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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 NTRS2017

Demonstrations of Deployable Systems for Robotic Precursor Missions

NASA is developing thin-film based, deployable propulsion, power, and communication systems for small spacecraft that serve as enabling technologies for exploration of the solar system. By leveraging recent advancements in thin films, photovoltaics, deployment systems, and miniaturized electronics, new mission-level capabilities will be demonstrated aboard small spacecraft enabling a new generation of frequent, inexpensive, and highly capable robotic precursor missions with goals extensible to future human exploration. Specifically, thin-film technologies are allowing the development and use of solar sails for propulsion, small, lightweight photovoltaics for power, and omnidirectional antennas for communication as demonstrated by recent advances on the Near Earth Asteroid (NEA) Scout and Lightweight Integrated Solar Array and anTenna (LISA-T) projects.

Dervan, J.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Deployable Propulsion, Power and Communications Systems for Solar System Exploration

NASA is developing thin-film based, deployable propulsion, power, and communication systems for small spacecraft that could provide a revolutionary new capability allowing small spacecraft exploration of the solar system. By leveraging recent advancements in thin films, photovoltaics, and miniaturized electronics, new mission-level capabilities will be enabled aboard lower-cost small spacecraft instead of their more expensive, traditional counterparts, enabling a new generation of frequent, inexpensive deep space missions. Specifically, thin-film technologies are allowing the development and use of solar sails for propulsion, small, lightweight photovoltaics for power, and omnidirectional antennas for communication.

Johnson, L.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Deployable Propulsion, Power and Communication Systems for Solar System Exploration

NASA is developing thin-film based, deployable propulsion, power, and communication systems for small spacecraft that could provide a revolutionary new capability allowing small spacecraft exploration of the solar system. By leveraging recent advancements in thin films, photovoltaics, and miniaturized electronics, new mission-level capabilities will be enabled aboard lower-cost small spacecraft instead of their more expensive, traditional counterparts, enabling a new generation of frequent, inexpensive deep space missions. Specifically, thin-film technologies are allowing the development and use of solar sails for propulsion, small, lightweight photovoltaics for power, and omnidirectional antennas for communication. Like their name implies, solar sails 'sail' by reflecting sunlight from a large, lightweight reflective material that resembles the sails of 17th and 18th century ships and modern sloops. Instead of wind, the sail and the ship derive their thrust by reflecting solar photons. Solar sail technology has been discussed in the literature for quite some time, but it is only since 2010 that sails have been proven to work in space. Thin-film photovoltaics are revolutionizing the terrestrial power generation market and have been found to be suitable for medium-term use in the space environment. When mounted on the thin-film substrate, these photovoltaics can be packaged into very small volumes and used to generate significant power for small spacecraft. Finally, embedded antennas are being developed that can be adhered to thin-film substrates to provide lightweight, omnidirectional UHF and X-band coverage, increasing bandwidth or effective communication ranges for small spacecraft. Taken together, they may enable a host of new deep space destinations to be reached by a generation of spacecraft smaller and more capable than ever before.

Johnson, Les↗
NASA NTRS1993

Electrical performance of wire mesh for spacecraft deployable reflector antennas

Mobile satellite communications systems require large, high gain antennas at the spacecraft to minimize the antenna gain and power requirements for mobile user elements. The use of a deployable reflector antenna for these applications provides a lightweight system that can be compactly stowed prior to deployment on orbit. The mesh surface material is a critical component in the deployable reflector antenna design. The mesh is required to provide the desired electrical performance as well as the mechanical properties that are necessary to deploy and maintain the reflector surface on orbit. Of particular interest in multi-channel communications applications is the generation of Passive InterModulation (PIM) products at the reflector surface that can result in interference in the receive band. Wire mesh was specifically identified by some as having a high potential for PIM generation based solely on the existence of nonpermanent metal to metal contacts at the junctions that are inherent in the mesh design. There are a number of other factors, however, that reduce the likelihood of PIM occurring at the mesh reflector surface. Experimental data presented demonstrate that mesh PIM generation is not significant for typical applications. PIM and reflectivity performance of wire mesh composed of gold plated molybdenum wire in a tricot knit are described. This type of mesh was successfully used for the deployable Single Access Antennas of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System.

Turner, Greg↗
NASA NTRS2018

Update on NASA's Laser Communications Relay Demonstration Project

This paper provides an update on NASA's Laser Communications Relay Demonstration Project (LCRD), a joint project between NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology (JPL), and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory (MIT/LL). LCRD will provide a minimum of two years of high data rate optical communications services to demonstrate a concept of operations for future mission critical Earth relay satellites. LCRD is expected to launch in June 2019 and demonstrate how optical communications can meet NASA's growing need for higher data rates, or for the same data rate provided by a comparable RF system, how it enables lower power, lower mass communications systems on user spacecraft. In addition, LCRD's architecture will allow it to serve as a testbed in space for the development of additional symbol coding, link and network layer protocols, etc. LCRD's mission and architecture has slowly evolved since the project first started and this paper will provide an update of LCRD and planned capabilities and experiments.

Optical Communications↗
NASA NTRS2001

Spaceborne Global Positioning System for Spacecraft

The spaceborne Global Positioning System receiver provides navigational solutions and is designed for use in low Earth orbit. The spaceborne GPS receiver can determine the orbital position of a spacecraft using any of the satellites wi thin the GPS constellation. It is a multiple processor system incorporating redundancy by using a microcontroller to handle the closure of tracking loops for acquired GPS satellites, while a separate microprocessor computes the spacecraft navigational solution and handles other tasks within the receiver. 'Me spaceborne GPS receiver can use either microcontroller or the microprocessor to close the satellite tracking loops. The use of microcontroller provides better tracking performance of acquired GPS satellites. The spaceborne GPS receiver utilizes up to seven separate GPS boards, with each board including its own set of correlators, down-converters and front-end components. The spaceborne GPS receiver also includes telemetry and time-marking circuitry. The spaceborne GPS receiver communicates with other spacecraft systems through a variety of interfaces and can be software-configured to support several different mission profiles.

Lamar F Dougherty↗
NASA NTRS1998

Power, Propulsion, and Communications for Microspacecraft Missions

The development of small sized, low weight spacecraft should lead to reduced scientific mission costs by lowering fabrication and launch costs. An order of magnitude reduction in spacecraft size can be obtained by miniaturizing components. Additional reductions in spacecraft weight, size, and cost can be obtained by utilizing the synergy that exists between different spacecraft systems. The state-of-the-art of three major systems, spacecraft power, propulsion, and communications is discussed. Potential strategies to exploit the synergy between these systems and/or the payload are identified. Benefits of several of these synergies are discussed.

deGroot, W. A.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Space power systems - 'Spacecraft 2000'

The program 'Spacecraft 2000' has the objective to identify critical, high-payoff, potential spacecraft technologies, taking into account the formulation, advocation, and the management of the requisite technology development programs. This program represents a joint NASA-industry program. The technology areas addressed by 'Spacecraft 2000' are related to spacecraft power/energy storage, thermal control/thermal management, power management and distribution, autonomous operation-control, on-board system integration, spacecraft environmental interactions, secondary propulsion, communications technologies, a total system response approach, and system-subsystem technology verification. The expected benefits of a development of advanced technologies include decreased spacecraft bus system weights, decreased mission costs, increased reliability/lifetimes, and increased operational flexibility.

Faymon, K. A.↗
NASA NTRS1972

The ERTS wideband image communication system.

The ERTS payload includes a three camera return beam vidicon (RBV) television system and a four channel multispectral scanner system (MSS). The communications system described includes spacecraft wideband equipment plus unique payload processing equipment located at three NASA tracking stations. The RBV information, transmitted as analog FM with a baseband response of dc to 3.2 MHz, is telemetered, processed and recorded on a wideband video recorder. The MSS data, consisting of 24 analog sensor outputs, is digitized and encoded as 15 megabit per second PCM. The MSS data is then transmitted as analog FM, demultiplexed, and recorded on a 25 channel recorder. It is shown that bit error rate is an excellent indicator of MSS link performance while signal-to-noise ratio and distortion vs frequency adequately define RBV link performance.

Pandelides, J.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Conference on Advanced Technology for Future Space Systems, Hampton, Va., May 8-10, 1979, Technical Papers

Propulsion systems for spacecraft, satellite communications technology, the design of large light-weight erectable structures for assembly in space, electronics and information processing for spacecraft, and self-diagnostic, fault-tolerant controls based on high memory and processing capabilities are discussed. Topics of the papers include the design of large delta wings for earth-to-orbit transports, dual-fuel propulsion units, magnetoplasmadynamic thrusters, heating rates on blunt-nosed bodies at various angles of attack, remote manipulators for space assembly tasks, solar electric propulsion for planetary missions, deployable space platforms with multiple payloads, the design of large offset-fed antennas, a nonlinear stress-strain relationship for metallic meshes, and adaptive sensors for spacecraft.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1986

Model verifies design of mobile data modem

It has been proposed to use differential minimum shift keying (DMSK) modems in spacecraft-based mobile communications systems. For an employment of these modems, it is necessary that the transmitted carrier frequency be known prior to signal detection. In addition, the time needed by the receiver to lock onto the carrier frequency must be minimized. The present article is concerned with a DMSK modem developed for the Mobile Satellite Service. This device demonstrated fast acquisition time and good performance in the presence of fading. However, certain problems arose in initial attempts to study the acquisition behavior of the AFC loop through breadboard techniques. The development of a software model of the AFC loop is discussed, taking into account two cases which were plotted using the model. Attention is given to a demonstration of the viability of the modem by an approach involving modeling and analysis of the frequency synchronizer.

Davarian, F.↗
NASA NTRS1985

NASA's communications programs for interconnectivity

The U.S. 'bent pipe' satellites will be joined in 1989 by the NASA ACTS satellite. The present paper provides a status report on the ACTS satellite program. The ACTS satellite and the mobile satellite systems will conduct flight tests with respect to onboard switching for both wide band and narrow band communications. The ACTS program, with the laser link, and the mobile satellite programs with the large antennas will contribute to the test of four new technologies. Attention is given to the ACTS communication systems, the ACTS spacecraft characteristics, the ACTS modes of operation, RF technologies, interconnectivity technologies, and large antenna technologies.

Lovell, R. R.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Inflatable Reflector For Solar Power And Radio Communication

Report proposes installation of lightweight inflatable reflector structure aboard spacecraft required to both derive power from sunlight and communicate with Earth by radio when apparent position of Earth is at manageably small angle from line of sight to Sun. Structure contains large-aperture paraboloidal reflector aimed toward Sun and concentrates sunlight onto photovoltaic power converter and acts as main reflector of spacecraft radio-communication system.

Sercel, Joel↗
NASA NTRS2001

Chip for CCSDS Compatible Serial Data Streams

A configurable service processor for telemetry ground stations is totally implemented in VLSI/ASIC hardware and finds use in spacecraft systems and other communications systems that operate according to CCSDS and CCSDS-like protocols. The service processor performs the traditional functions of data extraction at very high data and packet rates.

Jason T Dowling↗