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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 1,333 records · Page 74
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2006

Mars Aerocapture Systems Study

Mars Aerocapture Systems Study (MASS) is a detailed study of the application of aerocapture to a large Mars robotic orbiter to assess and identify key technology gaps. This study addressed use of an Opposition class return segment for use in the Mars Sample Return architecture. Study addressed mission architecture issues as well as system design. Key trade studies focused on design of aerocapture aeroshell, spacecraft design and packaging, guidance, navigation and control with simulation, computational fluid dynamics, and thermal protection system sizing. Detailed master equipment lists are included as well as a cursory cost assessment.

Wright, Henry S.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Rapid Contamination During Storage of Carbonaceous Chondrites Prepared for Micro FTIR Measurements

The carbonaceous chondrites Tagish Lake and Murchison, which contain abundant hydrous minerals, when pressed on aluminum plates and analyzed by micro FTIR, were found to have been contaminated during brief (24 hours) storage. This contamination occurred when the samples were stored within containers which included silicone rubber, silicone grease or adhesive tape. Long-path gas cell FTIR measurements for silicone rubber revealed the presence of contaminant volatile molecules having 2970 cm(sup -1) (CH3) and 1265 cm(sup -1) (Si-CH3) peaks. These organic contaminants are found to be desorbed by in-situ heating infrared measurements from room temperature to 200-300 C. Careful preparation and storage are therefore needed for precious astronomical samples such as meteorites, IDPs and mission returned samples from comets, asteroids and Mars, if useful for FTIR measurements are to be made.

Kebukawa, Yoko↗
NASA NTRS2014

ECTFE (HALAR) as a New Material for Primary Sample Containment of Astromaterials

Fluoropolymers, such as Teflon® (PTFE, PFA, FEP) and Viton® (FKM), have been used for over 40 years in curating astromaterials at NASA JSC. In general, fluoropolymers have low outgassing and particle shedding properties that reduce cross-contamination to curated samples. Ethylene - Chlorotrifluoroethylene (ECTFE), commonly called Halar® (trademark of Solvay Solexis), is a partially fluorinated semi-crystalline copolymer in the same class of fluoropolymers with superior abrasion resistance and extremely low permeability to liquids, gases, and vapors than any other fluoropolymer (fig. 1). ECTFE coatings are becoming more popular in the nuclear, semiconductor, and biomedical industry for lining isolation containment gloveboxes and critical piping as well as other clean room applications. A study was conducted at NASA JSC to evaluate the potential use of Halar on future sample return missions as a material for primary sample containment.

Calaway, Michael J.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Curation of Asteroid Bennu Samples for the OSIRIS-REx Mission

The OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission will collect approximately150 g of material from carbonaceous asteroid Bennu and return it to Earth in 2023. The sample will be curated along with NASA's other astromaterials sample collections at Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston. As part of the mission planning, JSC will be engaged in the following four general activities.

Righter, K.↗
NASA NTRS2017

50th Anniversary of the World's First Extraterrestrial Sample Receiving Laboratory: The Apollo Program's Lunar Receiving Laboratory

The Apollo program's Lunar Receiving Laboratory (LRL), building 37 at NASA's Manned Spaceflight Center (MSC), now Johnson Space Center (JSC), in Houston, TX, was the world's first astronaut and extraterrestrial sample quarantine facility (Fig. 1). It was constructed by Warrior Construction Co. and Warrior-Natkin-National at a cost of $8.1M be-tween August 10, 1966 and June 26, 1967. In 1969, the LRL received and curated the first collection of extra-terrestrial samples returned to Earth; the rock and soil samples of the Apollo 11 mission. This year, the JSC Astromaterials Acquisition and Curation Office (here-after JSC curation) celebrates 50 years since the opening of the LRL and its legacy of laying the foundation for modern curation of extraterrestrial samples.

Calaway, M. J.↗
NASA NTRS2017

BiBlade Sampling Tool Validation for Comet Surface Environments

The BiBlade sampling chain was developed for use in a potential Comet Surface Sample Return mission. Following prior versions of the sampling tool, a new tool was developed and validated to TRL 6. Sample acquisition testing was performed across a range of comet simulants and operational conditions. Tool operation was validated in a thermal-vacuum chamber. The end-to-end sampling chain was validated including sampling, sample measurement, and sample transfer. The sampling system is now ready for flight implementation.

Backes, Paul↗
NASA NTRS2018

The CAESAR New Frontiers Mission: Comet Surface Sample Acquisition and Preservation

NASA recently selected the Comet Astrobiology Exploration Sample Return (CAESAR) mission for Phase A study in the New Frontiers Program. This mission will acquire and return to Earth for laboratory analysis at least 80 g of surface material from the nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (hereafter 67P). CAESAR will characterize the surface region sampled, preserve the sample in a pristine state, and return evolved volatiles by capturing them in a separate gas reservoir. The system protects both volatile and non-volatile components from contamination or alteration thatwould hamper their scientific analysis. Laboratory analyses of comet samples provide unparalleled knowledge about the presolar history through the initial stages of planet formation to the origin of life.

CAESAR↗
DOE OSTI2022

Indigenous Organic Molecular Biosignatures are Detectable via ToF-SIMS of a Kerogen-rich Jurassic Clay

Time of Flight - Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) is a Mass Spectrometry (MS) imaging technique that can be used in conjunction with traditional organic geochemical analysis (organics extracted from a crushed sample) in order to determine how molecules observed in the organic extracts were incorporated into a particular rock sample. This type of analysis may be used on samples collected as part of Mars Sample Return (MSR) in order to determine if potential organic compounds were indigenous to Mars or whether they are contaminants.Here we show that Organic Molecular Biosignatures (OMBs including steranes and derivatives of a carotenoid) are detectable via ToF-SIMS within a Jurassic mudstone. The OMBs are only detectable in areas with high organic carbon, likely kerogen, indicating that they are indigenous to the rock. We conclude that: I) Indigenous OMBs are detectable via ToF-SIMS in ancient, kerogen-rich samples; II) the presence of a molecular ion strengthens the interpretation of ToF-SIMS spectra of complex natural material, and III) the spatial co-occurrence of kerogen and potentially indigenous OMBs in ancient sediments is a valid test of their character. These conclusions are directly relevant to MSR sample selection as well as the analysis of MSR samples upon return.

Pasterski, Michael↗
NASA NTRS2015

Curation and Analysis of Samples from Comet Wild-2 Returned by NASA's Stardust Mission

The NASA Stardust mission returned the first direct samples of a cometary coma from comet 81P/Wild‐2 in 2006. Intact capture of samples encountered at 6 km/s was enabled by the use of aerogel, an ultralow dense silica polymer. Approximately 1000 particles were captured, with micron and submicron materials distributed along ~mm scale length tracks. This sample collection method and the fine scale of the samples posed new challenges to the curation and cosmochemistry communities. Sample curation involved extensive, detailed photo‐documentation and delicate micro‐surgery to remove particles without loss from the aerogel tracks. This work had to be performed in highly clean facility to minimize the potential of contamination. JSC Curation provided samples ranging from entire tracks to micrometer‐sized particles to external investigators. From the analysis perspective, distinguishing cometary materials from aerogel and identifying the potential alteration from the capture process were essential. Here, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) proved to be the key technique that would make this possible. Based on TEM work by ourselves and others, a variety of surprising findings were reported, such as the observation of high temperature phases resembling those found in meteorites, rarely intact presolar grains and scarce organic grains and submicrometer silicates. An important lesson from this experience is that curation and analysis teams must work closely together to understand the requirements and challenges of each task. The Stardust Mission also has laid important foundation to future sample returns including OSIRIS‐REx and Hayabusa II and future cometary nucleus sample return missions.

Nakamura-Messenger, Keiko↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

A Brief History of the Curation of Genesis Sapphire Solar Wind Collectors

Commercial, high purity semiconductor sapphire (AKA corundum) wafers were used as one of the passive solar wind collector materials on the Genesis sample return mission because it exhibited lower diffusion rates for alkali elements than silicon and had sufficiently low alkali blanks. The 20 whole hexagons of sapphire flown on the Genesis spacecraft were distributed among the solar wind (SW) regimes as follows: 8 bulk solar wind (plus two half hexagons), 4 coronal mass ejection (CME), 4 coronal hole (CH), and 4 interstream (IS). Excellent overviews: a) collector material properties presented in [1] and b) solar wind environment experienced by collectors presented in [2].

Genesis sample return mission↗
NASA NTRS2024

Simulation Modeling of an Earth Entry System and Solar Radiation Pressure Module Development

Several trajectory simulation tools are used to model different phases of the Approach, Entry, Descent and Landing (AEDL) phase of NASA’s Mars Sample Return Campaign. Working towards a single simulation tool that models all AEDL phases, this project utilizes Program to Optimize Simulated Trajectories II to simulate the 72-hour exoatmospheric phase of AEDL up till the point of Earth atmospheric entry. This involves developing a new feature forPOST2 that captures the forces and moments caused by solar radiation pressure(SRP). Generalizing the vehicle geometry as a combination of primitive shapes, a generalized SRP module was created and implemented into POST2. Trajectory solutions produced by POST2 were then successfully compared against independent solutions produced by the trajectory tool 42.

Program to Optimize Simulated Trajectories II↗
NASA NTRS1989

The 'sample experiment' on the Mars Rover/Sample Return mission

Sample Experiment denotes the set of all operations that include collection, analysis, packaging, and environmental control of atmospheric and geologic samples of Mars. Various functions may be distributed among surface roving vehicles, stationary landers, and spacecraft but the Sample Experiment remains an integrated mission activity that extends from Mars landing through delivery of the sample payload to the recieving facility on Earth. Technological challenges not faced in previous planetary missions include development of robotic systems to manipulate and characterize samples and to reliably seal them in containers with minimal contamination or degradation.

Gooding, James L.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

An Assessment of Turbulence Models for MSR Sample Retrieval Lander Aerothermal Design

Several cases from past entries in the T9 and T5 hypersonic test facilities are examined using various turbulence models and shock-layer thermochemistries with the objectives of verifying/validating turbulence models and determining appropriate multiplicative factors on predicted turbulent heating for use in aerothermal design of the heatshield of the Sample Retrieval Lander (SRL) of the Mars Sample Return (MSR) Flagship mission. The zero-equation turbulence models of Baldwin-Lomax and Cebeci-Smith are shown to replicate measurements to within experimental uncertainty for the T9 cases. For T5 cases, the zero-equation model of Baldwin-Lomax can also replicate measurements provided the shock-layer thermochemistry is modified. The modified thermochemistry resolves a dichotomy from past CFD that required different wall catalycity assumptions in the laminar and turbulent flow regimes. The present work shows that such assumptions are not necessary. Finally, an initial estimate for a multiplicative factor on turbulent heating is estimated for the SST turbulence model – the chosen model for SRL aerothermal design simulations.

Mars entry↗
NASA NTRS2025

Single Integrated Flux Files to Account for Spacecraft Attitude Motion in Meteoroid Risk Assessments Using the NASA MEM3 and Bumper Codes

Spacecraft meteoroid risk assessments can be performed using NASA’s Meteoroid Engineering Model 3 (MEM3) and the Bumper risk assessment code. The MEM3 meteoroid flux is highly directional in heliocentric space. To represent the directionality, MEM3 outputs the flux in commonly used coordinate frames. For example, if a spacecraft attitude is fixed in the orbital tangential frame, a single Bumper run using the MEM3 flux file in the body-fixed frame can be performed. Cases exist in which the spacecraft does not remain fixed in one of these frames during a mission. This could be handled by performing a series of Bumper runs at points along the trajectory. For each trajectory point, the spacecraft has to be rotated into the frame in which the MEM3 flux file is defined. Another option presented here is to generate a single integrated flux (SIF) file. A SIF file is an average over a trajectory of the time varying MEM3 flux files rotated from their native frame into the spacecraft bus frame. A SIF file enables accounting for spacecraft rotation (coupled with flux variation over the trajectory) in a single Bumper run. An example of an application of SIF files is the meteoroid risk assessment for the Mars Sample Return (MSR) campaign Capture Containment and Return System (CCRS). This report discusses how SIF files were generated for the CCRS risk assessment and presents metrics on the accuracy of the impinging fluence that is generated when using the files. The results show a maximum difference per element in a finite element model within 1 percent for seven of the eight examined cases, with the outlier being less than 2 percent. The results also show that the maximum standard deviation of differences across all elements is within 0.275 percent. The maximum difference in the total fluence across all the elements is 0.0463 percent. The maximum difference in the mean fluence across all the elements is 0.0407 percent.

Meteoroids↗
DOE OSTI2025

Detection of a Space Capsule Entering Earth’s Atmosphere with Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS)

On 24 September 2023, the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer sample return capsule (SRC) entered Earth’s atmosphere after successfully collecting samples from an asteroid. The known trajectory and timing of this return provided a rare opportunity to strategically instrument sites to record geophysical signals produced by the capsule because it travelled at hypersonic speeds through the atmosphere. For this work, we deployed two distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) interrogators to sample over 12 km of surface-draped fiber-optic cables, as well as six collocated seismometer-infrasound sensor pairs, spread across two sites near Eureka, Nevada. This campaign-style rapid deployment is the first reported recording of an SRC re-entry with any distributed fiber-optic sensing technology. The DAS interrogators recorded an impulsive arrival with an extended coda which had features that were similar to recordings from both the seismometers and infrasound sensors. While the signal-to-noise ratio of the DAS data was lower than the seismic-infrasound data, the extremely dense spacing of fiber-optic sensors allowed for more phases to be clearly distinguished and the visualization of the continuous transformation of the wavefront as it impacted the ground. Unexpectedly, the DAS recordings contain less low-frequency content than is present in both the seismic and infrasound data. The deployment conditions strongly affected the recorded DAS data; in particular, we observed that fiber selection and placement exert strong controls on data quality.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2012

A Risk-Constrained Multi-Stage Decision Making Approach to the Architectural Analysis of Mars Missions

This paper presents a novel risk-constrained multi-stage decision making approach to the architectural analysis of planetary rover missions. In particular, focusing on a 2018 Mars rover concept, which was considered as part of a potential Mars Sample Return campaign, we model the entry, descent, and landing (EDL) phase and the rover traverse phase as four sequential decision-making stages. The problem is to find a sequence of divert and driving maneuvers so that the rover drive is minimized and the probability of a mission failure (e.g., due to a failed landing) is below a user specified bound. By solving this problem for several different values of the model parameters (e.g., divert authority), this approach enables rigorous, accurate and systematic trade-offs for the EDL system vs. the mobility system, and, more in general, cross-domain trade-offs for the different phases of a space mission. The overall optimization problem can be seen as a chance-constrained dynamic programming problem, with the additional complexity that 1) in some stages the disturbances do not have any probabilistic characterization, and 2) the state space is extremely large (i.e, hundreds of millions of states for trade-offs with high-resolution Martian maps). To this purpose, we solve the problem by performing an unconventional combination of average and minimax cost analysis and by leveraging high efficient computation tools from the image processing community. Preliminary trade-off results are presented.

entry, descent, and landing (EDL)↗
NASA NTRS2011

Space Weathering Impact on Solar System Surfaces and Planetary Mission Science

We often look "through a glass, darkly" at solar system bodies with tenuous atmospheres and direct surface exposure to the local space environment. Space weathering exposure acts via universal space-surface interaction processes to produce a thin patina of outer material covering, potentially obscuring endogenic surface materials of greatest interest for understanding origins and interior evolution. Examples of obscuring exogenic layers are radiation crusts on cometary nuclei and iogenic components of sulfate hydrate deposits on the trailing hemisphere of Europa. Weathering processes include plasma ion implantation into surfaces, sputtering by charged particles and solar ultraviolet photons, photolytic chemistry driven by UV irradiation, and radiolytic chemistry evolving from products of charged particle irradiation. Regolith structure from impacts, and underlying deeper structures from internal evolution, affects efficacy of certain surface interactions, e.g. sputtering as affected by porosity and surface irradiation dosage as partly attenuated by local topographic shielding. These processes should be regarded for mission science planning as potentially enabling, e.g. since direct surface sputtering, and resultant surface-bound exospheres, can provide in-situ samples of surface composition to ion and neutral mass spectrometers on orbital spacecraft. Sample return for highest sensitivity compOSitional and structural analyses at Earth will usually be precluded by limited range of surface sampling, long times for return, and high cost. Targeted advancements in instrument technology would be more cost efficient for local remote and in-situ sample analysis. More realistic laboratory simulations, e.g. for bulk samples, are needed to interpret mission science observations of weathered surfaces. Space environment effects on mission spacecraft and science operations must also be specified and mitigated from the hourly to monthly changes in space weather and from longer term (e.g., solar cycle) evolution of space climate. Capable instrumentation on planetary missions can and should be planned to contribute to knowledge of interplanetary space environments. Evolving data system technologies such as virtual observatories should be explored for more interdisciplinary application to the science of planetary surface, atmospheric, magnetospheric, and interplanetary interactions.

Cooper, John F.↗
NASA NTRS1988

In situ chemical analyses of extraterrestrial bodies

One of the most important tasks on any sample return mission will have to be a quick sample characterization in order to guarantee a variety of collected samples. An alpha particle instrument with alpha, proton and X-ray modes can provide a quick and almost complete chemical analysis of Mars samples. This instrument is based on three interactions of the alpha particles from a radioactive source with matter: elastic scattering of the alpha particles by nuclei (alpha mode), (alpha,p) nuclear reaction with some light elements (proton mode), and excitation of the atomic structure of atoms by alpha particles, leading to emission of characteristic X-rays of the lunar surface at three sites during the Surveyor mission of 1967 to 1968. Since then the instrument has been improved and miniaturized substantially. As shown in the past, the alpha particle instrument can operate under Martian conditions without any degradation in the performance. The alpha and proton modes can provide vital information about the light elements, while the X-ray mode with its ambient temperature X-ray detector will be useful for the heavier elements. The excitation of the atomic structure is provided by the same alpha radioactive source that is used by alpha and proton modes or by an auxiliary X-ray source that is selected to enhance the sensitivity to some important geochemical elements.

Economou, Thanasis E.↗