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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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Lithium Primary and Secondary Cells are being considered for applications in space to enhance energy storage capability. In this paper the authors describe the past, present and future application and program objectives as well as the technology issues that must be addressed.
The authors are constructing a real-time processor to acquire image frames, perform array flat-fielding, execute a 64 x 64 element two-dimensional complex FFT (fast Fourier transform) and average the power spectrum, all within the 25 ms coherence time for speckles at near-IR (infrared) wavelength. The processor will be a compact unit controlled by a PC with real-time display and data storage capability. This will provide the ability to optimize observations and obtain results on the telescope rather than waiting several weeks before the data can be analyzed and viewed with offline methods. The image acquisition and processing, design criteria, and processor architecture are described.
A digital computer simulation is used to determine if the extreme ultraviolet explorer (EUVE) reaction wheels can provide sufficient torque and momentum storage capability to meet the space infrared telescope facility (SIRTF) maneuver requirements. A brief description of the pointing control system (PCS) and the sensor and actuator dynamic models used in the simulation is presented. A model to represent a disturbance such as fluid sloshing is developed. Results developed with the simulation, and a discussion of these results are presented.
A lunar base is an attractive option for space exploration plans early in the next century. The primary options for a lunar base power system are solar and nuclear. This paper details the requirements for a photovoltaic powered lunar base. Topics covered are (1) requirements for power during the lunar day and during the night, (2) solar cells, present and future availability, efficiency, specific power, and temperature sensitivity, (3) storage options for the lunar night, (4) arrays and system integration, and (5) the potential for production of photovoltaic arrays and storage capability from locally available materials.
The Cassini mission will be launched in April 1996 and will arrive at Saturn in December 2002. Upon arrival, a large maneuver near Saturn periapsis called Saturn Orbit Insertion (SOI) will reduce the energy of the spacecraft and result in capture into Saturn orbit. SOI is one of the most critical events of the entire mission. Therefore it is prudent to determine what resources must be dedicated to assure successful execution of SOI and what operational resources can be provided to satisfy SOI science objective. To prolong undisturbed science observations near the periapsis, a delayed SOI burn strategy has been developed. To examine potential resource conflicts between science and engineering activities, key considerations such as power and data storage capability have been evaluated. Other constraints such as turning the spacecraft to burn attitude and slewing platforms for science have also been examined. Although there are many constraints and the spacecraft resources are limited, a reasonable amount of science can still be carried out prior to and during the SOI burn.
A photometer developed to characterize lightning from the ground is discussed. The detector and the electronic signal processing and data storage systems are presented along with field data measured by the system. The discussion will include improvements that will be incorporated to enhance the measurement of lightning and the data storage capability to record for many days without human involvement. Finally, the calibration of the GOLD system is presented.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) observing facility will operate on the Earth Observing System (EOS) in the late 1990's. It is estimated that this observing facility will produce over 200 gigabytes of data per day requiring a storage capability of just over 300 gigabytes per day. Archiving, browsing, and distributing the data associated with MODIS represents a rich opportunity for testing and applying both lossless and lossy data compression methods.
An important part of NASA's mission involves the secondary application of its technologies in the public and private sectors. One current application being developed is The Adult Literacy Evaluator, a simulation-based diagnostic tool designed to assess the operant literacy abilities of adults having difficulties in learning to read and write. Using Intelligent Computer-Aided Training (ICAT) system technology in addition to speech recognition, closed-captioned television (CCTV), live video and other state-of-the-art graphics and storage capabilities, this project attempts to overcome the negative effects of adult literacy assessment by allowing the client to interact with an intelligent computer system which simulates real-life literacy activities and materials and which measures literacy performance in the actual context of its use. The specific objectives of the project are as follows: (1) to develop a simulation-based diagnostic tool to assess adults' prior knowledge about reading and writing processes in actual contexts of application; (2) to provide a profile of readers' strengths and weaknesses; and (3) to suggest instructional strategies and materials which can be used as a beginning point for remediation. In the first and development phase of the project, descriptions of literacy events and environments are being written and functional literacy documents analyzed for their components. From these descriptions, scripts are being generated which define the interaction between the student, an on-screen guide and the simulated literacy environment.
Fusible heat sinks are a possible source for thermal regulation of space suited astronauts. An extensive database search was undertaken to identify candidate materials with liquid solid transformations over the temperature range of -18 C to 5 C; and 1215 candidates were identified. Based on available data, 59 candidate materials with thermal storage capability, DeltaH values higher than that of water were identified. This paper presents the methodology utilized in the study, including the decision process used for materials selection.
The authors describe two ongoing research efforts directed at developing advanced spacecraft momentum control flywheels. The first effort is directed at developing low-noise momentum wheels through the use of magnetic bearings. The second effort is directed at demonstrating critical subcomponents of an integrated power and attitude control system (IPACS) that stores energy as kinetic energy in mechanical rotors with the accompanying angular momentum available for attitude control of the spacecraft. The authors describe a ground experiment that was designed to demonstrate an energy storage capability of 1 kWh at a 40 Wh/kg energy density and a 1 kW electrical generation capacity at 85 percent round-trip efficiency and that will allow single-degree-of-freedom gimballing to quantify experimentally the bearing power requirements for processing the flywheel.
The Hermes CX-7 has been designed to service the overnight parcel package delivery needs of the cities of Aeroworld as determined in the G-Dome Enterprises market survey. The design optimization centers on the prime goal of servicing the needs of these cities as efficiently and profitably as possible. The greatest factors which affect the design of an aircraft for the mission outlined in the Request for Proposal are cost, construction feasibility and effectiveness of the design. Other influencing factors are given by the constraints of the market, including a maximum takeoff and landing distance of 60 feet, storage capability in a container of size 5 ft. x 3 ft. x 2 ft., cargo packages of 2 inch and 4 inch cubes, and ability to turn with a radius no larger than 60 feet. Safety considerations such as flying at or below Mach one (30 ft/s) and controllability and maintainability of the aircraft must also be designed into the aircraft. Another influential factor is the efficiency of the aircraft which involves optimizations and tradeoffs of such factors as weight, lifting surface sizing, structural redundancy, and material costs.
An important part of NASA's mission involves the secondary application of its technologies in the public and private sectors. One current application being developed is The Adult Literacy Evaluator, a simulation-based diagnostic tool designed to assess the operant literacy abilities of adults having difficulties in learning to read and write. Using ICAT system technology in addition to speech recognition, closed-captioned television (CCTV), live video and other state-of-the art graphics and storage capabilities, this project attempts to overcome the negative effects of adult literacy assessment by allowing the client to interact with an intelligent computer system which simulates real-life literacy activities and materials and which measures literacy performance in the actual context of its use. The specific objectives of the project are as follows: (1) To develop a simulation-based diagnostic tool to assess adults' prior knowledge about reading and writing processes in actual contexts of application; (2) to provide a profile of readers' strengths and weaknesses; and (3) to suggest instructional strategies and materials which can be used as a beginning point for remediation. In the first and developmental phase of the project, descriptions of literacy events and environments are being written and functional literacy documents analyzed for their components. Examples of literacy events and situations being considered included interactions with environmental print (e.g., billboards, street signs, commercial marquees, storefront logos, etc.), functional literacy materials (e.g., newspapers, magazines, telephone books, bills, receipts, etc.) and employment related communication (i.e., job descriptions, application forms, technical manuals, memorandums, newsletters, etc.). Each of these situations and materials is being analyzed for its literacy requirements in terms of written display (i.e., knowledge of printed forms and conventions), meaning demands (i.e., comprehension and word knowledge) and social situation. From these descriptions, scripts are being generated which define the interaction between the student, an on-screen guide and the simulated literacy environment. The proposed outcome of the Evaluator is a diagnostic profile which will present broad classifications of literacy behaviors across the major areas of metacognitive abilities, word recognition, vocabulary knowledge, comprehension and writing. From these classifications, suggestions for materials and strategies for instruction with which to begin corrective action will be made. The focus of the Literacy Evaluator will be essentially to provide an expert diagnosis and an interpretation of that assessment which then can be used by a human tutor to further design and individualize a remedial program as needed through the use of an authoring system.
Data processing and calibration methods are described for tunable diode laser absorption spectrometers which produce harmonic absorption spectra as raw data for measuring gas mixing ratios down to parts-per-trillion levels at a variety of pressures. The methods, which take advantage of modern computer speed, memory, and data storage capabilities, are applicable to the detection of weakly absorbing gases in quantitative industrial monitoring, in addition to aircraft and balloon atmospheric measurements for which they were designed. Algorithms for calibration and data analysis, including rejection of erroneous spectra, variation of effective integration time, spectral alignment prior to averaging, and plotting and archiving of results, have been tested on actual stratospheric laser spectra recorded by the Aircraft Laser Infrared Absorption Spectrometer (ALIAS) spectrometer in numerous flights of NASA's ER-2 aircraft.
The rocketborne Multi-Spectral Solar Telescope Array (MSSTA) uses an array of Ritchey-Chretien, Cassegrain, and Herschelian telescopes to produce ultrahigh-resolution full-disk images of the sun within the soft X-ray, EUV, and FUV ranges. Such imaging of the solar disk and corona out to several solar radii placed great demands on the MSSTA's data storage capabilities; in addition, its photographic films required very low outgassing rates. Results are presented from calibration tests conducted on the MSSTA's emulsions, based on measurements at NIST's synchrotron facility.
Fusible heat sinks are a possible source for thermal regulation of space suited astronauts. Materials with greater thermal storage capability than water could enable both an extension of time between recharging and/or a reduction in size and/or mass. An extensive literature search identified 1,215 candidates with a solid-liquid transformation within the temperature range of -13 C to 5 C. Based on data available in the literature, several candidates with a cooling capacity significantly greater than water were identified. Measurements of the transformation temperature and enthalpy of transformation were then undertaken with a differential scanning calorimeter in order to confirm the accuracy of the literature. Laboratory measurements have thus far not been able to corroborate the extremely high values found from the literature. This paper presents the approach for materials selection utilized in this study, the experimental procedure, and the results of the measurements thus far undertaken.
The compute performance, storage capability, degree of networking, and usability of modern computer hardware have enormously progressed in the past decade. These hardware advances are not paralleled by an equivalent increase in software productivity. Among astronomers the need is gradually perceived to discuss questions such as whether we are prepared to meet the pending challenge of vector and massively parallel computers. Therefore, a moderated, time-limited and access-restricted, wide-area network discussion forum is proposed for having a first, broad-minded go at the question of whether our current software efforts are heading in the right direction. The main topics, goals, means, and form of the proposed discussion process are presented.
Data compression has become an increasingly popular option as advances in information technology have placed further demands on data storage capabilities. With compression ratios as high as 100:1 the benefits are clear; however, the inherent intolerance of many compression formats to error events should be given careful consideration. If we consider that efficiently compressed data will ideally contain no redundancy, then the introduction of a channel error must result in a change of understanding from that of the original source. While the prefix property of codes such as Huffman enables resynchronisation, this is not sufficient to arrest propagating errors in an adaptive environment. Arithmetic, Lempel-Ziv, discrete cosine transform (DCT) and fractal methods are similarly prone to error propagating behaviors. It is, therefore, essential that compression implementations provide sufficient combatant error control in order to maintain data integrity. Ideally, this control should be derived from a full understanding of the prevailing error mechanisms and their interaction with both the system configuration and the compression schemes in use.
Holographic interferometric tomography is a technique for instantaneously capturing and quantitatively reconstructing three-dimensional flow fields. It has a very useful application potential for high-speed aerodynamics. However, three major challenging tasks need to be accomplished before its practical applications. First, fluid flows are mostly unsteady or at least non repeatable. Consequently, a means for Instantaneously recording three-dimensional flow fields, that is, a simple holographic technique for simultaneously recording multi-directional projections, needs to be developed. Second, while holographic interferometry provides enormous data storage capabilities, expeditious data extraction from complicated interferograms is very important for timely near real-time applications. Third, unlike medical applications, flow tomography does not provide complete data sets but instead involves ill-posed reconstruction problems of incomplete projection and limited angular scanning. During this summer research period, new experimental techniques and corresponding hardware were developed and tested to address the above mentioned tasks. The first task was achieved by diffuser illumination. This concept allows instantaneous capture of many projections with a conventional setup for single-projection recording. For the second task, a phase-shifting technique was incorporated. This technique allows one to acquire multiple phase-stepped interferograms for a single projection and thus to extract phase information from intensity data almost at real-time. For the third task, the research that has been extensively conducted previously was utilized. In this research period, a complete experimental setup that provides the above three major capabilities was designed, built, and tested by integrating all the techniques. A simple laboratory experiment for simulating wind-tunnel testing was then conducted. A test flow was produced by employing a relatively simple device that generated a gravity-driven flow. The flow was then experimentally investigated to check the viability of the holographic interferometric tomographic technique before wind-tunnel application.