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NASA NTRS1969

Surveyor Project Final Report: Part 1 - Project Description and Performance, Volume 1

The Surveyor Project planned and conducted seven unmanned lunar missions for which spacecraft were launched between May 1966 and January 1968. Each of the spacecraft was successfully launched with the then newly developed Atlas/Centaur vehicle which utilized for the first time a high-specific-impulse, liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen fueled stage. Five of the spacecraft successfully soft-landed and returned a great quantity of engineering and scientific data on extensive postlanding operations, accomplishing all mission and project objectives. Four of the spacecraft soft-landed at selected mare sites to provide data which were required to support the Apollo Program. The final spacecraft was then successfully used for scientific investigation of a contrasting site in the rugged lunar highlands. Surveyor was a fully attitude-stabilized spacecraft designed to receive and execute a wide variety of earth commands, as well as to perform certain automatic functions including the critical terminal-descent and soft-landing sequences. Significant new and advanced subsystems that were developed and/or used in combination to enable Surveyor to execute the complex terminal phase of flight were: (1) a solid-propellant main retro motor, (2) throttlable liquid-propellant vernier engines (also used for midcourse velocity correction), (3) highly sensitive velocity- and altitude-sensing radars, and (4) an automatic closed-loop guidance and control system. The first Surveyor spacecraft carried a survey television camera which, together with other engineering instrumentation, obtained in-flight and postlanding data. The complement of instruments carried on later missions included various combinations of the following additional devices: (1) a soil mechanics/surface sampler instrument for picking, digging, and handling lunar surface material; (2) an alpha scattering instrument for performing a chemical analysis of the lunar surface material; and (3) magnets attached to the spacecraft for determining magnetic properties of the soil.

Jet Propulsion Laboratory↗

NASA NTRS1969

Surveyor Project Final Report: Part 1 - Project Description and Performance, Volume 2

Jet Propulsion Laboratory↗

NASA NTRS1963

Propulsion and Power Generation

This document comprises material presented during one session of the Manned Planetary Mission Technology Conference, Lewis Research Center, May 21, 22, and 23, 1963. In order to expedite release to the conferees, the papers are being published with minimum editing and retyping of the original manuscripts. Thus the usual NASA format and style have been compromised. The purpose of the conference was to explore the possibilities and problems of manned planetary space flight. The results and contemplations of the individual papers should in no sense be regarded as a part of NASA plans and programs.

F L Williams↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

P-band Antenna Array for NASA's Space Exploration Synthetic Aperture Radar (SESAR) Instrument

A dual-polarized, wideband, lightweight P-band (435 MHz) antenna element and array for spaceborne radar applications has been developed for NASA’s SESAR (Space Exploration Synthetic Aperture Radar) instrument for planetary synthetic aperture radar (SAR) applications. The antenna array is based on lightweight, low-profile antenna elements that form the building blocks of configurable “array panels” that can in turn be used to build larger arrays consisting of multiple panels. The element design combines a novel, mostly planar conductor antenna element geometry with a robust lightweight composite material construction.

Synthetic Aperture Radar↗

NASA NTRS2025

JWST Reveals Spectral Tracers of Recent Surface Modification on Europa

Europa has been modified by a variety of geologic processes, exposing internally-derived materials that are heavily irradiated by charged particles trapped in Jupiter’s magnetosphere. Prior spectral analysis of H2O ice on Europa relied on low signal-to-noise data at wavelengths >2.5 µm, limiting assessment of a 3.1 µm Fresnel peak that is diagnostic of exposed crystalline ice. We report new measurements of H2O ice spectral features using high signal-to-noise data collected by the NIRSpec spectrograph (1.48 – 5.35 µm) on the James Webb Space Telescope. These data reveal a narrow 3.1 µm crystalline H2O ice Fresnel peak, which is primarily located at southern latitudes in Tara and Powys Regiones. Our analysis indicates that crystalline ice exposed in these low-latitude regiones is likely sustained by ongoing thermal (re)crystallization outpacing charged particle amorphization of the top ∼10 µm of Europa’s regolith over short timescales (<15 days). We also measured H2O ice features centered near 1.5 µm, 1.65 µm, and 2.0 µm, and a broad 3.6 µm H2O continuum peak, which are all stronger at northern latitudes, in contrast to the 3.1 µm Fresnel peak identified at southern latitudes. These results support the hypothesis that H2O ice in Europa’s regolith is vertically stratified, with amorphous ice grains dominating its exposed surface, except in Tara and Powys Regiones. We also find that a previously detected 4.38 µm 13CO2 feature is present almost exclusively at southern latitudes in Tara and Powys Regiones, likely derived from an internal source of carbon-bearing material.

Surface processes (2116)↗

NASA NTRS2003

Concept to Reality: Contributions of the Langley Research Center to US Civil Aircraft of the 1990s

This document is intended to be a companion to NASA/SP-2000-4519, Partners in Freedom: Contributions of the Langley Research Center to U.S. Military Aircraft of the 1990s . Material included in the combined set of volumes provides informative and significant examples of the impact of Langley's research on U.S. civil and military aircraft of the 1990s. This volume, 'Concept to Reality: Contributions of the NASA Langley Research Center to U.S. Civil Aircraft of the 1990s', highlights significant Langley contributions to safety, cruise performance, takeoff and landing capabilities, structural integrity, crashworthiness, flight deck technologies, pilot-vehicle interfaces, flight characteristics, stall and spin behavior, computational design methods, and other challenging technical areas for civil aviation. The contents of this volume include descriptions of some of the more important applications of Langley research to current civil fixed-wing aircraft (rotary-wing aircraft are not included), including commercial airliners, business aircraft, and small personal-owner aircraft. In addition to discussions of specific aircraft applications, the document also covers contributions of Langley research to the operation of civil aircraft, which includes operating problems. This document is organized according to disciplinary technologies, for example, aerodynamics, structures, materials, and flight systems. Within each discussion, examples are cited where industry applied Langley technologies to specific aircraft that were in operational service during the 1990s and the early years of the new millennium. This document is intended to serve as a key reference for national policy makers, internal NASA policy makers, Congressional committees, the media, and the general public. Therefore, it has been written for a broad general audience and does not presume any significant technical expertise. An extensive bibliography is provided for technical specialists and others who desire a more in-depth discussion of the contributions.

NASA History Series↗

NASA NTRS1998

High performance zinc anode for battery applications

An improved zinc anode for use in a high density rechargeable alkaline battery is disclosed. A process for making the zinc electrode comprises electrolytic loading of the zinc active material from a slightly acidic zinc nitrate solution into a substrate of nickel, copper or silver. The substrate comprises a sintered plaque having very fine pores, a high surface area, and 80-85 percent total initial porosity. The residual porosity after zinc loading is approximately 25-30%. The electrode of the present invention exhibits reduced zinc mobility, shape change and distortion, and demonstrates reduced dendrite buildup cycling of the battery. The disclosed battery is useful for applications requiring high energy density and multiple charge capability.

Casey, John E., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1964

Performance of Solar Reflectors When Applied to Storage of Cryogenic Propellants in Space

An analysis was performed to determine the effectiveness of solar reflectors in reducing heat transfer through the insulation of cryogenic fuel tanks located in deep space. A solar reflector, as used herein, is defined as a surface having a ratio of absorptance with respect to solar radiation to hemispherical emittance (α/ϵ) less than 1.0. This analysis considers the effect of surface coatings with α/ϵ values varying from 0.1 to 1.0 when applied to the external surfaces of bulk insulation or multifoil insulation. Results were obtained in terms of heat leak to two cryogenic propellants, liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, when stored at Mars, Earth, and Mercury orbital distances from the sun. The results show that, with sufficiently good insulation and low heat leaks to the propellant, α/ϵ is a reasonable criterion of merit for these coatings, but that, at larger heat leaks, consideration of ϵ (or α) is necessary. It was observed that selective finishes of α/ϵ = 0.1 on a given amount of bulk insulation material can reduce the heat leak to 40 to 55 percent of the heat leak obtained when gray finishes are considered. Or, for equivalent heat leaks, a reduction in bulk insulation material thickness of about one-half is possible with high-quality selective finishes (α/ϵ = 0.1) compared with flat reflectors. Larger benefits may be achieved from selective finishes painted on foils; the analysis shows that heat leak may be reduced tenfold for surfaces with an α/ϵ of 0.1 compared with gray surfaces. Again, consideration of equivalent heat leaks indicates that the use of approximately 10 times fewer foils of emissivity 0.05 is possible when spectrally selective surfaces are employed. The present state of the art in achieving such surfaces is also briefly reviewed.

Propellant Storage↗

NASA NTRS2026

Does the International Space Station Leak DNA? Preliminary Results from the ISS External Microorganisms Payload

Existing crewed spacecraft like the ISS (International Space Station) leak by design. The ISS routinely releases gas to maintain life support systems and when astronauts exit the station to perform space walks. The chemical component of this leakage is well characterized, but the biological components are not. The ISS is not subject to planetary protection requirements, but planned missions to Mars will use similar systems and will be subject to planetary protection requirements. If detectable microorganisms are escaping through vents and or airlocks we may need to redesign our crewed habitats to minimize this type of contamination. To test the hypothesis that microorganisms from inside ISS are detectable on exterior surfaces an astronaut used the ISS External Microorganisms sampling kit (Rucker et al. 2018) to sample exterior surfaces of the ISS during an EVA (Extra Vehicular Activity) in January of 2025. These samples were returned to Earth for DNA extraction and sequencing. We successfully, extracted and sequenced bacterial, fungal and viral DNA from these samples that was not present in the negative controls. These results should help NASA refine the planetary protection requirements for crewed missions. Methods: The samples were collected using sterile, DNA free, buccal swabs (23 mm. diameter) housed in custom canisters. Each canister uses a 0.2 μm Teflon filter to maintain sterility as the caddy, holding 8 swabs moves in and out of vacuum. The astronaut sampled the: 1) airlock vestibule, 2) airlock thermal cover, 3) a gap in the micrometeorite shielding near the airlock, 4) a handrail near the airlock, 5) the Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly vent, and 6) the Vacuum Exhaust System vent. The seventh swab was exposed to vacuum during the EVA without touching it to a surface. The eighth swab, a negative control, was not opened until the caddy returned to Earth. DNA was extracted from the swabs using a QIamp UCP Pathogen kit and prepared for sequencing on an Aviti (Element Biosciences) sequencer (Arslan et al. 2024). The resulting sequences were analyzed using the EDGE Bioinformatics platform (Li et al. 2017). The sequences were analyzed individually using tools like BLAST, GOTTCHA2, Kraken2, and PanGIA. The data were also assembled into metagenome assembled genomes) using tools like CONCOCT, MaxBin2 and MetaBAT2. Results: We successfully extracted and sequenced bacterial, archaeal, fungal and viral DNA from all seven samples. The handrail swab had the lowest number of reads (768,651) and the airlock thermal cover had the highest number of reads (8,819,230). These samples contain DNA from human associated bacteria (e.g. Crynebacterium riegelii ), fungi (.e.g. Penicillium rubens ), and viruses (e.g Alphapapillomavirus ). Conclusion: Preliminary interpretation suggest that the airlock and the space suits themselves are the largest sources of contaminant DNA. Most if not all of the DNA is from organisms known to be present inside the ISS. Vents attached to life support systems may be a lesser source of biological contamination. Further analysis should help NASA address planetary protection knowledge gaps for crewed missions.

Aaron B Regberg↗

NASA NTRS1993

Evidence for the Interaction of the IRS 16 Wind With the Ionized and Molecular Gas at the Galactic Center

We present a number of high-resolution radio images showing evidence for the dynamical interaction of the outflow arising from the IRS 16 complex with the ionized gas associated with the Northern Arm of Sgr A West, and with the northwestern segment of the circumnuclear molecular disk which engulfs the inner few parsecs of the Galactic center. These interactions offer an opportunity to explain some important aspects of the complex morphology of ionized and molecular gas at the Galactic center. In particular we suggest that the wind disturbs the dynamics of the Northern Arm within 0.1 pc of the center, is responsible for the waviness of the arm at larger distances and is collimated by Sgr A West and the circumnuclear disk. The waviness is discussed in terms of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability induced by the ram pressure of the wind incident on the surface of the Northern Arm. Another consequence of this interaction is the strong mid IR polarization of the Northern Arm in the vicinity of the IRS 16 complex which is explained as a result of the ram pressure of the wind compressing the gas and the magnetic field. The IRS 16 complex must therefore lie close to the Northern Arm. On a large scale we argue that the wind has swept up the diffuse material in the inner parsec of the Galactic center and that the interaction with the inner part of the northwestern part of the circumnuclear ring is responsible for the H 2 v = 1-0 emission and the ionized streamers. Lastly, we discuss the possibility that the outflow from IRS 16 could be responsible for eating away the inner edge of the circumnuclear disk and provide friction needed for the infall of the material in the arms of Sgr A West.

IRS 16↗

NASA NTRS1992

An ESR study of the UV degradation of FEP

Spacecraft in low earth orbit are subjected to significant levels of high energy radiation, including ultraviolet (UV) and visible ultraviolet (VUV) wavelengths. The effects of UV radiation are enhanced over those at the surface of the earth, where the only incident wavelengths are greater than 290 nm. In low earth orbit the incident UV wavelengths extend below 290 nm into the VUV region, where the Lyman alpha-emissions of atomic hydrogen occur at 121 nm. In addition to electromagnetic radiation, in low earth orbit polymer materials may also be subjected to atomic oxygen particle radiation, which will result in direct oxidation of the polymer.

G. A. George↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

PROBABALISTIC RISK ANALYSIS AND THERMAL MARGIN PROCESS FOR AN INFLATABLE AEROSHELL

Atmospheric entry vehicle thermal protection systems (TPS) are margined due to the uncertainties that exist in entry aeroheating environments and the thermal response of the materials and structures. Traditional approaches typically over-margin TPS and offer very little insight into the risk of over-temperature during flight. A probabilistic margin process can be used to apply thermal margin to an aeroshell based on a rigorously calculated risk of failure. This probabilistic margin process allows engineers to make informed aeroshell design, entry-trajectory modifications, and risk trades while preventing excessive margin from being applied. This methodology can also be applied to other TPS applications, hot structures, and other engineering disciplines.

Steven A Tobin↗

NASA NTRS2026

Highly Porous Polyimide Gel for Use as Battery Separator with Room Temperature Ionic Liquid Electrolytes

Advanced aerospace vehicular concepts require advances in many existing technologies, including space power and energy storage systems. Batteries represent one of the major areas in need of improvement, both in terms of energy density and safety, with growing concerns over the fire safety of commercial lithium-ion batteries. This has prompted efforts to develop nonflammable battery components, namely the electrolyte and separator. Existing commercial lithium-ion batteries utilize polyolefin microporous membranes as separators with an electrolyte consisting of a lithium salt dissolved in a mixture of cyclic carbonate solvents. This separator/electrolyte combination has ionic conductivities in the range of 10 −2 to 10 −3 S/cm. However, the cyclic carbonate solvents are inherently flammable. Room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) appear to be a safer alternative. They offer good ionic conductivities and are inherently nonvolatile and nonflammable, giving them a safety advantage. However, many promising RTILs for battery electrolytes are not compatible with commercial polyolefin separator materials. Alternative separator materials, such as polyimides, are non-flammable and are capable of accepting RTILs into their structure. Polyimide gels, with a composition of 4,4′-oxydianiline, 3,3′,4,4′-tetracarboxylic dianhydride and cross-linked with Desmodur N3300A, possess an open-porous, fibrillar network architecture which offers a high degree of porosity (typically greater than 85% porosity) for lithium-ion transport and conduction, as well as good mechanical properties. Furthermore, these polyimide gels are compatible with selected imidazolium-based RTILs. Nonflammable separator/electrolyte systems with room-temperature conductivities in the range of 10 −3 S/cm have been evaluated. It has been demonstrated that 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide was the most promising among six RTILs screened, in terms of both ionic conductivity and constant current cycling.

Polyimide↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Dry Pressed, High Areal Loading Electrode Architectures Enabled by Holey Graphene

For future electric aviation, advanced battery cell chemistry beyond lithium ion batteries are required to meet mission requirements. High energy density battery concepts such as lithium-sulfur (Li-S) and lithiumoxygen (Li-O2) chemistries are being intensively investigated to realize their extraordinary theoretical promise in terms of energy density. Most fabrication methods of cathodes for these novel battery chemistries followed a conventional approach. In this approach, the active material is mixed with a polymer binder and a conductive carbon in a high-boiling organic solvent to form a slurry, followed by casting onto a current collector and solvent evaporation. The process is usually lengthy and poses environmental hazards due to the use of organic solvents.

Lin Yi↗

NASA NTRS1977

Radioactivity of the Moon, Planets, and Meteorites

This paper reviews and summarizes analytical data for the content of natural radioactive elements in meteorites, eruptive terrestrial rocks, and also, in lunar samples returned by Apollo missions and the Luna series of automatic stations. The K-U systematics of samples analyzed in the laboratory are combined with data for orbital gamma-ray measurements for Mars (Mars 5) and with the results of direct gamma-ray measurements of the surface of Venus by the Venera 8 lander. Using information about the radioactivity of solar system bodies and evaluations of the content of K, U, and Th in the terrestrial planets, we examine certain aspects of the evolution of material in the protoplanetary gas-dust cloud and then in the planets of the solar system.

Yu A Surkov↗

NASA NTRS1977

Geochemical Zoning and Early Differentiation in the Moon

The volatile elements (e.g., Rb, Pb, Tl, Bi, Cs) seem to have been depleted at the time of lunar accretion. Accordingly, it may be assumed that the moon initially accreted from refractory material. The good correlation between volatile/involatile element ratios (e.g., Cs/U, K/La, K/Zr) in both highland and maria samples means that element distribution in lunar crustal rocks is not governed by volatility differences. This and other evidence encourages the view that the moon was accreted homogeneously. A consequence of homogeneous accretion theories is that very efficient large-scale element fractionation is required to account both for the high near-surface concentrations of refractory elements (e.g., Th, U, REE, Zr, Ba, etc.) and for the Ca-Al-rich crust.

S R Taylor↗

NASA NTRS1985

Microgravity Science and Applications Program Tasks, 1984 Revision

This report is a compilation of the active research tasks as of the end of the fiscal year 1984 of the Microgravity Science and Applications Program, NASA-Office of Space Science and Applications, involving several NASA centers and other organizations. The purpose of the document is to provide an overview of the program scope for managers and scientists in industry, university, and government communities. The report is structured to include an introductory description of the program, strategy and overall goal; identification of the organizational structures and people involved; and a description of each research task, together with a list of recent publications. The tasks are grouped into six categories: (1) electronic materials; (2) solidification of metals, alloys, and composites; (3) fluid dynamics and transports; (4) biotechnology; (5) glasses and ceramics; and (6) combustion.

Elizabeth Pentecost↗

NASA NTRS1989

Overview of the Center for Advanced Space Propulsion

The mission of the Center for Advanced Space Propulsion (CASP), a Center for the Commercial Development of Space (CCDS), is to strengthen U.S. competitiveness in space technology, foster cooperative research with industry and government, assist industry in developing commercial products and services, and perform research in advanced space propulsion. Current areas of focus are (1) advanced chemical propulsion, including high area ratio nozzle performance, variable thrust engine performance, and spray combustion stability; (2) artificial intelligence propulsion applications, including health monitoring of rocket engines, fault pattern detection and diagnosis, and intelligent hypertext applications; (3) microgravity fluid management, including liquid storage and transfer, a subscale orbital fluid transfer experiment, and helical, two-phase flow; (4) electric propulsion, including magnetic annular arc thruster, ion thrustor, and electrostatic plasma accelerator; and (5) laser materials processing.

George W Garrison↗