Results for “Mission Design” — Page 7

NASA NTRS2026

Long-Term Evaluation of Landsat 9 Oli Data Product Uniformity at Focal Plane Module-Boundaries Using Earth Scenes

The uniformity performance characteristic in remote sensing data products is a metric that helps evaluate how an image accurately represents radiometric responses to geophysical variability at the Earth’s surface or within the atmosphere. These uniformity attributes are used in Earth remote sensing science applications such as investigating water quality, land-cover/land-use classifications, and crop health assessments. To ensure these applications perform effectively, it is crucial to maintain and regularly assess the uniformity of calibrated remote sensing data products. In the Landsat missions, data from the onboard radiometric reference Solar diffuser device are used as the standard approach to derive the calibration parameters, ensuring the maintenance of both absolute radiance and radiometric uniformity through quarterly updates. This publication presents an alternative approach that leverages Earth scene data to assess the on-orbit uniformity performance of the Landsat 9 (L9) mission. The analysis characterizes uniformity at a specific set of spatial positions (the focal-plane boundary zones) that are intrinsic to the Operational Land Imager (OLI) focal plane design. By employing these Earth data statistics, the article further explores the temporal trends in the radiometric uniformity results. The results shown in this article demonstrate that for pushbroom imaging design systems with staggered sensor chip focal plane architectures, the co-registered pixels, i.e., overlapping measurements of the same ground target viewed by different detectors, offer a self-contained mechanism for assessing product uniformity. Remarkably, this alternative approach achieves a level of radiometric quality comparable to that delivered by a stable, well-characterized onboard Solar diffuser calibration device. The findings demonstrate the potential and capability of such Earth scene statistics in maintaining radiometric uniformity in calibrated data products to better than 1% (1-sigma) throughout the mission’s operational lifetime.

trend↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA's Innovative Entry Systems and TPS Technologies Enabling Commercial Space Missions

For over six decades, the NASA Ames Entry Systems and Technology Division has been a cornerstone of U.S. space exploration, delivering critical atmospheric entry solutions since Project Mercury and now increasingly supporting the commercial space sector. The Division provides reliable entry system solutions through a unique blend of expertise, national facilities, and systems integration knowledge, a combination that is difficult to replicate outside a dedicated government entity. Consistently successful, the TS Division remains central to NASA’s exploration objectives and significantly contributes to the transfer of technology to the commercial space sector, supporting more than ten commercial space companies and supplying flight heatshields to three of them in the past five years. Its strengths in Thermal Protection System (TPS) materials, aerothermodynamics, ground test facilities, and Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL) systems engineering drive rapid development and sustained U.S. competitiveness in space. The Division's expertise in reusable and ablative thermal protection systems, as well as mechanically deployable entry systems primarily developed for NASA missions, now benefits commercial space missions. This presentation will highlight the vision and needs of these commercial space companies, how NASA-invented technologies meet mission requirements, and how these technologies enable and distinguish their efforts.

Ethiraj Venkatapathy↗

NASA NTRS2004

Sample Return Science by Hayabusa Near-Earth Asteroid Mission

Assigning the material species to each asteroid spectral type and finding out the corresponding meteorite category is crucial to make the global material map in the whole asteroid belt and to understand the evolution of the asteroid belt. Recent direct observations by spacecrafts are revealing new intriguing aspects of asteroids which cannot be obtained solely from ground-based observations or meteorite studies. However identification of the real material species constituting asteroids and their corresponding meteorite analogs are still ambiguous. Space weathering makes difficult to identify the true material, and there is still a great gap between the remote sensing data on the global surface and the local microscopic data from meteorites. Sample return from asteroids are inevitable to solve these problems. For this purpose sample return missions to asteroids belonging to various spectral classes are required. The HAYABUSA spacecraft (prelaunch name is MUSESC) launched last year is the first attempt on this concept. This report presents outline of the mission with special stress on its science.

A Fujiwara↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

High EneRgy Observatory for Imaging X-rays (HEROIX) Mission Concept

The High EneRgy Observatory for Imaging X-rays (HEROIX) is a next-generation broadband X-ray space telescope concept under development as a Medium-Class Explorer mission. Building on more than three decades of replicated NiCo shell technology at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, HEROIX will deliver 5 arcsecond half-power-diameter imaging resolution in the hard X-ray band. The observatory will incorporate four co-aligned telescopes with advanced multilayer coatings, extending the bandpass into the hard X-ray regime and providing an integrated effective area of 380 cm² at 30 keV. A suite of focal plane detectors will enable imaging capability throughout its 1–80 keV bandpass. This combination of angular resolution and high-energy coverage will open new windows into non-thermal processes in extreme astrophysical environments. HEROIXwill deliver transformative science, advancing the astrophysics community’s understanding of supernova physics, the X-ray binary population of the Galactic Center, accretion-driven galaxy evolution, and the origin of the Cosmic X-ray Background.

Nick Thomas↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Next-Generation Hard X-ray Missions: SuperHERO and HEROIX

High-energy X-ray observations have transformed our understanding of astrophysical systems where non-thermal processes dominate, from shock-accelerated particles in supernova remnants to relativistic jets and hot coronae in active galactic nuclei. NuSTAR’s pioneering focusing images of the hard X-ray sky have demonstrated the immense scientific potential of this band, while also highlighting how limited angular resolution constrains our ability to fully characterize complex physical processes in faint extended sources and resolving faint sources in crowded sky regions. In this presentation, I will discuss a pathway to overcome these challenges through NASA Marshall Space Flight Center’s replicated NiCo full-shell X-ray mirror technology. Specifically, I will discuss the SuperHERO hard X-ray telescope to achieve better than 10-arcsecond half-power diameter (HPD) angular resolution on a balloon flight observing the Crab Nebula, and the High EneRgy Observatory for Imaging X-rays (HEROIX) Medium-Class Mission concept to achieve an integrated effective area of 570 cm2 at 30 keV with 5 arcsec HPD angular resolution.

AGN↗

NASA NTRS2026

Improvement of Odor Control for the UWMS Hard-Sided Fecal Canister and the Alternate Fecal Canister

On longer range exploration missions, the mass and volume of critical hardware and consumables required to support crew will pose a big stowage challenge. This includes the hardware for the collection and storage of human metabolic solid waste. The amount of stowage needed for this hardware both before (empty) and after (full) use will be a significant burden on the overall spacecraft habitable volume, layout, and design. To help with this challenge, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Mars Campaign Office (MCO) Logistics Reduction (LR) Portfolio has developed a collapsible canister for the collection and containment of fecal deposits. The Alternate Fecal Canister (AFC) is a collapsible alternative to the exploration toilet Hard-sided Fecal Canister (HFC). The AFC in its empty state has a volumetric benefit to smaller vehicles on longer missions. The current designs for HFC and AFC were tested with human fecal material for odor containment at White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) where the tests on both were unsuccessful. The source of the lack of containment was isolated to a gasket used on both HFC and AFC. The gasket used was found to be open cell in design. This paper provides a summary of the materials selection and testing process to identify a replacement gasket material with the intention to replace the gaskets on both existing units as well as incorporate it into the designs going forward for future builds for exploration. Details will be provided on the design of the canisters interface with the odor bacteria lid which led to the selection of the thickness of the desired replacement. Finally, the paper will provide an update on the testing in advance of a return to WSTF for final testing and detail plans to complete testing and perform a demonstration on ISS with UWMS.

Toilet↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

SuperHERO X-ray Telescope Balloon Mission

The SuperHERO hard X-ray telescope will observe extended sources at unprecedented imaging resolution, revealing the origins of non-thermal emission in extreme astrophysical environments. Employing NASA Marshall Space Flight Center’s replicated NiCo full-shell X-ray mirror technology to achieve better than 10-arcsecond half-power diameter (HPD) angular resolution on a balloon platform, SuperHERO consists of seven identical, co-aligned telescopes with a combined effective area of 45 cm² at 30 keV. SuperHERO was selected in the APRA 2023 call as a five-year mission, with an inaugural two-day flight scheduled from Fort Sumner, New Mexico, in the fall of 2028. For its initial target, SuperHERO will observe the Crab pulsar wind nebula, localizing hard X-ray emission. Mission development is currently underway, with updates and status to be provided in this presentation.

Nick Thomas↗

NASA NTRS2003

An Overview of the NASA Aerospace Flight Battery Systems Program

The NASA Aerospace Flight Battery Systems Program is an agency-wide effort aimed at ensuring the quality, safety, reliability and performance of flight battery systems for NASA applications. The program provides for the validation of primary and secondary cell and battery level technology advances to ensure their availability and readiness for use in NASA missions. It serves to bridge the gap between the development of technology advances and the realization and incorporation of these advances into mission applications. The program is led by the Glenn Research Center and involves funded task activities at each of the NASA mission centers and JPL. The overall products are safe, reliable, high quality batteries for mission applications. The products are defined along three product lines: 1. Battery Systems Technology - Elements of this task area cover the systems aspects of battery operation and generally apply across chemistries. This includes the development of guidelines documents, the establishment and maintenance of a central battery database that serves a central repository for battery characterization and verification test data from tests performed under the support of this program, the NASA Battery Workshop, and general test facility support. 2. Secondary Battery Technology - l h s task area focuses on the validation of battery technology for nickel-cadmium, nickel-hydrogen, nickel-metal-hydride and lithium-ion secondary battery systems. Standardized test regimes are used to validate the quality of a cell lot or cell design for flight applications. In this area, efforts are now concentrated on the validation and verification of lithium-ion battery technology for aerospace applications. 3. Primary Battery Technology - The safety and reliability aspects for primary lithium battery systems that are used in manned operations on the Shuttle and International Space Station are addressed in the primary battery technology task area. An overview of the task areas supported under this program will be presented.

Manzo, Michelle A.↗

NASA NTRS2026

Space Mission Options for Reconnaissance and Mitigation of Asteroid 2024 YR4

Near-Earth asteroid 2024 YR 4 was discovered on 2024-12-27 and its probability of Earth impact in December 2032 peaked at about 3% on 2025-02-18. Additional observations ruled out Earth impact by 2025-02-23. However, the probability of lunar impact in December 2032 then rose, reaching about 4% by the end of the apparition in May 2025. James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) observations on 2025-03-26 estimated the asteroid's diameter at 60 +/- 7 m. Studies of 2024 YR 4 's potential lunar impact effects suggest lunar ejecta could increase micrometeoroid debris flux in low Earth orbit up to 1000 times above background levels over just a few days, possibly threatening astronauts and spacecraft. In this work, we present options for space missions to 2024 YR 4 that could be utilized if lunar impact is confirmed. We cover flyby & rendezvous reconnaissance, deflection, and robust disruption of the asteroid. We examine both rapid-response and delayed launch options through 2032. We evaluate chemical and solar electric propulsion, various launch vehicles, optimized deep space maneuvers, and gravity assists. Re-tasking extant spacecraft and using built spacecraft not yet launched are also considered. The best reconnaissance mission options launch in late 2028, leaving only approximately three years for development at the time of this writing in August 2025. Deflection missions were assessed and appear impractical. However, kinetic robust disruption missions are available with launches between April 2030 and April 2032. Nuclear robust disruption missions are also available with launches between late 2029 and late 2031. Finally, even if lunar impact is ruled out there is significant potential utility in deploying a reconnaissance mission to characterize the asteroid.

Asteroid Disruption↗

NASA NTRS1998

Mars Pathfinder Lander Battery and Solar Array Performance

Mars Pathfinder Lander was powered by Ga-As solar cells and a silver-zinc Battery.

Mars↗

NASA NTRS2026

Improvement of Odor Control for the UWMS Hard-Sided Fecal Canister and the Alternate Fecal Canister

On longer range exploration missions, the mass and volume of critical hardware and consumables required to support crew will pose a big stowage challenge. This includes the hardware for the collection and storage of human metabolic solid waste. The amount of stowage needed for this hardware both before (empty) and after (full) use will be a significant burden on the overall spacecraft habitable volume, layout, and design. To help with this challenge, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Mars Campaign Office (MCO) Logistics Reduction (LR) Portfolio has developed a collapsible canister for the collection and containment of fecal deposits. The Alternate Fecal Canister (AFC) is a collapsible alternative to the exploration toilet Hard-sided Fecal Canister (HFC). The AFC in its empty state has a volumetric benefit to smaller vehicles on longer missions. The current designs for HFC and AFC were tested with human fecal material for odor containment at White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) where the tests on both were unsuccessful. The source of the lack of containment was isolated to a gasket used on both HFC and AFC. The gasket used was found to be open cell in design. This paper provides a summary of the materials selection and testing process to identify a replacement gasket material with the intention to replace the gaskets on both existing units as well as incorporate it into the designs going forward for future builds for exploration. Details will be provided on the design of the canisters interface with the odor bacteria lid which led to the selection of the thickness of the desired replacement. Finally, the paper will provide an update on the testing in advance of a return to WSTF for final testing and detail plans to complete testing and perform a demonstration on ISS with UWMS.

ECLSS↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Battery Evaluation Profiles for X-57 and Future Urban Electric Aircraft

Battery energy density is one of the most critical design parameters for sizing all-electric aircraft, however it’s easily overestimated. Establishing the effective, usable energy density is confused by varying degrees of margin needed to account for structural and thermal management between different cell chemistry and pack designs. Therefore, a better methodology is needed to fairly compare emerging battery technologies for electric aircraft. Currently, there is a loss of critical information when vehicle trade studies are performed using “nominal” published cell-level performance metrics. Aircraft power demands rarely match these nominal power profiles, and aircraft designers lack the ability to accurately simulate the battery performance and temperature off-nominally unless the battery chemistry is well established. Conversely, battery suppliers have no generalized reference cases to publish more realistic performance metrics. This can lead to poor assumptions, such as aircraft studies assuming a fixed discharge efficiency of a battery, when in reality the usable energy in a pack is dependent on the power and thermal profile. Information needed to properly assess weight penalties for thermal management is also typically poorly characterized when assessing candidate batteries. This paper serves to better inform battery development, and similarly, provide aircraft designers with more realistic assumptions for applying knockdown margins in their designs. Detailed power and thermal performance estimates are provided, which provide a starting point for sizing power and thermal budgets using experimentally derived battery models. Results show that the X-57 battery-to-shaft efficiency is 77.3% for a particular optimized mission. Considering a 25% reserve on the battery capacity, this means that only roughly half of the original 55.3kWh ‘nominal’ pack energy can be converted to useful work during a mission. Further estimates on a clean-sheet VTOL optimization show an average 82.7% battery-to-shaft efficiency, using 98% peak efficiency inverters and 97.4% peak efficiency motors. Although higher battery efficiencies are possible, the resulting weight penalty negates improvement in vehicle performance. These trade-offs and resulting power profiles are provided as a starting point to better assess future battery designs.

Battery↗

NASA NTRS1983

The Galileo probe Li/SO2 battery: The safest battery on Jupiter

The unique power requirement of NASA's Galileo Jupiter Probe are most readily met by a Li/SO2 battery; however, because this battery system is not space flight proven, extensive effort was required to qualify this device from the stand point of performance and safety. Due to the rather checkered safety record of the Li/SO2 system, safety has been foremost among the design considerations and has been addressed at the cell, battery and system level. The mission requirements which led to the choice of the Li/SO2 battery and the safety engineering which went into the battery and power system design are described.

Marcoux, L. S.↗

NASA NTRS1997

Future Aerospace Technology in the Service of the Alliance: Sustained Hypersonic Flight - Volume 3

Sustained Hypersonic Flight capability is envisioned for several future military and civilian applications, such as long range immediate reaction reconnaissance, high speed interception of air targets, long range precision strike against hardened or time critical targets, and access to space. The inherent reduction in time-to-target and low vulnerability will permit new operational tactics. The symposium outlined mission needs and operational scenarios for hypersonic vehicles. Addressed were: Technological issues and challenges in external hypersonic aerodynamics and design, propulsion and engine/airframe integration, military ramjet applications, overall system design including structures and materials development needs, and test facilities. Ground based test facilities cannot provide full simulation at Mach numbers above 5. Therefore, the use of Computational Fluid Dynamics design tools is essential. For routine use of the computational tools in analysis, design and optimization, it is necessary to reduce the time for the entire computational process by two orders of magnitude. Hypersonic boundary layer transition remains a critical design issue because of the important impact on engine drag and on heating, which can affect the choice of materials and thermal protection systems. In addition, reliable prediction of scramjet net thrust is an absolute must in resolving hypersonic air breathing vehicle design issues. Due to current facility and computational shortfalls, the development of future hypersonic flight systems requires research flight tests in the technology areas of boundary layer transition and air-breathing propulsion engine performance. For sustained hypersonic flight beyond Mach 6, the supersonic combustion ramjet (scramjet) engine is the only choice for the near future. Only this air-breathing concept offers a significant promise of large reductions in required propellant fractions, increased payload fractions, and reduced size vehicles, together with a foreseeable technological feasibility. Airframe/engine integration, combustor design and thermal management are the predominant engineering tasks. Fuels, hydrogen or hydrocarbon, must be matched to the operational needs of military or civil use. Experience in existing ramjet propelled missiles capable of speeds up to Mach 4 can support the development effort. The potential mission and cost benefits of sustained hypersonic flight to both military and civil applications are tremendous. From the budget point of view, the possibility of sharing development costs between military and civil programs offers a specific advantage.

Combustion chambers↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Battery Evaluation Profiles for X-57 and Future Urban Electric Aircraft

Battery energy density is one of the most critical design parameters for sizing all-electric aircraft, however it’s easily overestimated. Establishing the effective, usable energy density is confused by varying degrees of margin needed to account for structural and thermal management between different cell chemistry and pack designs. Therefore, a better methodology is needed to fairly compare emerging battery technologies for electric aircraft. Currently, there is a loss of critical information when vehicle trade studies are performed using “nominal” published cell-level performance metrics. Aircraft power demands rarely match these nominal power profiles, and aircraft designers lack the ability to accurately simulate the battery performance and temperature off-nominally unless the battery chemistry is well established. Conversely, battery suppliers have no generalized reference cases to publish more realistic performance metrics. This can lead to poor assumptions, such as aircraft studies assuming a fixed discharge efficiency of a battery, when in reality the usable energy in a pack is dependent on the power and thermal profile. Information needed to properly assess weight penalties for thermal management is also typically poorly characterized when assessing candidate batteries. This paper serves to better inform battery development, and similarly, provide aircraft designers with more realistic assumptions for applying knockdown margins in their designs. Detailed power and thermal performance estimates are provided, which provide a starting point for sizing power and thermal budgets using experimentally derived battery models. Results show that the X-57 battery-to-shaft efficiency is 77.3% for a particular optimized mission. Considering a 25% reserve on the battery capacity, this means that only roughly half of the original 55.3kWh ‘nominal’ pack energy can be converted to useful work during a mission. Further estimates on a clean-sheet VTOL optimization show an average 82.7% battery-to-shaft efficiency, using 98% peak efficiency inverters and 97.4% peak efficiency motors. Although higher battery efficiencies are possible, the resulting weight penalty negates improvement in vehicle performance. These trade-offs and resulting power profiles are provided as a starting point to better assess future battery designs.

Battery Electric Aircraft↗

NASA NTRS1994

The Solid Surface Combustion Experiment Aboard the USML-1 Mission

AA Experimental results from the five experiments indicate that flame spread rate increases with increasing ambient oxygen content and pressure. An experiment was conducted aboard STS-50/USML-1 in the solid Surface Combustion Experiment (SSCE) hardware for flame spread over a thin cellulosic fuel in a quiescent oxidizer of 35% oxygen/65% nitrogen at 1.0 atm. pressure in microgravity. The USML-1 test was the fourth of five planned experiments for thin fuels, one performed during each of five Space Shuttle Orbiter flights. Data that were gathered include gas- and solid-phase temperatures and motion picture flame images. Observations of the flame are described and compared to theoretical predictions from steady and unsteady models that include flame radiation from CO2 and H2O. Experimental results from the five esperiments indicate that flame spread rate increases with increasing ambient oxygen content and pressure. The brightness of the flame and the visible soot radiation also increase with increasing spread rate. Steady-state numerical predictions of temperature and spread rate and flame structure trends compare well with experimental results near the flame's leading edge while gradual flame evolution is captured through the unsteady model.

Robert A Altenkirch↗

NASA NTRS2008

NASA Battery Working Group - 2007-2008: Battery Task Summary Report

This presentation provides a summary of the 2007-2008 NASA Battery Working Group efforts completed in support of the NASA Engineering Safety Center (NESC). The effort covered a series of pro-active tasks that address the following: Binding Procurements -- guidelines related to requirements for the battery system that should be considered at the time of contract award Wet Life of Ni-H2 Batteries -- issues/strategies for effective storage and impact of long-term storage on performance and life Generic Guidelines for Lithium-ion Safety, Handling and Qualification -- Standardized approaches developed and risk assessments (1) Lithium-ion Performance Assessment -- survey of manufacturers and capabilities to meet mission needs. Guidelines document generated (2) Conditions Required for using Pouch Cells in Aerospace Missions -- focus on corrosion, thermal excursions and long-term performance issues. Document defining requirements to maintain performance and life (3) High Voltage Risk Assessment -- focus on safety and abuse tolerance of battery module assemblies. Recommendations of features required for safe implementation (4) Procedure for Determination of Safe Charge Rates -- evaluation of various cell chemistries and recommendation of safe operating regimes for specific cell designs

Manzo, Michelle↗

NASA NTRS2026

Scientific Highlights and Status of the Mars Science Laboratory Mission, Years 9 through 12

We present the scientific highlights and status from years 9-12 of NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory mission, with its Curiosity rover. A thermochemolysis-based sample analysis revealed a variety of organic molecules preserved in clay mineral-rich lake/lake margin deposits of the Glen Torridon region. The stratigraphically higher clay-sulfate mineral transition on Aeolis Mons was found to be associated with a lithological change from lacustrine to dry aeolian depositional environments. Water intermittently returned to the surface after the increase in aridity, including during the deposition of wave ripple strata which indicate a climate capable of sustaining an ice-free lake in the early Hesperian. The overlying Mg sulfate-bearing unit has both poly- and monohydrated Mg sulfates and is also enriched in iron carbonate of a purity consistent with chemical sedimentation and therefore atmospheric sequestration. A channel-incised canyon within Gediz Vallis and distal alluvial deposits recorded numerous fluvial and debris flow events after the deposition, lithification, and erosion of the clay- and sulfate-bearing units. Bright clasts found in Gediz Vallis canyon are composed of native sulfur. The investigation of the modern atmosphere and environment focused on the influence of the crater and mountain topography and captured high-altitude noctilucent and iridescent clouds. Radiation monitoring now spans an 11-year solar cycle. Rover systems and science instruments remain capable of addressing mission scientific objectives. All ten scientific instruments continue to return high-value data despite degradation of the Chemistry and Camera instrument’s high-voltage system, loss of multispectral imaging capability, and loss of active neutron spectroscopy. The mission has mitigated the loss of redundant brakes on two arm joints, additional wheel wear, and highly reduced capability of the redundant flight computer. Efficiency improvements in rover energy utilization and operations staffing have allowed the mission team to maintain a high level of productivity despite declining rover power generation and funding.

Mars↗