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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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SEP full-scale wing technology development

A technology development program has generated a detail design of a lightweight 25 kW solar array for Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP). The fabrication and test of a full-scale array wing, 32.0 m x 4.06 m, is in progress to demonstrate technology readiness for fabrication, testing and flight of the large area lightweight solar array system. This paper presents the requirements for the 66 W/kg array and the component testing that has been performed to demonstrate technology readiness in the areas of SEP mission environmental survival, zero-gravity flat-fold array retraction, and NDT development testing. A zero-gravity test program was performed in the NASA KC-135 aircraft using a three-panel, full-width segment of the flat-fold array blanket with three degrees of panel stiffening. The full-scale solar array wing being fabricated is composed of three electrical modules, 76 x 200 cm, and mass simulator panels each 76 x 400 cm employing 2 x 4 cm glass slides (4.5 panels) and aluminum mass simulators (35 panels).

Elms, R. V., Jr.↗

Performance evaluation of a second-generation elastic loop mobility system

Tests were conducted to evaluate the mobility performance of a second-generation Elastic Loop Mobility System (ELMS II). Performance on level test lanes and slopes of lunar soil simulant (LSS) and obstacle-surmounting and crevasse-crossing capabilities were investigated. In addition, internal losses and contact pressure distributions were evaluated. To evaluate the soft-soil performance, two basic soil conditions were tested: loose (LSS1) and dense (LSS5). These conditions embrace the spectrum of soil strengths tested during recent studies for NASA related to the mobility performance of the LRV. Data indicated that for the tested range of the various performance parameters, performance was independent of unit load (contact pressure) and ELMS II drum angular velocity, but was influenced by soil strength and ELMS pitch mode. Power requirements were smaller at a given system output for dense soil than for loose soil. The total system output in terms of pull developed or slope-climbing capability was larger for the ELMS II operating in restrained-pitch mode than in free-pitch mode.

Melzer, K. J.↗

A model-independent data assimilation (MIDA) module and its applications in ecology

Models are an important tool to predict Earth system dynamics. An accurate prediction of future states of ecosystems depends on not only model structures but also parameterizations. Model parameters can be constrained by data assimilation. However, applications of data assimilation to ecology are restricted by highly technical requirements such as model-dependent coding. To alleviate this technical burden, we developed a model-independent data assimilation (MIDA) module. MIDA works in three steps including data preparation, execution of data assimilation, and visualization. The first step prepares prior ranges of parameter values, a defined number of iterations, and directory paths to access files of observations and models. The execution step calibrates parameter values to best fit the observations and estimates the parameter posterior distributions. The final step automatically visualizes the calibration performance and posterior distributions. MIDA is model independent, and modelers can use MIDA for an accurate and efficient data assimilation in a simple and interactive way without modification of their original models. We applied MIDA to four types of ecological models: the data assimilation linked ecosystem carbon (DALEC) model, a surrogate-based energy exascale earth system model: the land component (ELM), nine phenological models and a stand-alone biome ecological strategy simulator (BiomeE). The applications indicate that MIDA can effectively solve data assimilation problems for different ecological models. Additionally, the easy implementation and model-independent feature of MIDA breaks the technical barrier of applications of data–model fusion in ecology. MIDA facilitates the assimilation of various observations into models for uncertainty reduction in ecological modeling and forecasting.

Earth system dynamics↗

Development of a two axis motion simulation system for thermal/vacuum satellite testing

A two-axis motion simulation system for thermal vacuum testing of large satellites in a space simulation chamber was developed. Satellites as large as 3000 kilograms with a 4-meter diameter and a 5-meter length can be tested. This motion simulator (MS) incorporates several unique features which result in a less complicated design with improved performance when compared to previous satellite motion simulators. The design of the simulator is discussed in detail.

Henderson, David↗

Chance-Constrained System Identification of Nonlinear Discrete Systems with Safety and Stability Guarantees

This paper presents a discrete-time nonlinear system identification method while satisfying the stability and safety properties of the system with high probability. An Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) is used with a Gaussian assumption on the function reconstruction error. A quadratically constrained quadratic program (QCQP) is developed with probabilistic safety and stability constraints that are only required to be satisfied at sampled points inside the invariant region. The proposed method is validated using two simulation examples: a two degrees-of-freedom (DoF) robot manipulator with constraints on joint angles whose trajectories are guaranteed to remain inside a safe set and on motion trajectories data of a hand-drawn shape.

Iman Salehi↗

Evolution of Local Microstructures (ELMS): Spatial Instabilities of Coarsening

This work examines the diffusional growth of discrete phase particles dispersed within a matrix. Engineering materials are microstructurally heterogeneous, and the details of the microstructure determine how well that material performs in a given application. Critical to the development of designing multiphase microstructures with long-term stability is the process of Ostwald ripening. Ripening, or phase coarsening, is a diffusion-limited process which arises in polydisperse multiphase materials. Growth and dissolution occur because fluxes of solute, driven by chemical potential gradients at the interfaces of the dispersed phase material, depend on particle size. The kinetics of these processes are "competitive," dictating that larger particles grow at the expense of smaller ones, overall leading to an increase of the average particle size. The classical treatment of phase coarsening was done by Todes, Lifshitz, and Slyozov, (TLS) in the limit of zero volume fraction, V(sub v), of the dispersed phase. Since the publication of TLS theory there have been numerous investigations, many of which sought to describe the kinetic scaling behavior over a range of volume fractions. Some studies in the literature report that the relative increase in coarsening rate at low (but not zero) volume fractions compared to that / 2 1/ 3 predicted by TLS is proportional to V(sub v)(exp 1/2), whereas others suggest V(sub v)(exp 1/3). This issue has been resolved recently by simulation studies at low volume fractions in three dimensions by members of the Rensselaer/MSFC team.

Glicksman, Martin E.↗

SEP solar array Shuttle flight experiment

An experiment to verify the operational performance of a full-scale Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) solar array is described. Scheduled to fly on the Shuttle in 1983, the array will be deployed from the bay for ten orbits, with dynamic excitation to test the structural integrity being furnished by the Orbiter verniers; thermal, electrical, and sun orientation characteristics will be monitored, in addition to safety, reliability, and cost effective performance. The blanket, with aluminum and glass as solar cell mass simulators, is 4 by 32 m, with panels (each 0.38 by 4 m) hinged together; two live Si cell panels will be included. The panels are bonded to stiffened graphite-epoxy ribs and are storable in a box in the bay. The wing support structure is detailed, noting the option of releasing the wing into space by use of the Remote Manipulator System if the wing cannot be refolded. Procedures and equipment for monitoring the array behavior are outlined, and comprise both analog data and TV recording for later playback and analysis. The array wing experiment will also aid in developing measurement techniques for large structure dynamics in space.

Elms, R. V., Jr.↗