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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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1,651 records · Page 8

Dust Composition of Comet 81P/Wild 2 From JWST Spectroscopy Compared to Stardust’s Fine-Grained Materials and Gems-Rich IDPS

The Stardust Mission returned samples from the coma of Jupiter Family comet 81P/Wild 2 for detailed laboratory analyses. Here we present and discuss the best-fit thermal dust model for the coma dust of comet 81P/Wild 2 as observed by JWST. Comet 81P was observed through JWST GO 018xx, using NIRSpec (2.9–5.3µm, λ/∆λ≈1000) and MRS IFU (4.9–28.1µm, λ/∆λ≈3000) on 2023-03-20 UT and 2023-03-24 UT, respectively, at a heliocentric distance of 1.85 au and JWST distance of 1.43 au (phase angle of 32 degrees). The dust coma of 81P as revealed by JWST offers a salient compliment to laboratory studies of Stardust samples that typically are bigger than 2 µm and up to 60 µm in size.

D H Wooden

29th Aerospace Mechanisms Symposium

The proceedings of the 29th Aerospace Mechanisms Symposium, which was hosted by NASA Johnson Space Center and held at the South Shore Harbour Conference Facility on May 17-19, 1995, are reported. Technological areas covered include actuators, aerospace mechanism applications for ground support equipment, lubricants, pointing mechanisms joints, bearings, release devices, booms, robotic mechanisms, and other mechanisms for spacecraft.

Booms

Hubble Space Telescope nickel-hydrogen flight spare battery test

For several years, MSFC has been engaged in a series of battery tests in support of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Program. Now that the HST is in orbit, many of these tests will continue in order to give those responsible for the HST a reasonable prediction on the performance of the flight batteries. These tests will also be a source of needed low earth orbit (LEO) data for nickel hydrogen (Ni-H2) batteries and cells. One of the tests currently in progress at MSFC is a mission simulation test on a 22-cell Ni-H2 battery. This battery is composed of spare cells taken from the lot of cells out of which the Flight Spare Module was assembled. This module is one of two modules launched on the HST. This battery has been on test since Jun. 1989 and has completed nearly 8000 LEO cycles. A series of characterization tests were run prior to the start of the mission simulation and a launch scenario test was run in Feb. and Mar. 1990 to test the behavior of the cells through a simulated launch. The results from these tests as well as the overall performance of the battery as it continues to cycle are reported.

Brewer, Jeffrey C.

Life cycle test results of a bipolar nickel hydrogen battery

A history is given of low Earth orbit (LEO) laboratory test data on a 6.5 ampere-hour bipolar nickel hydrogen battery designed and built at the NASA Lewis Research Center. The bipolar concept is a means of achieving the goal of producing an acceptable battery, of higher energy density, able to withstand the demands of low-Earth-orbit regimes. Over 4100 LEO cycles were established on a ten cell battery. It seems that any perturbation on normal cycling effects the cells performance. Explanations and theories of the battery's behavior are varied and widespread among those closely associated with it. Deep discharging does provide a reconditioning effect and further experimentation is planned in this area. The battery watt-hour efficiency is about 75 percent and the time averaged, discharge voltage is about 1.26 volts for all cells at both the C/4 and LEO rate. Since a significant portion of the electrode capacity has degraded, the LEO cycle discharges are approaching depths of 90 to 100 percent of the high rate capacity. Therefore, the low end-of-discharge voltages occur precipitously after the knee of the discharge curve and is more an indication of electrode capacity and is a lesser indicator of overall cell performance.

Cataldo, R. L.

Performance of the Satellite Test Assistant Robot in JPL's Space Simulation Facility

An innovative new telerobotic inspection system called STAR (the Satellite Test Assistant Robot) has been developed to assist engineers as they test new spacecraft designs in simulated space environments. STAR operates inside the ultra-cold, high-vacuum, test chambers and provides engineers seated at a remote Operator Control Station (OCS) with high resolution video and infrared (IR) images of the flight articles under test. STAR was successfully proof tested in JPL's 25-ft (7.6-m) Space Simulation Chamber where temperatures ranged from +85 C to -190 C and vacuum levels reached 5.1 x 10 -6 torr. STAR's IR Camera was used to thermally map the entire interior of the chamber for the first time. STAR also made several unexpected and important discoveries about the thermal processes occurring within the chamber. Using a calibrated test fixture arrayed with ten sample spacecraft materials, the IR camera was shown to produce highly accurate surface temperature data. This paper outlines STAR's design and reports on significant results from the thermal vacuum chamber test.

Douglas McAffee

32nd Aerospace Mechanisms Symposium

The proceedings of the 32nd Aerospace Mechanism Symposium are reported. NASA John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) hosted the symposium that was held at the Hilton Oceanfront Hotel in Cocoa Beach, Florida on May 13-15, 1998. The symposium was cosponsored by Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space and the Aerospace Mechanisms Symposium Committee. During these days, 28 papers were presented. Topics included robotics, deployment mechanisms, bearing, actuators, scanners, boom and antenna release, and test equipment.

S W Walker

Atmospheric, Non-Combusting Droplet Sizing and Spray Imaging Results From a Non-Proprietary Aero Gas Turbine Engine Pressure Swirl Atomizer using Shadowgraphy and Planar Laser Scatter

Members from industry and federal agencies of the United States have developed a collaborating group focused on improving the understanding of the atomization processes common to gas turbine engines. The group is aimed on providing high quality data using x-ray diagnostics in the internal geometry and the near-field dense spray as well as optical diagnostics in the visible spectrum, downstream of the nozzle. This paper reports results from one of the two non-proprietary injectors designs from the group: the primary-secondary injector. In particular, we characterize the spray from only the primary, pressure-swirl atomizing circuit using water through the nozzle. We observed Sauter mean diameter decreased with increased water pressure drop across the nozzle. SMD was also collected at three axial distances and showed decreased size with distance from the nozzle. Planar laser sheet droplet scattering provided qualitative assessment of the spray. Higher water pressure drops provided better atomization than lower pressure drops. The addition of swirling air flow through the injector alleviates and improves the atomization quality, particularly at the lower water pressure drops.

optical diagnostics

Hubble Space Telescope nickel-hydrogen battery testing: An update

The Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) began testing the HST Ni-H2 Six Battery Test and the 'Flight Spare Battery' Tests approximately one year before the launch of the HST. These tests are operated and reported on by the MSFC, but are managed and funded by Goddard Space Flight Center in direct support of the HST program. The HST Ni-H2 batteries are built from Eagle Picher RNH-90-3 cells. The HST EPS (electrical power system) is a direct energy transfer power system. The HST Ni-H2 Six Battery Test is a breadboard of the HST EPS. The batteries in the test are composed of test module cells and packaged into three battery modules identical to the flight modules. This test is the HST EPS testbed. The 'Flight Spare Battery' Test is a simulation of one of the six battery channels on the HST. The cells in the test are from the flight spare lot of cells, which are the same lot of cells that three of the six HST flight batteries are made from. This test is the battery life test for the HST program.

Whitt, Thomas H.

Lewis Research Center battery overview

The topics covered are presented in viewgraph form and include the following: the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite; the Space Station Freedom (SSF) photovoltaic power module division; Ni/H2 battery and cell design; individual pressure vessel (IPV) nickel-hydrogen cell testing SSF support; the LeRC Electrochemical Technology Branch; improved design IPV nickel-hydrogen cells; advanced technology for IPV nickel-hydrogen flight cells; a lightweight nickel-hydrogen cell; bipolar nickel-hydrogen battery development and technology; aerospace nickel-metal hydride cells; the NASA Sodium-Sulfur Cell Technology Flight Experiment; and the lithium-carbon dioxide battery thermodynamic model.

Odonnell, Patricia

Processing and Manufacture of Composite Propellants

This paper is a chemical engineering unit processing treatment of the steps involved in the manufacture of solid propellant motors. The author treats the major processes of raw material preparation, mixing, casting and curing by describing equipment, the processing, steps and some engineering considerations associated therewith. The three simultaneous processes occurring within the solid propellant nixing, namely, homogenization, wetting and curing, are discussed in more detail, briefly touching on control of these reactions and the engineering trade-offs among them.

J F Tormey

Coupled, Transient Simulations of the Interaction Between Power and Secondary Flowpaths in Gas Turbines

This paper presents a coupled analysis of the interaction between mainpath and secondary flowpaths in gas turbines using transient simulations. Some of the topics include: 1) Need for Coupled Analysis; 2) Primary-Secondary Coupling Schematic; 3) Secondary Flow Requirement; 4) Objectives of Present Methodology; 5) Current Methodologies Recap; 6) Proposed Coupled Code Methodology; 7) Description of SCISEAL Code; 8) Description of Turbo Code; 9) Code Coupling/Interface Issues; and 10) Current Interface Strategy. This paper is presented in viewgraph form.

M M Athavale

The standard 20 AH battery

The modular power system, which is the first intended use for the NASA standard battery, is basically a four foot by four foot by eighteen inch box which can handle a complement of three 20 ampere hour batteries or later on the intended use is for three 50 ampere hour batteries to be the full complement. The system is designed to be used as a plug on component on a multi mission modular spacecraft. It has as a design point a basically 1250 watt orbital average load. The way it breaks up in a near earth orbit it would be somewhere around 1,000 watts for everything except 10 minutes, and during any 10 minute period it may go up to a peak of 3,000 watt load. Features of the battery reviewed include criteria to store electrical energy, the battery package, the covers and cases, and electrolytes. The capacities expected are 90 percent, the average cell capacity for 24 C, 90 percent of the actual battery capacity of 19 C, and 85 percent of the actual 25 degree battery capacity at zero discharge voltage for 50 percent DOD new battery is in the vicinity expected or predicted of 26.4 volts.

Zollner, M. T.

Prototype Demonstration of an Integrated Solar Concentrator System and Carbothermal Reactor Using Solar Energy to Extract Oxygen from Regolith

The Carbothermal Reduction Demonstration (CaRD) project was an effort to develop a prototype system to demonstrate the extraction of oxygen from simulated lunar regolith using concentrated solar energy and a carbothermal reaction. The prototype consisted of a deployable solar concentrator capable of tracking the sun, carbothermal reactor, fluid system, gas analysis, and a solar concentrator control system consisting of avionics and software. These subsystems were developed by multiple NASA centers and a private industry partner, Sierra Space. The various teams worked together to define requirements and interfaces to successfully assemble the complex system and demonstrate an integrated solar carbothermal process. The solar concentrator developed at Glenn Research Center (GRC) was designed to be stowed for a launch environment then deployed on the lunar surface. It utilized a crossed dragone configuration of composite mirrors to direct horizontal sunlight onto a target 90° from the incoming sunlight. The key performance parameters for the solar concentrator were efficiency and power density. The carbothermal reactor was developed by Sierra Space through a separate project called the Carbothermal Oxygen Production Reactor (COPR) where it successfully demonstrated a fully automated process in a thermal vacuum environment. The fluid system needed for the carbothermal reaction was also developed by Sierra Space and successfully demonstrated in the same thermal vacuum test. The gas analysis system was developed at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and was required to determine the amount of oxygen extracted during each test. The gas analysis system was based on the Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSOLO) instrument. Avionics and software for the CaRD prototype were also developed at KSC and based on experience with MSOLO avionics and software. The control system was designed to stow, deploy, track the sun, and perform beam alignment of the concentrated light. The prototype subsystems were integrated and tested at Johnson Space Center’s (JSC) Energy Systems Test Area. A heliostat was used to direct sunlight toward the prototype in a way that is representative of the sunlight conditions at the south pole of the Moon. When concentrated sunlight was focused on simulated lunar regolith within the reactor, the gas analysis team confirmed the presence of carbon monoxide gas, which confirmed that a solar carbothermal reaction took place. The key performance parameter for the integrated prototype was grams of oxygen extracted per kilowatt hour of energy arriving at the concentrator primary mirror. The prototype design successfully demonstrated end-to-end capability and further steps to achieve a flight capable system have been defined. With lunar data, engineers would be able to design a scaled-up system capable of extracting oxygen from regolith at useful quantities for crew life support and rocket propellant. On the long term, this method of In-Situ Resource Utilization could be used to drastically reduce the cost and risk of a sustained human presence on the Moon by reducing the amount of oxygen that would have to be delivered.

Oxygen from Regolith

Characterization Testing of a 20 Kelvin Cryocooler for Space Applications

Future NASA space exploration missions will require long-duration storage and liquefaction of cryogenic liquids, enabled by active cooling provided by cryocoolers. Recent gap analyses of Lunar and Mars transportation systems have identified 20 K-class cryocoolers as a critical enabling technology for chemical and nuclear thermal propulsion architectures using liquid hydrogen propellant. To address this technology gap, NASA has undergone the development of a high-efficiency, high-capacity 20 K cryocooler via an SBIR partnership with Creare. While the January 2025 testing demonstrated functionality and compliance with contractual requirements, the objective of the NASA-led characterization effort was to generate a dataset for supporting future mission designs across a broader operating envelope, including off-nominal conditions. The cryocooler demonstrated strong performance, achieving a peak coefficient of performance of 17.68% relative to Carnot efficiency and a maximum lift capacity of 24.4 W at 21 K. Overall, the results confirm that the 20 W 20 K cryocooler provides a flexible range of capabilities to enable zero boil-off storage of liquid hydrogen for future Lunar and Mars missions. The data collected provide a strong foundation for model validation and future system design efforts.

Cryocooler

Characterization Testing of a 20 Kelvin Cryocooler for Space Applications

Future NASA space exploration missions will require long-duration storage and liquefaction of cryogenic liquids, enabled by active cooling provided by cryocoolers. Recent gap analyses of Lunar and Mars transportation systems have identified 20 K-class cryocoolers as a critical enabling technology for chemical and nuclear thermal propulsion architectures using liquid hydrogen propellant. To address this technology gap, NASA has undergone the development of a high-efficiency, high-capacity 20 K cryocooler via an SBIR partnership with Creare. While the January 2025 testing demonstrated functionality and compliance with contractual requirements, the objective of the NASA-led characterization effort was to generate a dataset for supporting future mission designs across a broader operating envelope, including off-nominal conditions. The cryocooler demonstrated strong performance, achieving a peak coefficient of performance of 17.68% relative to Carnot efficiency and a maximum lift capacity of 24.4 W at 21 K. Overall, the results confirm that the 20 W 20 K cryocooler provides a flexible range of capabilities to enable zero boil-off storage of liquid hydrogen for future Lunar and Mars missions. The data collected provide a strong foundation for model validation and future system design efforts.

Zero boil-off