Research on gravitational mass sensors Research contract status report, 15 Sep. - 15 Oct. 1965
Gravitational mass sensor - piezoresistive and barium titanate transducers, and torsional stress sensors
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Gravitational mass sensor - piezoresistive and barium titanate transducers, and torsional stress sensors
The standards promulgated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for carbon monoxide (CO), unburned hydrocarbon (HC), and oxides-of-nitrogen (NOx) emissions were the basis in a study of ways to reduce emissions from aircraft piston engines. A variable valve timing system, ultrasonic fuel atomization, and ignition system changes were postulated.
The finalization of designs, fabrication of the new lens, receiver, and tracking box and a review of the contract status are presented.
In-house Support of NEXT-C Contract Status Thruster NEXT Long Duration Test post-test destructive evaluation in progress Findings will be used to verify service life models identify potential design improvements Cathode heater fabrication initiated for cyclic life testing Thruster operating algorithm definition verification initiated to provide operating procedures for mission users High voltage propellant isolator life test voluntarily terminated after successfully operating 51,200 h Power processor unit (PPU) Replaced all problematic stacked multilayer ceramic dual inline pin capacitors within PPU Test bed Rebuilt installed discharge power supply primary power board Completed full functional performance characterization Final test report in progress Transferred PPU Testbed to contractor to support prototype design effort.
Presentation containing an update on the status of contracting for fuel fabrication in support of the MARVEL project.
On May 19, 1989, Pratt & Whitney was awarded contract NAS8-37595 by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville Alabama for an Advanced Development Program (ADP) to design, develop and demonstrate a highly reliable low cost, liquid oxygen turbopump for the Advanced Launch System (ALS). The ALS had an overall goal of reducing the cost of placing payloads in orbit by an order of magnitude. This goal would require a substantial reduction in life cycle costs, with emphasis on recurring costs, compared to current launch vehicles. Engine studies supporting these efforts were made for the Space Transportation Main Engine (STME). The emphasis on low cost required design simplification of components and subsystems such that the ground maintenance and test operations was minimized. The results of the Oxygen Turbopump ADP technology effort would provide data to be used in the STME. Initially the STME baseline was a gas generator cycle engine with a vacuum thrust level of 580,000 lbf. This was later increased to 650,000 lbf and the oxygen turbopump design approach was changed to reflect the new thrust level. It was intended that this ADP program be conducted in two phases. Phase 1, a basic phase, would encompass the preliminary design effort, and Phase II, an optional contract phase to cover design, fabrication and test evaluation of an oxygen turbopump at a component test facility at the NASA John C. Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. The basic phase included preliminary design and analysis, evaluation of low cost concepts, and evaluation of fabrication techniques. The option phase included design of the pump and support hardware, analysis of the final configuration to ensure design integrity, fabrication of hardware to demonstrate low cost, DVS Testing of hardware to verify the design, assembly of the turbopump and full scale turbopump testing. In December 1990, the intent of this ADP to support the design and development was changed. The design effort for the oxygen turbopump became part of the STME Phase B contract. The status of the pump design funded through this ADP was presented at the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) at the MSFC on October 24, 1990. Advancements in the design of the pump were subsequently continued under the Phase B Contract. The emphasis of this ADP became the demonstration of individual technologies that would have the greatest potential for reducing the recurring cost and increasing reliability. In October of 1992, overall program funding was reduced and work on this ADP was terminated.
A high-efficiency Stirling Radioisotope Generator (SRG) for use on potential NASA Space Science missions is being developed by the Department of Energy, Lockheed Martin, Stirling Technology Company, and NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC). These missions may include providing spacecraft onboard electric power for deep space missions or power for unmanned Mars rovers. GRC is also developing advanced technology for Stirling convertors, aimed at substantially improving the specific power and efficiency of the convertor and the overall power system. Performance and mass improvement goals have been established for second- and thirdgeneration Stirling radioisotope power systems. Multiple efforts are underway to achieve these goals, both in-house at GRC and under various grants and contracts. The status and results to date for these efforts will be discussed in this paper. Cleveland State University (CSU) is developing a multi-dimensional Stirling computational fluid dynamics code, capable of modeling complete convertors. A 2-D version of the code is now operational, and validation efforts at both CSU and the University of Minnesota are complementing the code development. A screening of advanced superalloy, refractory metal alloy, and ceramic materials has been completed, and materials have been selected for creep and joining characterization as part of developing a high-temperature heater head. A breadboard characterization is underway for an advanced controller using power electronics for active power factor control with a goal of eliminating the heavy tuning capacitors that are typically needed to achieve near unity power factors. Key Stirling developments just initiated under recent NRA (NASA Research Announcement) awards will also be discussed. These include a lightweight convertor to be developed by Sunpower Inc. and an advanced microfabricated regenerator to be done by CSU.
Rocketdyne, under contract to NASA-Lewis Research Center, is engaged in developing the technology for major subsystems of a small, high-performance, liquid rocket engine with the capabilities required for high-energy, upper-stage applications. Included in these efforts are the high-pressure turbopumps, preburner, igniter components, and high-area-ratio thrust chamber. A brief description of the engine system and its subsystems is given. The status of the programs is reviewed and the results of the testing conducted are presented.
The AEPS contract was awarded to AR in May of 2016 with the goal of developing a 12.5kW Hall Thruster System, including the Hall Current Thruster (HCT), Power Processor Unit (PPU) and Xenon Flow Controller (XFC). It was originally targeted to support the Asteroid Redirect Mission, which was cancelled early in the project. The project was subsequently restructured to support the Gateway PPE propulsion mission, with modified scope that consisted of the development, qualification and delivery of three 12kW flight thrusters. The PPU and XFC components were designed and development hardware fabricated with initial testing performed prior to being de-scoped from the contract. System level testing was performed by AR using these engineering components in early 2022 at the Aerospace Corporation’s EP-3 test facility.
This is the thirty-first monthly report for the Earth Observing System (EOS)/Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit- A (AMSU-A), Contract NAS5-32314, and covers the period from 1 July 1995 through 31 July 1995. This period is the nineteenth month of the Implementation Phase which provides for the design, fabrication, assembly, and test of the first EOS/AMSU-A, the Protoflight Model. Included in this report is the Master Program Schedule (Section 2), a report from the Product Team Leaders on the status of all major program elements (Section 3), Drawing status (Section 4), Weight and Power Budgets (CDRL) 503 (Section 5), Performance Assurance (CDRL 204) (Section 6), Configuration Management Status Report (CDRL 203) (Section 7), Documentation/Data Management Status Report (Section 8), and Contract Status (Section 9).
The Coordinated Radio, Electron, and Waves Experiment (CREWE) was designed to determine density, bulk velocity and temperature of the electrons for the NASA Comet Rendezvous and Asteroid Flyby Spacecraft, to define the MHD-SW IMF flow configuration; to clarify the role of impact ionization processes, to comment on the importance of anomalous ionization phenomena (via wave particle processes), to quantify the importance of wave turbulence in the cometary interaction, to establish the importance of photoionization via the presence of characteristic lines in a structured energy spectrum, to infer the presence and grain size of significant ambient dust column density, to search for the theoretically suggested 'impenetrable' contact surface, and to quantify the flow of heat (in the likelihood that no surface exists) that will penetrate very deep into the atmosphere supplying a good deal of heat via impact and charge exchange ionization. This final report provides an instrument description, instrument test plans, list of deliverables/schedule, flight and support equipment and software schedule, CREWE accommodation issues, resource requirements, status of major contracts, an explanation of the non-NASA funded efforts, status of EIP and IM plan, descope options, and Brinton questions.
A 2-day symposium on the reduction of exhaust emissions from aircraft piston engines was held on September 14 and 15, 1976, at the Lewis Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. Papers were presented by both government organizations and the general aviation industry on the status of government contracts, emission measurement problems, data reduction procedures, flight testing, and emission reduction techniques.
This document constitutes the Technological Research and Development Authority's (TRDA) Final Reports for the NASA-KSC/Florida Dual Use Technology Partnership grant covering the period December 1, 1999 through November 30, 2000. The NASA Grant and Cooperative Agreement Handbook requires the TRDA to provide NASA with a final report on Subject Inventions, Federal Cash Transactions, Summary Research, and Federally-Owned Property. This report contains those requirements as well as a description of the TRDA's grant performance related to activities undertaken, difficulties incurred, remedial actions, and the current financial status of the contract.
The systemic and renal acid-base response of monkeys during ten weeks of immobilization was studied. By three weeks of immobilization, arterial pH and bicarbonate concentrations were elevated (chronic metabolic alkalosis). Net urinary acid excretion increased in immobilized animals. Urinary bicarbonate excretion decreased during the first three weeks of immobilization, and then returned to control levels. Sustained increases in urinary ammonium excretion were seen throughout the time duration of immobilization. Neither potassium depletion nor hypokalemia was observed. Most parameters returned promptly to the normal range during the first week of recovery. Factors tentatively associated with changes in acid-base status of monkeys include contraction of extracellular fluid volume, retention of bicarbonate, increased acid excretion, and possible participation of extrarenal buffers.
The objective of this program is to develop generic load models with multiple levels of progressive sophistication to simulate the composite load spectra that are induced in space propulsion system components, representative of Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSME), such as transfer ducts, turbine blades, and liquid oxygen (LOX) posts and system ducting. These models will be developed using two independent approaches. The first approach consists of using state-of-the-art probabilistic methods to describe the individual loading conditions and combinations of these loading conditions to synthesize the composite load spectra simulation. The methodology required to combine the various individual load simulation models (hot-gas dynamic, vibrations, instantaneous position, centrifugal field, etc.) into composite load spectra simulation models will be developed under this program. A computer code incorporating the various individual and composite load spectra models will be developed to construct the specific load model desired. The second approach, which is covered under the options portion of the contract, will consist of developing coupled models for composite load spectra simulation which combine the (deterministic) models for composite load dynamic, acoustic, high-pressure and high rotational speed, etc., load simulation using statistically varying coefficients. These coefficients will then be determined using advanced probabilistic simulation methods with and without strategically selected experimental data. This report covers the efforts of the third year of the contract. The overall program status is that the turbine blade loads have been completed and implemented. The transfer duct loads are defined and are being implemented. The thermal loads for all components are defined and coding is being developed. A dynamic pressure load model is under development. The parallel work on the probabilistic methodology is essentially completed. The overall effort is being integrated in an expert system code specifically developed for this project.
The objectives, approach, and status of all current LeRC-sponsored industry contracts and university grants are presented. The following topics are covered: (1) the LeRC Space Communications Program, and Advanced Modulation and Coding Projects; (2) the status of four contracts for development of proof-of-concept modems; (3) modulation and coding work done under three university grants, two small business innovation research contracts, and two demonstration model hardware development contracts; and (4) technology needs and opportunities for future missions.
Included in this report are Combined Program Delivery Schedules and Reports; a report from the Product Team Leaders on the status of all major program elements; Contract Data Requirements List (CDRL) 503, the Weight and Power Budgets; CDRL 204, reporting on the activities of Performance Assurance; CDRL 203, the Configuration Management Status Report; and the Documentation/Data Management Status Report.
The University of California, Berkeley (UCB) served as the Principal Investigator institution for the United States participation in the development of the Reflection Grating Spectrometer (RGS) which included the design, development, fabrication, and testing of the Reflection Grating Assembly (RGA). UCB was assisted in this role by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Columbia University who provided the primary facilities, materials, services and personnel necessary to complete the development. UC Berkeley's Dr. Steven Kahn provided the technical and scientific oversight for the design. development and testing of the RGA units by monitoring the performance of the units at various stages in their development. Dr. Kahn was also the primary contact with the Space Research Organization of the Netherlands (SRON) and represented the RGA development at all SRON and European Space Agency (ESA) reviews of the RGA status. In accordance with the contract, the team designed and developed novel optical technology to meet the unique requirements of the RGS. The ESA XMM-Newton Mission carries two identical Reflection Grating Spectrometers (RGS) behind two of its three nested sets of Wolter I type mirrors. The instrument allows high-resolution measurements in the soft X-ray range (6 to 38 angstroms or 2.1 to 0.3 keV) with a maximum effective area of about 140 sq cm at 15 angstroms. Its design is optimized for the detection of the K-shell transitions of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, neon, magnesium, and silicon. as well as the L shell transitions of iron. The RGA itself consists of two units. A structure for each unit was designed to hold up to 220 gratings. In its final configuration, one unit holds 182 gratings and the second hold 181 gratings.