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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 NTRS1962

Use of an Inertia Sphere to Damp the Angular Motions of Spinning Space Vehicles

A theoretical study was made of a device which might be used to damp the angular motions of spin-stabilized space vehicles with constant moments of inertia. the device was assumed to consist of a rate gyro, a servo control, and a rotor mounted in a single gimbal. The investigation was conducted by considering the general equations of motion of the vehicle-damper system and noting that simplification would result if the damper had a spherical inertia distribution. Such a distribution was assumed thereafter, and a control command was defined so that the gimbal angle would be proportional to the angular velocity of the vehicle about the gimbal axis. The resulting equations were linearized, and the Routh-Hurwitz criterion was applied to determine the conditions for stability. The study included two numerical examples showing possible application of inertia-sphere rate dampers. The general conditions for stability were found to be feasible for practical applications. A simplified stability criterion covers a large class of practical problems.

SPHERE↗
NASA NTRS1965

Crystal measures short-term, large-magnitude forces

By using the magnitude of piezoelectric crystal response to distortion and compression, this device measures transient accelerations and their rate of change. The invention could be used in a servo control system by supplementing the accelerometer and taking over its function when its range was exceeded.

Pfeiffer, C. G.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Development and testing of laser Doppler system components for wake vortex monitoring. Volume 1: Scanner development, laboratory and field testing and system modeling

A servo-controlled range/elevation scanner for the laser Doppler velocimeter (LDV) was developed and tested in the field to assess its performance in detecting and monitoring aircraft trailing vortices in an airport environment. The elevation scanner provides a capability to manually point the LDV telescope at operator chosen angles from 3.2 deg. to 89.6 deg within 0.2 deg, or to automatically scan the units between operator chosen limits at operator chosen rates of 0.1 Hz to 0.5 Hz. The range scanner provides a capability to manually adjust the focal point of the system from a range of 32 meters to a range of 896 meters under operator control, or to scan between operator chosen limits and at rates from 0.1 Hz to 6.9 Hz. The scanner controls are designed to allow simulataneous range and elevation scanning so as to provide finger scan patterns, arc scan patterns, and vertical line scan patterns. The development and testing of the unit is discussed, along with a fluid dynamic model of the wake vortex developed in a laser Doppler vortex sensor simulation program.

Wilson, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Design and control considerations for industrial and space manipulators

This paper is a progress report summarizing theoretical and practical results concerning integration of design and control aspects of manipulator arms for industrial or space applications. The relationships between task specifications, gross motions, fine motions, actuator type and location, size and strength of structural members, control servos and strategies, and overall design evaluation are briefly discussed, with some technical examples.

Whitney, D. E.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Automatically-focusing microscope system for live tissue observation

System includes focus-sensing arrangement which controls servo to keep microscope constantly focused on target. Microscope objective is moved along optical axis. System includes two video cameras that are used as transducers for sensing focus. Incoming visual image is split by beam splitter so that one-half of information is fed to each camera.

Mansour, M. N.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Ultraviolet stellar spectrophotometry from a balloon platform

A 40 centimeter diameter aperture, balloon-borne telescope and ultraviolet spectrometer is described and selected scientific results are briefly reviewed. The general configuration of the 0.4 angstrom resolution instrument is shown and the utilization of servo-controlled secondary mirror, image dissector detector, and special mirror coatings are discussed. An outlook for astronomical research in the mid-ultraviolet from balloon-borne telescopes is presented together with future development plans for JSC's balloon-borne payload.

Kondo, Y.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Thresholds for the perception of angular acceleration as indicated by the oculogyral illusion

A motorized chair (with precise servo controls) accelerated the observer in a clockwise (CW) or counterclockwise (CCW) direction at rates that ranged in logarithmic progression from 0.02 to 6.00 deg/sq sec. The target, a narrow collimated line of light, was contained within a goggle device worn by the observer and therefore fixed in relative position to him. The illusion, appearing as rightward or leftward movement of the visual target in the direction of acceleration, was determined by a double staircase procedure among 300 normal and 4 labyrinthine-defective observers. None of the latter perceived the illusion. The majority of normal observers revealed no substantial directional difference (CW vs. CCW threshold). Threshold frequency distributions ranged in rate (deg/sq sec) from 0.020 to 0.950; the threshold of response in more than half the normal observers was less than 0.10, in over three-fourths was less than 0.20, in over 90% less than 0.30, and 100% less than 1.00.

Miller, E. F., II↗
NASA NTRS1976

Mechanical capacitor

A new energy storage system (the mechanical capacitor), using a spokeless magnetically levitated composite ring rotor, is described and design formulas for sizing the components are presented. This new system is configured around a permanent magnet (flux biased) suspension which has active servo control in the radial direction and passive control in the axial direction. The storage ring is used as a moving rotor and electronic commutation of the stationary armature coils is proposed. There is no mechanical contact with the rotating spokeless ring; therefore, long life and near zero rundown losses are projected. A 7-kW h system is sized to demonstrate feasibility. A literature review of flywheel energy storage systems is also presented and general formulas are developed for comparing rotor geometries.

Kirk, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Diurnal rhythms of visual accommodation and blink responses - Implication for flight-deck visual standards

Possible 24-h variations in accommodation responses were investigated. A recently developed servo-controlled optometer and focus stimulator were used to obtain monocular accommodation response data on four college-age subjects. No 24-h rhythm in accommodation was shown. Heart rate and blink rate also were measured and periodicity analysis showed a mean 24-h rhythm for both; however, blink rate periodograms were significant for only two of the four subjects. Thus, with the qualifications that college students were tested instead of pilots and that they performed monocular laboratory tasks instead of binocular flight-deck tasks, it is concluded that 24-h rhythms in accommodation responses need not be considered in setting visual standards for flight-deck tasks.

Murphy, M. R.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Preburner of Staged Combustion Rocket Engine

A regeneratively cooled LOX/hydrogen staged combustion assembly system with a 400:1 expansion area ratio nozzle utilizing an 89,000 Newton (20,000 pound) thrust regeneratively cooled thrust chamber and 175:1 tubular nozzle was analyzed, assembled, and tested. The components for this assembly include two spark/torch oxygen-hydrogen igniters, two servo-controlled LOX valves, a preburner injector, a preburner combustor, a main propellant injector, a regeneratively cooled combustion chamber, a regeneratively cooled tubular nozzle with an expansion area ratio of 175:1, an uncooled heavy-wall steel nozzle with an expansion area ratio of 400:1, and interconnecting ducting. The analytical effort was performed to optimize the thermal and structural characteristics of each of the new components and the ducting, and to reverify the capabilities of the previously fabricated components. The testing effort provided a demonstration of the preburner/combustor chamber operation, chamber combustion efficiency and stability, and chamber and nozzle heat transfer.

Yost, M. C.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Two measures of performance in a peg-in-hole manipulation task with force feedback

The results are described from two manipulators on a peg-in-hole task, which is part of a continued effort to develop models for human performance with remote manipulators. Task difficulty is varied by changing the diameter of the peg to be inserted in a 50 mm diameter hole. An automatic measuring system records the distance between the tool being held by the manipulator and the receptacle into which it is to be inserted. The data from repeated insertions are processed by computer to determine task times, accumulated distances, and trajectories. Experiments with both the MA-11 cable-connected master-slave manipulator common to hot cell work and the MA-23 servo-controlled manipulator (with and without force feedback) are described. Comparison of these results with previous results of the Ames Manipulator shows that force feedback provides a consistent advantage.

Hill, J. W.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Optokinetic motion sickness - Attenuation of visually-induced apparent self-rotation by passive head movements

An experimental study was conducted on seven normal subjects to evaluate the effectiveness of passive head movements in suppressing the optokinetically-induced illusory self-rotation. Visual simulation was provided by a servo-controlled optokinetic drum. Each subject participated in two experimental sessions. In one condition, the subject's head remained stationary while he gazed passively at a moving stripe pattern. In the other, he gazed passively and relaxed his neck muscles while his head was rotated from side to side. It appears that suppression of optokinetically-induced illusory self-rotation with passive head movements results from the operation of a spatial constancy mechanism interrelating visual, vestibular, and kinesthetic information on ongoing body orientation. The results support the view that optokinetic 'motion sickness' is related, at least in part, to an oculomotor disturbance rather than a visually triggered disturbance of specifically vestibular etiology.

Teixeira, R. A.↗
NASA NTRS1979

A summary of spectral synthesis procedures for multivariable systems

A new approach to the eigensystem assignment problem is presented. The approach utilizes a null-space formulation of the eigenvalue/eigenvector assignment problem to simultaneously realize arbitrary eigenvalue specifications, approximate desired modal behavior, and achieve low eigensystem sensitivity with respect to plant parameter variations. The methods are applied to the design of regulator and integral plus proportional servo control systems.

Liberty, S. R.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Bennett ion mass spectrometers on the Pioneer Venus Bus and Orbiter

Identical Bennett radio-frequency ion mass spectrometer instruments on the Pioneer Venus Bus and Orbiter have provided the first in-situ measurements of the detailed composition of the planet's ionosphere. The sensitivity, resolution, and dynamic range are sufficient to provide measurements of the solar-wind-induced bow-shock, the ionopause, and highly structured distributions of up to 16 thermal ion species within the ionosphere. The use of adaptive scan and detection circuits and servo-controlled logic for ion mass and energy analysis permits detection of ion concentrations as low as 5 ions/cu cm and ion flow velocities as large as 9 km/sec for O(+). A variety of commandable modes provides ion sampling rates ranging from 0.1 to 1.6 sec between measurements of a single constituent. A lightweight sensor and electronics housing are features of a compact instrument package.

Taylor, H. A., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1980

An Imaging Infrared (IIR) seeker using a microprogrammed processor

A recently developed Imaging Infrared Seeker uses a microprogrammed processor to perform gimbal servo control and system interface while performing the seeker functions of automatic target detection, acquisition, and tracking. The automatic detection mode requires up to 80% of the available capability of a high performance microprogrammed processor. Although system complexity was increased significantly, this approach can be cost effective when the basic computation capacity is already available.

Richmond, K. V.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Autonomous navigation system

An inertial navigation system utilizing a servo-controlled two degree of freedom pendulum to obtain specific force components in the locally level coordinate system is described. The pendulum includes a leveling gyroscope and an azimuth gyroscope supported on a two gimbal system. The specific force components in the locally level coordinate system are converted to components in the geographical coordinate system by means of a single Euler transformation. The standard navigation equations are solved to determine longitudinal and lateral velocities. Finally, vehicle position is determined by a further integration.

Merhav, S. J.↗