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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1993

Convective instabilities in traveling fronts of addition polymerization

An autocatalytic reaction in an unstirred vessel can support a constant velocity wavefront resulting from the coupling of diffusion to the chemical reaction. A flare front is a common example in which heat is the autocatalytic species that diffuses into unreacted regions stimulating a reaction that produces more heat. Traveling fronts were studied in synthetic polymerization reactions under high pressure by workers in the former USSR. More recently, propagating fronts of methacrylic acid polymerization were studied under ambient conditions, both with video techniques and by NMR.

Pojman, John A.↗
NASA NTRS1994

GPS survey of the western Tien Shan

This report summarizes the background, field work, data collection and analysis, and future plans associated with a collaborative GPS experiment in the Tien Shan of the former Soviet Union. This project involves the amalgamation of two, separately funded projects, which were proposed separately by PIs Hamburger and Reilinger (NSF number EAR-9115159 and NASA number NAG5-1941) and Molnar and Hager (NSF number EAR9117889 and NASA number NAG5-1947). In addition, the work is being conducted under the auspices of the US-USSR Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Environmental Protection, with support from the United States Geological Survey.

Molnar, Peter H.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Legal regime of human activities in outer space law

Current developments in space activities increasingly involve the presence of humans on board spacecraft and, in the near future, on the Moon, on Mars, on board Space Stations, etc. With respect to these challenges, the political and legal issues connected to the status of astronauts are largely unclear and require a new doctrinal attention. In the same way, many legal and political questions remain open in the structure of future space crews: the need for international standards in the definition and training of astronauts, etc.; but, first of all, an international uniform legal definition of astronauts. Moreover, the legal structure for human life and operations in outer space can be a new and relevant paradigm for the definition of similar rules in all the situations and environments in which humans are involved in extreme frontiers. The present article starts from an overview on the existing legal and political definitions of 'astronauts', moving to the search of a more useful definition. This is followed by an analysis of the concrete problems created by human space activities, and the legal and political responses to them (the need for a code of conduct; the structure of the crew and the existing rules in the US and ex-USSR; the new legal theories on the argument; the definition and structure of a code of conduct; the next legal problems in fields such as privacy law, communications law, business law, criminal law, etc.).

Golda, Carlo↗
NASA NTRS1994

DE 1 VLF observations during Activny wave injection experiments

We report on coordinated high-altitude satellite observations in support of one of the first space-based very low frequency (VLF) wave injection experiments, namely the USSR Aktivny mission. The Aktivny satellite (A) was designed to carry a VLF transmitter (nominal frequency approximately 10 kHz, transmitter power approximately 10 kW) coupled to a 20-m-diameter loop antenna in a nearly polar orbit (83 deg inclination, apogee approximately 2500 km, perigee approximately 500 km). We focus our attention on conjunction experiments between the Aktivny and DE 1 satellites. Because of problems in the deployment of the loop antenna, the radiated power capability of the antenna was significantly reduced. Although this substantially reduced the expectation of receiving detectable signal levels on the satellite, the DE 1/Aktivny conjunction experiments were nevertheless carried out as a means of possibly placing an upper limit on the radiated power. During the period November 1989 through April 1990, a total of 10 DE 1/Aktivny wave injection sessions were conducted. During each session the Aktivny transmitter operated at 10.537 kHz with 1 s On - 1 s Off format, for a period of 6 min centered around the conjunction time. During three conjunction periods (December 12, 26, and 27, 1989) both DE 1 and Aktivny were in the southern hemisphere, and DE 1 was at relatively low altitudes (ranging from 6211 to 14,810 km), thus providing the best conjunction possibilities according to the ray tracing criteria developed above. On most days, Omega transmitter signals as well as commonly occuring natural wave phenomena such as whistlers (0(+)) and hiss were clearly seen well above the background level, but there was no evidence of the Aktivny 1 s On/ 1 s Off pattern. Though no Aktivny signals were detected by the LWR on the DE 1 satellite, the experimental constraints allow us to place an upper limit on the total power radiated by the Aktivny transmitter in the whistler-mode. Using experimental parameters, and the minimum detectable signal level of 0.05 muV/m for LWR, we find the upper limit on the total power radiated by the Aktivny satellite in the whistler-mode to be approximately 10 mW. Several recommendations for future space-based wave injection experiments are presented.

Sonwalkar, V. S.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Tracking strategies for laser ranging to multiple satellite targets

By the middle of the decade, several new Laser Geodynamic Satellites will be launched to join the current constellation comprised of the laser geodynamic satellite (LAGEOS) (US), Starlette (France), Ajisai (Japan), and Etalon I and II (USSR). The satellites to be launched, LAGEOS II and III (US & Italy), and Stella (France), will be injected into orbits that differ from the existing constellation so that geodetic and gravimetric quantities are sampled to enhance their resolution and accuracy. An examination of various possible tracking strategies adopted by the network of laser tracking stations has revealed that the recovery of precise geodetic parameters can be obtained over shorter intervals than is currently obtainable with the present constellation of satellites. This is particularly important in the planning of mobile laser tracking operations, given a network of permanently operating tracking sites. Through simulations, it is shown that laser tracking of certain satellite passes, pre-selected to provide optimal sky-coverage, provides the means to acquire a sufficient amount of data to allow the recovery of 1 cm station positions.

Robbins, J. W.↗
NASA NTRS1997

NASA/DOD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project. Use of Communications Sources: An Intercultural Investigation of Practices in the US and Russia

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of U.S./Russian cultural differences in communications among scientists and engineers in applied technology industries. This is important because the advent of perestroika, the breakup of the Soviet Union, and massive moves toward privatization make Russia a potential partner in economic endeavors and, at the same time, a possible competitor in the international arena. Unfortunately the results of U.S./Soviet collaborative endeavors have not always met with expectations. Since 1987, when the former USSR adopted a law on joint ventures, evidence has emerged as to the causes of many failures of these cooperative arrangements. While international strategic alliances face many structural barriers, failures of these cooperative ventures have often resulted from a lack of understanding of the more intangible barrier of major differences in cultural environments between the partners (Cattaneo, 1992). Cultural differences not only affect business operations but also raise questions for scholars and practitioners who have advocated that U.S. management theories apply abroad. Boyacigiller and Adler (1991), Doktor, Tung, and Von Glinow (1991), and Hofstede (1993) observed that most U.S. scholars have continued to export management concepts and practices abroad assuming the concepts were universally valid despite the fact that Western organizational theory has placed little emphasis on factors such as history, social setting, culture, and government (Boyacigiller & Adler, 1991). High technology industries such as aerospace, which includes the cormmercial aviation segment, have characteristics that make the industry an excellent platform to study cultural implications for technical communications. The investigation of this group is worthwhile for several reasons. First, high technology industries are becoming more international and more engaged in collaborative endeavors. Second, the industries are highly dependent on effective innovation diffusion which, according to Fischer (1979), is essentially information exchange. And, third, studies of innovative project management have found that information availability was a critical factor in project success or failure (e.g., Link & Zmud, 1987; Tushman, 1978, 1979). We propose that a gap in the literature exists that centers on whether U.S. paradigms of commnunications behavior apply to other cultures. First, we will explore early findings in the U.S. that held that the choice of an information source was a function of the 'law of least effort' rather than quality (e.g., Allen, 1977; Cuinan, 1983; DeWhirst, 1971; Hardy, 1982; O'Reilly, 1982; Rosenberg, 1967). Second, we will explore the contingency approaches such as that of Tushman (1979) and the later work of Daft and Lengel (1984, 1987), Huber and Daft (1987) and Lengel and Daft (1988) who held that information choice was a function of the nature of the task at hand. A third issue to be addressed is the confounding problem of presumed differences between scientists and engineers in information gathering behavior (Allen, 1977). Finally, we will investigate whether cultural differences cast doubt on the applicability of findings from U.S. situations to other cultures.

Pinelli, Thomas E.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Bone Loss in Space: Shuttle/MIR Experience and Bed Rest Countermeasure Program

Loss of bone mineral during space flight was documented in the 1970's Skylab missions. The USSR space program made similar observations in the 1980's. The Institute of Biomedical Problems in Moscow and NASA JSC in 1989 began to collect pre- and post-flight bone mineral density (BMD) using Hologic QDR 1000 DEXA scanners transferred from JSC to Moscow and Star City. DEXA whole body, hip, and lumbar spine scans were performed prior to and during the first week after return from 4- to 6-month missions (plus one 8-month mission and one 14- month mission) on the Mir space station. These data documented the extent and regional nature of bone loss during long duration space flight. Of the 18 cosmonauts participating in this study between 1990 and 1995, seven flew two missions. BMD scans prior to the second flight compared to the first mission preflight scans indicated that recovery was possibly delayed or incomplete. Because of these findings, NASA and IBMP initiated the study "Bone Mineral Loss and Recovery After Shuttle/Mir Flights" in 1995 to evaluate bone recovery during a 3-year post-flight period. All of the 14 participants thus far evaluated lost bone in at least one region of the spine and lower extremities during flight. Of the 14, only one to date has exhibited full return to baseline BNM values in all regions. The current study will continue until the last participant has reached full bone recovery in all regions, has reached a plateau, or until three years after the flight (2001 for the last mission of the program). Bone mineral density losses in space and difficulty in returning to baseline indicate a need for countermeasure development. In late 1996 NASA JSC and Baylor College of Medicine were approved to conduct two countermeasure studies during 17 weeks of bed rest. In 1997 the studies were begun in the bed rest facility established by NASA, Baylor College of Medicine, and The Methodist Hospital in Houston. To date, three bed rest controls, five resistive exercisers, and four subjects taking alendronate (a bisphoshonate that inhibits osteoclastic resorption of bone) have completed 17 weeks bed rest. In contrast to information currently available from space flight (n=28) and bed rest (n= 12) in which all individuals experienced bone loss in at least one region, one of four subjects taking alendronate and one of five subjects performing heavy resistive exercise at bed rest fully maintained bone density in all regions of the spine and lower extremities. Overall results of both countermeasures which will be presented are encouraging. The study will be completed by mid to late 2000 with 10 subjects in each of three groups.

Shackelford, L. C.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Anhydrite EOS and Phase Diagram in Relation to Shock Decomposition

In the context of the Chicxulub impact, it became recently obvious that experimental and theoretical research on the shock behavior of sulfates is essential for an assessment of the role of shock-released gases in the K/T mass extinction. The Chicxulub crater is the most important large impact structure where the bolide penetrated a sedimentary layer with large amounts of interbedded anhydrite (Haughton has also significant anhydrite in the target). The sulfuric gas production by shock compression/decompression of anhydrite is an important issue, even if the size of Chicxulub crater is only half of the so far assumed size. The comparison of experimental data for anhydrite, shocked with different techniques at various laboratories, reveals large differences in the threshold pressures for melting and decomposition. To gain insight into this issue, we have made a theoretical investigation of the thermodynamic properties of anhydrite. The project includes the review of data published in the last 40 years - reasons to study anhydrite cover a wide field of interests: from industrial problems of cement and ceramic production to the analysis of nuclear underground explosions in salt domes, conducted in the USA and USSR in the 1970th.

Ivanov, B. A.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Mars Together 2001: Joint US-Russian Team

While the US and USSR have collaborated in human space flight and Earth application missions, this is the first time in the cultural relations between our two countries that American and Russian specialists have been authorized to work together on a joint space science mission. A study was commissioned to investigate the possibility of a combined US/Russian mission in the 2001 opportunity. A basic option for a proposed mission (abbreviated as MT 2001) was adopted. This option is described.

Mars Russia↗
NASA NTRS2006

Venus Exploration opportunities within NASA's Solar System Exploration roadmap

Science goals to understand the origin, history and environment of Venus have been driving international space exploration missions for over 40 years. Past missions include the Magellan and Pioneer-Venus missions by the US; the Venera program by the USSR; and the Vega missions through international cooperation. Furthermore, the US National Research Council (NRC), in the 2003 Solar System Exploration (SSE) Decadal Survey, identified Venus as a high priority target, thus demonstrating a continuing interest in Earth's sister planet. In response to the NRC recommendation, the 2005 NASA SSE Roadmap included a number of potential Venus missions arching through all mission classes from small Discovery, to medium New Frontiers and to large Flagship class missions. While missions in all of these classes could be designed as orbiters with remote sensing capabilities, the desire for scientific advancements beyond our current knowledge - including what we expect to learn from the ongoing ESA Venus Express mission - point to in-situ exploration of Venus.

Venus↗
NASA NTRS2011

Humans to Mars: The Greatest Adventure in Human History

The reasons for a human mission to Mars are many and include (1) World technological leadership, (2) Enhanced national security, (3) Enhanced economic vitality, (4) The human urge to explore new and distant frontiers, (5) Scientific discovery (how did Mars evolve from an early Earth-like, hospitable planet to its present inhospitable state? Is there life on Mars?) (6) Inspiring the American public and the next generation of scientists and engineers (following the launch of Sputnik I by the USSR on October 4, 1957, the U. S. and the rest of the world witnessed a significant increase in the number of students going into science and engineering), (7) Develop new technologies for potential non-space spin-off applications, and, (8) Enhanced national prestige, etc. Other reasons for colonizing the Red Planet are more catastrophic in nature, including Mars as a safe haven for the survival of the human species in the event of an impact with a large asteroid (remember the demise of the dinosaurs 65-million years as a result of an asteroid impact!). Some have also suggested that the colonization of Mars may be a solution to the global exponential population explosion on our planet! A human mission to and the colonization of the Red Planet requires multi-disciplined expertise in many areas including engineering, technology, science, human health and medicine and the human psychological and behavior. To capture the relevant areas of needed expertise, we have invited a group of more than 70 U. S. and foreign experts in these areas, including astronauts, scientists, engineers, technologists, medical doctors, psychologists and economists to share their views and thoughts on a human mission to Mars.

Levine, Joel S.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Project Description for Meteor-3/TOMS (Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer)

This document provides Goddard Space Flight Center's (GSFC) Project Description for the Meteor-3/TOMS mission_ The Meteor-3/TOMS mission is a joint USA/USSR scientific program in which a US Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) instrument will fly on a USSR Meteor-3 spacecraft. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has initiated the Meteor-3/TOMS Project to provide a continuation of the decade-long global coverage obtained with the Nimbus-7 TOMS instrument. The scientific goal is to gather global total ozone data of an environmental importance to both countries as well as to all peoples of the earth.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2011

More Surprises from the Moon

Even with the naked eye, the dark, extensive plains of the lunar maria can be clearly seen on the surface of the Moon. The maria formed after meteorite impacts created large craters that later filled with lava flows. Mare volcanism is the dominant type of volcanic activity on the Moon and the lavas are made up of basaltic rocks. However, non-mare volcanic deposits, though rare, have been observed on the lunar nearside. The deposits are distinguished from the maria because they are compositionally more evolved rich in silica, potassium and thorium. The deposits are limited in surface extent and it was unknown whether similar non-mare volcanism occurred at all on the Moon s farside. Writing in Nature Geoscience, Jolliff et al. report using Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter images and compositional data to identify the rare occurrence of more compositionally evolved volcanic deposits in an isolated area on the Moon s farside. In the 1960s and 1970s, rock and soil samples were collected by the Apollo and Luna missions, by the USA and USSR respectively. This material represents a geologic treasure trove that continues to provide a wealth of information about the Moon and its evolution, and it was a very small fraction of these samples that gave the first hint that non-mare volcanic activity might have occurred. The samples contained fragments of complex volcanic rocks that were unrelated to the maria basalts. Violent bombardment of the Moon by meteorite impacts has caused significant mixing of the rocks at its surface, so the fragments could have had a source hundreds or thousands of kilometres away. The origin of the fragments was unknown. Several decades later, the Lunar Prospector mission used a gamma-ray spectrometer to map the distribution and abundance of various elements, including thorium, on the Moon s surface. The maps identified a distinct and large area of high thorium concentration, as well as several smaller, but equally peculiar areas of high thorium concentration on the nearside of the Moon (Fig. 1). The rocks that contained high thorium contents also exhibited geomorphological and spectral features that were typical of volcanic deposits, and so the thorium hotspots were thought to represent non-mare volcanism on the nearside of the Moon. A relatively large region with extremely high thorium concentrations - the Compton-Belkovich thorium anomaly - was also identified on the Moon s farside. This thorium hotspot was particularly unusual because it was completely isolated, alone on the farside of the Moon, far from the nearest maria. No high-resolution image data were available for this region, so a definitive interpretation of the source of this isolated anomaly has been impossible.

Petro, Noah↗
NASA NTRS2014

Solid-State Thermionic Nuclear Power for Megawatt Propulsion, Planetary Surface and Commercial Power Project

Thermionic (TI) power conversion is a promising technology first investigated for power conversion in the 1960's, and of renewed interest due to modern advances in nanotechnology, MEMS, materials and manufacturing. Benefits include high conversion efficiency (20%), static operation with no moving parts and potential for high reliability, greatly reduced plant complexity, and the potential for reduced development costs. Thermionic emission, credited to Edison in 1880, forms the basis of vacuum tubes and much of 20th century electronics. Heat can be converted into electricity when electrons emitted from a hot surface are collected across a small gap. For example, two "small" (6 kWe) Thermionic Space Reactors were flown by the USSR in 1987-88 for ocean radar reconnaissance. Higher powered Nuclear-Thermionic power systems driving Electric Propulsion (Q-thruster, VASIMR, etc.) may offer the breakthrough necessary for human Mars missions of < 1 yr round trip. Power generation on Earth could benefit from simpler, moe economical nuclear plants, and "topping" of more fuel and emission efficient fossil-fuel plants.

George, Jeffrey↗
NASA NTRS2016

Human Health Countermeasures - Partial-Gravity Analogs Workshop

The experimental conditions that were deemed the most interesting by the HHC Element lead scientists are those permitting studies of the long-term effects of exposure to (a) chronic rotation when supine or in head down tilt (ground-based); and (b) long-radius centrifugation (space based). It is interesting to note that chronic ground based slow rotation room studies have not been performed since the 1960's, when the USA and USSR were investigating the potential use of AG for long-duration space missions. On the other hand, the other partial gravity analogs, i.e., parabolic flight, HUT, suspension, and short-radius centrifugation, have been regularly used in the last three decades (see review in Clément et al. 2015). Based on the workshop evaluations and the scores by the HHC scientific disciplines indicated in tables 3 and 4, simulation of partial G between 0 and 1 should be prioritized as follows: Priority 1. Chronic space-based partial-G analogs: a. Chronic space-based long-radius centrifugation. The ideal scenario would be chronic long-radius centrifugation of cells, animals and humans in a translational research approach - ideally beyond low earth orbit under deep space environmental effects and at various rotations - to obtain different G-effects. In this scenario, all physiological systems could be evaluated and the relationship between physiological response and G level established. This would be the most integrative way of defining, for the first time ever, G-thresholds for each physiological system. b. Chronic space-based centrifugation of animals. Chronic centrifugation of rodents at various G levels in space would allow for determination of AG thresholds of protection for each physiological system. In this case, all physiological systems will be of interest. Intermittent centrifugation will be of secondary interest. c. Chronic space-based centrifugation of cell cultures (RWV). Bioreactor studies of cells and cell cultures of various tissues at various G levels would allow for intracellular investigations of the effects of partial-G. Priority 2. Acute, intermittent space based partial-G analogs: a. Acute, intermittent space-based short radius human centrifugation. Intermittent centrifugation of humans would allow determination of thresholds of AG for protection of astronaut health in space. Priority 3. Chronic ground-based partial-G analogs: a. Chronic centrifugation of supine or head-down tilted humans. b. Chronic head-up tilt in humans. c. Chronic head-out graded dry immersion in humans. d. Chronic partial suspension of rodents e. Chronic rotating bioreactor cell culture studies (RWV) Priority 4. Acute ground based partial-G analogs. a. Parabolic flights. Very acute and short term effects of G levels between 0 and 1 in humans for fast responding systems like cardiovascular and sensorimotor as well as for acute responses in cell cultures and animals. b. Other acute models as indicated in table 3.

Barr, Yael↗
NASA NTRS2018

Development of an Inflatable Airlock for a Deep Space Gateway

Inflatable structures technology utilizes high-strength fabric materials and internal pressure to create a stiffened pressure vessel that can replace traditional metallic primary structure in a habitable spacecraft. The flexibility of fabric structures allows them to be compactly stowed for launch and expanded in space, providing significant launch volume savings. The unique construction and design flexibility of these structures can be customized for a variety of uses in space including landing bags, decelerators, long duration in-space and planetary surface habitats, and even airlocks. An airlock is often a required component of a crewed spacecraft to allow for maintenance and human exploration outside of the vehicle. Airlock designs in use today rely on complex hatches and seals connected by metallic walls. Recent developments towards the design of an inflatable airlock structure show feasibility and a significant launch volume savings over a traditional metallic design. This paper will provide a high-level summary of these projects and the current state-of-the-art in inflatable airlock development with additional references and detail about previous and on-going research, providing guidance for the design of a softgoods airlock system. The use of inflatables in space has been in development since the 1960’s for both habitats and airlocks. The first ever EVA was conducted by the USSR in 1965 using an inflatable airlock known as the Volga. This airlock was attached to the Voskhod 2 spacecraft and turned the vehicle into a dual chamber airlock. The airlock was successfully deployed, used and jettisoned after Alexey Leonov’s historic spacewalk. Additional work on human-rated inflatable structures was not continued until the late 1990’s when NASA-JSC led an effort to demonstrate these structures as feasible long-term pressurized elements with the TransHab project. The technology developed and pioneered during this project led to multiple patents and proven feasibility that inflatables could be used for large habitable structures. Following TransHab, Bigelow Aerospace continued the development of inflatable structures with technical support from NASA. This partnership eventually led to the successful flight certification, launch, attachment and deployment of the Bigelow Expandable Activities Module (BEAM) on the ISS in 2016. Inflatable and expandable airlock structures have undergone various detailed feasibility studies and testing for over 15 years, most notably with the Advanced Inflatable Airlock (AIA), Dual-Chamber Hybrid Inflatable Suitlock (DCIS), Minimalistic Advanced Soft Hatch (MASH), and Lightweight External Inflatable Airlock (LEIA). During this time, full-scale articles have been built and pressure-tested, and mock-ups and demonstrators have been constructed and evaluated. During the 2001-2003 timeframe, the AIA concept was matured through requirements development, conceptual design, subscale and full-scale engineering breadboards subjecting various test articles to deployment and pressure testing up to four times operating pressure. These tests proved the feasibility of successful deployment and structural integrity of an inflatable crewlock. Additional testing was performed in the ensuing years, as funding permitted, to further refine additional structural and deployment concepts and to understand the EVA crewmember interfaces, hatches and EVA support equipment interfaces that would be required for a fully functioning airlock. This work resulted in a refinement of the structural requirements and an accounting of the systems needed in an inflatable airlock. In 2014, the MASH project developed an ultra-lightweight airlock concept with a fabric hatch that utilized a unique pressure vessel shape to minimize structural loads around a linear seal. The concept uses an automated zipper-like seal that allows for crew egress/ingress. Most of the development work on the project thus far has focused on the design, analysis and testing of the primary structure and the zipper-like seal system is in the preliminary stages of development with a successful proof-of-concept test. As part of the 2017 LEIA effort, studies were conducted on EVA crewmember interfaces on the inside of an inflatable airlock. These efforts included the design of an internal secondary structure and placement of handholds and foot restraints to enable hatch opening, closing and translation through the airlock. Structural design, analysis and testing was completed on several secondary structure candidates. Crew interface testing was also completed using an inflatable crewlock mockup and the JSC Active Response Gravity Offload System (ARGOS) to simulate the movement of an EVA crewmember through an inflatable crewlock in microgravity. The results of these tests helped demonstrate the feasibility of utilizing an inflatable structure as an airlock and informed the required volume, hatch size, and configuration and location of translation aids for crewmembers in a microgravity crewlock. The ISS Quest airlock uses a dual-chamber design with isolated compartments known as the equipment-lock and the crewlock. The equipment-lock houses the Servicing, Performance and Checkout Equipment (SPCE) items (suit batteries, consumables, etc.) while the crewlock has limited internal hardware and is the nominally depressurized compartment during US EVAs. While inflatable dual chamber airlocks have been studied, the current state of the art emphasizes an inflatable crewlock-type structure attached to a rigid equipment-lock type or habitat structure. Since a large portion of the hardware in the equipment-lock are rigid components and connectors that are installed on the ground - and an inflatable structure does not achieve full structural capabilities until pressurized in space - a depressurized fabric structure cannot provide the capabilities of a full equipment-lock. The use of an inflatable as a crewlock, however, provides all the required capabilities for EVA operations in a small launch package that offers significant volume savings over a metallic crewlock. The functions of a traditional equipment lock, including the SPCE, could be provided by a spacecraft’s habitat module or node and not necessarily in a separate equipment lock. An inflatable crewlock would be attached to the vehicle and launched in a packed and compressed state, saving volume under the launch shroud and mass for the overall airlock element compared to a rigid crewlock. Work is currently underway to continue development of an inflatable airlock with a variety of focus areas including the consideration of crew-induced loads and interfaces, the design and development of an internal sub-structure to provide translation aids and restraints, the thermal considerations of a fabric shell depressurized during an EVA, the micrometeorite environment in deep space, and the packaging and deployment of an inflatable airlock.

Deep Space Exploration↗
NASA NTRS2018

Curating NASA's Past, Present, and Future Extraterrestrial Sample Collections

As codified in NASA Policy Directive 7100.10F, the Astromaterials Acquisition and Curation Office at NASA Johnson Space Center (hereafter JSC Curation) is charged with curation of all extraterrestrial material under NASA control, including future NASA missions. JSC Curation curates all or part of nine astromaterial collections in seven clean room suites: (1) Apollo Samples (1969; ISO 6-7), (2) Luna Samples (from USSR; 1972; ISO 7), (3) Antarctic Meteorites (1976; ISO 7), (4) Cosmic Dust (1981; ISO 5), (5) Microparticle Impact Collection (formerly called Space Exposed Hardware; 1985; ISO 5), (6) Genesis Solar Wind Atoms (2004; ISO 4); (7) Stardust Comet Particles (2006; ISO 5), (8) Stardust Interstellar Particles (2006; ISO 5), (9) Hayabusa Asteroid Particles (from JAXA; 2010; ISO 5). In addition to the labs that house the samples, we have installed and maintained a wide variety of facilities and infrastructure required to support the clean-rooms: more than 10 different HEPA-filtered air-handling systems, ultrapure dry gaseous nitrogen systems, an ultrapure water system (UPW) and cleaning facilities to provide clean tools and equipment for the labs. We also have sample preparation facilities for making thin sections, microtome sections, and even focused ion-beam (FIB) sections to meet the research requirements of scientists. To ensure that we are keeping the samples as pristine as possible, we routinely monitor the cleanliness of our clean rooms and infrastructure systems. This monitoring includes: daily monitoring of the quality of our UPW, weekly airborne particle counts in the labs, monthly monitoring of the stable isotope composition of the gaseous N2 system, and annual measurements of inorganic or organic contamination in processing cabinets. We track within our databases the current and ever-changing characteristics of more than 250,000 individual samples across our various collections (including the 19,141 samples on loan to 433 Principal Investigators in 24 countries). The next sample return missions that NASA will participate in are Hayabusa2 and OSIRIS-REx (Origins Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security - Regolith Explorer). The designs for a new state-of-the-art suite of clean rooms to house these samples at JSC have been finalized. This includes separate ISO class 5 clean rooms to house each collection, a common ISO class 7 area for general use, an ISO class 7 microtome laboratory, and a separate thin section lab. Additionally, a new cleaning facility is being designed and procedures developed that will allow for enhanced cleaning of cabinets and tools in an inorganically, organically, and biologically clean manner. We are also designing a large multi-purpose Advanced Curation laboratory that will allow us to develop the techniques necessary to fully support the Hayabusa2 and OSIRIS-REx missions, as well as future possible sample return missions (e.g., Lunar Polar Volatiles, Mars, Comet Surface). A micro-CT (micro Computed Tomography) laboratory dedicated to the study of astromaterials has come online within JSC Curation, and we plan to add additional facilities that will enable non-destructive (or minimally-destructive) analyses of astromaterials in the near future (e.g., micro-XRF (micro X-Ray Fluorescence), confocal imaging Raman Spectroscopy). These facilities will be available to: (1) develop sample handling and storage techniques for future sample return missions, (2) be utilized by PET (Positron Emission Tomography) for future sample return missions, (3) for retroactive PET-style analyses of our existing collections, and (4) for periodic assessments of the existing sample collections.

Zeigler, Ryan A.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Leveraging VIPER Geotechnical and Mobility Insights for Endurance Rover and Traverse Development

A new generation of lunar surface rover exploration is rapidly approaching. This is evidenced by the rise of commercially developed rovers from private companies (e.g., Lunar Outpost’s MAPP) and government agencies, like NASA’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER), the Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV), and the Endurance/Intrepid rover concepts, and the INSPIRE mission concept. The drive distance requirements for off-world vehicles are also rapidly increasing. For example, LTV driving requirements dictate a 20 km range on a single battery charge, with an overall lifetime requirement of 13,000 km over a minimum 10-year service life. Similarly, NASA's Endurance-A mission concept requires a 2000 km vehicle traverse distance, which is nearly 50 times further than the USSR's Lunokhod 2, the longest lunar rover mission to date. Previous planetary surface missions on the Moon and Mars have revealed harsh mobility conditions: aggressive rocky terrains on Mars severely damaged the Curiosity rover’s wheels, soft lunar regolith caused the Lunokhod 2 rover to sink and NASA’s Apollo 15 LRV (Lunar Roving Vehicle) spun out due to poor traction, which required manual correction. This demonstrates that mobility challenges like wheel degradation and soft soil driving performance must be accounted for in a mission’s design phase to meet increasingly aggressive mission durations and mobility goals. The success of these long duration missions requires highly reliable and durable mobility platforms in conjunction with a more developed understanding of the geotechnical properties of the lunar surface. The VIPER mission is uniquely posed to inform future missions about mobility performance, wheel durability, and lunar surface soil mechanics of sunlit and shadowed regions through use of data streams that already exist for other mission purposes. VIPER’s mission to the lunar south pole will provide a new perspective into off-world mobility challenges including traversal into permanently shadowed regions. Mobility data from VIPER’s mission will represent a first glimpse into the surface mobility challenges of the lunar South Pole. Utilization of VIPER’s existing capabilities including cameras, inertial measurement unit (IMU) data, motor currents/torque, drill data, and the rover’s suspension state and kinematics provide the opportunity to determine potentially useful information for future rover and traverse designs, as well as on-Earth testing practices. Data products collected during VIPER’s mission could inform design considerations for the Endurance rover much earlier than NASA’s standard “lessons learned” approach as VIPER has a highly tactical mission operations structure. This work outlines the specific links between possible data products from the VIPER mission and their potential impact on the Endurance/Intrepid mission concepts in their early design phases. From VIPER, we will also gain insights for future development of onboard mobility software as VIPER is a way-point driven rover which requires more constant human operation on Earth than some other rover missions (non-lunar surface). Primary VIPER data products and insights of interest include wheel sinkage, wheel slip, wheel degradation, surface soil shear strength, and terrain slope estimation. VIPER data products will be made available via the Planetary Data System’s Geosciences and Cartography and Imaging Sciences nodes, conforming to the PDS4 standard.

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