered into the Spacelink program for use in grades K-6.

Blake, Jean A.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Brine shrimp development in space: ground-based data to shuttle flight results

The brine shrimp, Artemia salina, has been used as a model system to assess microgravity effects on developing organisms. Following fertilization and early development, the egg can arrest in early gastrula as a dehydrated cyst stage that is stable to harsh environments over long time periods. When salt water is added, the cysts can reactivate, with embryonic development and egg hatching occurring in about 24 h. A series of larval molts or instars, over about a 2 week period, results in the adult crustacean. We have assessed these developmental events in a closed syringe system, a bioprocessing module, in ground-based studies, and have conducted preliminary in-orbit experiments aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis during the flights of STS-37 and STS-43. Although the in-flight data are limited, spectacular degrees of development have been achieved.

NASA Discipline Number 93-10↗
NASA NTRS2000

X-38 Vehicle 131R Free Flights 1 and 2

The X-38 program is using a modern flight control system (FCS) architecture originally developed by Honeywell called MACH. During last year's SAE G&C subcommittee meeting, we outlined the design, implementation and testing of MACH in X-38 Vehicles 132, 131R & 201. During this year's SAE meeting, I'll focus upon the first two free flights of V131R, describing what caused the roll-over in FF1 and how we fixed it for FF2. I only have 30 minutes, so it will be a quick summary including VHS video. X-38 is a NASA JSC/DFRC experimental flight test program developing a series of prototypes for an International Space Station (ISS) Crew Return Vehicle (CRV), often described as an ISS "lifeboat." X-38 Vehicle 132 Free Flight 3 was the first flight test of a modern FCS architecture called Multi-Application ControlH (MACH), developed by the Honeywell Technology Center in Minneapolis and Honeywell's Houston Engineering Center. MACH wraps classical Proportional+integral (P+I) outer attitude loops around modern dynamic inversion attitude rate loops. The presentation at last year's SAE Aerospace Meeting No. 85 focused upon the design and testing of the FCS algorithm and Vehicle 132 Free Flight 3. This presentation will summarize flight control and aerodynamics lessons learned during Free Flights 1 and 2 of Vehicle 131R, a subsonic test vehicle laying the groundwork for the orbital/entry test of Vehicle 201 in 2003.

Munday, Steve↗
NASA NTRS1990

NASA thrusts in high-speed aeropropulsion research and development: An overview

NASA is conducting aeronautical research over a broad range of Mach numbers. In addition to the advanced conventional takeoff or landing (CTOL) propulsion research described elsewhere, NASA Lewis has intensified its efforts towards propulsion technology for selected high speed flight applications. In a companion program, NASA Langley has also accomplished significant research in supersonic combustion ramjet (SCRAM) propulsion. An unclassified review is presented of the propulsion research results that are applicable for supersonic to hypersonic vehicles. This overview not only provides a preview of the more detailed presentations which follow, it also presents a viewpoint on future research directions by calling attention to the unique cycles, components, and facilities involved in this expanding area of work.

Ziemianski, Joseph A.↗
NASA NTRS2005

An Overview of the Guided Parafoil System Derived from X-38 Experience

The NASA Johnson Space Center built a 4200 sq ft parafoil for the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Center to demonstrate autonomous flight using a guided parafoil system to deliver 10,000 lbs of useable payload. The parafoil's design was based upon that developed during the X-38 program. The drop test payload consisted of a standard 20-foot Type V airdrop platform, a standard 12-foot weight tub, a 60 ft drogue parachute, a 4200 ft2 parafoil, an instrumentation system, and a Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GN&C) system. Instrumentation installed on the load was used to gather data to validate simulation models and preflight loads predictions and to perform post flight trajectory and performance reconstructions. The GN&C system, developed during NASA's X-38 program, consisted of a flight computer, modems for uplink commands and downlink data, a compass, laser altimeter, and two winches. The winches were used to steer the parafoil and to perform the dynamic flare maneuver for a soft landing. The laser was used to initiate the flare. The GN&C software was originally provided to NASA by the European Space Agency. NASA incorporated further software refinements based upon the X-38 flight test results. Three full-scale drop tests were conducted, with the third being performed during the Precision Airdrop Technology Conference and Demonstration (PATCAD) Conference at the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) in November of 2003. For the PATCAD demonstration, the parafoil and GN&C software and hardware performed well, concluding with a good flare and the smallest miss distance ever experienced in NASA's parafoil drop test program. This paper describes the 4200 sq ft parafoil system, simulation results, and the results of the drop tests.

Stein, Jenny M.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Aerospace News: Space Shuttle Commemoration. Volume 2, No. 7

The complex space shuttle design was comprised of four components: the external tank, two solid rocket boosters (SRB), and the orbiter vehicle. Six orbiters were used during the life of the program. In order of introduction into the fleet, they were: Enterprise (a test vehicle), Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour. The space shuttle had the unique ability to launch into orbit, perform on-orbit tasks, return to earth and land on a runway. It was an orbiting laboratory, International Space Station crew delivery and supply replenisher, satellite launcher and payload delivery vehicle, all in one. Except for the external tank, all components of the space shuttle were designed to be reusable for many flights. ATK s reusable solid rocket motors (RSRM) were designed to be flown, recovered, and the metal components reused 20 times. Following each space shuttle launch, the SRBs would parachute into the ocean and be recovered by the Liberty Star and Freedom Star recovery ships. The recovered boosters would then be received at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Hangar AF facility for disassembly and engineering post-flight evaluation. At Hangar AF, the RSRM field joints were demated and the segments prepared to be returned to Utah by railcar. The segments were then shipped to ATK s facilities in Clearfield for additional evaluation prior to washout, disassembly and refurbishment. Later the refurbished metal components would be transported to ATK s Promontory facilities to begin a new cycle. ATK s RSRMs were manufactured in Promontory, Utah. During the Space Shuttle Program, ATK supported NASA s Marshall Space Flight Center whose responsibility was for all propulsion elements on the program, including the main engines and solid rocket motors. On launch day for the space shuttle, ATK s Launch Site Operations employees at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) provided lead engineering support for ground operations and NASA s chief engineer. It was ATK s responsibility to have a representative in Firing Room 2 at KSC in case of potential motor problems. However, the last time ATK was responsible for a space shuttle launch slip was 1989. During launch, engineers were also stationed in Promontory on teleconference with counterparts at KSC in the event their support was required.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2001

An Overview of NASA's In-Space Cryogenic Propellant Management Technologies

Future mission planning within NASA continues to include cryogenic propellants for in space transportation, with mission durations ranging from days to years. Between 1995 and the present, NASA has pursued a diversified program of ground-based testing to prepare the various technologies associated with in-space cryogenic fluid management (CFM) for implementation. CFM technology areas being addressed include passive insulation, zero gravity pressure control, zero gravity mass gauging, capillary liquid acquisition devices, and zero boiloff storage. NASA CFM technologies are planned, coordinated, and implemented through the Cryogenic Technology Working Group which is comprised of representatives from the various NASA Centers as well as the National Institute of Standards and Technologies (NIST) and, on selected occasions, the Air Force. An overview of the NASA program and Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) roles, accomplishments, and near-term activities are presented herein. Basic CFM technology areas being addressed include passive insulation, zero gravity pressure control, zero gravity mass gauging, capillary liquid acquisition devices, and zero boiloff storage. Recent MSFC accomplishments include: the large scale demonstration of a high performance variable density multilayer insulation (MLI) that reduced the boiloff by about half that of standard MLI; utilization of a foam substrate under MLI to eliminate the need for a helium purge bag system; demonstrations of both spray-bar and axial-jet mixer concepts for zero gravity pressure control; and sub-scale testing that verified an optical sensor concept for measuring liquid hydrogen mass in zero gravity. In response to missions requiring cryogenic propellant storage durations on the order of years, a cooperative effort by NASA's Ames Research Center, Glenn Research Center, and MSFC has been implemented to develop and demonstrate zero boiloff concepts for in-space storage of cryogenic propellants. An MSFC contribution to this cooperative effort is a large-scale demonstration of the integrated operation of passive insulation, destratification/pressure control, and cryocooler (commercial unit) subsystems to achieve zero boiloff storage of liquid hydrogen. Testing is expected during the Summer of 2001.

Tucker, Stephen↗
NASA NTRS2003

Orbital Space Plane Program Flight Demonstrators Status

Under the Orbital Space Plane Program, NASA is currently pursuing the maturation of technologies via three flight demonstrators - DART (Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology), X-37, and PAD (Pad Abort Demonstrator). Flight demonstrators provide the opportunity to test key technologies in their actual working environment. These flight demonstrators are required at this stage to mature technologies needed to support full-scale development design of a future competitively selected Orbital Space.

Turner, Susan G.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

2024 NASA Balloon Program Overview

Enable discovery through conduct of frequent scientific balloon flight opportunities for NASA scientific, technology development, and educational investigations.

Balloon↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Work Function Matching Passive Lunar Dust Mitigation Coating Preparation for Lunar Flight Opportunity

With the Artemis program, NASA isplanning longer stays on the surface, with more activities that have the potential to put the astronauts and equipment in contact with greater quantities of lunar dust. The success of these missions will depend on our understanding of material interactions with lunar dust and the development of ways to mitigate dust effects. This is particularly truein cases where exposure to dust will lead to failure of components, unacceptable loss of power or thermal control, unacceptable loss of visibility, or health issues.Optically transparent, sputter deposited,work function matching coatings are being developed at NASA Glenn Research Center to reduce adhesion of dust to windows, lenses and display panels by matching the minimum energy to remove an electron from the surface to that oflunar dust in order to reduce adhesion due to charge transfer. One of these work function matching coatings will be tested as part of Aegis Aerospace Inc.’s Regolith Adherence Characterization experiment going to the lunar surface on a Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) lander in 2023. Preparation of the work function matching coating and initial characterization prior to delivery for flight integration will be discussed.

Lunar dust, passive mitigation, CLPS demonstration↗