LANDSAT-3 launch and flight activation evaluation report, 5 to 9 March 1978: Launch through orbit 50 and orbit adjust operation
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Source record↗
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Citric Acid Alternative to Nitric Acid Passivation
The Ground Systems Development and Operations GSDO) Program at NASA John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) has the primary objective of modernizing and transforming the launch and range complex at KSC to benefit current and future NASA programs along with other emerging users. Described as the launch support and infrastructure modernization program in the NASA Authorization Act of 2010, the GSDO Program will develop and implement shared infrastructure and process improvements to provide more flexible, affordable, and responsive capabilities to a multi-user community. In support of the GSDO Program, the purpose of this project is to demonstratevalidate citric acid as a passivation agent for stainless steel. Successful completion of this project will result in citric acid being qualified for use as an environmentally preferable alternative to nitric acid for passivation of stainless steel alloys in NASA and DoD applications.
Technology↗
Alternative to Nitric Acid Passivation
The Ground Systems Development and Operations (GSDO) Program at NASA John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida, has the primary objective of modernizing and transforming the launch and range complex at KSC to benefit current and future NASA programs along with other emerging users. Described as the launch support and infrastructure modernization program in the NASA Authorization Act of 2010, the GSDO Program will develop and implement shared infrastructure and process improvements to provide more flexible, affordable, and responsive capabilities to a multi-user community. In support of NASA and the GSDO Program, the objective of this project is to qualify citric acid as an environmentally-preferable alternative to nitric acid for passivation of stainless steel alloys. This project is a direct follow-on to United Space Alliance (USA) work at KSC to optimize the parameters for the use of citric acid and verify effectiveness. This project will build off of the USA study to further evaluate citric acids effectiveness and suitability for corrosion protection of a number of stainless steels alloys used by NASA, the Department of Defense (DoD), and the European Space Agency (ESA).
stainless steel↗
Tailoring a ConOps for NASA LSP Integrated Operations
An integral part of the Systems Engineering process is the creation of a Concept of Operations (ConOps) for a given system, with the ConOps initially established early in the system design process and evolved as the system definition and design matures. As Integration Engineers in NASA's Launch Services Program (LSP) at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), our job is to manage the interface requirements for all the robotic space missions that come to our Program for a Launch Service. LSP procures and manages a launch service from one of our many commercial Launch Vehicle Contractors (LVCs) and these commercial companies are then responsible for developing the Interface Control Document (ICD), the verification of the requirements in that document, and all the services pertaining to integrating the spacecraft and launching it into orbit. However, one of the systems engineering tools that have not been employed within LSP to date is a Concept of Operations. The goal of this paper is to research the format and content that goes into these various aerospace industry ConOps and tailor the format and content into template form, so the template may be used as an engineering tool for spacecraft integration with future LSP procured launch services. This tailoring effort was performed as the authors final Masters Project in the Spring of 2016 for the Stevens Institute of Technology and modified for publication with INCOSE (Owens, 2016).
Knowledge↗
Loads and Structural Dynamics Requirements for Spaceflight Hardware
The purpose of this document is to establish requirements relating to the loads and structural dynamics technical discipline for NASA and commercial spaceflight launch vehicle and spacecraft hardware. Requirements are defined for the development of structural design loads and recommendations regarding methodologies and practices for the conduct of load analyses are provided. As such, this document represents an implementation of NASA STD-5002. Requirements are also defined for structural mathematical model development and verification to ensure sufficient accuracy of predicted responses. Finally, requirements for model/data delivery and exchange are specified to facilitate interactions between Launch Vehicle Providers (LVPs), Spacecraft Providers (SCPs), and the NASA Technical Authority (TA) providing insight/oversight and serving in the Independent Verification and Validation role. In addition to the analysis-related requirements described above, a set of requirements are established concerning coupling phenomena or other interaction between structural dynamics and aerodynamic environments or control or propulsion system elements. Such requirements may reasonably be considered structure or control system design criteria, since good engineering practice dictates consideration of and/or elimination of the identified conditions in the development of those subsystems. The requirements are included here, however, to ensure that such considerations are captured in the design space for launch vehicles (LV), spacecraft (SC) and the Launch Abort Vehicle (LAV). The requirements in this document are focused on analyses to be performed to develop data needed to support structural verification. As described in JSC 65828, Structural Design Requirements and Factors of Safety for Spaceflight Hardware, implementation of the structural verification requirements is expected to be described in a Structural Verification Plan (SVP), which should describe the verification of each structural item for the applicable requirements. The requirement for and expected contents of the SVP are defined in JSC 65828. The SVP may also document unique verifications that meet or exceed these requirements with Technical Authority approval.
George James↗
Preventing Spacecraft Failures Due to Tribological Problems
Many mechanical failures that occur on spacecraft are caused by tribological problems. This publication presents a study that was conducted by the author on various preventatives, analyses, controls and tests (PACTs) that could be used to prevent spacecraft mechanical system failure. A matrix is presented in the paper that plots tribology failure modes versus various PACTs that should be performed before a spacecraft is launched in order to insure success. A strawman matrix was constructed by the author and then was sent out to industry and government spacecraft designers, scientists and builders of spacecraft for their input. The final matrix is the result of their input. In addition to the matrix, this publication describes the various PACTs that can be performed and some fundamental knowledge on the correct usage of lubricants for spacecraft applications. Even though the work was done specifically to prevent spacecraft failures the basic methodology can be applied to other mechanical system areas.
Fusaro, Robert L.↗
EFFECT OF STERILIZATION IN SPACECRAFT DESIGN
Modern spacecraft design no longer involves only the Engineering Sciences. To get "the bugs" out of a system must now be taken literally to signify eradication of actual free-living microorganisms. A severe impact of a non-sterilized space vehicle could result in overt, reckless contamination, virtually eliminating a celestial body as a scientific base for the exobiological phases of space exploration. Recognizing the potentially damaging effects of septic launches, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in December, 1960 authorized spacecraft sterilization and decontamination as National policy, thereby elevating the space effort onto a higher scientific plane. In the NASA directive, the basic reasons for sterilization were established, viz., "to preserve clues to the origin of life and of the universe, which may be hidden beneath the lunar strata or under the atmospheres of strange planets, to prevent inadvertent seeding of extraterrestrial surfaces by earth-life cultures, and to protect the earth from mutual contamination." In light of the foregoing, spacecraft sterilization should be regarded as the most significant single mission as well as design requirement of planetary space exploration --- especially if our objectives are primarily scientific.
Ranger project↗
The Space Shuttle in perspective
Commercial aspects of the Space Shuttle are examined, with attention given to charges to users, schedule of launches and reimbursement, kinds of payload and their selection, NASA authority, space allocation, and risk, liability, and insurance. It is concluded that insurance to reduce the risk, incentives that NASA is willing to make available to U.S. industry, and the demonstrated willingness of industry and the financial community to invest their funds in space ventures indicate that the new Shuttle capabilities will exponentially increase commercial activities in space during the 1980s.
Hosenball, S. N.↗
The Space Shuttle Decision: NASA's Search for a Reusable Space Vehicle
This significant new study of the decision to build the Space Shuttle explains the Shuttle's origins and early development. In addition to internal NASA discussions, this work details the debates in the late 1960s and early 1970s among policymakers in Congress, the Air Force, and the Office of Management and Budget over the roles and technical designs of the Shuttle. Examining the interplay of these organizations with sometimes conflicting goals, the author not only explains how the world's premier space launch vehicle came into being, but also how politics can interact with science, technology, national security, and economics in national government. The weighty policy decision to build the Shuttle represents the first component of the broader story: future NASA volumes will cover the Shuttle's development and operational histories.
Heppenheimer, T. A.↗
LCROSS: Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite Project
This slide presentation reviews the success of the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) project. The LCROSS mission science goals was to: (1) Confirm the presence or absence of water ice in a permanently shadowed region on the Moon (2) Identify the form/state of hydrogen observed by at the lunar poles (3) Quantify, if present, the amount of water in the lunar regolith, with respect to hydrogen concentrations (4) Characterize the lunar regolith within a permanently shadowed crater on the Moon. The mission confirmed the presence of water ice on the moon by impacting a part of the spent Centaur upper stage into the Cabeus crater.. The presentation includes pictures of the development of the spacecraft, testing, launch, impact site, impact and a section of what the author called "Lunacy" which showed joking cartoons.
Marmie, John↗
Measuring CO2 from Space: The NASA Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2
The Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) was the first NASA satellite designed to measure atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) from space with the precision, resolution, and coverage needed to detect CO2 surface fluxes. OCO was designed to collect 0.5 to 1 million soundings each day. Typical measurements over land were expected to have precisions of 0.3% within surface footprints smaller less than 3 square km. This project suffered a major setback in February 2009 when the OCO launch vehicle failed to achieve orbit and the satellite was lost. The U.S. Congress has since authorized a restart of the OCO project, and the President's 2010 budget proposal includes funding to develop and fly a replacement for OCO that could be ready for launch no later than February 2013. This mission has been designated OCO-2. While this mission will be a near "carbon copy" of OCO, some changes were needed to replace components that were no longer available. Here, we describe the capabilities, of the OCO-2 mission, highlighting its differences from OCO.
carbon cycle↗
Shuttle-C auxiliary propulsion system certification approach and low-cost evolution concepts
Shuttle-C provides NASA with a heavy-lift cargo capability that is a low-cost derivative of the current Space Shuttle. This system can deliver 80,000 to 140,000 pounds of payload to low earth orbit within 4 years of authority to proceed. Shuttle-C will share th existing Shuttle launch facilities at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The Shuttle-C vehicle incorporates an auxiliary propulsion system (APS) which provides separation from the external tank (ET), orbit circularization, on-orbit attitude hold, and deorbit capability. The APS is derived from the Shuttle orbiter aft reaction control system (ARCS) and orbital maneuvering system (OMS) with the objective of achieving minimum life cycle cost for this expendable vehicle. The resulting APS system will be described, its plan for a minimum-cost flight certification utilizing a cold-flow test program explained, and low-cost evolution by component design modification and part substitution presented.
Harsh, M. George↗
Aerodynamic Control-Augmentation Devices For Saturn-Class Launch Vehicles With Aft Centers Of Gravity
Report describes study of aerodynamic flight-control-augmentation devices proposed for use in increasing payload capabilities of future launch vehicles by allowing more aft centers of gravity. Proposed all-movable devices not only provide increased control authority during ascent trajectory, but also reduce engine gimballing requirements and enhance crew safety. Report proposes various aerodynamic control surfaces mounted fore and aft on Saturn-class launch vehicle.
Barret, Chris↗
NASA's Space Launch System Development Status
Development of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Space Launch System (SLS) heavy lift rocket is shifting from the formulation phase into the implementation phase in 2014, a little more than 3 years after formal program establishment. Current development is focused on delivering a vehicle capable of launching 70 metric tons (t) into low Earth orbit. This "Block 1" configuration will launch the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) on its first autonomous flight beyond the Moon and back in December 2017, followed by its first crewed flight in 2021. SLS can evolve to a130t lift capability and serve as a baseline for numerous robotic and human missions ranging from a Mars sample return to delivering the first astronauts to explore another planet. Benefits associated with its unprecedented mass and volume include reduced trip times and simplified payload design. Every SLS element achieved significant, tangible progress over the past year. Among the Program's many accomplishments are: manufacture of core stage test barrels and domes; testing of Solid Rocket Booster development hardware including thrust vector controls and avionics; planning for RS- 25 core stage engine testing; and more than 4,000 wind tunnel runs to refine vehicle configuration, trajectory, and guidance. The Program shipped its first flight hardware - the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle Stage Adapter (MSA) - to the United Launch Alliance for integration with the Delta IV heavy rocket that will launch an Orion test article in 2014 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The Program successfully completed Preliminary Design Review in 2013 and will complete Key Decision Point C in 2014. NASA has authorized the Program to move forward to Critical Design Review, scheduled for 2015 and a December 2017 first launch. The Program's success to date is due to prudent use of proven technology, infrastructure, and workforce from the Saturn and Space Shuttle programs, a streamlined management approach, and judicious use of new technologies. The result is a safe, affordable, sustainable, and evolutionary path to development of an unprecedented capability for future missions across the solar system. In an environment of economic challenges, the nationwide SLS team continues to meet ambitious budget and schedule targets. This paper will discuss SLS Program and technical accomplishments over the past year and provide a look at the milestones and challenges ahead.
Lyles, Garry↗
Monitoring Ocean CO2 Fluxes from Space: GOSAT and OCO-2
The ocean is a major component of the global carbon cycle, emitting over 330 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere each year, or about 10 times that emitted fossil fuel combustion and all other human activities [1, 2]. The ocean reabsorbs a comparable amount of CO2 each year, along with ~25% of the CO2 emitted by these human activities. The nature and geographic distribution of the processes controlling these ocean CO2 fluxes are still poorly constrained by observations. A better understanding of these processes is essential to predict how this important CO2 sink may evolve as the climate changes.While in situ measurements of ocean CO2 fluxes can be very precise, the sampling density is far too sparse to quantify ocean CO2 sources and sinks over much of the globe. One way to improve the spatial resolution, coverage, and sampling frequency is to make observations of the column averaged CO2 dry air mole fraction, XCO2, from space [4, 5, 6]. Such measurements could provide global coverage at high resolution (< 100 km) on monthly time scales. High precision (< 1 part per million, ppm) is essential to resolve the small, near-surface CO2 variations associated with ocean fluxes and to better constrain the CO2 transport over the ocean. The Japanese Greenhouse gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) and the NASA Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) were first two space based sensors designed specifically for this task. GOSAT was successfully launched on January 23, 2009, and has been returning measurements of XCO2 since April 2009. The OCO mission was lost in February 2009, when its launch vehicle malfunctioned and failed to reach orbit. In early 2010, NASA authorized a re-flight of OCO, called OCO-2, which is currently under development.
GOSAT↗
Developing a Fault Management Guidebook for Nasa's Deep Space Robotic Missions
NASA designs and builds systems that achieve incredibly ambitious goals, as evidenced by the Curiosity rover traversing on Mars, the highly complex International Space Station orbiting our Earth, and the compelling plans for capturing, retrieving and redirecting an asteroid into a lunar orbit to create a nearby a target to be investigated by astronauts. In order to accomplish these feats, the missions must be imbued with sufficient knowledge and capability not only to realize the goals, but also to identify and respond to off-nominal conditions. Fault Management (FM) is the discipline of establishing how a system will respond to preserve its ability to function even in the presence of faults. In 2012, NASA released a draft FM Handbook in an attempt to coalesce the field by establishing a unified terminology and a common process for designing FM mechanisms. However, FM approaches are very diverse across NASA, especially between the different mission types such as Earth orbiters, launch vehicles, deep space robotic vehicles and human spaceflight missions, and the authors were challenged to capture and represent all of these views. The authors recognized that a necessary precursor step is for each sub-community to codify its FM policies, practices and approaches in individual, focused guidebooks. Then, the sub-communities can look across NASA to better understand the different ways off-nominal conditions are addressed, and to seek commonality or at least an understanding of the multitude of FM approaches. This paper describes the development of the "Deep Space Robotic Fault Management Guidebook," which is intended to be the first of NASA's FM guidebooks. Its purpose is to be a field-guide for FM practitioners working on deep space robotic missions, as well as a planning tool for project managers. Publication of this Deep Space Robotic FM Guidebook is expected in early 2015. The guidebook will be posted on NASA's Engineering Network on the FM Community of Practice website so that it will be available to all NASA projects. Future plans for subsequent guidebooks for the other NASA sub-communities are proposed.
Fesq, Lorraine M.↗
Digital Multicasting of Multiple Audio Streams
The Mission Control Center Voice Over Internet Protocol (MCC VOIP) system (see figure) comprises hardware and software that effect simultaneous, nearly real-time transmission of as many as 14 different audio streams to authorized listeners via the MCC intranet and/or the Internet. The original version of the MCC VOIP system was conceived to enable flight-support personnel located in offices outside a spacecraft mission control center to monitor audio loops within the mission control center. Different versions of the MCC VOIP system could be used for a variety of public and commercial purposes - for example, to enable members of the general public to monitor one or more NASA audio streams through their home computers, to enable air-traffic supervisors to monitor communication between airline pilots and air-traffic controllers in training, and to monitor conferences among brokers in a stock exchange. At the transmitting end, the audio-distribution process begins with feeding the audio signals to analog-to-digital converters. The resulting digital streams are sent through the MCC intranet, using a user datagram protocol (UDP), to a server that converts them to encrypted data packets. The encrypted data packets are then routed to the personal computers of authorized users by use of multicasting techniques. The total data-processing load on the portion of the system upstream of and including the encryption server is the total load imposed by all of the audio streams being encoded, regardless of the number of the listeners or the number of streams being monitored concurrently by the listeners. The personal computer of a user authorized to listen is equipped with special- purpose MCC audio-player software. When the user launches the program, the user is prompted to provide identification and a password. In one of two access- control provisions, the program is hard-coded to validate the user s identity and password against a list maintained on a domain-controller computer at the MCC. In the other access-control provision, the program verifies that the user is authorized to have access to the audio streams. Once both access-control checks are completed, the audio software presents a graphical display that includes audiostream-selection buttons and volume-control sliders. The user can select all or any subset of the available audio streams and can adjust the volume of each stream independently of that of the other streams. The audio-player program spawns a "read" process for the selected stream(s). The spawned process sends, to the router(s), a "multicast-join" request for the selected streams. The router(s) responds to the request by sending the encrypted multicast packets to the spawned process. The spawned process receives the encrypted multicast packets and sends a decryption packet to audio-driver software. As the volume or muting features are changed by the user, interrupts are sent to the spawned process to change the corresponding attributes sent to the audio-driver software. The total latency of this system - that is, the total time from the origination of the audio signals to generation of sound at a listener s computer - lies between four and six seconds.
Macha, Mitchell↗
A Survey and Recent Development of Lunar Gravity Assist
Earth's moon is the largest in the solar system relative to its parent body, the Earth, and can have significant effect on the path of a spacecraft flying close by. This effect, when planned to benefit a specific mission, is called lunar gravity assist (LGA) , and assumes that one aims the spacecraft towards the Moon in such a way that the Moon's gravitational pull will alter the spacecraft's course in a favorable manner. The first application of LGA was in the Apollo program, where the command and lunar modules (and astronauts) were propelled to the Moon such that, if no additional course changes were made, they would swing around the backside of the Moon at a certain altitude and be flung back to Earth to enter the atmosphere at a specified location in the Pacific ocean. This LGA was an essential element saving the lives of the astronauts on Apollo 13. This paper will illustrate the basic mechanics of gravity assist, and list the many applications where it has been used effectively over the past 30 some years. These include missions to the sun and Earth libration points, redirecting a spacecraft from one of these point to a comet encounter, and enhancing payloads by providing an energy boost by the Moon. More recently, studies and actual missions have shown the benefits of LGA in: (1) assisting lunar capture, (2) repositioning geosynchronous communications satellites, (3) boosting spacecraft to Earth escape and departure to planets and other solar system bodies, and (4) allowing small spacecraft to be launched as secondary payloads and released into almost a random orbit from which each may depart and maneuver in space with gravity assists from the Earth and Moon to perform a specific planetary or other mission. This latter application is a recent development by the author and is being applied in 2002 and later years, with piggyback flights on the Ariane 5 which launches comsats to GEO.
Penzo, Paul A.↗