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At least 19 records

Radiation-Hardened Solid-State Drive

A method is provided for a radiationhardened (rad-hard) solid-state drive for space mission memory applications by combining rad-hard and commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) non-volatile memories (NVMs) into a hybrid architecture. The architecture is controlled by a rad-hard ASIC (application specific integrated circuit) or a FPGA (field programmable gate array). Specific error handling and data management protocols are developed for use in a rad-hard environment. The rad-hard memories are smaller in overall memory density, but are used to control and manage radiation-induced errors in the main, and much larger density, non-rad-hard COTS memory devices. Small amounts of rad-hard memory are used as error buffers and temporary caches for radiation-induced errors in the large COTS memories. The rad-hard ASIC/FPGA implements a variety of error-handling protocols to manage these radiation-induced errors. The large COTS memory is triplicated for protection, and CRC-based counters are calculated for sub-areas in each COTS NVM array. These counters are stored in the rad-hard non-volatile memory. Through monitoring, rewriting, regeneration, triplication, and long-term storage, radiation-induced errors in the large NV memory are managed. The rad-hard ASIC/FPGA also interfaces with the external computer buses.

Sheldon, Douglas J.

Solid State Drive Radiation Assurance With Active Testing

Single-event effects (SEE) and total ionizing dose (TID) data are presented for several automotive- and industrial-grade solid-state drives, and the effects of different active test configurations on hardness assurance are explored.

dose

Solid State Drive Radiation Assurance With Active Testing

Automotive and industrial grade SSDs were tested for TID and SEE response at the assembly level to investigate radiation tolerance trends and explore radiation hardness assurance best practices in commercial memory devices. SSDs were installed in passive NVMe extenders to place only the drive in the beam line. A digital I/O module connected to the test computer provided inhibit signals to block both facility beam delivery and power while attempting recovery from any device failure conditions (e.g., failed write, failed read, or unresponsive device).

Edward P Wilcox

The non-hydrostatic figures of the terrestrial planets

Solid state creep being exponentially dependent on temperature must dominate the mechanical behavior of the mantles of terrestrial planets beneath their lithospheres. General arguments suggest that the lithospheres of the Moon and Mars are about 200 km thick; the Earth, Venus and Mercury much less. Short wavelength gravity anomalies are explained by the finite strength of the lithosphere: the lunar mascons being an example. The good correlation of the Venus and Mars gravity anomalies with topography up to spherical harmonics of degrees 10-15 is in striking contrast to the lack of correlation between the long wavelength components of the geoid and the continent-ocean distribution or even the plates. Attempts have been made to explain the former correlations by isostatic models but the depths of compensation seem implausible. Low degree harmonics of the gravity fields of the terrestrial planets as is certainly the case in the Earth must arise from the density variations driving solid state convection. In the case of Venus the less dense differentiated materials of the highlands seems to be positioned over the singular points of the convection pattern. Thus the correlated gravity field does not arise from the highlands but from the density difference in the convecting interior. In the Earth lack of correlation seems to arise from the fact that the plates have moved relative to the convection pattern the last 100 M yr.

Runcorn, S. K.

NASA Tech Briefs, February 2010

Topics covered include: Insulation-Testing Cryostat With Lifting Mechanism; Optical Testing of Retroreflectors for Cryogenic Applications; Measuring Cyclic Error in Laser Heterodyne Interferometers; Self-Referencing Hartmann Test for Large-Aperture Telescopes; Measuring a Fiber-Optic Delay Line Using a Mode-Locked Laser; Reconfigurable Hardware for Compressing Hyperspectral Image Data; Spatio-Temporal Equalizer for a Receiving-Antenna Feed Array; High-Speed Ring Bus; Nanoionics-Based Switches for Radio-Frequency Applications; Lunar Dust-Tolerant Electrical Connector; Compact, Reliable EEPROM Controller; Quad-Chip Double-Balanced Frequency Tripler; Ka-Band Waveguide Two-Way Hybrid Combiner for MMIC Amplifiers; Radiation-Hardened Solid-State Drive; Use of Nanofibers to Strengthen Hydrogels of Silica, Other Oxides, and Aerogels; Two Concepts for Deployable Trusses; Concentric Nested Toroidal Inflatable Structures; Investigating Dynamics of Eccentricity in Turbomachines; Improved Low-Temperature Performance of Li-Ion Cells Using New Electrolytes; Integrity Monitoring of Mercury Discharge Lamps; White-Light Phase-Conjugate Mirrors as Distortion Correctors; Biasable, Balanced, Fundamental Submillimeter Monolithic Membrane Mixer; ICER-3D Hyperspectral Image Compression Software; and Context Modeler for Wavelet Compression of Spectral Hyperspectral Images.

Source record

Solid-State Actuation as a Driving Mechanism for Miniature Spacecraft

Piezoelectric rotary motors are being developed to form a drive mechanism for robotics, miniature spacecraft instruments and subsystems. The technology that has recently emerged in commercial products is associated with empirical design. An analytical model was developed for the motor and it is currently being modified to account for the effect of space environment. The interface between the rotor and stator components and the friction forces are investigated to determine the propelling effect of the stator. The model predicts motor performance and can be used to optimize the design of miniature high-torque motors.

Miniature

Proton Irradiation of the 16GB Intel Optane SSD

The purpose of this test is to assess the single event effects (SEE) and radiation susceptibility of the Intel Optane Memory device (SSD) containing the 3D Xpoint phase change memory (PCM) technology. This test is supported by the NASA Electronics Parts and Packaging Program (NEPP).

Single-Event Effects (SEE)

Intense laser beams; Proceedings of the Meeting, Los Angeles, CA, Jan. 23, 24, 1992

Various papers on intense laser beams are presented. Individual topics addressed include: novel methods of copper vapor laser excitation, UCLA IR FEL, lasing characteristics of a large-bore copper vapor laser (CVL), copper density measurement of a large-bore CVL, high-power XeCl excimer laser, solid state direct-drive circuit for pumping gas lasers, united energy model for FELs, intensity and frequency instabilities in double-mode CO2 lasers, comparison of output power stabilities of CO and CO2 lasers, increasing efficiency of sealed-off CO lasers, thermal effects in singlet delta oxygen generation, optical extraction from the chemical oxygen-iodine laser medium, generation and laser diagnostic analysis of bismuth fluoride. Also discussed are: high-Q resonator design for an HF overtone chemical lasers, improved coatings for HF overtone lasers, scaled atmospheric blooming experiment, simulation on producing conjugate field using deformable mirrors, paraxial theory of amplitude correction, potential capabilities of adaptive optical systems in the atmosphere, power beaming research at NASA, system evaluations of laser power beaming options, performance projections for laser beam power to space, independent assessment of laser power beaming options, removal of atmospheric CFCs by lasers, efficiency of vaporization cutting by CVL.

Wade, Richard C.

Measuring the Thermodynamics of the Alloy/Scale Interface

A method is proposed for the direct measurement of the thermodynamic properties of the alloy and oxide compound at the alloy/scale interface observed during steady-state oxidation. The thermodynamic properties of the alloy/scale interface define the driving force for solid-state transport in the alloy and oxide compound. Accurate knowledge of thermodynamic properties of the interface will advance our understanding of oxidation behavior. The method is based on the concept of local equilibrium and assumes that an alloy+scale equilibrium very closely approximates the alloy/scale interface observed during steady-state oxidation. The thermodynamics activities of this alloy+scale equilibrium are measured directly by Knudsen effusion-cell mass spectrometer (KEMS) using the vapor pressure technique. The theory and some practical considerations of this method are discussed in terms of beta-NiAl oxidation.

Copland, Evan

Design, fabrication, test and delivery of a K-band antenna breadboard model

The results of a research effort to develop a Ku-Band single channel monopulse antenna with significant improvements in efficiency and bandwidth are reported. A single aperture, multimode horn, utilized in a near field Cassegrainian configuration, was the technique selected for achieving the desired efficiency and bandwidth performance. In order to provide wide polarization flexibility, a wire grid, space filter polarizer was developed. A solid state switching network with appropriate driving electronics provides the receive channel sum and difference signal interface with an existing Apollo type tracking electronics subsystem. A full scale breadboard model of the antenna was fabricated and tested. Performance of the model was well within the requirements and goals of the contract.

Source record

Miniaturized Airborne Imaging Central Server System

In recent years, some remote-sensing applications require advanced airborne multi-sensor systems to provide high performance reflective and emissive spectral imaging measurement rapidly over large areas. The key or unique problem of characteristics is associated with a black box back-end system that operates a suite of cutting-edge imaging sensors to collect simultaneously the high throughput reflective and emissive spectral imaging data with precision georeference. This back-end system needs to be portable, easy-to-use, and reliable with advanced onboard processing. The innovation of the black box backend is a miniaturized airborne imaging central server system (MAICSS). MAICSS integrates a complex embedded system of systems with dedicated power and signal electronic circuits inside to serve a suite of configurable cutting-edge electro- optical (EO), long-wave infrared (LWIR), and medium-wave infrared (MWIR) cameras, a hyperspectral imaging scanner, and a GPS and inertial measurement unit (IMU) for atmospheric and surface remote sensing. Its compatible sensor packages include NASA s 1,024 1,024 pixel LWIR quantum well infrared photodetector (QWIP) imager; a 60.5 megapixel BuckEye EO camera; and a fast (e.g. 200+ scanlines/s) and wide swath-width (e.g., 1,920+ pixels) CCD/InGaAs imager-based visible/near infrared reflectance (VNIR) and shortwave infrared (SWIR) imaging spectrometer. MAICSS records continuous precision georeferenced and time-tagged multisensor throughputs to mass storage devices at a high aggregate rate, typically 60 MB/s for its LWIR/EO payload. MAICSS is a complete stand-alone imaging server instrument with an easy-to-use software package for either autonomous data collection or interactive airborne operation. Advanced multisensor data acquisition and onboard processing software features have been implemented for MAICSS. With the onboard processing for real time image development, correction, histogram-equalization, compression, georeference, and data organization, fast aerial imaging applications, including the real time LWIR image mosaic for Google Earth, have been realized for NASA fs LWIR QWIP instrument. MAICSS is a significant improvement and miniaturization of current multisensor technologies. Structurally, it has a complete modular and solid-state design. Without rotating hard drives and other moving parts, it is operational at high altitudes and survivable in high-vibration environments. It is assembled from a suite of miniaturized, precision-machined, standardized, and stackable interchangeable embedded instrument modules. These stackable modules can be bolted together with the interconnection wires inside for the maximal simplicity and portability. Multiple modules are electronically interconnected as stacked. Alternatively, these dedicated modules can be flexibly distributed to fit the space constraints of a flying vehicle. As a flexibly configurable system, MAICSS can be tailored to interface a variety of multisensor packages. For example, with a 1,024x1,024 pixel LWIR and a 8,984x6,732 pixel EO payload, the complete MAICSS volume is approximately 7x9x11 in. (=18x23x28 cm), with a weight of 25 lb (=11.4 kg).

Sun, Xiuhong

5.8kV SiC PiN Diode for Switching of High-Efficiency Inductive Pulsed Plasma Thruster Circuits

Inductive Pulsed Plasma Thruster (IPPT) pulse circuits, such as those needed to operate the Pulsed Inductive Thruster (PIT), are required to quickly switch capacitor banks operating at a period of μs while conducting current at levels on the order of at least 10 kA. [1,2] For all iterations of the PIT to date, spark gaps have been used to discharge the capacitor bank through an inductive coil. Recent availability of fast, high‐power solid state switching devices makes it possible to consider the use of semiconductor switches in modern IPPTs. In addition, novel pre‐ionization schemes have led to a reduction in discharge energy per pulse for electric thrusters of this type, relaxing the switching requirements for these thrusters. [3,4] Solid state switches offer the advantage of greater controllability and reliability, as well as decreased drive circuit dimensions and mass relative to spark gap switches. The use of solid state devices such as Integrated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs), Gate Turn‐off Thyristors (GTOs) and Silicon‐Controlled Rectifiers (SCRs) often involves the use of power diodes. These semiconductor devices may be connected antiparallel to the switch for protection from reverse current, or used to reduce power loss in a circuit by clamping off current ringing. In each case, higher circuit efficiency may be achieved by using a diode that is able to transition, or 'switch,' from the forward conducting state ('on' state) to the reverse blocking state ('off' state) in the shortest amount of time, thereby minimizing current ringing and switching losses. Silicon Carbide (SiC) PiN diodes offer significant advantages to conventional fast‐switching Silicon (Si) diodes for high power and fast switching applications. A wider band gap results in a breakdown voltage 10 times that of Si, so that a SiC device may have a thinner drift region for a given blocking voltage. [5] This leads to smaller, lighter devices for high voltage applications, as well as reduced forward conduction losses, faster reverse recovery time (faster turn‐off), and lower‐magnitude reverse recovery current. In addition, SiC devices have lower leakage current as compared to their Si counterparts, and a high thermal conductivity, potentially allowing the former to operate at higher temperatures with a smaller, lighter heatsink (or no heatsink at all).

Toftul, Alexandra

A solid state converter for measurement of aircraft noise and sonic boom

The problems inherent in present systems of instrumentation for measuring aircraft noise and sonic boom include limited frequency response, expensive connecting cables, sensitivity to cable length and type, high sensitivity to environmental conditions, and additional limitations of individual system components. Furthermore, differing requirements have resulted in the use of two different systems for aircraft noise and sonic boom measurements respectively. To alleviate these difficulties a unified system of instrumentation suitable for both types of measurements was developed. The system features a new solid state converter connected to a zero drive amplifier. The system was found insensitive to cable length and type up to at least 1000 ft and requires no impedance matching networks. The converter itself has flat frequency response from dc to 28 kHz (- 3 db), dynamic range of 72 db, and noise floor of 50 db in the band 22.4 Hz to 22.4 kHz.

Zuckerwar, A. J.