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Results for “technology transfer requirements prioritization”

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 NTRS2003

Relating practitioner needs to research activities

We present an approach to matching needs (practioner requirements) to solutions (researcher activities). A taxonomical classification scheme acts as intermediary between needs and activities. Expert practitioners exprss their needs in terms of this taxonomy. Researchers express their activities in the same terms. A decision support tool is used to assist in the combination and study of their expressions of needs and activities.

technology transfer requirements prioritization↗
NASA NTRS2003

Matching software practitioner needs to researcher activities

We present an approach to matching software practitioners' needs to software researchers' activities. It uses an accepted taxonomical software classfication scheme as intermediary, in terms of which practitioners express needs, and researchers express activities.

technology transfer requirements prioritization↗
NASA NTRS2004

Scalable collaborative risk management technology for complex critical systems

We describe here our project and plans to develop methods, software tools, and infrastructure tools to address challenges relating to geographically distributed software development. Specifically, this work is creating an infrastructure that supports applications working over distributed geographical and organizational domains and is using this infrastructure to develop a tool that supports project development using risk management and analysis techniques where the participants are not collocated.

requirements prioritization↗
NASA NTRS2004

Information technology aided exploration of system design spaces

We report on a practical application of information technology techniques to aid system engineers effectively explore large design spaces. We make use of heuristic search, visualization and data mining, the combination of which we have implemented wtihin a risk management tool in use at JPL and NASA.

requirements prioritization↗
NASA NTRS2003

The case for applying an early-lifecycle technology evaluation methodology to comparative evaluation of requirements engineering research

The premise of this paper is taht there is a useful analogy between evaluation of proposed problem solutions and evaluation of requirements engineering research itself. Both of these application areas face the challenges of evaluation early in the lifecycle, of the need to consider a wide variety of factors, and of the need to combine inputs from multiple stakeholders in making thse evaluation and subsequent decisions.

technology transfer↗
NASA NTRS2003

Identifying fruitful connections between and among researchers and practitioners

Many organizations look to research to yield new and improved products and practices. Connecting practitioners who have the need for research results to the researchers producing those results is important to guiding research and utilizing its results. Likewise, connecting researchers working on related topics to one another, and connecting practitioners with related needs to one another, is important to establishing communities of shared interests. We present an approach that helps identify fruitful such connections.

requirements prioritization↗
NASA NTRS1994

An applications-oriented approach to the development of virtual environments

The field of Virtual Reality (VR) is diverse, ranging in scope from research into fundamental enabling technologies to the building of full-scale entertainment facilities. However, the concept of virtual reality means many things to many people. Ideally, a definition of VR should derive from how it can provide solutions to existing challenges in building advanced human computer interfaces. The measure of success for VR lies in its ability to enhance the assimilation of complex information, whether to aid in difficult decision making processes, or to recreate real experiences in a compelling way. This philosophy is described using an example from a VR-based advertising project. The common and unique elements of this example are explained, though the fundamental development process is the same for all virtual environments that support information transfer. In short, this development approach is an applications oriented approach that begins by establishing and prioritizing user requirements and seeks to add value to the information transfer process through the appropriate use of VR technology.

Crowe, Michael X.↗
NASA NTRS1985

System technology analysis of aeroassisted orbital transfer vehicles: Moderate lift/drag (0.75-1.5). Volume 2: Supporting research and technology report, phase 1 and 2

Technology payoffs of representative ground based (Phase 1) and space based (Phase 2) mid lift/drag ratio (L/D) aeroassisted orbit transfer vehicles (AOTV) were assessed and prioritized. The methodology employed to generate technology payoffs, the major payoffs identified, the urgency of the technology effort required, and the technology plans suggested are summarized for both study phases. Technology issues concerning aerodynamics, aerothermodynamics, thermal protection, propulsion, and guidance, navigation and control are addressed.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1991

Orbit transfer rocket engine technology program: Automated preflight methods concept definition

The possibility of automating preflight engine checkouts on orbit transfer engines is discussed. The minimum requirements in terms of information and processing necessary to assess the engine'e integrity and readiness to perform its mission were first defined. A variety of ways for remotely obtaining that information were generated. The sophistication of these approaches varied from a simple preliminary power up, where the engine is fired up for the first time, to the most advanced approach where the sensor and operational history data system alone indicates engine integrity. The critical issues and benefits of these methods were identified, outlined, and prioritized. The technology readiness of each of these automated preflight methods were then rated on a NASA Office of Exploration scale used for comparing technology options for future mission choices. Finally, estimates were made of the remaining cost to advance the technology for each method to a level where the system validation models have been demonstrated in a simulated environment.

Erickson, C. M.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Restore-L Intern Final Report

Every year, approximately 20 satellites are retired because their propellants are exhausted. Primarily limited by fuel, the satellites are usually fully functioning otherwise. The lifetimes of satellites can be extended with the capability of refueling. Not only would refueling extend satellite lifetime, it would also provide future satellites flexibility to prioritize other elements of their missions. Restore-L is a Goddard Space Flight Center Satellite Servicing Projects Division mission with the primary objectives of developing tools, technologies, and techniques to extend the lifetime of satellites - even if they were not designed to be serviced in or- bit. Equipped with five key servicing technology elements, the Restore-L Servicing Vehicle will demonstrate industry-changing satellite servicing technologies. The primary goal of the Restore-L mission is to rendezvous with, grasp, refuel, and relocate a government-owned satellite to extend its lifetime. The Propellant Transfer Subsystem (PTS) is required to deliver measured amounts of fuel to the client satellite in a safe manner.

Negi, Abhay↗
NASA NTRS1998

Autonomous Satellite Command and Control through the World Wide Web: Phase 3

NASA's New Millenium Program (NMP) has identified a variety of revolutionary technologies that will support orders of magnitude improvements in the capabilities of spacecraft missions. This program's Autonomy team has focused on science and engineering automation technologies. In doing so, it has established a clear development roadmap specifying the experiments and demonstrations required to mature these technologies. The primary developmental thrusts of this roadmap are in the areas of remote agents, PI/operator interface, planning/scheduling fault management, and smart execution architectures. Phases 1 and 2 of the ASSET Project (previously known as the WebSat project) have focused on establishing World Wide Web-based commanding and telemetry services as an advanced means of interfacing a spacecraft system with the PI and operators. Current automated capabilities include Web-based command submission, limited contact scheduling, command list generation and transfer to the ground station, spacecraft support for demonstrations experiments, data transfer from the ground station back to the ASSET system, data archiving, and Web-based telemetry distribution. Phase 2 was finished in December 1996. During January-December 1997 work was commenced on Phase 3 of the ASSET Project. Phase 3 is the subject of this report. This phase permitted SSDL and its project partners to expand the ASSET system in a variety of ways. These added capabilities included the advancement of ground station capabilities, the adaptation of spacecraft on-board software, and the expansion of capabilities of the ASSET management algorithms. Specific goals of Phase 3 were: (1) Extend Web-based goal-level commanding for both the payload PI and the spacecraft engineer; (2) Support prioritized handling of multiple PIs as well as associated payload experimenters; (3) Expand the number and types of experiments supported by the ASSET system and its associated spacecraft; (4) Implement more advanced resource management, modeling and fault management capabilities that integrate the space and ground segments of the space system hardware; (5) Implement a beacon monitoring test; (6) Implement an experimental blackboard controller for space system management; (7) Further define typical ground station developments required for Internet-based remote control and for full system automation of the PI-to-spacecraft link. Each of those goals is examined in the next section. Significant sections of this report were also published as a conference paper.

Cantwell, Brian↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Capability Gaps Assessment and Identification of Critical Technology Elements for Mars Transit Habitat

The Habitation Systems Development Office (HP40) at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center supports systems engineering, integration, and project management for next generation space habitats. For in space operations and eventual transport of humans to Mars, NASA will rely on a Mars Transit Habitat (TH). The TH will be designed for an up to 1,200-day Mars mission and will carry all food and supplies needed to support four crew for this duration. In the current concept of operations, Mars TH transfers to near rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO) following launch and docks at Gateway as a visiting vehicle. While there, the TH will complete system shakedown testing and a series of analog missions which will grow from 3 to 6+ months in duration TH also augments Gateway’s habitation capabilities beyond 60-days. Proposed Gateway-TH missions will far exceed the longest duration cislunar human missions to date. These shakedown missions will also be the first operational readiness tests of Mars TH’s long-duration deep space systems, and of the split crew (two crew on the surface, two crew in space) operations that are vital to the approach for the first human Mars mission. Once shakedown missions are complete, Mars TH departs Gateway to aggregate with the Mars propulsion system in NRHO before onboarding the crew and final supplies in Earth orbit via a co-manifested Orion-logistics module. Orion and the LM return to Earth prior to the now aggregated Deep Space Transport vehicle’s journey to Mars. Development of the Mars TH requires significant technology development and maturation. Each year the agency performs a capability gaps assessment, where gaps developed by subject matter experts (SMEs) in various engineering/science disciplines are linked to architectural elements in formulation and prioritized. A gap captures the difference between the current state-of-the-art and the maturity of the capability that is needed to enable or enhance a mission as it is currently envisioned in the government reference architecture. HP40 conducted a gap analysis for Mars TH which will be summarized in this poster. Gaps classified as enabling (which means the mission cannot achieve success without gap closure) were subsequently used to identify critical technology elements (CTEs) for Mars TH. This identification of CTEs was also informed by an examination of the product breakdown structure for Mars TH and focused conversations with SMEs in specific technology areas. CTEs identified for Mars TH to date include the following (note this is not a comprehensive list – CTEs listed represent those in MSFC’s capability areas): inflatable softgoods for habitation; enhanced CO2 recovery; life support systems with greater levels of reliability and maintainability; autonomous guidance, navigation, command and control; and radiators for the Mars TH application. The habitation systems development team is currently delving deeper into each CTE to assess technology approaches being pursued, their maturity, and the degree of difficulty in maturation to meet projected Mars TH timelines. This poster will summarize work to date on the identification of enabling capability gaps linked to Mars TH and provide insight into the associated CTEs and technology maturation efforts.

technology development↗
NASA NTRS2008

NASA's In Space Propulsion Technology Program Accomplishments and Lessons Learned

NASA's In-Space Propulsion Technology (ISPT) Program was managed for 5 years at the NASA MSFC and significant strides were made in the advancement of key transportation technologies that will enable or enhance future robotic science and deep space exploration missions. At the program's inception, a set of technology investment priorities were established using an NASA-wide, mission-driven prioritization process and, for the most part, these priorities changed little - thus allowing a consistent framework in which to fund and manage technology development. Technologies in the portfolio included aerocapture, advanced chemical propulsion, solar electric propulsion, solar sail propulsion, electrodynamic and momentum transfer tethers, and various very advanced propulsion technologies with significantly lower technology readiness. The program invested in technologies that have the potential to revolutionize the robotic exploration of deep space. For robotic exploration and science missions, increased efficiencies of future propulsion systems are critical to reduce overall life-cycle costs and, in some cases, enable missions previously considered impossible. Continued reliance on conventional chemical propulsion alone will not enable the robust exploration of deep space - the maximum theoretical efficiencies have almost been reached and they are insufficient to meet needs for many ambitious science missions currently being considered. By developing the capability to support mid-term robotic mission needs, the program was to lay the technological foundation for travel to nearby interstellar space. The ambitious goals of the program at its inception included supporting the development of technologies that could support all of NASA's missions, both human and robotic. As time went on and budgets were never as high as planned, the scope of the program was reduced almost every year, forcing the elimination of not only the broader goals of the initial program, but also of funding for over half of the technologies in the original portfolio. In addition, the frequency at which the application requirements for the program changed exceeded the development time required to mature technologies: forcing sometimes radical rescoping of research efforts already halfway (or more) to completion. At the end of its fifth year, both the scope and funding of the program were at a minimum despite the program successfully meeting all of it's initial high priority objectives. This paper will describe the program, its requirements, technology portfolio, and technology maturation processes. Also discussed will be the major technology milestones achieved and the lessons learned from managing a $100M+ technology program.

Johnson, Les C.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Cost-Benefit Analysis for the Advanced Near Net Shape Technology (ANNST) Method for Fabricating Stiffened Cylinders

Low Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) and high levels of uncertainty make it challenging to develop cost estimates of new technologies in the R&D phase. It is however essential for NASA to understand the costs and benefits associated with novel concepts, in order to prioritize research investments and evaluate the potential for technology transfer and commercialization. This paper proposes a framework to perform a cost-benefit analysis of a technology in the R&D phase. This framework was developed and used to assess the Advanced Near Net Shape Technology (ANNST) manufacturing process for fabricating integrally stiffened cylinders. The ANNST method was compared with the conventional multi-piece metallic construction and composite processes for fabricating integrally stiffened cylinders. Following the definition of a case study for a cryogenic tank cylinder of specified geometry, data was gathered through interviews with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), with particular focus placed on production costs and process complexity. This data served as the basis to produce process flowcharts and timelines, mass estimates, and rough order-of-magnitude cost and schedule estimates. The scalability of the results was subsequently investigated to understand the variability of the results based on tank size. Lastly, once costs and benefits were identified, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to assess the relative value of these achieved benefits for potential stakeholders. These preliminary, rough order-of-magnitude results predict a 46 to 58 percent reduction in production costs and a 7-percent reduction in weight over the conventional metallic manufacturing technique used in this study for comparison. Compared to the composite manufacturing technique, these results predict cost savings of 35 to 58 percent; however, the ANNST concept was heavier. In this study, the predicted return on investment of equipment required for the ANNST method was ten cryogenic tank barrels when compared with conventional metallic manufacturing. The AHP study results revealed that decreased final cylinder mass and improved quality assurance were the most valued benefits of cylinder manufacturing methods, therefore emphasizing the relevance of the benefits achieved with the ANNST process for future projects.

Ivanco, Marie L.↗
NASA NTRS2010

GeoLab in NASA's Pressurized Excursion Module: First Results from the 2010 Field Trials

Before humans explore other planets, NASA must develop advanced techniques for collection, preservation and return of unique extraterrestrial samples. To help evaluate hardware requirements and operational concepts for future sample-return missions, we designed and built GeoLab our first generation lab for geological samples into NASA s Habitat Demonstration Unit in the Pressurized Excursion Module (HDU1-PEM). The center of GeoLab is a glovebox for the examination of samples in a shirt-sleeve environment. As part of a deployable habitat, GeoLab can participate in NASA s analog missions that simulate planetary exploration activities and support the testing of relevant technologies for collecting and handling geological samples. Over time, these tests will evaluate sample handling environments (field and lab), sampling tools and analytical instruments, and different scenarios involving both robotic and human procedures. The GeoLab design supports evolving tests and configurations. The glovebox is mounted on the habitat bulkhead, with three sample pass-though chambers that allow for direct sample transfer into the glovebox from the outside. The glovebox design and construction (low-particle shedding, minimally off-gassing materials) provides a clean environment to reduce sample contamination; in the future, we will integrate a positive pressure, enriched nitrogen atmosphere. The glovebox is equipped with configurable instrument ports. The 2010 test included a mass balance, a stereomicroscope with a HD camera for detailed imaging of samples, and a handheld XRF analyzer for preliminary geochemical characterization of samples. Network cameras provided context imagery and sample handling activities. We present early results from the initial field trial of GeoLab during the 2010 Desert Research and Technology Studies (D-RATS) planetary analog test near Flagstaff AZ. The 2010 D-RATS mission involved two rovers, the habitat with GeoLab, four crew members, and a team of scientists and flight controllers. The crewed rovers conducted geological traverses and collected samples on the planetary surface. Selected samples were transferred into GeoLab for detailed examination and initial analysis, providing critical data to the science team for evaluation and prioritization of samples.

Evans, Cynthia A.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Sustaining Thermal Protection Systems Needed for Uranus Probes

Summary: Achieving Uranus in-situ science objectives through deploying probes in the atmosphere requires thermal protection systems capable of withstanding extreme entry environments. NASA’s 3-D Woven based thermal protection systems (TPS), developed specifically to meet this challenge, are mature, efficient, and capable of withstanding such entry. These science-enabling capabilities need to be sustained, otherwise mission implementation risk may increase to the point that the mission is untenable. The heatshield technology has been developed in concert with industry, and manufacturing processes have been technology transferred. Current technology readiness does not guarantee future availability. Sustainment requires maintaining expertise within NASA as well as ensuring that proven industrial expertise and capabilities will be readily available in the future. A constant awareness and risk assessment followed by risk mitigation are required. The scientific community needs to be aware of these challenges. It needs to engage NASA to ensure these capabilities will be available when needed. As was the case with the atrophy of heritage carbon phenolic that led to developing the 3-D Woven capabilities, our vigilance is again needed to sustain these enabling TPS capabilities for Uranus and for other missions. Background: NASA invested in and developed Heatshield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology (HEEET) TPS that was matured to TRL 6 in 2019 as a tiled system with seams and gap-fillers. Manufacturing readiness included development of specialized looms, molding, and infusion processes using commercial partners. In support of the Mars Sample Return mission, a single-layer, seamless, single-piece variant referred to as 3MDCP (3-D woven Mid-Density Carbon-Phenolic) was developed and is limited to a 1.3m maximum diameter scale due to weaving width limitations of 80”. Molding techniques developed to transform a flat, 2”-thick 3-D woven preform into a sphere-cone shape prior to phenolic resin infusion has been demonstrated. A team at NASA Ames is currently working with industry to demonstrate infusion at full-scale. By 2026, 3MDCP will be at a high level of maturity in technical, manufacturing, and integration readiness as well as material characterization. HEEET and 3MDCP for Uranus Entry: Several system studies have evaluated and baselined 3-D Woven TPS for Uranus entry, both HEEET as well as 3MDCP. If the aeroshell carrying the descent probe is 1.3m or less, then 3MDCP is a very capable and the most mass-efficient choice. If the aeroshell is bigger than 1.3m diameter, then HEEET can meet the mission need as it allows for an aeroshell of any diameter. HEEET and 3MDCP are capable of Saturn in-situ science missions prioritized in the New Frontiers-5 draft Announcement of Opportunity (AO) and if Saturn is the mission of choice, there is a pathway for sustaining the capability. Capability Sustainment: Given NASA’s current budgetary constraints, the postponement of the next New Frontiers AO to no earlier than 2026 and the unknown delay in starting the UOP flagship effort point to potential gap years for the HEEET and 3MDCP capabilities. The first step in capability sustainment is to understand the risks as they emerge, assess those risks, and develop plans to mitigate them. Keeping the science community, who are interested in UOP as well as the larger Giant Planet missions, informed of the emerging challenges requires continuous risk assessment/mitigation. Without these steps, atrophy is more likely within the industrial partners with which NASA has partnered. This presentation will provide more details as well as steps NASA can take to minimize the impact to the UOP mission.

Ethiraj Venkatapathy↗