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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 145 records · Page 8
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NASA NTRS2010

An Up-Close Look at Ares I-X

On October 28, 2009, one day later than the originally planned launch date, the Ares I-X suborbital test flight roared into the Florida sky. Flying its preplanned parabolic arc over the Atlantic, the development test vehicle for the Ares I crew launch vehicle performed as advertised, executing a perfect liftoff, 90-degree roll maneuver, ascent, and separation before its upper and lower stages descended into the ocean 150 miles downrange. This test flight, while carrying no astronauts, marked a major milestone for NASA, which had not flown a test launch of a human-rated rocket since the first flight of the Space Shuttle in 1981. During the flight, over 700 sensors collected over 900 measurements, which NASA will apply to validating the engineering models they used to design the vehicle in the first place. That data, telemetered to the ground and stored in a flight recorder onboard, was the primary "payload" of the mission.

Leahy, Bart↗
NASA NTRS2004

Development and Performance of the Oxygen Sensor in the CSA-CP Aboard the International Space Station

A combustion products analyzer (CPA) was built for use on Shuttle in response to several thermodegradation incidents that had occurred during early flights. The CPA contained sensors that measured carbon monoxide, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen cyanide, and hydrogen fluoride. These marker compounds, monitored by the CPA, were selected based upon the likely products to be released in a spacecraft fire. When the Toxicology Laboratory group at Johnson Space Center (JSC) began to assess the air quality monitoring needs for the International Space Station (ISS), the CPA was the starting point for design of an instrument to monitor the atmosphere following a thermodegradation event. The final product was significantly different from the CPA and was named the compound specific analyzer-combustion products (CSA-CP). The major change from the CPA that will be the focus of this paper was the replacement of an unreliable hydrogen fluoride (HF) sensor with an oxygen sensor. A reliable HF sensor was not commercially available, but as the toxicology group reviewed the overall monitoring strategy for ISS, it appeared that a portable oxygen sensor to backup the major constituent analyzer was needed. Therefore, an oxygen sensor replaced the HF sensor in the new instrument. This paper will describe the development, deployment, and performance of the CSA-CP oxygen sensor on both Shuttle and ISS. Also, data for CSA-CP oxygen sensor accuracy at nominal and reduced pressures will be presented.

Limero, Thomas↗
NASA NTRS1986

Infrared horizon sensor modeling for attitude determination and control - Analysis and mission experience

This paper summarizes the work of the Flight Dynamics Division of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration/Goddard Space Flight Center in analyzing and evaluating the performance of a variety of infrared horizon sensors on 12 spaceflight missions from 1973 to 1984. Earth infrared radiance modeling, using the LOWTRAN 5 Program, and the Horizon Radiance Modeling Utility are also described. Mission data are presented for Magsat and the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite, with analysis to assess the sensor modeling as well as cloud and sun interference effects. Recommendations are made regarding future directions for the infrared horizon technology.

Singhal, S. P.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Utilization of biosensors and chemical sensors for space applications

There will be a need for a wide array of chemical sensors for biomedical experimentation and for the monitoring of water and air recycling processes on Space Station Freedom. The infrequent logistics flights of the Space Shuttle will necessitate onboard analysis. The advantages of biosensors and chemical sensors over conventional analysis onboard spacecraft are manifold. They require less crew time, space, and power. Sample treatment is not needed. Real time or near-real time monitoring is possible, in some cases on a continuous basis. Sensor signals in digitized form can be transmitted to the ground. Types and requirements for chemical sensors to be used in biomedical experimentation and monitoring of water recycling during long-term space missions are discussed.

Bonting, S. L.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Trajectory design for the Deep Space Program Science Experiment (DSPSE) mission

In 1994, the Deep Space Program Science Experiment (DSPSE) spacecraft will become the first spacecraft to perform, in succession, both a lunar orbiting mission and a deep-space asteroid encounter mission. The primary mission objective is to perform a long-duration flight-test of various new-technology lightweight components, such as sensors, in a deep-space environment. The mission has two secondary science objectives: to provide high-resolution imaging of the entire lunar surface for mapping purposes and flyby imaging of the asteroid 1620 Geographos. The DSPSE mission is sponsored by the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization (SDIO). As prime contractor, the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is building the spacecraft and will conduct mission operations. The Goddard Space Flight Center's (GSFC) Flight Dynamics Division is supporting NRL in the areas of The Deep Space Network (DSN) will provide tracking support. The DSPSE mission will begin with a launch from the Western Test Range in late January 1994. Following a minimum 1.5-day stay in a low-Earth parking orbit, a solid kick motor burn will boost DSPSE into an 18-day, 2.5-revolution phasing orbit transfer trajectory to the Moon. Two burns to insert DSPSE into a lunar polar orbit suitable for the mapping mission will be followed by mapping orbit maintenance and adjustment operations over a period of 2 sidereal months. In May 1994, a lunar orbit departure maneuver, in conjunction with a lunar swingby 26 days later, will propel DSPSE onto a heliocentric transfer that will intercept Geographos on September 1, 1994. This paper presents the characteristics, deterministic delta-Vs, and design details of each trajectory phase of this unique mission, together with the requirements, constraints, and design considerations to which each phase is subject. Numerous trajectory plots and tables of significant trajectory events are included. Following a discussion of the results of a preliminary launch window analysis, a summary of the deterministic impulsive delta-V budget required to establish the baseline mission trajectory design is presented.

Carrington, D.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Discovery: Under the Microscope at Kennedy Space Center

The National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) is known for discovery, exploration, and advancement of knowledge. Since the days of Leeuwenhoek, microscopy has been at the forefront of discovery and knowledge. No truer is that statement than today at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), where microscopy plays a major role in contamination identification and is an integral part of failure analysis. Space exploration involves flight hardware undergoing rigorous "visually clean" inspections at every step of processing. The unknown contaminants that are discovered on these inspections can directly impact the mission by decreasing performance of sensors and scientific detectors on spacecraft and satellites, acting as micrometeorites, damaging critical sealing surfaces, and causing hazards to the crew of manned missions. This talk will discuss how microscopy has played a major role in all aspects of space port operations at KSC. Case studies will highlight years of analysis at the Materials Science Division including facility and payload contamination for the Navigation Signal Timing and Ranging Global Positioning Satellites (NA VST AR GPS) missions, quality control monitoring of monomethyl hydrazine fuel procurement for launch vehicle operations, Shuttle Solids Rocket Booster (SRB) foam processing failure analysis, and Space Shuttle Main Engine Cut-off (ECO) flight sensor anomaly analysis. What I hope to share with my fellow microscopists is some of the excitement of microscopy and how its discoveries has led to hardware processing, that has helped enable the successful launch of vehicles and space flight missions here at Kennedy Space Center.

Howard, Philip M.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Wireless Sensor Networks for Developmental and Flight Instrumentation

Wireless sensor networks (WSN) based on the IEEE 802.15.4 Personal Area Network and ZigBee Pro 2007 standards are finding increasing use in home automation and smart energy markets providing a framework for interoperable software. The Wireless Connections in Space Project, funded by the NASA Engineering and Safety Center, is developing technology, metrics and requirements for next-generation spacecraft avionics incorporating wireless data transport. The team from Stennis Space Center and Mobitrum Corporation, working under a NASA SBIR grant, has developed techniques for embedding plug-and-play software into ZigBee WSN prototypes implementing the IEEE 1451 Transducer Electronic Datasheet (TEDS) standard. The TEDS provides meta-information regarding sensors such as serial number, calibration curve and operational status. Incorporation of TEDS into wireless sensors leads directly to building application level software that can recognize sensors at run-time, dynamically instantiating sensors as they are added or removed. The Ames Research Center team has been experimenting with this technology building demonstration prototypes for on-board health monitoring. Innovations in technology, software and process can lead to dramatic improvements for managing sensor systems applied to Developmental and Flight Instrumentation (DFI) aboard aerospace vehicles. A brief overview of the plug-and-play ZigBee WSN technology is presented along with specific targets for application within the aerospace DFI market. The software architecture for the sensor nodes incorporating the TEDS information is described along with the functions of the Network Capable Gateway processor which bridges 802.15.4 PAN to the TCP/IP network. Client application software connects to the Gateway and is used to display TEDS information and real-time sensor data values updated every few seconds, incorporating error detection and logging to help measure performance and reliability in relevant target environments. Test results from our prototype WSN running the Mobitrum software system are summarized and the implications to the scalability and reliability for DFI applications are discussed. Our demonstration system, incorporating sensors for life support system and structural health monitoring is described along with test results obtained by running the demonstration prototype in relevant environments such as the Wireless Habitat Testbed at Johnson Space Center in Houston. An operations concept for improved sensor process flow from design to flight test is outlined specific to the areas of Environmental Control and Life Support System performance characterization and structural health monitoring of human-rated spacecraft. This operations concept will be used to highlight the areas where WSN technology, particularly plug-and-play software based on IEEE 1451, can improve the current process, resulting in significant reductions in the technical effort, overall cost and schedule for providing DFI capability for future spacecraft. RELEASED -

Alena, Richard↗
NASA NTRS1999

Position Estimation Verification Testing for the Video Guidance Sensor and Dynamic Overhead Target Simulator

The Video Guidance Sensor, part of the Automated Rendezvous and Capture mechanism, is due to undergo formal qualification testing at Marshall Space Flight Center. Before it undergoes this qualification, a test was needed to verify repeatability of the sensor, and to allow different sensor configurations to be compared. This test was developed at the Flight Robotics Laboratory. The test uses a software script to drive the sensor target to the same position and thus allows sensor runs to be compared. The sensor target is the Dynamic Overhead Target Simulator. The simulator uses encoders as its position indicator. Distance Measuring Device's were used to independently verify the software script, the sensor reading, and the target position. The test area, sensor, and other test equipment are briefly described. The actual data is tabulated and will serve as a baseline for future tests. The software script was found to be adequate for the test. Position repeatability was acceptable for all the equipment. The system test is now ready to be used in formal qualification testing.

Gaines, Joseph↗
NASA NTRS1974

Flight performance of the Skylab earth resources experiment package

The earth resources experiment package consisted of six facility-type sensors, which were flown on the Skylab spacecraft to collect data for a large group of investigators. For satisfactory interpretation of their data, many of these investigators required knowledge of the actual realized sensor performance, which may have differed from ground-based test performance. Functional, geometric, and radiometric evaluations of each sensor were made by using flight data from selected ground scenes, the moon, and dark space. As a result of these evaluations made during the Skylab missions, several sensor operation anomalies were identified and the appropriate corrective action was taken.

Potter, A. E.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Commercial Capaciflector

A capacitive proximity/tactile sensor with unique performance capabilities ('capaciflector' or capacitive reflector) is being developed by NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) for use on robots and payloads in space in the interests of safety, efficiency, and ease of operation. Specifically, this sensor will permit robots and their attached payloads to avoid collisions in space with humans and other objects and to dock these payloads in a cluttered environment. The sensor is simple, robust, and inexpensive to manufacture with obvious and recognized commercial possibilities. Accordingly, NASA/GSFC, in conjunction with industry, is embarking on an effort to 'spin' this technology off into the private sector. This effort includes prototypes aimed at commercial applications. The principles of operation of these prototypes are described along with hardware, software, modelling, and test results. The hardware description includes both the physical sensor in terms of a flexible printed circuit board and the electronic circuitry. The software description will include filtering and detection techniques. The modelling will involve finite element electric field analysis and will underline techniques used for design optimization.

Vranish, John M.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Sensor Applications at Kennedy Space Center (KSC)

Transducers used at KSC (Kennedy Space Center), in support of processing and launch of flight vehicles and payloads, are designed and tested to meet specific program requirements. Any equipment, transducer or support instrumentation in direct contact or in support to flight vehicle operations is considered ground support equipment (GSE) and required to meet strict program requirements (i.e. Space Shuttle Program, Space Station Program, Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles, etc.) Transducers used in KSC applications are based on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) transducers and sensors. In order to fully meet KSC requirements, these transducers evolve from standard COTS to modified COTS. The Transducer and Data Acquisition Group of the Instrumentation Branch at Kennedy Space Center is responsible for providing the technical expertise as well as qualification-testing capability to transform these COTS transducers in modified COTS suitable for use around flight hardware.

Perotti, Jose M.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Handheld Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET)-Aptamer Sensor for Bone Markers

Astronauts lose significant bone mass during lengthy space flights. NASA wishes to monitor this bone loss in order to develop nutritional and exercise countermeasures. Operational Technologies Corporation (OpTech) has developed a handheld device that quantifies bone loss in a spacecraft environment. The innovation works by adding fluorescent dyes and quenchers to aptamers to enable pushbutton, one-step bind-and-detect FRET assays that can be freeze-dried, rehydrated with body fluids, and used to quantify bone loss.

Bruno, John G.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Emerging Needs for Pervasive Passive Wireless Sensor Networks on Aerospace Vehicles

NASA is investigating passive wireless sensor technology to reduce instrumentation mass and volume in ground testing, air flight, and space exploration applications. Vehicle health monitoring systems (VHMS) are desired on all aerospace programs to ensure the safety of the crew and the vehicles. Pervasive passive wireless sensor networks facilitate VHMS on aerospace vehicles. Future wireless sensor networks on board aerospace vehicles will be heterogeneous and will require active and passive network systems. Since much has been published on active wireless sensor networks, this work will focus on the need for passive wireless sensor networks on aerospace vehicles. Several passive wireless technologies such as microelectromechanical systems MEMS, SAW, backscatter, and chipless RFID techniques, have all shown potential to meet the pervasive sensing needs for aerospace VHMS applications. A SAW VHMS application will be presented. In addition, application areas including ground testing, hypersonic aircraft and spacecraft will be explored along with some of the harsh environments found in aerospace applications.

Wilson, William C.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Legacy surface change analyses of the 1993 Rock Valley earthquake sequence for direct comparison to planned NA-22 underground conventional high-explosive experiments (Source Physics Experiment 3 (SPE3) - RV/DC Task 1.3 FY22 Final Report)

Recent work under two previous phases of the NNSA NA-22 Source Physics Experiment (SPE) have shown that underground chemical high-explosive experiments can produce detectable surface changes that differ in spatial extent and vertical magnitude depending on the geologic media at the site (Schultz-Fellenz et al., 2018; 2020; Crawford et al., 2021). Neither of these two prior phases of SPE identified natural earthquake-related surface effects in the same region that occurred at a similar depth as the explosive experiments for direct comparison. While earthquakes can also produce surface changes that are detectable using remote sensing data analyses, it is expected that the pattern and spatial extent of surface changes would vary between earthquakes and explosions. However, no direct-observed surface-change signature comparison between earthquakes and explosions has ever been performed. The SPE Phase 3 Rock Valley/Direct Comparison (RV/DC) program presents a unique opportunity to investigate and characterize co-occurrence of both earthquakes and explosions. In this project, we worked to address five tasks in a workflow, as follows: 1. Identify and obtain existing high-resolution legacy satellite and aerial imagery as close in time before and after the 1993 Rock Valley earthquake sequence to temporally constrain the analyses. 2. Transform these pre-earthquake and post-earthquake datasets into digital elevation models (DEMs) using geospatial analysis software packages (e.g., ArcGIS, Agisoft Metashape, and Google Earth Engine). 3. Perform DEM differencing analyses to assess and quantify earthquake-related changes from the 1993 sequence, and develop map products that visualize these analyses. 4. Use the analyses from (3) to: (a) assess spatial distribution and magnitude of surface changes due to the 1993 Rock Valley earthquake sequence, and (b) determine parameters of forthcoming, planned explosion-related surface change data collection from sensors mounted on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) (e.g., spatial extent of collection, design and density of survey control, sensors to deploy, forward speed and line spacing of UAV flight lines, flight altitude). 5. Develop a summary report on the analyses, including how the analyses define parameters and identify focus areas for any future surface change analytical field campaigns related to the explosive experiment. Analyzing these legacy data and identifying whether they can detect any surface changes related to the earthquake sequence facilitates opportunities for direct signature comparison of surface change from explosions at one location, which has never previously been performed. Comparing the surface change signatures from a co-located and depth-equivalent earthquake and an explosion could help to advance remote sensing event discrimination techniques. This report summarizes the work completed toward this ambitious goal.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS1978

Detectors for the space telescope

This review of Space Telescope (ST) detectors is divided into two parts. The first part gives short summaries of detector programs carried out during the final planning stage (Phase B) of the ST and discusses such detectors as Photicon, the MAMA detectors, the CODACON, the University of Maryland ICCD, the Goddard Space Flight Center ICCD, and the 70 mm SEC TV sensor. The second part describes the detectors selected for the first ST flight, including the wide field/planetary camera, the faint object and high resolution spectrographs, and the high speed photometer.

Kelsall, T.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Advances in terrestrial physics research at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

Some past, current, and future terrestrial physics research activities at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center are described. The uses of satellites and sensors, such as Tiros, Landsat, Nimbus, and SMMR, for terrestrial physics research are discussed. The spaceborne data are applicable for monitoring and studying vegetation, snow, and ice dynamics; geological features; soil moisture; water resources; the geoid of the earth; and the earth's magnetic field. Consideration is given to improvements in remote sensing systems and data records and the Earth Observing System sensor concepts.

Salomonson, Vincent V.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Evolving EO-1 Sensor Web Testbed Capabilities in Pursuit of GEOSS

A viewgraph presentation to evolve sensor web capabilities in pursuit of capabilities to support Global Earth Observing System of Systems (GEOSS) is shown. The topics include: 1) Vision to Enable Sensor Webs with "Hot Spots"; 2) Vision Extended for Communication/Control Architecture for Missions to Mars; 3) Key Capabilities Implemented to Enable EO-1 Sensor Webs; 4) One of Three Experiments Conducted by UMBC Undergraduate Class 12-14-05 (1 - 3); 5) Closer Look at our Mini-Rovers and Simulated Mars Landscae at GSFC; 6) Beginning to Implement Experiments with Standards-Vision for Integrated Sensor Web Environment; 7) Goddard Mission Services Evolution Center (GMSEC); 8) GMSEC Component Catalog; 9) Core Flight System (CFS) and Extension for GMSEC for Flight SW; 10) Sensor Modeling Language; 11) Seamless Ground to Space Integrated Message Bus Demonstration (completed December 2005); 12) Other Experiments in Queue; 13) Acknowledgements; and 14) References.

Mandi, Dan↗