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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 73 records · Page 4

Impact of the retained heat shield concept on science instruments

Associated interface problems between the mass spectrometer and the actual probe design are considered along with the problem of producing a clean sample to the gas detection instrument. Of particular interest is the penetration of the heat shield by the mass spectrometer sampling tube, because it must be demonstrated that the sampling tube can penetrate the heat shield and that the mass spectrometer can be supplied with a contaminant-free gas sample, free of contaminants from out-gassing of the heat shield.

Kessler, W. C.↗

Retaining a sleeve on a shaft

Snap ring with slotted tabs fits groove in shaft. Sleeve to be held on shaft fits over snap ring keeping it from expanding. Tabs are bent out to keep sleeve from slipping off shaft.

Pessin, R.↗

Hybrid composites that retain graphite fibers on burning

A laboratory scale program was conducted to determine fiber release tendencies of graphite reinforced/resinous matrix composites currently used or projected for use in civil aircraft. In the event of an aircraft crash and burn situation, there is concern that graphite fibers will be released from the composites once the resin matrix is thermally decomposed. Hybridizing concepts aimed at preventing fiber release on burning were postulated and their effectiveness evaluated under fire, impact, and air flow during an aircraft crash.

House, E. E.↗

Retaining Ring Fastener for Solar Panels

Simple articulating linkage secures solar panels into supporting framework. Five element linkage collapses into W-shape for easy placement into framework, then expands to form rectangle of same dimensions as those of panel.

Wilson, A. H.↗

The three R's of training: Recording, Retaining, and Reporting - The training management system that synergizes

NASA's Kennedy Space Center employs a Training and Certification Record System (TCRS) which tracks and maintains records for each of its employees, encompassing all aspects of training history: training courses, physical examinations, proficiency tests, on-the-job training, standboards, and certifications with completions and expiration dates. TCRS, which is fully automated, includes an expiration-alert notification capability to project recurring expirations, thereby functioning as a forecasting tool for training budgets.

Ingram, Dick D.↗

Heat Shield And Axial Retainer For Turbopump Blade

Modified configuration for axial retention of blades of cryogenic turbopump expected to reduce dynamic and thermal stresses, thereby increasing operating life. Expected to overcome some of structural limitations in which various components of "fir-tree" blade/disk attachments shaped in such way as to concentrate stresses. Advantages include: No overhung loading on attachment faces of disk or blades; No additional stress concentrators added to attachment faces of disk or blades; and No large axial thermal gradients on edges of disk and blades.

Moore, Jerry H.↗

Lactating Rats Retain Nursing Behavior and Maternal Care in Space

In 1997, suckling mammals were flown in space for the first time as part of the NIH.R3 experiment sponsored jointly by NIH (National Institutes of Health) and NASA. Six rat dams and litters (Rattus norvegicus) were launched on an eight-day Space Shuttle mission at each of three postnatal ages (P5, P8, and P15). Dams and litters (N = 10 pups/litter) were housed within modified Animal Enclosure Modules (AEMs). Comparisons were made to ground controls. Dams and litters were videotaped daily in flight. The P8 and P15 flight litters showed excellent survival (99%) and weight gain relative to AEM ground controls, whereas P5 litters showed reduced survival (0% and 60%, respectively) and weight gain (less than 40% AEM). To examine the possibility that failures of maternal care contributed to P5 results, we analyzed the dams' in-flight nursing, licking and retrieving from four video segments ranging from twelve to fifteen minutes in length with control data derived from multiple ground segments. Video analyses revealed clear evidence of maternal care in flight. For P5 dams, frequency and duration of nursing and licking bouts fell within or above one standard deviation of control values. Retrieving was noted in the P5 and P8 groups only. The observed results suggest that factors other than maternal care contributed to the low survival rates and body weight gains of the P5 flight offspring.

Daly, Megan E.↗

How Does Titan Retain a Finite Orbital Eccentricity?

There is appreciable evidence for a significant hydrocarbon ocean on the surface of Titan. However, it has long been appreciated that tidal dissipation within a putative hydrocarbon ocean on Titan easily yields an orbital eccentricity damping time e which is short compared to the age of the solar system. Unless Titan s present eccentricity (e = 0.0288) were acquired recently, it requires that either: the ocean has a configuration which limits dissipation, or some mechanism exists which effectively maintains the eccentricity against dissipative damping. We argue for the latter. Specifically, the proximity of Jupiter and Saturn to a 5:2 mean motion resonance may provide a sufficient excitation source, and thereby effectively remove dynamical constraints on the dissipation and configuration of the Titan ocean.

Bills, Bruce G.↗

Human Bone-Forming Chondrocytes Cultured in the Hydrodynamic Focusing Bioreactor Retain Matrix Proteins: Similarities to Spaceflight Results

Fracture healing, crucial to a successful Mars mission, involves formation of a cartilaginous fracture callus which differentiates, mineralizes, ossifies and remodels via the endochondral process. Studies of spaceflown and tailsuspended rats found that, without loading, fracture callus formation and cartilage differentiation within the callus were minimal. We found delayed differentiation of chondrocytes within the rat growth plate on Cosmos 1887, 2044, and Spacelab 3. In the current study, differentiation of human bone-forming chondrocytes cultured in the hydrodynamic focusing bioreactor (HFB) was assessed. Human costochondral chondrocytes in suspension were aggregated overnight, then cultured in the HFB for 25 days. Collagen Type II, aggrecan and unsulfated chondroitin were found extracellularly and chondroitin sulfates 4 and 6 within the cell. Lack of secretion was also found in pancreatic cells of spaceflown rats, and in our SL3 studies. The HFB can be used to study cartilage differentiation in simulated microgravity.

Duke, P. J.↗

Apparatus for retaining and releasing a payload

An apparatus for latching an object, such as a payload for a space vehicle, includes an expandible latch which is shifted between a relaxed open condition and a flexed closed condition by actuation of a pair of temperature-responsive members, such as shaped memory alloy (SMA) coil springs. One of the two temperature-responsive members biases an actuator into a first position that allows the expandible latch to open. The other SMA member biases the actuator in the opposite position to close the expandible latch. Heating the appropriate SMA member causes the actuator to move from one position to the other position. In the preferred embodiment, no power is required to maintain the actuator in either position once the position has been established. For example, the actuator may have a rest position that allows the expandible latch to remain open when the two SMA members are cooled and allowed to reach an equilibrium condition with respect to applied force to the actuator. A detent-and-ball arrangement may be used to maintain the position of the actuator after the expandible latch has been closed.

Carrier, Alain↗

Device Acquires and Retains Rock or Ice Samples

The Rock Baller is a sample acquisition tool that improves sample retention. The basic elements of the Rock Baller are the tool rotation axis, the hub, the two jaws, and the cutting blades, which are located on each of the jaws. The entire device rotates about the tool rotation axis, which is aligned parallel to the nominal normal direction of the parent rock surface. Both jaws also rotate about the jaw axis, which is perpendicular to the tool rotation axis, at a rate much slower than the rotation about the tool rotation axis. This movement gradually closes the jaws into a nearly continuous hemispherical shell that encloses the sample as it is cut from the parent rock. When required the jaws are opened to release the sample. The hemispherical cutting method eliminates the sample retention problems associated with existing sample acquisition methods that employ conventional cylindrical cutting. The resulting samples are hemispherical, or nearly hemispherical, and as a result the aspect ratio (sample depth relative to sample radius) is essentially fixed. This fixed sample aspect ratio may be considered a drawback of the Rock Baller method, as samples with a higher aspect ratio (more depth, less width) may be considered more scientifically valuable because such samples would allow for a broader inspection of the geological record. This aspect ratio issue can be ameliorated if the Rock Baller is paired with a device similar to the Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT) used on the Mars Exploration Rovers. The RAT could be used to first grind into the surface of the parent rock, after which the Rock Baller would extract a sample from a depth inside the rock that would not have been possible without first using the RAT. Other potential applications for this technology include medical applications such as the removal of tissue samples or tumors from the body, particularly during endoscopic, laparoscopic, or thoracoscopic surgeries.

Giersch, Louis R.↗

Retaining Device for the Interior Structure of a Spacecraft Payload

A device denoted as a bumper assembly for a spacecraft payload container comprises an interior structure surrounded by skin or some other protective enclosure (see figure). When arranged with three or more like assemblies, this bumper assembly is designed to secure the interior structure within a payload s protective enclosure during the stresses endured in flight and, if required, recovery of the payload. Furthermore, proper use of this innovation facilitates the ability of designers and engineers to maximize the total placement area for components, thus increasing utilization of very valuable and limited space.

Fleming. Orville N., Jr.↗

Magnetically Retained Relief Valve

A pressure relief valve includes a housing having a fluid inlet and at least one fluid outlet. A first structure mounted in the housing and fixed in relation thereto is in magnetic attraction with a second structure coupled to a piston disposed in a portion of the housing. The piston defines a chamber disposed adjacent to the fluid outlet(s) throughout the piston's stroke. The piston includes a sealing element providing a sealing force to prevent flow through the valve. The sealing force is independent of the magnetic attraction force between the first and second structures.

Johnson, Wesley L.↗