Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Sail Deployment”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 127 records · Page 7
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2015

Recent Advances in Heliogyro Solar Sail Structural Dynamics, Stability, and Control Research

Results from recent NASA sponsored research on the structural dynamics, stability, and control characteristics of heliogyro solar sails are summarized. Specific areas under investigation include coupled nonlinear finite element analysis of heliogyro membrane blade with solar radiation pressure effects, system identification of spinning membrane structures, and solarelastic stability analysis of heliogyro solar sails, including stability during blade deployment. Recent results from terrestrial 1-g blade dynamics and control experiments on "rope ladder" membrane blade analogs, and small-scale in vacuo system identification experiments with hanging and spinning high-aspect ratio membranes will also be presented. A low-cost, rideshare payload heliogyro technology demonstration mission concept is used as a mission context for these heliogyro structural dynamics and solarelasticity investigations, and is also described. Blade torsional dynamic response and control are also shown to be significantly improved through the use of edge stiffening structural features or inclusion of modest tip masses to increase centrifugal stiffening of the blade structure. An output-only system identification procedure suitable for on-orbit blade dynamics investigations is also developed and validated using ground tests of spinning sub-scale heliogyro blade models. Overall, analytical and experimental investigations to date indicate no intractable stability or control issues for the heliogyro solar sail concept.

Wilkie, W. Keats↗
NASA NTRS2019

Electric Sail Propulsion for Deep Space Missions

Electrostatic Sail (E-sail) propulsion extracts momentum from the solar wind, which has minimal speeds of 400 km/sec, through electrostatic repulsion of the positively charged solar wind ions. This momentum exchange is accomplished by an array of multi-kilometer-length charged tethers biased to a high positive voltage, producing an electric field around the tethers that deflect the positively charged solar wind particles. This electric field grows in diameter as the spacecraft moves away from the sun, increasing the E-sail effective area. The growth of the E-sail effective area allows the created propulsive force to decrease at a rate closer to 1/r out to distances from the sun of up to 20 Astronomical Units (AU). This is unlike solar sail propulsion, where the thrust decreases at a rate of 1/r2 and is only effective out to distances of ~5 AU. The propulsive force is applied without expending any propellant. Although the thrust generated by an E-Sail is low, it can be applied continuously over a period of years (depending on the mission type), and can push a 500 kg spacecraft to tremendous velocities—as high as 12 AU per year—making the voyage to 600 AU in as few as 50 years after launch. The NASA Marshall Space Flight Center recently completed a NASA Innovative Advanced Concept (NIAC) study in which all of the major system- and subsystem-level aspects of an E-Sail-propelled vehicle were assessed and a maturation plan developed. If implemented, E-Sail propulsion could be realized and deployed as a viable option for space missions within a decade.

Interstellar Probe↗
NASA NTRS1984

Response of large space structures with stiffness control

For large space structures, such as the 100-meter-diameter wrap-rib deployable antenna and spinning solar sail, whose out-of-plane stiffness is derived from in-plane tension, the out-of-plane motion can be actively controlled by time-varying in-plane tension. An elastic string is used to demonstrate the proposed approach, which results in a nonlinear ordinary differential equation. An approximation method is outlined from which the magnitude of time-varying tension can be determined based on the efficiency factor, the time factor or the optimal factor.

Chen, J.-C.↗
NASA NTRS2013

NASA Tech Briefs, September 2013

Topics include: ISS Ammonia Leak Detection Through X-Ray Fluorescence; A System for Measuring the Sway of the Vehicle Assembly Building; Fast, High-Precision Readout Circuit for Detector Arrays; Victim Simulator for Victim Detection Radar; Hydrometeor Size Distribution Measurements by Imaging the Attenuation of a Laser Spot; Quasi-Linear Circuit; High-Speed, High-Resolution Time-to-Digital Conversion; Li-Ion Battery and Supercapacitor Hybrid Design for Long Extravehicular Activities; Ultrasonic Low-Friction Containment Plate for Thermal and Ultrasonic Stir Weld Processes; High-Powered, Ultrasonically Assisted Thermal Stir Welding; Next-Generation MKIII Lightweight HUT/Hatch Assembly; Centrifugal Sieve for Gravity-Level-Independent Size; Segregation of Granular Materials; Ion Exchange Technology Development in Support of the Urine Processor Assembly; Nickel-Graphite Composite Compliant Interface and/or Hot Shoe Material; UltraSail CubeSat Solar Sail Flight Experiment; Mechanism for Deploying a Long, Thin-Film Antenna From a Rover; Counterflow Regolith Heat Exchanger; Acquisition and Retaining Granular Samples via a Rotating Coring Bit; Very-Low-Cost, Rugged Vacuum System; Medicine Delivery Device With Integrated Sterilization and Detection; FRET-Aptamer Assays for Bone Marker Assessment, C-Telopeptide, Creatinine, and Vitamin D; Multimode Directional Coupler for Utilization of Harmonic Frequencies from TWTAs; Dual-Polarization, Multi-Frequency Antenna Array for use with Hurricane Imaging Radiometer; Complementary Barrier Infrared Detector (CBIRD) Contact Methods; Autonomous Control of Space Nuclear Reactors; High-Power, High-Speed Electro-Optic Pockels Cell Modulator; Covariance Analysis Tool (G-CAT) for Computing Ascent, Descent, and Landing Errors; Enigma Version 12; Micrometeoroid and Orbital Debris (MMOD) Shield Ballistic Limit Analysis Program; Spitzer Telemetry Processing System; Planetary Protection Bioburden Analysis Program; Wing Leading Edge RCC Rapid Response Damage Prediction Tool (IMPACT2); ISSM: Ice Sheet System Model; Automated Loads Analysis System (ATLAS); Integrated Main Propulsion System Performance Reconstruction Process/Models. Phoenix Telemetry Processor; Contact Graph Routing Enhancements Developed in ION for DTN; GFEChutes Lo-Fi; Advanced Strategic and Tactical Relay Request Management for the Mars Relay Operations Service; Software for Generating Troposphere Corrections for InSAR Using GPS and Weather Model Data; Ionospheric Specifications for SAR Interferometry (ISSI); Implementation of a Wavefront-Sensing Algorithm; Sally Ride EarthKAM - Automated Image Geo-Referencing Using Google Earth Web Plug-In; Trade Space Specification Tool (TSST) for Rapid Mission Architecture (Version 1.2); Acoustic Emission Analysis Applet (AEAA) Software; Memory-Efficient Onboard Rock Segmentation; Advanced Multimission Operations System (ATMO); Robot Sequencing and Visualization Program (RSVP); Automating Hyperspectral Data for Rapid Response in Volcanic Emergencies; Raster-Based Approach to Solar Pressure Modeling; Space Images for NASA JPL Android Version; Kinect Engineering with Learning (KEWL); Spacecraft 3D Augmented Reality Mobile App; MPST Software: grl_pef_check; Real-Time Multimission Event Notification System for Mars Relay; SIM_EXPLORE: Software for Directed Exploration of Complex Systems; Mobile Timekeeping Application Built on Reverse-Engineered JPL Infrastructure; Advanced Query and Data Mining Capabilities for MaROS; Jettison Engineering Trajectory Tool; MPST Software: grl_suppdoc; PredGuid+A: Orion Entry Guidance Modified for Aerocapture; Planning Coverage Campaigns for Mission Design and Analysis: CLASP for DESDynl; and Space Place Prime.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2014

Recent Progress in Heliogyro Solar Sail Structural Dynamics

Results from recent National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) research on the structural dynamics and control characteristics of heliogyro solar sails are summarized. Specific areas under investigation include coupled nonlinear finite element analysis of heliogyro membrane blade with solar radiation pressure effects, system identification of spinning membrane structures, solarelastic stability analysis of heliogyro solar sails, including stability during blade deployment, and results from small-scale in vacuo dynamics experiments with spinning high-aspect ratio membranes. A low-cost, rideshare payload heliogyro technology demonstration mission concept, used as a mission context for these heliogyro structural dynamics and solarelasticity investigations, is also described.

Wilkie, William K.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Viscoelastic Characterization of Polymers for Deployable Composite Booms

Deployable space structures have been built from thin-walled fiber-reinforced polymer composite materials due to their high specific strength, high specific stiffness, and bistability. However, the inherent viscoelastic behavior of the resin matrix can cause dimensional instability when parts are stored under strain. The extended time of stowage between assembly and deployment in space can result in performance degradation and in the worst case, mission failure. In this study, the viscoelastic properties of candidate commercial polymers for deployable boom structures of solar sails were evaluated. Stress relaxation master curves of the candidate polymers were used to predict the relaxation that would occur in 1 year at room temperature under relatively low strains of ~0.1%. A bismaleimide (BMI) showed less stress relaxation (about 20%) than the baseline Novolac epoxy (about 50%). Carbon fiber composites fabricated with the BMI resin showed a 44% improvement in relaxation compared to the baseline epoxy composite. Other difunctional and tetrafunctional epoxies, thermoplastic, and thermosetting polyimides were also evaluated.

Kang, Jin Ho↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The High Inclination Solar Mission (HISM)

The High Inclination Solar Mission (HISM) is an out-of-the-ecliptic solar sail mission concept for observing the Sun and the heliosphere. The mission profile is based on the Solar Polar Imager concept: initially spiraling in to a 0.48 AU ecliptic orbit, then increasing the orbital inclination at a rate of up to 10° degrees per year, ultimately reaching a heliographic inclination of >75°.The orbital profile is achieved using solar sails based on the sail design for the Solar Cruiser mission, currently in Phase-A study at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. An initial instrument complement was assumed for the study, consisting of a combination of remote, in-situ, and plasma wave instruments with a total mass of 66 kg. These provide a comprehensive suite of instruments to study the solar polar regions and connections to the heliosphere. The 7,000 m sail used in the mission assessment is a direct extension of the 4-quadrant 1,666 m Solar Cruiser design and employs the same type of high strength composite boom, deployment mechanism, and membrane technology. The sail system modeled is spun (~1 rpm) to assure required boom characteristics with margin. The spacecraft bus features a fine-pointing 3-axisstabilized instrument platform that allows full science observations as soon as the spacecraft reaches a solar distance of 0.48 AU. The spacecraft provides 95W power to science instruments and 8 Gbit/day downlink capability.

solar sail↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The High Inclination Solar Mission (HISM)

The High Inclination Solar Mission (HISM) is a concept for an out-of-the-ecliptic mission for observing the Sun and the heliosphere. The mission profile is largely based on the Solar Polar Imager concept; initially taking ~2.6 yrs to spiral in to a 0.48 AU equatorial orbit, then increasing the orbital inclination at a rate of 10 degrees per year, ultimately reaching an inclination of >75 degrees at the end of the mission. The orbital profile is achieved using solar sails derived from the technology currently being developed for the Solar Cruiser mission. HISM remote sensing instruments comprise an imaging spectropolarimeter (Doppler imager/magnetograph) and a visible light coronagraph. The in-situ instruments include a Faraday cup, an ion composition spectrometer, and magnetometers. Plasma wave measurements are made with electrical antennas and high speed magnetometers. The 7,000 m2 sail used in mission assessment is a direct extension of the 4-quadrant, 1,600 m2 Solar Cruiser Phase-A design and employs the same type of high strength composite boom, deployment mechanism, and membrane technology. The sail system modeled is spun (~1 rpm) to assure required boom characteristics with margin. The spacecraft bus features a fine-pointing 3-axis stabilized instrument platform that allows full science observations as soon as the spacecraft reaches the 0.48 AU orbit.

Solar sail, high inclination, solar physics, helio↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Near Earth Asteroid Scout - Mission Update

After its deployment from NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), the Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) Scout mission will travel to and image an asteroid during a close flyby using an 86m^2 solar sail as its primary propulsion. Solar sails are large, mirror-like structures made of a lightweight material that reflects sunlight to propel the spacecraft. The continuous solar photon pressure provides thrust with no need for the heavy, expendable propellants used by conventional chemical and electric propulsion systems. Developed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the NEA Scout is based on the industry-standard CubeSat form factor. The spacecraft measures 11 cm x 24 cm x 36 cm and weighs less than 14 kilograms. Following deployment from the Space Launch System (SLS), the solar sail will deploy, and the spacecraft will begin its 2.0 – 2.5-year journey. About one month before the asteroid flyby, NEA Scout will search for the target and start its Approach Phase using a combination of radio tracking and optical navigation and perform a relatively slow flyby (10-20 m/s) of the target. A summary of the mission, sailcraft, mission design, and its first several months of deep space operation will be described.

Near Earth Asteroid↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Research Activities at NASA: “The Hera Astronaut Analog Mission, Astrobee, and the Advanced Composite Solar Sail System”

During this seminar, I will talk about three of the projects I’ve been involved with at NASA in the last few years: - The Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) is a ground-based astronaut analog mission run at NASA’s JSC in Houston to study and evaluate impacts on the crew due to isolation, remoteness, and confined habitation. NASA scientists use the collected data to develop and verify countermeasures to reduce or mitigate psychological and physiological effects for future Deep Space missions. This simulation was a 45-day trip to Mars’s moon Phobos and back with the goal of performing geological operations with complete communications delays in effect. - Astrobee is a new class of free-flying robots that operates in the interior of the International Space Station (ISS). In addition to being a research platform for microgravity free-flying robotics, Astrobee improves the efficiency of ISS operations by providing flight and payload controllers with a mobile camera and a sensor platform. - NASA is developing new deployable structures and material technologies for solar sail propulsion systems destined for future low-cost deep space missions. NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3) uses composite materials in its novel, lightweight booms that deploy from a Cubesat. Data obtained from ACS3 will guide the design of future larger-scale composite solar sail systems that could be used for several deep space exploration missions

International Space Station↗
NASA NTRS2014

Lunar Flashlight: Mapping Lunar Surface Volatiles Using a Cubesat

Water ice and other volatiles may be located in the Moon's polar regions, with sufficient quantities for in situ extraction and utilization by future human and robotic missions. Evidence from orbiting spacecraft and the LCROSS impactor suggests the presence of surface and/or nearsurface volatiles, including water ice. These deposits are of interest to human exploration to understand their potential for use by astronauts. Understanding the composition, quantity, distribution, and form of water/H species and other volatiles associated with lunar cold traps is identified as a NASA Strategic Knowledge Gap (SKG) for Human Exploration. These polar volatile deposits could also reveal important information about the delivery of water to the Earth- Moon system, so are of scientific interest. The scientific exploration of the lunar polar regions was one of the key recommendations of the Planetary Science Decadal Survey. In order to address NASA's SKGs, the Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) program selected three lowcost 6-U CubeSat missions for launch as secondary payloads on the first test flight (EM1) of the Space Launch System (SLS) scheduled for 2017. The Lunar Flashlight mission was selected as one of these missions, specifically to address the SKG associated with lunar volatiles. Development of the Lunar Flashlight CubeSat concept leverages JPL's Interplanetary Nano- Spacecraft Pathfinder In Relevant Environment (INSPIRE) mission, MSFC's intimate knowledge of the Space Launch System and EM-1 mission, small business development of solar sail and electric propulsion hardware, and JPL experience with specialized miniature sensors. The goal of Lunar Flashlight is to determine the presence or absence of exposed water ice and its physical state, and map its concentration at the kilometer scale within the permanently shadowed regions of the lunar south pole. After being ejected in cislunar space by SLS, Lunar Flashlight deploys its solar panels and solar sail and maneuvers into a low-energy transfer to lunar orbit. The solar sail and attitude control system work to bring the satellite into an elliptical polar orbit spiraling down to a perilune of 30-10 km above the south pole for data collection. Lunar Flashlight uses its solar sail to shine reflected sunlight into permanently shadowed regions, measuring surface albedo with a four-filter point spectrometer at 1.1, 1.5 1.9, and 2.0 microns. Water ice will be distinguished from dry regolith from these measurements in two ways: 1) spatial variations in absolute reflectance (water ice is much brighter in the continuum channels), and 2) reflectance ratios between absorption and continuum channels. Derived reflectance and reflectance ratios will be mapped onto the lunar surface in order to distinguish the composition of the PSRs from that of the sunlit terrain. Lunar Flashlight enables a low-cost path to in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) by identifying operationally useful deposits (if there are any), which is a game-changing capability for expanded human exploration.

Cohen, B. A.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Finite Rotation Analysis of Highly Thin and Flexible Structures

Deployable space structures such as sunshields and solar sails are extremely thin and highly flexible with limited bending rigidity. For analytical investigation of their responses during deployment and operation in space, these structures can be modeled as thin shells. The present work examines the applicability of the solid shell element formulation to modeling of deployable space structures. The solid shell element formulation that models a shell as a three-dimensional solid is convenient in that no rotational parameters are needed for the description of kinematics of deformation. However, shell elements may suffer from element locking as the thickness becomes smaller unless special care is taken. It is shown that, when combined with the assumed strain formulation, the solid shell element formulation results in finite element models that are free of locking even for extremely thin structures. Accordingly, they can be used for analysis of highly flexible space structures undergoing geometrically nonlinear finite rotations.

Clarke, Greg V.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Reduction of Martian Sample Return Mission Launch Mass with Solar Sail Propulsion

Solar sails have the potential to provide mass and cost savings for spacecraft traveling within the inner solar system. Companies like L'Garde have demonstrated sail manufacturability and various in-space deployment methods. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a current Mars sample return architecture and to determine how cost and mass would be reduced by incorporating a solar sail propulsion system. The team validated the design proposed by L'Garde, and scaled the design based on a trajectory analysis. Using the solar sail design reduced the required mass, eliminating one of the three launches required in the original architecture.

Russell, Tiffany E.↗
NASA NTRS1977

The effect of environmental plasma interactions on the performance of the solar sail system

Interaction between the solar sail and the natural plasma environment were examined for deleterious impacts upon the operation of the sail and its associated payload. Electrostatic charging of the sail in the solar wind and in near earth environment were examined. Deployment problems were studied. An analysis of electromechanical oscillations coupling the sail to the natural plasma was performed. As a result of these studies, it was concluded that none of these effects will have a significant negative impact upon the sail operation. The natural environment will be significantly perturbed and this will preclude measurements of electric and magnetic fields from an attached payload.

Douglas, M.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Deployable Debris Shields For Space Station

Multilayer shields made of lightweight sheet materials deployed from proposed Space Station Freedom for additional protection against orbiting debris. Deployment mechanism attached at each location on exterior where extra protection needed. Equipment withdraws layer of material from storage in manner similar to unfurling sail or extending window shade. Number of layers deployed depends on required degree of protection, and could be as large as five.

Christiansen, Eric L.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Large-Scale Mini-Magnetosphere Plasma Propulsion (M2P2) Experiments

Mini-Magnetosphere Plasma Propulsion (M2P2) is an innovative plasma propulsion system that has the potential to propel spacecraft at unprecedented speeds of 50 to 80 km/s, with a low power requirement of approx. 1 kW per 100 kg of payload and -1 kg of neutral gas [fuel] consumption per day of acceleration. Acceleration periods from several days to a few months are envisioned. High specific impulse and efficiency are achieved through coupling of the spacecraft to the 400 km/s. solar wind through an artificial magnetosphere. The mini-magnetosphere or inflated magnetic bubble is produced by the injection of cold dense plasma into a spacecraft-generated magnetic field envelope. Magnetic bubble inflation is driven by electromagnetic processes thereby avoiding the material and deployment problems faced by mechanical solar sail designs. Here, we present the theoretical design of M2P2 as well as initial results from experimental testing of an M2P2 prototype demonstrating: 1) inflation of the dipole magnetic field geometry through the internal injection of cold plasma; and 2) deflection of and artificial solar wind by the prototype M2P2 system. In addition, we present plans for direct laboratory measurement of thrust imparted to a prototype M2P2 by an artificial solar wind during the summer of 2001.

Winglee, R. M.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Large-Scale Mini-Magnetosphere Plasma Propulsion (M2P2) Experiments

Mini-Magnetosphere Plasma Propulsion (M2P2) is an innovative plasma propulsion system that has the potential to propel spacecraft at unprecedented speeds of 50 to 80 km per second with a low-power requirement of approx. 1 kW per 100 kg of payload and approx. 1 kg of neutral gas [fuel] consumption per day of acceleration. Acceleration periods from several days to a few months are envisioned. High specific impulse and efficiency are achieved through coupling of the spacecraft to the 400 km per second solar wind through an artificial magnetosphere. The mini-magnetosphere or inflated magnetic bubble is produced by the injection of cold dense plasma into a spacecraft-generated magnetic field envelope. Magnetic bubble inflation is driven by electromagnetic processes thereby avoiding the material and deployment problems faced by mechanical solar sail designs, Here, we present the theoretical design of M2P2 as well as initial results from experimental testing of an M2P2 prototype demonstrating: 1) inflation of the dipole magnetic field geometry through the internal injection of cold plasma; and 2) deflection of and artificial solar wind by the prototype M2P2 system. In addition, we present plans for direct laboratory measurement of thrust imparted to a prototype M2P2 by an artificial solar wind during the summer of 2001.

Winglee, R. M.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Inside NanoSail-D: A Tiny Satellite with Big Ideas

"Small But Mighty" certainly describes the NanoSail-D experiment and mission. Its unique goals and designs were simple, but the implications of this technology are far reaching. From a tiny 3U CubeSat, NanoSail-D deployed a 10 square meter solar sail. This was the first sail vehicle to orbit the earth and was only the second time a sail was unfurled in space. The NanoSail-D team included: two NASA centers, Marshall and Ames, the universities of Alabama in Huntsville and Santa Clara in California, the Air Force Research Laboratory and many contractors including NeXolve, Gray Research and several others. The collaborative nature was imperative to the success of this project. In addition, the Army Space and Missile Defense Command, the Von Braun Center for Science and Innovation and Dynetics Inc. jointly sponsored the NanoSail-D project. This paper presents in-depth insight into the NanoSail-D development. Its design was a combination of left over space hardware coupled with cutting edge technology. Since this NanoSail-D mission was different from the first, several modifications were necessary for the second NanoSail-D unit. Unforeseen problems arose during refurbishment of the second unit and the team had to overcome these obstacles. Simple interfaces, clear responsibilities and division of effort allowed the team members to work independently on the common goal. This endeavor formed working relationships lasting well beyond the end of this mission. NanoSail-D pushed the technology envelop with future applications for all classes of satellites. NanoSail-D is truly a small but mighty satellite, which may cast a very big shadow for years to come.

Alhorn, Dean C.↗