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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 NTRS1950

Yawed-Landing Investigation of a Model of the Convair Y2-2 Airplane, TED No. NACA DE 363

A model of the Convair Y2-2 airplane was tested in Langley tank no. 2 to determine whether satisfactory stability in yawed landings was possible with a certain ventral fin. Free-body landings were made in smooth and rough water at two speeds and two rates of descent with the model yawed 15deg. The behavior of the model was determined by visual observations and from motion-picture re.cords. It was concluded that satisfactory stability was possible with the ventral fin as tested but that the characteristics of the model shock absorbers and the settings of the elevon control surfaces had an appreciable influence on behavior.

Hoffman, Edward L.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Fusion Ignition Rocket Engine with Ballistic Ablative Lithium Liner

Thermo-nuclear fusion may be the key to a high Isp, high specific power (low alpha) propulsion system. In a fusion system energy is liberated within, and imparted directly to, the propellant. In principle, this can overcome the performance limitations inherent in systems that require thermal power transfer across a material boundary, and/or multiple power conversion stages (NTR, NEP). A thermo-nuclear propulsion system, which attempts to overcome some of the problems inherent in the ORION concept, is described. A passive tapered liner is launched behind a vehicle, through a hole in a pusher-plate, that is connected to the vehicle by a shock-absorbing mechanism. A dense FRC plasmoid is then accelerated to high velocity (in excess of 1,000 km/s) and shot through the hole into the liner, when it has reached a given point down-range. The kinetic energy of the FRC is converted into thermal and magnetic-field energy, igniting a fusion bum in the magnetically confined plasma. The fusion reaction serves as an ignition source for the liner, which is made out of detonable materials. The energy liberated in this process is converted to thrust by the pusher-plate, as in the classic ORION concept. However with this concept, the vehicle does not carry a magazine of pre-fabricated pulse-units. A magnetic nozzle may also be used, in place of the pusher-plate. Estimates of the conditions needed to achieve a sufficient gain will be presented, along with a description of the driver characteristics. The incorporation of this concept into the propulsion system of a spacecraft will also be discussed.

Martin, Adam↗
NASA NTRS2005

Forty-Year-Old Foam Springs Back With New Benefits

The most recognized and widely used NASA spinoff is at it again. Temper foam, whose origins date back to 1966 when it was developed to absorb shock and, thus, offer improved protection and comfort in NASA s airplane seats, has paid its dividends to Earth repeatedly, and in many different ways. It has padded the helmets of the Dallas Cowboys throughout the 1970s and 1980s, protected bedridden patients from bedsores, and comforted the feet of thousands wearing stylish shoes that incorporate the cushioning material in their insoles. Four decades later, the world has come to realize that there are no bounds to temper foam s benefits. Though the rights to the technology have been shared amongst various manufacturers, the original product maker is still going strong, pushing temper foam into new arenas, including automotives, amusement parks, prosthetics, and modern art.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1989

Orbiter escape pole

A Shuttle type of aircraft (10) with an escape hatch (12) has an arcuately shaped pole housing (16) attachable to an interior wall and ceiling with its open end adjacent to the escape hatch. The pole housing 16 contains a telescopically arranged and arcuately shaped primary pole member (22) and extension pole member (23) which are guided by roller assemblies (30,35). The extension pole member (23) is slidable and extendable relative to the primary pole member (22). For actuation, a spring actuated system includes a spring (52) in the pole housing. A locking member (90) engages both pole members (22,23) through notch portions (85,86) in the pole members. The locking member selectively releases the extension pole member (23) and the primary pole member (22). An internal one-way clutch or anti-return mechanism prevents retraction of the extension pole member from an extended position. Shock absorbers (54)(150,152) are for absoring the energy of the springs. A manual backup deployment system is provided which includes a canted ring (104) biased by a spring member (108). A lever member (100) with a slot and pin connection (102) permits the mechanical manipulation of the canted ring to move the primary pole member. The ring (104) also prevents retraction of the main pole. The crew escape mechanism includes a magazine (60) and a number of lanyards (62), each lanyard being mounted by a roller loop (68) over the primary pole member (22). The strap on the roller loop has stitching for controlled release, a protection sheath (74) to prevent tangling and a hook member (69) for attachment to a crew harness.

Goodrich, Winston D.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Photogrammetric Measurements of CEV Airbag Landing Attenuation Systems

High-speed photogrammetric measurements are being used to assess the impact dynamics of the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) for ground landing contingency upon return to earth. Test articles representative of the Orion capsule are dropped at the NASA Langley Landing and Impact Research (LandIR) Facility onto a sand/clay mixture representative of a dry lakebed from elevations as high as 62 feet (18.9 meters). Two different types of test articles have been evaluated: (1) half-scale metal shell models utilized to establish baseline impact dynamics and soil characterization, and (2) geometric full-scale drop models with shock-absorbing airbags which are being evaluated for their ability to cushion the impact of the Orion CEV with the earth s surface. This paper describes the application of the photogrammetric measurement technique and provides drop model trajectory and impact data that indicate the performance of the photogrammetric measurement system.

Barrows, Danny A.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Polar Traverse Rover Instrument

A Polar Traverse Rover (PTR) is a device designed to determine the role of Antarctica in the global climate system by determining typical paths of continental air that passes the South Pole, and by obtaining insight into the relationship between events at the Antarctic and the meteorology of sub-polar altitudes. The PTR is a 2-m-diameter ball in which an Iridium modem, with an integrated global positioning system (GPS) receiver and a commercial lithium battery pack, is suspended. The modem is attached to an aluminum plate and is surrounded by shock-absorbing plastic for protection. This core is attached to the interior walls of the shell by strings on three axis points. The unit s total weight is 10 kg, and it returns data regarding location, altitude, ground velocity, and vertical velocity. The PTR traverses the terrain solely through being blown around by the wind. The unit is much lighter than its predecessor, the Tumbleweed, and requires less wind to put it in motion and to sustain motion. The system is autonomous, requiring minimal monitoring, and enables long-range, unmanned scientific surface surveys in harsh environments.

Karlsson, Henrik↗
NASA NTRS2007

Loss-of-Control-Inhibitor Systems for Aircraft

Systems to provide improved tactile feedback to aircraft pilots are being developed to help the pilots maintain harmony between their control actions and the positions of aircraft control surfaces, thereby helping to prevent loss of control. A system of this type, denoted a loss-of-control-inhibitor system (LOCIS) can be implemented as a relatively simple addition to almost any pre-existing flight-control system. The LOCIS concept offers at least a partial solution to the problem of (1) keeping a pilot aware of the state of the control system and the aircraft and (2) maintaining sufficient control under conditions that, as described below, have been known to lead to loss of control. Current commercial aircraft exhibit uneven responses of primary flight-control surfaces to aggressive pilot control commands, leading to deterioration of pilots ability to control their aircraft. In severe cases, this phenomenon can result in loss of control and consequent loss of aircraft. For an older aircraft equipped with a purely mechanical control system, the loss of harmony between a pilot s command action and the control- surface response can be attributed to compliance in the control system (caused, for example, by stretching of control cables, flexing of push rods, or servo-valve distortion). In a newer aircraft equipped with a fly-by-wire control system, the major contributions to loss of harmony between the pilot and the control surfaces are delays attributable to computer cycle time, control shaping, filtering, aliasing, servo-valve distortion, and actuator rate limiting. In addition, a fly-by-wire control system provides no tactile feedback that would enable the pilot to sense such features of the control state as surface flutter, surface jam, position limiting, actuator rate limiting, and control limiting imposed by the aircraft operational envelope. Hence, for example, when a pilot is involved in aggressive closed-loop maneuvering, as when encountering a wake-vortex upset on final landing approach, the control-surface delay can lead to loss of control. Aggressive piloting can be triggered and exacerbated by control-system anomalies, which the pilot cannot diagnose because of the lack of symptoms caused by the absence of feedback through the controls. The purpose served by a LOCIS is to counteract these adverse effects by providing real-time feedback that notifies the pilot that the aircraft is tending to lag the pilot s commands. A LOCIS (see figure) includes cockpit control input-position sensors, control-surface output-position sensors, variable dampers (for example, shock absorbers containing magneto-rheological fluids such that the damping forces can be varied within times of the order of milliseconds by varying applied magnetic fields) attached to the cockpit control levers, electromagnet coils to apply the magnetic fields, and feedback control circuits to drive the electromagnet coils. The feedback control gains are chosen so that the current applied to each electromagnet coil results in a damping force that increases in a suitable nonlinear manner (e.g., exponentially) with the difference between the actual and commanded positions of the affected control surface. The increasing damping force both alerts the pilot to the onset of a potentially dangerous situation and resists the pilot s effort to command a control surface to change position at an excessive rate

AHarrah, Ralph C.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Coordination of Lower Limb Joints During Locomotion: The Effects of Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex Adaptation

Controlling locomotion while maintaining a stable gaze requires precise coordination between several, interdependent full-body sensorimotor subsystems (Bloomberg and Mulavara, 2003; McDonald, et al., 1997). The overall goal of this study is to determine how this full-body gaze stabilization system responds to adaptive changes in vestibuloocular reflex (VOR) function. Locomotion involves cyclical physical interactions (impacts) with the environment. Hence, focusing on a target and maintaining visual acuity during this activity may require mechanisms to manage the energy flow, so it does not disrupt the visual and vestibular sensory information processing that stabilizes gaze. It has been shown that increasing the difficulty of a gaze task (reading numbers on a screen as opposed to simply focusing on a central dot pattern) resulted in an increase in the amount of knee flexion movement during the critical phase immediately following the heel strike event (Mulavara and Bloomberg, 2003). The increase in knee flexion during the stance phase of the gait cycle has been suggested to function as a shock absorbing mechanism associated with the rapid weight transfer from the trailing to the leading leg during walking. To understand this full-body coordination, the relative contributions of each component and the resulting effects should be assessed. In this study, we hypothesized that VOR adaptation would result in a reorganization of the lower limb joint coordination during treadmill walking in a manner to facilitate the gaze stabilization task and preserve locomotor function.

Miller, Chris↗
NASA NTRS2015

Spinoff 2015

Topics covered include: 3D Endoscope to Boost Safety, Cut Cost of Surgery; Audio App Brings a Better Night's Sleep Liquid Cooling Technology Increases Exercise Efficiency; Algae-Derived Dietary Ingredients Nourish Animals; Space Grant Research Launches Rehabilitation Chair; Vision Trainer Teaches Focusing Techniques at Home; Aircraft Geared Architecture Reduces Fuel Cost and Noise; Ubiquitous Supercritical Wing Design Cuts Billions in Fuel Costs; Flight Controller Software Protects Lightweight Flexible Aircraft; Cabin Pressure Monitors Notify Pilots to Save Lives; Ionospheric Mapping Software Ensures Accuracy of Pilots' GPS; Water Mapping Technology Rebuilds Lives in Arid Regions; Shock Absorbers Save Structures and Lives during Earthquakes; Software Facilitates Sharing of Water Quality Data Worldwide; Underwater Adhesives Retrofit Pipelines with Advanced Sensors; Laser Imaging Video Camera Sees through Fire, Fog, Smoke; 3D Lasers Increase Efficiency, Safety of Moving Machines; Air Revitalization System Enables Excursions to the Stratosphere; Magnetic Fluids Deliver Better Speaker Sound Quality; Bioreactor Yields Extracts for Skin Cream; Private Astronaut Training Prepares Commercial Crews of Tomorrow; Activity Monitors Help Users Get Optimum Sun Exposure; LEDs Illuminate Bulbs for Better Sleep, Wake Cycles; Charged Particles Kill Pathogens and Round Up Dust; Balance Devices Train Golfers for a Consistent Swing; Landsat Imagery Enables Global Studies of Surface Trends; Ruggedized Spectrometers Are Built for Tough Jobs; Gas Conversion Systems Reclaim Fuel for Industry; Remote Sensing Technologies Mitigate Drought; Satellite Data Inform Forecasts of Crop Growth; Probes Measure Gases for Environmental Research; Cloud Computing Technologies Facilitate Earth Research; Software Cuts Homebuilding Costs, Increases Energy Efficiency; Portable Planetariums Teach Science; Schedule Analysis Software Saves Time for Project Planners; Sound Modeling Simplifies Vehicle Noise Management; Custom 3D Printers Revolutionize Space Supply Chain; Improved Calibration Shows Images' True Colors; Micromachined Parts Advance Medicine, Astrophysics, and More; Metalworking Techniques Unlock a Unique Alloy; Low-Cost Sensors Deliver Nanometer-Accurate Measurements; Electrical Monitoring Devices Save on Time and Cost; Dry Lubricant Smooths the Way for Space Travel, Industry; and Compact Vapor Chamber Cools Critical Components.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1954

Drop Hammer Tests with Three Oleo Strut Models and Three Different Shock Strut Oils at Low Temperatures

Drop hammer tests with different shock strut models and shock strut oils were performed at temperatures ranging to -40 C. The various shock strut models do not differ essentially regarding their springing and damping properties at low temperatures; however, the influence of the different shock strut oils on the springing properties at low temperatures varies greatly.

LUBRICATING OILS, MINERAL↗
DOE OSTI2026

A coupled hydrologic-agroeconomic modeling framework to evaluate adaptive irrigation strategies under groundwater withdrawal restrictions

Growing groundwater scarcity requires integrated tools to capture interactions among hydrology, agricultural production, markets, and land use. This study presents an iterative modeling framework that couples hydrologic, crop-yield, and economic models to capture two-way feedback among water availability, agricultural production, and market responses under groundwater constraints. The primary goal of this paper is to describe the methodological development of the coupled framework and demonstrate the significance of iterative model interaction. Applied to the western United States, we evaluated adaptive responses to restricting groundwater use beyond recharge levels, represented through changes in irrigation management and expansion or shrinkage of crop markets through land reallocation. Results demonstrate that the iterative coupling converges to stable equilibrium responses within 10 iterations. At equilibrium, deficit irrigation emerges as the dominant adaptation strategy in California, with irrigation levels stabilizing at approximately 70% of full irrigation demand, while Arizona and New Mexico experience stronger yield sensitivities. Early iterations produce commodity price increases of up to 10% for fruit and vegetable crops; however, these responses moderate as land allocation and production patterns adjust across regions. Deficit irrigation and spatial reallocation of irrigated land partially offset production losses, with variability observed across different states: California maintains yields primarily via deficit irrigation, whereas Arizona and New Mexico will rely mainly on reducing irrigated area to absorb the shock. By capturing feedback between biophysical and economic processes, this approach highlights how irrigation strategies and land-use decisions evolve under water stress and provides a transferable platform for evaluating water management policies.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Stiff and strong, lightweight bi-material sandwich plate-lattices with enhanced energy absorption

Plate-based lattices are predicted to reach theoretical Hashin–Shtrikman and Suquet upper bounds on stiffness and strength. However, simultaneously attaining high energy absorption in these plate-lattices still remains elusive, which is critical for many structural applications such as shock wave absorber and protective devices. In this article, we present bi-material isotropic cubic + octet sandwich plate-lattices composed of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (stiff) skins and elastomeric (soft) core. This bi-material configuration enhances their energy absorption capability while retaining stretching-dominated behavior. We investigate their mechanical properties through an analytical model and finite element simulations. Our results show that they achieve enhanced energy absorption approximately 2–2.8 times higher than their homogeneous counterparts while marginally compromising their stiffness and strength. When compared to previously reported materials, these materials achieve superior strength-energy absorption characteristics, making them an excellent candidate for stiff and strong, lightweight energy absorbing applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗