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NASA NTRS2012

Next-Generation Evaporative Cooling Systems for the Advanced Extravehicular Mobility Unit Portable Life Support System

The development of the Advanced Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AEMU) Portable Life Support System (PLSS) is currently underway at NASA Johnson Space Center. The AEMU PLSS features two new evaporative cooling systems, the Reduced Volume Prototype Spacesuit Water Membrane Evaporator (RVP SWME), and the Auxiliary Cooling Loop (ACL). The RVP SWME is the third generation of hollow fiber SWME hardware, and like its predecessors, RVP SWME provides nominal crewmember and electronics cooling by flowing water through porous hollow fibers. Water vapor escapes through the hollow fiber pores, thereby cooling the liquid water that remains inside of the fibers. This cooled water is then recirculated to remove heat from the crewmember and PLSS electronics. Major design improvements, including a 36% reduction in volume, reduced weight, and more flight like back-pressure valve, facilitate the packaging of RVP SWME in the AEMU PLSS envelope. In addition to the RVP SWME, the Auxiliary Cooling Loop (ACL), was developed for contingency crewmember cooling. The ACL is a completely redundant, independent cooling system that consists of a small evaporative cooler--the Mini Membrane Evaporator (Mini-ME), independent pump, independent feed-water assembly and independent Liquid Cooling Garment (LCG). The Mini-ME utilizes the same hollow fiber technology featured in the RVP SWME, but is only 25% of the size of RVP SWME, providing only the necessary crewmember cooling in a contingency situation. The ACL provides a number of benefits when compared with the current EMU PLSS contingency cooling technology; contingency crewmember cooling can be provided for a longer period of time, more contingency situations can be accounted for, no reliance on a Secondary Oxygen Vessel (SOV) for contingency cooling--thereby allowing a SOV reduction in size and pressure, and the ACL can be recharged-allowing the AEMU PLSS to be reused, even after a contingency event. The development of these evaporative cooling systems will contribute to a more robust and comprehensive AEMU PLSS.

Makinen, Janice V.↗

NASA NTRS2013

Reduced Volume Prototype Spacesuit Water Membrane Evaporator; A Next-Generation Evaporative Cooling System for the Advanced Extravehicular Mobility Unit Portable Life Support System

Development of the Advanced Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AEMU) portable life support subsystem (PLSS) is currently under way at NASA Johnson Space Center. The AEMU PLSS features a new evaporative cooling system, the reduced volume prototype (RVP) spacesuit water membrane evaporator (SWME). The RVP SWME is the third generation of hollow fiber SWME hardware. Like its predecessors, RVP SWME provides nominal crew member and electronics cooling by flowing water through porous hollow fibers. Water vapor escapes through the hollow fiber pores, thereby cooling the liquid water that remains inside of the fibers. This cooled water is then recirculated to remove heat from the crew member and PLSS electronics. Major design improvements, including a 36% reduction in volume, reduced weight, and a more flight-like backpressure valve, facilitate the packaging of RVP SWME in the AEMU PLSS envelope. The development of these evaporative cooling systems will contribute to a more robust and comprehensive AEMU PLSS.

Makinen, Janice V.↗

NASA NTRS2014

Planetary Science Technology Infusion Study: Findings and Recommendations Status

The Planetary Science Division (PSD) within the National Aeronautics and Space Administrations (NASA) Science Mission Directorate (SMD) at NASA Headquarters sought to understand how to better realize a scientific return on spacecraft system technology investments currently being funded. In order to achieve this objective, a team at NASA Glenn Research Center was tasked with surveying the science and mission communities to collect their insight on technology infusion and additionally sought inputs from industry, universities, and other organizations involved with proposing for future PSD missions. This survey was undertaken by issuing a Request for Information (RFI) activity that requested input from the proposing community on present technology infusion efforts. The Technology Infusion Study was initiated in March 2013 with the release of the RFI request. The evaluation team compiled and assessed this input in order to provide PSD with recommendations on how to effectively infuse new spacecraft systems technologies that it develops into future competed missions enabling increased scientific discoveries, lower mission cost, or both. This team is comprised of personnel from the Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS) Program and the In-Space Propulsion Technology (ISPT) Program staff.The RFI survey covered two aspects of technology infusion: 1) General Insight, including: their assessment of barriers to technology infusion as related to infusion approach; technology readiness; information and documentation products; communication; integration considerations; interaction with technology development areas; cost-capped mission areas; risk considerations; system level impacts and implementation; and mission pull. 2) Specific technologies from the most recent PSD Announcements of Opportunities (AOs): The Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator (ASRG), aerocapture and aeroshell hardware technologies, the NASA Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT) ion propulsion system, and the Advanced Materials Bi-propellant Rocket (AMBR) engine.This report will present the teams Findings from the RFI inputs and the recommendations that arose from these findings. Methodologies on the findings and recommendations development are discussed.

technology infusion↗

NASA NTRS2013

Managing the Risk of Command File Errors

Command File Error (CFE), as defined by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's (JPL) Mission Operations Assurance (MOA) is, regardless of the consequence on the spacecraft, either: an error in a command file sent to the spacecraft, an error in the process for developing and delivering a command file to the spacecraft, or the omission of a command file that should have been sent to the spacecraft. The risk consequence of a CFE can be mission ending and thus a concern to space exploration projects during their mission operations. A CFE during space mission operations is often the symptom of some kind of imbalance or inadequacy within the system that comprises the hardware & software used for command generation and the human experts involved in this endeavour. As we move into an era of enhanced collaboration with other NASA centers and commercial partners, these systems become more and more complex and hence it is all the more important to formally model and analyze CFEs in order to manage the risk of CFEs. Here we will provide a summary of the ongoing efforts at JPL in this area and also explain some more recent developments in the area of developing quantitative models for the purpose of managing CFE's.

Bayesian Belief Networks↗

NASA NTRS1981

High-pressure LOX/hydrocarbon preburners and gas generators

The objective of the program was to conduct a small scale hardware test program to establish the technology base required for LOX/hydrocarbon preburners and gas generators. The program consisted of six major tasks; Task I reviewed and assessed the performance prediction models and defined a subscale test program. Task II designed and fabricated this subscale hardware. Task III tested and analyzed the data from this hardware. Task IV analyzed the hot fire results and formulated a preliminary design for 40K preburner assemblies. Task V took the preliminary design and detailed and fabricated three 40K size preburner assemblies, one each fuel-rich LOX/CH, and LOX/RP-1 and one oxidizer rich LOX/CH4. Task VI delivered these preburner assemblies to MSFC for subsequent evaluation.

Huebner, A. W.↗

NASA NTRS2018

Changes in Exercise Data Management

The suite of exercise hardware aboard the International Space Station (ISS) generates an immense amount of data. The data collected from the treadmill, cycle ergometer, and resistance strength training hardware are basic exercise parameters (time, heart rate, speed, load, etc.). The raw data are post processed in the laboratory and more detailed parameters are calculated from each exercise data file. Updates have recently been made to how this valuable data are stored, adding an additional level of data security, increasing data accessibility, and resulting in overall increased efficiency of medical report delivery. Questions regarding exercise performance or how exercise may influence other variables of crew health frequently arise within the crew health care community. Inquiries over the health of the exercise hardware often need quick analysis and response to ensure the exercise system is operable on a continuous basis. Consolidating all of the exercise system data in a single repository enables a quick response to both the medical and engineering communities. A SQL server database is currently in use, and provides a secure location for all of the exercise data starting at ISS Expedition 1 - current day. The database has been structured to update derived metrics automatically, making analysis and reporting available within minutes of dropping the inflight data it into the database. Commercial tools were evaluated to help aggregate and visualize data from the SQL database. The Tableau software provides manageable interface, which has improved the laboratory's output time of crew reports by 67%. Expansion of the SQL database to be inclusive of additional medical requirement metrics, addition of 'app-like' tools for mobile visualization, and collaborative use (e.g. operational support teams, research groups, and International Partners) of the data system is currently being explored.

Buxton, R. E.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Technology advancement of an oxygen generation subsystem

An oxygen generation subsystem based on water electrolysis was developed and tested to further advance the concept and technology of the spacecraft air revitalization system. Emphasis was placed on demonstrating the subsystem integration concept and hardware maturity at a subsystem level. The integration concept of the air revitalization system was found to be feasible. Hardware and technology of the oxygen generation subsystem was demonstrated to be close to the preprototype level. Continued development of the oxygen generation technology is recommended to further reduce the total weight penalties of the oxygen generation subsystem through optimization.

Lee, M. K.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Temperature distortion generator for turboshaft engine testing

The procedures and unique hardware used to conduct an experimental investigation into the response of a small-turboshaft-engine compression system to various hot gas ingestion patterns are presented. The temperature distortion generator described herein uses gaseous hydrogen to create both steady-state and time-variant, or transient, temperature distortion at the engine inlet. The range of transient temperature ramps produced by the distortion generator during the engine tests was from less than 111 deg K/sec (200 deg R/sec) to above 611 deg K/sec (1100 deg R/sec); instantaneous temperatures to 422 deg K (760 deg R) above ambient were generated. The distortion generator was used to document the maximum inlet temperatures and temperature rise rates that the compression system could tolerate before the onset of stall for various circumferential distortions as well as the compressor system response during stall.

Klann, G. A.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Temperature distortion generator for turboshaft engine testing

Klann, G. A.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Independent Orbiter Assessment (IOA): Analysis of the electrical power distribution and control subsystem, volume 1

The results of the Independent Orbiter Assessment (IOA) of the Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and Critical Items List (CIL) are presented. The IOA approach features a top-down analysis of the hardware to determine failure modes, criticality, and potential critical items. To preserve independence, this analysis was accomplished without reliance upon the results contained within the NASA FMEA/CIL documentation. This report documents the independent analysis results corresponding to the Orbiter Electrical Power Distribution and Control (EPD and C) hardware. The EPD and C hardware performs the functions of distributing, sensing, and controlling 28 volt DC power and of inverting, distributing, sensing, and controlling 117 volt 400 Hz AC power to all Orbiter subsystems from the three fuel cells in the Electrical Power Generation (EPG) subsystem. Each level of hardware was evaluated and analyzed for possible failure modes and effects. Criticality was assigned based upon the severity of the effect for each failure mode. Of the 1671 failure modes analyzed, 9 single failures were determined to result in loss of crew or vehicle. Three single failures unique to intact abort were determined to result in possible loss of the crew or vehicle. A possible loss of mission could result if any of 136 single failures occurred. Six of the criticality 1/1 failures are in two rotary and two pushbutton switches that control External Tank and Solid Rocket Booster separation. The other 6 criticality 1/1 failures are fuses, one each per Aft Power Control Assembly (APCA) 4, 5, and 6 and one each per Forward Power Control Assembly (FPCA) 1, 2, and 3, that supply power to certain Main Propulsion System (MPS) valves and Forward Reaction Control System (RCS) circuits.

Schmeckpeper, K. R.↗

NASA NTRS2010

J-2X Gas Generator Development Testing at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

NASA is developing a liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen rocket engine for upper stage and trans-lunar applications of the Ares vehicles for the Constellation program. This engine, designated the J-2X, is a higher pressure, higher thrust variant of the Apollo-era J-2 engine. Development was contracted to Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne in 2006. Over the past several years, two phases of testing have been completed on the development of the gas generator for the J-2X engine. The hardware has progressed through a variety of workhorse injector, chamber, and feed system configurations. Several of these configurations have resulted in combustion instability of the gas generator assembly. Development of the final configuration of workhorse hardware (which will ultimately be used to verify critical requirements on a component level) has required a balance between changes in the injector and chamber hardware in order to successfully mitigate the combustion instability without sacrificing other engine system requirements. This paper provides an overview of the two completed test series, performed at NASA s Marshall Space Flight Center. The requirements, facility setup, hardware configurations, and test series progression are detailed. Significant levels of analysis have been performed in order to provide design solutions to mitigate the combustion stability issues, and these are briefly covered. Also discussed are the results of analyses related to either anomalous readings or off-nominal testing throughout the two test series.

Reynolds, D. C.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Extending ISS Life Beyond 2030

The United States On-orbit Segment (USOS) of the International Space Station (ISS) was designed to meet a 15-year on-orbit life. Since the first hardware was launched in late 1998, the ISS would have reached its end of life in 2013. With the realization that the ISS would be needed well into the next decade, and beyond, a multi-disciplinary effort was undertaken to extend the ISS’ life through 2028 and to show that further extension to 2040 and beyond is not only feasible but achievable. Currently, NASA and the ISS international partners have agreed to extend its operations through 2030. This collaborative effort ensures that the ISS will continue to serve as a hub for scientific research, international cooperation, and educational endeavors for the next decade. Maintaining a continuous human presence in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) is desirable for testing new LEO, lunar, and deep-space technologies; conducting scientific research in micro-gravity for the benefit of life on Earth; and enabling a seamless transition of capabilities to one or more commercially owned and operated destinations. This paper provides an overview of the ISS life extension project with a particular focus on the analytical approach used to assess the primary structure. This analytical approach includes future operations planning, critical location screening, on-orbit dynamic load simulation, on-orbit optical property degradation studies, on-orbit thermal analyses, spectra generation, crack model idealization, fracture analyses, and post processing. Structural life results and identification of the most critical on-orbit events are presented. Also addressed are life extension approaches for other affected sub-systems, including: 1. Secondary Structure. 2. Materials. Evaluations consider environmental exposure to atomic oxygen, ionizing and gamma radiation, fluids, etc. Life limited materials, wear, and usage effects are also considered. 3. Environmental Control and Life Support Systems, including oxygen supply and generation, water recovery and management, and regenerative hardware. Evaluations are performed to determine which hardware can be run to failure and which are assessed for life extension. 4. Electrical power system. ISS is powered by eight channels of solar arrays and an electrical energy storage system providing 357 kWh power. Power generation and balance analyses are performed considering hardware degradation and increasing power demand. 5. Logistics and maintenance. Analyses are performed to determine critical spares required to maintain functionality. Consideration is given to supply chain health, obsolescence issues, onboard stowage availability, and up-mass capability. The successful life extension results have built confidence to safely operate, maintain and enhance the ISS well beyond the current decade. Extending the operational life of the ISS maintains an international presence in LEO and serves to avoid a gap in capability necessary to fulfill the exploration and research needs of NASA, international partners, and industry without interruption until a commercial space station is operational.

design life↗

NASA NTRS1985

Carbon deposition with LOX/RP-1 propellants

The generation and deposition of carbon were studied using subscale hardware with LOX/RP-1 propellants. Deposition on a turbine simulator at preburner or gas generator conditions was evaluated at mixture ratios of 0.25 to 1.0 and chamber pressures of 750 to 1500 psia. Deposition on the combustion chamber wall was investigated at mixture ratios of 2.0 to 4.0 and chamber pressures of 1000 to 1500 psia. Significant carbon buildup was observed on the turbine simulator at low mixture ratios but no carbon deposition on the chamber walls was detected at the higher mixture ratios.

Lausten, M. F.↗

NASA NTRS2004

The TechSat 21 Autonomous Sciencecraft Experiment

Software has been developed to perform a number of functions essential to autonomous operation in the Autonomous Sciencecraft Experiment (ASE), which is scheduled to be demonstrated aboard a constellation of three spacecraft, denoted TechSat 21, to be launched by the Air Force into orbit around the Earth in January 2006. A prior version of this software was reported in Software for an Autonomous Constellation of Satellites (NPO-30355), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 26, No. 11 (November 2002), page 44. The software includes the following components: Algorithms to analyze image data, generate scientific data products, and detect conditions, features, and events of potential scientific interest; A program that uses component-based computational models of hardware to analyze anomalous situations and to generate novel command sequences, including (when possible) commands to repair components diagnosed as faulty; A robust-execution-management component that uses the Spacecraft Command Language (SCL) software to enable event-driven processing and low-level autonomy; and The Continuous Activity Scheduling, Planning, Execution, and Replanning (CASPER) program for replanning activities, including downlink sessions, on the basis of scientific observations performed during previous orbit cycles.

Sherwood, Robert↗

NASA NTRS2011

Full-Scaled Advanced Systems Testbed: Ensuring Success of Adaptive Control Research Through Project Lifecycle Risk Mitigation

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Dryden Flight Research Center completed flight testing of adaptive controls research on the Full-Scale Advance Systems Testbed (FAST) in January of 2011. The research addressed technical challenges involved with reducing risk in an increasingly complex and dynamic national airspace. Specific challenges lie with the development of validated, multidisciplinary, integrated aircraft control design tools and techniques to enable safe flight in the presence of adverse conditions such as structural damage, control surface failures, or aerodynamic upsets. The testbed is an F-18 aircraft serving as a full-scale vehicle to test and validate adaptive flight control research and lends a significant confidence to the development, maturation, and acceptance process of incorporating adaptive control laws into follow-on research and the operational environment. The experimental systems integrated into FAST were designed to allow for flexible yet safe flight test evaluation and validation of modern adaptive control technologies and revolve around two major hardware upgrades: the modification of Production Support Flight Control Computers (PSFCC) and integration of two, fourth-generation Airborne Research Test Systems (ARTS). Post-hardware integration verification and validation provided the foundation for safe flight test of Nonlinear Dynamic Inversion and Model Reference Aircraft Control adaptive control law experiments. To ensure success of flight in terms of cost, schedule, and test results, emphasis on risk management was incorporated into early stages of design and flight test planning and continued through the execution of each flight test mission. Specific consideration was made to incorporate safety features within the hardware and software to alleviate user demands as well as into test processes and training to reduce human factor impacts to safe and successful flight test. This paper describes the research configuration, experiment functionality, overall risk mitigation, flight test approach and results, and lessons learned of adaptive controls research of the Full-Scale Advanced Systems Testbed.

Pavlock, Kate M.↗

NASA NTRS2016

Active Vibration Reduction of the Advanced Stirling Convertor

Stirling Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS) are being developed as an option to provide power on future space science missions where robotic spacecraft will orbit, flyby, land or rove. A Stirling Radioisotope Generator (SRG) could offer space missions a more efficient power system that uses one fourth of the nuclear fuel and decreases the thermal footprint compared to the current state of the art. The Stirling Cycle Technology Development (SCTD) Project is funded by the RPS Program to developing Stirling-based subsystems, including convertors and controller maturation efforts that have resulted in high fidelity hardware like the Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator (ASRG), Advanced Stirling Convertor (ASC), and ASC Controller Unit (ACU). The SCTD Project also performs research to develop less mature technologies with a wide variety of objectives, including increasing temperature capability to enable new environments, improving system reliability or fault tolerance, reducing mass or size, and developing advanced concepts that are mission enabling. Active vibration reduction systems (AVRS), or "balancers", have historically been developed and characterized to provide fault tolerance for generator designs that incorporate dual-opposed Stirling convertors or enable single convertor, or small RPS, missions. Balancers reduce the dynamic disturbance forces created by the power piston and displacer internal moving components of a single operating convertor to meet spacecraft requirements for induced disturbance force. To improve fault tolerance for dual-opposed configurations and enable single convertor configurations, a breadboard AVRS was implemented on the Advanced Stirling Convertor (ASC). The AVRS included a linear motor, a motor mount, and a closed-loop controller able to balance out the transmitted peak dynamic disturbance using acceleration feedback. Test objectives included quantifying power and mass penalty and reduction in transmitted force over a range of ASC operating parameters and mounting conditions. All tests were performed at three different piston amplitudes, 3.0, 3.75, and 4.5 mm. Overall, the transmitted force was reduced to 2 percent of the total unbalanced force by actively balancing out only the first fundamental frequency, with balancer motor power remaining under 1 watt. The test results will be used to guide future balancer designs.

Balancer↗

NASA NTRS2016

Active Vibration Reduction of the Advanced Stirling Convertor

Stirling Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS) are being developed as an option to provide power on future space science missions where robotic spacecraft will orbit, flyby, land or rove. A Stirling Radioisotope Generator (SRG) could offer space missions a more efficient power system that uses one fourth of the nuclear fuel and decreases the thermal footprint compared to the current state of the art. The Stirling Cycle Technology Development (SCTD) Project is funded by the RPS Program to developing Stirling-based subsystems, including convertors and controller maturation efforts that have resulted in high fidelity hardware like the Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator (ASRG), Advanced Stirling Convertor (ASC), and ASC Controller Unit (ACU). The SCTD Project also performs research to develop less mature technologies with a wide variety of objectives, including increasing temperature capability to enable new environments, improving system reliability or fault tolerance, reducing mass or size, and developing advanced concepts that are mission enabling. Active vibration reduction systems (AVRS), or "balancers", have historically been developed and characterized to provide fault tolerance for generator designs that incorporate dual-opposed Stirling convertors or enable single convertor, or small RPS, missions. Balancers reduce the dynamic disturbance forces created by the power piston and displacer internal moving components of a single operating convertor to meet spacecraft requirements for induced disturbance force. To improve fault tolerance for dual-opposed configurations and enable single convertor configurations, a breadboard AVRS was implemented on the Advanced Stirling Convertor (ASC). The AVRS included a linear motor, a motor mount, and a closed-loop controller able to balance out the transmitted peak dynamic disturbance using acceleration feedback. Test objectives included quantifying power and mass penalty and reduction in transmitted force over a range of ASC operating parameters and mounting conditions. All tests were performed at three different piston amplitudes, 3.0 mm, 3.75 mm, and 4.5 mm. Overall, the transmitted force was reduced to 2% of the total unbalanced force by actively balancing out only the first fundamental frequency, with balancer motor power remaining under one watt. The test results will be used to guide future balancer designs.

Active Vibration Reduction↗

NASA NTRS2018

A Single Thread to Fortran Coarray Transition Process for the Control Algorithm in the Space Radiation Code HZETRN

Exa-scale computing is the direction by industry and government are going to generate solutions to problems they deem necessary. Computing hardware is being developed to achieve the transition from Peta-scale to Exa-scale with more CPUs (Central Processing Units) that have more cores per CPU and more accelerators (GPGPUs (General Purpose Graphics Processing Units) and MICs (Many Integrated Cores)) per node. To fully utilize the hardware available now and in the future, algorithms must become multi-threaded. There are a few methods to generate multi-threaded software such as MPI (Message Passing Interface) and OpenMP (Multi-Processing) / OpenACC (ACCelerator). This paper concentrates on using Coarray Fortran to convert the Fortran 95 based HZETRN (High Z and Energy TRaNsport) code's control algorithm from a single threaded code to a multithreaded code. The resultant Coarray code was 32.5 times faster (with a theoretical speed-up of 74.5 times) than the single threaded version on the hardware tested, as reliable as the Fortran 95 version, and, as it uses native Fortran, was as maintainable as the Fortran 95 version. The Coarray code can be maintained by the same project engineers and scientists who created the original single threaded code. This transition process can be utilized on a C language based code with a compiler that has the UPC (Universal Parallel C) extensions to C.

Singleterry, Robert C., Jr.↗