Diving in Space
This viewgraph presentation reviews NASA's extravehicular activity (EVA) procedures and the technological and biomedical issues surrounding EVA.
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This viewgraph presentation reviews NASA's extravehicular activity (EVA) procedures and the technological and biomedical issues surrounding EVA.
NASA s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) contains a 6.2 million gallon, 12-meter deep pool where astronauts prepare for space missions involving space walks (extravehicular activity EVA). Training is conducted in a space suit (extravehicular mobility unit EMU) pressurized to 4.0 - 4.3 PSI for up to 6.5 hours while breathing a 46% NITROX mix. Since the facility opened in 1997, over 30,000 hours of suited training has been completed with no occurrence of decompression sickness (DCS) or oxygen toxicity. This study examines the last 5 years of astronaut suited training runs. All suited runs are computer monitored and data is recorded in the Environmental Control System (ECS) database. Astronaut training runs from 2004 - 2008 were reviewed and specific data including total run time, maximum depth and average depth were analyzed. One hundred twenty seven astronauts and cosmonauts completed 2,231 training runs totaling 12,880 exposure hours. Data was available for 96% of the runs. It was revealed that the suit configuration produces a maximum equivalent air depth of 7 meters, essentially eliminating the risk of DCS. Based on average run depth and time, approximately 17% of the training runs exceeded the NOAA oxygen maximum single exposure limits, with no resulting oxygen toxicity. The NBL suited training protocols are safe and time tested. Consideration should be given to reevaluate the NOAA oxygen exposure limits for PO2 levels at or below 1 ATA.
This presentation demonstrates how NASA is using consumer VR headsets, game engine technology and NVIDIA's GPUs to create highly immersive future training systems augmented with extremely realistic haptic feedback, sound, additional sensory information, and how these can be used to improve the engineering workflow. Include in this presentation is an environment simulation of the ISS, where users can interact with virtual objects, handrails, and tracked physical objects while inside VR, integration of consumer VR headsets with the Active Response Gravity Offload System, and a space habitat architectural evaluation tool. Attendees will learn how the best elements of real and virtual worlds can be combined into a hybrid reality environment with tangible engineering and scientific applications.
Cost is equally important to power density or efficiency for the adoption of waste heat recovery thermoelectric generators (TEG) in many transportation and industrial energy recovery applications. In many cases the system design that minimizes cost (e.g., the $/W value) can be very different than the design that maximizes the system's efficiency or power density, and it is important to understand the relationship between those designs to optimize TEG performance-cost compromises. Expanding on recent cost analysis work and using more detailed system modeling, an enhanced cost scaling analysis of a waste heat recovery thermoelectric generator with more detailed, coupled treatment of the heat exchangers has been performed. In this analysis, the effect of the heat lost to the environment and updated relationships between the hot-side and cold-side conductances that maximize power output are considered. This coupled thermal and thermoelectric treatment of the exhaust waste heat recovery thermoelectric generator yields modified cost scaling and design optimization equations, which are now strongly dependent on the heat leakage fraction, exhaust mass flow rate, and heat exchanger effectiveness. This work shows that heat exchanger costs most often dominate the overall TE system costs, that it is extremely difficult to escape this regime, and in order to achieve TE system costs of $1/W it is necessary to achieve heat exchanger costs of $1/(W/K). Minimum TE system costs per watt generally coincide with maximum power points, but Preferred TE Design Regimes are identified where there is little cost penalty for moving into regions of higher efficiency and slightly lower power outputs. These regimes are closely tied to previously-identified low cost design regimes. This work shows that the optimum fill factor Fopt minimizing system costs decreases as heat losses increase, and increases as exhaust mass flow rate and heat exchanger effectiveness increase. These findings have profound implications on the design and operation of various thermoelectric (TE) waste heat 3 recovery systems. This work highlights the importance of heat exchanger costs on the overall TEG system costs, quantifies the possible TEG performance-cost domain space based on heat exchanger effects, and provides a focus for future system research and development efforts.
This presentation gets into a detailed level of how things are processed in the Fuser, providing some specific challenges and solutions.
During the final five orbits of Cassini’s mission, the spacecraft will get closer to Saturn than it has ever been. These five orbits were designed to be as deep in the atmosphere as Cassini could safely fly; however, recent occultation data of Saturn’s atmosphere suggest that it is contracting. Given this contraction, the primary concern during these orbits has shifted from spacecraft health and safety to loss of science value. This paper explores a scenario for modifying the Cassini spacecraft’s trajectory, during these final orbits, such that it dips deeper into Saturn’s atmosphere. This scenario describes the method for in-situ detection of Saturn’s atmospheric state, the locations and sizes of maneuvers that would reduce the final periapsis altitudes, the effects of such maneuvers on the remaining trajectory, and the risks involved. The result is that a periapsis-lowering, “pop-down” maneuver is feasible during Cassini’s final orbits. Risk to the spacecraft is minimized by using the attitude control thrusters as density detectors during the first three atmospheric transits of the final five orbits. Should these transits reveal sufficiently low density and should sufficient propellant remain, then the Cassini project will consider performing the maneuver.
No abstract available
We present a search for quasi-monochromatic gravitational-wave signals from the young, energetic X-ray pulsar PSR J0537−6910 using data from the second and third observing runs of LIGO and Virgo. The search is enabled by a contemporaneous timing ephemeris obtained using Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) data. The NICER ephemeris has also been extended through 2020 October and includes three new glitches. PSR J0537−6910 has the largest spin-down luminosity of any pulsar and exhibits fRequent and strong glitches. Analyses of its long-term and interglitch braking indices provide intriguing evidence that its spin-down energy budget may include gravitational-wave emission from a time-varying mass quadrupole moment. Its 62 Hz rotation frequency also puts its possible gravitational-wave emission in the most sensitive band of the LIGO/Virgo detectors. Motivated by these considerations, we search for gravitational-wave emission at both once and twice the rotation frequency from PSR J0537−6910. We find no signal, however, and report upper limits. Assuming a rigidly rotating triaxial star, our constraints reach below the gravitational-wave spin-down limit for this star for the first time by more than a factor of 2 and limit gravitational waves from the l = m = 2 mode to account for less than 14% of the spin-down energy budget. The fiducial equatorial ellipticity is constrained to less than about 3 ×10^(−5), which is the third best constraint for any young pulsar.
This presentation details early research towards applying data plane programming and software defined networking (SDN) to delay tolerant networking (DTN). This involved using the Programming Protocol-Independent Packet Processors (P4) language to program the data plane to handle DTN bundles natively in hardware. The results presented include a proof of concept DTN Bundle Protocol (BP) translator network middlebox, the challenges of programming a data plane to process BP, a software-defined DTN (SDDTN) architecture, and potential future applications of SDDTN. It is demonstrated that SDN and the P4 language has high potential for improving the scalability of DTN networks, although further research must be done to enable this.
The Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) citizen science program has recently conducted a series of month-long intensive observation periods (IOPs), asking the public to submit daily reports on cloud and sky conditions from all regions of Earth. This provides a wealth of crowdsourced observations from the ground, which complements other conventional scientific cloud data. In addition, the GLOBE reports are matched in space and time with geostationary and low Earth orbit satellites, which allows for a straightforward comparison of cloud properties, and minimizes the biases associated with mismatched sampling between participants and satellites. The matched GLOBE dataset is used to calculate the mean observed cloud cover by atmospheric level both worldwide and by region. The overall magnitudes of cloud cover between the GLOBE participants and the matched satellites agree within 10%, which is notable given the distinctly different natures of the data sources. The mean vertical cloud profiles show GLOBE reporting more low-level clouds and fewer high-level clouds than satellites. The low cloud disagreement is likely related to satellites missing low clouds when high clouds block their view. Conversely, the high cloud disagreement is related primarily to cloud opacity, as satellites may miss some optically thin clouds. Monte Carlo testing shows the results to be robust, and the tripled amount of IOP data reduces uncertainty by half. These findings also highlight ways in which citizen science IOP data may be used to support scientific research while accounting for their unique properties. Plain Language Summary: Citizen science is becoming an increasingly prominent aspect of scientific research, and so it important to study how citizen science data can be used effectively. For example, The GLOBE Program has recently conducted a series of special data-collecting events, or “challenges”, which gathered large numbers of reports on cloud and sky conditions. Because NASA GLOBE Clouds matches the participant reports with cloud observations from satellites, we can use these data to get a combined view of clouds from above and below. When looking at the average cloud cover for different atmospheric levels across Earth, we find that the GLOBE participants and the satellites agree quite closely. This is a surprising and fascinating find, given how different in nature volunteer ground reports are to satellite measurements. However, there are some small but notable disagreements between GLOBE participants and satellites about the distribution of cloud cover at different levels. In addition, by testing the data for uncertainty, we show that the results from the GLOBE data are reliable, and that more public participation improves the reliability. So, by carefully designing the analysis methodology, and by testing for the uncertainty of the data, citizen science can make a meaningful contribution to scientific research.
As part of planning efforts for cislunar exploration and science missions, space agencies have been collaborating with each other to enable communications, networking, Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) systems to exchange information and provide services to spacecraft and space systems in transit, in orbit, and on the surface, thus helping each other to achieve their common goals. To achieve commonality and lower cost for mutual benefit, the strategy of interoperability is being adopted to help all the pieces fit together and function smoothly. Interoperability gives cislunar users the ability to operate in a collaborative environment similar to the terrestrial Internet, allowing them to share information, navigate safely despite increasing radio frequency congestion, and follow common processes and procedures for effective joint operations. Unlike prior government-dominated efforts, this ecosystem is expected to include commercial for-profit businesses, non-profit organizations, and academic institutions. Ultimately, the goal is to enable a cislunar ecosystem of service providers and users to contribute and/or utilize infrastructure and capabilities to accomplish mission objectives spanning the full range of human endeavours while supporting a variety of business models. This paper reports on the results of an effort to assist in efforts to frame the development of the international LunaNet architecture by providing a canonical definition of interoperability broad enough to meet these needs, examine architectural and operational implications of the definition, and explore interoperability strategies and tactics for deploying and evolving these services. It describes key systems-of-systems (SoS) (Network-of-Networks) interoperability concepts in the context of sustainment of the ecosystem over time as systems evolve in technologies, standards and Standards Development Organizations, component and subsystem upgrades, and user applications
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The Artemis program being developed by United States’ (US) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is developing the capabilities to return humans to the Moon and establish an initial base camp and associated infrastructure with extensive contributions from international and commercial partners. In planning for cislunar exploration and science missions, space agencies are collaborating to enable communications, networking, and Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) systems—called LunaNet—to exchange information and provide services to cislunar spacecraft and space systems, thus helping each other to achieve their shared goals. To achieve commonality and lower cost for mutual benefit, the strategy of interoperability is being adopted to help fit all the pieces together and function smoothly. Facilitating interoperability should benefit lunar missions by providing the ability to operate in a collaborative environment similar to the terrestrial Internet. Interoperability allows them to share information, navigate safely despite increasing radio frequency congestion, and follow common processes and procedures for effective joint operations. Unlike prior government-dominated efforts, this ecosystem is expected to include and benefit for-profit (commercial) businesses, non-profit organizations, and academic institutions as active stakeholders. Ultimately, the goal is to enable a cislunar ecosystem of service providers and users to contribute to and/or utilize infrastructure and capabilities to achieve mission objectives that span the full range of human endeavors while supporting a variety of business models. This approach enables a Systems of Systems (SoS), such as a Network-of-Networks, to be sustainable in the context of the LunaNet ecosystem as systems evolve over time in technologies, standards, components, and user applications. This paper reports on the results of an effort to help frame the development of the international LunaNet architecture by providing a canonical definition of interoperability broad enough to meet these needs, examining architectural and operational implications of the definition, and exploring interoperability strategies and tactics to deploy and evolve the services proposed for cislunar exploration and science missions.
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Abstract not provided.