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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 NTRSDate not supplied

Mapping the Capabilities and Attributes of Solid Oxide Electrochemical Systems to Human Spaceflight Needs

NASA is sponsoring the development of a solid oxide electrochemical oxygen separation and compression system. This system is capable of extracting oxygen from a process stream of spacecraft cabin air, and compressing it to >27,000 kPa without mechanical compressors. Process temperatures are >650C, but the materials in contact with the oxygen do not burn. The system is called eCOG-C, Electrochemical Oxygen Generator and Compressor. A system capable of producing high pressure, high purity oxygen may have application as a method of recharging space suit oxygen tanks during human exploration missions. This paper describes the key performance parameters of a space suit oxygen tank recharge system, and places the key performance parameters of eCOG-c in the context of other methods of space suit oxygen tank recharge. This paper compares the eCOG-c configuration to an earlier electrochemical oxygen generator that has been prototyped and tested. Areas of emphasis for eCOG-C development are listed and described.

John Graf↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA’s Space Launch System: New Launch Capability for Artemis Lunar and Deep Space Science Missions

With stacking and integration of the initial Block 1 Space Launch System (SLS) expected to begin in 2020, NASA’s powerful new launch vehicle is ready to take center stage in the agency’s Artemis program to return astronauts to the Moon. Combining the highest launch thrust and largest payload capacity ever developed, SLS also enables a new generation of high-C3 science missions to destinations such as the gas and ice giants, the Kuiper Belt, and even beyond the solar system. Block 1 is only the beginning, as the vehicle has a planned evolution path to progressively more powerful variants. In addition to these block upgrades providing increased lift capability, the vehicle can be configured to fly in crew configuration with the Orion spacecraft or in cargo configuration with payload fairings for launching science mission or large infrastructure, providing a flexible launch option. For Artemis I, the first SLS flight, the Block 1 vehicle in the crew configuration will send an uncrewed Orion spacecraft to lunar orbit for a thorough systems checkout before the crewed Artemis II flight. The Block 1 vehicle uses a proven propulsion system consisting of solid rocket boosters and RS-25 engines to lift more than 27 metric tons [t] to trans-lunar injection (TLI). In its cargo configuration, Block 1 can be fitted with a 5 m payload fairing. The second variant, Block 1B, uses a more powerful upper stage to increase payload mass to TLI to 38-42 t, depending on crew or cargo configuration. In the crew configuration, a co-manifested payload of up to 10 t can ride along in the Universal Stage Adapter (USA), which has as much volume for payloads as a 5 m-class payload fairing. The Block 2 evolved variant will lift 43-46 t to TLI, depending on crew or cargo configuration. The Block 1B and Block 2 vehicles can be outfitted with an 8.4 m-diameter payload fairing, available in 19.1 m and 27.4 m lengths, providing unprecedented volume for payloads. Larger-diameter 10 m fairings may also be an option in the future on the Block 2 vehicle. The unrivalled mass, volume and high-energy launches of SLS can provide significant mission flexibility for payloads and/or additional upper stages to open trade space for a new generation of exploration missions. SLS was designed to meet requirements for launching large-volume infrastructure as outlined in numerous studies of missions to cislunar space or Mars. Mission concept studies from the science community also point toward new possibilities enabled by SLS. Probes with more robust science packages can be sent to the gas giants. Dual spacecraft can be manifested for missions to Uranus and Neptune. Additional third or fourth payload stages can be encapsulated in the payload fairings to achieve missions to the Kuiper Belt or beyond. In addition, the large volume can be used to design and deploy wide-aperture mirrors on future space telescopes and to enable nuclear-thermal propulsion missions. At AIAA Ascend, the SLS Program will provide technical information on vehicle capabilities as well as descriptions of ongoing discussions with mission planners for utilizing the vehicle for an array of deep space missions.

Stephen Creech↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Space Launch System Engine Out Capabilities

NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) is being developed with the primary purpose of returning people to the Moon and eventually landing people on Mars. With these lofty goals, ensuring mission completion is paramount even in the event of an in-flight mishap. One possible mishap is the loss of an engine in flight. While SLS was not required to show full engine out capability, the program took an ``assess to'' approach to see when the launch vehicle could complete the mission after an engine failure versus when the launch vehicle targets required a down-mode to an alternate mission target to ensure at least some flight objectives were complete, or at a minimum ensure safe return of Orion and the Crew. While this paper will focus on Artemis I, an uncrewed mission, some comparisons will be made to how the engine out capability will change for the subsequent Crewed flights of SLS and Orion.

Engine Out↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Space Launch System Engine Out Capabilities

NASA's SLS is being developed with the primary purpose of returning people to the Moon and eventually landing people on Mars. With these lofty goals, ensuring mission completion is paramount even in the event of an in-flight mishap. One possible mishap is the loss of an engine in flight. While SLS was not required to show full engine out capability, the program took an ``assess to'' approach to see when the launch vehicle could complete the mission after an engine failure versus when the launch vehicle targets required a down-mode to an alternate mission target to ensure at least some flight objectives were complete, or at a minimum ensure safe return of Orion and the Crew. While this paper will focus on Artemis I, an uncrewed mission, some comparisons will be made to how the engine out capability will change for the subsequent Crewed flights of SLS and Orion.

Space Launch System↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Propulsion Component Test Capabilities at MSFC’s Test Stand 115

Marshall Space Flight Center’s Test Stand 115 (TS115) is a propulsion component test facility in operation since its original activation in 1964 for testing small to medium size liquid rocket engine components including injectors, channel-cooled chambers, nozzles, passively-cooled metallic and composite nozzle extensions, valves, turbomachinery, and igniters. TS115 is a "blowdown" type facility, using high pressure tankage and components to provide liquid, gaseous, and cryogenic fluid delivery at specified pressures and flowrates. The facility consists of an open steel test stand structure, a mechanical hardware preparation shop, an electrical support equipment building, a control room, and a centralized data system room. In general, the facility infrastructure is rated to 3,000 psig. TS115 can accommodate thrust levels up to 10,000 lbf in the horizontal position. The facility is actively used for various internal NASA test programs as well as test campaigns for external customers from other government agencies, commercial industry partners, and academia. The available fluid systems, electrical power and instrumentation capabilities, facility controls and data acquisition systems, test program support capabilities, and available test rig configurations for external customer use are discussed in this paper.

Tal Wammen↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA’s Orbital Debris Optical Program: ES-MCAT Nearing Full Operational Capability (FOC)

The NASA JAO/ES-MCAT (Eugene Stansbery Meter Class Autonomous Telescope) Facility is nearing Full Operational Capability, or FOC. ES-MCAT is now fully capable of autonomously running all observations, including: (a) monitoring weather and closing when conditions are not safe, as well as halting observations when conditions are not suitable (e.g. too cloudy) for operations, (b) start-up/shut-down nightly tasking, (c) collecting calibration data and survey or TLE-tracked data, and (d) processing all collected data, including on-chip photometry and astrometry calibrations using the GAIA star catalogue. The processed data are then further analyzed at NASA Johnson Space Center to correlate detections with known objects in the Space Surveillance Network (SSN) catalogue. MCAT can collect data of specific objects with known orbits or can search for objects with orbits similar to those of spacecraft or rocket bodies that have recently broken up. However, the primary goal for ES-MCAT is to survey the geosynchronous (GEO) belt to provide a statistical sample of the GEO debris environment for both engineering models for spacecraft designers and long-term environment evolutionary purposes. The approach for sweeping the sky to statistically survey GEO has been investigated and updated from past surveys taken by NASA and will be reported, herein referred to as the Candy Cane method. ES-MCAT’s optical performance and the limiting magnitude for the full optical system will be discussed. An analysis used to determine which filter to use for GEO surveys (SDSS r′) includes combining the reflectivity of the primary and secondary mirrors, transmission of the field corrector and CCD window, and the quantum efficiency of the CCD detector, resulting in throughput of the full optical path. This throughput is then combined with the expected typical transparency of the atmosphere at ES-MCAT’s altitude/location for the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) g′r′i′z′ and Johnson/Kron-Cousins BVRI filters to yield expected relative throughput.

S. M. Lederer↗
NASA NTRS2020

Recommended Crew Systems Capabilities for a Mars Ascent Vehicle as a Function of Flight Duration

In many human Mars exploration architectures, a Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV) is used at the end of a surface stay to transport crew from the Martian surface to a waiting in-space transportation vehicle. It is possible for this transportation vehicle to be placed in any of several different Mars orbits, the selection of which drives the flight duration of the MAV from launch to docking and the amount of propellant required on the transportation vehicle to reach the same orbit. This paper identifies existing NASA standards and supplies habitability subject matter expert recommendations for the human habitation capabilities of the MAV as a function of flight duration. Living and working functions that may potentially be carried aboard a MAV are assessed. Flight durations considered include up to 8 hours, 8-24 hours, 1-2 days, 2-3 days, 3-4 days, and 4-7 days, which book end flight durations necessary to reach the transportation vehicle at different possible Mars orbits. This analysis will determine if there are key durations that serve as significant break points in required MAV capability.

MAV↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

ICE-RASSOR: Intelligent Capabilities Enhanced Regolith Advanced Surface Systems Operations Robot

NASA’s Regolith Advanced Surface Systems Operations Robot (RASSOR) is principally designed to mine and deliver regolith for In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU)processing. RASSOR’s design enables it to efficiently collect and deposit regolith, return collected material for processing, and myriad related ISRU activities. To reliably perform these operations on the lunar surface, RASSOR software and sensory systems need to be robust and maximize the information extracted from a reduced sensor payload. Herein, we present preliminary findings from the Intelligent Capabilities Enhanced RASSOR project. We apply supervised learning using real data to estimate the soil mass collected without the need for mass flow rate monitors or other explicate sensing techniques. We also create a reduced-order simulation environment to develop autonomous trenching controllers via reinforcement learning and prototype state estimation architectures. Our initial results suggest that excavated regolith mass can be inferred within 2.9% RMS error of full scale, and reinforcement learning for autonomous operations has learned viable trenching strategies and helped identify desirable sensing capabilities, arrangements, and considerations. Future work includes regolith mass estimation during dynamic operation, expanding our simulation to more complex environments, and transfer learning from simulation to hardware.

machine learning↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

ICE-RASSOR: Intelligent Capabilities Enhanced

NASA’s Regolith Advanced Surface Systems Operations Robot (RASSOR) is principally designed to mine and deliver regolith for In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) processing. RAS-SOR’s design enables it to efficiently collect and deposit regolith, return collected material for processing, and myriad related ISRU activities. To reliably perform these operations on the lunar sur-face, RASSOR software and sensory systems need to be robust and maximize the information extracted from on-board sensing. Herein, we present preliminary findings from the Intelligent Capabilities Enhanced RASSOR project. We apply supervised learning using real data to estimate the soil mass collected without the need for mass flow rate monitors or other explicate sensing techniques. We also create a reduced-order simulation environment to develop autonomous trenching controllers via reinforcement learning and proto-type state estimation architectures. Our initial results suggest that excavated regolith mass can be inferred within 2.9% RMS error of full scale, and reinforcement learning for autonomous operations has learned viable trenching strategies and helped identify desirable sensing capabilities, arrangements, and considerations. Future work includes regolith mass estimation during dynamic operation, expanding our simulation to more complex environments, and transfer learning from simulation to hardware.

machine learning↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

ICE-RASSOR: Intelligent Capabilities Enhanced Regolith Advanced Surface Systems Operations Robot

NASA’s Regolith Advanced Surface Systems Operations Robot (RASSOR) is principally designed to mine and deliver regolith for In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) processing. RASSOR’s design enables it to efficiently collect and deposit regolith, return collected material for processing, and myriad related ISRU activities. To reliably perform these operations on the lunar surface, RASSOR software and sensory systems need to be robust and maximize the information extracted from on-board sensory. Herein, we present preliminary findings from the Intelligent Capabilities Enhanced RASSOR project. We apply supervised learning using real data to estimate the soil mass collected without the need for mass flow rate monitors or other explicate sensing techniques. We also create a reduced-order simulation environment to develop autonomous trenching controllers via reinforcement learning and proto-type state estimation architectures. Our initial results suggest that excavated regolith mass can be inferred within 2.9% RMS error of full scale, and reinforcement learning for autonomous operations has learned viable trenching strategies and helped identify desirable sensing capabilities, arrangements, and considerations. Future work includes regolith mass estimation during dynamic operation, expanding our simulation to more complex environments, and transfer learning from simulation to hardware.

machine learning↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Exploration Medical Capability Science and Research Overview and Update

The mission of the Exploration Medical Capability (ExMC) Element is to advance medical system design and risk-informed decision making for exploration beyond low Earth orbit to promote human health and performance in space. In order to accomplish this mission, the Element takes a progressively Earth-independent approach to three main areas: 1)answering key clinical and science research questions that will help to address the challenges of providing medical care in the extreme environment of space, 2)applying systems engineering processes to medical system design with the goal of developing robust requirements that can be fully integrated into future space exploration vehicle designs, and 3)developing and demonstrating novel medical technologies that will improve future medical capabilities in space. This presentation will focus on selected scientific and technical conceptual drivers for the Element, the current and future research risks and gaps, and provide an overview of the Element’s progress in 2020.

Kris Lehnhardt↗
NASA NTRS2006

High-capacity communications from Martian distances part 4 : assessment of spacecraft pointing accuracy capabilities required for large Ka-band reflector antennas

Improved surface accuracy for deployable reflectors has brought with it the possibility of Ka-band reflector antennas with extents on the order of 1000 wavelengths. Such antennas are being considered for high-rate data delivery from planetary distances. To maintain losses at reasonable levels requires a sufficiently capable Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS) onboard the spacecraft. This paper provides an assessment of currently available ADCS strategies and performance levels. In addition to other issues, specific factors considered include: (1) use of "beaconless" or open loop tracking versus use of a beacon on the Earth side of the link, and (2) selection of fine pointing strategy (body-fixed/spacecraft pointing, reflector pointing or various forms of electronic beam steering). Capabilities of recent spacecraft are discussed.

Bassily, Samir (Sam)↗
NASA NTRS2021

Sensing the Ocean Biological Carbon Pump from Space: A Review of Capabilities, Concepts, Research Gaps and Future Developments

The element carbon plays a central role in climate and life on Earth. It is capable of moving among the geosphere, cryosphere, atmosphere, biosphere and hydrosphere. This flow of carbon is referred to as the Earth's carbon cycle. It is also intimately linked to the cycling of other elements and compounds. The ocean plays a fundamental role in Earth's carbon cycle, helping to regulate atmospheric CO2 concentration. The ocean biological carbon pump (OBCP), defined as a set of processes that transfer organic carbon from the surface to the deep ocean, is at the heart of the ocean carbon cycle. Monitoring the OBCP is critical to understanding how the Earth's carbon cycle is changing. At present, satellite remote sensing is the only tool available for viewing the entire surface ocean at high temporal and spatial scales. In this paper, we review methods for monitoring the OBCP with a focus on satellites. We begin by providing an overview of the OBCP, defining and describing the pools of carbon in the ocean, and the processes controlling fluxes of carbon between the pools, from the surface to the deep ocean, and among ocean, land and atmosphere. We then examine how field measurements, from ship and autonomous platforms, complement satellite observations, provide validation points for satellite products and lead to a more complete view of the OBCP than would be possible from satellite observations alone. A thorough analysis is then provided on methods used for monitoring the OBCP from satellite platforms, covering current capabilities, concepts and gaps, and the requirement for uncertainties in satellite products. We finish by discussing the potential for producing a satellite-based carbon budget for the oceans, the advantages of integrating satellite-based observations with ecosystem models and field measurements, and future opportunities in space, all with a view towards bringing satellite observations into the limelight of ocean carbon research.

Robert J. W. Brewin↗
NASA NTRS2022

The Development of a Real-Time Optical Angle-of-Attack Measurement Capability at the NASA Ames Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel

The following details the implementation of a real-time optical angle-of-attack capability under development at the NASA Ames Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel (UPWT). Recent advancements in the integration of high bandwidth imaging systems at the Ames UPWT has laid the groundwork for the deployment of a calibrated, imaging based measurement capability. Some of the measurement goals of this data system include: an estimation of the orientation of a wind tunnel model to six degrees of freedom, measurements made at framerates high enough to time resolve model dynamics, triangulate corresponding points of interest from multiple camera views in three-dimensional space, acquire imagery with no impact to the productivity of the test matrix, provide results in real-time, and finally compute an estimation of the errors associated with the measurement. The following will outline the imaging hardware and data systems architecture, describe the data flow and image processing routines currently implemented, and explore example data and results from previous wind tunnel test entries.

Ground Testing↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Microwave Structure Construction Capability Year One Accomplishments

The Microwave Structure Construction Capability (MSCC) element, part of the Moon to Mars Planetary Autonomous Construction Project (MMPACT) was initiated in 2020. MSCC is responsible for creating horizontal and vertical infrastructure on the moon using microwave energy. Microwave energy was selected since it is the only method to volumetrically heat the regolith. All other sintering/melting methods rely on thermal conduction through the very low conductivity surface, resulting in an inefficient process. Advances were achieved in materials characterization and understanding, microwave sintering in vacuum, and microwave design and analyses. Two dielectric property testing systems have been developed at Radiance Technologies and JPL. These will examine dielectric properties at cryogenic temperatures and over a broad frequency range. Permittivity and permeability testing at -60 ̊C in vacuum from 0.05 to 3 GHz has been generated at JPL. Additional modifications will be made to go to -190 ̊C (LN2). Radiance Technologies created a test system to measure dielectric properties at greater than 10 GHz and initiated work on developing a vacuum capable, portable test system to measure dielectric properties of Apollo regolith and simulants from 100 MHz to 18 GHz. These tests are to identify optimal heating frequencies and protocols. During microwave sintering at about 1100 ̊C, volatiles were creating difficulty in achieving a reasonably dense specimen. Due to processing in vacuum and the nature of the lunar regolith, some volatiles and porosity are expected. However, the Earth produced simulants have non-lunar materials in them that create volatiles that aren’t representative of lunar regolith. Therefore, a five month effort was conducted to establish a heat treat method to remove these non-lunar materials. Tests were conducted using TGA mass spectrometry, heating in vacuum and conducting mass spectrometry, dielectric and DTA, Raman, BET, particle size analysis, morphological analysis, carbon and sulfur chemical content determination and microscopy. The process has been scaled-up to 6 kg batch size and undergoing evaluation. A 36 kg batch size is the target for JSC-1A and other limited availability simulants. These calcining protocols will be standard for NASA and beyond. MSCC has also created scalable processes for fabricating synthetic lunar materials. Processes to fabricate Anorthite (plagioclase CaAl2Si2O8), Diopside (pyroxene CaMgSi₂O₆), and Enstatite (pyroxene Mg2Si2O6) have been generated. These materials will enable generation of microwave sintering models to bound various composition ranges anticipated on the Moon, therefore mitigating the need for a precise simulant with respect to location on the Moon. Successful microwave sintering in air using a horn applicator was demonstrated. All previous microwave vacuum sintering in the literature was at small scale and in a contained enclosure thus taking advantage of reflections. This is the first to use a lunar like microwave applicator to sinter ceramic in a bed as it would be done on the Moon. Small scale and inert sintering were conducted to assist in developing protocols with quicker turnaround times than larger scale testing. Testing has anchored thermal analysis predicting heat flow in vacuum during microwave sintering. Thermal conductivity testing was also initiated. Microwave coupling to the regolith has been modeled by multiple organizations and with different software packages. At least six horn designs and applicator configurations for both magnetron and solid state sources are being examined. Optimal simulant container designs for microwaves have also been generated. The power and electronics design for the solid state microwave system has been initiated. Concept designs for a lander based microwave sintering have been evaluated.

microwave↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Human Mars Surface Mission Surface Power Impacts on Timeline and Traverse Capabilities

The National Aeronautics and Aerospace Administration’s (NASA) Mars Architecture Team (MAT) developed a concept for power management operations to support a thirty-day, minimal infrastructure Mars surface mission. The surface elements in this minimal surface mission concept include three landers as platforms for surface operations, a crewed Mars ascent vehicle (MAV), an unpressurized rover, and a pressurized rover where the crew will live for the duration of the thirty-day mission. In this analysis the power system is a ten kilowatt fission power system, which has been selected for its resiliency to dust storms, and will provide power for all aspects of the surface mission including thermal management of propellant and electronic systems, communications, and battery recharge of mobile surface assets. Developing a power management plan with the consideration of the various elements and mission phases helps define the traverse and exploration capabilities for the crew in the pressurized rover. Also, considerations need to be made for the different power requirements for each phase of the surface mission including arrival, offload, surface exploration, launch preparation, and departure. The described analysis aims to achieve a balance of maintaining power to critical systems while enabling desired traverse and exploration range in the pressurized rover. Additionally, a few enhancing technologies were explored that could expand the power capability if the additional capacity is necessary in the future. This study is used as a baseline to understand the constraints on all aspects of the surface mission for a minimal surface infrastructure human Mars campaign if a ten-kilowatt fission surface power system is available on the surface.

Michael B. Chappell↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Exploration Medical Capability Science and Research Overview and Update

The mission of the Exploration Medical Capability (ExMC) Element is to advance medical system design and risk-informed decision making for exploration beyond Low Earth Orbit to promote human health and performance in space. To accomplish this mission, ExMC focuses on several key areas: • Investigating specific risks that are relevant for human exploration spaceflight, including in-flight medical conditions, degraded or toxic medications, and renal stones • Developing medical probabilistic risk analysis tools that are integrated with systems engineering processes to inform the medical system trade space and support the development of robust requirements • Demonstrating and defining requirements for a prototype clinical decision support system • Developing and demonstrating novel medical technologies that will improve future medical capabilities in space This presentation will focus on selected scientific and technical conceptual drivers for the Element and its current and future research risks and gaps while providing an overview of the Element’s progress in 2021 and areas of focus for 2022.

Benjamin Easter↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Development of Improved Thermal Analysis Capabilities at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has been developing a framework of additional analysis capabilities to aid in the verification, development, and execution of thermal models using the OpenTD Application Programming Interface (API). This paper provides a brief overview of the data structures, properties, methods, and relationships between the objects accessible through the current API and describes some of the algorithms necessary to implement the desired functions at GSFC. Some example code snippets are also provided to aid potential users in the development of their own utilities. Following the overview are descriptions and algorithm methodologies of the new capabilities added to the GSFC framework, including: a new PI heater/controller approach for improved steady state predictions, selective copying of symbol over-rides from one source CaseSet to destination CaseSet(s), comparison of submodel object counts between a source and destination model to verify model integration, comparison of thermo-optical and thermo-physical properties between models, and improved display of extracted thermo-optical and thermo-physical properties for documentation.

ThermalDesktop↗