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NASA NTRS2011

NASA Tech Briefs, July 2011

Topics covered include: 1) Collaborative Clustering for Sensor Networks; 2) Teleoperated Marsupial Mobile Sensor Platform Pair for Telepresence Insertion Into Challenging Structures; 3) Automated Verification of Spatial Resolution in Remotely Sensed Imagery; 4) Electrical Connector Mechanical Seating Sensor; 5) In Situ Aerosol Detector; 6) Multi-Parameter Aerosol Scattering Sensor; 7) MOSFET Switching Circuit Protects Shape Memory Alloy Actuators; 8) Optimized FPGA Implementation of Multi-Rate FIR Filters Through Thread Decomposition; 9) Circuit for Communication Over Power Lines; 10) High-Efficiency Ka-Band Waveguide Two-Way Asymmetric Power Combiner; 11) 10-100 Gbps Offload NIC for WAN, NLR, and Grid Computing; 12) Pulsed Laser System to Simulate Effects of Cosmic Rays in Semiconductor Devices; 13) Flight Planning in the Cloud; 14) MPS Editor; 15) Object-Oriented Multi Disciplinary Design, Analysis, and Optimization Tool; 16) Cryogenic-Compatible Winchester Connector Mount and Retaining System for Composite Tubes; 17) Development of Position-Sensitive Magnetic Calorimeters for X-Ray Astronomy; 18) Planar Rotary Piezoelectric Motor Using Ultrasonic Horns; 19) Self-Rupturing Hermetic Valve; 20) Explosive Bolt Dual-Initiated from One Side; 21) Dampers for Stationary Labyrinth Seals; 22) Two-Arm Flexible Thermal Strap; 23) Carbon Dioxide Removal via Passive Thermal Approaches; 24) Polymer Electrolyte-Based Ambient Temperature Oxygen Microsensors for Environmental Monitoring; 25) Pressure Shell Approach to Integrated Environmental Protection; 26) Image Quality Indicator for Infrared Inspections; 27) Micro-Slit Collimators for X-Ray/Gamma-Ray Imaging; 28) Scatterometer-Calibrated Stability Verification Method; 29) Test Port for Fiber-Optic-Coupled Laser Altimeter; 30) Phase Retrieval System for Assessing Diamond Turning and Optical Surface Defects; 31) Laser Oscillator Incorporating a Wedged Polarization Rotator and a Porro Prism as Cavity Mirror; 32) Generic, Extensible, Configurable Push-Pull Framework for Large-Scale Science Missions; 33) Dynamic Loads Generation for Multi-Point Vibration Excitation Problems; 34) Optimal Control via Self-Generated Stochasticity; 35) Space-Time Localization of Plasma Turbulence Using Multiple Spacecraft Radio Links; 36) Surface Contact Model for Comets and Asteroids; 37) Dust Mitigation Vehicle; 38) Optical Coating Performance for Heat Reflectors of the JWST-ISIM Electronic Component; 39) SpaceCube Demonstration Platform; 40) Aperture Mask for Unambiguous Parity Determination in Long Wavelength Imagers; 41) Spaceflight Ka-Band High-Rate Radiation-Hard Modulator; 42) Enabling Disabled Persons to Gain Access to Digital Media; 43) Cytometer on a Chip; 44) Principles, Techniques, and Applications of Tissue Microfluidics; and 45) Two-Stage Winch for Kites and Tethered Balloons or Blimps.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2015

Attitude Ground System (AGS) For The Magnetospheric Multi-Scale (MMS) Mission

The Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission is a Solar-Terrestrial Probe mission consisting of four identically instrumented spin-stabilized spacecraft flying in an adjustable pyramid-like formation around the Earth. The formation of the MMS spacecraft allows for three-dimensional study of the phenomenon of magnetic reconnection, which is the primary objective of the mission. The MMS spacecraft were launched early on March 13, 2015 GMT. Due to the challenging and very constricted attitude and orbit requirements for performing the science, as well as the need to maintain the spacecraft formation, multiple ground functionalities were designed to support the mission. These functionalities were incorporated into a ground system known as the Attitude Ground System (AGS). Various AGS configurations have been used widely to support a variety of three-axis-stabilized and spin-stabilized spacecraft missions within the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). The original MMS operational concept required the AGS to perform highly accurate predictions of the effects of environmental disturbances on the spacecraft orientation and to plan the attitude maneuvers necessary to stay within the science attitude tolerance. The orbit adjustment requirements for formation control drove the need also to perform calibrations that have never been done before in support of NASA GSFC missions. The MMS mission required support analysts to provide fast and accurately calibrated values of the inertia tensor, center of mass, and accelerometer bias for each MMS spacecraft. During early design of the AGS functionalities, a Kalman filter for estimating the attitude, body rates, center of mass, and accelerometer bias, using only star tracker and accelerometer measurements, was heavily analyzed. A set of six distinct filters was evaluated and considered for estimating the spacecraft attitude and body rates using star tracker data only. Four of the six filters are closely related and were compared during support of the Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) and Space Technology-5 (ST-5) missions. These analyses exposed high dependency and sensitivity on the knowledge of the spacecraft inertia tensor for both body rates and accelerometer bias estimation. The conclusion of the analysis led to the design of an inertia tensor calibration technique using only star tracker data. The second most important result of the analysis was the design of two separate Kalman filters to estimate the spacecraft attitude and body rates and the accelerometer bias instead of a single combined filter. In this paper, the calibration results of the mass properties, as well as the performance of the spacecraft attitude and body rates filters using flight data are presented and compared against the mission requirements.

Estimation↗

NASA NTRS2022

The Atmosphere-Space Transition Region Explorer (ASTRE) – A Low Perigee Satellite to Investigate the Coupling of the Earth’s Upper Atmosphere and Magnetosphere

The Atmosphere-Space Transition Region Explorer (ASTRE) is a mission concept designed to carry out an unprecedented study of the interaction between the Earth’s atmosphere and the ionized gases of space within the atmosphere-space transition region. By gathering direct measurements of the coupling of ion and neutral gases in this region, ASTRE provides the critical missing link in our knowledge of the transfer, dissipation, and regulation of energy and momentum between the sun and the upper atmosphere. ASTRE provides the first detailed, systematic investigation of this important unexplored region, vastly improves and constrains models of the upper atmosphere, and fills a critical gap in our understanding of how the coupled lower ionosphere/upper atmosphere “works” as a system. To achieve its science objectives, ASTRE gathers accurate measurements of plasma and neutral gases, electric and magnetic fields, and energetic particles using well-proven, in situ instruments with excellent flight heritage. Furthermore, as described herein, all the instruments have been designed to perform well in the low perigee environment, including altitudes of 150 km and lower. ASTRE utilizes a three-axis stabilized satellite that uses on-board propulsion to carry out systematic, low perigee measurements at high latitudes. The satellite design incorporates a “form follows function” approach with a cylindrical shape and conductive body-mounted solar arrays to minimize drag and perturbations to the space environment. Atomic-oxygen resistant materials are utilized and a passive thermal design with heat pipes and radiator panels minimizes the impact of aero-heating. ASTRE launches into a 250 km × 1500 km elliptical insertion orbit with an inclination of 83°. Perigee precesses from its highest northern latitude to its highest southern latitude every ~60 days. Hydrazine propulsion provides over 2000 orbits with perigee below 200 km, with a significant fraction as low as 150 km, during high latitude, two-week campaigns when perigee precesses to either the northern or southern high latitude region. At mid and low latitudes, the perigee is near 225 km. Because very conservative assumptions were made with respect to the orbital analysis and drag, including continuous 3-sigma “worst-case” solar flux and atmospheric density, when additional propellant is included (accommodated in the current design) and some of the stringent assumptions are relaxed, the ASTRE mission described herein may be expected to include repeated excursions to altitudes of ~130 km or even lower. This paper presents an overview of the ASTRE mission, its science motivation, and objectives. It includes a discussion of the science-driven requirements and traceability, followed by a “proof-of concept” implementation that includes notional instruments and a straightforward spacecraft design. Three key points are demonstrated: 1) There is a critical knowledge gap in the high latitude, atmosphere-space transition region below 250 km; 2) The instrument and measurement techniques needed to obtain the ASTRE measurements are well-proven and function well in the low-altitude environment; and 3) A mature spacecraft design, flight dynamics analysis, and concept of operations have been developed that demonstrate that the ASTRE mission can be achieved in a straightforward manner using current technologies.

Ionosphere↗

NASA NTRS2004

Developing Glassy Magnets from Simulated Composition of Martian Soil for Exploration Applications

The long-term exploration goals of NASA include developing human habitation on Mars and conducting scientific investigations on Mars and other planetary bodies. In situ resource processing is a key objective in this area. We focus on the possibility of making magnetic glasses in situ for potential applications development. The paper will focus on ongoing work at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center on making magnetic glass from Mars soil simulants and its characterization. Analysis of the glass morphology, strength, chemistry and resulting magnetic properties will provide a fundamental understanding of the synthesized material that can be used for potential applications development. in an effort to characterize the magnetic properties of the Mars glasses, a series of tests were performed at NASA MSFC. Preliminary tests indicated that the glasses were attracted to a magnet and also had a small amount of residual magnetism. They were opaque (almost black in color). As the first step, a sample of Mars 1 glass (approx.1 mm x 1 mm x 5 mm length) was machined, weighed and its hysteresis curve was measured using a Vibration Sample Magnetometer (VSM). Next, a small furnace was designed and built and the sample was baked in a graphite (reducing agent) crucible at 800 C in an Argon atmosphere for 3 hours in the presence of a uniform, transverse (transverse to the 5mm length of the sample) magnetic field of 0.37 Tesla. The treated sample showed reddening on the outside and showed substantially increased residual magnetism. This sample was again analyzed in the VSM. The data clearly showed that some chemical change occurred during the heat treatment (color change) and that both the glasses have useful magnetic properties. Although no orientation effects of the magnetic field were considered, the data showed the following: 1. Both glass samples are primarily soft magnets and display ferromagnetic behavior (hysteresis, saturation, etc.) 2. The treated glass has improved saturation magnetism (order of magnitude increase), retentivity (factor of 6 increase) and susceptibility (order of magnitude increase) compared to the untreated glass 3. The untreated sample has higher coercivity (approx.50% that of Nickel) than the treated sample 4. Both samples have similar energy density. Results from a systematic study to quantify the effects of processing conditions such as heat treatment, atmosphere, containerless processing (by electrostatic levitation), and applications of external magnetic fields of different strengths will be discussed. Efforts on optimizing the magnetic properties of the product and the feasibility of using it for a couple of specific magnetic applications such as heat generation using an ac field and for electro forming will also be covered. The latter is an in situ manufacturing technique being studied for in-space fabrication applications at MSFC.

Ramachandran, N.↗

NASA NTRS2017

Introduction: Photons and Ground-Based

A Conference on Measurement Techniques for Solar and Space Physics was held on 20-24 April 2015 in Boulder, Colorado, at the National Center for Atmospheric Research Center Green Campus. The present volume collects together the conference papers for photons and ground-based categories. This gathering of over 200 scientists and instrumentalists was born out of the desire to collect in one place the latest experiment and instrument technologies required for advancement of scientific knowledge in the disciplines of solar and space physics. The two goals for this conference and the subsequent publication of its content are (a) to describe measurement techniques and technology development needed to advance high priority science in the fields of solar and space physics; and (b) to provide a survey or reference of techniques for in situ measurement and remote sensing of space plasmas. Towards this end, our goal has always been inspired by the two 1998 Geophysical Monographs (Nos. 102 and 103) entitled, "Measurement Techniques in Space Plasmas" (particles and fields) [Pfaff et al., 1998a, 1998b], which have served as a reference and resource for advanced students, engineers, and scientists who wish to learn the fundamentals of measurement techniques and technology in this field. Those monographs were the product of an American Geophysical Union Chapman Conference that took place in Santa Fe, NM, in 1995: "Measurement Techniques in Space Plasmas-What Works, What Doesn't." Two decades later, we believe that it is appropriate to revisit this subject, in light of recent advances in technology, research platforms, and analysis techniques. Moreover, we now include direct measurements of neutral gases in the upper atmosphere, optical imaging techniques, and remote observations in space and on the ground. Accordingly, the workshop was organized among four areas of measurement techniques: particles, fields, photons, and ground-based. This two-set volume is largely composed of the content of that workshop. Special attention is given to those techniques and technologies that demonstrate promise of significant advancement in measurements that will enable the highest priority science as described in the 2012 National Research Council Decadal Survey [Baker and Zurbuchen et al., 2013]. Additionally, a broad tutorial survey of the current technologies is provided to serve as reference material and as a basis from which advanced and innovative ideas can be discussed and pursued. Included are instrumentation and techniques to observe the solar environment from its interior to its outer atmosphere, the heliosphere out to the interstellar regions, in geospace, and other planetary magnetospheres and atmospheres. To make significant progress in priority science as expressed in the National Research Council solar and space physics decadal survey and recent NASA Heliophysics roadmaps, identification of enabling new measurement techniques and technologies to be developed is required. Also, it is valuable to the community and future scientists and engineers to have a complete survey of the techniques and technologies used by the practitioners of solar and space physics. As with the 1995 conference and subsequent 1998 publication, it is incumbent on the community to identify those measurements that are particularly challenging and still require new techniques to be identified and tested to enable the necessary accuracy and resolution of certain parameters to be achieved. The following is a partial list of the measurement technique categories that are featured in these special publications: Particles; Thermal plasma to MeV energetic particles, neutral gas properties including winds, density, temperature, and composition, and enhanced neutral atom imaging; Fields; DC electric and magnetic fields, plasma waves, and electron drift instruments from which the plasma velocity information provides a measure of the DC electric field; Photons; Instruments sensitive from the near-infrared to X-rays; Contributions of techniques and technology for optical design, optical components, sensors, material selection for cameras, telescopes, and spectrographs; Ground based; Remote sensing methods for solar and geospace activity and space weather. The focus includes solar observatories, all-sky cameras, lidars, and ionosphere thermosphere mesosphere observatory systems such as radars, ionosondes, GPS receivers, magnetometers, conjugate observations, and airborne campaigns. The present volume collects together the papers for photons and ground-based categories. The companion volume collects together the papers for particles and fields categories. It is recognized that there are measurement techniques that overlap among the four categories. For example, use of microchannel plate detectors is used in photon and particle measurement techniques or the observation of visible photons and magnetic fields in space and on the ground share common technologies. Therefore, the reader should consider the entire collection of papers as they seek to understand particular applications. We hope that these volumes will be as valuable as a reference for our community as the earlier 1998 volumes have been.

Spann, James↗

NASA NTRS2000

Hyperpolarized (129)Xe T (1) in oxygenated and deoxygenated blood

The viability of the new technique of hyperpolarized (129)Xe MRI (HypX-MRI) for imaging organs other than the lungs depends on whether the spin-lattice relaxation time, T(1), of (129)Xe is sufficiently long in the blood. In previous experiments by the authors, the T(1) was found to be strongly dependent upon the oxygenation of the blood, with T(1) increasing from about 3 s in deoxygenated samples to about 10 s in oxygenated samples. Contrarily, Tseng et al. (J. Magn. Reson. 1997; 126: 79-86) reported extremely long T(1) values deduced from an indirect experiment in which hyperpolarized (129)Xe was used to create a 'blood-foam'. They found that oxygenation decreased T(1). Pivotal to their experiment is the continual and rapid exchange of hyperpolarized (129)Xe between the gas phase (within blood-foam bubbles) and the dissolved phase (in the skin of the bubbles); this necessitated a complicated analysis to extract the T(1) of (129)Xe in blood. In the present study, the experimental design minimizes gas exchange after the initial bolus of hyperpolarized (129)Xe has been bubbled through the sample. This study confirms that oxygenation increases the T(1) of (129)Xe in blood, from about 4 s in freshly drawn venous blood, to about 13 s in blood oxygenated to arterial levels, and also shifts the red blood cell resonance to higher frequency. Copyright 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Abbreviations used BOLD blood oxygen level dependent NOE nuclear overhouses effect PO(2) oxygen partial pressure RBC red blood cells RF radio frequency SNR signal-to-noise ratio.

NASA Discipline Life Support Systems↗

NASA NTRS2002

Study of Fluid Flow Control in Protein Crystallization using Strong Magnetic Fields

An important component in biotechnology, particularly in the area of protein engineering and rational drug design is the knowledge of the precise three-dimensional molecular structure of proteins. The quality of structural information obtained from X-ray diffraction methods is directly dependent on the degree of perfection of the protein crystals. As a consequence, the growth of high quality macromolecular crystals for diffraction analyses has been the central focus for biochemists, biologists, and bioengineers. Macromolecular crystals are obtained from solutions that contain the crystallizing species in equilibrium with higher aggregates, ions, precipitants, other possible phases of the protein, foreign particles, the walls of the container, and a likely host of other impurities. By changing transport modes in general, i.e., reduction of convection and sedimentation, as is achieved in "microgravity", researchers have been able to dramatically affect the movement and distribution of macromolecules in the fluid, and thus their transport, formation of crystal nuclei, and adsorption to the crystal surface. While a limited number of high quality crystals from space flights have been obtained, as the recent National Research Council (NRC) review of the NASA microgravity crystallization program pointed out, the scientific approach and research in crystallization of proteins has been mainly empirical yielding inconclusive results. We postulate that we can reduce convection in ground-based experiments and we can understand the different aspects of convection control through the use of strong magnetic fields and field gradients. Whether this limited convection in a magnetic field will provide the environment for the growth of high quality crystals is still a matter of conjecture that our research will address. The approach exploits the variation of fluid magnetic susceptibility with concentration for this purpose and the convective damping is realized by appropriately positioning the crystal growth cell so that the magnetic susceptibility force counteracts terrestrial gravity. The general objective is to test the hypothesis of convective control using a strong magnetic field and magnetic field gradient and to understand the nature of the various forces that come into play. Specifically we aim to delineate causative factors and to quantify them through experiments, analysis and numerical modeling. Once the basic understanding is obtained, the study will focus on testing the hypothesis on proteins of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC), proteins E1 and E3. Obtaining high crystal quality of these proteins is of great importance to structural biologists since their structures need to be determined. Specific goals for the investigation are: 1. To develop an understanding of convection control in diamagnetic fluids with concentration gradients through experimentation and numerical modeling. Specifically solutal buoyancy driven convection due to crystal growth will be considered. 2. To develop predictive measures for successful crystallization in a magnetic field using analyses and numerical modeling for use in future protein crystal growth experiments. This will establish criteria that can be used to estimate the efficacy of magnetic field flow damping on crystallization of candidate proteins. 3. To demonstrate the understanding of convection damping by high magnetic fields to a class of proteins that is of interest and whose structure is as yet not determined. 4. To compare quantitatively, the quality of the grown crystals with and without a magnetic field. X-ray diffraction techniques will be used for the comparative studies. In a preliminary set of experiments, we studied crystal dissolution effects in a 5 Tesla magnet available at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). Using a Schlieren setup, a 1mm crystal of Alum (Aluminum-Potassium Sulfate) was introduced in a 75% saturated solution and the resulting dissolution plume was observed. The experiment was conducted both in the presence and absence of a magnetic field gradient. The magnet produces a gradient field of approx. 1 Tesla2/cm. Image analysis of the recorded images indicated an enhanced plume velocity that was of the order of the measurement limit. For this experiment, both the gradient and gravity fields are in the same direction resulting in an enhanced effective gravity that tends to accelerate the observed plume velocity. While the results are not conclusive, pending further tests, it clearly points out the inadequacy of the MSFC magnet for conducting protein crystallization experiments and the need for a stronger magnet. In spacebased experiments, however, where the gravitational effects are small, only a weak magnetic field will be required to control or mitigate the effects of convective contamination.

Ramachandran, Narayanan↗