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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 631 records · Page 35

Initial TASAR Operations Onboard Alaska Airlines

NASA and Alaska Airlines jointly conducted an operational evaluation of NASA’s Traffic Aware Strategic Aircrew Request (TASAR) concept. Featuring a NASA-developed cockpit automation tool, the Traffic Aware Planner (TAP), and leveraging the emerging “connected aircraft” architecture, TASAR enables pilots to identify route changes compatible with nearby traffic and airspace constraints that improve flight efficiency and are more likely to receive Air Traffic Control approval. TASAR was developed in anticipation of saving fuel and flight time, thereby providing immediate and pervasive benefits to the aircraft operator. Following a previously reported, extensive program of integration and preliminary in-flight testing, the operational evaluation of TASAR in revenue service by Alaska Airlines took place from July 2018 to April 2019. This paper describes the operational evaluation, the methodology for quantifying operational benefits, preliminary benefit results, and other unexpected impacts of TASAR operations during revenue flights. Based on the subset of data available at publication, preliminary estimated benefits averaged about $92 per flight across all flights including those without benefit. Identified factors indicate the estimated benefit per flight was likely a conservative estimate. Benefit categories including home runs, cumulative small gains, and plan validation benefits are illustrated with specific examples observed during the operational evaluation.

Wing, David J.↗

CO2 Removal Onboard the International Space Station – Material Selection and System Design

The previous three years of efforts have focused on the study of the sorbent materials available for use in a 4-bed molecular sieve system. The accumulation of knowledge has been invaluable for further decisions and for reflecting on the conclusions of past decisions. The goal of the next system is perfect uptime for nearly 20,000 hours of operation, but no complex life support system has yet reached this lofty goal. In addition to reliability, CO2 removal performance improvements have been intensively studied. The achievements toward this end include highly detailed isotherm measurements which drive system simulations as well as testing physical design improvements. Looking back on the successes and failures of past systems, correlating tests with long-duration data, and carefully projecting the future are all needed for the success of the next system. This work intends to reveal the path we have taken and illuminate the steps to come for CO2 removal life support with the 4BCO2 flight demonstration.

Cmarik, Gregory E.↗

Onboard Data Analysis for the Planetary Instrument for X-Ray Lithography

Imaging spectrometers are invaluable instruments for robotic science exploration, enabling quantitative maps of physical and chemical properties at high spatial resolution. This is particularly valuable in remote missions to other planetary bodies like Mars. The PIXL instrument on the Mars 2020 rover will deploy an arm-mounted X-Ray fluorescence spectrometer to map chemical composition at sub-millimeter scales. Its high resolution places dramatic new demands on instrument placement accuracy and measurement time. We address these challenges using novel on board data analysis strategies inspired by FRC science autonomy research.

Thompson, David R.↗

The Joint ESA/NASA Galileo/GPS Receiver Onboard the ISS – the GARISS Project

ESA and NASA conducted a joint Galileo/GPS space receiver experiment on-board the International Space Station (ISS). The objectives (Enderle 2017) of the joint project were to demonstrate the robustness of a combined Galileo/GPS waveform uploaded to NASA hardware already operating in the challenging space environment - the SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation) software defined radio (SDR) testbed (FPGA) - on-board the ISS. These activities data included the analysis of the Galileo/GPS signal and on-board Position/Velocity/Time (PVT) performance, processing of the Galileo/GPS raw data (code- and carrier phase) for Precise Orbit Determination (POD), and validate the added value of a space-borne dual GNSS receiver compared to a single-system GNSS receiver operating under the same conditions. This paper will provide a general overview of the Galileo/GPS experiment – called GARISS - on-board the ISS, describe design, test and validation and also the operations of the experiment. Further, the various analysis conducted in the con is joint project and also the results obtained will be presented with a focus on the (Precise) Orbit Determination results.

Enderle, Werner↗

First Detections of Dichlorobenzene Isomers and Trichloromethylpropane from Organic Matter Indigenous to Mars Mudstone in Gale Crater, Mars: Results from the Sample Analysis at Mars Instrument Onboard the Curiosity Rover

Chromatographic analysis of the Cumberland mudstone in Gale crater by the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument revealed the detection of two to three isomers of dichlorobenzene. Their individual concentrations were estimated to be in the 0.5–17 ppbw range relative to the sample mass. We also report the first detection of trichloromethylpropane and the confirmation of the detection of chlorobenzene previously reported. Supporting laboratory experiments excluded the SAM internal background as the source of those compounds, thus confirming the organic carbon and chlorine of the newly detected chlorohydrocarbons are indigenous to the mudstone sample. Laboratory experiments also demonstrated that the chlorohydrocarbons were mainly produced from chemical reactions occurring in the SAM ovens between organic molecules and oxychlorines contained in the sample. The results we obtained show that meteoritic organics and tested chemical species (a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, an amino acid, and a carboxylic acid) were plausible organic precursors of the chlorinated aromatic molecules detected with SAM, thus suggesting that they could be among the organic molecules present in the mudstone. Results from this study coupled with previously reported detections of chlorinated aromatics (<300 ppbw) indigenous to the same mudstone highlight that organics can be preserved from the harsh surface conditions even at shallow depth. The detection of new chlorohydrocarbons with SAM confirms that organic molecules should have been available in an environment favorable to life forms, strengthening the habitability aspect of Gale crater. Key Words: Mars—Chlorinated organic molecules—In situ measurements—Sample Analysis at Mars— Mudstone—Gale crater. Astrobiology 20, 292–306.

Szopa, Cyril↗

Design and construction of the X-ray instrumentation onboard the HaloSat CubeSat

HaloSat is the first mission funded by NASA’s Astrophysics Division to use the CubeSat platform. Using three co-aligned silicon drift detectors, the HaloSat observatory measures soft (0.4 to 7 keV) x-ray emission from sources of diffuse emission such as the hot, gaseous halo of the Milky Way. We describe the design and construction of the science payload on HaloSat and the reasoning behind many of the choices. As a direct result of the design choices and adherence to best practices during construction, the HaloSat science payload continues to perform well after more than one year on-orbit.

Daniel M. LaRocca↗