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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
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NASA NTRS1992

Studies of dynamic processes related to active experiments in space plasmas

This is the final report for grant NAGw-2055, 'Studies of Dynamic Processes Related to Active Experiments in Space Plasmas', covering research performed at the University of Michigan. The grant was awarded to study: (1) theoretical and data analysis of data from the CHARGE-2 rocket experiment (1keV; 1-46 mA electron beam ejections) and the Spacelab-2 shuttle experiment (1keV; 100 mA); (2) studies of the interaction of an electron beam, emitted from an ionospheric platform, with the ambient neutral atmosphere and plasma by means of a newly developed computer simulation model, relating model predictions with CHARGE-2 observations of return currents observed during electron beam emissions; and (3) development of a self-consistent model for the charge distribution on a moving conducting tether in a magnetized plasma and for the potential structure in the plasma surrounding the tether. Our main results include: (1) the computer code developed for the interaction of electrons beams with the neutral atmosphere and plasma is able to model observed return fluxes to the CHARGE-2 sounding rocket payload; and (2) a 3-D electromagnetic and relativistic particle simulation code was developed.

Banks, Peter M.↗
NASA NTRS2002

NASA EPSCoR Preparation Grant

The NASA EPSCoR project in Mississippi involved investigations into three areas of interest to NASA by researchers at the four comprehensive universities in the state. These areas involved: (1) Noninvasive Flow Measurement Techniques, (2) Spectroscopic Exhaust Plume Measurements of Hydrocarbon Fueled Rocket Engines and (3) Integration of Remote Sensing and GIS data for Flood Forecasting on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Each study supported a need at the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. The first two addressed needs in rocket testing, and the third, in commercial remote sensing. Students from three of the institutions worked with researchers at Stennis Space Center on the projects.

Sukanek, Peter C.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Advanced Methods for Aircraft Engine Thrust and Noise Benefits: Nozzle-Inlet Flow Analysis

The research is focused on a wide regime of problems in the propulsion field as well as in experimental testing and theoretical and numerical simulation analyses for advanced aircraft and rocket engines. Results obtained are based on analytical methods, numerical simulations and experimental tests at the NASA LaRC and Hampton University computer complexes and experimental facilities. The main objective of this research is injection, mixing and combustion enhancement in propulsion systems. The sub-projects in the reporting period are: (A) Aero-performance and acoustics of Telescope-shaped designs. The work included a pylon set application for SCRAMJET. (B) An analysis of sharp-edged nozzle exit designs for effective fuel injection into the flow stream in air-breathing engines: triangular-round and diamond-round nozzles. (C) Measurement technique improvements for the HU Low Speed Wind Tunnel (HU LSWT) including an automatic data acquisition system and a two component (drag-lift) balance system. In addition, a course in the field of aerodynamics was developed for the teaching and training of HU students.

Morgan, Morris H.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Performance and Stability Analyses of Rocket Thrust Chambers with Oxygen/Methane Propellants

Liquid rocket engines using oxygen and methane propellants are being considered by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for future in-space vehicles. This propellant combination has not been previously used in flight-qualified engine systems developed by NASA, so limited test data and analysis results are available at this stage of early development. As part of activities for the Propulsion and Cryogenic Advanced Development (PCAD) project funded under the Exploration Technology Development Program, the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has been evaluating capability to model combustion performance and stability for oxygen and methane propellants. This activity has been proceeding for about two years and this paper is a summary of results to date. Hot-fire test results of oxygen/methane propellant rocket engine combustion devices for the modeling investigations have come from several sources, including multi-element injector tests with gaseous methane from the 1980s, single element tests with gaseous methane funded through the Constellation University Institutes Program, and multi-element injector tests with both gaseous and liquid methane conducted at the NASA MSFC funded by PCAD. For the latter, test results of both impinging and coaxial element injectors using liquid oxygen and liquid methane propellants are included. Configurations were modeled with two one-dimensional liquid rocket combustion analysis codes, the Rocket Combustor Interactive Design and Analysis code and the Coaxial Injector Combustion Model. Special effort was focused on how these codes can be used to model combustion and performance with oxygen/methane propellants a priori, and what anchoring or calibrating features need to be applied, improved or developed in the future. Low frequency combustion instability (chug) occurred, with frequencies ranging from 150 to 250 Hz, with several multi-element injectors with liquid/liquid propellants, and was modeled using techniques from Wenzel and Szuch. High-frequency combustion instability also occurred at the first tangential (1T) mode, at about 4500 Hz, with several multi-element injectors with liquid/liquid propellants. Analyses of the transverse mode instability were conducted by evaluating injector resonances and empirical methods developed by Hewitt.

Hulka, James R.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Universal Responses of Cyclic-Oxidation Models Studied

Oxidation is an important degradation process for materials operating in the high-temperature air or oxygen environments typical of jet turbine or rocket engines. Reaction of the combustion gases with the component material forms surface layer scales during these oxidative exposures. Typically, the instantaneous rate of reaction is inversely proportional to the existing scale thickness, giving rise to parabolic kinetics. However, more realistic applications entail periodic startup and shutdown. Some scale spallation may occur upon cooling, resulting in loss of the protective diffusion barrier provided by a fully intact scale. Upon reheating, the component will experience accelerated oxidation due to this spallation. Cyclic-oxidation testing has, therefore, been a mainstay of characterization and performance ranking for high-temperature materials. Models simulate this process by calculating how a scale spalls upon cooling and regrows upon heating (refs. 1 to 3). Recently released NASA software (COSP for Windows) allows researchers to specify a uniform layer or discrete segments of spallation (ref. 4). Families of model curves exhibit consistent regularity and trends with input parameters, and characteristic features have been empirically described in terms of these parameters. Although much insight has been gained from experimental and model curves, no equation has been derived that can describe this behavior explicitly as functions of the key oxidation parameters.

Smialek, James L.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Telemetry Tracking and Control Through Commercial LEO Satellites

Personnel from the Goddard Space Flight Center Wallops Flight Facility (GSFC/WFF in Virginia have successfully tested commercial LEO communications satellites for sounding rocket, balloon and aircraft flight TT&C. The Flight Modern became a GSFC/WFF Advanced Range Technology Initiative (ARTI) in an effort to streamline TT&C capability to the user community at low cost. Ground tests of the Flight Modem verified duplex communications quality of service and measured transmission latencies. These tests were completed last year and results reported in the John Hopkins University (JHU) Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) 4th International Symposium on Reducing Spacecraft Costs for Ground Systems and Operations. The second phase of the Flight Modem baseline test program was a demonstration of the ruggedized version of the WFF Flight Modem flown on a sounding rocket launched it the Swedish rocket range (Esrangc) near Kiruna, Sweden, with results contained in this paper. Aircraft flight tests have been and continue to be conducted. Flights of opportunity are being actively pursued with other centers, ranges and users at universities. The WFF Flight Modem contains a CPS receiver to provide vehicle position for tracking and vehicle recovery. The system architecture, which integrates antennas, CPS receiver, commercial satellite packet data modem and a single board computer with custom software, is described. Small satellite use of the WFF Flight Modem is also being investigated, The Flight Modem provides an independent vehicle position source for Range Safety applications. The LEO communication system contains a coarse position location system, which is compared to GPS ace acy. This comparison allows users, to determine the need for a CPS receiver in addition to the satellite packet data modem for their application.

Streich, Ronald C.↗
NASA NTRS1958

The Explorer Rocket Research Program

Since September of 1956, nine Jupiter-C missiles have been launched from the firing pad at Cape Canaveral. The first Jupiter-C firing tested the propulsion system, air frame, and guidance components of the missile, and the second and third firings tested a model of the Jupiter nose cone under realistic re-entry conditions. The remaining six Jupiter-C missiles were used as the launching vehicles for EXPLORER satellites I through VI (Fig. 1). Of the six satellite firings, EXPLORERs I, III, and IV achieved satisfactory orbits. The Jupiter-C missile was designed and developed as a joint program under the technical direction of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Army Ballistic Missile Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory developed the three high-speed stages, and the Army Ballistic Missile Agency handled the development, construction, and operation of the first-stage booster rocket and the guidance system. Many other organizations have contributed to the success of the EXPLORER satellite program, most notably the State University of Iowa, the Air Force Cambridge Research Center, and the satellite tracking teams of the Vanguard organization.

Robillard, G.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Stardust Navigation Covariance Analysis

The Stardust spacecraft was launched on February 7, 1999 aboard a Boeing Delta-II rocket. Mission participants include the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Lockheed Martin Astronautics (LMA) and the University of Washington. The primary objective of the mission is to collect in-situ samples of the coma of comet Wild-2 and return those samples to the Earth for analysis. Mission design and operational navigation for Stardust is performed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). This paper will describe the extensive JPL effort in support of the Stardust pre-launch analysis of the orbit determination component of the mission covariance study. A description of the mission and it's trajectory will be provided first, followed by a discussion of the covariance procedure and models. Predicted accuracy's will be examined as they relate to navigation delivery requirements for specific critical events during the mission. Stardust was launched into a heliocentric trajectory in early 1999. It will perform an Earth Gravity Assist (EGA) on January 15, 2001 to acquire an orbit for the eventual rendezvous with comet Wild-2. The spacecraft will fly through the coma (atmosphere) on the dayside of Wild-2 on January 2, 2004. At that time samples will be obtained using an aerogel collector. After the comet encounter Stardust will return to Earth when the Sample Return Capsule (SRC) will separate and land at the Utah Test Site (UTTR) on January 15, 2006. The spacecraft will however be deflected off into a heliocentric orbit. The mission is divided into three phases for the covariance analysis. They are 1) Launch to EGA, 2) EGA to Wild-2 encounter and 3) Wild-2 encounter to Earth reentry. Orbit determination assumptions for each phase are provided. These include estimated and consider parameters and their associated a-priori uncertainties. Major perturbations to the trajectory include 19 deterministic and statistical maneuvers planned for the mission. The spacecraft is three axis stabilized and has unbalanced thrusters for attitude control. Accelerations due to the attitude control system are treated stochastically. The tracking scenario for the study is patterned after the actual schedule employed during the different phases of the mission. Conventional X-band two-way Doppler and SRA range data was simulated and the standard accuracy for these data types was assumed throughout most of the mission. However, a deweighting scheme was used for the Doppler data during times of low Sun-Earth-Probe angles, especially in the case of the DSM. Optical data is assumed to be available starting at 50 days prior to the comet encounter. The optical data will be used to improve the ephemeris of Wild-2, which is considered crucial to properly target the comet flyby. Results of the covariance analysis are presented for all mission phases. Navigation capability will be discussed in terms of the uncertainty in the encounter B-Plane (B.R and B.T) and linearized time of flight. Delivery errors based on the final maneuver prior to the comet encounter will be presented. The most stringent navigation requirement is for the Earth reentry. The uncertainty in the flight path angle must be less than 0.02 degree (orbit determination and maneuver performance) to assure successful recovery of the SRC. Results presented show that this requirement can be met.

Menon, Premkumar R.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Atomic Data and Spectral Line Intensities for Ne III

A number of satellites and rockets have been launched to observe radiation from the Sun and other astrophysical objects. Line radiation is emitted when the electron impact excited levels decay to the lower levels by photon emission. From this radiation, the physical parameters such as electron temperature and density of the astrophysical plasma, elemental abundance, and opacity can be inferred. Ne III lines have been observed in H II regions, Ne-rich filaments in supernovae, and planetary nebulae. The allowed line at 489.50 Angstroms due to the transition 2s(sup 2) 2p(sup 5) (sup 3) P2 (goes to) 2s(sup 2)2p(sup 4)(sup 3)P2 has been identified in the solar spectrum by Vernazza and Reeves using Skylab observations. Other Ne III lines in the solar EUV spectrum have been reported by Thomas and Neupert based on observations from the Solar EUV Rocket Telescope and Spectrograph (SERTS) instrument. Atomic data for Ne III have been calculated by using a set of programs developed at, University College, London. The Superstructure and Distorted Wave (DW) programs have been updated over the years. In the Superstructure program, configuration interaction can be taken into account and radial functions are calculated in a modified Thomas-Fermi-Amaldi potential. This is a statistical potential and depends on parameters lambda 1 which are determined by optimizing the weighted sum of term energies. They are found to be lambda(sub 0)=1.2467, lambda(sub 1)=1.1617, and lambda(sub 2)=1.0663. The relativistic corrections are included by using the Breit-Pauli Hamiltonian as a perturbation to the nonrelativistic Hamiltonian. The same potential is used to calculate reactance matrices in the DW approximation in LS coupling. Collision strengths in intermediate coupling are obtained by using term coupling coefficients obtained from the Superstructure program. In this calculation, the configurations used are 2s(sup 2)2p(sup 4), 2s2p(sup 5), 2s(sup 2)2p(sup 3)3s, 2s(sup 2)p(sup 3)3d giving rise to 57 fine-structure levels in intermediate coupling.

Bhatia, A. K.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Advanced Fuels Can Reduce the Cost of Getting Into Space

Rocket propellant and propulsion technology improvements can reduce the development time and operational costs of new space vehicle programs, and advanced propellant technologies can make space vehicles safer and easier to operate, and can improve their performance. Five major areas have been identified for fruitful research: monopropellants, alternative hydrocarbons, gelled hydrogen, metallized gelled propellants, and high-energy-density propellants. During the development of the NASA Advanced Space Transportation Plan, these technologies were identified as those most likely to be effective for new NASA vehicles. Several NASA research programs had fostered work in fuels under the topic Fuels and Space Propellants for Reusable Launch Vehicles in 1996 to 1997. One component of this topic was to promote the development and commercialization of monopropellant rocket fuels, hypersonic fuels, and high-energy-density propellants. This research resulted in the teaming of small business with large industries, universities, and Government laboratories. This work is ongoing with seven contractors. The commercial products from these contracts will bolster advanced propellant research. Work also is continuing under other programs, which were recently realigned under the "Three Pillars" of NASA: Global Civil Aviation, Revolutionary Technology Leaps, and Access to Space. One of the five areas is described below, and its applications and effect on future missions is discussed. This work is being conducted at the NASA Lewis Research Center with the assistance of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. The regenerative cooling of spacecraft engines and other components can improve overall vehicle performance. Endothermic fuels can absorb energy from an engine nozzle and chamber and help to vaporize high-density fuel before it enters the combustion chamber. For supersonic and hypersonic aircraft, endothermic fuels can absorb the high heat fluxes created on the wing leading edges and other aerodynamically heated components. Dual-fuel options are also possible, where endothermic hydrocarbon fuels are used for the lower speed portions of flight below Mach 8, and hydrogen fuel is used for the final acceleration to the upper stage separation velocity.

Palaszewski, Bryan A.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Microscale Heaters Detailed Boiling Behavior in Normal Gravity and Microgravity

Pool boiling in microgravity is an area of both scientific and practical interest. Conducting tests in microgravity, as well as lunar and Martian gravity, makes it possible to assess the effect of the density difference between the vapor and liquid phases on the overall boiling process and to assess the relative magnitude of these effects in comparison to other "forces" and phenomena, such as surface tension forces, liquid momentum forces, and microlayer evaporation. The microscale heater developed under a NASA Glenn Research Center grant serves as a unique tool to probe the fundamental mechanisms associated with pool boiling. An experimental package was designed and built by the University of Maryland and tested on the NASA Johnson Space Center KC-135 experimental aircraft and a NASA WFF Terrier Orion Sounding Rocket under NASA Grants NAG3-2228 and NCC3-783. A square array of 96 microscale heaters was constructed and installed into a special boiling chamber. A fluorinert, FC-72, was used as the test fluid. A variety of tests were conducted at different pressures, heater wall temperatures, bulk fluid temperatures, and gravity levels.

McQuillen, John B.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Final Environmental Impact Statement for National Aeronautics and Space Administration Office of Space Science: Sounding Rocket Program

The NASA OSS Sounding Rocket Program is responsible for the launch of approximately 80 science and applications payloads per year. These launches are for NASA programs and those of other U.S. government agencies private industry, universities, foreign countries, and international organizations. NASA launches occur or have occurred from 34 launch sites located throughout the world. Nine of these receive substantial use. Payloads launched by this program contribute in a variety of ways to the control and betterment of the environment (e.g., solar studies). Environmental effects caused by the research vehicles are limited in extent, duration, and intensity and are considered insignificant. There are no short-term alternatives to the current family of sounding rocket vehicles. The possibilities for changes in the family including new stage and sounding rocket developments, are continuously reviewed. Although measurements using high-altitude aircraft and balloons are possible at lower altitudes and using satellites at much higher altitudes, the specific region of the atmosphere between about 40 and 200 km cannot be reached in any other way. Sounding rockets can be launched simultaneously from several points and can be used in response to time-related phenomena.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2015

NASA, Rockets, and the International Space Station

General overview of NASA, Launch Services Program, and the Slosh experiment aboard the International Space Station. This presentation is designed to be presented in front of university level students in hopes of inspiring them to go into STEM careers.

Launch Services Program↗
NASA NTRS2002

Simplified Analysis of Pulse Detonation Rocket Engine Blowdown Gasdynamics and Performance

Pulse detonation rocket engines (PDREs) offer potential performance improvements over conventional designs, but represent a challenging modellng task. A simplified model for an idealized, straight-tube, single-shot PDRE blowdown process and thrust determination is described and implemented. In order to form an assessment of the accuracy of the model, the flowfield time history is compared to experimental data from Stanford University. Parametric Studies of the effect of mixture stoichiometry, initial fill temperature, and blowdown pressure ratio on the performance of a PDRE are performed using the model. PDRE performance is also compared with a conventional steady-state rocket engine over a range of pressure ratios using similar gasdynamic assumptions.

Morris, C. I.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Thermospheric observations combining chemical seeding and ground-based techniques. I - Winds, turbulence and the parameters of the neutral atmosphere.

Two Skylark sounding rockets carrying chemical seeding payloads were launched from Woomera, South Australia (31 S, 137 E) in October 1969. In conjunction with these firings, the University of Adelaide conducted ground-based experiments on the upper atmosphere using the radio meteor and spaced receiver drift methods. This paper presents the measurements of properties of the neutral atmosphere above 90 km which were obtained from these experiments.

Lloyd, K. H.↗
NASA NTRS1994

X-ray and gamma ray astronomy detectors

X-ray and gamma ray astronomy was made possible by the advent of space flight. Discovery and early observations of celestial x-rays and gamma rays, dating back almost 40 years, were first done with high altitude rockets, followed by Earth-orbiting satellites> once it became possible to carry detectors above the Earth's atmosphere, a new view of the universe in the high-energy part of the electromagnetic spectrum evolved. Many of the detector concepts used for x-ray and gamma ray astronomy were derived from radiation measuring instruments used in atomic physics, nuclear physics, and other fields. However, these instruments, when used in x-ray and gamma ray astronomy, have to meet unique and demanding requirements related to their operation in space and the need to detect and measure extremely weak radiation fluxes from celestial x-ray and gamma ray sources. Their design for x-ray and gamma ray astronomy has, therefore, become a rather specialized and rapidly advancing field in which improved sensitivity, higher energy and spatial resolution, wider spectral coverage, and enhanced imaging capabilities are all sought. This text is intended as an introduction to x-ray and gamma ray astronomy instruments. It provides an overview of detector design and technology and is aimed at scientists, engineers, and technical personnel and managers associated with this field. The discussion is limited to basic principles and design concepts and provides examples of applications in past, present, and future space flight missions.

Decher, Rudolf↗
NASA NTRS2003

Sounding of the Ion Energization Region: Resolving Ambiguities

Dartmouth College provided a single-channel high-frequency wave receiver to the Sounding of the Ion Energization Region: Resolving Ambiguities (SIERRA) rocket experiment launched from Poker Flat, Alaska, in January 2002. The receiver used signals from booms, probes, preamplifiers, and differential amplifiers provided by Cornell University coinvestigators. Output was to a dedicated 5 MHz telemetry link provided by WFF, with a small amount of additional Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) telemetry required for the receiver gain information. We also performed preliminary analysis of the data. The work completed is outlined below, in chronological order.

LaBelle, James↗
NASA NTRS2003

The Solar Chromosphere/Corona Interface: FUV-EUV Observations and Modeling of Unresolved Coronal Funnels - I

A coronal funnel model, developed by Rabin (199l), was tested against a calibrated spectroheliogram recorded in 171 - 175 Angstrom bandpass. This image was recorded on board a sounding rocket experiment flown on 1994 November 3, called the Multi-Spectral Solar Telescope Array, II (MSSTA II), MSSTA, a joint project of Stanford University, the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, is an observing platform composed of a set of normal-incidence, multilayer-coated optics designed to obtain narrow bandpass, high resolution images (1 - 3 arc sec) at selected FUV, EUV and soft X-ray wavelengths (44 Angstroms - 1550 Angstroms). Using full-disk images centered at 1550 Angstroms (C IV) and 173 Angstroms (FE IX/X), the funnel model, which is based on coronal back-heating, was tested against the data incorporating observed constraints on global coverage and measured flux. Found, was a class of funnel models that could account for the quiescent, globally diffuse and unresolved emission seen in the 171 - 175 Angstrom bandpass, where the funnels are assumed to be rooted in the C IV supergranular network. These models, when incorporated with the Chianti spectral code, suggest that this emission is mostly of upper transition region origin and primarily composed of FE IX plasma. The funnels are found to have constrictions, Gamma approx. 6 - 20, which is in good agreement with the observations. Further, the fitted models simultaneously satisfy global areal constraints seen in both images; namely, that a global network of funnels must cover approx. 70 - 95 % of the total solar surface area seen in the 171 - 175 Angstrom image, and = 45 % of the disk area seen in the 1550 Angstrom bandpass. These findings support the configuration of the EUV magnetic network as suggested by Reeves et af. (1974) and put forth in more detail by Gabriel (1976). Furthermore, the models are in good agreement with differential emission measure estimates made of the transition region by Raymond & Doyle (1981) for temperatures, 250,000 K = T = 650,000 K, based on full-disk observations made on board by SkyLab.

Martinez-Galarce, D. S.↗