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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
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2009

The Legacy of the Space Shuttle Program: Scientific and Engineering Accomplishments

The goal of this project was to assist in the creation of the appendix for the book being written about the Space Shuttle that is titled The Legacy of the Space Shuttle Program: Scientific and Engineering Accomplishments. The specific responsibility of the intern was the creation of the human health and performance (life sciences) and space biology sections of the appendix. This included examining and finalizing the list of flights with life sciences and space biology experiments flown aboard them, researching the experiments performed, synopsizing each experiment into two sentences, and placing the synopses into an appendix template. Overall, approximately 70 flights had their experiments synopsized and a good method for researching and construction of the template was established this summer.

Torrez, Jonathan↗
NASA NTRS1993

A compilation of technology spinoffs from the US Space Shuttle Program

As the successful transfer of NASA-developed technology is a stated mission of NASA, the documentation of such transfer is vital in support of the program. The purpose of this report is to document technology transfer, i.e. 'spinoffs', from the U.S. Space Shuttle Program to the commercial sector. These spinoffs have their origin in the many scientific and engineering fields associated with the shuttle program and, as such, span many diverse commercial applications. These applications include, but are not limited to, consumer products, medicine, industrial productivity, manufacturing technology, public safety, resources management, materials processing, transportation, energy, computer technology, construction, and environmental applications. To aide to the generation of this technology spinoff list, significant effort was made to establish numerous and complementary sources of information. The primary sources of information used in compiling this list include: the NASA 'Spinoff' publication, NASA Tech Briefs, the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Technology Utilization (TU) Office, the NASA Center for Aerospace Information (CASI), the NASA COSMIC Software Center, and MSFC laboratory and contractor personnel. A complete listing of resources may be found in the bibliography of this report. Additionally, effort was made to insure that the obtained information was placed in electronic database form to insure that the subsequent updating would be feasible with minimal effort.

Jackson, David Jeff↗
NASA NTRS2011

Corrosion Protection of Launch Infrastructure and Hardware Through the Space Shuttle Program

Corrosion, the environmentally induced degradation of materials, has been a challenging and costly problem that has affected NASA's launch operations since the inception of the Space Program. Corrosion studies began at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in 1966 during the Gemini/Apollo Programs with the evaluation of long-term protective coatings for the atmospheric protection of carbon steel. NASA's KSC Beachside Corrosion Test Site, which has been documented by the American Society of Materials (ASM) as one of the most corrosive, naturally occurring environments in the world, was established at that time. With the introduction of the Space Shuttle in 1981, the already highly corrosive natural conditions at the launch pad were rendered even more severe by the acidic exhaust from the solid rocket boosters. In the years that followed, numerous efforts at KSC identified materials, coatings, and maintenance procedures for launch hardware and equipment exposed to the highly corrosiye environment at the launch pads. Knowledge on materials degradation, obtained by facing the highly corrosive conditions of the Space Shuttle launch environment, as well as limitations imposed by the environmental impact of corrosion control, have led researchers at NASA's Corrosion Technology Laboratory to establish a new technology development capability in the area of corrosion prevention, detection, and mitigation at KSC that is included as one of the "highest priority" technologies identified by NASA's integrated technology roadmap. A historical perspective highlighting the challenges encountered in protecting launch infrastructure and hardware from corrosion during the life of the Space Shuttle program and the new technological advances that have resulted from facing the unique and highly corrosive conditions of the Space Shuttle launch environment will be presented.

Calle, L. M.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Space Shuttle Program (SSP) Orbiter Main Propulsion System (MPS) Gaseous Hydrogen (GH2) Flow Control Valve (FCV) Poppet Eddy Current (EC) Inspection Probability of Detection (POD) Study

The Director of the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC), requested an independent assessment of the anomalous gaseous hydrogen (GH2) flow incident on the Space Shuttle Program (SSP) Orbiter Vehicle (OV)-105 during the Space Transportation System (STS)-126 mission. The main propulsion system (MPS) engine #2 GH2 flow control valve (FCV) LV-57 transition from low towards high flow position without being commanded. Post-flight examination revealed that the FCV LV-57 poppet had experienced a fatigue failure that liberated a section of the poppet flange. The NESC assessment provided a peer review of the computational fluid dynamics (CFD), stress analysis, and impact testing. A probability of detection (POD) study was requested by the SSP Orbiter Project for the eddy current (EC) nondestructive evaluation (NDE) techniques that were developed to inspect the flight FCV poppets. This report contains the findings and recommendations from the NESC assessment.

Piascik, Robert S.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Space Shuttle Program (SSP) Orbiter Main Propulsion System (MPS) Gaseous Hydrogen (GH2) Flow Control Valve (FCV) Poppet Eddy Current (EC) Inspection Probability of Detection (POD) Study: Appendices - Volume 2

The Director of the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC), requested an independent assessment of the anomalous gaseous hydrogen (GH2) flow incident on the Space Shuttle Program (SSP) Orbiter Vehicle (OV)-105 during the Space Transportation System (STS)-126 mission. The main propulsion system (MPS) engine #2 GH2 flow control valve (FCV) LV-57 transition from low towards high flow position without being commanded. Post-flight examination revealed that the FCV LV-57 poppet had experienced a fatigue failure that liberated a section of the poppet flange. The NESC assessment provided a peer review of the computational fluid dynamics (CFD), stress analysis, and impact testing. A probability of detection (POD) study was requested by the SSP Orbiter Project for the eddy current (EC) nondestructive evaluation (NDE) techniques that were developed to inspect the flight FCV poppets. This report contains the Appendices to the main report.

Piascik, Robert S.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Space shuttle program: Lightning protection criteria document

The lightning environment for space shuttle design is defined and requirements that the design must satisfy to insure protection of the vehicle system from direct and indirect effects of lightning are imposed. Specifications, criteria, and guidelines included provide a practical and logical approach to protection problems.

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NASA NTRS2007

Space Shuttle Program Tin Whisker Mitigation

The discovery of tin whiskers (TW) on space shuttle hardware led to a program to investigate and removal and mitigation of the source of the tin whiskers. A Flight Control System (FCS) avionics box failed during vehicle testing, and was routed to the NASA Shuttle Logistics Depot for testing and disassembly. The internal inspection of the box revealed TW growth visible without magnification. The results of the Tiger Team that was assembled to investigate and develop recommendations are reviewed in this viewgraph presentation.

Nishimi, Keith↗
NASA NTRS2006

Space Shuttle Program Update News Conference with Wayne Hale

Jessica Rye from NASA Public Affairs introduces: Wayne Hale, Space Shuttle Deputy Program Manager; Mike Leinbach, NASA Launch Director; and Tim Wilson, from the NASA Engineering and Safety Center. Hale begins the discussion with a video showing the following processes: 1) Changing of gap fillers at Orbiter Processing Facility; 2) The Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) being loaded into Discovery payload bay; 3) Engine installation; 4) Spacecrew at Michoud Assembly observing the area where the PAL ramps were removed; 5) Test being performed to mitigate liquid air forming underneath foam; and 6) Roll out of ET119 from New Orleans. Hale also presents a slide of the ET debris Mitigation Activities and ET Ice/Frost Ramps. Mike Leinbach says that Kennedy Space Center is ready to receive the tank and that he is ready to get on with the mission. Tim Wilson heads the team to resolve foam loss issues which is his primary goal before this flight. A question and answer period follows.

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NASA NTRS1974

The Space Shuttle Program and its technology

Review of the considerations leading to the development of the Space Shuttle system, followed by a description of the system and an analysis of the current program development status. The Space Shuttle system arose out of a need for a reusable vehicle that could routinely carry large payloads (up to 65,000 lb) into earth orbit and return on a cost-effective basis. The system, as currently baselined, consists of a manned reusable Orbiter vehicle and the booster hardware for ground launching. The proposed Orbiter will be 123 feet long, double delta-winged, and roughly the size of a DC-9. The Orbiter will normally carry a crew of four who will work without space suits in a shirtsleeve environment. The Orbiter will be boosted into space through the simultaneous operation of two solid propellant booster rockets and the Orbiter's three high-pressure liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen main engines. The Orbiter will have reusable external insulation, since each vehicle will have a design life of ten years.

Thompson, R. F.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Space Vehicle Powerdown Philosophies Derived from the Space Shuttle Program

In spaceflight, electrical power is a vital but limited resource. Almost every spacecraft system, from avionics to life support systems, relies on electrical power. Since power can be limited by the generation system s performance, available consumables, solar array shading, or heat rejection capability, vehicle power management is a critical consideration in spacecraft design, mission planning, and real-time operations. The purpose of this paper is to capture the powerdown philosophies used during the Space Shuttle Program. This paper will discuss how electrical equipment is managed real-time to adjust the overall vehicle power level to ensure that systems and consumables will support changing mission objectives, as well as how electrical equipment is managed following system anomalies. We will focus on the power related impacts of anomalies in the generation systems, air and liquid cooling systems, and significant environmental events such as a fire, decrease in cabin pressure, or micrometeoroid debris strike. Additionally, considerations for executing powerdowns by crew action or by ground commands from Mission Control will be presented. General lessons learned from nearly 30 years of Space Shuttle powerdowns will be discussed, including an in depth case-study of STS-117. During this International Space Station (ISS) assembly mission, a failure of computers controlling the ISS guidance, navigation, and control system required that the Space Shuttle s maneuvering system be used to maintain attitude control. A powerdown was performed to save power generation consumables, thus extending the docked mission duration and allowing more time to resolve the issue.

Willsey, Mark↗
NASA NTRS2012

Space Shuttle Program (SSP) Shock Test and Specification Experience for Reusable Flight Hardware Equipment

As commercial companies are nearing a preliminary design review level of design maturity, several companies are identifying the process for qualifying their multi-use electrical and mechanical components for various shock environments, including pyrotechnic, mortar firing, and water impact. The experience in quantifying the environments consists primarily of recommendations from Military Standard-1540, Product Verification Requirement for Launch, Upper Stage, and Space Vehicles. Therefore, the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) formed a team of NASA shock experts to share the NASA experience with qualifying hardware for the Space Shuttle Program (SSP) and other applicable programs and projects. Several team teleconferences were held to discuss past experience and to share ideas of possible methods for qualifying components for multiple missions. This document contains the information compiled from the discussions

Larsen, Curtis E.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Payload data processing for the Space Shuttle program

The paper examines communications and data handling services that the Space Shuttle will provide for payloads and discusses mission and data processing capabilities. Uses of these capabilities are considered, and the Orbiter data processing system is described. Functional scientific data interfaces for attached payloads and functional system status data interfaces for attached payloads are indicated.

Batson, B. H.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Space radiation shielding analysis and dosimetry for the Space Shuttle program

Active and passive radiation dosimeters have been flown on every Space Shuttle mission to measure the naturally-occurring, background Van Allen and galactic cosmic radiation doses that astronauts and radiation-sensitive experiments and payloads receive. A review of the various models utilized at the NASA/Johnson Space Center, Radiation Analysis and Dosimetry is presented. An analytical shielding model of the Shuttle was developed as an engineering tool to aid in making premission radiation dose calculations and is discussed in detail. The anatomical man models are also discussed. A comparison between the onboard dosimeter measurements for the 24 Shuttle missions to date and the dose calculations using the radiation environment and shielding models is presented.

Atwell, William↗
NASA NTRS2010

Legacy of the Space Shuttle Program

This slide presentation reviews many of the innovations from Kennedy Space Center engineering for ground operations that were made during the shuttle program. The innovations are in the areas of detection, image analysis, protective equipment, software development and communications.

Sullivan, Steven J.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Tropospheric Wind Monitoring During Day-of-Launch Operations for National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Space Shuttle Program

The Environments Group at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Marshall Space Flight Center (NASA/MSFC) monitors the winds aloft at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) during the countdown for all Space Shuttle launches. Assessment of tropospheric winds is used to support the ascent phase of launch. Three systems at KSC are used to generate independent tropospheric wind profiles prior to launch; 1) high resolution Jimsphere balloon system, 2) 50-MHz Doppler Radar Wind Profiler (DRWP) and 3) low resolution radiosonde system. Data generated by the systems are used to assess spatial and temporal wind variability during launch countdown to ensure wind change observed does not violate wind change criteria constraints.

Decker, Ryan K.↗