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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 NTRS1992

Study of optical techniques for the Ames unitary wind tunnels. Part 1: Schlieren

Alignment procedures and conceptual designs for the rapid alignment of the Ames Unitary Wind Tunnel schlieren systems were devised. The schlieren systems can be aligned by translating the light source, the mirrors, and the knife edge equal distances. One design for rapid alignment consists of a manual pin locking scheme. The other is a motorized electronic position scheme. A study of two optical concepts which can be used with the schlieren system was made. These are the 'point diffraction interferometers' and the 'focus schlieren'. Effects of vibrations were studied.

Lee, George↗

NASA NTRS2002

NASA Tech Briefs, April 2002

The contents include: 1) Application Briefs; 2) Sneak Preview of Sensors Expo; 3) The Complexity of the Diagnosis Problem; 4) Design Concepts for the ISS TransHab Module; 5) Characteristics of Supercritical Transitional Mixing Layers; 6) Electrometer for Triboelectric Evaluation of Materials; 7) Infrared CO2 Sensor With Built-In Calibration Chambers; 8) Solid-State Potentiometric CO Sensor; 9) Planetary Rover Absolute Heading Detection Using a Sun Sensor; 10) Concept for Utilizing Full Areas of STJ Photodetector Arrays; 11) Development of Cognitive Sensors; 12) Enabling Higher-Voltage Operation of SOl CMOS Transistors; 13) Estimating Antenna-Pointing Errors From Beam Squints; 14) Advanced-Fatigue-Crack-Growth and Fracture- Mechanics Program; 15) Software for Sequencing Spacecraft Actions; 16) Program Distributes and Tracks Organizational Memoranda; 16) Flat Membrane Device for Dehumidification of Air; 17) Inverted Hindle Mount Reduces Sag of a Large, Precise Mirror; 18) Heart-Pump-Outlet/Cannula Coupling; 19) Externally Triggered Microcapsules Release Drugs In Situ; 20) Combinatorial Drug Design Augmented by Information Theory; 21) Multiple-Path-Length Optical Absorbance Cell; 22) Model of a Fluidized Bed Containing a Mixture of Particles; 23) Refractive Secondary Concentrators for Solar Thermal Systems; 24) Cold Flow Calorimeter; 25) Methodology for Tracking Hazards and Predicting Failures; 26) Estimating Heterodyne-Interferometer Polarization Leakage; 27) An Efficient Algorithm for Propagation of Temporal- Constraint Networks; 28) Software for Continuous Replanning During Execution; 29) Surface-Launched Explorers for Reconnaissance/Scouting; 30) Firmware for a Small Motion-Control Processor; 31) Gear Bearings and Gear-Bearing Transmissions; and 32) Linear Dynamometer With Variable Stroke and Frequency.

Source record↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The NASA Solar Cruiser Mission - Solar Sail Propulsion Enabling Heliophysics Missions

Solar Cruiser is a Small Satellite Technology Demonstration Mission (TDM) to mature solar sail propulsion technology to enable near-term, high-priority breakthrough science missions as defined in the Solar and Space Physics Decadal Survey. Solar sails have the potential to provide high ΔV for many types of missions. Solar sails are large, mirror-like structures made of a lightweight material that reflects sunlight to propel the spacecraft. The continuous solar photon pressure provides thrust with no need for the heavy, expendable propellants used by conventional chemical and electric propulsion systems. Solar Cruiser will demonstrate a “sailcraft” platform with pointing control and attitude stability comparable to traditional platforms, upon which a new class of Heliophysics missions may fly. It will show sailcraft operation (acceleration, navigation, station keeping, heliocentric plane change) scalability of sail technologies such as the boom, membrane, and deployer to enable more demanding missions, such as high inclination solar imaging. Solar Cruiser will launch as a secondary payload with NASA’s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) in early 2025. The sailcraft will separate from the launch vehicle on a near-L1 trajectory (Sun-Earth Lagrangian Point 1; sunward of L1 along the Sun-Earth Line) and complete its primary mission in 11 months or less.

Solar Sail↗

DOE OSTI2021

Second-order nonlinear optical and linear ultraviolet-visible absorption properties of the type-II multiferroic candidates RbFe( A O 4 ) 2 ( A = Mo, Se, S)

Motivated by the search for type-II multiferroics, in this work, we present a comprehensive optical study of a complex oxide family of type-II multiferroic candidates: RbFe(MoO 4 ) 2 , RbFe(SeO 4 ) 2 , and RbFe(SO 4 ) 2 .We employ rotationalanisotropy second harmonic generation spectroscopy (RA SHG), a technique sensitive to point symmetries, to address discrepancies in literature-assigned point/space groups and to identify the correct crystal structures. At room temperature we find that our RA SHG patterns rotate away from the crystal axes in RbFe(AO 4 ) 2 ( A = Se, S), which identifies the lack of mirror symmetry and in-plane two-fold rotational symmetry. Also, the SHG efficiency of RbFe(SeO 4 ) 2 is two orders of magnitude stronger than RbFe(AO 4 )2 ( A = Mo, S), which suggests broken inversion symmetry. Additionally, we present temperature-dependent linear optical characterizations near the band edge of this family of materials using ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy. Included is experimental evidence of the band gap energy and band gap transition type for this family. Subband gap absorption is also presented, which reveals prominent optical transitions, some with an unusual central energy temperature dependence. Furthermore, we find that by substituting the A site in RbFe(AO 4 ) 2 ( A = Mo, Se, S), the aforementioned transitions are spectrally tunable. Finally, we discuss the potential origin and impact of these tunable transitions.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

NASA NTRS1977

Low-profile heliostat design for solar central receiver systems

Heliostat designs intended to reduce costs and the effect of adverse wind loads on the devices were developed. Included was the low-profile heliostat consisting of a stiff frame with sectional focusing reflectors coupled together to turn as a unit. The entire frame is arranged to turn angularly about a center point. The ability of the heliostat to rotate about both the vertical and horizontal axes permits a central computer control system to continuously aim the sun's reflection onto a selected target. An engineering model of the basic device was built and is being tested. Control and mirror parameters, such as roughness and need for fine aiming, are being studied. The fabrication of these prototypes is in process. The model was also designed to test mirror focusing techniques, heliostat geometry, mechanical functioning, and tracking control. The model can be easily relocated to test mirror imaging on a tower from various directions. In addition to steering and aiming studies, the tests include the effects of temperature changes, wind gusting and weathering. The results of economic studies on this heliostat are also presented.

Fourakis, E.↗

NASA NTRS1986

The AXAF CCD imaging spectrometer

The AXAF CCD Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS) is currently being defined as a possible focal plane instrument to be flown on the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF). The imaging spectrometer consists of an array of charge coupled devices (CCD's) to be placed at the focus of the AXAF mirrors. The array will provide high angular resolution (0.5 arc seconds), moderate spectral resolution (150 eV) over the energy range 0.1 to 10 keV, temporal resolution down to 60 microseconds, and single photon quantum detection efficiencies of up to 90 percent. X-ray sensitivity for a point source exceeds 10 to the -15th ergs/sq cm sec for a 10 to the 5th sec exposure. When used in conjunction with the objective gratings, the array will yield wavelength resolution of up to 200.

Garmire, G. P.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Wavefront sensing, control, and pointing

A majority of future NASA astrophysics missions from orbiting interferometers to 16-m telescopes on the Moon have, as a common requirement, the need to bring light from a large entrance aperture to the focal plane in a way that preserves the spatial coherence properties of the starlight. Only by preserving the phase of the incoming wavefront, can many scientific observations be made, observations that range from measuring the red shift of quasi-stellar objects (QSO's) to detecting the IR emission of a planet in orbit around another star. New technologies for wavefront sensing, control, and pointing hold the key to advancing our observatories of the future from those already launched or currently under development. As the size of the optical system increases, either to increase the sensitivity or angular resolution of the instrument, traditional technologies for maintaining optical wavefront accuracy become prohibitively expensive or completely impractical. For space-based instruments, the low mass requirement and the large temperature excursions further challenge existing technologies. The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is probably the last large space telescope to rely on passive means to keep its primary optics stable and the optical system aligned. One needs only look to the significant developments in wavefront sensing, control, and pointing that have occurred over the past several years to appreciate the potential of this technology for transforming the capability of future space observatories. Future developments in space-borne telescopes will be based in part on developments in ground-based systems. Telescopes with rigid primary mirrors much larger than 5 m in diameter are impractical because of gravity loading. New technologies are now being introduced, such as active optics, that address the scale problem and that allow very large telescopes to be built. One approach is a segmented design such as that being pioneered by the W.M. Keck telescope now under construction at the Mauna Kea Observatory. It consists of 36 hexagonal mirror segments, supported on a framework structure, which are positioned by actuators located between the structure and the mirrors. The figure of the telescope is initialized by making observations of a bright star using a Shack Hartmann sensor integrated with a white light interferometer. Then, using sensed data from the mirror edges to control these actuators, the figure of the mosaic of 36 segments is maintained as if it were a rigid primary mirror. Another active optics approach is the use of a thin meniscus mirror with actuators. This technique was demonstrated on the European Southern Observatory's New Technology Telescope (NTT) and is planned for use in the Very Large Telescope (consists of four 8-m apertures), which is now entering the design phase.

Pitts, Thomas↗

NASA NTRS2005

Genesis Recovery Processing

The Genesis spacecraft, launched in August 2001 to collect samples of the solar wind, returned to Earth on 8 September 2004. The Sample Return Capsule (SRC) failed to deploy its drogue parachute and parafoil and subsequently impacted the Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR) at an estimated 310 kph (193 mph). The goal of the Genesis mission to collect and return samples of the solar wind for precise elemental and isotopic analysis provides the scientific community with a unique set of materials to aid in understanding the origin of our solar system. The spacecraft orbited the Earth-Sun L1 point for 29 months exposing a suite of fifteen types of ultrapure, ultraclean materials in several different locations. Most of the materials were mounted on fixed or deployable wafer panels called collector arrays . A few materials were mounted as targets in the focal spot of an electrostatic mirror (the concentrator ). Other materials were strategically placed to maximize the area for solar-wind collection.

Stansbery, E. K.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Expanded Performance Characterization of the NASA HERMeS Hall Thruster

This work presents a summary of a detailed performance assessment of the Hall Effect Rocket with Magnetic Shielding (HERMeS) Technology Demonstration Unit 3 (TDU-3) thruster at the throttle conditions most relevant for the Gateway Power and Propulsion Element (PPE). First, an assessment was performed of TDU-3 performance and stability at the previously-tested throttle points of 300 V/6.25 kW, 400 V/8.33 kW, 500 V/10.42 kW, and 600 V/12.5 kW that confirmed TDU-3 was operating nominally and consistent with historical baselines. TDU-3 performance and stability were then assessed throughout the PPE throttle range of 2.6-12 kW and shown to mirror the characteristics observed at the previously tested conditions. Finally, a statistical estimate for the thrust specification at the expanded set of throttle conditions was computed and found to yield similar tolerance ranges to those calculated for the heritage conditions. Taken together, these results provide strong evidence that the demonstrated performance characteristics of the HERMeS design are preserved at the expanded set of throttle conditions relevant to application on PPE.

HERMeS↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Extended Performance Characterization of the NASA HERMeS Hall Thruster

HERMeS↗

DOE OSTI2026

Digital Grid Twin–Direct Communication Scheme Test Bed for Assessing Relay-to-Relay Radio Antenna and Optical Fiber Performance and Misoperations

This study introduces a novel “Digital Grid Twin–Direct Communication Scheme” test bed. This advanced platform evaluates point-to-point communication between transmitter and receiver relays with optical fiber and radio omnidirectional antenna systems, implemented at the Advanced Protection lab in the Grid Research Innovation and Development Center at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The increased diversity of energy sources has led to more protective relay misoperations. In North America, microgrid protection schemes now use point-to-point communication along distribution lines between relays to implement advanced logic in nonradial grids that include both high- and low-inertia generators. This trend challenges utilities to minimize misoperations while ensuring rapid fault clearance and accurate selectivity coordination between primary and backup relays. This study assesses relay-to-relay communication schemes by introducing an advanced testing platform based on a digital grid twin protection test bed using a synchronized time source system. The platform evaluates the communication system using radio antennas or optical fiber links by integrating protective relays that operate breakers within the digital twin and record relay events and communication signals. In the experiments, transmitter and receiver relays were configured with inverse time overcurrent and breaker trip detection logic to assess the total time of the communication protection schemes based on the sum of the relay protection element operating time, radio latency, propagation delay, baud rate delay, and relay processing time. These delays were derived from recorded relay events and communication signals from the interface of a real-time simulator set as a digital grid twin. The test bed successfully simulated various electrical faults along a distribution line while ensuring effective and reliable point-to-point communication between transmitter and receiver relays. The radio antenna communication system exhibited latency because of the radio. This latency depends on the baud rate setting and type of radio application; in general, the higher the baud rate, the lower the radio latency. The measured radio latency (for Mirrored Bits with an encryption card at 9,600 bps) was about 9–10 ms. Additionally, calculated propagation delay per mile for radio antennas and optical fiber was 5.36 µs/mi and 8.04 µs/mi, respectively. Optical fiber communication did not demonstrate radio latency. Instead, the protection element operating time depends mainly on the protection logic function set in the relay, and the relay processing time depends on the processing rate of the relay in samples per power system cycle.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

NASA NTRS2000

Orbital Measurement and Verification of the Chandra X-Ray Observatory's PSF

The recently launched Chandra x-ray Observatory (CXO) was designed to have the sharpest angular resolution yet of any x-ray telescope. Detailed modeling and metrology of the optics followed by extensive testing at the X-ray Calibration Facility at the Marshall p Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, indicated that the optics were performing exceedingly well, within our ability to account for distortion of the mirrors due to gravity, and the effects of finite distance and size of the x-ray generator. Thus it was only on-orbit that we expected to directly observe the specified half arcsecond performance. We present here results of the on-orbit calibration of the point spread function (PSF), comparing it with our predictions. We discuss how the PSF varies with source location in the telescope field of view, as well as with the spectral energy distribution of the source.

Jerius, D.↗

NASA NTRS2004

The In-Flight Calibration Program for the XRS on Astro-E2

The X-Ray Spectrometer (XRS) will be launched in February 2005 as part of the Astro-E2 mission. It will provide unprecedented throughput and resolving powers particularly at high energies. In this presentation we will describe the in-flight calibration program. The energy scale of the XRS is a complex, non-linear function of the noise and power conditions on the array. It will be calibrated empirically using the bright point sources, Capella and GX301-2. Ground calibration of the line spread function show it to be almost perfectly Gaussian. The in-flight calibration is designed to verify this using the energy scale targets. The effective area curve of the XRS contains discreet edge structure from the mirrors, the optical blocking filters, and the microcalorimeter HgTe absorbers. The effective area Calibration program will simultaneously measure these absorption edges and the global effective area properties using the relatively featureless sources 3C273 and Mrk421. Additional monitoring of any ice build-up on the filters will be conducted using observations of the supernova remnants N132D and E0102.

Cottam, J.↗

NASA NTRS2009

Basic Physics Questions Addressed by Astrophysics

Dark matter, dark energy, the Big Bang, testing relativity -- all are physics questions accessible to astrophysicists -- but all require new equipment. As Harwit's "Cosmic Discovery" pointed out, almost all great surprises in astronomy came from new equipment or new uses of equipment designed for other purposes, and many of those had military applications. I will outline prospects for new equipment and discuss how that equipment can be developed and built. Bigger and lighter mirrors, wavefront sensing and control, new detector technology, cryogenics -- each has its own social network, its own special possibilities, and its own funding sources outside science. I will discuss some examples drawn from real-life experience with the James Webb Space Telescope, a telescope that was said to have a "giggle factor" when it was proposed in 1995. Now each of the 10 major technologies has been brought to maturity, flight hardware is being built, and launch is planned for 2014. As an instrument builder all my life, I will speculate a little on what may be within our reach over the next few decades.

Mather, John C.↗

DOE OSTI2020

Radiation shielding analysis of the concrete hutch of a long beamline of the Advanced Photon Source Upgrade project

The radiation shielding analysis of the external concrete enclosure of a feature long beamline of the Advanced Photon Source Upgrade project is described in this work. The beamline has 2 undulators that can operate in two different configurations and the source terms are estimated for the worst configuration using the SRW code in the OASYS package as well as the STAC8 code. The shielding analysis is carried out using the STAC8 code, and for the case of pink beam, with the FLUKA code also. Effective dose rates on contact with the outside surface of the concrete walls for pink, reflected full spectrum and monochromatic beams are calculated. For the monochromatic beams, 2 sets of discrete bandwidths (BW) from the Double Crystal Monochromator (DCM) and the full reflectance of the Double Multilayer Monochromator (DMM) are used. Further, due to the size of the direct beam and the energy domain of interest in the direct and scattered fields, the importance of the equivalent dose to the lens of the eye is discussed with respect to the shielding calculations of such facilities. The dose rates outside the concrete hutch in the lateral directions calculated using STAC8 is about 50% higher than the FLUKA results for the case of pink beam but may be considered as a reasonable agreement due to the differences in the calculational methodologies. Those dose rates in the lateral and forward directions are higher for the pink beam to allow full occupancy from the radiation protection point of view. For the full spectrum after 3 reflections, the effective dose rates are less than 0.5 Sv/h in the lateral direction but is higher in the forward region below about 22° with respect to the beam direction. For the DCM beams, except for the scenario with one mirror and 0.1%BW, all dose rates are less than 0.5 Sv/h outside the concrete hutch in the lateral directions. Here, the higher harmonics are what contributes to the dose outside the shield and the bandwidths assumed to derive the photon flux thus becomes important. The dose rates with the DMM are generally lower compared to the 0.1% BW DCM beam but are higher than the results obtained with XOP calculated bandwidths.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2024

Final burst of the moving mirror is unrelated to the partner mode of analog Hawking radiation

Flying mirrors with appropriate trajectories have been recognized as an analog system that mimics black hole Hawking evaporation and have been widely investigated. It has recently been suggested that the partner mode of the analog Hawking radiation emitted from a moving mirror would manifest itself through a final burst when the mirror executes a sudden stop. Here, in this study, we argue the opposite via the partner formula for the moving mirror model. By expanding the theoretical foundation of the partner formula and augmenting it with numerical analysis, we demonstrate that the supposed final burst is induced by a shock that requires the input of external energy, whereas the Hawking radiation partner mode, which is associated with the zero-point vacuum fluctuations, is not responsible for the burst.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

NASA NTRS1980

Study of stray light suppression for the large space telescope

Analysis of light scattering, using the APART computer program, begins at the image plane and progresses through the optical system to the front end of the telescope tube. The approach identifies all critical surfaces, computes the geometrical configuration factors (GCF) from each area of the system under study to all other areas of the system, and determines incident and reflected angles which are important for baffle surfaces which do not have Lambertian scattering characteristics. The power input into the optical surface from either point source objects or extended objects such as the bright Earth are computed. The surface scattering characteristics and the GCF values are combined so that the power transfer to the image plane is computed. Capabilities for handling light scattering from baffle surfaces, specular reflectance from black surfaces, scattering from mirror surfaces, diffraction, internal scattering from transmissive optics, and internal thermal emission are assessed.

Fannin, B. B.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Strategy and calculations for the design of baffles for Wolter Type II telescopes

Spaceflight, stellar pointing telescopes require baffle systems to define the field of view and protect this observational area from stray and scattered light. In the case of near normal incidence telescope systems, the problem consists in controlling the stray/scattered radiation reaching the image plane when circular plates, the primary and secondary mirrors, are the imaging elements. The case addressed in this paper is quite different in that it involves baffling two conical surfaces, i.e., the primary and secondary mirrors of a Wolter Type II telescope. A strategy is described for systematically moving through the telescope system and establishing criteria for placement of baffles. Calculations are given which determine the size and number of permitted baffles as a function of practical physical parameters. Clear options are given for the design of minimum baffle lengths to meet packaging constraints.

Mangus, John D.↗