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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
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2002

LWS/SET Technology Experiment Carrier

This paper examines the approach taken to building a low-cost, modular spacecraft bus that can be used to support a variety of technology experiments in different space environments. It describes the techniques used and design drivers considered to ensure experiment independence from as yet selected host spacecraft. It describes the technology experiment carriers that will support NASA's Living With a Star Space Environment Testbed space missions. NASA has initiated the Living With a Star (LWS) Program to develop a better scientific understanding to address the aspects of the connected Sun-Earth system that affect life and society. A principal goal of the program is to bridge the gap between science, engineering, and user application communities. The Space Environment Testbed (SET) Project is one element of LWS. The Project will enable future science, operational, and commercial objectives in space and atmospheric environments by improving engineering approaches to the accommodation and/or mitigation of the effects of solar variability on technological systems. The SET Project is highly budget constrained and must seek to take advantage of as yet undetermined partnering opportunities for access to space. SET will conduct technology validation experiments hosted on available flight opportunities. The SET Testbeds will be developed in a manner that minimizes the requirements for accommodation, and will be flown as flight opportunities become available. To access the widest range of flight opportunities, two key development requirements are to maintain flexibility with respect to accommodation constraints and to have the capability to respond quickly to flight opportunities. Experiments, already developed to the technology readiness level of needing flight validation in the variable Sun-Earth environment, will be selected on the basis of the need for the subject technology, readiness for flight, need for flight resources and particular orbit. Experiments will be accumulated by the Project and manifested for specific flight opportunities as they become available. The SET Carrier is designed to present a standard set of interfaces to SET technology experiments and to be modular and flexible enough to interface to a variety of possible host spacecraft. The Carrier will have core components and mission unique components. Once the core carrier elements have been developed, only the mission unique components need to be defined and developed for any particular mission. This approach will minimize the mission specific cost and development schedule for a given flight opportunity. The standard set of interfaces provided by SET to experiments allows them to be developed independent of the particulars of a host spacecraft. The Carrier will provide the power, communication, and the necessary monitoring features to operate experiments. The Carrier will also provide all of the mechanical assemblies and harnesses required to adapt experiments to a particular host. Experiments may be hosted locally with the Carrier or remotely on the host spacecraft. The Carrier design will allow a single Carrier to support a variable number of experiments and will include features that support the ability to incrementally add experiments without disturbing the core architecture.

Sherman, Barry↗
NASA NTRS2010

Space Technology 5 (ST-5) Observations of the Imbalance of Region 1 and 2 Field-Aligned Currents

Space Technology 5 (ST-5) is a three micro-satellite constellation deployed into a 300 x 4500 km, dawn-dusk, sun-synchronous polar orbit from March 22 to June 21, 2006, for technology validations. In this study, we use the in-situ magnetic field observations from Space Technology 5 mission to quantify the imbalance of Region 1 (R1) and Region 2 (R2) currents. During the three-month duration of the ST5 mission, geomagnetic conditions range from quiet to moderately active. We find that the R1 current intensity is consistently stronger than the R2 current intensity both for the dawnside and the duskside large-scale field-aligned current system. The net currents flowing into (out of) the ionosphere in the dawnside (duskside) are in the order of 5% of the total RI currents. We also find that the net currents flowing into or out of the ionosphere are controlled by the solar wind-magnetosphere interaction in the same way as the field-aligned currents themselves are. Since the net currents due to the imbalance of the R1 and R2 currents require that their closure currents flow across the polar cap from dawn to dusk as Pedersen currents, our results indicate that the total amount of the cross-polar cap Pedersen currents is in the order of approx. 0.1 MA. This study, although with a very limited dataset, is one of the first attempts to quantify the cross-polar cap Pedersen currents. Given the importance of the Joule heating due to Pedersen currents to the high-latitude ionospheric electrodynamics, quantifying the cross-polar cap Pedersen currents and associated Joule heating is needed for developing models of the magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling.

Le, Guan↗
NASA NTRS2021

SNOOPI: Demonstrating P-Band Reflectometry from Orbit

SigNals Of Opportunity: P-band Investigation (SNOOPI)will be the first on-orbit demonstration of remote sensing using Signals of Opportunity (SoOp) in P-band (240-380 MHz). P-band is needed to penetrate through dense vegetation and into the root zone. The longer wavelength of P-band also increases the unwrapping interval for phase observations. These observations hold the potential for spaceborne remote sensing of root-zone soil moisture (RZSM) and snow water equivalent(SWE), two variables identified as priorities in the 2017-2027 Decadal Survey for Earth Science and Applications from Space. SNOOPI will provide in-space validation of both the P-band SoOp technique and a science instrument prototype. SNOOPI technology validation goals will be met by targeting observations within 9 km of the SMAP calibration/validation sites in the continental United States. A secondary priority is collection of continuous phase data over snow-covered regions. These goals are evaluated under constraints of a limited data budget and mission lifetime, with a launch readiness in early2022. Updates on the development of measurement models and mission planning to support SNOOPI are provided. Aground-based station will be deployed to monitor the non-cooperative sources, in order to reduce risk due to uncertainty in knowledge of the broadcast power, spectrum shape, and orbital position.

J L Garrison↗
NASA NTRS2005

Development of a Modeling Framework to Support Control Investigations of Sailcraft Missions A First Cut: ABLE Sailcraft Dynamics Model

Solar Sailcraft, the stuff of dreams of the H.G. Wells generation, is now a rapidly maturing reality. The promise of unlimited propulsive power by harnessing stellar radiation is close to realization. Currently, efforts are underway to build, prototype and test two configurations. These sails are designed to meet a 20m sail requirement, under guidance of the In-Space Propulsion (ISP) technology program office at MSFC. While these sails will not fly , they are the first steps in improving our understanding of the processes and phenomena at work. As part of the New Millennium Program (NMP) the ST9 technology validation mission hopes to launch and fly a solar sail by 2010 or sooner. Though the Solar Sail community has been studying and validating various concepts over two decades, it was not until recent breakthroughs in structural and material technology, has made possible to build sails that could be launched. With real sails that can be tested (albeit under earth conditions), the real task of engineering a viable spacecraft has finally commenced. Since it is not possible to accurately or practically recreate the actual operating conditions of the sailcraft (zero-G, vacuum and extremely low temperatures), much of the work has focused on developing accurate models that can be used to predict behavior in space, and for sails that are 6-10 times the size of currently existing sails. Since these models can be validated only with real test data under "earth" conditions, the process of modeling and the identification of uncertainty due to model assumptions and scope need to be closely considered. Sailcraft models that exist currently, are primarily focused on detailed physical representations at the component level, these are intended to support prototyping efforts. System level models that cut across different sail configurations and control concepts while maintaining a consistent approach are non-existent. Much effort has been focused on the areas of thrust performance, solar radiation prediction, and sail membrane behavior vis-a-vis their reflective geometry, such as wrinkling/folding/furling as it pertains to thrust prediction. A parallel effort has been conducted on developing usable models for developing attitude control systems (ACS), for different sail configurations in different regimes. There has been very little by way of a system wide exploration of the impact of the various control schemes, thrust prediction models for different sail configurations being considered.

Sarathy, Sriprakash↗
DOE OSTI2024

Field Validation of Electrochemical Water Filtration System on an Open Loop Cooling Tower at Nissan Manufacturing Plant in Canton, Mississippi

The U.S. Department of Energy Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office’s Industrial Technology Validation (ITV) program aims to identify and demonstrate the performance of new, emerging, and underutilized technologies in the industrial sector to help inform decisions towards accelerating commercialization and deployment. This ITV demonstration investigated the performance of an early-commercial electrochemical water treatment technology on a cooling tower at an automotive plant. Cooling towers are vital equipment for dissipating heat from industrial processes, but they face challenges related to scaling, corrosion, and the growth of biological contaminants. Effective cooling tower water treatment is therefore essential in reducing these contaminants and other total suspended solids (TSS) and total dissolved solids (TDS). Various treatment systems, such as sand-based filters, centrifugal separators, and disc filters are available, each having its advantages and drawbacks. ElectroCell Systems, a filtration technology provider, offers an electrochemistry-based water treatment system that is skid-mounted and can be configured as a side-stream filtration system.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA Environmental Control and Life Support Technology Development for Exploration: 2020 to 2021 Overview

This paper provides an overview of NASA supported activities developing Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLSS) technologies in the following capability areas: life support, environmental monitoring, fire safety, and logistics. NASA has been refining technology needs for deep space missions including Gateway, lunar surface, Mars transit, and Mars surface missions. Validating technologies in relevant environments, both in low earth orbit (LEO) and ground tests is critical in understanding technology performance and long duration performance. On-orbit and ground tests inform NASA’s technology decisions to fill exploration gaps. NASA has multiple technology projects across the technology readiness spectrum with potential to fill or partially fill exploration gaps. For each capability area, this paper will describe select capability gaps, NASA technology project maturation over the past year, and how key performance parameters (KPPs) are being used to measure the degree of capability gap closure. KPPs are evolving but they still provide a useful measure in communicating progress and identifying development needs to fill exploration gaps. The intent is to provide a very high-level overview describing the strategic approach to gap closure and provide references to additional technical details, progress, and KPPs.

Life Support↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA Environmental Control and Life Support Technology Development for Exploration: 2020 to 2021 Overview

This paper provides an overview of NASA supported activities developing Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLSS) technologies in the following capability areas: life support, environmental monitoring, fire safety, and logistics. NASA has been refining technology needs for deep space missions including Gateway, lunar surface, Mars transit, and Mars surface missions. Validating technologies in relevant environments, both in low earth orbit (LEO) and ground tests is critical in understanding technology performance and long duration performance. On-orbit and ground tests inform NASA’s technology decisions to fill exploration gaps. NASA has multiple technology projects across the technology readiness spectrum with potential to fill or partially fill exploration gaps. For each capability area, this paper will describe select capability gaps, NASA technology project maturation over the past year, and key performance parameters (KPPs). KPPs are evolving but they still provide a useful measure in communicating progress and identifying development needs to fill exploration gaps. The intent is to provide a very high-level overview describing the projects that are supporting gap closure and provide references to additional technical details, progress, and KPPs.

James Lee Broyan↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA Environmental Control and Life Support Technology Development for Exploration: 2020 to 2021 Overview

This PowerPoint presentation supports the following paper submission's abstract (STRIVES 20210015025). This paper provides an overview of NASA supported activities developing Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLSS) technologies in the following capability areas: life support, environmental monitoring, fire safety, and logistics. NASA has been refining technology needs for deep space missions including Gateway, lunar surface, Mars transit, and Mars surface missions. Validating technologies in relevant environments, both in low earth orbit (LEO) and ground tests is critical in understanding technology performance and long duration performance. On-orbit and ground tests inform NASA’s technology decisions to fill exploration gaps. NASA has multiple technology projects across the technology readiness spectrum with potential to fill or partially fill exploration gaps. For each capability area, this paper will describe select capability gaps, NASA technology project maturation over the past year, and key performance parameters (KPPs). KPPs are evolving but they still provide a useful measure in communicating progress and identifying development needs to fill exploration gaps. The intent is to provide a very high-level overview describing the projects that are supporting gap closure and provide references to additional technical details, progress, and KPPs.

Life Support↗
NASA NTRS2018

Deep Space Optical Communications

The future demand for enhanced telecommunication capacity required to support human and robotic exploration from deep-space has motivated the advancement of free-space laser communication technologies for the past few decades. Steady advances in these technologies, validated through space-to-ground demonstrations, have resulted in incremental advances with the deep-space optical communications (DSOC) technology demonstration being one of the next milestones on NASA’s roadmap. NASA’s Psyche Mission to launch early next decade plans to host a DSOC flight laser transceiver for link demonstrations extending from 0.1 to farther than 2 astronomical units (AU). The capabilities validated though this demonstration, we expect, could spur the use of optical communications infrastructure around Mars in the next few decades. In this paper we summarize ongoing activities underway at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in preparation for the DSOC technology demonstration and go on to present discussions on the drivers for developing a robust deep space laser communications operational capability.

Hoppe, Daniel↗
NASA NTRS1997

Preliminary Design of Low-Thrust Interplanetary Missions

For interplanetary missions, highly efficient electric propulsion systems can be used to increase the mass delivered to the destination and/or reduce the trip time over typical chemical propulsion systems. This technology is being demonstrated on the Deep Space 1 mission - part of NASA's New Millennium Program validating technologies which can lower the cost and risk and enhance the performance of future missions. With the successful demonstration on Deep Space 1, future missions can consider electric propulsion as a viable propulsion option. Electric propulsion systems, while highly efficient, produce only a small amount of thrust. As a result, the engines operate during a significant fraction of the trajectory. This characteristic makes it much more difficult to find optimal trajectories. The methods for optimizing low-thrust trajectories are typically categorized as either indirect, or direct. Indirect methods are based on calculus of variations, resulting in a two-point boundary value problem that is solved by satisfying terminal constraints and targeting conditions. These methods are subject to extreme sensitivity to the initial guess of the variables - some of which are not physically intuitive. Adding a gravity assist to the trajectory compounds the sensitivity. Direct methods parameterize the problem and use nonlinear programming techniques to optimize an objective function by adjusting a set of variables. A variety of methods of this type have been examined with varying results. These methods are subject to the limitations of the nonlinear programming techniques. In this paper we present a direct method intended to be used primarily for preliminary design of low-thrust interplanetary trajectories, including those with multiple gravity assists. Preliminary design implies a willingness to accept limited accuracy to achieve an efficient algorithm that executes quickly.

Sims, Jon A.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Cooling Technology for Large Space Telescopes

NASA's New Millennium Program funded an effort to develop a system cooling technology, which is applicable to all future infrared, sub-millimeter and millimeter cryogenic space telescopes. In particular, this technology is necessary for the proposed large space telescope Single Aperture Far-Infrared Telescope (SAFIR) mission. This technology will also enhance the performance and lower the risk and cost for other cryogenic missions. The new paradigm for cooling to low temperatures will involve passive cooling using lightweight deployable membranes that serve both as sunshields and V-groove radiators, in combination with active cooling using mechanical coolers operating down to 4 K. The Cooling Technology for Large Space Telescopes (LST) mission planned to develop and demonstrate a multi-layered sunshield, which is actively cooled by a multi-stage mechanical cryocooler, and further the models and analyses critical to scaling to future missions. The outer four layers of the sunshield cool passively by radiation, while the innermost layer is actively cooled to enable the sunshield to decrease the incident solar irradiance by a factor of more than one million. The cryocooler cools the inner layer of the sunshield to 20 K, and provides cooling to 6 K at a telescope mounting plate. The technology readiness level (TRL) of 7 will be achieved by the active cooling technology following the technology validation flight in Low Earth Orbit. In accordance with the New Millennium charter, tests and modeling are tightly integrated to advance the technology and the flight design for "ST-class" missions. Commercial off-the-shelf engineering analysis products are used to develop validated modeling capabilities to allow the techniques and results from LST to apply to a wide variety of future missions. The LST mission plans to "rewrite the book" on cryo-thermal testing and modeling techniques, and validate modeling techniques to scale to future space telescopes such as SAFIR.

DiPirro, Michael↗
NASA NTRS1986

Digital avionics systems - Overview of FAA/NASA/industry-wide briefing

The effects of incorporating digital technology into the design of aircraft on the airworthiness criteria and certification procedures for aircraft are investigated. FAA research programs aimed at providing data for the functional assessment of aircraft which use digital systems for avionics and flight control functions are discussed. The need to establish testing, assurance assessment, and configuration management technologies to insure the reliability of digital systems is discussed; consideration is given to design verification, system performance/robustness, and validation technology.

Larsen, William E.↗
NASA NTRS2023

Establishing a Pathway to Greener Aviation

The burning and production of jet fuel in both commercial and regional planes at a high volume releases extreme levels of carbon emission as of its current state. This paper analyzes the implementation and benefits of three sustainable alternatives to traditional jet fuel: sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), hydrogen fuel cells, and electric batteries. A roadmap to show progress in reducing the carbon footprint of aviation is then proposed. The first phase of the roadmap involves the evolution of technology, validation, and testing of SAF-powered planes and the preliminary development of hydrogen production and propulsion and battery technology and the development of electric propulsion technologies. The second phase illustrates the widespread implementation of all three fuel sources where electric aviation will be enforced in short-range travel (30 min-3 hrs), medium-range aircraft (3-6 hrs) will use hydrogen fuel cells, and long-range (6+ hrs) airliners will utilize SAF. The third and final phase will enact the use of SAF and electric batteries for long-range applications while hydrogen fuel cells will dominate short- and medium-range aircraft. This roadmap, in combination with proper legislative action and corporate cooperation paired with public awareness, can help eliminate the usage of jet fuel in the aviation industry and replace it with three more sustainable and clean fuel sources.

green aviation↗
NASA NTRS2008

Developments in Test Facility and Data Networking for the Altitude Test Stand at the John C. Stennis Space Center, MS - A General Overview

May 2007, NASA's Constellation Program selected John C Stennis Space Center (SSC) near Waveland Mississippi as the site to construct an altitude test facility for the developmental and qualification testing of the Ares1 upper stage (US) engine. Test requirements born out of the Ares1 US propulsion system design necessitate exceptional Data Acquisition System (DAS) design solutions that support facility and propellant systems conditioning, test operations control and test data analysis. This paper reviews the new A3 Altitude Test Facility's DAS design requirements for real-time deterministic digital data, DAS technology enhancements, system trades, technology validation activities, and the current status of this system's new architecture. Also to be discussed will be current network technologies to improve data transfer.

Hebert, Phillip W., Sr.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Space Station utilization for technology purposes

The role of the Space Station in in-space technology research and development is discussed. The categorizing of research and technology experiments, which is required in order to provide the proper facilities for the experiments, is described. The use of the Space Station, itself, as an experiment is studied; instrumented large space structure experiments, environmental interactions, human-machine interface, and evolutionary technology validation can be conducted by the Space Station. The necessary conditions for the Space Station to function as a research and technology facility are analyzed. The Space Station design and planning considerations, in order to meet research and technology objectives and support requirements, are investigated.

Anderson, J. L.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Development of advanced structural analysis methodologies for predicting widespread fatigue damage in aircraft structures

NASA is developing a 'tool box' that includes a number of advanced structural analysis computer codes which, taken together, represent the comprehensive fracture mechanics capability required to predict the onset of widespread fatigue damage. These structural analysis tools have complementary and specialized capabilities ranging from a finite-element-based stress-analysis code for two- and three-dimensional built-up structures with cracks to a fatigue and fracture analysis code that uses stress-intensity factors and material-property data found in 'look-up' tables or from equations. NASA is conducting critical experiments necessary to verify the predictive capabilities of the codes, and these tests represent a first step in the technology-validation and industry-acceptance processes. NASA has established cooperative programs with aircraft manufacturers to facilitate the comprehensive transfer of this technology by making these advanced structural analysis codes available to industry.

Harris, Charles E.↗