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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 847 records · Page 47
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2000

Testing of a Loop Heat Pipe Subjective to Variable Accelerations: Temperature Stability - Part 2

The effect of accelerating forces on the performance of loop heat pipes (LHP) is of interest and importance to terrestrial and space applications. LHP's are being considered for cooling of military combat vehicles and for spinning spacecraft. In order to investigate the effect of an accelerating force on LHP operation, a miniature LHP was installed on a spin table. Variable accelerating forces were imposed on the LHP by spinning the table at different angular speeds. Several patterns of accelerating forces were applied, i.e. continuous spin at different speeds and periodic spin at different speeds and frequencies. The resulting accelerations ranged from 1.17 g's to 4.7 g's. This paper presents the second part of the experimental study, i.e. the effect of an accelerating force on the LHP operating temperature. It has been known that in stationary tests the LHP operating temperature is a function of the evaporator power and the condenser sink temperature when the compensation temperature is not actively controlled. Results of this test program indicate that any change in the accelerating force will result in a chance in the LHP operating temperature through its influence on the fluid distribution in the evaporator, condenser and compensation chamber. However, the effect is not universal, rather it is a function of other test conditions. A steady, constant acceleration may result in an increase or decrease of the operating temperature, while a periodic spin will lead to a quasi-steady operating temperature over a sufficient time interval. In addition, an accelerating force may lead to temperature hysteresis and changes in the temperature oscillation. In spite of all these effects, the LHP continued to operate without any problems in all tests.

Ku, Jentung↗
NASA NTRS2010

Northrop Grumman TR202 LOX/LH2 Deep Throttling Engine Project Status

NASA's Propulsion and Cryogenic Advanced Development (PCAD) project is currently developing enabling propulsion technologies in support of the Exploration Initiative, with a particular focus on the needs of the Altair Project. To meet Altair requirements, several technical challenges need to be overcome, one of which is the ability for the lunar descent engine(s) to operate over a deep throttle range with cryogenic propellants. To address this need, PCAD has enlisted Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems (NGAS) in a technology development effort associated with the TR202, a LOX/LH2 expander cycle engine driven by independent turbopump assemblies and featuring a variable area pintle injector similar to the injector used on the TR200 Apollo Lunar Module Descent Engine (LMDE). Since the Apollo missions, NGAS has continued to mature deep throttling pintle injector technology. The TR202 program has completed two phases of pintle injector testing. The first phase of testing used ablative thrust chambers and demonstrated igniter operation as well as stable performance at several power levels across the designed 10:1 throttle range. The second phase of testing was performed on a calorimeter chamber and demonstrated injector performance at various power levels (75%, 50%, 25%, 10%, and 7.5%) across the throttle range as well as chamber heat flux to show that the engine can close an expander cycle design across the throttle range. This paper provides an overview of the TR202 program. It describes the different phases of the program with the key milestones of each phase. It then shows when those milestones were met. Next, it describes how the test data was used to update the conceptual design and how the test data has created a database for deep throttling cryogenic pintle technology that is readily scaleable and can be used to again update the design once the Altair program's requirements are firm. The final section of the paper describes the path forward, which includes demonstrating continuously throttling with an actuator and pursuing a path towards integrated engine sea-level test-bed testing.

Gromski, J.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Northrop Grumman TR202 LOX/LH2 Deep Throttling Engine Technology Project Status

NASA's Propulsion and Cryogenic Advanced Development (PCAD) project is currently developing enabling propulsion technologies in support of future lander missions. To meet lander requirements, several technical challenges need to be overcome, one of which is the ability for the descent engine(s) to operate over a deep throttle range with cryogenic propellants. To address this need, PCAD has enlisted Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems (NGAS) in a technology development effort associated with the TR202 engine. The TR202 is a LOX/LH2 expander cycle engine driven by independent turbopump assemblies and featuring a variable area pintle injector similar to the injector used on the TR200 Apollo Lunar Module Descent Engine (LMDE). Since the Apollo missions, NGAS has continued to mature deep throttling pintle injector technology. The TR202 program has completed two series of pintle injector testing. The first series of testing used ablative thrust chambers and demonstrated igniter operation as well as stable performance at discrete points throughout the designed 10:1 throttle range. The second series was conducted with calorimeter chambers and demonstrated injector performance at discrete points throughout the throttle range as well as chamber heat flow adequate to power an expander cycle design across the throttle range. This paper provides an overview of the TR202 program, describing the different phases and key milestones. It describes how test data was correlated to the engine conceptual design. The test data obtained has created a valuable database for deep throttling cryogenic pintle technology, a technology that is readily scalable in thrust level.

Gromski, Jason↗
NASA NTRS2011

Remote Sensing of Terrestrial Water Storage with GRACE and Future Gravimetry Missions

The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) has demonstrated that satellite gravimetry can be a valuable tool for regional to global water cycle observation. Studies of ice sheet and glacier mass losses, ocean bottom pressure and circulation, and variability of water stored on and in the land including groundwater all have benefited from GRACE observations, and the list of applications and discoveries continues to grow. As the mission approaches its tenth anniversary of launch on March 12,2012, it has nearly doubled its proposed lifetime but is showing some signs of age. In particular, degraded battery capacity limits the availability of power in certain orbital configurations, so that the accelerometers must be turned off for approximately one month out of six. The mission managers have decided to operate the spacecrafts in a manner that maximizes the remaining lifetime, so that the longest possible climate data record is available from GRACE. Nevertheless, it is not unlikely that there will be a data gap between GRACE and the GRACE Follow On mission, currently proposed for launch in 2016. In this presentation we will describe recent GRACE enabled science, GRACE mission health, and plans for GRACE Follow On and other future satellite gravimetry missions.

Rodell, Matt↗
NASA NTRS2014

Gravity and Heater Size Effects on Pool Boiling Heat Transfer

The current work is based on observations of boiling heat transfer over a continuous range of gravity levels between 0g to 1.8g and varying heater sizes with a fluorinert as the test liquid (FC-72/n-perfluorohexane). Variable gravity pool boiling heat transfer measurements over a wide range of gravity levels were made during parabolic flight campaigns as well as onboard the International Space Station. For large heaters and-or higher gravity conditions, buoyancy dominated boiling and heat transfer results were heater size independent. The power law coefficient for gravity in the heat transfer equation was found to be a function of wall temperature under these conditions. Under low gravity conditions and-or for smaller heaters, surface tension forces dominated and heat transfer results were heater size dependent. A pool boiling regime map differentiating buoyancy and surface tension dominated regimes was developed along with a unified framework that allowed for scaling of pool boiling over a wide range of gravity levels and heater sizes. The scaling laws developed in this study are expected to allow performance quantification of phase change based technologies under variable gravity environments eventually leading to their implementation in space based applications.

Boiling↗
NASA NTRS2011

Fuel-Efficient Descent and Landing Guidance Logic for a Safe Lunar Touchdown

The landing of a crewed lunar lander on the surface of the Moon will be the climax of any Moon mission. At touchdown, the landing mechanism must absorb the load imparted on the lander due to the vertical component of the lander's touchdown velocity. Also, a large horizontal velocity must be avoided because it could cause the lander to tip over, risking the life of the crew. To be conservative, the worst-case lander's touchdown velocity is always assumed in designing the landing mechanism, making it very heavy. Fuel-optimal guidance algorithms for soft planetary landing have been studied extensively. In most of these studies, the lander is constrained to touchdown with zero velocity. With bounds imposed on the magnitude of the engine thrust, the optimal control solutions typically have a "bang-bang" thrust profile: the thrust magnitude "bangs" instantaneously between its maximum and minimum magnitudes. But the descent engine might not be able to throttle between its extremes instantaneously. There is also a concern about the acceptability of "bang-bang" control to the crew. In our study, the optimal control of a lander is formulated with a cost function that penalizes both the touchdown velocity and the fuel cost of the descent engine. In this formulation, there is not a requirement to achieve a zero touchdown velocity. Only a touchdown velocity that is consistent with the capability of the landing gear design is required. Also, since the nominal throttle level for the terminal descent sub-phase is well below the peak engine thrust, no bound on the engine thrust is used in our formulated problem. Instead of bangbang type solution, the optimal thrust generated is a continuous function of time. With this formulation, we can easily derive analytical expressions for the optimal thrust vector, touchdown velocity components, and other system variables. These expressions provide insights into the "physics" of the optimal landing and terminal descent maneuver. These insights could help engineers to achieve a better "balance" between the conflicting needs of achieving a safe touchdown velocity, a low-weight landing mechanism, low engine fuel cost, and other design goals. In comparing the computed optimal control results with the preflight landing trajectory design of the Apollo-11 mission, we noted interesting similarities between the two missions.

guidance logic↗
NASA NTRS2012

TPSAS-NF1676L-13539-DND

The performance of variable stiffness composite panels is characterized using experiments and structural analyses. Fabricated using a fiber placement system, the fiber angle in these panels varies continuously within each ply. Measured panel shapes and thermal responses are correlated with finite element analyses. Large geometric imperfections require unique fixtures to both straighten the panel edges and provide structural test boundary conditions. Panels show linear prebuckling and nonlinear postbuckling under applied end shortening, which occur at higher loads than a baseline panel. Panel responses to in-plane loading are computed using geometric and materially nonlinear analyses that include mechanical prestresses and measured imperfections. Analytical strains and displacements also correlate well with measured results.

Chauncey Wu↗
NASA NTRS2026

Petermann Glacier on the Brink: Progress, Challenges and Insights

Petermann Glacier, the largest marine-terminating glacier in northern Greenland based on catchment area and ice discharge, plays a key role in regulating ice discharge from the Greenland Ice Sheet into the Arctic Ocean. With an upstream catchment connected to the ice sheet interior via a deep subglacial canyon, its future stability has major implications for sea level rise. In this review, we synthesize recent advances in understanding Petermann’s dynamics across three critical interfaces: the ice–ocean, ice–atmosphere, and ice–bed boundaries. At the surface, observations show that reanalysis products underestimate air temperatures and melt, while regional climate models diverge significantly in their estimates of surface mass balance, underscoring the need for improved in situ data and models. At the ocean boundary, enhanced basal melting driven by both subglacial runoff and Atlantic water intrusions is identified as the dominant driver of recent mass loss of Petermann Glacier, with continued warming posing a serious threat to the stability of the floating tongue. At the bed, new geophysical synthesis reveals complex geology, likely spatial variability in geothermal heat flux, and the influence of the megacanyon on seasonal hydrology and velocity fluctuations. Petermann’s mass balance has been negative in recent decades without corresponding flow acceleration. However, the glacier has undergone significant calving events, and the current rifting that began in September 2025 highlights its vulnerability. This upcoming calving event underscores the timeliness of this review, as it will put Petermann Glacier’s terminus at its most retreated position since records began in 1923. The anticipated retreat of the ice tongue also reduces buttressing and brings the terminus closer to the grounding zone, and modeling studies suggest that calving within 12 km of the grounding zone could potentially trigger dynamic retreat, accelerating ice discharge, and a doubling of flow speeds. We conclude that improved observations, sustained monitoring of oceanographic and atmospheric properties, and high-resolution modeling are critical to constraining projections of Petermann Glacier’s future and its role in the stability of the Greenland Ice Sheet.

Dominik Fahrner↗
NASA NTRS2016

Sex-specific Effects of Unpredictable Variable Prenatal Stress: Implications for Mammalian Developmental Programming During Spaceflight

During initial exposure and adaptation to the microgravity environment, adult mammals exhibit elevated stress, mediated by the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis. In our previous studies of pregnant rats exposed to 2-g hypergravity via continuous centrifugation, we reported changes in neuroendocrine profiles including decreased corticosterone and a concomitant increase in body mass and leptin in adult male offspring. Prenatally stressed adult offspring have been shown to exhibit an elevated stress response in adulthood, therefore we hypothesized that these changes resulted from stress exposure during fetal development. Future studies examining reproduction, gestation, and development on-orbit need to consider the unique stressors of vehicle launch, the space environment, and landing on the development of the HPA axis in animals born and raised in microgravity. In this study, we utilize Unpredictable Variable Prenatal Stress (UVPS) to simulate the stressors of spaceflight by exposing dams to three different stressors: (1) White Noise, (2) Strobe Light, and (3) Tube Restraint. Stressors were applied from Gestational Day 0 (G0), following an unpredictable schedule (morning [0600-1200hrs]; afternoon [1200-1800hrs]; evening [1800-2400hrs] in 15, 30, or 60 minute durations alongside non-stressed (NS) control dams. Following parturition, pups were fostered to non-manipulated, newly parturient dams to control for differential maternal care. On postnatal day 90 (P90), we harvested the hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal glands, and analyzed mRNA expression of the following genes via RT-qPCR: 1) melanocortin-2 receptor (MC2R), POMC, corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) in the pituitary; 2) glucocorticoid receptor (NR3C1), pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC), corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF), in the hypothalamus; and 3) MC2R, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (STAR), cytochrome P450scc enzyme (CYP) in the adrenal. The identification of sex-specific fetal programming effects on adult stress response is a key step in determining potential animal behavior on-orbit, and will guide future multi-generational studies in microgravity.

prenatal stress↗
NASA NTRS2006

Realtime Multichannel System for Beat to Beat QT Interval Variability

The measurement of beat-to-beat QT interval variability (QTV) shows clinical promise for identifying several types of cardiac pathology. However, until now, there has been no device capable of displaying, in real time on a beattobeat basis, changes in QTV in all 12 conventional leads in a continuously monitored patient. While several software programs have been designed to analyze QTV, heretofore, such programs have all involved only a few channels (at most) and/or have required laborious user interaction or offline calculations and postprocessing, limiting their clinical utility. This paper describes a PC-based ECG software program that in real time, acquires, analyzes and displays QTV and also PQ interval variability (PQV) in each of the eight independent channels that constitute the 12lead conventional ECG. The system also processes certain related signals that are derived from singular value decomposition and that help to reduce the overall effects of noise on the realtime QTV and PQV results.

Starc, Vito↗
NASA NTRS2000

A Strip-Yield Model for Predicting the Growth of Part-Through Cracks Under Cyclic Loading

Flaws exist in aircraft structures due to manufacturing operations and material defects. Under variable amplitude cyclic loading, these flaws grow as part-through cracks reducing the residual strength of structural components. To meet damage tolerant design requirements, accurate flaw growth predictions are needed which account for continual changes in crack shape as well as crack growth retardation and acceleration. Predicting the growth of part-through cracks under cyclic loading using an innovative and computationally efficient model is the focus of the research summarized in this report. In this research effort, a slice synthesis methodology was developed and used to construct a modified strip-yield model for the part-through semi-elliptical surface flaw, enabling prediction of plasticity-induced closure along the crack front and subsequent fatigue crack growth under constant amplitude and variable amplitude loading. While modeling the plasticity-induced closure in a part-through flaw may be performed using three dimensional elastic-plastic finite element analysis, this type of effort is impractical from an engineering perspective. A modified strip-yield model similar to that used in FASTRAN for part-through flaws is a much needed engineering design tool, particularly when computational resources are limited.

Daniewicz, S. R.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Nonlinear dynamics of global atmospheric and Earth-system processes

Researchers are continuing their studies of the nonlinear dynamics of global weather systems. Sensitivity analyses of large-scale dynamical models of the atmosphere (i.e., general circulation models i.e., GCM's) were performed to establish the role of satellite-signatures of soil moisture, sea surface temperature, snow cover, and sea ice as crucial boundary conditions determining global weather variability. To complete their study of the bimodality of the planetary wave states, they are using the dynamical systems approach to construct a low-order theoretical explanation of this phenomenon. This work should have important implications for extended range forecasting of low-frequency oscillations, elucidating the mechanisms for the transitions between the two wave modes. Researchers are using the methods of jump analysis and attractor dimension analysis to examine the long-term satellite records of significant variables (e.g., long wave radiation, and cloud amount), to explore the nature of mode transitions in the atmosphere, and to determine the minimum number of equations needed to describe the main weather variations with a low-order dynamical system. Where feasible they will continue to explore the applicability of the methods of complex dynamical systems analysis to the study of the global earth-system from an integrative viewpoint involving the roles of geochemical cycling and the interactive behavior of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere.

Saltzman, Barry↗
DOE OSTI2025

Galerkin formulation of path integrals in lattice field theory

We present a mathematical framework for Galerkin formulations of path integrals in lattice field theory. The framework is based on using the degrees of freedom (DOFs) associated to a Galerkin discretization as the fundamental lattice variables. We formulate standard concepts in lattice field theory, such as the partition function and correlation functions, in terms of the DOFs. For example, using continuous finite element spaces, we show that the two-point spatial correlation function can be defined between any two points on the domain (as opposed to at just lattice sites) and furthermore, this two-point function satisfies a weak propagator (or Green’s function) identity, in analogy to the continuum case, as well as a convergence estimate obtained from the standard finite element techniques. Furthermore, this framework leads naturally to higher-order formulations of lattice field theories by considering higher-order finite element spaces for the Galerkin discretization. We consider analytical and numerical examples of scalar field theory to investigate how increasing the order of piecewise polynomial finite element spaces affect the approximation of lattice observables. Finally, we sketch an outline of this Galerkin framework in the context of gauge field theories.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
NASA NTRS1971

Apollo galactic X-ray astronomy observations

The galactic X-ray observations are a detailed study of the temporal behavior of pulsating X-ray sources. NASA's first X-ray astronomy satellite Uhuru (Explorer 42) has recently discovered fast time variability of pulsations in the output from several sources. The variability occurs on a time scale of minutes, seconds, or less, implying that the emitting regions are very small in size, much smaller than the sun, although they are emitting about a thousand times more power. Fast time variability may provide the clue that is needed to understand the mechanisms which drive pulsating sources. The Apollo observations record the emission from several objects continuously for a period of about an hour. The spacecraft can be pointed at the source for the entire time. On the other hand, Uhuru can observe only for about a minute or two per sighting. Consequently, Apollo has the capability for determining whether periodicities exist in the 10-1000 second range.

Adler, I.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Energy deposition in a gaseous mixture

Existing models in planetary aeronomy involve a variety of possible gaseous mixtures subjected to charged particle bombardment. In the present paper, a phenomenological approach to electron degradation in such mixtures is proposed to facilitate analysis of such problems. Existing parameterized yield spectra for a variety of gases, computed by a discrete energy bin method, are used as a basis for constructing a parameterized composite yield spectrum for an arbitrary mixture. The approach proposed is an improvement over the continuous slow-down approximation in that discreteness is taken into account phenomenologically. The advantages are in the ease of application to aeronomical problems involving variable mixtures.

Peterson, L. R.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Use of change detection in assessing development plans - A Philippine example

An aircraft/Landsat change-detection study conducted 1948-1972 on Marinduque Province, Republic of the Philippines, is discussed, and a procedure using both remote sensing and information systems for collection, spatial analysis, and display of periodic data is described. Each of the 4,008 25-hectare cells representing Marinduque were observed, and changes in and between variables were measured and tested using nonparametric statistics to determine the effect of specific land cover changes. Procedures using Landsat data to obtain a more continuous updating of the data base are considered. The system permits storage and comparison of historical and current data.

Coiner, J. C.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Digital simulation of dynamic processes in radiometer systems

The development and application of several computer programs for simulating different classes of microwave radiometers are described. The programs are dynamic in nature, and they may be used to determine the instantaneous behavior of system variables as a function of time. Some of the programs employ random variable models in the simulations so that the statistical nature of the results may be investigated. The programs have been developed to utilize either the Continuous System Modeling Program or the Advanced Continuous System Language. The validity of most of the programs was investigated using statistical tests, and the results show excellent correlation with theoretical predictions. The programs are currently being used in the investigation of new design techniques for microwave radiometers.

Stanley, W. D.↗