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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 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2017

The Evolution of the Orbiting Sample Container for a Future Mars Sample Return

Although NASA has no specific plans at this time to return samples from Mars, the Program Formulation Office of the Mars Exploration Program sponsors ongoing mission concept studies, systems analyses, and technology investments which explore different strategies for the potential return of samples from Mars, consistent with the charter of the program and stated priorities of the science community. A critical component of such a campaign would be an Orbiting Sample container (OS), which would contain the Mars samples to be returned to Earth. This paper discusses the most recent efforts by the JPL’s Mars Formulation Office to mature an OS design planned for use on a potential Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission. Similar to the “Decadal Study Architecture” [1], the current MSR architecture envisions as a three-mission campaign with each mission serving a critical role towards returning Martian rock and atmospheric samples back to Earth. An OS would be a central piece of hardware in the proposed MSR architecture due to its interfaces to all the three missions of the potential campaign. Additionally, numerous stakeholders and subsystems such as science and planetary protection impose challenging requirements on the OS’s functions and capabilities. As a result, designing an OS that meets all the requirements is challenging and quite complex. The story of the OS’s evolution from black box concept thru to the current-and-still-maturing baseline design is the focus of this paper. From the OS’s launch off Earth aboard a Sample Retrieval Lander (SRL) through to return to Earth, the design and functional requirements generated by and for each stage of the OS’s mission are discussed. Then, with an understanding of what the OS would be required to do, a mapping of the main requirements to the design features of the current OS concept is explained. Many tests and analyses have been conducted to support and validate the current OS design. Results from test and analysis in the areas of aerothermal, impact dynamics, optical tracking, and radio electromagnetics are presented.

Spencer, David↗
NASA NTRS2018

A Study of Various Beacon Antennas for an Orbiting Sample Container of a Future Mars Sample Return Mission

This paper presents some results of a study of various options for a near-omnidirectional low-gain antenna at UHF frequencies, for a Mars Orbiting Sample Return Container (OS). The OS is part of a concept study for a future mission to return samples from Mars. It would be a critical component of such a mission, which would contain the Mars samples. The notional OS would be returned by a separate spacecraft to Earth. The OS would be identified and located by the spacecraft for pick-up from orbit by a beacon signal broadcast via a surface antenna. Several antenna designs were considered, but two promising ones are presented here which have good patterns with a better than 2:1 VSWR (Voltage Standing Wave Ratio), but meet different criteria for OS design options. One is a patch-type antenna and the other a slot-type antenna. Some data and test results of a fabricated breadboard antenna as well as discussions are provided.

Jamnejad, Vahraz↗
NASA NTRS2019

Flux pinning concepts for on-orbit capture and orientation of an MSR orbiting sample container

Concepts for on-orbit capture and orientation of a Mars orbiting sample container (OS) using flux pinning were developed as candidate technologies for potential Mars Sample Return (MSR). The systems consist of a set of type-II superconductors field cooled below their critical temperature using a cryocooler, and operate on an orbiting sample container with a series of permanent magnets spaced around the exterior, along with an integrated layer of shielding to preserve the magnetic properties of the returned samples. Benefits of the approaches include passive, non-contact capture and orientation, as well as a reduction in the number of actuators relative to various mechanical methods.

Chiu, Chi Yeung↗
NASA NTRS2015

Adventitious Carbon on Primary Sample Containment Metal Surfaces

Future missions that return astromaterials with trace carbonaceous signatures will require strict protocols for reducing and controlling terrestrial carbon contamination. Adventitious carbon (AC) on primary sample containers and related hardware is an important source of that contamination. AC is a thin film layer or heterogeneously dispersed carbonaceous material that naturally accrues from the environment on the surface of atmospheric exposed metal parts. To test basic cleaning techniques for AC control, metal surfaces commonly used for flight hardware and curating astromaterials at JSC were cleaned using a basic cleaning protocol and characterized for AC residue. Two electropolished stainless steel 316L (SS- 316L) and two Al 6061 (Al-6061) test coupons (2.5 cm diameter by 0.3 cm thick) were subjected to precision cleaning in the JSC Genesis ISO class 4 cleanroom Precision Cleaning Laboratory. Afterwards, the samples were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy.

Calaway, M. J.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Sealing and External Sterilization of a Sample Container

A method of (1) sealing a sample of material acquired in a possibly b iologically contaminated ("dirty") environment into a hermetic conta iner, (2) sterilizing the outer surface of the container, then (3) d elivering the sealed container to a clean environment has been propos ed. The method now proposed was originally intended to be used to ret urn samples from Mars to Earth, but could also be used on Earth to t ransport material samples acquired in environments that contain biol ogical hazards and/or, in some cases, chemical hazards.

Bar-Cohen, Yoseph↗
NASA NTRS2007

Separation and Sealing of a Sample Container Using Brazing

A special double-wall container and a process for utilizing the container are being developed to enable (1) acquisition of a sample of material in a dirty environment that may include a biological and/or chemical hazard; (2) sealing a lid onto the inner part of the container to hermetically enclose the sample; (3) separating the resulting hermetic container from the dirty environment; and (4) bringing that hermetic container, without any biological or chemical contamination of its outer surface, into a clean environment. The process is denoted S(exp 3)B (separation, seaming, and sealing using brazing) because sealing of the sample into the hermetic container, separating the container from the dirty environment, and bringing the container with a clean outer surface into the clean environment are all accomplished simultaneously with a brazing operation.

Bar-Cohen, Yoseph↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Assessing the Oxygen Permeability of Candidate Asteroid Sample Containers With Optochemical Sensors

The Astromaterials Acquisition and Curation Office at NASA Johnson Space Center currently curates 500 mg (10%) of carbonaceous asteroid Ryugu regolith collected by the Japan Aerospace and Exploration Agency’s Hayabusa II spacecraft and returned to Earth in 2021. In September 2023, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft returned at least 70 grams of regolith collected from the surface of Carbonaceous Asteroid Bennu. These new astromaterials collections are stored and handled in gloveboxes and desiccators that are continuously purged with ultrapure nitrogen in order to minimize contamination and alteration of extraterrestrial samples from terrestrial environments, e.g., reaction with terrestrial oxygen and water. Ito et al. have previously reported on the development of containers to transport samples between facilities in inert, sealed environments; Hayabusa2 samples allocated to investigators by JAXA’s Extraterrestrial Sample Curation Center (ESCuC) are shipped in these Facility-to-Facility Transfer Containers (FFTCs). NASA curation has also been investigating sealed containers for storage, transportation, and allocation of Bennu and Ryugu regolith in sealed anoxic environments. In order to assess the ability of candidate sample containers to maintain nitrogen environments, we have utilized optochemical sensors to measure trace oxygen levels within sealed volumes.

C J Snead↗
NASA NTRS2006

Thermal and Evolved Gas Analysis of Geologic Samples Containing Organic Materials: Implications for the 2007 Mars Phoenix Scout Mission

The Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer (TEGA) instrument scheduled to fly onboard the 2007 Mars Phoenix Scout Mission will perform differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and evolved gas analysis (EGA) of soil samples and ice collected from the surface and subsurface at a northern landing site on Mars. We have been developing a sample characterization data library using a laboratory DSC integrated with a quadrupole mass spectrometer to support the interpretations of TEGA data returned during the mission. The laboratory TEGA test-bed instrument has been modified to operate under conditions similar to TEGA, i.e., reduced pressure (e.g., 100 torr) and reduced carrier gas flow rates. We have previously developed a TEGA data library for a variety of volatile-bearing mineral phases, including Fe-oxyhydroxides, phyllosilicates, carbonates, and sulfates. Here we examine the thermal and evolved gas properties of samples that contain organics. One of the primary objectives of the Phoenix Scout Mission is to search for habitable zones by assessing organic or biologically interesting materials in icy soil. Nitrogen is currently the carrier gas that will be used for TEGA. In this study, we examine two possible modes of detecting organics in geologic samples; i.e., pyrolysis using N2 as the carrier gas and combustion using O2 as the carrier gas.

Lauer, H. V., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2014

ECTFE (HALAR) as a New Material for Primary Sample Containment of Astromaterials

Fluoropolymers, such as Teflon® (PTFE, PFA, FEP) and Viton® (FKM), have been used for over 40 years in curating astromaterials at NASA JSC. In general, fluoropolymers have low outgassing and particle shedding properties that reduce cross-contamination to curated samples. Ethylene - Chlorotrifluoroethylene (ECTFE), commonly called Halar® (trademark of Solvay Solexis), is a partially fluorinated semi-crystalline copolymer in the same class of fluoropolymers with superior abrasion resistance and extremely low permeability to liquids, gases, and vapors than any other fluoropolymer (fig. 1). ECTFE coatings are becoming more popular in the nuclear, semiconductor, and biomedical industry for lining isolation containment gloveboxes and critical piping as well as other clean room applications. A study was conducted at NASA JSC to evaluate the potential use of Halar on future sample return missions as a material for primary sample containment.

Calaway, Michael J.↗
NASA NTRS1969

Sealed container sampling device

Sampling device, by means of a tapered needle, pierces a sealed container while maintaining the seal and either evacuates or pressurizes the container. This device has many applications in the chemical, preservative and battery-manufacturing industries.

Hennigan, T. J.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Percentage of Water Retained in Icy Lunar Regolith Simulant During Transfer into a Sample Container

We now know that water ice exists on the lunar surface thanks to the findings of multiple lunar missions such as LRO and LCROSS. However, before we develop systems that can utilize this precious resource at a useful scale, we need to acquire more data about the concentration of water in the lunar regolith and how it may vary by depth and location. The OVEN (Optimized Volatile Extraction Node) system is designed to determine the concentration of water as part of an instrument called WAVE (Water Analysis & Volatile Extraction) which can be deployed during a lunar resource prospecting mission. Experiments were carried out at the Johnson Space Center in order to better understand the potential losses of water that may occur during a prospecting mission when a sample is transferred from a drill to the OVEN. A description of the experiment as well as the results will be presented here.

ISRU↗
NASA NTRS2010

Finding Interstellar Particle Impacts on Stardust Aluminium Foils: The Safe Handling, Imaging, and Analysis of Samples Containing Femtogram Residues

Impact ionisation detectors on a suite of spacecraft have shown the direction, velocity, flux and mass distribution of smaller ISP entering the Solar System. During the aphelion segments of the Stardust flight, a dedicated collector surface was oriented to intercept ISP of beta = 1, and returned to Earth in January 2006. In this paper we describe the probable appeareance and size of IS particle craters from initial results of experimental impacts and numerical simulation, explain how foils are being prepared and mounted for crater searching by automated acquisition of high magnification electron images (whilst avoiding contamination of the foils) and comment on appropriate analytical techniques for Preliminary Examination (PE).

Kearsley, A. T.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Long-term material compatibility testing system

System includes procedure for hermetically sealing solid materials and fluids in glass ampoule and use of temperature-controlled facility containing sample holder, which permits sample containers to be retrieved safely and conveniently. Solid material and fluid are sealed within chemically-clean glass ampoule according to highly detailed procedure.

Toth, L. R.↗