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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

Increasing the usefulness of Shuttle with SPACEHAB

SPACEHAB is a pressurized laboratory, approximately 10 feet long and 13 feet in diameter, which fits in the forward position of the Shuttle payload bay and connects to the crew compartment through the Orbiter airlock. SPACEHAB modules may contain up to 61 standard middeck lockers, providing 1100 cubic feet of pressurized work space. SPACEHAB'S capacity offers crew-tended access to the microgravity environment for experimentation, technology development, and small-scale production. The modules are designed to facilitate the user's ability to quickly and inexpensively develop and integrate a microgravity payload. Payloads are typically integrated into the SPACEHAB module in standard SPACEHAB lockers or SPACEHAB racks. Lockers are designed to offer identical user interfaces as standard Space Shuttle middeck lockers. SPACEHAB racks are interchangeable with Space Station Freedom racks, allowing hardware to be qualified for early station use.

Stone, Barbara A.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Microgravity fluid physics research in the Space Station Freedom era

Microgravity fluid physics covers an exciting range of established and potential fields of scientific research. Areas in which the Microgravity Science and Applications Division of NASA's Office of Space Science and Applications is currently supporting research include: multiphase flow and phase change heat transfer, behavior of granular media and colloids; and interface dynamics, morphological stability, and contact line phenomena. As they contribute to our knowledge of fluid behavior, advances in these areas will enhance our understanding of materials processing on Earth and in space, and will contribute to technologies as diverse as chemical extraction, the prediction of soil behavior in earthquakes, and the production of oil reservoirs. NASA' s primary platform for research in microgravity fluid physics will soon be the Fluid Physics/Dynamics Facility on Space Station Freedom. This facility shares a rack for control and utilities with the Modular Combustion Facility, and has one rack for experiment-unique instruments. It is planned to change out the content of the experiment-unique rack at intervals on the order of one year. In order to obtain a maximum return on the operation of the facility during these intervals, the research community must carefully plan and coordinate an effort that brings the efforts of many investigators to bear on problems of particular importance. NASA is currently working with the community to identify research areas in which microgravity can make a unique and valuable contribution, and to build a balanced program of research around these areas or thrusts. Selections will soon be made from our first solicitation for research in fluid dynamics and transport phenomena. These solicitations will build the research community that will make Space Station Freedom a catalyst for scientific and technological discovery, and offer U.S. scientists in many disciplines a unique opportunity to participate in space science.

Carpenter, Bradley M.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Integration and use of Microgravity Research Facility: Lessons learned by the crystals by vapor transport experiment and Space Experiments Facility programs

The Crystals by Vapor Transport Experiment (CVTE) and Space Experiments Facility (SEF) are materials processing facilities designed and built for use on the Space Shuttle mid deck. The CVTE was built as a commercial facility owned by the Boeing Company. The SEF was built under contract to the UAH Center for Commercial Development of Space (CCDS). Both facilities include up to three furnaces capable of reaching 850 C minimum, stand-alone electronics and software, and independent cooling control. In addition, the CVTE includes a dedicated stowage locker for cameras, a laptop computer, and other ancillary equipment. Both systems are designed to fly in a Middeck Accommodations Rack (MAR), though the SEF is currently being integrated into a Spacehab rack. The CVTE hardware includes two transparent furnaces capable of achieving temperatures in the 850 to 870 C range. The transparent feature allows scientists/astronauts to directly observe and affect crystal growth both on the ground and in space. Cameras mounted to the rack provide photodocumentation of the crystal growth. The basic design of the furnace allows for modification to accommodate techniques other than vapor crystal growth. Early in the CVTE program, the decision was made to assign a principal scientist to develop the experiment plan, affect the hardware/software design, run the ground and flight research effort, and interface with the scientific community. The principal scientist is responsible to the program manager and is a critical member of the engineering development team. As a result of this decision, the hardware/experiment requirements were established in such a way as to balance the engineering and science demands on the equipment. Program schedules for hardware development, experiment definition and material selection, flight operations development and crew training, both ground support and astronauts, were all planned and carried out with the understanding that the success of the program science was as important as the hardware functionality. How the CVTE payload was designed and what it is capable of, the philosophy of including the scientists in design and operations decisions, and the lessons learned during the integration process are descussed.

Heizer, Barbara L.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Microgravity acceleration measurement environment characterization

The Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS) is a general-purpose instrumentation system designed to measure the accelerations onboard the shuttle Orbiter and shuttle/Spacelab vehicles. These measurements are used to support microgravity experiments and investigations into the microgravity environment of the vehicle. Acceleration measurement can be made at locations remote from the SAMS main instrumentation unit by the use of up to three remote triaxial sensor heads. The SAMS was developed by NASA's Lewis Research Center (LeRC) in support of NASA's microgravity science programs. In the past, numerous acceleration measurement systems have flown on various space missions. These systems were tailored to measure accelerations for a narrow set of requirements and were limited in bandwidth, dynamic range, and recording capability. In addition, these systems were mission-peculiar and not easily modified for other applications or missions. The result has been an inability to accurately assess the expected microgravity environment prior to a mission for a particular experiment and/or location. The prime science objective for SAMS on the SL-J mission will be to measure the accelerations experienced by a multitude of experiments in the two racks of the Japanese First Materials Processing Test (FMPT). The FMPT consists of a variety of materials science and life science experiments contained in racks no. 7 and no. 10. The SAMS data will be made available to the FMPT principal investigators after the mission for their analysis with the FMPT data. A secondary science objective for SAMS will be the characterization of the acceleration environment of the Spacelab module. This will include an analysis of the acceleration transfer function of the Spacelab module which will utilize the FMPT acceleration measurement along with measurements at the rack no. 9 structure. Another analytical effort to be undertaken is a general characterization of the acceleration environment of the Spacelab as an orbiting laboratory. These analysis efforts will be in conjunction with similar measurements and analyses on other SAMS Spacelab missions.

Delombard, Richard↗
NASA NTRS1999

Preliminary Concepts for the Materials Science Research Facility on the International Space Station

The Materials Science Research Facility (MSRF) is designed to accommodate the current and evolving cadre of peer-reviewed materials science investigations selected to conduct research in the microgravity environment of the International Space Station (ISS). The MSRF consists of modular autonomous Materials Science Research Racks (MSRR's). The initial MSRF concept consists of three Materials Science Research Racks (MSRR-1, MSRR-2, and MSRR-3) which will be developed for a phased deployment beginning on Utilization Flight 3. Each MSRR is a stand-alone autonomous rack and will be comprised of either on-orbit replaceable Experiment Modules, Module Inserts, investigation unique apparatus, or multi-user generic processing apparatus Each MSRR will support a wide variety of scientific investigations.

Cobb, S.D.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Development of the Materials Science Research Facility (MSRF) and Experiment Apparatus for the International Space Station (ISS)

The Materials Science Research Facility (MSRF) is a modular facility designed to accommodate the current and evolving cadre of peer-reviewed materials science investigations selected to conduct research in the microgravity environment of the International Space Station (ISS). The MSRF concept consists of three Materials Science Research Racks (MSRR-1, MSRR-2, and MSRR-3) which will be developed for phased deployment into the United States Laboratory Module beginning on the third Utilization Flight (UF-3). The facility will house the materials processing apparatus and common subsystems required for operating each device, and will use the ISS Active Rack Isolation System (ARIS). Each MSRR is an autonomous rack and will be comprised of on-orbit replaceable Experiment Modules, Module Inserts, investigation unique apparatus, and/or multi-user generic processing apparatus. The MSRF will be the primary apparatus for satisfying near-term and long-range materials science discipline goals and objectives with each MSRR supporting a wide range of materials science themes in the NASA research program.

Schaefer, D. A.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Microgravity Combustion Science and Fluid Physics Experiments and Facilities for the ISS

At the NASA Glenn Research Center, the Microgravity Science Program supports both ground-based and flight experiment research in the disciplines of Combustion Science and Fluid Physics. Combustion Science research includes the areas of gas jet diffusion flames, laminar flames, burning of droplets and misting fuels, solids and materials flammability, fire and fire suppressants, turbulent combustion, reaction kinetics, materials synthesis, and other combustion systems. The Fluid Physics discipline includes the areas of complex fluids (colloids, gels, foams, magneto-rheological fluids, non-Newtonian fluids, suspensions, granular materials), dynamics and instabilities (bubble and drop dynamics, magneto/electrohydrodynamics, electrochemical transport, geophysical flows), interfacial phenomena (wetting, capillarity, contact line hydrodynamics), and multiphase flows and phase changes (boiling and condensation, heat transfer, flow instabilities). A specialized International Space Station (ISS) facility that provides sophisticated research capabilities for these disciplines is the Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF). The FCF consists of the Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR), the Fluids Integrated Rack (FIR) and the Shared Accommodations Rack and is designed to accomplish a large number of science investigations over the life of the ISS. The modular, multiuser facility is designed to optimize the science return within the available resources of on-orbit power, uplink/downlink capacity, crew time, upmass/downmass, volume, etc. A suite of diagnostics capabilities, with emphasis on optical techniques, will be provided to complement the capabilities of the subsystem multiuser or principal investigator-specific experiment modules. The paper will discuss the systems concept, technical capabilities, functionality, and the initial science investigations in each discipline.

Lauver, Richard W.↗
NASA NTRS2003

STS-114 Crew Interviews Eileen Collins, CDR

Commander Eileen Collins of the STS-114 space mission is seen during a pre-launch interview. She answers questions about the primary goals of the mission which are to exchange the expedition six and expedition seven crews. Also, she says that a large amount of logistics will be taken up to the International Space Station. The primary payload on this mission include: 1) The Utilization and Logistics Flight-1 (ULF-1); 2) Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM); and 3) External Stowage Platform (ESP-2) which are all explained in detail by the Commander. The Window Observational Research Facility (WORF) rack, Human Research Facility (HRF) rack, Minus Eighty Degree Laboratory Freezer (MELF) and EXPRESS rack are the Space Station equipment to be installed on the International Space Station (I.S.S.). Collins is the Intravehicular Activity (IVA) specialist for this mission who oversees the three Extravehicular Activity (EVA)'s performed by Mission Specialists Soichi Noguchi and Stephen Robinson. The three EVA's include an external camera installation, positioning devices for an ammonia system and the installation of Floating Potential Measuring Unit (FPMU). Commander Collins expresses that she wants to have a successful mission, and also wants to see the Earth from space.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2003

Test Based Microgravity Analysis for the Fluids and Combustion Facility

The Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF) is a two rack facility dedicated to combustion and fluids science in a microgravity (near zero-g) environment on board the International Space Station (ISS). An important aspect of performing on-orbit research is maintaining the rack microgravity environment by minimizing vibroacoustic disturbances generated within the science payload. This paper discusses recent rack-level acoustic emission testing to characterize the science payload microgravity environment. Measurements are compared with FCF microgravity science requirements.

McNelis, Mark E.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Deformation and Flexibility Equations for Idealized ARIS Umbilicals, Under Planar End-Loading Conditions

The International Space Station (ISS) relies on the Active Rack Isolation System (ARIS) as the central component of an integrated, station-wide strategy to isolate microgravity space-science experiments. ARIS uses electromechanical actuators to isolate an International Standard Payload Rack (ISPR) from disturbances due to the motion of the ISS. Disturbances to microgravity experiments on ARIS-isolated racks are primarily transmitted via the ARTS power and vacuum umbilicals. Recent experimental tests indicate that these umbilicals resonate at frequencies outside the ARIS controller's bandwidth, at levels of potential concern for certain microgravity experiments. Reduction in the umbilical resonant frequencies could help to address this issue. This report develops equations for the in-plane deflections and flexibilities of an idealized umbilical (thin, flexible, cantilever beam) under end-point, in-plane loading (inclined-force and moment). The effect of gravity is neglected due to the on-orbit application. The analysis assumes an initially straight, cantilevered umbilical with uniform cross-section, which undergoes large deflections with no plastic deformation, such that the umbilical terminus remains in a single quadrant and the umbilical slope changes monotonically. The analysis is applicable to the ARIS power and vacuum umbilicals, under the indicated assumptions.

Hampton, R. David↗
NASA NTRS2003

Status of the Node 3 Regenerative Environmental Cpntrol& Life Support System Water Recovery & Oxygen Generation Systems

NASA s Marshall Space Flight Center is providing three racks containing regenerative water recovery and oxygen generation systems (WRS and OGS) for flight on the lnternational Space Station s (ISS) Node 3 element. The major assemblies included in these racks are the Water Processor Assembly (WPA), Urine Processor Assembly (UPA), Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA), and the Power Supply Module (PSM) supporting the OGA. The WPA and OGA are provided by Hamilton Sundstrand Space Systems lnternational (HSSSI), while the UPA and PSM are being designed and manufactured in-house by MSFC. The assemblies are currently in the manufacturing and test phase and are to be completed and integrated into flight racks this year. This paper gives an overview of the technologies and system designs, technical challenges encountered and solved, and the current status.

Carrasquillo, Robyn L.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Implementation of a Water Flow Control System into the ISS'S Planned Fluids & Combustion Facility

The Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF) will become an ISS facility capable of performing basic combustion and fluids research. The facility consists of two independent payload racks specifically configured to support multiple experiments over the life of the ISS. Both racks will depend upon the ISS's Moderate Temperature Loop (MTL) for removing waste heat generated by the avionics and experiments operating within the racks. By using the MTL, constraints are imposed by the ISS vehicle on how the coolant resource is used. On the other hand, the FCF depends upon effective thermal control for maximizing life of the hardware and for supplying proper boundary conditions for the experiments. In the implementation of a design solution, significant factors in the selection of the hardware included ability to measure and control relatively low flow rates, ability to throttle flow within the time constraints of the ISS MTL, conserve energy usage, observe low mass and small volume requirements. An additional factor in the final design solution selection was considering how the system would respond to a loss of power event. This paper describes the method selected to satisfy the FCF design requirements while maintaining the constraints applied by the ISS vehicle.

Edwards, Daryl A.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Status of the Node 3 Regenerative ECLSS Water Recovery and Oxygen Generation Systems

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center is providing three racks containing regenerative water recovery and oxygen generation systems (WRS and OGS) for flight on the International Space Station's (ISS) Node 3 element. The major assemblies included in these racks are the Water Processor Assembly (WPA), Urine Processor Assembly (UPA), Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA), and the Power Supply Module (PSM) supporting the OGA. The WPA and OGA are provided by Hamilton Sundstrand Space Systems International (HSSSI), while the UPA and PSM are being designed and manufactured in-house by MSFC. The assemblies are completing the manufacturing phase and are in various stages of ORU and system level testing, to be followed by integration into the flight racks. This paper gives a current status, along with technical challenges encountered and lessons learned.

Carrasquillo, Robyn L.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Mission Success for Combustion Science

This presentation describes how mission success for combustion experiments has been obtained in previous spaceflight experiments and how it will be obtained for future International Space Station (ISS) experiments. The fluids and combustion facility is a payload planned for the ISS. It is composed of two racks: the fluids Integrated rack and the Combustion INtegrated Rack (CIR). Requirements for the CIR were obtained from a set of combustion basis experiments that served as surrogates for later experiments. The process for experiments that fly on the ISS includes proposal selection, requirements and success criteria definition, science and engineering reviews, mission operations, and postflight operations. By following this process, the microgravity combustion science program has attained success in 41 out of 42 experiments.

Weiland, Karen J.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Deformation and Flexibility Equations for ARIS Umbilicals Idealized as Planar Elastica

The International Space Station relies on the active rack isolation system (ARIS) as the central component of an integrated, stationwide strategy to isolate microgravity space-science experiments. ARIS uses electromechanical actuators to isolate an international standard payload rack from disturbances due to the motion of the Space Station. Disturbances to microgravity experiments on ARIS isolated racks are transmitted primarily via the ARIS power and vacuum umbilicals. Experimental tests indicate that these umbilicals resonate at frequencies outside the ARIS controller s bandwidth at levels of potential concern for certain microgravity experiments. Reduction in the umbilical resonant frequencies could help to address this issue. This work documents the development and verification of equations for the in-plane deflections and flexibilities of an idealized umbilical (thin, flexible, inextensible, cantilever beam) under end-point, in-plane loading (inclined-force and moment). The effect of gravity is neglected due to the on-orbit application. The analysis assumes an initially curved (not necessarily circular), cantilevered umbilical with uniform cross-section, which undergoes large deflections with no plastic deformation, such that the umbilical slope changes monotonically. The treatment is applicable to the ARIS power and vacuum umbilicals under the indicated assumptions.

Hampton, R. David↗
NASA NTRS2000

Concept Defined for the International Space Station's Fluids and Combustion Facility

The Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF) will occupy three powered racks and one stowage rack on the International Space Station (ISS). It will be a permanent modular, multiuser facility to accommodate microgravity science experiments onboard the ISS s U.S. Laboratory Module. FCF will support NASA Human Exploration and Development of Space program objectives requiring sustained, systematic research in the disciplines of fluid physics and combustion science. The two disciplines share racks and mutually necessary hardware within FCF to dramatically reduce costs and effectively use ISS resources. Even with the cost of FCF development included, experimentation using FCF on the space station will cost only half of what it did on the space shuttles.

Winsa, Edward A.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Microgravity Emissions Laboratory Developed

The Microgravity Emissions Laboratory (MEL) was developed for the support, simulation, and verification of the International Space Station microgravity environment. The MEL utilizes an inertial measurement system using acceleration emissions generated by various operating components of the space station. These emissions, if too large, could hinder the science performed on the space station by disturbing the microgravity environment. Typical test components are disk drives, pumps, motors, solenoids, fans, and cameras. These components will produce inertial forces, which disturb the microgravity on-orbit station environment. These components, usually housed within a station rack, must meet acceleration limits imposed at the rack interface for minimizing the onboard station-operating environment. The NASA Glenn Research Center developed this one-of-a-kind laboratory for testing components and, eventually, rack-level configurations. The MEL approach is to measure the component's generated inertial forces. This force is a product of the full diagonal mass matrix including the test setup (the center of gravity, mass moment of inertia, and weight) and the resolved diagonal rigid-body acceleration determined from measurements using the 10 apparatus accelerometers. The mass matrix can be test derived. The bifilar torsional pendulum method is used to measure the moment of inertia for the test component.

Goodnight, Thomas W.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Status of the International Space Station Regenerative ECLSS Water Recovery and Oxygen Generation Systems

NASA is developing three racks containing regenerative water recovery and oxygen generation systems (WRS and OGS) for deployment on the International Space Station (ISS). The major assemblies included in these racks are the Water Processor Assembly (WPA), Urine Processor Assembly (UPA), Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA), and the Power Supply Module (PSM) supporting the OGA. The WPA and OGA are provided by Hamilton Sundstrand Space Systems International (HSSSI), Inc., while the UPA and PSM are developed in- house by the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The assemblies have completed the manufacturing phase and are in various stages of testing and integration into the flight racks. This paper summarizes the status as of April 2005 and describes some of the technical challenges encountered and lessons learned over the past year.

Bagdigian, Robert M.↗