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Proceedings from symposia of the Technology 2003 Conference and Exposition, Dec. 7-9, 1993, Anaheim, CA, are presented. Volume 2 features papers on artificial intelligence, CAD&E, computer hardware, computer software, information management, photonics, robotics, test and measurement, video and imaging, and virtual reality/simulation.
Proceedings from symposia of the Technology 2003 Conference and Exposition, December 7-9, I993, Anaheim, CA. Volume 1 features the Plenary Session and the Plenary Workshop, plus papers presented in Advanced Manufacturing, Biotechnology/Medical Technology, Environmental Technology, Materials Science, and Power and Energy.
The U.S. Space Foundation displayed its prototype Space Technology Hall of Fame exhibit design at the Technology 2003 conference in Anaheim, CA, December 7-9, 1993. In order to sample public opinion on space technology in general and the exhibit in particular, a computer-based survey was set up as a part of the display. The data collected was analyzed.
The John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is America's Spaceport Technology Center. The KSC technology development program encompasses the efforts of the entire KSC team, consisting of Government and contractor personnel, working in partnership with academic institutions and commercial industry. KSC's assigned mission areas are space launch operations and spaceport and range technologies. KSC's technology development customers include current space transportation programs, future space transportation programs / initiatives, and enabling technical programs. The KSC Research and Technology 2003 Annual Report encompasses the efforts of contributors to the KSC advanced technology development program and KSC technology transfer activities. Dr. Dave Bartine, KSC Chief Technologist, (321) 867-7069, is responsible for publication of this report and should be contacted for any desired information regarding KSC's research and technology development activities.
The NASA Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field, in partnership with U.S. industries, universities, and other Government institutions, is responsible for developing critical technologies that address national priorities in aeropropulsion and space applications. Our work is focused on research for new aeropropulsion technologies, aerospace power, microgravity science (fluids and combustion), electric propulsion, and communications technologies for aeronautics, space, and aerospace applications. As NASA s premier center for aeropropulsion, aerospace power, and turbomachinery, our role is to conduct world-class research and to develop key technologies. We contribute to economic growth and national security through safe, superior, and environmentally compatible U.S. civil and military aircraft propulsion systems. Our Aerospace Power Program supports all NASA Enterprises and major programs, including the International Space Station, Advanced Space Transportation, and new initiatives in human and robotic exploration. Glenn Research Center leads NASA s research in the microgravity science disciplines of fluid physics, combustion science, and acceleration measurement. Almost every space shuttle science mission has had an experiment managed by NASA Glenn, and we have conducted a wide array of similar experiments on the International Space Station. The Glenn staff consists of over 3200 civil service employees and support service contractor personnel. Scientists and engineers comprise more than half of our workforce, with technical specialists, skilled workers, and an administrative staff supporting them. We aggressively strive for technical excellence through continuing education, increased diversity in our workforce, and continuous improvement in our management and business practices so that we can expand the boundaries of aeronautics, space, and aerospace technology. Glenn Research Center is a unique facility located in northeast Ohio. Situated on 350 acres of land adjacent to the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Glenn comprises more than 140 buildings, including 24 major facilities and over 500 specialized research and test facilities. Additional facilities are located at Plum Brook Station, which is about 50 miles west of Cleveland. Plum Brook Station has four large, major, world-class facilities for space research available for Government and industry programs. Knowledge is the end product of our activities. The R&T reports help make this knowledge fully available to potential users the aircraft engine industry, the space industry, the energy industry, the automotive industry, the aerospace industry, and others. It is organized so that a broad cross section of the community can readily use it. Each article begins with a short introductory paragraph that should prove valuable for the layperson. These articles summarize the progress made during the year in various technical areas and portray the technical and administrative support associated with Glenn s technology programs. We hope that this information is useful to all. If additional information is desired, readers are encouraged to contact the researchers identified at the end of each article and to visit Glenn on the World Wide Web at http://www.grc.nasa.gov.
The Advanced Extra-vehicular Activity (EVA) team of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Johnson Space Center (JSC) Crew and Thermal Systems Division (CTSD) participated in the Desert Research and Technology Study (RATS) in September 2003, at Meteor Crater, AZ. The Desert RATS is an integrated remote field site te t with team members from several NASA centers (Johnson Space Center; Glenn and Ames Research Centers) and universities (Bowling Green State University, University of Cincinnati, Massachusetts Institute of Technology) participating. Each week of the two-week field test had a primary focus. The primary test hardware for the first week was the I-Gravity Lunar Rover Training Vehicle, or Grover, which was on loan to NASA from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Astrogeology Research Program. The 2003 Grover driving test results serve as a rover performance characterization baseline for the Science, Crew, Operation and Utility Testbed (SCOUT) project team, which will be designing and fabricating a next generation roving vehicle prototype in Fiscal Year (FY) 2004. The second week of testing focused on EVA geologic traverses that utilized a geologic sample field analysis science trailer and also focused on human-robotic interaction between the suited subjects and the EVA Robotic Assistant (ERA). This paper will review the Advanced EVA team's role in the context of the overall Desert RATS, as well as the EVA team results and lessons learned. For information regarding other test participants' results, the authors can refer interested parties to the test reports produced by those Desert RATS teams.
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These are the Proceedings of the Seventh Applied Diamond Conference/Third Frontier Carbon Technology Joint Conference held at Epochal Tsukuba International Conference Center from August 18 to 21, 2003. The diamond CVD process was first reported by Dr. Spitsyn in 1981 and Prof. S. Iijima reported his discovery of carbon nanotubes in 1991. In the past years, both diamond-related materials and novel carbon materials have attracted considerable interest by the scientific, technological, and industrial community. Many practical and commercial products of diamond materials are reported in these proceedings. A broad variety of applications of carbon nanotubes and novel carbons have also been explored and demonstrated. Having more than 175 invited and contributing papers by authors from over 18 countries for presentations at ADC/FCT 2003 clearly demonstrates that these materials, due to the combination of their superior properties, are both scientifically amazing and economically significant.
This document contains 2 reports which were presented at the Seventh Applied Diamond Conference/Third Frontier Carbon Technology Joint Conference. The topics discuss the formation of C-N nanofibers as well as the characterization of diamond thin films.
This document provides the official calculation of the Advanced Life Support (ALS) Research and Technology Development Metric (the Metric) for Fiscal Year 2003. As such, the values herein are primarily based on Systems Integration, Modeling, and Analysis (SIMA) Element approved software tools or reviewed and approved reference documents. The Metric is one of several measures employed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to assess the Agency s progress as mandated by the United States Congress and the Office of Management and Budget. Because any measure must have a reference point, whether explicitly defined or implied, the Metric is a comparison between a selected ALS Project life support system and an equivalently detailed life support system using technology from the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) for the International Space Station (ISS). More specifically, the Metric is the ratio defined by the equivalent system mass (ESM) of a life support system for a specific mission using the ISS ECLSS technologies divided by the ESM for an equivalent life support system using the best ALS technologies. As defined, the Metric should increase in value as the ALS technologies become lighter, less power intensive, and require less volume. For Fiscal Year 2003, the Advanced Life Support Research and Technology Development Metric value is 1.47 for an Orbiting Research Facility and 1.36 for an Independent Exploration Mission.
n early 2004 JPL successfully landed two Rovers, named Spirit and Opportunity, on the surface of Mars after traveling >300 million miles over a 6-7 month period. In order to operate for extended duration on the surface of Mars, both Rovers are equipped with rechargeable Lithium-ion batteries, which were designed to aid in the launch, correct anomalies during cruise, and support surface operations in conjunction with a triple-junction deployable solar arrays. The requirements of the Lithium-ion battery include the ability to provide power at least 90 sols on the surface of Mars, operate over a wide temperature range (-20 C to +40 C), withstanding long storage periods (e.g., cruise period), operate in an inverted position, and support high currents (e.g., firing pyro events). In order to determine the viability of Lithium-ion technology to meet these stringent requirements, a comprehensive test program was implemented aimed at demonstrating the performance capability of prototype cells fabricated by Lithion, Inc. (Yardney Technical Products, Inc.). The testing performed includes, determining the (a) room temperature cycle life, (b) pulse capability as a function of temperature, (e) self-discharge and storage characteristics mission profile capability, (f) cycle life under mission simulation conditions, (g) impedance characteristics, (h) impact of cell orientation, and (i) performance in 8-cell engineering batteries. As will be discussed, the Lithium-ion prototype cells and batteries were demonstrated to meet, as well as, exceed the requirements defined by the mission.
The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Project is an aggressive mission launching in 2009 to investigate the Martian environment and requires new capabilities that are currently are not available. The MSL Technology Program is developing a wide-range of technologies needed for this Mission and potentially other space missions. The MSL Technology Program reports to both the MSL Project and the Mars Technology Program (MTP). The dual reporting process creates a challenging management situation, but ensures the new technology meets both the specific MSL requirements and the broader Mars Program requirements. MTP is a NASA-wide technology development program managed by JPL and is divided into a Focused Program and a Base Program. The MSL Technology Program is under the focused program and is tightly coupled to MSL's mission milestones and deliverables. The technology budget is separate from the flight Project budget, but the technology's requirements and the development process are tightly coordinated with the Project. The MSL Technology Program combines the proven management techniques of flight projects with the commercial technology management strategies of industry and academia, to create a technology management program that meets the short-term requirements of MSL and the long-term requirements of MTP. This paper examines the initiation of 2002 MSL Technology program. Some of the areas discussed in this paper include technology definition, task selection, technology management, and technology assessment. This paper also provides an update of the 2003 MSL technology program and examines some of the drivers that changed the program from its initiation.
The technology development, spacecraft systems impact, design examples and overall development plan for optical deep space communications are described. Design examples include moderate distance links like ones from Mars to Earth, out through a potential mission to a distance of 1000 A.U. The technology development plan, which includes both ground-based as well as Earth orbit-based reception considerations, spans the period from 1985 to the year 2003. Past technology developments in high efficiency lasers, optical modulation and coding, and high power efficiency communications techniques at multiple bits of information per detected photon are also discussed.
Aircraft in oceanic and remote non-radar airspace frequently fly for extended periods of time in the same direction, at the same time, along similar flight paths as other aircraft. Since there is no radar surveillance, controllers use procedural separation to ensure that aircraft remain separated. Procedural separation distances are typically larger than radar separation distances and as a result aircraft operating in oceanic airspace are sometimes held at non-optimal flight levels due to conflicting traffic at intervening flight levels. Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) In-Trail Procedures (ITP) were developed to enable flight level change maneuvers that would otherwise not be possible with current procedural separation standards. Aircraft operators choosing to equip with an ADS-B transceiver and an appropriate onboard decision support system would be able to take advantage of these procedures when operating in proximity to aircraft equipped with a suitable ADS-B transmitter (“ADS-B Out”). The ability to perform in-trail maneuvers to achieve more time at optimum altitudes could result in more efficient and predictable flight profiles thereby saving fuel and in some cases allowing operators to make beneficial operational decisions. NASA first began developing ADS-B ITP in 2003 as a result of a desire to develop methodologies, concepts, and procedures to reduce separation requirements for future air transportation systems using airborne ADS-B. The objectives were to provide insight into the details necessary to reduce separation requirements for the future and to develop applications that could provide incentives for operators to voluntarily equip with transformational technologies. From 2003 to 2008, NASA conducted research that supported the development of ITP including batch simulations, human-in-the-loop experiments and avionics and separation standards development. This research showed enough maturity and benefit that in 2008, the FAA Surveillance and Broadcast Services (SBS) program adopted ADS-B ITP as one of their three key, near-term applications to make use of ADS-B-In. The FAA developed an agreement with NASA to transition the technology and established an FAA project for the purpose of performing an operational trial of ADS-B ITP in revenue service in the summer of 2011. The objectives of the project are to a) validate the operational performance and economic benefits of ITP; and b) develop and validate ADS-B ITP Minimum Operational Performance Specifications (MOPS) material. As a part of this project, the FAA established agreements with United Airlines and Honeywell. The agreements include the work necessary for the development, certification and installation of onboard systems for twelve United Airlines 747-400s. ITP system development is nearly complete and certification activities are underway. The FAA project has also been working with Oakland Oceanic Control Center (ZOA) and the FAA’s Oceanic and Offshore Operations Office to develop controller procedures and safety analyses that are required to support the flight trial. The FAA has also been working on the development of an ITP Operational Specification that should be approved this April. The presentation will cover some of the key aspects of the development, challenges, and integration required to successfully transition ADS-B ITP from a concept in 2003 to flight trials in revenue service in 2011.
From August 2003 to December 2006, In-Service Evaluations (ISE) of the Turbulence Auto-PIREP System (TAPS) and Enhanced Turbulence (E-Turb) Radar, technologies developed in NASA's Turbulence Prediction and Warning System (TPAWS) element of its Aviation Safety and Security Program (AvSSP), were conducted. NASA and AeroTech Research established an industry team comprising AeroTech, Delta Air Lines, Rockwell Collins, and ARINC to conduct the ISEs. The technologies were installed on Delta aircraft and their effectiveness was evaluated in day-to-day operations. This report documents the establishment and conduct of the ISEs and presents results and feedback from various users.
The International Laser Ranging Service (ILRS) organizes and coordinates Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) and Lunar Laser Ranging (LLR) to support programs in geodetic, geophysical, and lunar research activities and provides the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS) with products important to the maintenance of an accurate International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF). This reference frame provides the stability through which systematic measurements of the Earth can be made over thousands of kilometers, decades of time, and evolution of measurement technology. This 2003-2004 ILRS annual report is comprised of individual contributions from ILRS components within the international geodetic community for the years 2003-2004. The report documents changes and progress of the ILRS and is also available on the ILRS Web site at http://ilrs.gsfc.nasa.gov/reports/ilrs_reports/ilrsar_2003.html.
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Momentum-exchange/electrodynamic reboost (MXER) tether systems have been proposed to serve as an "upper stage in space". A MXER tether station would boost spacecraft from low Earth orbit to a high-energy orbit quickly, like a high-thrust rocket. Then, it would slowly rebuild its orbital momentum through electrodynamic thrust, minimizing the use of propellant. One of the primary challenges in developing a momentum-exchange/electrodynamic reboost tether system as identified by the 2003 MXER Technology Assessment Group is in the development of a mechanism that will enable the processes of capture, carry and release of a payload by the rotating tether as required by the MXER tether approach. This paper will present a concept that will achieve the desired goals of the capture system. This solution is presented as a multi-DOF (degree-of-freedom) capture mechanism with nearly passive operation that features matching of the capture space and expected window of capture error, efficient use of mass and nearly passive actuation during the capture process. This paper will describe the proposed capture mechanism concept and provide an evaluation of the concept through a dynamic model and experimental tests performed on a prototype article of the mechanism in a dynamically similar environment. This paper will also develop a set of rules to guide the design of such a capture mechanism based on analytical and experimental analyses. The primary contributions of this paper will be a description of the proposed capture mechanism concept, a collection of rules to guide its design, and empirical and model information that can be used to evaluate the capability of the concept