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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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This paper addresses design feasibility studies conducted for the TPF-Coronagraph Mission, and the on-going integrated modeling tool development intended to support these and similar studies.
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Delay lines provide the path-length compensation that makes the measurement of interference fringes possible. When used for nulling interferometry, the delay line must control path-lengths so that the null is stable and controlled throughout the measurement. We report on a low noise, low disturbance, and high bandwidth optical delay line capable of meeting the TPF interferometer optical path length control requirements at cryogenic temperatures.
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We present the most recent propulsion requirements for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) Mission and describe potential microth ruster technology that can meet these requirements. LISA consists of three spacecraft in heliocentric orbits, forming a triangle with 5x l o6 km sides that are the arms of three Michelson-type interferometers. Reflective proof masses provide the reference surfaces at the end of the interferometer arms as part of the Gravitational Reference Senso r (GRS) designed to detect gravitational waves. The microthrust propu lsion system will be part of the Disturbance Reduction System (DRS), which is responsible for maintaining each spacecraft position within approximately 10 nm around the proof masses. To provide the necessary sensitivity, the GRS must not experience spurious accelerations > 10 (exp -15) m/s(exp 2)# Hz (exp -1/2) in the 0.1 mHz to 1 Hz bandwidth, requiring precision formation flying and drag-free operation of the L ISA spacecraft. This leads to the following microthruster performance requirements: a thrust range of 2-30 microN, a thrust resolution < O .1 micro N, and thrust noise <0.1 micro N Hz (exp -1/2) over the LISA measurement bandwidth. The microthruster must provide this performanc e for 5 years continuously, contain 10 years worth of propellant, and not disrupt the science measurements. Potential microthruster techno logies include Colloid, Field Emission Electric Propulsion (FEEP), and precision cold gas microthrusters. Each of these technologies is des cribed in detail with focus on the NASA microthruster development of the Busek Colloid Micro-Newton Thruster (CMNT).
Deep, stable starlight nulls are needed for the direct detection of Earth-like planets and require careful control of the intensity and phases of the beams that are being combined. We are testing a novel compensator based on a deformable mirror to correct the intensity and phase at each wavelength and polarization across the nulling bandwidth. We have successfully demonstrated intensity and phase control using a deformable mirror across a 100nm wide band in the near-IR, and are in the process of conducting experiments in the mid-IR wavelengths. This paper covers the current results and in the mid-IR.
Coronagraph telescope and instrument optics for spatial frequencies within and beyond the spatial control bandwidth of the wave front control system. Three different wave front control systems are considered: a zero-path difference Michelson interferometer with two deformable mirrors at a pupil image; a sequential pair of deformable mirrors with one placed at a pupil image; and the Visible Nuller spatially-filtered controller. We show that the optical bandwidth limits the useful outer working angle.
Activities Affected by Budget Adjustment: Formation Acquisition Sensor, Cryo Structures, Cryo Delay Line, Cryocooler, Design Team, System Modeling. Other Activities include: Formation Flying, Cryogenic Operations, Starlight suppression, and System Design and Modeling.
. . .viability. This paper describes the current testbed design and preliminary experimental results.
This document discusses the potential of TPF for general astrophysics beyond its base mission, focusing on science obtainable with no or minimal modifications to the mission design, but also exploring possible modifications to TPF with high scientific merit and no impact on the basic search for extrasolar Earth analogs. It addresses both TPF-C and TPF-I, but emphasizes TPF-C, because its launch is planned for 2015, while TPF-I’s nominal launch date is in 2019. This document does not attempt to describe all of the astrophysics TPF will be capable of, only to present some highlights of a meeting held at Princeton University, April 14–15, 2004, and some discussions that followed from that meeting.
Nulling interferometry shows promise as a technique enabling investigation of faint objects such as planets and exo-zodiacal dust around nearby stars. At Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a nulling beam combiner based on a design built for the Keck Observatory in Hawaii has been used to pursue deep and stable narrowband nulls. We describe the design and layout of the Modified Mach Zehnder TPF nuller, and the results achieved in the laboratory to date. We report the stabilized 900,000 nulls achieved using a CO2 laser, and discuss the performance limitations and way forward to the deep, broadband nulls required for a space-borne nulling interferometer mission. We show briefly the results from Keck breadboard experiments: broadband transient nulls centered around 10.6 micron have been achieved ranging between 17500 at 18% bandwidth and 7500:1 at 29% bandwidth.
Telescopes require sub-wavelength figure (shape) error in order to achieve acceptable Strehl ratios. Traditional methods of achieving this require rigid and therefore heavy mirrors and reaction structures as well as proportionally heavy and expensive spacecraft busses and launch vehicles. This effectively limits the diameter and therefore resolution and collecting area of space optics. Large diameter telescopes must either be heavy or actively controlled. Space telescopes of the size proposed for missions such as TPF (Terrestrial Planet Finder), TPI (Terrestrial Planet Imager), etc. will likely require large active primaries and structures and corrective optics to implement downstream wavefront control. We propose a novel viable enabling technology. High resolution space imaging requires the production of lightweight large aperture optics subject to design tradespace constraints based on nanometer physical tolerances, low system aerial density, high control authority, suitable thermal and mechanical properties, deployment capability, launch vehicle volume constraints, as well as production cost and schedule risk mitigation. Segmented systems impose additional requirements on segment alignment, wavefront phasing, and telescope mass with increased edge diffraction. Photons weigh nothing. Why must even small space telescopes "weigh" tons? Our team is working to demonstrate that they do not, by leveraging 15 years of effort and a novel advanced concept.The ultimate research goal is to refine technology to produce a mission capable ultra-lightweight membrane optic whose shape can be remotely controlled using a laser beam. Using our novel optically-controlled molecular actuators allows substitution of optically-induced control for rigidity and mirror mass. In analogy with noise-canceling headphones, this technique also potentially provides a way to excite vibratory modes to couple with and damp out normal modes of oscillation induced by slewing, other motion and thermal changes, thus allowing a robust response to repointing of a large aperture.