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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 NTRS2005

Solar Probe: Report of the Science and Technology Definition Team

The Solar Probe mission of the Living With a Star program will be a historic mission, flying into one of the last unexplored regions of the solar system, the Sun's atmoshpere or corona, for the first time. Approaching as close as 3 Rs above the Sun's surface, Solar Probe will employ a combination of in-situ measurements and imaging to achieve the mission's primary scientific goal: to understand how the Sun's corona is heated and how the solar wind is accelerated. Solar Probe will revolutionize our knowledge of the physics of the origin and evolution of the solar wind. Moreover, by making the only direct, in-situ measurements of the region where some of the deadliest solar energetic particles are energized, Solar Probe will make unique and fundamental contributions to our ability to characterize and forecast the radiation environment in which future space explorers will work and live.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2012

Observing System Simulations for the NASA ASCENDS Lidar CO2 Mission Concept: Substantiating Science Measurement Requirements

The NASA ASCENDS mission (Active Sensing of Carbon Emissions, Nights, Days, and Seasons) is envisioned as the next generation of dedicated, space-based CO2 observing systems, currently planned for launch in about the year 2022. Recommended by the US National Academy of Sciences Decadal Survey, active (lidar) sensing of CO2 from space has several potentially significant advantages, in comparison to current and planned passive CO2 instruments, that promise to advance CO2 measurement capability and carbon cycle understanding into the next decade. Assessment and testing of possible lidar instrument technologies indicates that such sensors are more than feasible, however, the measurement precision and accuracy requirements remain at unprecedented levels of stringency. It is, therefore, important to quantitatively and consistently evaluate the measurement capabilities and requirements for the prospective active system in the context of advancing our knowledge of carbon flux distributions and their dependence on underlying physical processes. This amounts to establishing minimum requirements for precision, relative accuracy, spatial/temporal coverage and resolution, vertical information content, interferences, and possibly the tradeoffs among these parameters, while at the same time framing a mission that can be implemented within a constrained budget. Here, we present results of observing system simulation studies, commissioned by the ASCENDS Science Requirements Definition Team, for a range of possible mission implementation options that are intended to substantiate science measurement requirements for a laser-based CO2 space instrument.

Kawa, Stephan R.↗
NASA NTRS2019

An Exploration of Mission Concepts That Could Utilize Small RPS

The NASA Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS) Program Mission Analysis Team at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) requested a JPL Innovation Foundry Architecture Team (A-Team) study to assess mission pull for small RPS (1 mWe - 40 We) in order to inform the RPS Program Office on what future power system developments should be focused on. The A-Team is JPL’s concurrent engineering design team for science definition and early mission concept development, targeting concept maturation levels of 1 through 3. The requested small RPS study was tasked to identify the architecture space of potential small RPS missions, and suggest power levels that could enable or enhance potential future small spacecraft missions. This paper describes the collaborative engineering processes that the A-Team and Mission Analysis Team used to reach results quickly and the findings to inform the RPS Program about mission concept power requirements on RPS for small missions.

Bairstow, Brian K.↗
NASA NTRS2017

The Far-Infrared Surveyor Mission Study: Paper I, the Genesis

This paper describes the beginning of the Far-Infrared Surveyor mission study for NASA's Astrophysics Decadal 2020. We describe the scope of the study, and the open process approach of the Science and Technology Definition Team. We are currently developing the science cases and provide some preliminary highlights here. We note key areas for technological innovation and improvements necessary to make a Far-Infrared Surveyor mission a reality.

JWST↗
NASA NTRS2018

The LUVOIR Surveyor: Decadal Mission Concept Update

The Large Ultraviolet/Optical/Infrared (LUVOIR) Science and Technology Definition Team (STDT) identified a broad range of science objectives for LUVOIR that include the direct imaging and spectral characterization of habitable exoplanets and an array of general astrophysics and Solar System observations. To meet these objectives, the LUVOIR Study Office completed the first design iteration of a 15-m segmented-aperture observatory that includes four serviceable instruments: the Extreme Coronagraph for Living Planetary Systems (ECLIPS); the LUVOIR UV Multi-object Spectrograph (LUMOS); the High Definition Imager (HDI); and Pollux, a high-resolution UV spectro-polarimeter being contributed by Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES). The study team is now executing a second design iteration to further improve upon the 15-m concept, while simultaneously studying a 9-m concept. In these proceedings, we provide an update on these architectures.

LUVOIR↗
NASA NTRS2018

The Large UV/Optical/Infrared Surveyor (LUVOIR): Decadal Mission Study Update

NASA commissioned the study of four large mission concepts, including the Large Ultraviolet / Optical / Infrared (LUVOIR) Surveyor, to be evaluated by the 2020 Decadal Survey in Astrophysics. In response, the Science and Technology Definition Team (STDT) identified a broad range of science objectives for LUVOIR that include the direct imaging and spectral characterization of habitable exoplanets around sun-like stars, the study of galaxy formation and evolution, the exchange of matter between galaxies, star and planet formation, and the remote sensing of Solar System objects. To meet these objectives, the LUVOIR Study Office, located at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), completed the first design iteration of a 15-m segmented-aperture observatory that would be launched by the Space Launch System (SLS) Block 2 configuration. The observatory includes four serviceable instruments: the Extreme Coronagraph for Living Planetary Systems (ECLIPS), an optical / near-infrared coronagraph capable of delivering 10^-10contrast at inner working angles as small as 2 O/D; the LUVOIR UV Multi-object Spectrograph (LUMOS), which will provide low- and medium-resolution UV (100 – 400 nm) multi-object imaging spectroscopy in addition to far-UV imaging; the High Definition Imager (HDI), a high-resolution wide-field-of-view NUV-Optical-NIR imager; and Pollux, a high-resolution UV spectro-polarimeter being contributed by Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES).The study team has executed a second design iteration to further improve upon the 15-m concept, while simultaneously studying an 8-m concept. In these proceedings, we provide an update on these two architectures.

space telescopes↗
NASA NTRS2018

The Large UV/Optical/Infrared Surveyor (LUVOIR): Decadal Mission Study Update

NASA commissioned the study of four large mission concepts, including the Large Ultraviolet / Optical / Infrared (LUVOIR) Surveyor, to be evaluated by the 2020 Decadal Survey in Astrophysics. In response, the Science and Technology Definition Team (STDT) identified a broad range of science objectives for LUVOIR that include the direct imaging and spectral characterization of habitable exoplanets around sun-like stars, the study of galaxy formation and evolution, the exchange of matter between galaxies, star and planet formation, and the remote sensing of Solar System objects. To meet these objectives, the LUVOIR Study Office, located at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), completed the first design iteration of a 15-m segmented-aperture observatory that would be launched by the Space Launch System (SLS) Block 2 configuration. The observatory includes four serviceable instruments: the Extreme Coronagraph for Living Planetary Systems (ECLIPS), an optical / near-infrared coronagraph capable of delivering 10(exp -10) contrast at inner working angles as small as 2 lambda/D; the LUVOIR UV Multi-object Spectrograph (LUMOS), which will provide low- and medium-resolution UV (100 - 400 nm) multi-object imaging spectroscopy in addition to far-UV imaging; the High Definition Imager (HDI), a high-resolution wide-field-of-view NUV-Optical-NIR imager; and Pollux, a high-resolution UV spectro-polarimeter being contributed by Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES). The study team has executed a second design iteration to further improve upon the 15-m concept, while simultaneously studying an 8-m concept. In these proceedings, we provide an update on these two architectures.

cosmic origins↗
NASA NTRS2017

The Large UV/Optical/Infrared Surveyor (LUVOIR): Decadal Mission Concept Design Update

In preparation for the 2020 Astrophysics Decadal Survey, NASA has commissioned the study of four large mission concepts, including the Large Ultraviolet / Optical / Infrared (LUVOIR) Surveyor. The LUVOIR Science and Technology Definition Team (STDT) has identified a broad range of science objectives including the direct imaging and spectral characterization of habitable exoplanets around sun-like stars, the study of galaxy formation and evolution, the epoch of reionization, star and planet formation, and the remote sensing of Solar System bodies. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) is providing the design and engineering support to develop executable and feasible mission concepts that are capable of the identified science objectives. We present an update on the first of two architectures being studied: a 15-meter-diameter segmented-aperture telescope with a suite of serviceable instruments operating over a range of wavelengths between 100 nm to 2.5 microns. Four instruments are being developed for this architecture: an optical / near-infrared coronagraph capable of 10(exp -10) contrast at inner working angles as small as 2 lambda/D; the LUVOIR UV Multi-object Spectrograph (LUMOS), which will provide low- and medium-resolution UV (100 – 400 nm) multi-object imaging spectroscopy in addition to far-UV imaging; the High Definition Imager (HDI), a high-resolution wide-field-of-view NUV-Optical-IR imager; and a UV spectro-polarimeter being contributed by Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES). A fifth instrument, a multi-resolution optical-NIR spectrograph, is planned as part of a second architecture to be studied in late 2017.

Decadal Study; Astrophysics; LUVOIR↗
NASA NTRS2019

The Large UV/Optical/Infrared Surveyor (LUVOIR): Decadal Mission Concept Study Update

In preparation for the 2020 Decadal Survey in Astronomy and Astrophysics, NASA commissioned the study of four large mission concepts: the Large UV/Optical/Infrared Surveyor (LUVOIR), the Habitable Exoplanet Imager (HabEx), the far-infrared surveyor Origins Space Telescope (OST), and the X-ray surveyor Lynx. The LUVOIR Science and Technology Definition Team (STDT) has identified a broad range of science objectives for LUVOIR that include the direct imaging and spectral characterization of habitable exoplanets around sun-like stars, the study of galaxy formation and evolution, the exchange of matter between galaxies, star and planet formation, and the remote sensing of Solar System objects. The LUVOIR Study Office, located at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), is developing two mission concepts to achieve the science objectives. LUVOIR-A is a 15-meter segmented-aperture observatory that would be launched in an 8.4-m extended fairing on the Space Launch System (SLS) Block 2 configuration. LUVOIR-B is an 8-meter unobscured segmented aperture telescope that fits in a smaller, conventional 5-meter fairing, but still requires the lift capacity of the SLS Block 1B Cargo vehicle. Both concepts include a suite of serviceable instruments: the Extreme Coronagraph for Living Planetary Systems (ECLIPS), an optical/near-infrared coronagraph capable of delivering 10 (sup minus10) contrast at inner working angles as small as 2 lambda divided by D; the LUVOIR UV Multi-object Spectrograph (LUMOS), which will provide low- and medium-resolution UV (100-400 nanometer) multi-object imaging spectroscopy in addition to far-UV imaging; the High Definition Imager (HDI), a high-resolution wide-field-of-view NUV-Optical-NIR imager. LUVOIR-A also has a fourth instrument, Pollux, a high-resolution UV spectro-polarimeter being contributed by Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES). This paper provides an overview of the LUVIOR science objectives, design drivers, and mission concepts.

Decadal Study↗
NASA NTRS2019

The Large UV/Optical/Infrared Surveyor (LUVOIR): Decadal Mission Concept Study Update

In preparation for the 2020 Decadal Survey in Astronomy and Astrophysics, NASA commissioned the study of four large mission concepts: the Large UV/Optical/Infrared Surveyor (LUVOIR), the Habitable Exoplanet Imager (HabEx), the far-infrared surveyor Origins Space Telescope (OST), and the X-ray surveyor Lynx. The LUVOIR Science and Technology Definition Team (STDT) has identified a broad range of science objectives for LUVOIR that include the direct imaging and spectral characterization of habitable exoplanets around sun-like stars, the study of galaxy formation and evolution, the exchange of matter between galaxies, star and planet formation, and the remote sensing of Solar System objects. The LUVOIR Study Office, located at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), is developing two mission concepts to achieve the science objectives. LUVOIR-A is a 15-meter segmented-aperture observatory that would be launched in an 8.4-meter extended fairing on the Space Launch System (SLS) Block 2 configuration. LUVOIR-B is an 8-meter unobscured segmented aperture telescope that fits in a smaller, conventional 5-meter fairing, but still requires the lift capacity of the SLS Block 1B Cargo vehicle. Both concepts include a suite of serviceable instruments: the Extreme Coronagraph for Living Planetary Systems (ECLIPS), an optical/near-infrared coronagraph capable of delivering 10 (sup minus 10) contrast at inner working angles as small as 2 lambda divided by D; the LUVOIR UV Multi-object Spectrograph (LUMOS), which will provide low- and medium-resolution UV (100-400 nanometer) multi-object imaging spectroscopy in addition to far-UV imaging; the High Definition Imager (HDI), a high-resolution wide-field-of-view NUV-Optical-NIR imager. LUVOIR-A also has a fourth instrument, Pollux, a high-resolution UV spectro-polarimeter being contributed by Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES). This paper provides an overview of the LUVIOR science objectives, design drivers, and mission concepts.

Decadal Study↗
NASA NTRS2003

Beyond Solar-B: MTRAP, the Magnetic Transition Region Probe

The next generation of solar missions will reveal and measure fine-scale solar magnetic fields and their effects in the solar atmosphere at heights, small scales, sensitivities, and fields of view well beyond the reach of Solar-B. The necessity for, and potential of, such observations for understanding solar magnetic fields, their generation in and below the photosphere, and their control of the solar atmosphere and heliosphere, were the focus of a science definition workshop, 'High-Resolution Solar Magnetography from Space: Beyond Solar-B,' held in Huntsville Alabama in April 2001. Forty internationally prominent scientists active in solar research involving fine-scale solar magnetism participated in this Workshop and reached consensus that the key science objective to be pursued beyond Solar-B is a physical understanding of the fine-scale magnetic structure and activity in the magnetic transition region, defined as the region between the photosphere and corona where neither the plasma nor the magnetic field strongly dominates the other. The observational objective requires high cadence (less than 10s) vector magnetic field maps, and spatially resolved spectra from the IR, visible, vacuum UV, to the EUV at high resolution (less than 50km) over a large FOV (approximately 140,000 km). A polarimetric resolution of one part in ten thousand is required to measure transverse magnetic fields of less than 30G. The latest SEC Roadmap includes a mission identified as MTRAP to meet these requirements. Enabling technology development requirements include large, lightweight, reflecting optics, large format sensors (16K x 16K pixels) with high QE at 150 nm, and extendable spacecraft structures. The Science Organizing Committee of the Beyond Solar-B Workshop recommends that: (1) Science and Technology Definition Teams should be established in FY04 to finalize the science requirements and to define technology development efforts needed to ensure the practicality of MTRAP's observational goals; (2) The necessary technology development funding should be included in Code S budgets for FY06 and beyond to prepare MTRAP for a new start no later than the nominal end of the Solar-B mission, around 2010.

Davis, John M.↗
NASA NTRS2019

LUVOIR: Engineering Design & Technology Overview

The Large Ultraviolet / Optical / Infrared Surveyor (LUVOIR) is one of four large mission concepts being study by NASA in preparation for the 2020 Decadal Survey in Astronomy and Astrophysics. Over the past three and a half years, the LUVOIR Science and Technology Definition Team (STDT) and Study Office at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center have developed a broad, compelling science case for LUVOIR, and detailed engineering point designs to achieve it. In this paper, we provide an overview of the two LUVOIR concepts: LUVOIR-A, a 15-m segmented, obscured aperture observatory, and LUVOIR-B, an 8-m segmented, unobscured aperture observatory. Both versions of LUVOIR cover a broad spectral range between 100 nm and 2.5 µm with a suite of imagers and spectrographs, including the High Definition Imager (HDI), the LUVOIR Ultraviolet Multi-object Spectrograph (LUMOS), and the Extreme Coronagraph for Living Planetary Systems (ECLIPS). LUVOIR-A will carry an additional fourth instrument, Pollux, a high-resolution UV spectropolarimeter being studied by the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES). Both versions of LUVOIR are also designed to be serviceable and upgradeable. We will also provide a summary of the LUVOIR technology development program, which identifies critical enabling technologies, enhancing technologies, and a development plan to mature those technologies to TRL 6.

technology↗
NASA NTRS2017

The Large UV/Optical/Infrared Surveyor (LUVOIR): Decadal Mission Concept Technology Development Overview

The Large Ultraviolet / Optical / Infrared (LUVOIR) Surveyor is one of four large mission concept studies being developed by NASA for consideration in the 2020 Astrophysics Decadal Survey. LUVOIR will support a broad range of science objectives, including the direct imaging and spectral characterization of habitable exoplanets around sun-like stars, the study of galaxy formation and evolution, the epoch of reionization, star and planet formation, and the remote sensing of Solar System bodies. The LUVOIR Science and Technology Definition Team (STDT) has tasked a Technology Working Group (TWG), with more than 60 members from NASA centers, academia, industry, and international partners, with identifying technologies that enable or enhance the LUVOIR science mission. The TWG has identified such technologies in the areas of Coronagraphy, Ultra-Stable Opto-mechanical Systems, Detectors, Coatings, Starshades, and Instrument Components, and has completed a detailed assessment of the state-of-the-art. We present here a summary of this technology assessment effort, as well as the current progress in defining a technology development plan to mature these technologies to the required technology readiness level (TRL).

Decadal Study; Technology; LUVOIR↗
NASA NTRS2016

LUVOIR Tech Notes

We present nine "tech notes" prepared by the Large UV/Optical/Infrared (LUVOIR) Science and Technology Definition Team (STDT), Study Office, and Technology Working Group. These tech notes are intended to highlight technical challenges that represent boundaries in the trade space for developing the LUVOIR architecture that may impact the science objectives being developed by the STDT. These tech notes are intended to be high-level discussions of the technical challenges and will serve as starting points for more in-depth analysis as the LUVOIR study progresses.

large aperture↗
NASA NTRS1975

Mission design of a Pioneer Jupiter Orbiter

The Mission analysis and design work performed in order to define a Pioneer mission to orbit Jupiter is described. This work arose from the interaction with a science advisory 'Mission Definition' team and led to the present mission concept. Building on the previous Jupiter Orbiter-Satellite Tour development at JPL a magnetospheric survey mission concept is developed. The geometric control of orbits which then provide extensive local time coverage of the Jovian system is analyzed and merged with the various science and program objectives. The result is a 'flower-orbit' mission design, yielding three large apoapse excursions at various local times and many interior orbits whose shape and orientation is under continual modification. This orbit design, together with a first orbit defined by delivery of an atmospheric probe, yields a mission of high scientific interest.

Friedman, L. D.↗
NASA NTRS2018

NASA Develops Technology Today to Enable Breakthrough Observations Tomorrow

The COR and PCOS Programs, along with the Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP), work with four Science and Technology Definition Teams (STDTs), each studying a large-mission concept for the 2030s and beyond to inform the next astrophysics Decadal Survey. Lynx operates at X-ray wavelengths. The Origins Space Telescope (OST) is a far-IR mission. The Large UV/optical/IR Surveyor (LUVOIR) has a joint focus on general astrophysics and exoplanet science. As indicated by its name, the priority science goal of the Habitable Exoplanet Observatory (HabEx) is exoplanet science using visual and IR wavelengths. In addition to these four, NASA is participating in the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), a European Space Agency (ESA) gravitational-wave mission.

Pham, Thai↗
NASA NTRS2009

Long-Lived Venus Lander Conceptual Design: How To Keep It Cool

Surprisingly little is known about Venus, our neighboring sister planet in the solar system, due to the challenges of operating in its extremely hot, corrosive, and dense environment. For example, after over two dozen missions to the planet, the longest-lived lander was the Soviet Venera 13, and it only survived two hours on the surface. Several conceptual Venus mission studies have been formulated in the past two decades proposing lander architectures that potentially extend lander lifetime. Most recently, the Venus Science and Technology Definition Team (STDT) was commissioned by NASA to study a Venus Flagship Mission potentially launching in the 2020- 2025 time-frame; the reference lander of this study is designed to survive for only a few hours more than Venera 13 launched back in 1981! Since Cytherean mission planners lack a viable approach to a long-lived surface architecture, specific scientific objectives outlined in the National Science Foundation Decadal Survey and Venus Exploration Advisory Group final report cannot be completed. These include: mapping the mineralogy and composition of the surface on a planetary scale determining the age of various rock samples on Venus, searching for evidence of changes in interior dynamics (seismometry) and its impact on climate and many other key observations that benefit with time scales of at least a full Venus day (Le. daylight/night cycle). This report reviews those studies and recommends a hybrid lander architecture that can survive for at least one Venus day (243 Earth days) by incorporating selective Stirling multi-stage active cooling and hybrid thermoacoustic power.

Dyson, Ridger W.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Solar Probe: Close Encounter with the Sun

The Solar Probe Science and Technology Definition Team (STDT) recently completed a detailed study of the Solar Probe Mission based on an earliest launch date of October 2014. Solar Probe, when implemented, will be the first close encounter by a spacecraft with a star (i.e., 3 Rs above the Sun s photosphere). The report and its executive summary were published by NASA (NASA/TM-2005-212786) in September 2005 and can be found at the website http://solarprobe.gsfc.nasa.gov/. A description of the science is being prepared for publication in Reviews of Geophysics by McComas et al. [2006]. For this talk, we will be presenting the consensus view of the STDT including a brief description of the scientific goals, a description of the overall mission, including trajectory scenarios, spacecraft description and proposed scientific payload. We will discuss all these topics and the importance of flying the Solar Probe mission both with regard to understanding fundamental issues of solar wind acceleration and coronal heating near the Sun and Solar Probe s unique role in understanding the acceleration of Solar Energetic Particles (SEPs), which is critical to future Human Exploration.

Sittler, E. C., Jr.↗