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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 127 records · Page 7

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NASA NTRS1978

Parametric evaluation of the cost effectiveness of Shuttle payload vibroacoustic test plans

Consideration is given to alternate vibroacoustic test plans for sortie and free flyer Shuttle payloads. Statistical decision models for nine test plans provide a viable method of evaluating the cost effectiveness of alternate vibroacoustic test plans and the associated test levels. The methodology is a major step toward the development of a useful tool for the quantitative tailoring of vibroacoustic test programs to sortie and free flyer payloads. A broader application of the methodology is now possible by the use of the OCTAVE computer code.

Stahle, C. V.↗

NASA NTRS1979

A detached experiment carrier aids adaptation of experiments from sounding rockets to Space Shuttle

The detached experiment carrier (DEC) system aids the adaptation of small, low-weight experiments to Space Shuttle missions. The carrier system consists of the detached experiment carrier (free-flyer), a command station at the Orbiter aft station, and a flight support station in the Orbiter payload bay. The carrier is a compact vehicle that is radio controlled by the Shuttle crew. It uses control television, command, and cold gas propulsion systems to deploy experiments from and later rendezvous with the Orbiter. The carrier propulsion system also maintains the attitude control required during experiment execution. Results of engineering investigation, analysis, component design and development, and testing indicate that the DEC system concept is practical. Results of preliminary engineering investigations, including maneuvering system handling qualities and television/telemetry display formats, indicate that the concept of flying the DEC 'out of' and 'into' the Orbiter payload bay is both safe and practical for small, compact free-flyer deployment and retrieval. This paper describes the carrier system, its operations, and potential applications.

Ritz, W. F.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Space station needs, attributes and architectural options study. Volume 7-2: Data book. Commercial missions

The history of NASA's materials processing in space activities is reviewed. Market projections, support requirements, orbital operations issues, cost estimates and candidate systems (orbiter sortie flight, orbiter serviced free flyer, space station, space station serviced free flyer) for the space production of semiconductor crystals are examined. Mission requirements are identified for materials processing, communications missions, bioprocessing, and for transferring aviation maintenance training technology to spacecraft.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1985

Applicability of 100kWe-class of space reactor power systems to NASA manned space station missions

An assessment is made of a manned space station operating with sufficiently high power demands to require a multihundred kilowatt range electrical power system. The nuclear reactor is a competitor for supplying this power level. Load levels were selected at 150kWe and 300kWe. Interactions among the reactor electrical power system, the manned space station, the space transportation system, and the mission were evaluated. The reactor shield and the conversion equipment were assumed to be in different positions with respect to the station; on board, tethered, and on a free flyer platform. Mission analyses showed that the free flyer concept resulted in unacceptable costs and technical problems. The tethered reactor providing power to an electrolyzer for regenerative fuel cells on the space station, results in a minimum weight shield and can be designed to release the reactor power section so that it moves to a high altitude orbit where the decay period is at least 300 years. Placing the reactor on the station, on a structural boom is an attractive design, but heavier than the long tethered reactor design because of the shield weight for manned activity near the reactor.

Silverman, S. W.↗

NASA NTRS1986

A planetary ultra hypervelocity impact mechanics and shock wave science facility

Using the concept of intercepting orbits from a pair of Space Station serviced free flyers, a class of impact and shock wave experiments pertinent to planetary science can be performed. One proposed free flying vehicle is an impactor dispensor, and the second is the impact laboratory. How collision is achieved by utilizing essentially twice orbital velocity is demonstrated. The impactor dispensor contains a series of small flyer plates or other projectiles which are launched into the trajectory of the impactor laboratory at appropriate positions. The impactor laboratory is a large impact tank similar to those in terrestrial gun laboratories, except that it contains a supply of targets and instrumentation such as high speed cameras, flash X-ray apparatus and digital recorders. Shock and isentropic pressures of up to 20 Mbar are achievable with such a system which provides 15 km/sec impact velocities for precisely oriented projectiles.

Ahrens, T. J.↗

NASA NTRS1987

A planetary ultra hypervelocity impact mechanics and shock wave science facility

Using the concept of intercepting orbits from a pair of Space Station serviced free flyers, a class of impact and shock wave experiments pertinent to planetary science can be performed. One proposed free flying vehicle is an impactor dispensor, and the second is the impact laboratory. How collision is achieved by utilizing essentially twice orbital velocity is demonstrated. The impactor dispensor contains a series of small flyer plates or other projectiles which are launched into the trajectory of the impactor laboratory at appropriate positions. The impactor laboratory is a large impact tank similar to those in terrestrial gun laboratories, except that it contains a supply of targets and instrumentation such as high speed cameras, flash X-ray apparatus, and digital recorders. Shock and isentropic pressures of up to 20 Mbar are achievable with such a system which provides 15 km/sec impact velocities for precisely oriented projectiles.

Ahrens, Thomas J.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Prospects for a contamination-free ultravacuum facility in low-earth orbit

The old concept of using the wake of a spacecraft to obtain an ultrahigh vacuum is revisited. A wakeshield can be configured so that a surface of interest does not subtend any walls that could become contaminated, thus it should be possible to achieve a contamination-free, ultrahigh vacuum capability with infinite pumping speed even in the presence of high heat loads and moderate gas loads. This papar analyzes the conceptual design for a Space Ultravacuum Research Facility (SURF), both in a shuttle-attached mode and as a free flyer. It is shown that even in the shuttle-attached mode, it should be possible to obtain vacuum levels equivalent to 10 to the -9th to 10 to the -10th Torr with O and N2 as the primary constituents. As a free flyer the SURF will be limited primarily by the gas load from the process being performed. For chemical beam epitaxy it is shown that equivalent vacuum levels of 10 to the -14th Torr should be possible at 300 km.

Naumann, Robert J.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Central electrical utility power for a satellite ring city in low earth orbit space

Information is given in viewgraph form on central electrical power for a satellite ring city, defined as a group of large free flyers of 10 to 20 units with perhaps 100 people in each unit, and organized in a circle so that power can be fed from a central location. The free flyers would be located at 300 to 700 miles in altitude, and spaced about a kilometer apart. Potential activities of a ring city are listed as well as the electrical power needs. Information is given on costs and individual and centralized solar arrays and nuclear reactor systems.

Myers, Ira T.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Eliminating Unbonded Edges In Explosive Bonding

Explosive-bonding technique elminates sharp unbonded notch normally occurring between flyer plate and baseplate. Makes it possible to simply break away unbonded outer extremity of flyer plate; no longer necessary to grind away unbonded edge to prevent collection of corrosive contaminants in edge voids. Method not limited to flat surfaces.

Bement, Laurence J.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Automation and robotics for COLUMBUS: An implementation concept for the free flying laboratory (MTFF)

With nearly forty percent of the funding, Germany is the main contributor to the European COLUMBUS Programme, followed by Italy, France and further ESA member states. The COLUMBUS elements are the Attached Laboratory (APM) to be permanently attached to the Space Station FREEDOM, the polar platform (PPF) and the Man Tended Free Flyer (MTFF). The latter element is regarded to be of special interest for the German micro-g community. Until now the implementation of A&R Technologies has not been included as part of the system concept for the COLUMBUS laboratory modules. Yet especially for the Free Flyer, a high degree of A&R will be indispensible. An A&R system concept and implementation options for A&R are given to make the COLUMBUS labs 'intelligent' laboratories in orbit.

Goelz, G.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Element Material Exposure Experiment by EFFU

The National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) is planning to perform an 'Element Material Exposure Experiment' using the Exposed Facility Flyer Unit (EFFU). This paper presents an initial design of experiments proposed for this project by our company. The EFFU is installed on the Space Flyer Unit (SFU) as a partial model of the Space Station JEM exposed facility. The SFU is scheduled to be launched by H-2 rocket in January or February of 1994, then various tests will be performed for three months, on orbit of 500 km altitude, and it will be retrieved by the U.S. Space Shuttle and returned to the ground. The mission sequence is shown.

Hashimoto, Yoshihiro↗

NASA NTRS1992

Csi-star: a Low-cost CSI Orbital Testbed

The topics are presented in viewgraph form and include the following: rationale for an on-orbit control-structurs interaction (CSI) test facility; CSI flight experiment objectives; feasibility study objectives; CSI free-flyer solution; feasibility study technical status summary; CSI-Star - a low-cost CSI free flyer; conceptual experiment design - option 2 configuration; Delta 2 - Quickstar Interface clambband capability; open and closed loop response of baselined truss with active struts; experiment weight baseline (option 1) configuration; experiment weight option 2 configuration; experiment power baseline (option 1) configuration; experiment power option 2 configuration; CSI Quickstar capabilities/requirements; and remaining work.

Edberg, D.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Servicing capability for the evolutionary Space Station

Since the beginning of the Space Station Freedom (SSF) program the concept of on-orbit servicing of user hardware has been an integral part of the program implementation. The user servicing system architecture has been divided into a baseline and a growth phase. The baseline system consists of the following hardware elements that will support user servicing - flight telerobotic servicer, crew and equipment translation aid, crew intravehicular and extravehicular servicing support, logistics supply system, mobile servicing center, and the special purpose dextrous manipulator. The growth phase incorporates a customer servicing facility (CSF), a station-based orbital maneuvering vehicle and an orbital spacecraft consumables resupply system. The requirements for user servicing were derived from the necessity to service attached payloads, free flyers and coorbiting platforms. These requirements include: orbital replacement units (ORU) and instrument changeout, National Space Transportation System cargo bay loading and unloading, contamination control and monitoring, thermal protection, payload berthing, storage, access to SSF distributed systems, functional checkout, and fluid replenishment. The baseline user servicing capabilities accommodate ORU and instrument changeout. However, this service is limited to attached payloads, either in situ or at a locally adjacent site. The growth phase satisfies all identified user servicing requirements by expanding servicing capabilities to include complex servicing tasks for attached payloads, free-flyers and coorbiting platforms at a dedicated, protected Servicing site. To provide a smooth evolution of user servicing the SSF interfaces that are necessary to accommodate the growth phase have been identified. The interface requirements on SSF have been greatly simplified by accommodating the growth servicing support elements within the CSF. This results in a single SSF interface: SSF to the CSF.

Thomas, Edward F.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Retention latch mechanism for the Wake Shield Facility

The Wake Shield Facility (WSF) is a space transportation system (STS) payload that is scheduled for launch on STS-60 in November, 1993. It is being designed, tested and integrated into the STS by Space Industries Inc. for the University of Houston's Space Vacuum Epitaxy Center, a NASA Center for the Commercial Development of Space. The WSF is composed of two main components: a cross-bay carrier and a free-flying experimental platform. The WSF's primary objective is the epitaxial growth of thin films by controlled beam techniques in the ultra-high vacuum that exists in the wake of the free-flyer. The Retention Latch Mechanism (RLM) has been developed to act as the structural interface between the free-flyer and the carrier.

Vendrely, Timothy G.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Review of European microgravity measurements

AA In a French/Russion cooperation, CNES developed a microgravity detection system for analyzing the Mir space station micro-g-environment for the first time. European efforts to characterize the microgravity (1/9) environment within a space laboratory began in the late seventies with the design of the First Spacelab Mission SL-1. Its Material Science Double Rack was the first payload element to carry its own tri-axial acceleration package. Even though incapable for any frequency analysis, the data provided a wealth of novel information for optimal experiment and hardware design and operations for missions to come. Theoretical investigations under ESA contract demonstrated the significance of the detailed knowledge of micro-g data for a thorough experiment analysis. They especially revealed the high sensitivity of numerous phenomena to low frequency acceleration. Accordingly, the payloads of the Spacelab missions D-1 and D-2 were furnished with state-of-the-art detection systems to ensure frequency analysis between 0.1 and 100 Hz. The Microgravity Measurement Assembly (MMA) of D-2 was a centralized system comprising fixed installed as well as mobile tri-axial packages showing real-time data processing and transmission to ground. ESA's free flyer EURECA carried a system for continuous measurement over the entire mission. All EURECA subsystems and experimental facilities had to meet tough requirements defining the upper acceleration limits. In a French/Russion cooperation, CNES developed a mi crogravity detection system for analyzing the Mir space station micro-g-environment for the first time. An approach to get access to low frequency acceleration between 0 and 0.02 Hz will be realized by QSAM (Quasi-steady Acceleration Measurement) on IML-2, complementary to the NASA system Spacelab Acceleration Measurement System SAMS. A second flight of QSAM is planned for the Russian free flyer FOTON.

Hamacher, Hans↗

NASA NTRS1995

A new technique for ground simulation of hypervelocity debris

A series of hypervelocity damage experiments were preformed on spacecraft materials. These experiments employed a technique which accelerates micro flyer plates simulating space debris traveling at 3 to 8 km/sec. The apparatus used to propel the micro flyer plates was compact and fit well into a space environmental chamber equipped with instrumentation capable of analyzing the vapor ejected from the sample. Mechanical damage to the sample was also characterized using optical and scanning electron microscpopy. Data for this work was obtained from hypervelocity impacts on a polysulfone resin and a graphite polysulfone composite. Polysulfone was selected because it was flown on the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) which spent several years in low earth orbit (LEO). Chemistry of the vapor produced by the impact was analyzed with a time of flight mass spectrometer, (TOFMS). This represents the first time that ejected vapors from hypervelocity collisions were trapped and analyzed with a mass spectrometer. With this approach we are able to study changes in the vapor chemistry as a function of time after impact, obtain a velocity measurement of the vapor, and estimate a temperature of the surface at time of impact using dynamic gas equations. Samples of the vapor plume may be captured and examined by transmission electron microscopy. Studies were also conducted to determine mechanical damage to a graphite polysulfone composite and a polysulfone resin. Impact craters were examined under optical and scanning electron microscopes. The collision craters in the matrix were typical of those shown in conventional shock experiments. However, the hypervelocity collisions with the graphite polysulfone composite were remarkably different than those with the resin.

Roybal, R.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Unique passive diagnostic for slapper detonators

The objective of this study was to find a material and configuration that could reliably detect the proper functioning of a slapper (non-explosive) detonator. Because of the small size of the slapper geometry (on the order of a 15 mils), most diagnostic techniques are not suitable. This program has the additional requirements that the device would be used on centrifuge so that it could not use any electrical power or output signals. This required that the diagnostic be completely passive. The paper describes the three facets of the development effort: complete characterization of the slapper using VISAR measurements, selection of the diagnostic material and configuration, and testing of the prototype designs. The VISAR testing required that use of a special optical probe to allow the laser light to reach both bridges of the dual-slapper detonator. Results are given in the form of flyer velocity as a function of the initiating charge voltage level. The selected diagnostic design functions in a manner similar to a dent block except that the impact of the Kapton disk from a properly-functioning slapper causes a fracture pattern. A quick visual inspection is all that is needed to determine if the flyer velocity exceeded the threshold value. Sub-threshold velocities produce a substantially different appearance.

Brigham, William P.↗

NASA NTRS1996

STS-72 Post Flight Presentation

In this post flight presentation video for the STS-72 mission, the flight crew, Cmdr. Brian Duffy, Pilot Brent Jett, and Mission Specialists Daniel T. Barry, Winston E. Scott, Leroy Chiao, and Koichi Wakata (NASDA), discuss their mission using flight footage and slides. The pre-launch and launching activities are shown. Using the robot arm inside the space shuttle's cargo bay, the Japanese Space Flyer Unit (SFU) is retrieved and berthed and the Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology (OAST) Flyer satellite is deployed, retrieved, and reberthed. Chiao and Barry performed the first of the two 6 1/2 hour EVAs and Chiao and Scott performed the second. In both EVAs, the thermal properties of the new space suits were tested, along with new tools and equipment that will eventually be used to build the International Space Station. Space shuttle landing activities are also shown. Earth views include cloud shadows, Africa, Brazil, Australia, and Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Peterson, Glen↗