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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 955 records · Page 53
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1993

Two color holographic interferometry for microgravity application

Holographic interferometry is a primary candidate for the measurement of temperature and concentration in various crystal growth experiments destined for space. The method measures refractive index changes in the experiment test cell. A refractive index change can be caused by concentration changes, temperature changes, or a combination of temperature and concentration changes. If the refractive index changes are caused by temperature and concentration changes occurring simultaneously in the experiment test cell, the contributions by the two effects cannot be separated by conventional measurement methods. By using two wavelengths, two independent interferograms can be produced from the reconstruction of the hologram. The two interferograms will be different due to dispersion properties of fluid materials. These differences provide the additional information that allows the separation of simultaneously occurring temperature and concentration gradients. There is no other technique available that can provide this type of information. The primary objectives of this effort are to experimentally verify the mathematical theory of two color holographic interferometry and to determine the practical value of this technique for space application. To achieve these objectives, the accuracy and sensitivity of the technique must be determined for geometry's and materials that are relevant to the Materials Processing in the Space program of NASA. This will be achieved through the use of a specially designed two-color holographic interferometry breadboard optical system. In addition to experiments to achieve the primary goals, the breadboard will also provide inputs to the design of an optimum space flight system.

Trolinger, James D.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Assessment Regarding Impact of Atmospheric Conditions on Space Shuttle Launch Delays

The atmospheric environment definition has played a key role in the development and operation of the NASA Space Shuttle as it has in other NASA Space Vehicle Programs. The objective of any definition of natural environment design requirements for a space vehicle development is to insure that the vehicle will perform safely and in a timely manner relative to the mission(s) for which the vehicle is being developed. The NASA Space Shuttle has enjoyed the longest tenure of any Space Vehicle from an operational standpoint. As such, it has provided a wealth of information on many engineering aspects of a Space Vehicle plus the influence of the atmosphere on operational endeavors. The atmospheric environment associated with the NASA Space Shuttle launches at the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida has been reviewed and studied over the entire NASA Space Shuttle flight history. The results of the analysis of atmospheric environment related launch delays relative to other sources of launch delays has been assessed. This paper will provide a summary of those conditions as well as mission analysis examples focused on atmospheric constraints for launch. Atmospheric conditions associated with NASA Space Shuttle launch delays will be presented to provide a reference as to the type conditions experienced which have mainly caused the delays.

Johnson D. L.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Hydrogen Reclamation and Reutilization

John C. Stennis Space Center (SSC) provides rocket engine propulsion testing for NASA's space programs. Since the development of the Space Shuttle, every Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) has undergone acceptance testing at SSC before going to Kennedy Space Center (KSC) for integration into the Space Shuttle. The SSME is a large cryogenic rocket engine that uses Liquid Hydrogen (LH2) as the fuel. As NASA moves to the new ARES V launch system, the main engines on the new vehicle, as well as the upper stage engine, are currently base lined to be cryogenic rocket engines that will also use LH2. The main rocket engines for the ARES V will be larger than the SSME, while the upper stage engine will be approximately half that size. As a result, significant quantities of hydrogen will be required during the development, testing, and operation of these rocket engines.

Hebert, Bartt↗
NASA NTRS2009

Smart and Intelligent Sensors

John C. Stennis Space Center (SSC) provides rocket engine propulsion testing for NASA's space programs. Since the development of the Space Shuttle, every Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) has undergone acceptance testing at SSC before going to Kennedy Space Center (KSC) for integration into the Space Shuttle. The SSME is a large cryogenic rocket engine that uses Liquid Hydrogen (LH2) as the fuel. As NASA moves to the new ARES V launch system, the main engines on the new vehicle, as well as the upper stage engine, are currently base lined to be cryogenic rocket engines that will also use LH2. The main rocket engines for the ARES V will be larger than the SSME, while the upper stage engine will be approximately half that size. As a result, significant quantities of hydrogen will be required during the development, testing, and operation of these rocket engines.Better approaches are needed to simplify sensor integration and help reduce life-cycle costs. 1.Smarter sensors. Sensor integration should be a matter of "plug-and-play" making sensors easier to add to a system. Sensors that implement new standards can help address this problem; for example, IEEE STD 1451.4 defines transducer electronic data sheet (TEDS) templates for commonly used sensors such as bridge elements and thermocouples. When a 1451.4 compliant smart sensor is connected to a system that can read the TEDS memory, all information needed to configure the data acquisition system can be uploaded. This reduces the amount of labor required and helps minimize configuration errors. 2.Intelligent sensors. Data received from a sensor be scaled, linearized; and converted to engineering units. Methods to reduce sensor processing overhead at the application node are needed. Smart sensors using low-cost microprocessors with integral data acquisition and communication support offer the means to add these capabilities. Once a processor is embedded, other features can be added; for example, intelligent sensors can make a health assessment to inform the data acquisition client when sensor performance is suspect. 3.Distributed sample synchronization. Networks of sensors require new ways for synchronizing samples. Standards that address the distributed timing problem (for example, IEEE STD 1588) provide the means to aggregate samples from many distributed smart sensors with sub-microsecond accuracy. 4. Reduction in interconnect. Alternative means are needed to reduce the frequent problems associated with cabling and connectors. Wireless technologies offer the promise of reducing interconnects and simultaneously making it easy to quickly add a sensor to a system.

Lansaw, John↗
NASA NTRS1990

United States microgravity programs

The U.S. Microgravity Program encompasses research initiatives of the NASA Office of Space Science and Applications and Office of Commercial Programs. NASA involvement in space missions extends to the U.S Microgravity Laboratory, the International Microgravity Laboratory, the Space Life Sciences Mission, and planned activities aboard the Japanese and German Spacelab missions. Flight programs under the aegis of NASA's Centers for the Commercial Development of Space will employ the Space Shuttle-based Commercial Middeck Augmentation Module and the Suborbital and Orbital Expendable Launch Vehicles. The projected Space Station will include a significant microgravity program.

Ott, Richard H.↗
NASA NTRS1993

In search of meta-knowledge

Development of an Intelligent Information System (IIS) involves application of numerous artificial intelligence (AI) paradigms and advanced technologies. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is interested in an IIS that can automatically collect, classify, store and retrieve data, as well as develop, manipulate and restructure knowledge regarding the data and its application (Campbell et al., 1987, p.3). This interest stems in part from a NASA initiative in support of the interagency Global Change Research program. NASA's space data problems are so large and varied that scientific researchers will find it almost impossible to access the most suitable information from a software system if meta-information (metadata and meta-knowledge) is not embedded in that system. Even if more, faster, larger hardware is used, new innovative software systems will be required to organize, link, maintain, and properly archive the Earth Observing System (EOS) data that is to be stored and distributed by the EOS Data and Information System (EOSDIS) (Dozier, 1990). Although efforts are being made to specify the metadata that will be used in EOSDIS, meta-knowledge specification issues are not clear. With the expectation that EOSDIS might evolve into an IIS, this paper presents certain ideas on the concept of meta-knowledge and demonstrates how meta-knowledge might be represented in a pixel classification problem.

Lopez, Antonio M., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Materials in NASA's Space Launch System: The Stuff Dreams are Made of

Mr. Todd May, Program Manager for NASA's Space Launch System, will showcase plans and progress the nation s new super-heavy-lift launch vehicle, which is on track for a first flight to launch an Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle around the Moon in 2017. Mr. May s keynote address will share NASA's vision for future human and scientific space exploration and how SLS will advance those plans. Using new, in-development, and existing assets from the Space Shuttle and other programs, SLS will provide safe, affordable, and sustainable space launch capabilities for exploration payloads starting at 70 metric tons (t) and evolving through 130 t for entirely new deep-space missions. Mr. May will also highlight the impact of material selection, development, and manufacturing as they contribute to reducing risk and cost while simultaneously supporting the nation s exploration goals.

May, Todd A.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Space Communications in Support of the Artemis Program

NASA has been challenged to send the first woman and first person of color to the South Pole of the moon by 2024. Named the Artemis Program, this effort serves as a proving ground for the greater Moon-to-Mars campaign and establishes a lunar outpost by 2028. The Artemis Program relies on simultaneous operation of multiple flight assets separated by large angular distances that require a unique communication strategy and is a departure from the previous Apollo-era architecture. NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Program is designing a scalable, extensible, and reusable network architecture to provide communication and navigation services in support of lunar exploration. This architecture serves at the foundational infrastructure, paving the way for future exploration of Mars. In pursuance of this new architecture, the SCaN Program is augmenting NASA’s space communications networks by upgrading the current 34-meter beam waveguide antenna systems and incorporating an 18-meter class subnet. This paper presents an overview of NASA’s plans to provide high data rate communication and navigation services for lunar exploration efforts including: operations concepts to support the lunar communications architecture, major network enhancements and new capabilities, and a Mars-forward approach that maximizes the reuse of these capabilities. Capabilities include:(1) Delay/Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN), (2) Multiple Spacecraft Per Aperture (MSPA, also known as Multiple Spacecraft Per Antenna), and (3) Simultaneous Ka-band uplink and downlink. The mid-2020s era is a historic opportunity to advance NASA’s space communications infrastructure as humans return to the moon and continue to interplanetary exploration, starting with Mars. The space communication infrastructure is a lifeline that supports these endeavors, furthering humankinds’ exploration and understanding of the universe.

Philip A Baldwin↗
NASA NTRS2003

Orbital Space Plane Program Flight Demonstrators Status

Under the Orbital Space Plane Program, NASA is currently pursuing the maturation of technologies via three flight demonstrators - DART (Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology), X-37, and PAD (Pad Abort Demonstrator). Flight demonstrators provide the opportunity to test key technologies in their actual working environment. These flight demonstrators are required at this stage to mature technologies needed to support full-scale development design of a future competitively selected Orbital Space.

Turner, Susan G.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Strategies for "minimal growth maintenance" of cell cultures: a perspective on management for extended duration experimentation in the microgravity environment of a Space station

How cells manage without gravity and how they change in the absence of gravity are basic questions that only prolonged life on a Space station will enable us to answer. We know from investigations carried out on various kinds of Space vehicles and stations that profound physiological effects can and often to occur. We need to know more of the basic biochemistry and biophysics both of cells and of whole organisms in conditions of reduced gravity. The unique environment of Space affords plant scientists an unusual opportunity to carry out experiments in microgravity, but some major challenges must be faced before this can be done with confidence. Various laboratory activities that are routine on Earth take on special significance and offer problems that need imaginative resolution before even a relatively simple experiment can be reliably executed on a Space station. For example, scientists might wish to investigate whether adaptive or other changes that have occurred in the environment of Space are retained after return to Earth-normal conditions. Investigators seeking to carry out experiments in the low-gravity environment of Space using cultured cells will need to solve the problem of keeping cultures quiescent for protracted periods before an experiment is initiated, after periodic sampling is carried out, and after the experiment is completed. This review gives an evaluation of a range of strategies that can enable one to manipulate cell physiology and curtail growth dramatically toward this end. These strategies include cryopreservation, chilling, reduced oxygen, gel entrapment strategies, osmotic adjustment, nutrient starvation, pH manipulation, and the use of mitotic inhibitors and growth-retarding chemicals. Cells not only need to be rendered quiescent for protracted periods but they also must be recoverable and further grown if it is so desired. Elaboration of satisfactory procedures for management of cells and tissues at "near zero or minimal growth" will have great value and practical consequences for experimentation on Earth as well as in Space. All of the parameters and conditions and procedural details needed to meet all the specific objectives will be the basis of the design and fabrication of cell culture units for use in the Space environment. It is expected that this will be an evolutionary process.

STS-61A Shuttle Project↗
NASA NTRS1996

Musculoskeletal adaptations to weightlessness and development of effective countermeasures

A Research Roundtable, organized by the American College of Sports Medicine with sponsorship from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, met in November 1995 to define research strategies for effective exercise countermeasures to weightlessness. Exercise was considered both independently of, and in conjunction with, other therapeutic modalities (e.g., pharmacological nutritional, hormonal, and growth-related factors) that could prevent or minimize the structural and functional deficits involving skeletal muscle and bone in response to chronic exposure to weightlessness, as well as return to Earth baseline function if a degree of loss is inevitable. Musculoskeletal deficits and countermeasures are described with respect to: 1) muscle and connective tissue atrophy and localized bone loss, 2) reductions in motor performance, 3) potential proneness to injury of hard and soft tissues, and 4) probable interaction between muscle atrophy and cardiovascular alterations that contribute to the postural hypotension observed immediately upon return from space flight. In spite of a variety of countermeasure protocols utilized previously involving largely endurance types of exercise, there is presently no activity-specific countermeasure(s) that adequately prevent or reduce musculoskeletal deficiencies. It seems apparent that countermeasure exercises that have a greater resistance element, as compared to endurance activities, may prove beneficial to the musculoskeletal system. Many questions remain for scientific investigation to identify efficacious countermeasure protocols, which will be imperative with the emerging era of long-term space flight.

Non-NASA Center↗
NASA NTRS2016

NASA's Hydrogen Outpost: The Rocket Systems Area at Plum Brook Station

"There was pretty much a general knowledge about hydrogen and its capabilities," recalled former researcher Robert Graham. "The question was, could you use it in a rocket engine? Do we have the technology to handle it? How will it cool? Will it produce so much heat release that we can't cool the engine? These were the questions that we had to address." The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Glenn Research Center, referred to historically as the Lewis Research Center, made a concerted effort to answer these and related questions in the 1950s and 1960s. The center played a critical role transforming hydrogen's theoretical potential into a flight-ready propellant. Since then NASA has utilized liquid hydrogen to send humans and robots to the Moon, propel dozens of spacecraft across the universe, orbit scores of satellite systems, and power 135 space shuttle flights. Rocket pioneers had recognized hydrogen's potential early on, but its extremely low boiling temperature and low density made it impracticable as a fuel. The Lewis laboratory first demonstrated that liquid hydrogen could be safely utilized in rocket and aircraft propulsion systems, then perfected techniques to store, pump, and cleanly burn the fuel, as well as use it to cool the engine. The Rocket Systems Area at Lewis's remote testing area, Plum Brook Station, played a little known, but important role in the center's hydrogen research efforts. This publication focuses on the activities at the Rocket Systems Area, but it also discusses hydrogen's role in NASA's space program and Lewis's overall hydrogen work. The Rocket Systems Area included nine physically modest test sites and three test stands dedicated to liquid-hydrogen-related research. In 1962 Cleveland Plain Dealer reporter Karl Abram claimed, "The rocket facility looks more like a petroleum refinery. Its test rigs sprout pipes, valves and tanks. During the night test runs, excess hydrogen is burned from special stacks in the best Oklahoma oil field tradition." Besides the Rocket Systems Area, Plum Brook Station also included a nuclear test reactor, a large vacuum tank, a hypersonic wind tunnel, and a full-scale upper-stage rocket stand. The Rocket Systems Area operated from 1961 until NASA shut down all of Plum Brook in 1974. The center reopened Plum Brook in the late 1980s and continues to use several test facilities. The Rocket Systems Area, however, was not restored. Today Plum Brook resembles a nature preserve more than an oil refinery. Lush fields and forests separate the large test facilities. Until recently, the abandoned Rocket Systems Area structures and equipment were visible amongst the greenery. These space-age ruins, particularly the three towers, stood as silent sentinels over the sparsely populated reservation. Few knew the story of these mysterious facilities when NASA removed them in the late 2000s.

Rocket Systems↗
NASA NTRS1996

NASA operations: An agency wide approach to reduce cost

The NASA Space Operations Management Office (SOMO) is presented. The SOMO concept is based on continuing the distributed participation of the various NASA field centers and agencies, while employing consolidated management through a single lead center. The aim is to determine the duplicity and the overlap between the different agencies that independently developed their own operations management approaches in order to enable more cost effective mission operations by providing common services to the NASA programs. The space operations management will be performed in a distributed manner with a greater degree of contractor involvement than in the past. The changes, approaches and anticipated benefits of this approach to operations are discussed.

Squibb, Gael F.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Aeronautics and Space Report of the President, Fiscal Year 2002 Activities

Fiscal Year (FY) 2002 brought advances on many fronts in support of NASAs new vision, announced by Administrator Sean OKeefe on April 12, to improve life here, to extend life to there, to find life beyond. NASA successfully carried out four Space Shuttle missions, including three to the International Space Station (ISS) and one servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). By the end of the fiscal year, humans had occupied the ISS continuously for 2 years. NASA also managed five expendable launch vehicle (ELV) missions and participated in eight international cooperative ELV launches. In the area of space science, two of the Great Observatories, the Hubble Space Telescope and the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, continued to make spectacular observations. The Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Odyssey carried out their mapping missions of the red planet in unprecedented detail. Among other achievements, the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) Shoemaker spacecraft made the first soft landing on an asteroid, and the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) monitored a variety of solar activity, including the largest sunspot observed in 10 years. The education and public outreach program stemming from NASAs space science missions continues to grow. In the area of Earth science, attention focused on completing the first Earth Observing Satellite series. Four spacecraft were successfully launched. The goal is to understand our home planet as a system, as well as how the global environment responds to change.

Aeronautics↗
NASA NTRS1991

Manned maneuvering unit applications for automated rendezvous and capture

Automated Rendezvous and Capture (AR&C) is an important technology to multiple National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) programs and centers. The recent Johnson Spacecraft Center (JSC) AR&C Quality Function Deployment (QFD) has listed on-orbit demonstration of related technologies as a near term priority. Martin Marietta has been evaluating use of the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) for a low cost near term on-orbit demonstration of AR&C technologies such as control algorithms, sensors, and processors as well as system level performance. The MMU Program began in 1979 as the method of repairing the Space Shuttle (STS) Thermal Protection System (the tiles). The units were not needed for this task, but were successfully employed during three Shuttle flights in 1984: a test flight was flown in in February as proof of concept, in April the MMU participated in the Solar Max Repair Mission, and in November the MMU's returned to space to successfully rescue the two errant satellites, Westar and Palapa. In the intervening years, the MMU simulator and MMU Qualification Test Unit (QTU) have been used for Astronaut training and experimental evaluations. The Extra-Vehicular Activities (EVA) Retriever has used the QTU, in an unmanned form, as a free-flyer on the Johnson Space Center (JSC) Precision Air Bearing Floor (PABF). Currently, the MMU is undergoing recertification for flight. The two flight units were removed from storage in September, 1991 and evaluation tests were performed. The tests demonstrated that the units are in good shape with no discrepancies that would preclude further use. The Return to Flight effort is currently clearing up recertification issues and evaluating the design against the present Shuttle environments.

Brehm, Donald L.↗
NASA NTRS2014

2013 Space Radiation Standing Review Panel Status Review for: The Risk of Acute and Late Central Nervous System Effects from Radiation Exposure, The Risk of Acute Radiation Syndromes Due to Solar Particle Events (SPEs), The Risk Of Degenerative Tissue Or Other Health Effects From Radiation Exposure, and The Risk of Radiation Carcinogenesis

The Space Radiation Standing Review Panel (from here on referred to as the SRP) was impressed with the strong research program presented by the scientists and staff associated with NASA's Space Radiation Program Element and National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI). The presentations given on-site and the reports of ongoing research that were provided in advance indicated the potential Risk of Acute and Late Central Nervous System Effects from Radiation Exposure (CNS) and were extensively discussed by the SRP. This new data leads the SRP to recommend that a higher priority should be placed on research designed to identify and understand these risks at the mechanistic level. To support this effort the SRP feels that a shift of emphasis from Acute Radiation Syndromes (ARS) and carcinogenesis to CNS-related endpoints is justified at this point. However, these research efforts need to focus on mechanisms, should follow pace with advances in the field of CNS in general and should consider the specific comments and suggestions made by the SRP as outlined below. The SRP further recommends that the Space Radiation Program Element continue with its efforts to fill the vacant positions (Element Scientist, CNS Risk Discipline Lead) as soon as possible. The SRP also strongly recommends that NASA should continue the NASA Space Radiation Summer School. In addition to these broad recommendations, there are specific comments/recommendations noted for each risk, described in detail below.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1990

Apoplastic domains and sub-domains in the shoots of etiolated corn seedlings

Light Green, an apoplastic probe, was applied to the cut mesocotyl base or to the cut coleoptile apex of etiolated seedlings of Zea mays L. cv. Silver Queen. Probe transport was measured and its tissue distribution determined. In the mesocotyl, there is an apoplastic barrier between cortex and stele. This barrier creates two apoplastic domains which are non-communicating. A kinetic barrier exists between the apoplast of the mesocotyl stele and that of the coleoptile. This kinetic barrier is not absolute and there is limited communication between the apoplasts of the two regions. This kinetic barrier effectively creates two sub-domains. In the coleoptile, there is communication between the apoplast of the vascular strands and that of the surrounding cortical tissue. No apoplastic communication was observed between the coleoptile cortex and the mesocotyl cortex. Thus, the apoplastic space of the coleoptile cortex is a sub-domain of the integrated coleoptile domain and is separate from that of the apoplastic domain of the mesocotyl cortex.

NASA Discipline Plant Biology↗