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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 NTRS2005

Assessing Potential Propulsion Breakthroughs

The term, propulsion breakthrough, refers to concepts like propellantless space drives and faster-than-light travel, the kind of breakthroughs that would make interstellar exploration practical. Although no such breakthroughs appear imminent, a variety of investigations into these goals have begun. From 1996 to 2002, NASA supported the Breakthrough Propulsion Physics Project to examine physics in the context of breakthrough spaceflight. Three facets of these assessments are now reported: (1) predicting benefits, (2) selecting research, and (3) recent technical progress. Predicting benefits is challenging since the breakthroughs are still only notional concepts, but kinetic energy can serve as a basis for comparison. In terms of kinetic energy, a hypothetical space drive could require many orders of magnitude less energy than a rocket for journeys to our nearest neighboring star. Assessing research options is challenging when the goals are beyond known physics and when the implications of success are profound. To mitigate the challenges, a selection process is described where: (a) research tasks are constrained to only address the immediate unknowns, curious effects or critical issues, (b) reliability of assertions is more important than their implications, and (c) reviewers judge credibility rather than feasibility. The recent findings of a number of tasks, some selected using this process, are discussed. Of the 14 tasks included, six reached null conclusions, four remain unresolved, and four have opportunities for sequels. A dominant theme with the sequels is research about the properties of space, inertial frames, and the quantum vacuum.

Millis, Marc G.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Breakthrough Propulsion Physics Research Program

In 1996, a team of government, university and industry researchers proposed a program to seek the ultimate breakthroughs in space transportation: propulsion that requires no propellant mass, propulsion that can approach and, if possible, circumvent light speed, and breakthrough methods of energy production to power such devices. This Breakthrough Propulsion Physics program, managed by Lewis Research Center, is one part of a comprehensive, long range Advanced Space Transportation Plan managed by Marshall Space Flight Center. Because the breakthrough goals are beyond existing science, a main emphasis of this program is to establish metrics and ground rules to produce near-term credible progress toward these incredible possibilities. An introduction to the emerging scientific possibilities from which such solutions can be sought is also presented.

Millis, Marc G.↗
NASA NTRS1998

NASA Breakthrough Propulsion Physics Program

In 1996, NASA established the Breakthrough Propulsion Physics program to seek the ultimate breakthroughs in space transportation: propulsion that requires no propellant mass, propulsion that attains the maximum transit speeds physically possible, and breakthrough methods of energy production to power such devices. Topics of interest include experiments and theories regarding the coupling of gravity and electromagnetism, vacuum fluctuation energy, warp drives and worm-holes, and superluminal quantum effects. Because these propulsion goals are presumably far from fruition, a special emphasis is to identify affordable, near-term, and credible research that could make measurable progress toward these propulsion goals. The methods of the program and the results of the 1997 workshop are presented. This Breakthrough Propulsion Physics program, managed by Lewis Research Center, is one part of a comprehensive, long range Advanced Space Transportation Plan managed by Marshall Space Flight Center.

Millis, Marc G.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Breakthrough Propulsion Physics Workshop Preliminary Results

In August, 1997, a NASA workshop was held to assess the prospects emerging from physics that might lead to creating the ultimate breakthroughs in space transportation: propulsion that requires no propellant mass, attaining the maximum transit speeds physically possible, and breakthrough methods of energy production to power such devices. Because these propulsion goals are presumably far from fruition, a special emphasis was to identify affordable, near-term, and credible research that could make measurable progress toward these propulsion goals. Experiments and theories were discussed regarding the coupling of gravity and electromagnetism, vacuum fluctuation energy, warp drives and wormholes, and superluminal quantum tunneling. Preliminary results of this workshop are presented, along with the status of the Breakthrough Propulsion Physics program that conducted this workshop.

Millis, Marc G.↗
NASA NTRS1999

NASA Breakthrough Propulsion Physics Workshop Proceedings

In August 1997, NASA sponsored a 3-day workshop to assess the prospects emerging from physics that may eventually lead to creating propulsion breakthroughs -the kind of breakthroughs that could revolutionize space flight and enable human voyages to other star systems. Experiments and theories were discussed regarding the coupling of gravity and electromagnetism, vacuum fluctuation energy, warp drives and wormholes, and superluminal quantum tunneling. Because the propulsion goals are presumably far from fruition, a special emphasis was to identify affordable, near-term, and credible research tasks that could make measurable progress toward these grand ambitions. This workshop was one of the first steps for the new NASA Breakthrough Propulsion Physics program led by the NASA Lewis Research Center.

Millis, Marc G.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Breakthrough Propulsion Physics Project: Project Management Methods

To leap past the limitations of existing propulsion, the NASA Breakthrough Propulsion Physics (BPP) Project seeks further advancements in physics from which new propulsion methods can eventually be derived. Three visionary breakthroughs are sought: (1) propulsion that requires no propellant, (2) propulsion that circumvents existing speed limits, and (3) breakthrough methods of energy production to power such devices. Because these propulsion goals are presumably far from fruition, a special emphasis is to identify credible research that will make measurable progress toward these goals in the near-term. The management techniques to address this challenge are presented, with a special emphasis on the process used to review, prioritize, and select research tasks. This selection process includes these key features: (a) research tasks are constrained to only address the immediate unknowns, curious effects or critical issues, (b) reliability of assertions is more important than the implications of the assertions, which includes the practice where the reviewers judge credibility rather than feasibility, and (c) total scores are obtained by multiplying the criteria scores rather than by adding. Lessons learned and revisions planned are discussed.

Millis, Marc G.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Coupling gravity, electromagnetism and space-time for space propulsion breakthroughs

spaceflight would be revolutionized if it were possible to propel a spacecraft without rockets using the coupling between gravity, electromagnetism, and space-time (hence called 'space coupling propulsion'). New theories and observations about the properties of space are emerging which offer new approaches to consider this breakthrough possibility. To guide the search, evaluation, and application of these emerging possibilities, a variety of hypothetical space coupling propulsion mechanisms are presented to highlight the issues that would have to be satisfied to enable such breakthroughs. A brief introduction of the emerging opportunities is also presented.

Millis, Marc G.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Prospects for Breakthrough Propulsion From Physics

"Space drives", "Warp drives", and "Wormholes:" these concepts may sound like science fiction, but they are being written about in reputable journals. To assess the implications of these emerging prospects for future spaceflight, NASA supported the Breakthrough Propulsion Physics Project from 1996 through 2002. This Project has three grand challenges: (1) Discover propulsion that eliminates the need for propellant; (2) Discover methods to achieve hyper-fast travel; and (3) Discover breakthrough methods to power spacecraft. Because these challenges are presumably far from fruition, and perhaps even impossible, a special emphasis is placed on selecting incremental and affordable research that addresses the critical issues behind these challenges. Of 16 incremental research tasks completed by the project and from other sponsors, about a third were found not to be viable, a quarter have clear opportunities for sequels, and the rest remain unresolved.

Millis, Marc G.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Breakthrough Sensor Technology for Space Exploration in the 21st Century

The Breakthrough Sensors and Instrument Component Technology (BSICT) thrust area fosters the develop of breakthrough technology in the areas of detectors, sensors, lasers, coolers and electronics to enable a new set of exciting NASA missions in the new millennium.

BSICT NASA UV QWIP RADAR IR↗
NASA NTRS2018

Breakthrough Propulsion Study: Assessing Interstellar Flight Challenges and Prospects

Progress toward developing an evaluation process for interstellar propulsion and power options is described. The goal is to contrast the challenges, mission choices, and emerging prospects for propulsion and power, to identify which prospects might be more advantageous and under what circumstances, and to identify which technology details might have greater impacts. Unlike prior studies, the infrastructure expenses and prospects for breakthrough advances are included. This first year's focus is on determining the key questions to enable the analysis. Accordingly, a work breakdown structure to organize the information and associated list of variables is offered. A flow diagram of the basic analysis is presented, as well as more detailed methods to convert the performance measures of disparate propulsion methods into common measures of energy, mass, time, and power. Other methods for equitable comparisons include evaluating the prospects under the same assumptions of payload, mission trajectory, and available energy. Missions are divided into three eras of readiness (precursors, era of infrastructure, and era of breakthroughs) as a first step before proceeding to include comparisons of technology advancement rates. Final evaluation "figures of merit" are offered. Preliminary lists of mission architectures and propulsion prospects are provided.

Marc G. Millis↗
NASA NTRS2002

Opportunities for Breakthroughs in Large-Scale Computational Simulation and Design

Opportunities for breakthroughs in the large-scale computational simulation and design of aerospace vehicles are presented. Computational fluid dynamics tools to be used within multidisciplinary analysis and design methods are emphasized. The opportunities stem from speedups and robustness improvements in the underlying unit operations associated with simulation (geometry modeling, grid generation, physical modeling, analysis, etc.). Further, an improved programming environment can synergistically integrate these unit operations to leverage the gains. The speedups result from reducing the problem setup time through geometry modeling and grid generation operations, and reducing the solution time through the operation counts associated with solving the discretized equations to a sufficient accuracy. The opportunities are addressed only at a general level here, but an extensive list of references containing further details is included. The opportunities discussed are being addressed through the Fast Adaptive Aerospace Tools (FAAST) element of the Advanced Systems Concept to Test (ASCoT) and the third Generation Reusable Launch Vehicles (RLV) projects at NASA Langley Research Center. The overall goal is to enable greater inroads into the design process with large-scale simulations.

Alexandrov, Natalia↗
NASA NTRS2004

Solar Spicules: Prospects for Breakthroughs in Understanding with Solar-B

Spicules densely populate the lower solar atmosphere; any image or movie of the chromosphere shows a plethora of them or their "cousins," such as mottles or fibrils. Yet despite several decades of effort we still do not know the mechanism that generates them, or how important their contribution is to the material and energy balance of the overall solar atmosphere. Solar-B will provide exciting new chromospheric observations at high time- and spatial-resolution, along with associated quality magnetic field data, that promise to open doors to revolutionary breakthroughs in spicule research. In this presentation we will review the current observational and theoretical status of spicule studies, and discuss prospects for advances in spicule understanding during the Solar-B era.

Sterling, A. C.↗
NASA NTRS2018

A Breakthrough Propulsion Architecture for Interstellar Precursor Missions: Phase I Final Report

Our breakthrough propulsion architecture is an innovative way to take advantage of kilometer-scale, multi-hundred megawatt, space-based, phased-array lasers to enable rapid transportation throughout the solar system. In this architecture, the laser would beam power over distances of up to 40 AU increasing the available power density relative to solar insolation by two orders of magnitude. The receiving vehicle would have a photovoltaic array with cells tuned to the laser frequency that outputs a voltage of 6 kV to directly-drive a lithium-fueled gridded ion thruster system at an ultra-high specific impulse of 40,000 s. Such a system could enable final spacecraft speeds of greater than 40 AU/year, potentially enabling missions to the solar gravity lens focus at 550 AU in less than 15 years. This is the propulsion architecture of the 22nd century.

Brophy, John↗
NASA NTRS2012

Breakthrough Capability for the NASA Astrophysics Explorer Program: Reaching the Darkest Sky

We describe a mission architecture designed to substantially increase the science capability of the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Astrophysics Explorer Program for all AO proposers working within the near-UV to far-infrared spectrum. We have demonstrated that augmentation of Falcon 9 Explorer launch services with a 13 kW Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) stage can deliver a 700 kg science observatory payload to extra-Zodiacal orbit. This new capability enables up to ~13X increased photometric sensitivity and ~160X increased observing speed relative to a Sun- Earth L2, Earth-trailing, or Earth orbit with no increase in telescope aperture. All enabling SEP stage technologies for this launch service augmentation have reached sufficient readiness (TRL-6) for Explorer Program application in conjunction with the Falcon 9. We demonstrate that enabling Astrophysics Explorers to reach extra-zodiacal orbit will allow this small payload program to rival the science performance of much larger long development time systems; thus, providing a means to realize major science objectives while increasing the SMD Astrophysics portfolio diversity and resiliency to external budget pressure. The SEP technology employed in this study has strong applicability to SMD Planetary Science community-proposed missions. SEP is a stated flight demonstration priority for NASA's Office of the Chief Technologist (OCT). This new mission architecture for astrophysics Explorers enables an attractive realization of joint goals for OCT and SMD with wide applicability across SMD science disciplines.

capabiity↗
NASA NTRS2015

Breakthrough Capability for UVOIR Space Astronomy: Reaching the Darkest Sky

We describe how availability of new solar electric propulsion (SEP) technology can substantially increase the science capability of space astronomy missions working within the near-UV to far-infrared (UVOIR) spectrum by making dark sky orbits accessible for the first time. We present two case studies in which SEP is used to enable a 700 kg Explorer-class and 7000 kg flagship-class observatory payload to reach an orbit beyond where the zodiacal dust limits observatory sensitivity. The resulting scientific performance advantage relative to a Sun-Earth L2 point (SEL2) orbit is presented and discussed. We find that making SEP available to astrophysics Explorers can enable this small payload program to rival the science performance of much larger long development-time systems. Similarly, we find that astrophysics utilization of high power SEP being developed for the Asteroid Redirect Robotics Mission (ARRM) can have a substantial impact on the sensitivity performance of heavier flagship-class astrophysics payloads such as the UVOIR successor to the James Webb Space Telescope.

Space↗
NASA NTRS2022

Orbiting Laser Configuration and Sky Coverage: Coherent Reference for Breakthrough Starshot Ground-based Laser Array

We present the concept of using an orbiting laser as a coherent optical reference to phase a several kilometer diameter array of ground-based lasers designed to accelerate interstellar nano-spacecraft to 20% light-speed using laser propulsion. We investigate the geometrical and temporal constraints for the initial case of the target star Proxima b in the Alpha Centauri system using a laser ground site in the southern hemisphere. Based on these constraints, we detail requirements for the mission architecture for an orbiting laser to be used as an optical reference. We then present two orbits that can meet all given requirements and represent a range of engagement times and days between engagements. We also present a range of orbits with periods from 3 to 4 days and engagement times from 660 to 800 s. If desired, the orbit can be matched to the sidereal day, so each orbit period, the beacon can align with the ground station and the same target star without maneuvers. A discussion of the tradeoff between the Earth-based site latitude, time on engagement, and days between engagements is presented.

Breakthrough Starshot; interstellar spacecraft; co↗