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NASA NTRS2012

Conformal Ablative Thermal Protection System for Planetary and Human Exploration Missions

The Office of Chief Technologist (OCT), NASA has identified the need for research and technology development in part from NASAs Strategic Goal 3.3 of the NASA Strategic Plan to develop and demonstrate the critical technologies that will make NASAs exploration, science, and discovery missions more affordable and more capable. Furthermore, the Game Changing Development Program (GCDP) is a primary avenue to achieve the Agencys 2011 strategic goal to Create the innovative new space technologies for our exploration, science, and economic future. In addition, recently released NASA Space Technology Roadmaps and Priorities, by the National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academy of Sciences stresses the need for NASA to invest in the very near term in specific EDL technologies. The report points out the following challenges (Page 2-38 of the pre-publication copy released on February 1, 2012): Mass to Surface: Develop the ability to deliver more payload to the destination. NASA's future missions will require ever-greater mass delivery capability in order to place scientifically significant instrument packages on distant bodies of interest, to facilitate sample returns from bodies of interest, and to enable human exploration of planets such as Mars. As the maximum mass that can be delivered to an entry interface is fixed for a given launch system and trajectory design, the mass delivered to the surface will require reductions in spacecraft structural mass more efficient, lighter thermal protection systems more efficient lighter propulsion systems and lighter, more efficient deceleration systems. Surface Access: Increase the ability to land at a variety of planetary locales and at a variety of times. Access to specific sites can be achieved via landing at a specific location(s) or transit from a single designated landing location, but it is currently infeasible to transit long distances and through extremely rugged terrain, requiring landing close to the site of interest. The entry environment is not always guaranteed with a direct entry, and improving the entry systems robustness to a variety of environmental conditions could aid in reaching more varied landing sites. The National Research Council (NRC) Space Technology Roadmaps and Priorities report highlights six challenges and they are: 1) Mass to Surface, 2) Surface Access, 3) Precision Landing, 4) Surface Hazard Detection and Avoidance, 5) Safety and Mission Assurance, and 6) Affordability. In order for NASA to meet these challenges, the report recommends immediate focus on Rigid and Flexible Thermal Protection Systems. Rigid TPS systems such as Avcoat or SLA are honeycomb based and PICA is in the form of tiles. The honeycomb systems is manufactured using techniques that require filling of each (3/8 cell) by hand and within a limited amount of time once the ablative compound is mixed, all of the cells have to be filled and the entire heat-shield has to be cured. The tile systems such as PICA pose a different challenge as the mechanical strength characteristic and the manufacturing limitations require large number of small tiles with gap-fillers between the tiles. Recent investments in flexible ablative systems have given rise to the potential for conformal ablative TPS> A conformal TPS over a rigid aeroshell has the potential to solve a number of challenges faced by traditional rigid TPS materials.

Beck, R.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Space Studies Board Annual Report, 2005

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) was chartered by Congress, under the leadership of President Abraham Lincoln, to provide scientific and technical advice to the government of the United States. Over the years, the advisory program of the institution has expanded, leading to the establishment of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Institute of Medicine, and of the National Research Council (NRC), the operational arm of the National Academies. The original charter of the Space Science Board was established in June 1958, three months before NASA opened its doors. The Space Science Board and its successor, the Space Studies Board (SSB), have provided expert external and independent scientific and programmatic advice to NASA on a continuous basis from NASA's inception until the present. The Board has also provided such advice to other agencies, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the Department of Defense, and responds to requests from Congress. Early in 2005, the leadership of NASA changed, and with it new emphases emerged. Some of the early interpretations of the 2004 Vision for Space Exploration, in which only certain aspects of space science were encouraged, disappeared and a broader mandate for science emerged. But what also emerged was fiscal reality, which precluded many of the exciting activities that were planned for NASA's science programs. In this environment of change, there has been a continuing need to evaluate NASA's plans against the strategies for science that have been laid down in the various NRC decadal surveys, and to assist NASA in determining how best to proceed given the reduced level of resources it will have. Coupled with this has been a continuing need to provide Congress with the assessments of NASA's plans that it requests.

National Research Council (NRC)↗
NASA NTRS1998

Space Technology for the New Century

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is responsible for developing advanced space technologies that will lower the cost and improve the performance of existing space activities and enable new ones. Although NASA has recently proved adept at incorporating modern technologies into its spacecraft, the agency currently supports relatively little work in long-term space technology development. To enable ambitious future space activities and to achieve its long-term goals, NASA needs to engage in space research and technology development (R&T) in critical areas for the long term. NASA requested that the National Research Council (NRC) examine the nation's space technology needs in the post-2000 time frame and identify high-risk, high-payoff technology that could improve the capabilities and reduce the costs fo NASA, other government, and commercial space programs. The NRC was also asked to suggest how NASA can work more effectively with industry and universities to develop these technologies. To accomplish these ends, the Committee on Advanced Space Technology, under the auspices of the Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board, undertook a systematic process of information gathering and technology assessment. Six key technologies that the committee believes NASA should support are presented.

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NASA NTRS2012

Conformal Ablative Thermal Protection System for Planetary and Human Exploration Missions: Overview of the Technology Maturation Efforts Funded by NASA's Game Changing Development Program

The Office of Chief Technologist (OCT), NASA has identified the need for research and technology development in part from NASA's Strategic Goal 3.3 of the NASA Strategic Plan to develop and demonstrate the critical technologies that will make NASA's exploration, science, and discovery missions more affordable and more capable. Furthermore, the Game Changing Development Program (GCDP) is a primary avenue to achieve the Agency's 2011 strategic goal to "Create the innovative new space technologies for our exploration, science, and economic future." In addition, recently released "NASA space Technology Roadmaps and Priorities," by the National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academy of Sciences stresses the need for NASA to invest in the very near term in specific EDL technologies. The report points out the following challenges (Page 2-38 of the pre-publication copy released on February 1, 2012): Mass to Surface: Develop the ability to deliver more payload to the destination. NASA's future missions will require ever-greater mass delivery capability in order to place scientifically significant instrument packages on distant bodies of interest, to facilitate sample returns from bodies of interest, and to enable human exploration of planets such as Mars. As the maximum mass that can be delivered to an entry interface is fixed for a given launch system and trajectory design, the mass delivered to the surface will require reduction in spacecraft structural mass; more efficient, lighter thermal protection systems; more efficient lighter propulsion systems; and lighter, more efficient deceleration systems. Surface Access: Increase the ability to land at a variety of planetary locales and at a variety of times. Access to specific sites can be achieved via landing at a specific location (s) or transit from a single designated landing location, but it is currently infeasible to transit long distances and through extremely rugged terrain, requiring landing close to the site of interest. The entry environment is not always guaranteed with a direct entry, and improving the entry system's robustness to a variety of environmental conditions could aid in reaching more varied landing sites."

Beck, Robin A.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Modernizing and Expanding the NASA Space Geodesy Network to Meet Future Geodetic Requirements

NASA maintains and operates a global network of Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI), Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR), and Global Navigation Satellite System ground stations as part of the NASA Space Geodesy Program. The NASA Space Geodesy Network (NSGN) provides the geodetic products that support Earth observations and the related science requirements as outlined by the US National Research Council (NRC in Precise geodetic infrastructure: national requirements for a shared resource, National Academies Press, Washington, 2010. http://nap.edu/12954, Thriving on our changing planet: a decadal strategy for Earth observation from space, National Academies Press, Washington, 2018. http://nap.edu/24938). The Global Geodetic Observing System (GGOS) and the NRC have set an ambitious goal of improving the Terrestrial Reference Frame to have an accuracy of 1 mm and stability of 0.1 mm per year, an order of magnitude beyond current capabilities. NASA and its partners within GGOS are addressing this challenge by planning and implementing modern geodetic stations colocated at existing and new sites around the world. In 2013, NASA demonstrated the performance of its next-generation systems at the prototype next-generation core site at NASA’s Goddard Geophysical and Astronomical Observatory in Greenbelt, Maryland. Implementation of a new broadband VLBI station in Hawaii was completed in 2016. NASA is currently implementing new VLBI and SLR stations in Texas and is planning the replacement of its other aging domestic and international legacy stations. In this article, we describe critical gaps in the current global network and discuss how the new NSGN will expand the global geodetic coverage and ultimately improve the geodetic products. We also describe the characteristics of a modern NSGN site and the capabilities of the next-generation NASA SLR and VLBI systems. Finally, we outline the plans for efficiently operating the NSGN by centralizing and automating the operations of the new geodetic stations.

Merkowitz, S. M.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Earth Observations from Space: The First 50 Years of Scientific Achievements

Observing Earth from space over the past 50 years has fundamentally transformed the way people view our home planet. The image of the "blue marble" is taken for granted now, but it was revolutionary when taken in 1972 by the crew on Apollo 17. Since then the capability to look at Earth from space has grown increasingly sophisticated and has evolved from simple photographs to quantitative measurements of Earth properties such as temperature, concentrations of atmospheric trace gases, and the exact elevation of land and ocean. Imaging Earth from space has resulted in major scientific accomplishments; these observations have led to new discoveries, transformed the Earth sciences, opened new avenues of research, and provided important societal benefits by improving the predictability of Earth system processes. This report highlights the scientific achievements made possible by the first five decades of Earth satellite observations by space-faring nations. It follows on a recent report from the National Research Council (NRC) entitled Earth Science and Applications from Space: National Imperatives for the Next Decade and Beyond, also referred to as the "decadal survey." Recognizing the increasing need for space observations, the decadal survey identifies future directions and priorities for Earth observations from space. This companion report was requested by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to highlight, through selected examples, important past contributions of Earth observations from space to our current understanding of the planet.

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NASA NTRS2013

Preparation for Scaling Studies of Ice-Crystal Icing at the NRC Research Altitude Test Facility

This paper describes experiments conducted at the National Research Council (NRC) of Canadas Research Altitiude Test Facility between March 26 and April 11, 2012. The tests, conducted collaboratively between NASA and NRC, focus on three key aspects in preparation for later scaling work to be conducted with a NACA 0012 airfoil model in the NRC Cascade rig: (1) cloud characterization, (2) scaling model development, and (3) ice-shape profile measurements. Regarding cloud characterization, the experiments focus on particle spectra measurements using two shadowgraphy methods, cloud uniformity via particle scattering from a laser sheet, and characterization of the SEA Multi-Element probe. Overviews of each aspect as well as detailed information on the diagnostic method are presented. Select results from the measurements and interpretation are presented which will help guide future work.

Ice formation↗
NASA NTRS2003

The NRC Research Associateship Program has Greatly Enhanced the Solar Research at Marshall Space Flight Center During the Last Quarter Century

Under the educational Resident Research Associateships (RRA) program, NASA Headquarters funds post-doctoral research scientists through a contract with the National Research Council (NRC). This short article reviews the important influence that the RRAs have had on solar research at NASA s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). Through the RRA program the National Research Council under the National Academy of Sciences has provided the Marshall Space Flight Center s Solar Physics Group with 29 post-doctorial research associateships since 1975. This starting date corresponds with the increased research activity in solar physics at MSFC. A number of MSFC scientists had been working on and supporting NASA s Skylab Mission in operation from May 1973 until February 1974. This scientific effort included the development MSFC s X-ray telescope SO56 and the development of the United States first full-vector magnetograph. Numerous engineers and scientists at MSFC supported the development and operation of the cluster of solar telescopes on the Apollo Telescope Mount (ATM), a principal part of the Skylab orbiting workshop. With the enormous volume of new and exciting solar data of the solar corona, MSFC dedicated a group of scientists to analyze these data and develop new solar instruments and programs. With this new initiative, came the world- renowned solar prominence expert, Dr. Einar Tandberg-Hanssen, from the High Altitude Observatory in Boulder, Colorado and the support of the first two RRAs in support of solar physics research.

Gary, G. A.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Activities of the Space Studies Board

This 1993 annual report of the Space Studies Board of the National research Council (NRC) describes the activities of the Board during a year filled with questions and change in the nation's civil space program. The accounts contained in this report briefly describe the activities of the Board and its committees and sketch out major space research issues. Two major reports are summarized, and the full text of three letter reports is included. Items considered include: (1) robotic missions to explore the Earth, the solar system, and the far reaches of the universe; (2) instability in the human flight program; (3) the redesign of the International Space Station; and (4) federal funding of research in all fields, especially basic research.

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NASA NTRS1995

Earth observations from space: History, promise, and reality. Executive summary

In this report the Committee on Earth Studies (CES), a standing committee of the Space Studies Board (SSB) within the National Research Council (NRC), reviews the recent history (nominally from 1981 to 1995) of the U.S. earth observations programs that serve civilian needs. The principal observations programs examined are those of NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The Air Force' s Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) is discussed, but only from the perspective of its relationship to civil needs and the planned merger with the NOAA polar-orbiting system. The report also reviews the interfaces between the earth observations satellite programs and the major national and international environmental monitoring and research programs. The monitoring and research programs discussed are the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program (IGBP), the World Climate Research Program (WCRP), related international scientific campaigns, and operational programs for the sharing and application of environmental data. The purpose of this report is to provide a broad historical review and commentary based on the views of the CES members, with particular emphasis on tracing the lengthy record of advisory committee recommendations. Any individual topic could be the subject of an extended report in its own right. Indeed, extensive further reviews are already under way to that end. If the CES has succeeded in the task it has undertaken. This report will serve as a useful starting point for any such more intensive study. The report is divided into eight chapters: ( I ) an introduction, (2) the evolution of the MTPE, (3) its relationship to the USGCRP, (4) applications of earth observations data, (5) the role that smaller satellites can play in research and operational remote sensing, (6) earth system modeling and information systems, (7) a number of associated activities that contribute to the MTPE and the USGCRP, and (8) organizational issues in the conduct of civil earth observations programs. Following the body of the report is a series of appendixes: after a list of acronyms and abbreviations and collected short biographies of CES members, six brief tutorials discuss several scientific topics important to the science and applications of earth observations. Highlights from the eight chapters follow.

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NASA NTRS1992

From Earth to orbit

Within this document, the National Research Council (NRC) assesses the requirements, benefits, technological feasibility, and roles of Earth-to-orbit transportation options that could be developed in support of the national space program. Among the topics covered are launch vehicles and infrastructure, propulsion, and technology.

Gavin, Joseph G., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2012

SMAP Verification and Validation Project - Final Report

In 2007, the National Research Council (NRC) released the Decadal Survey of Earth science. In the future decade, the survey identified 15 new space missions of significant scientific and application value for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to undertake. One of these missions was the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission that NASA assigned to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in 2008. The goal of SMAP1 is to provide global, high resolution mapping of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw states. The SMAP project recently passed its Critical Design Review and is proceeding with its fabrication and testing phase.Verification and Validation (V&V) is widely recognized as a critical component in system engineering and is vital to the success of any space mission. V&V is a process that is used to check that a system meets its design requirements and specifications in order to fulfill its intended purpose. Verification often refers to the question "Have we built the system right?" whereas Validation asks "Have we built the right system?" Currently the SMAP V&V team is verifying design requirements through inspection, demonstration, analysis, or testing. An example of the SMAP V&V process is the verification of the antenna pointing accuracy with mathematical models since it is not possible to provide the appropriate micro-gravity environment for testing the antenna on Earth before launch.

Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP)↗
NASA NTRS1990

Human exploration of space: A review of NASA's 90-day study and alternatives

The National Research Council (NRC) examines the NASA Report of the 90-Day Study on Human Exploration of the Moon and Mars, and alternative concepts. Included in this paper, prepared for the National Space Council, are the answers to a challenging set of questions posed by the Vice President. Concerns addressed include: the appropriate pace, the scope of human exploration, the level of long-term support required, the technology development available and needed, the feasibility of long-duration human spaceflight in a low-gravity environment, scientific objectives, and other considerations such as costs and risks.

Stever, H. Guyford↗
NASA NTRS2008

United States Civil Space Policy: Summary of a Workshop

What are the principal purposes, goals, and priorities of the U.S. civil space program? This question was the focus of the workshop on civil space policy held November 29-30, 2007, by the Space Studies Board (SSB) and the Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board (ASEB) of the National Research Council (NRC). In addressing this question, invited speakers and panelists and the general discussion from this public workshop explored a series of topics, including the following: (1) Key changes and developments in the U.S. civil space program since the new national Vision for Space Exploration2 (the Vision) was articulated by the executive branch in 2004; (2) The fit of space exploration within a broader national and international context; (3) Affordability, public interest, and political will to sustain the civil space program; (4) Definitions, metrics, and decision criteria for the mix and balance of activities within the program portfolio; (5) Roles of government in Earth observations from space; and (6) Gaps in capabilities and infrastructure to support the program.

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NASA NTRS2011

Space Weather, Geomagnetic Disturbances and Impact on the High-Voltage Transmission Systems

Geomagnetically induced currents (GIC) affecting the performance of high-voltage power transmission systems are one of the most significant hazards space weather poses on the operability of critical US infrastructure. The severity of the threat was emphasized, for example, in two recent reports: the National Research Council (NRC) report "Severe Space Weather Events--Understanding Societal and Economic Impacts: A Workshop Report" and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) report "HighImpact, Low-Frequency Event Risk to the North American Bulk Power System." The NRC and NERC reports demonstrated the important national security dimension of space weather and GIC and called for comprehensive actions to forecast and mitigate the hazard. In this paper we will give a brief overview of space weather storms and accompanying geomagnetic storm events that lead to GIC. We will also review the fundamental principles of how GIC can impact the power transmission systems. Space weather has been a subject of great scientific advances that have changed the wonder of the past to a quantitative field of physics with true predictive power of today. NASA's Solar Shield system aimed at forecasting of GIC in the North American high-voltage power transmission system can be considered as one of the ultimate fruits of those advances. We will review the fundamental principles of the Solar Shield system and provide our view of the way forward in the science of GIC.

Pullkkinen, A.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Spacecraft Maximum Allowable Concentrations for Selected Airborne Contaminants

As part of its efforts to promote safe conditions aboard spacecraft, NASA requested the National Research Council (NRC) to develop guidelines for establishing spacecraft maximum allowable concentrations (SMACs) for contaminants, and to review SMACs for various spacecraft contaminants to determine whether NASA's recommended exposure limits are consistent with the guidelines recommended by the subcommittee. In response to this request, the NRC first developed criteria and methods for preparing SMACs for spacecraft contaminants, published in its 1992 report Guidelines for Developing Spacecraft Maximum Allowable Concentrations for Space Station Contaminants . Since then, the Subcommittee on Spacecraft Maximum Allowable Concentrations has been reviewing NASA's documentation of chemical-specific SMACs as described in the Introduction to this volume. This report is the third volume in the series Spacecraft Maximum Allowable Concentrations for Space Station Contaminants . The first volume was published in 1994 and the second in 1996.

National Research Council↗
NASA NTRS1995

Reusable launch vehicle: Technology development and test program

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) requested that the National Research Council (NRC) assess the Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) technology development and test programs in the most critical component technologies. At a time when discretionary government spending is under close scrutiny, the RLV program is designed to reduce the cost of access to space through a combination of robust vehicles and a streamlined infrastructure. Routine access to space has obvious benefits for space science, national security, commercial technologies, and the further exploration of space. Because of technological challenges, knowledgeable people disagree about the feasibility of a single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) vehicle. The purpose of the RLV program proposed by NASA and industry contractors is to investigate the status of existing technology and to identify and advance key technology areas required for development and validation of an SSTO vehicle. This report does not address the feasibility of an SSTO vehicle, nor does it revisit the roles and responsibilities assigned to NASA by the National Transportation Policy. Instead, the report sets forth the NRC committee's findings and recommendations regarding the RLV technology development and test program in the critical areas of propulsion, a reusable cryogenic tank system (RCTS), primary vehicle structure, and a thermal protection system (TPS).

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