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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 NTRS1987

Configuration evaluation and criteria plan. Volume 2: Evaluation criteria plan (update). Space Transportation Main Engine (STME) configuration study

Candidate main engine configurations which enhance vehicle performance, operation and cost are identified. These candidate configurations are evaluated and the configurations which provide significant advantages over existing systems are selected for consideration for the next generation of launch vehicles. The unbiased selection of the Space Transportation Main Engine (STME) configuration requires that the candidate engines be evaluated against a predetermined set of criteria which must be properly weighted to emphasize critical requirements defined prior to the actual evaluation. During a prior study of the STME a Gas Generator Cycle engine was selected for conceptual design, with emphasis on reusability, reliability and low cost while achieving good performance. In this study emphasis is on expendable application of the STME while maintaining low cost and high reliability.

Bair, E. K.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Propulsion technology needs for advanced space transportation systems

Plans are formulated for chemical propulsion technology programs to meet the needs of advanced space transportation systems from 1980 to the year 2000. The many possible vehicle applications are reviewed and cataloged to isolate the common threads of primary propulsion technology that satisfies near term requirements in the first decade and at the same time establish the technology groundwork for various potential far term applications in the second decade. Thrust classes of primary propulsion engines that are apparent include: (1) 5,000 to 30,000 pounds thrust for upper stages and space maneuvering; and (2) large booster engines of over 250,000 pounds thrust. Major classes of propulsion systems and the important subdivisions of each class are identified. The relative importance of each class is discussed in terms of the number of potential applications, the likelihood of that application materializing, and the criticality of the technology needed. Specific technology programs are described and scheduled to fulfill the anticipated primary propulsion technology requirements.

Gregory, J. W.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Propulsion technology needs for advanced space transportation systems

Plans have been formulated for chemical propulsion technology programs to meet the needs of advanced space transportation systems during the two decades from 1980 to the year 2000. The many possible vehicle applications have been reviewed and cataloged to isolate the common threads of primary propulsion technology that will satisfy near term requirements in the first decade and at the same time establish the technology groundwork for various potential far term applications in the second decade. Two thrust classes of primary propulsion engines are apparent: (1) 5,000 to 30,000 pounds thrust for upper stages and space maneuvering; (2) large booster engines of over 250,000 pounds thrust. Six major classes of propulsion systems and the important subdivisions of each class have been identified. The relative importance of each class is discussed in terms of the number of potential applications, the likelihood of that application materializing, and the criticality of the technology needed. Specific technology programs are described and scheduled to fulfill the anticipated primary propulsion technology requirements of the period.

Gregory, J. W.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Transportation technology program: Strategic plan

The purpose of this report is to define the technology program required to meet the transportation technology needs for current and future civil space missions. It is a part of an integrated plan, prepared by NASA in part in response to the Augustine Committee recommendations, to describe and advocate expanded and more aggressive efforts in the development of advanced space technologies. This expanded program will provide a technology basis for future space missions to which the U.S. aspires, and will help to regain technology leadership for the U.S. on a broader front. The six aspects of this integrated program/plan deal with focused technologies to support space sciences, exploration, transportation, platforms, and operations as well as provide a Research and Technology Base Program. This volume describes the technologies needed to support transportation systems, e.g., technologies needed for upgrades to current transportation systems and to provide reliable and efficient transportation for future space missions. The Office of Aeronautics, Exploration, and Technology (OAET) solicited technology needs from the major agency technology users and the aerospace industry community and formed a transportation technology team (appendix A) to develop a technology program to respond to those needs related to transportation technologies. This report addresses the results of that team activity. It is a strategic plan intended for use as a planning document rather than as a project management tool. It is anticipated that this document will be primarily utilized by research & technology (R&T) management at the various NASA Centers as well as by officials at NASA Headquarters and by industry in planning their corporate Independent Research and Development (IR&D) investments.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1987

Visions of tomorrow: A focus on national space transportation issues; Proceedings of the Twenty-fifth Goddard Memorial Symposium, Greenbelt, MD, Mar. 18-20, 1987

The present conference on U.S. space transportation systems development discusses opportunities for aerospace students in prospective military, civil, industrial, and scientific programs, current strategic conceptualization and program planning for future U.S. space transportation, the DOD space transportation plan, NASA space transportation plans, medium launch vehicle and commercial space launch services, the capabilities and availability of foreign launch vehicles, and the role of commercial space launch systems. Also discussed are available upper stage systems, future space transportation needs for space science and applications, the trajectory analysis of a low lift/drag-aeroassisted orbit transfer vehicle, possible replacements for the Space Shuttle, LEO to GEO with combined electric/beamed-microwave power from earth, the National Aerospace Plane, laser propulsion to earth orbit, and a performance analysis for a laser-powered SSTO vehicle.

Soffen, Gerald A.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Characterization of an Integral Thermal Protection and Cryogenic Insulation Material for Advanced Space Transportation Vehicles

NASA's planned advanced space transportation vehicles will benefit from the use of integral/conformal cryogenic propellant tanks which will reduce the launch weight and lower the earth-to-orbit costs considerably. To implement the novel concept of integral/conformal tanks requires developing an equally novel concept in thermal protection materials. Providing insulation against reentry heating and preserving propellant mass can no longer be considered separate problems to be handled by separate materials. A new family of materials, Superthermal Insulation (STI), has been conceiving and investigated by NASA's Ames Research Center to simultaneously provide both thermal protection and cryogenic insulation in a single, integral material.

Salerno, L. J.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Earth strain measurements with the transportable laser ranging system: Field techniques and planning

The potential of the transportable laser ranging system for monitoring the ground deformation around satellite ranging stations and other geodetic control points was examined with emphasis on testing the usefulness of the relative alteration technique. The temporal variation of the ratio of the length of each survey line to the mean length of all survey lines in a given area is directly related to the mean shear strain rate for the area. The data from a series of experimental measurements taken over the Los Angeles basin from a TLRS station at Mt. Wilson show that such ratios can be determined to an accuracy of one part in 10 million with a measurement program lasting for three days and without using any corrections for variations in atmospheric conditions. A numerical experiment using a set of hypothetical data indicates that reasonable estimates of the present shear strain rate and the direction of the principal axes in southern California can be deduced from such measurements over an interval of one to two years.

Nakamura, Y.↗
NASA NTRS2022

NASA Commercial Crew Program Crew Transportation System Certificate of Flight Readiness Plan

NASA Commercial Crew Program (CCP) Crew Transportation System (CTS) Certification of Flight Readiness (CoFR) is the authorization granted by the Agency that certifies the flight readiness of a Commercial Provider’s CTS to conduct a flight test or mission to transport NASA Crew to and from the ISS. The Commercial Provider is responsible for developing and executing its plan for certifying the flight readiness of its CTS. The CCP with the International Space Station (ISS) Program must substantiate the Commercial Provider’s CoFR assertion to ensure compliance with NASA requirements and NASA Crew safety. NASA CCP CTS CoFR is the approval of the Commercial Provider’s evidence that: • The physical as-built CTS was produced, assembled, integrated, and tested within the approved production and operational constraints. • The mission specific requirements are enveloped within the certified CTS capabilities. • The CTS personnel are trained and certified to support the mission. • All aspects of the CTS are ready for the mission.

Certification of Flight Readiness↗
NASA NTRS1979

Space Transportation systems overview

Planning for the operations phase of the Space Transportation system is reviewed. Attention is given to mission profile (typical), applications, manifesting rationale, the Operational Flight Test manifest, the operations manifest, pricing policy, and potential applications of the STS.

Lee, C. M.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Space transportation and destination considerations for extraterrestrial disposal of radioactive waste

A feasibility study is summarized of extraterrestrial (space) disposal of radioactive waste. The initial work on the evaluation and comparison of possible space destinations and launch vehicles is reported. Only current or planned space transportation systems were considered. The currently planned space shuttle was found to be more cost effective than current expendable launch vehicles, by about a factor of two. The space shuttle will require a third stage to perform the disposal missions. Depending on the particular mission this could be either a reusable space tug or an expendable stage such as a Centaur. Of the destinations considered, high earth orbits (between geostationary and lunar orbit altitudes), solar orbits (such as a 0.90 AU circular solar orbit) or a direct injection to solar system escape appear to be the best candidates. Both earth orbits and solar orbits have uncertainties regarding orbit stability and waste package integrity for times on the order of a million years.

Zimmerman, A. V.↗
NASA NTRS1980

EPS analysis of nominal STS-1 flight

The results of electrical power system (EPS) analysis of the planned Shuttle Transportation System Flight 1 mission are presented. The capability of the orbiter EPS to support the planned flight and to provide program tape information and supplementary data specifically requested by the flight operations directorate was assessed. The analysis was accomplished using the orbiter version of the spacecraft electrical power simulator program, operating from a modified version of orbiter electrical equipment utilization baseline revision four. The results indicate that the nominal flight, as analyzed, is within the capabilities of the orbiter power generation system, but that a brief, and minimal, current overload may exist between main distributor 1 and mid power controlled 1, and that inverter 9 may the overloaded for extended periods of time. A comparison of results with launch commit criteria also indicated that some of the presently existing launch redlines may be violated during the terminal countdown.

Wolfgram, D. F.↗
NASA NTRS1993

The Consolidated Planning and Scheduling System for Space Transportation and Space Station operations - Successful development experience

In 1992, NASA made the decision to evolve a Consolidated Planning System (CPS) by adding the Space Transportation System (STS) requirements to the Space Station Freedom (SSF) planning software. This paper describes this evolutionary process, which began with a series of six-month design-build-test cycles, using a domain-independent architecture and a set of developmental tools known as the Advanced Scheduling Environment. It is shown that, during these tests, the CPS could be used at multiple organizational levels of planning and for integrating schedules from geographically distributed (including international) planning environments. The potential for using the CPS for other planning and scheduling tasks in the SSF program is being currently examined.

Hornstein, Rhoda S.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Next generation: In-space transportation system(s)

The development of the next generation In-Space Transportation System presents a unique challenge to the design of a propulsion system for the Space Exploration Initiative (SEI). Never before have the requirements for long-life, multiple mission use, space basing, high reliability, man-rating, and minimum maintenance come together with performance in one system that must protect the lives of space travelers, support the mission logistics needs, and do so at an acceptable cost. The challenge that is presented is to quantify the bounds of these requirements. The issue is one of degree. The length of acceptable life in space, the time it takes for reuse to pay off, and the degree to which space basing is practical (full, partial, or expended) are the issues that determine the reusable bounds of a design and include dependability, contingency capabilities, resilency, and minimum dependence on a maintenance node in preparation for and during a mission. Missions to planet earth, other non-NASA missions, and planetary missions will provide important but less demanding requirements for the transportation systems of the future. The mission proposed for the SEI require a family of transportation vehicles to meet the requirements for establishing a permanent human presence on the Moon and eventually on Mars. Specialized vehicles are needed to accomplish the different phases of each mission. These large scale missions require assembly in space and will provide the greatest usage of the planned integrated transportation system. The current approach to defining the In-Space Transportation System for the SEI Moon missions with later Mars mission applications is presented. Several system development options, propulsion concepts, current/proposed activities are reviewed, and key propulsion design criteria, issues, and technology challenges for the next generation In-Space Transportation System(s) are outlined.

Huffaker, Fredrick↗
NASA NTRS1999

Fluid Physical and Transport Phenomena Studies aboard the International Space Station: Planned Experiments

This paper provides an overview of the microgravity fluid physics and transport phenomena experiments planned for the International Spare Station. NASA's Office of Life and Microgravity Science and Applications has established a world-class research program in fluid physics and transport phenomena. This program combines the vast expertise of the world research community with NASA's unique microgravity facilities with the objectives of gaining new insight into fluid phenomena by removing the confounding effect of gravity. Due to its criticality to many terrestrial and space-based processes and phenomena, fluid physics and transport phenomena play a central role in the NASA's Microgravity Program. Through widely publicized research announcement and well established peer-reviews, the program has been able to attract a number of world-class researchers and acquired a critical mass of investigations that is now adding rapidly to this field. Currently there arc a total of 106 ground-based and 20 candidate flight principal investigators conducting research in four major thrust areas in the program: complex flows, multiphase flow and phase change, interfacial phenomena, and dynamics and instabilities. The International Space Station (ISS) to be launched in 1998, provides the microgravity research community with a unprecedented opportunity to conduct long-duration microgravity experiments which can be controlled and operated from the Principal Investigators' own laboratory. Frequent planned shuttle flights to the Station will provide opportunities to conduct many more experiments than were previously possible. NASA Lewis Research Center is in the process of designing a Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF) to be located in the Laboratory Module of the ISS that will not only accommodate multiple users but, allow a broad range of fluid physics and transport phenomena experiments to be conducted in a cost effective manner.

Singh, Bhim S.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Airborne Observations and Satellite Validation: INTEX-A Experience and INTEX-B Plans

Intercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment (INTEX; http://cloudl.arc.nasa.gov) is an ongoing two-phase integrated atmospheric field experiment being performed over North America (NA). Its first phase (INTEX-A) was performed in the summer of 2004 and the second phase (INTEX-B) is planned for the early spring of 2006. The main goal of INTEX-NA is to understand the transport and transformation of gases and aerosols on transcontinental/intercontinental scales and to assess their impact on air quality and climate. Central to achieving this goal is the need to relate space-based observations with those from airborne and surface platforms. During INTEX-A, NASA s DC-8 was joined by some dozen other aircraft from a large number of European and North American partners to focus on the outflow of pollution from NA to the Atlantic. Several instances of Asian pollution over NA were also encountered. INTEX-A flight planning extensively relied on satellite observations and in turn Satellite validation (Terra, Aqua, and Envisat) was given high priority. Over 20 validation profiles were successfully carried out. DC-8 sampling of smoke from Alaskan fires and formaldehyde over forested regions, and simultaneous satellite observations of these provided excellent opportunities for the interplay of these platforms. The planning for INTEX-5 is currently underway, and a vast majority of "standard" and "research" products to be retrieved from Aura instruments will be measured during INTEX-B throughout the troposphere. INTEX-B will focus on the inflow of pollution from Asia to North America and validation of satellite observations with emphasis on Aura. Several national and international partners are expected to coordinate activities with INTEX-B, and we expect its scope to expand in the coming months. An important new development involves partnership with an NSF-sponsored campaign called MIRAGE (Megacity Impacts on Regional and Global Environments- Mexico City Pollution Outflow Field Campaign; http://mirage- mex.acd.ucar.edu/index.html). This partnership will utilize both the NASA-DC-8 mad NCAR C-130 aircrafts and greatly expand the temporal and spatial coverage of these experiments. We will briefly describe our INTEX-A experience and discuss plans for INTEX-B activities especially as they relate to validation and interpretation of Aura observations.

Crawford, James H.↗
NASA NTRS2024

Cape Hatteras Ecological Conservation: Delineating Shoreline and Mapping Change Along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore for Coastline Management and Transportation Corridor Adaptation Strategies

The National Park Service at Cape Hatteras National Seashore works to protect North Carolina’s Outer Banks where frequent storms bring heavy winds and flooding, leading to overwash events on the main highway, North Carolina Highway 12. Shorelines are susceptible to erosion directly affecting transportation and housing infrastructures. Storm events can disrupt transportation on NC-12 and ferry service from Ocracoke Island to Hatteras Island, leaving inhabitants stranded on Ocracoke Island for indefinite amounts of time. The National Park Service’s current decision-making practices involve mitigating infrastructure damage by enlisting the help of North Carolina’s Department of Transportation and finding ways to relocate this infrastructure, as well as dredging and sediment placement that support beach nourishment efforts. Our NASA DEVELOP team partnered with the National Park Service to explore the use of optical data to delineate shoreline and map coastline change from 2014 to 2024. We used Earth observations collected by Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager, Landsat 9 Operational Land Imager-2, and Sentinel-2 MultiSpectral instrument to support decision-making related to prioritizing strategic planning for transportation corridor adaptations including potential relocation of infrastructure, and beach nourishment efforts. We derived coastline maps by consolidating images from each year to create composite images for winter and summer coastline seasonal oscillation patterns. The results highlight shoreline loss over the ~10-year study period, and the difference in shoreline inundation in the winter and summer seasons. These observations create a better understanding of successful mitigation efforts and allow the National Park Service to continue to focus on plans for infrastructure updates.

Ella Haugen↗
NASA NTRS1986

National Space Transportation and Support Study/technology requirements and plans

This paper presents a generic technology plan which has been developed as part of the National Space Transportation and Support Study. This program, which addresses a wide variety of potentially high payoff technology areas, is structured to promote both enhanced vehicle performance and greatly improved operational efficiency and includes both evolutionary and breakthrough technologies. The plan is presented in terms of disciplinary plan elements, which were developed by joint NASA/USAF disciplinary working groups, and as a set of demonstration projects which serve as focal points for the overall plan and drive the development of the many interrelated disciplinary activities.

Walberg, G. D.↗
NASA NTRS1990

NASA's Advanced Space Transportation System launch vehicles

An account is given of NASA's Advanced Space Transportation System plans, with a view to the support systems that must be evolved in order to implement such long-term mission requirements; these encompass space-based infrastructure for orbital transfer operations between LEO and GEO, and for operations from LEO to lunar orbit and to Mars. These mission requirements are addressed by the NASA Civil Needs Data Base in order to promote multiple applications. The requisite near-term lift capacity to LEO could be achieved through the development of the Shuttle-derived, unmanned Shuttle-C cargo launch system. Longer-term transportation studies are concerned with the Next Manned Transportation System and Space Transfer Vehicles.

Branscome, Darrell R.↗