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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 163 records · Page 9
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2004

L2 Earth atmosphere observatory : formation guidance, metrology, and control synthesis

This paper discusses the results of research sponsored by the NASA Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts (RASC) program, and includes the synthesis and analysis of the guidance, metrology and control for a two-spacecraft formation in a unique continuously powered orbit near the Sun-Earth L2 Lagrange point observing the illuminated atmosphere of the Earth while it is continuously occulting the Sun.

observatory↗
NASA NTRS2010

CLARREO Cornerstone of the Earth Observing System: Measuring Decadal Change Through Accurate Emitted Infrared and Reflected Solar Spectra and Radio Occultation

The Climate Absolute Radiance and Refractivity Observatory (CLARREO) is one of four Tier 1 missions recommended by the recent NRC Decadal Survey report on Earth Science and Applications from Space (NRC, 2007). The CLARREO mission addresses the need to provide accurate, broadly acknowledged climate records that are used to enable validated long-term climate projections that become the foundation for informed decisions on mitigation and adaptation policies that address the effects of climate change on society. The CLARREO mission accomplishes this critical objective through rigorous SI traceable decadal change observations that are sensitive to many of the key uncertainties in climate radiative forcings, responses, and feedbacks that in turn drive uncertainty in current climate model projections. These same uncertainties also lead to uncertainty in attribution of climate change to anthropogenic forcing. For the first time CLARREO will make highly accurate, global, SI-traceable decadal change observations sensitive to the most critical, but least understood, climate forcings, responses, and feedbacks. The CLARREO breakthrough is to achieve the required levels of accuracy and traceability to SI standards for a set of observations sensitive to a wide range of key decadal change variables. The required accuracy levels are determined so that climate trend signals can be detected against a background of naturally occurring variability. Climate system natural variability therefore determines what level of accuracy is overkill, and what level is critical to obtain. In this sense, the CLARREO mission requirements are considered optimal from a science value perspective. The accuracy for decadal change traceability to SI standards includes uncertainties associated with instrument calibration, satellite orbit sampling, and analysis methods. Unlike most space missions, the CLARREO requirements are driven not by the instantaneous accuracy of the measurements, but by accuracy in the large time/space scale averages that are key to understanding decadal changes.

Sandford, Stephen P.↗
DOE OSTI2024

The MOSAiC Distributed Network: Observing the coupled Arctic system with multidisciplinary, coordinated platforms

Central Arctic properties and processes are important to the regional and global coupled climate system. The Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) Distributed Network (DN) of autonomous ice-tethered systems aimed to bridge gaps in our understanding of temporal and spatial scales, in particular with respect to the resolution of Earth system models. By characterizing variability around local measurements made at a Central Observatory, the DN covers both the coupled system interactions involving the ocean-ice-atmosphere interfaces as well as three-dimensional processes in the ocean, sea ice, and atmosphere. The more than 200 autonomous instruments (“buoys”) were of varying complexity and set up at different sites mostly within 50 km of the Central Observatory. During an exemplary midwinter month, the DN observations captured the spatial variability of atmospheric processes on sub-monthly time scales, but less so for monthly means. They show significant variability in snow depth and ice thickness, and provide a temporally and spatially resolved characterization of ice motion and deformation, showing coherency at the DN scale but less at smaller spatial scales. Ocean data show the background gradient across the DN as well as spatially dependent time variability due to local mixed layer sub-mesoscale and mesoscale processes, influenced by a variable ice cover. The second case (May–June 2020) illustrates the utility of the DN during the absence of manually obtained data by providing continuity of physical and biological observations during this key transitional period. We show examples of synergies between the extensive MOSAiC remote sensing observations and numerical modeling, such as estimating the skill of ice drift forecasts and evaluating coupled system modeling. The MOSAiC DN has been proven to enable analysis of local to mesoscale processes in the coupled atmosphere-ice-ocean system and has the potential to improve model parameterizations of important, unresolved processes in the future.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1987

Research and technology, 1987

Three broad goals were presented by NASA as a guide to meet the challenges of the future: to advance scientific knowledge of the planet Earth, the solar system, and the universe; to expand human presence beyond the Earth into the solar system; and to strengthen aeronautics research and technology. Near-term and new-generation space transportation and propulsion systems are being analyzed that will assure the nation access to and presence in space. Other key advanced studies include large astronomical observatories, space platforms, scientific and commercial payloads, and systems to enhance operations in Earth orbit. Longer-range studies include systems that would allow humans to explore the Moon and Mars during the next century. Research programs, both to support the many space missions studied or managed by the Center and to advance scientific knowledge in selected areas, involve work in the areas of atmospheric science, earth science, space science (including astrophysics and solar, magnetospheric, and atomic physics), and low-gravity science. Programs and experiment design for flights on the Space Station, free-flying satellites, and the Space Shuttle are being planned. To maintain a leadership position in technology, continued advances in liquid and solid propellant engines, materials and processes; electronic, structural, and thermal investigations; and environmental control are required. Progress during the fiscal year 1987 is discussed.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2008

The Orbiting Carbon Observatory: NASA's First Dedicated Carbon Dioxide Mission

The Orbiting Carbon Observatory is scheduled for launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California in January 2009. This Earth System Science Pathfinder (ESSP) mission carries and points a single instrument that incorporates 3 high-resolution grating spectrometers designed to measure the absorption of reflected sunlight by near-infrared carbon dioxide (CO2) and molecular oxygen bands. These spectra will be analyzed to retrieve estimates of the column-averaged CO2 dry air mole fraction, X(sub CO2). Pre-flight qualification and calibration tests completed in early 2008 indicate that the instrument will provide high quality X(sub CO2) data. The instrument was integrated into the spacecraft, and the completed Observatory was qualified and tested during the spring and summer of 2008, in preparation for delivery to the launch site in the fall of this year. The Observatory will initially be launched into a 635 km altitude, near-polar orbit. The on-board propulsion system will then raise the orbit to 705 km and insert OCO into the Earth Observing System Afternoon Constellation (A-Train). The first routine science observations are expected about 45 days after launch. Calibrated spectral radiances will be archived starting about 6 months later. An exploratory X(sub CO2) product will be validated and then archived starting about 3 months after that.

Carbon Cycle↗
NASA NTRS1990

High-precision orbit determination for high-earth elliptical orbiters using the Global Positioning System

Orbit covariance analyses pertaining to the Japanese VLBI Space Observatory Program (VSOP) MUSES-B satellite and to the International VLBI Satellite are presented. It is determined that a combination of Doppler and GPS measurements can provide the orbit accuracy required to support advanced radio interferometric experiments. For the VSOP, the required orbit accuracy of 130 m is easily met with two-way Doppler as the primary type of data; the 0.4 cm/s VSOP velocity requirement is also feasible provided that precise ground calibrations of tropospheric delays and station coordinates are available. It is concluded that combining the data from a VSOP GPS flight instrument with the ground GPS and two-way Doppler data will significantly enhance orbit determination accuracy in position and velocity.

Lichten, S. M.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Some economic benefits of a synchronous earth observatory satellite

An analysis was made of the economic benefits which might be derived from reduced forecasting errors made possible by data obtained from a synchronous satellite system which can collect earth observation and meteorological data continuously and on demand. User costs directly associated with achieving benefits are included. In the analysis, benefits were evaluated which might be obtained as a result of improved thunderstorm forecasting, frost warning, and grain harvest forecasting capabilities. The anticipated system capabilities were used to arrive at realistic estimates of system performance on which to base the benefit analysis. Emphasis was placed on the benefits which result from system forecasting accuracies. Benefits from improved thunderstorm forecasts are indicated for the construction, air transportation, and agricultural industries. The effects of improved frost warning capability on the citrus crop are determined. The benefits from improved grain forecasting capability are evaluated in terms of both U.S. benefits resulting from domestic grain distribution and U.S. benefits from international grain distribution.

Battacharyya, R. K.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Monitoring CO2 sources and sinks from space : the Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) Mission

NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) will make the first space-based measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) with the precision, resolution, and coverage needed to characterize the geographic distribution of CO2 sources and sinks and quantify their variability over the seasonal cycle. OCO is currently scheduled for launch in 2008. The observatory will carry a single instrument that incorporates three high-resolution grating spectrometers designed to measure the near-infrared absorption by CO2 and molecular oxygen (O2) in reflected sunlight. OCO will fly 12 minutes ahead of the EOS Aqua platform in the Earth Observing System (EOS) Afternoon Constellation (A-Train). The in-strument will collect 12 to 24 soundings per second as the Observatory moves along its orbit track on the day side of the Earth. A small sampling footprint (<3 km2 at nadir) was adopted to reduce biases in each sounding associated with clouds and aerosols and spatial variations in surface topography. A comprehensive ground-based validation program will be used to assess random errors and biases in the XCO2 product on regional to continental scales. Measurements collected by OCO will be assimilated with other environmental measurements to retrieve surface sources and sinks of CO2. This information could play an important role in monitoring the integrity of large scale CO2 sequestration projects.

carbon dioxide sources and sinks↗
NASA NTRS1981

The application of space technology to geodynamics - An overview

The application of various space technologies to the study of the earth is discussed. The main problems that this technology can study are crustal movement and deformation, and earth structure and rotational dynamics. Laser and VLBI systems are used as fixed observatories and as mobile stations which can move between locations separated by 200 to 500 km. Requirements for more frequency and more densely spaced measurements can be met by the use of geodetic receivers which process signals from the Global Positioning System, and an airborne laser which ranges simultaneously to an array of passive cube corner retroreflectors. A Gravity Field Satellite is expected to survey the earth's field to a resolution of 1000 km and accuracies of one milligal. Data from the Magnetic Field Satellite are being used to develop models of the main field for the 1980 Epoch and maps of crustal anomalies.

Fischetti, T. L.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Virtual Observatories for Space Physics Observations and Simulations: New Routes to Efficient Access and Visualization

New tools for data access and visualization promise to make the analysis of space plasma data both more efficient and more powerful, especially for answering questions about the global structure and dynamics of the Sun-Earth system. We will show how new existing tools (particularly the Virtual Space Physics Observatory-VSPO-and the Visual System for Browsing, Analysis and Retrieval of Data-ViSBARD; look for the acronyms in Google) already provide rapid access to such information as spacecraft orbits, browse plots, and detailed data, as well as visualizations that can quickly unite our view of multispacecraft observations. We will show movies illustrating multispacecraft observations of the solar wind and magnetosphere during a magnetic storm, and of simulations of 3 0-spacecraft observations derived from MHD simulations of the magnetosphere sampled along likely trajectories of the spacecraft for the MagCon mission. An important issue remaining to be solved is how best to integrate simulation data and services into the Virtual Observatory environment, and this talk will hopefully stimulate further discussion along these lines.

Roberts, Aaron↗
NASA NTRS2010

The Heliophysics Data Environment, Virtual Observatories, NSSDC, and SPASE

Heliophysics (the study of the Sun and its effects on the Solar System, especially the Earth) has an interesting data environment in that the data are often to be found in relatively small data sets widely scattered in archives around the world. Within the last decade there have been more concentrated efforts to organize the data access methods and create a Heliophysics Data and Model Consortium (HDMC). To provide data search and access capability a number of Virtual Observatories (VO's) have been established both via funding from the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and through other funding agencies in the U.S. and worldwide. At least 15 systems can be labeled as Heliophysics Virtual Observatories, 9 of them funded by NASA. Other parts of this data environment include Resident Archives, and the final, or "deep" archive at the National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC). The problem is that different data search and access approaches are used by all of these elements of the HDMC and a search for data relevant to a particular research question can involve consulting with multiple VO's - needing to learn a different approach for finding and acquiring data for each. The Space Physics Archive Search and Extract (SPASE) project is intended to provide a common data model for Heliophysics data and therefore a common set of metadata for searches of the VO's and other data environment elements. The SPASE Data Model has been developed through the common efforts of the HDMC representatives over a number of years. We currently have released Version 2.1. of the Data Model. The advantages and disadvantages of the Data Model will be discussed along with the plans for the future. Recent changes requested by new members of the SPASE community indicate some of the directions for further development.

Thieman, James↗
NASA NTRS2009

Design and Development of the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Electrical Power System

The SDO spacecraft was designed to help us understand the Sun's influence on Earth and Near-Earth space by studying the solar atmosphere on small scales of space and time and in many wavelengths simultaneously. It will perform its operations in a geosynchronous orbit of the earth. This paper will present background on the SDO mission, an overview of the design and development activities associated specifically with the SDO electrical power system (EPS), as well as the major driving requirements behind the mission design. The primary coverage of the paper will be devoted to some of the challenges faced during the design and development phase. This will include the challenges associated with development of a compatible CompactPCI (cPCI) interface within the Power System Electronics (PSE) in order to utilize a "common" processor card, implementation of new solid state power controllers (SSPC) for primary load distribution switching and over current protection in the PSE, and the design approach adopted to meet single fault tolerance requirements for all of the SDO EPS functions.

Denney, Keys↗
NASA NTRS2015

The NASA Earth Science Program and Small Satellites

Earth's changing environment impacts every aspect of life on our planet and climate change has profound implications on society. Studying Earth as a single complex system is essential to understanding the causes and consequences of climate change and other global environmental concerns. NASA's Earth Science Division (ESD) shapes an interdisciplinary view of Earth, exploring interactions among the atmosphere, oceans, ice sheets, land surface interior, and life itself. This enables scientists to measure global and climate changes and to inform decisions by Government, other organizations, and people in the United States and around the world. The data collected and results generated are accessible to other agencies and organizations to improve the products and services they provide, including air quality indices, disaster prediction and response, agricultural yield projections, and aviation safety. ESD's Flight Program provides the spacebased observing systems and supporting infrastructure for mission operations and scientific data processing and distribution that support NASA's Earth science research and modeling activities. The Flight Program currently has 21 operating Earth observing space missions, including the recently launched Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission, the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2), the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission, and the International Space Station (ISS) RapidSCAT and Cloud-Aerosol Transport System (CATS) instruments. The ESD has 22 more missions and instruments planned for launch over the next decade. These include first and second tier missions from the 2007 Earth Science Decadal Survey, Climate Continuity missions to assure availability of key climate data sets, and small-sized competitively selected orbital missions and instrument missions of opportunity belonging to the Earth Venture (EV) Program. Small satellites (~500 kg or less) are critical contributors to these current and future satellite missions. Some examples are the aforementioned Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2), the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow On (GRACE FO), and the Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) microsatellite constellation. Small satellites also support ESD in space validation and risk reduction of enabling technologies (components and systems). The status of the ESD Flight Program and the role of small satellites will be discussed.

Earth Science Prog & Small Sat↗
NASA NTRS1987

An overview of the Hubble Space Telescope command and data management system

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) will be an orbiting observatory which will extend the capability of large earth-based observatories to view the universe by approximately 350 times in volume and approximately seven times in distance. The HST program, which includes the Orbiting Observatory, the Space Telescope Science Institute, and the Space Telescope Operations Control Center, is supported by the Space Shuttle, the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System, and the NASA Communications Network. This paper describes the Command and Data Management System for the HST spacecraft, including flexibility, operation modes, and end-to-end data flow paths used to meet stringent synchronization and data quality requirements. The results of system tests indicate that the use of concatenated coding techiques consisting of both block and convolutional codes as a protection against random and burst errors has been successful. Diagrams of the HST data system are included.

Clubb, Jerry↗
NASA NTRS1985

Space telescope

This paper describes the Space Telescope, a program of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The Space Telescope is the largest and most powerful optical and ultraviolet astronomical observatory to be operated in space. Through the remote eyes of this telescope, astronomers will look further into space and time to produce data including imagery of unequaled quality of galaxies, star systems, quasars and other objects of scientific interest. The Space Telescope will do this by observing the sky from a nominal 550 kilometer low earth orbit via an optical system with a 2.4 meter diameter primary mirror. Additionally, this observatory has a precision pointing control system that is capable of maintaining a locked state on an object for extended periods accurately to within 0.01 arc seconds. The observatory instrument complement, optical system and pointing control system is presented.

Wojtalik, F. S.↗
NASA NTRS1992

The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission and the development of its observatory

The paper describes a cooperative program between NASA and NASDA, the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), which is an earth system science mission designed to study characteristics of the rainfall occurring over the tropics and subtropics. The salient features of the TRMM are described, with special attention given to the mission parameters, the instrument complement, the TRMM observatory, and the command and data handling subsystem. Also discussed are the TRMM requirement factors and the resulting approach to the TRMM observatory design.

Lavigna, Thomas A.↗
NASA NTRS2002

The IRIS-GUS Shuttle Borne Upper Stage System

This paper describes the Italian Research Interim Stage - Gyroscopic Upper Stage (IRIS-GUS) upper stage system that will be used to launch NASA's Triana Observatory from the Space Shuttle. Triana is a pathfinder earth science mission being executed on rapid schedule and small budget, therefore the mission's upper stage solution had to be a system that could be fielded quickly at relatively low cost and risk. The building of the IRIS-GUS system wa necessary because NASA lost the capability to launch moderately sized upper stage missions fro the Space Shuttle when the PAM-D system was retired. The IRIS-GUS system restores this capability. The resulting system is a hybrid which mates the existing, flight proven IRIS (Italian Research Interim Stage) airborne support equipment to a new upper stage, the Gyroscopic Upper Stage (GUS) built by the GSFC for Triana. Although a new system, the GUS exploits flight proven hardware and design approaches in most subsystems, in some cases implementing proven design approaches with state-of-the-art electronics. This paper describes the IRIS-GUS upper stage system elements, performance capabilities, and payload interfaces.

Tooley, Craig↗