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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

First Principles Based Reactive Atomistic Simulations to Understand the Effects of Molecular Hypervelocity Impact on Cassini's Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer

We report here on the predicted impact of species such as ice-water, CO2, CH4, and NH3, on oxidized titanium, as well as HC species on diamond surfaces. These simulations provide the dynamics of product distributions during and after a hypervelocity impact event, ionization fractions, and dissociation probabilities for the various species of interest as a function of impact velocity (energy). We are using these results to determine the relevance of the fragmentation process to Cassini INMS results, and to quantify its effects on the observed spectra.

hypervelocity collisions↗

Engineering Launch Methods for Non-Spherical Hypervelocity Projectiles

The use of carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) in modern satellites has led to a significant amount of space debris, including fragments of CFRP and high-density metals such as steel and copper, produced during catastrophic breakup events. To address this issue, NASA's White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) has been developing the capability to launch "flake-like" and long "needle-like" projectiles. WSTF tested projectiles with different length-to-diameter ratios (L/D), impacting aluminum Whipple shields with thermal blankets on the outer surface, at velocities exceeding 6 km/s. The results of the study suggest that launching and imaging shaped projectiles at high velocities is feasible. Ongoing research is now focused on improving the techniques for launching and imaging shaped projectiles under hypervelocity conditions.

Engineering↗