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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 307 records · Page 17
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1984

Aircrew-aircraft integration - A summary of U.S. Army research programs and plans

A review of selected programs which illustrate the research efforts of the U.S. Army Aeromechanics Laboratory in the area of aircrew-aircraft integration is presented. Plans for research programs to support the development of future military rotorcraft are also described. The crew of a combat helicopter must, in general, perform two major functions during the conduct of a particular mission: flightpath control and mission management. Accordingly, the research programs described are being conducted in the same two major categories: (1) flightpath control, which encompasses the areas of handling qualities, stability and control, and displays for the pilot's control of the rotorcraft's flightpath, and (2) mission management, which includes human factors and cockpit integration research topics related to performance of navigation, communication, and aircraft systems management tasks.

Key, D. L.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Image pattern recognition supporting interactive analysis and graphical visualization

Image Pattern Recognition attempts to infer properties of the world from image data. Such capabilities are crucial for making measurements from satellite or telescope images related to Earth and space science problems. Such measurements can be the required product itself, or the measurements can be used as input to a computer graphics system for visualization purposes. At present, the field of image pattern recognition lacks a unified scientific structure for developing and evaluating image pattern recognition applications. The overall goal of this project is to begin developing such a structure. This report summarizes results of a 3-year research effort in image pattern recognition addressing the following three principal aims: (1) to create a software foundation for the research and identify image pattern recognition problems in Earth and space science; (2) to develop image measurement operations based on Artificial Visual Systems; and (3) to develop multiscale image descriptions for use in interactive image analysis.

Coggins, James M.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Ring Buffered Network Bus

This report describes the research effort to demonstrate the integration of a data sharing technology, Ring Buffered Network Bus, in development by Dryden Flight Research Center, with an engine simulation application, the Java Gas Turbine Simulator, in development at the University of Toledo under a grant from the Glenn Research Center. The objective of this task was to examine the application of the RBNB technologies as a key component in the data sharing, health monitoring and system wide modeling elements of the NASA Aviation Safety Program (AVSP) [Golding, 1997]. System-wide monitoring and modeling of aircraft and air safety systems will require access to all data sources which are relative factors when monitoring or modeling the national airspace such as radar, weather, aircraft performance, engine performance, schedule and planning, airport configuration, flight operations, etc. The data sharing portion of the overall AVSP program is responsible for providing the hardware and software architecture to access and distribute data, including real-time flight operations data, among all of the AVSP elements. The integration of an engine code capable of numerically "flying" through recorded flight paths and weather data using a software tool that allows for distributed access of data to this engine code demonstrates initial steps toward building a system capable of monitoring and modeling the National Airspace.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1997

The HSCaRS Summer Enrichment Program; Research Opportunities for Minority and Women Undergraduates in Global Change Science

The primary objective of the HSCaRS Summer Enrichment Program (SEP) is to make significant contributions to the NASA Mission to Planet Earth (MTPE) and the Alabama A&M University (AAMU) Center for Hydrology, Soil Climatology and Remote Sensing (HSCaRS) research missions by providing undergraduate student research internships with an emphasis on minority and women students. Additional objectives are to encourage more minority and women students to pursue advanced degrees in Earth system and global change science and to increase the participation of minority institutions in the U.S. Global Change Research Program. Also, the SEP strives to make students in the traditional science disciplines more aware of the opportunities in Earth System Science. In designing the SEP, it was acknowledged that HSCaRS was a new research effort and Center. Consequently, students were not expected to immediately recognize the Center as one would older, more established research laboratories with national reputations, such as Los Alamos, Battelle, National Consortium for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), etc. Yet we still wanted to compete nationally for the best students. Therefore, we designed the program with a competitive financial package that includes a stipend of $400 per week, round-trip transportation from home to the summer research site, and free campus housing and meal plans provided by Alabama A&M University. Students also received a modest living allowance of approximately $25 per week. The internship program was 10 weeks in residence at Alabama A&M University or IGCRE, and gave students the opportunity to select from six general research areas: micro-meteorology, soil data analysis, soil moisture modeling, instrumentation, geographic information systems, and computer science. Student participants also enrolled in an introductory global change science course as part of the summer program (a copy of the course outline is in the appendix). The program included participation in a field program for approximately two weeks. All students were required to participate in the field program as a learning experience, regardless of the relationship of the field program to their majors or particular research project.

Estes, Jr., Maurice G.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Overview 2004 of NASA Stirling-Convertor CFD-Model Development and Regenerator R&D Efforts

This paper reports on accomplishments in 2004 in development of Stirling-convertor CFD model at NASA GRC and via a NASA grant, a Stirling regenerator-research effort being conducted via a NASA grant (a follow-on effort to an earlier DOE contract), and a regenerator-microfabrication contract for development of a "next-generation Stirling regenerator." Cleveland State University is the lead organization for all three grant/contractual efforts, with the University of Minnesota and Gedeor Associates as subcontractors. Also, the Stirling Technology Co. and Sunpower, Inc. are both involved in all three efforts, either as funded or unfunded participants. International Mezzo Technologies of Baton Rouge, LA is the regenerator fabricator for the regenerator-microfabrication contract. Results of the efforts in these three areas are summarized.

Tew, Roy C.↗
NASA NTRS1982

PPOD Programmable pilot-oriented display

A general-purpose low cost research microprocessor system for general aviation was developed. This system is intended to be the vehicle for individual research efforts in low cost airborne hardware and software as well as advanced microprocessor based navigation systems and techniques. Two such research projects were undertaken, yielding results in the areas of micro hardware/software design, cost and performance, and pilot/computer interface. Low-cost flight software reliability and a time-difference based Loran approach procedure that eliminates the need for propagation corrections and latitude/longitude transformations are also discussed.

Elias, A. L.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Electron-cyclotron-resonance (ECR) plasma acceleration

A research effort directed at analytically and experimentally investigating electron-cyclotron-resonance (ECR) plasma acceleration is outlined. In addition, relevant past research is reviewed. Also, the prospects for application of ECR plasma acceleration to spacecraft propulsion are described. It is shown that previously unexplained losses in converting microwave power to directed kinetic power via ECR plasma acceleration can be understood in terms of diffusion of energized plasma to the physical walls of the accelerator. It is also argued that line radiation losses due to electron-ion and electron-atom inelastic collisions should be less than estimated in past research. Based on this new understanding, the expectation now exists that very efficient ECR plasma accelerators can be designed for application to high-specific-impulse spacecraft propulsion.

Sercel, Joel C.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Information management for commercial aviation - A research perspective

The problem of flight deck information management (IM), defined as processing, controlling, and directing information, for commercial flight decks, and a research effort underway to address this problem, are discussed. The premises provided are utilized to lay the groundwork required for such research by providing a framework to describe IM problems and an avenue to follow when investigating solution concepts. The research issues presented serve to identify specific questions necessary to achieve a better understanding of the IM problem, and to provide assessments of the relative merit of various solution concepts.

Ricks, Wendell R.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Time dependent heat transfer rates in high Reynolds number hypersonic flowfields

Time dependent heat transfer rates have been calculated from time dependent temperature measurements in the vicinity of shock-wave boundary-layer interactions due to conical compression ramps on an axisymmetric body. The basic model is a cylindrical body with a 10 degree conical nose. Four conical ramps, 20, 25, 30, and 35 degrees serve as shock wave generators. Flowfield surveys have been made in the vicinity of the conical ramp vertex, the separation point, and the reattachment point. A significant effort was made to characterize the natural frequencies and relative powers of the resulting fluctuations in heat transfer rates. This research effort, sponsored jointly by NASA and the Air Force, was conducted in the Air Force Flight Dynamics Directorate High Reynolds Facility. The nominal freestream Mach number was 6, and the freestream Reynolds numbers ranged from 2.2 million/ft to 30.0 million/ft. Experimental results quantify temperature response and the resulting heat transfer rates as a function of ramp angle and Reynolds number. The temperature response within the flowfield appears to be steady-state for all compression ramp angles and all Reynolds numbers, and hence, the heat transfer rates appear to be steady-state.

Flanagan, Michael J.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Systems engineering studies of on-orbit assembly operation

While the practice of construction has a long history, the underlying theory of construction is relatively young. Very little has been documented as to techniques of logistic support, construction planning, construction scheduling, construction testing, and inspection. The lack of 'systems approaches' to construction processes is certainly one of the most serious roadblocks to the construction of space structures. System engineering research efforts at CSC are aimed at developing concepts and tools which contribute to a systems theory of space construction. The research is also aimed at providing means for trade-offs of design parameters for other research areas in CSC. Systems engineering activity at CSC has divided space construction into the areas of orbital assembly, lunar base construction, interplanetary transport vehicle construction, and Mars base construction. A brief summary of recent results is given. Several models for 'launch-on-time' were developed. Launch-on-time is a critical concept to the assembly of such Earth-orbiting structures as the Space Station Freedom, and to planetary orbiters such as the Mars transfer vehicle. CSC has developed a launch vehicle selection model which uses linear programming to find optimal combinations of launch vehicles of various sizes (Atlas, Titan, Shuttles, HLLV's) to support SEI missions. Recently, the Center developed a cost trade-off model for studying on orbit assembly logistics. With this model it was determined that the most effective size of the HLLV would be in the range of 120 to 200 metric tons to LEO, which is consistent with the choices of General Stafford's Synthesis Group Report. A second-generation Dynamic Construction Activities Model ('DYCAM') process model has been under development, based on our past results in interruptability and our initial DYCAM model. This second-generation model is built on the paradigm of knowledge-based expert systems. It is aimed at providing answers to two questions: (1) what are some necessary or sufficient conditions for judging conceptual designs of spacecraft?, and (2) can a methodology be formulated such that these conditions may be used to provide computer-aided tools for evaluating conceptual designs and planning for space assembly sequences? Early simulation results indicate that the DYCAM model has a clear ability to emulate and simulate human orbital construction processes.

Morgenthaler, George W.↗
NASA NTRS1984

A summary of rotorcraft handling qualities research at NASA Ames Research Center

The objectives of the rotorcraft handling qualities research program at Ames Research Center are twofold: (1) to develop basic handling qualities design criteria to permit cost effective design decisions to be made for helicopters, and (2) to obtain basic handling qualities data for certification of new rotorcraft configurations. The research on the helicopter handling qualities criteria has focused primarily on military nap-of-the-earth (NOE) terrain flying missions, which are flown in day visual meteorological conditions (VMC) and instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), or at night. The Army has recently placed a great deal of emphasis on terrain flying tactics in order to survive and effectively complete the missions in modern and future combat environments. Unfortunately, the existing Military Specification MIL-H 8501A which is a 1961 update of a 1951 document, does not address the handling qualities requirements for terrain flying. The research effort is therefore aimed at filling the void and is being conducted jointly with the Army Aeromechanics Laboratory at Ames. The research on rotorcraft airworthiness standards with respect to flying qualities requirements was conducted to collaboration with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Chen, R. T.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Selected Examples of NACA/NASA Supersonic Flight Research

The present Dryden Flight Research Center, a part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, has a flight research history that extends back to the mid-1940's. The parent organization was a part of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics and was formed in 1946 as the Muroc Flight Test Unit. This document describes 13 selected examples of important supersonic flight research conducted from the Mojave Desert location of the Dryden Flight Research Center over a 4 decade period beginning in 1946. The research described herein was either obtained at supersonic speeds or enabled subsequent aircraft to penetrate or traverse the supersonic region. In some instances there accrued from these research efforts benefits which are also applicable at lower or higher speed regions. A major consideration in the selection of the various research topics was the lasting impact they have had, or will have, on subsequent supersonic flight vehicle design, efficiency, safety, and performance or upon improved supersonic research techniques.

Saltzman, Edwin J.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Overview 2004 of NASA-Stirling Convertor CFD Model Development and Regenerator R and D Efforts

This paper reports on accomplishments in 2004 in (1) development of Stirling-convertor CFD models at NASA Glenn and via a NASA grant, (2) a Stirling regenerator-research effort being conducted via a NASA grant (a follow-on effort to an earlier DOE contract), and (3) a regenerator-microfabrication contract for development of a "next-generation Stirling regenerator." Cleveland State University is the lead organization for all three grant/contractual efforts, with the University of Minnesota and Gedeon Associates as subcontractors. Also, the Stirling Technology Company and Sunpower, Inc. are both involved in all three efforts, either as funded or unfunded participants. International Mezzo Technologies of Baton Rouge, Louisiana is the regenerator fabricator for the regenerator-microfabrication contract. Results of the efforts in these three areas are summarized.

Tew, Roy C.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Experimental Investigation of Solder Joint Defect Formation and Mitigation in Reduced-Gravity Environments

This paper documents a research effort on reduced gravity soldering of plated through hole joints which was conducted jointly by the National Center for Space Exploration Research, NASA Glenn Research Center, and NASA Johnson Space Center. Significant increases in joint porosity and changes in external geometry were observed in joints produced in reduced gravity as compared to normal gravity. Multiple techniques for mitigating the observed increase in porosity were tried, including several combinations of flux and solder application techniques, and demoisturizing the circuit board prior to soldering. Results were consistent with the hypothesis that the source of the porosity is a combination of both trapped moisture in the circuit board itself, as well as vaporized flux that is trapped in the molten solder. Other topics investigated include correlation of visual inspection results with joint porosity, pore size measurements, limited pressure effects (0.08 MPa - 0.1 MPa) on the size and number of pores, and joint cooling rate.

Watson, J. Kevin↗
NASA NTRS1993

Life Sciences Accomplishments 1994

The NASA Life and Biomedical Sciences and Applications Division (LBSAD) serves the Nation's life sciences community by managing all aspects of U.S. space-related life sciences research and technology development. The activities of the Division are integral components of the Nation's overall biological sciences and biomedical research efforts. However, NASA's life sciences activities are unique, in that space flight affords the opportunity to study and characterize basic biological mechanisms in ways not possible on Earth. By utilizing access to space as a research tool, NASA advances fundamental knowledge of the way in which weightlessness, radiation, and other aspects of the space-flight environment interact with biological processes. This knowledge is applied to procedures and technologies that enable humans to live and work in and explore space and contributes to the health and well-being of people on Earth. The activities of the Division are guided by the following three goals: Goal 1) Use microgravity and other unique aspects of the space environment to enhance our understanding of fundamental biological processes. Goal 2) Develop the scientific and technological foundations for supporting exploration by enabling productive human presence in space for extended periods. Goal 3) Apply our unique mission personnel, facilities, and technology to improve education, the quality of life on Earth, and U.S. competitiveness. The Division pursues these goals with integrated ground and flight programs involving the participation of NASA field centers, industry, and universities, as well as interactions with other national agencies and NASA's international partners. The published work of Division-sponsored researchers is a record of completed research in pursuit of these goals. During 1993, the LBSAD instituted significant changes in its experiment solicitation and peer review processes. For the first time, a NASA Research Announcement (NRA) was released requesting proposals for ground-based and flight research for all programs. Areas of particular interest to NASA were defined Proposals due April 29, 1994, will be peer reviewed - externally for scientific merit. This annual NRA process is now the mechanism for recruiting both extramural and intramural investigations. As an overview of LBSAD activities in 1993, this accomplishments document covers each of the major organizational components of the Division and the accomplishments of each. The second section is a review of the Space Life Sciences Research programs Space Biology, Space Physiology and Countermeasures, Radiation Health, Environmental Health, Space Human Factors, Advanced Life Support, and Global Monitoring and Disease Prediction, The third section, Research in Space Flight, describes the substantial contributions of the Spacelab Life Sciences 2 (SLS-2) mission to life sciences research and the significant contributions of the other missions flown in 1993, along with plans for future missions. The Division has greatly expanded and given high priority to its Education and Outreach Programs, which are presented in the fourth section. The fifth and final section, Partners for Space, shows the Divisions Cooperative efforts with other national and international agencies to achieve common goals, along with the accomplishments of joint research and analysis programs.

Burnell, Mary Lou↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Impact of NASA’s Entry Systems Modeling Project on Planetary Mission Design

Planetary missions continue to grow larger and more complex. Furthermore, the current focus on human exploration of the Moon and Mars, as well as Mars Sample Return(MSR), place increas-ingly stringent requirements on the reliability of the entry, descent, and landing (EDL) system that ensures the safe delivery of payload or crew to their destination. Planetary EDL is an area in which mission designers are critically reliant on modeling and simulation to demonstrate the reliability of the system, as there are no ground facilities that are able to fully test these systems in a flight-relevant environment. NASA’s state-of-the-art modeling and simulation capability must continually evolve to meet the needs of the next generation of planetary EDL. To accomplish this aim, NASA’s Entry Systems Modeling (ESM) Project was formed in 2013and is funded bythe Space Technology Mission Directorate(STMD) and Science Mission Directorate (SMD). ESM is the Agency’s only cross-cutting effort for advancing entry systems modeling and simulation capabilities across a range of technical disciplines and Solar System destinations. ESM is a portfolio project covering a variety of mid-TRL research efforts within four core EDL-related areas of investment: (1) Thermal protection material modeling, (2) Shock layer kinetics and radiation, (3) Aerosciences, and (4) Guidance, navigation, and con-trol. The material modeling group creates detailed material response modelsof thermal protection systems (TPS)from the micro to macro scale, and at the fun-damental and engineering levels. Shock layer kinetics and radiation focuses on radiative heating of space-craft, quantum chemistry and benchmark experiments for validation.Aerosciences is a broad research area that impacts many aspects of entry systems, including parachutes, aerodynamics, and turbulent heating augmentation due to TPS roughness.The guidance, navigation,and control effort under ESM is expanding the capabilities of NASA’s main flight mechanics tool, POST2, for use on high-performance computing architectures and to generalize interoperability with external applications for more detailed end-to-end simula-tion.In addition, several focusedresearch topics have been approvedto augment ESM’s core portfolio. These include efforts for deep post-flight analysis of Mars 2020/MEDLI2 flight data; development ofTPS failure models; improvement of hypersonic wakeflow models; and a recently concluded effort to provide material response models for NuSil-coated PICA heat-shield material. This presentation will discuss each of these investment areas and demonstrate via real mission examples how advances to the state-of-the-art enabled by ESM are directly impacting the missions of today and tomorrow, including InSight, Mars 2020, Mars Sample Return, Orion, and Dragonfly.

Entry Systems Modeling↗
NASA NTRS1976

Microelectronic components and metallic oxide studies and applications

The project involved work in two basic areas: (1) Evaluation of commercial screen printable thick film conductors, resistors, thermistors and dielectrics as well as alumina substrates used in hybird microelectronics industries. Results of tests made on materials produced by seven companies are presented. (2) Experimental studies on metallic oxides of copper and vanadium, in an effort to determine their electrochemical properties in crystalline, powder mixtures and as screen printable thick films constituted the second phase of the research effort. Oxide investigations were aimed at finding possible applications of these materials as switching devices memory elements and sensors.

Williams, L., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Microwave remote sensing laboratory design

Application of active and passive microwave remote sensing to the study of ocean pollution is discussed. Previous research efforts, both in the field and in the laboratory were surveyed to derive guidance for the design of a laboratory program of research. The essential issues include: choice of radar or radiometry as the observational technique; choice of laboratory or field as the research site; choice of operating frequency; tank sizes and material; techniques for wave generation and appropriate wavelength spectrum; methods for controlling and disposing of pollutants used in the research; and pollutants other than oil which could or should be studied.

Friedman, E.↗