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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 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1993

Thermal Protection System design studies for lunar crew module

The results of a study to predict aeroheating and Thermal Protection System (TPS) requirements for manned entry vehicles returning to Earth from the moon are presented. The effects of vehicle size and lunar-return strategies on the aerothermodynamic environment and TPS design were assessed. Study guidelines were based on an Apollo Command Module (CM) configuration and lunar return strategies included direct entry and aerocapture followed by Low Earth Orbit entry (LEO). Convective heating was obtained by the boundary layer integral matrix procedure (BLIMP) code, and radiative heating was computed with the QRAD program. The AESOP-STAB code and the AESOP-THERM code were used for TPS analysis for ablating materials and nonablating materials respectively. Results indicated that there was an optimum size for minimum heating and that direct entry had higher heating rates than aerocapture. Aerocapture resulted in higher heat loads and TPS weight. The TPS weight factor was 6-8 percent for all lunar return strategies, with the TPS weight being about 50 percent less than that of the original Apollo CM vehicle.

Williams, S. D.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Apollo Experience Report: Crew Station Integration. Volume 5: Lighting Considerations

The lighting requirements for the Apollo spacecraft are presented. The natural lighting factors are discussed in terms of major constraints. A general description of the external and internal lighting systems for the command and lunar modules is presented with a discussion of the primary approach and design criteria followed during development. Some of the more difficult problems encountered during the implementation of a new lighting system are reviewed.

Wheelwright, C. D.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Concepts to Automate Fluid Transfer Capability of Low Impact Docking System (LIDS)

The capability to transfer mass between spacecraft is necessary for many mission scenarios. Docking and berthing operations have enabled fluid, electrical, crew and equipment transfers to some degree on all manned space operations since the Gemini program. The Apollo program performed some sophisticated docking maneuvers to land men on the moon and return them safely to Earth. These programs primarily transferred crew, equipment, and pressurized atmosphere between docked spacecraft. The International Space Station (ISS) U.S. modules are connected by Common Berthing Mechanism (CBM) portals. They provide many feed-through ports for electrical, and fluid transfer between modules, as well as a large diameter crew and equipment tunnel. Fluid and electrical jumpers are manually installed after the CBM sealing surfaces have been securely mated to maintain the pressurized cabin environment. CBM berthing and subsequent fluid transfer capability requires a lengthy manual process involving an active interface that mates with a passive half. The Androgynous Peripheral Attach System (MAS) a Russian technology that docked the Russian Zarya module to Unity, or Node 1, is a more complex system that also is capable of fuel transfer, enabling refueling of the Russian re-boost engines on ISS. For several years, a Low Impact Docking System (LIDS) has been under development at Johnson Space Center (JSC). This docking technology has a requirement to be androgynous in order to allow the fabrication of a single configuration that can dock with all other LIDS units. It is desired to make electrical and fluid coupling mating an automated process to enable routine docking and undocking operations to support future exploration missions. It is envisioned that modular design and vehicle assembly will require an efficient LIDS for fuel, electrical, crew, and equipment transfer. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has joined the LIDS development effort and plans to employ fluid transfer concepts and technology from previous development programs, such as the Automated Fluid Interface System (AFIS) and the Ohital Fluid Transfer System (OFTS) that were developed and tested by MSFC. Orbital Expressderived robotic satellite servicing technology is scheduled to fly soon to demonstrate fluid transfer technology developed for the Air Force. This paper will compare known technology against possible fluid transfer requirements for LIDS to develop design strategies for automated fluid transfer.

Miernik, Janie H.↗
NASA NTRS2020

Artemis Sustained Translational Acceleration Limits: Human Tolerance Evidence from Apollo to ISS

The designers of the next generation of lunar landers may adopt novel, crew-body orientations outside of our flight history or applied to flight durations and environments outside of our experience. Current sustained translational acceleration requirements in NASA-STD-3001 are applicable only to crewmembers in a seated posture and are thus inadequate to address human tolerance in non-seated configurations. Initial designs for the Apollo Lunar Module (LM) included seats for both commander and pilot; however, these were subsequently removed from the vehicle due to mass constraints and a willingness to accept the unknown risks for short-duration missions given the limited human physiologic data at the time. In the years since Apollo, our evidence base has grown immensely. Initial Artemis mission timelines under consideration will be longer than the longest Apollo mission, by a significant margin, with timeframes more analogous to longer Space Shuttle missions. Given the incidence of postflight orthostatic intolerance following shuttle missions, a significant risk may exist for lander design(s) pursuing a standing crew configuration similar to Apollo LM. New sustained translational acceleration limits developed to address this risk are presented herein. These limits were derived from evaluations of Apollo biomedical and flight profile data during lunar descent and ascent operations, Soyuz and Space Shuttle flight profile and post-landing biomedical data, and analogue bed rest post-exposure data on orthostatic intolerance.

James M. Pattarini↗
NASA NTRS1972

Fuel cell powerplant operation in Apollo spacecraft.

Primary electrical power for loads in the Apollo Command and Service Modules is furnished by a system of three fuel cell powerplants. The powerplants convert cryogenic hydrogen and oxygen into direct current. Water formed in the fuel cell reactions is supplied to the spacecraft for crew use. Waste heat is rejected through a coolant loop to a spacecraft radiator. The ability of the fuel cell to meet its voltage-power requirements and to control its own operating temperature under the environmental extremes of launch, ascent, earth orbit, translunar flight, and lunar orbit was demonstrated on successively more difficult missions leading up to the first lunar landing.

Ching, A. C.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Launching to the Moon, Mars, and Beyond

America is returning to the Moon in preparation for the first human footprint on Mars, guided by the U.S. Vision for Space Exploration. This presentation will discuss NASA's mission today, the reasons for returning to the Moon and going to Mars, and how NASA will accomplish that mission. The primary goals of the Vision for Space Exploration are to finish the International Space Station, retire the Space Shuttle, and build the new spacecraft needed to return people to the Moon and go to Mars. Unlike the Apollo program of the 1960s, this phase of exploration will be a journey, not a race. In 1966, the NASA's budget was 4 percent of federal spending. Today, with 6/10 of 1 percent of the budget, NASA must incrementally develop the vehicles, infrastructure, technology, and organization to accomplish this goal. Fortunately, our knowledge and experience are greater than they were 40 years ago. NASA's goal is a return to the Moon by 2020. The Moon is the first step to America's exploration of Mars. Many questions about the Moon's history and how its history is linked to that of Earth remain even after the brief Apollo explorations of the 1960s and 1970s. This new venture will carry more explorers to more diverse landing sites with more capable tools and equipment. The Moon also will serve as a training ground in several respects before embarking on the longer, more perilous trip to Mars. The journeys to the Moon and Mars will require a variety of vehicles, including the Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle, the Ares V Cargo Launch Vehicle, the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle, and the Lunar Surface Access Module. The architecture for the lunar missions will use one launch to ferry the crew into orbit on the Ares I and a second launch to orbit the lunar lander and the Earth Departure Stage to send the lander and crew vehicle to the Moon. In order to reach the Moon and Mars within a lifetime and within budget, NASA is building on proven hardware and decades of experience derived from the Apollo Saturn, Space Shuttle, and contemporary commercial launch vehicle programs. Less than one year after the Exploration Launch Projects Office was formed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, engineers are testing engine components, firing test rocket motors, refining vehicle designs in wind tunnel tests, and building hardware for the first flight test of Ares I, scheduled for spring 2009. The Vision for Exploration will require this nation to develop tools, machines, materials, and processes never before invented, technologies and capabilities that can be turned over to the private sector to benefit nearly all aspects of life on Earth. This new pioneering venture, as did the Apollo Program before it, will contribute to America's economic leadership, national security, and technological global competitiveness and serve as an inspiration for all its citizens.

Sumrall, John P.↗
NASA NTRS1967

Lunar module alightment system

The lunar module (LM) landing phase is one of the most critical phases of the entire Apollo mission. Landing impact is of critical concern because at no other time during the LM mission is there less opportunity for vehicle control. To assure a successful landing, the alightment system must not only provide required shock attenuation for protection of crew and structure, but must also assure stability against overturning after touchdown. The paper discusses important design features of the alightment system, such as geometric arrangement, energy absorber characteristics, and deployment mechanisms. Performance characteristics of the vehicle at touchdown, as found analytically, are presented. Model and full-size testing of the landing system is briefly discussed.

LANDING SYSTEM↗
NASA NTRS1988

Alternate transportation system

Three missions have been identified by NASA for a Space Shuttle-supplementing Alternate Transportation System (ATS) encompassing combinations of booster vehicles, crew modules, and service modules: (1) to achieve manned access to orbit for Space Station crew rotation every 90 days, (2) the lofting of a logistics module resupplying the Space Station every 180 days, and (3) the simultaneous launch of both crews and logistics to the Space Station. A reentry glider is considered, in conjunction with the Space Shuttle's unmanned cargo version and the Apollo manned capsule, as an important ATS element. The Titan IV/NUS is used as a booster.

Zertuche, Tony↗
NASA NTRS1993

The first lunar outpost: The design reference mission and a new era in lunar science

The content of the First Lunar Outpost (FLO) Design Reference Mission has been formulated and a 'strawman' science program has been established. The mission consists of two independent launches using heavy lift vehicles that land directly on the lunar surface. A habitat module and support systems are flown to the Moon first. After confirmation of a successful deployment of the habitat systems, the crewed lunar lander is launched and piloted to within easy walking distance (2 km) of the habitat. By eliminating the Apollo style lunar orbit rendezvous, landing sites at very high latitudes can be considered. A surface rover and the science experiments will accompany the crew. The planned stay time is 45 days, two lunar days and one night. A payload of 3.3 metric tons will support a series of geophysics, geology, astronomy, space physics, resource utilization, and life science experiments. Sample return is 150 to 200 kg. The rover is unpressurized and can carry four astronauts or two astronauts and 500 kg of payload. The rover can also operate in robotic mode with the addition of a robotics package. The science and engineering experiment strategy is built around a representative set of place holder experiments.

Lofgren, Gary E.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Apollo 11 Facts Project [Prelaunch Press Conference/EVA Training]

A prelaunch press conference shows the crewmembers of Apollo 11, Commander Neil A. Armstrong, Lunar Module Pilot Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., and Command Module Pilot Michael Collins, answering questions about their upcoming mission (this section has sound, the rest of the video is without sound). Footage is seen of the crew during training for the extravehicular activity portion of the mission and using the flight simulator.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2005

Lunar/Mars Surface Habitat Mockups Project

Surface habitats play a centric role with respect to integration of the crew operations and supporting surface systems for external operations on the moon and Mars. Up to now the only planetary surface habitat NASA has ever developed is the 2-person, 3-day duration Lunar Module from the 1960 s-era Apollo Program. Today s National Vision for Space Exploration pushes far beyond the safety, performance and operational requirements of the Lunar Module, and NASA needs to develop a basis for making habitat design decisions Experience has shown that using mockups very early in a project s life cycle is extremely beneficial, providing data that influences requirements for human design, volumetrics, functionality, systems hardware and operations. Evaluating and comparing a variety of habitat configurations will provide NASA with a cost-effective basis for trades to support lunar and Martian habitat design selection. This paper describes the NASA project that recently has been created to undertake the development and evaluation of a series of planetary surface habitat mockups. This project is in direct response to the Advanced Space Platforms and Systems (ASPS) Element Program s request for novel systems approaches for robust and reconfigurable habitation systems.

Tri, Terry O.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Digital autopilot for the SKYLAB orbital assembly.

In Project SKYLAB, the Command and Service Module which ferries astronaut crews to and from the Orbital Workshop is required to have the capability of providing attitude control for the entire Orbital Assembly during docked phases of the mission. A digital autopilot has been designed which meets this requirement. It is a direct descendant of the digital autopilot designed for and used extensively in project Apollo. There is a major difference however. For Apollo, it was reasonable to design an autopilot that treated the roll, pitch, and yaw axes independently. Because of the geometry of the Orbital Assembly, however, it is of considerable advantage to design the jet selection logic for SKYLAB such that the roll and pitch axes are treated as coupled, and also that the roll and yaw axes are treated as coupled. This paper discusses how inter-axis dependence has been incorporated in the Command and Service Module's digital autopilot while working within the limitations of the onboard computer.

Turnbull, J. F.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Space Launch System Co-Manifested Payload Options for Habitation

The Space Launch System (SLS) has a co-manifested payload capability that will grow over time as the launch vehicle matures and planned upgrades are implemented. The final configuration is planned to be capable of inserting a payload greater than 10 metric tons (mt) into a trans-lunar injection trajectory along with the crew in the Orion capsule and its service module. The co-manifested payload is located below the Orion and its service module in a 10 m high fairing similar to the way the Saturn launch vehicle carried the lunar lander below the Apollo command and service modules. Various approaches that utilize this comanifested payload capability to build up infrastructure in deep space have been explored in support of future asteroid, lunar, and Mars mission scenarios. This paper reports on the findings of the Advanced Concepts Office study team at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) working with the Advanced Exploration Systems Program on the Exploration Augmentation Module Project. It includes some of the possible options for habitation in the co-manifested payload volume of the SLS. Findings include a set of module designs that can be developed in 10 mt increments to support these co-manifested payload missions along with a comparison of this approach to a large-module payload flight configuration for the SLS.

Smitherman, David↗
NASA NTRS2015

Space Launch System Co-Manifested Payload Options for Habitation

The Space Launch System (SLS) has a co-manifested payload capability that will grow over time as the rocket matures and planned upgrades are implemented. The final configuration is planned to be capable of inserting a payload greater than 10 metric tons (mt) into a trans-lunar injection trajectory along with the crew in the Orion capsule and the service module. The co-manifested payload is located below the Orion and its service module in a 10-meter high fairing similar to the way the Saturn launch vehicle carried the lunar lander below the Apollo command and service modules. A variety of approaches have been explored that utilizes this co-manifested payload capability to build up infrastructure in deep space in support of future asteroid, lunar, and Mars mission scenarios. This paper is a report on the findings from the Advanced Concepts Office study team at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, working with the Advanced Exploration Systems Program on the Exploration Augmentation Module Project. It includes some of the possible options for habitation in the co-manifested payload volume on SLS. Findings include module designs that can be developed in 10mt increments to support these missions, including overall conceptual layouts, mass properties, and approaches for integration into various scenarios for near-term support of deep space habitat research and technology development, support to asteroid exploration, and long range support for Mars transfer flights.

Smitherman, David↗
NASA NTRS1975

Mission profile of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project

A brief overview is presented of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. The mission objectives are summarized, and the mission profile is described. Other topics discussed include the reasons why the U.S. built the docking module, Soviet expenditures, use of the ATS-6 relay satellite to improve communications and television coverage, crew training, and safety aspects of the Soyuz spacecraft. It is noted that technology transfer has been minimal and that joint U.S.-Soviet space exploration may be a result of the project.

Lee, C. M.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Lunar Dust Separation for Toxicology Studies

During the Apollo missions, crewmembers were briefly exposed to dust in the lunar module, brought in after extravehicular activity. When the lunar ascent module returned to micro-gravity, the dust that had settled on the floor now floated into the air, causing eye discomfort and occasional respiratory symptoms. Because our goal is to set an exposure standard for 6 months of episodic exposure to lunar dust for crew on the lunar surface, these brief exposures of a few days are not conclusive. Based on experience with industrial minerals such as sandblasting quartz, an exposure of several months may cause serious damage, while a short exposure may cause none. The detailed characteristics of sub-micrometer lunar dust are only poorly known, and this is the size range of particles that are of greatest concern. We have developed a method for extracting respirable dust (<2.5 micron) from Apollo lunar soils. This method meets stringent requirements that the soil must be kept dry, exposed only to pure nitrogen, and must conserve and recover the maximum amount of both respirable dust and coarser soil. In addition, we have developed a method for grinding coarser lunar soil to produce sufficient respirable soil for animal toxicity testing while preserving the freshly exposed grain surfaces in a pristine state.

Cooper, Bonnie L.↗
NASA NTRS1971

Apollo Operations Handbook Lunar Module (LM 11 and Subsequent) Vol. 2 Operational Procedures

The Apollo Operations Handbook (AOH) is the primary means of documenting LM descriptions and procedures. The AOH is published in two separately bound volumes. This information is useful in support of program management, engineering, test, flight simulation, and real time flight support efforts. This volume contains crew operational procedures: normal, backup, abort, malfunction, and emergency. These procedures define the sequence of actions necessary for safe and efficient subsystem operation.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1988

Maintenance and supply options

The object of the Maintenance and Supply Option was to develop a high level operational philosophy related to maintenance and supply operations and incorporate these concepts into the Lunar Base Study. Specific products to be generated during this task were three trade studies and a conceptual design of the Logistic Supply Module. The crew size study was performed to evaluate crew sizes from the baseline size of four to a crew size of eight and determine the preferred crew size. The second trade study was to determine the impact of extending surface stay times and recommend a preferred duration of stay time as a function of crew, consumables, and equipment support capabilities. The third trade study was an evaluation of packaging and storage methods to determine the preferred logistics approach to support the lunar base. A modified scenario was developed and served as the basis of the individual trade studies. Assumptions and guidelines were also developed from experience with Apollo programs, Space Shuttle operations, and Space Station studies. With this information, the trade studies were performed and a conceptual design for the Logistic Supply Module was developed.

Source record↗