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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2005

Technology Assessment for the Future Aeronautical Communications System

To address emerging saturation in the VHF aeronautical bands allocated internationally for air traffic management communications, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has requested development of a common global solution through its Aeronautical Communications Panel (ACP). In response, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Eurocontrol initiated a joint study, with the support of NASA and U.S. and European contractors, to provide major findings on alternatives and recommendations to the ICAO ACP Working Group C (WG-C). Under an FAA/Eurocontrol cooperative research and development agreement, ACP WG-C Action Plan 17 (AP-17), commonly referred to as the Future Communications Study (FCS), NASA Glenn Research Center is responsible for the investigation of potential communications technologies that support the long-term mobile communication operational concepts of the FCS. This report documents the results of the first phase of the technology assessment and recommendations referred to in the Technology Pre-Screening Task 3.1 of AP-17. The prescreening identifies potential technologies that are under development in the industry and provides an initial assessment against a harmonized set of evaluation criteria that address high level capabilities, projected maturity for the time frame for usage in aviation, and potential applicability to aviation. A wide variety of candidate technologies were evaluated from several communications service categories including: cellular telephony; IEEE-802.xx standards; public safety radio; satellite and over-the-horizon communications; custom narrowband VHF; custom wideband; and military communications.

Budinger, James M.↗
NASA NTRS1977

NRL-ATM extreme ultraviolet solar image TV monitor flown on Skylab

An instrument for recording extreme ultraviolet television images of the sun was flown in the Apollo Telescope Mount on Skylab. Solar radiation in the 171-630 A wavelength range, defined by the transmission band of three thin-film aluminum filters, was focused onto a p-quaterphenyl photon conversion layer by a platinum-coated mirror at normal incidence. The conversion layer was attached to the faceplate of a low light level SEC vidicon. An onboard video monitor enabled the Skylab crews to observe the images in real-time and to identify and follow the development of solar features. Images were also transmitted to the mission control center, where they were used in planning the ATM observing schedule.

Crockett, W. R.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Efficient concepts for large erectable space structures

The status of Langley Research Center development of the nestable column concept is reviewed including results of member and truss component tests, and planned assembly studies. In addition, more recent studies of alternative member concepts are presented. Preliminary results on relative efficiency of several types of truss-type columns are compared and future test plans discussed.

Card, M. F.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Traction-drive telerobot for space manipulation

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Space Station Program marks the begining of a new era in space utilization and habitation. Extensive use of remote manipulation and robotics to reduce astronaut extra-vehicular activity is expected. Emphasis on teleoperator technology in early Space Station phases, followed by growth of autonomous robotics capabilities, is planned. A new telerobot concept has been developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) under NASA Langley Research Center sponsorship, to address the technical needs of both teleoperations and telerobotics for these future NASA programs. The concept is based on traction drives, redundant kinematics, modular construction, and a state-of-the-art distributed, hierarchical control system.

Herndon, J. N.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Robotics program at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

The NASA Goddard telerobotic program is structured to increase the scope and efficiency of what man can accomplish in space through the use of robotics. The main focus is to service Space Station Freedom and its payloads, but robotic assembly of Space Station Freedom and platforms is also anticipated. The approach being taken to achieve this by telerobotics, where manipulators can be controlled by human operators or computer programs. The Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has the responsability to develop the Flight Telerobotic Servicer (FTS) for Space Station Freedom. The current plan at GSFC in support of telerobotics for Space Station Freedom and the in-orbit servicing of platforms are reviewed. Plans for ground demonstrations involving the use of an engineering test bed and an operational facility are discussed.

Ollendorf, Stanford↗
NASA NTRS2001

GSFC VLBI Analysis Center

This report presents the activities of the Goddard Space Flight Center's Very Long Base Interferometry (VLBI) Analysis Center during the period from March 1, 1999 through December 31, 2000. The center's primary software development, analysis, and research activities axe reported, and the responsible staff members are described. Plans for 2001 are also presented.

Gordon, David↗
NASA NTRS1997

PSP Testing at NASA Ames Research Center

Pressure sensitive paints (PSPs) are now used routinely for measuring surface pressures on wind tunnel models at transonic and supersonic Mach numbers. The method utilizes a surface coating containing fluorescent or phosphorescent materials, the brightness of which varies with the local air pressure on the surface. The present paper will summarize PSP activities (in progress and planned) at the NASA Ames Research Center. One of the main accomplishments at NASA Ames has been the development of a PSP measurement system that is production testing capable. This system has been integrated successfully into the large-scale wind tunnel facilities at Ames. There are several problems related to PSP testing which are unique to large-scale wind tunnel testing. The hardware is often difficult to set-up and must operate under harsh conditions (e.g. high pressures and low temperatures). The data acquisition and reduction times need to be kept to a minimum so that the overall wind tunnel productivity is not compromised. The pressure sensitive paints needs to be very robust; the paints must readily adhere to different surfaces with varying geometries and remain functional for long running times. The paint must have well understood, and preferably minimal, temperature sensitivity since fine control of the tunnel temperature is not easily achievable in the larger wind tunnels. In an effort to improve the overall accuracy of the PSP technique, we are currently evaluating some referenced pressure sensitive paints which contain a pressure- independent luminophor in addition to the one which is affected by the surface pressure. The two luminophors are chosen so that their emission wavelengths are somewhat different. Then by taking two 'wind-on' images with either two cameras (with different filters) or one camera with a rotating filter system, the need for 'wind-off' images can be eliminated. The ratio of the two wind-on images accounts for nonuniform lighting and model motion problems (physical movement of the model under aerodynamic loading) are not a concern any more. The paints and data acquisition and reduction software for this type of a PSI system are currently under development and evaluation. Additional information is contained within the original extended abstract.

Bell, J. H.↗
NASA NTRS2011

An Integrated Hydrological and Water Management Study of the Entire Nile River System - Lake Victoria to Nile Delta

The Nile basin River system spans 3 million km(exp 2) distributed over ten nations. The eight upstream riparian nations, Ethiopia, Eretria, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, Tanzania and Kenya are the source of approximately 86% of the water inputs to the Nile, while the two downstream riparian countries Sudan and Egypt, presently rely on the river's flow for most of the their needs. Both climate and agriculture contribute to the complicated nature of Nile River management: precipitation in the headwaters regions of Ethiopia and Lake Victoria is variable on a seasonal and inter-annual basis, while demand for irrigation water in the arid downstream region is consistently high. The Nile is, perhaps, one of the most difficult trans-boundary water issue in the world, and this study would be the first initiative to combine NASA satellite observations with the hydrologic models study the overall water balance in a to comprehensive manner. The cornerstone application of NASA's Earth Science Research Results under this project are the NASA Land Data Assimilation System (LDAS) and the USDA Atmosphere-land Exchange Inverse (ALEXI) model. These two complementary research results are methodologically independent methods for using NASA observations to support water resource analysis in data poor regions. Where an LDAS uses multiple sources of satellite data to inform prognostic simulations of hydrological process, ALEXI diagnoses evapotranspiration and water stress on the basis of thermal infrared satellite imagery. Specifically, this work integrates NASA Land Data Assimilation systems into the water management decision support systems that member countries of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) and Regional Center for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD, located in Nairobi, Kenya) use in water resource analysis, agricultural planning, and acute drought response to support sustainable development of Nile Basin water resources. The project is motivated by the recognition that accurate, frequent, and spatially distributed estimates of the water balance are necessary for effective water management. This creates a challenge for watersheds that are large, include data poor regions, and/or span multiple nations. All of these descriptors apply to the Nile River basin, yet successful management of the Nile is critical for development and political stability in the region. For this reason, improved hydrological data to support cooperative water management in the Nile basin is a priority for USAID, the US State Department, the World Bank and other international organizations. In this project, the U.S. based research team is working with partners at RCMRD, Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), and their member national-level agencies to develop satellite-based land cover maps, satellite-derived evapotranspiration estimates (using the ALEXI algorithm), and NASA's Land Data Assimilation System (LDAS) customized to match identified information needs. The cornerstone applied sciences product of the project is the development of a customized "Nile LDAS" that will produce optimal estimates of hydrological states and fluxes, as vetted against the in situ observations of NBI and RCMRD member organizations and independent satellite-derived hydrological estimates. Nile LDAS will be applied to improve the reliability of emerging Decision Support Systems in applications that include drought monitoring, reservoir management, and irrigation planning. The end-users such as RCMRD, NBI, Ethiopian and Kenya Meteorological and Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWSNet) will be the eventual benefactors of this work. There will be a capacity building process involving the above end-user organizations and transfer the models and the results for these organizations to execute for future use. The team has already initiated this study and the early results of first years' work are shown. The plan is to complete this work by late 2013.

Habib, Shahid↗
NASA NTRS2018

The Opera Instrument: An Advanced Curation Development for Mars Sample Return Organic Contamination Monitoring

Mars Sample Return (MSR) requires strict organic contamination control (CC) and contamination knowledge (CK) as outlined by the Mars 2020 Organic Contamination Panel (OCP). This includes a need to monitor surficial organic contamination to a ng/sq. cm sensitivity level. Archiving and maintaining this degree of surface cleanliness may be difficult but has been achieved. MSR's CK effort will be very important because all returned samples will be studied thoroughly and in minute detail. Consequently, accurate CK must be collected and characterized to best interpret scientific results from the returned samples. The CK data are not only required to make accurate measurements and interpretations for carbon-depleted martian samples, but also to strengthen the validity of science investigations performed on the samples. The Opera instrument prototype is intended to fulfill a CC/CK role in the assembly, cleaning, and overall contamination history of hardware used in the MSR effort, from initial hardware assembly through post-flight sample curation. Opera is intended to monitor particulate and organic contamination using quartz crystal microbalances (QCMs), in a self-contained portable package that is cleanroom-compliant. The Opera prototype is in initial development capable of approximately 100 ng/sq. cm organic contamination sensitivity, with additional development planned to achieve 1 ng/sq. cm. The Opera prototype was funded by the 2017 NASA Johnson Space Center Innovation Charge Account (ICA), which provides funding for small, short-term projects.

Fries, M. D.↗
NASA NTRS2024

The Peregrine Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer (PITMS) Investigation Development and Pre-Flight Planning

The Peregrine Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer (PITMS) is a mass spectrometer instrument that operated during the Astrobotic Peregrine Mission-1 as part of the NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. This paper describes the instrument and investigation design, development, and planning conducted by the PITMS team consisting of a successful partnership between NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), The Open University (OU), NASA, and ESA. PITMS was designed to measure the abundance and temporal variability of volatile species in the near-surface lunar exosphere from a landed platform on the lunar surface. The PITMS instrument consisted of an ESA-provided Exospheric Mass Spectrometer (EMS; including sensor, electronics, controller, power supply boards) and a GSFC wrapper that provided structural elements, thermal control, and a deployable dust cover. PITMS was designed to operate as a passive sampler, where ambient gases would enter PITMS through an aperture, diffuse around the mass analyzer cavity, become ionized by electron impact and trapped in a radiofrequency field, then sequentially released to a detector to build a mass spectrum. PITMS was capable of measuring species with a massto-charge ratio (m/z) from 10 to 150 Da, with a mass resolution of approximately 0.5 amu. The PITMS science investigation was planned to be operated by GSFC with an international team of scientists. Though the mission did not achieve its lunar landing, information about the PITMS instrument and planning is provided to be able to understand and effectively use data that will be forthcoming from the investigation.

Barbara Cohen↗
NASA NTRS2014

Development Testing and Subsequent Failure Investigation of a Spring Strut Mechanism

Commodities are transferred between the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) crew module (CM) and service module (SM) via an external umbilical that is driven apart with spring-loaded struts after the structural connection is severed. The spring struts must operate correctly for the modules to separate safely. There was no vibration testing of strut development units scoped in the MPCV Program Plan; therefore, any design problems discovered as a result of vibration testing would not have been found until the component qualification. The NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) and Lockheed Martin (LM) performed random vibration testing on a single spring strut development unit to assess its ability to withstand qualification level random vibration environments. Failure of the strut while exposed to random vibration resulted in a follow-on failure investigation, design changes, and additional development tests. This paper focuses on the results of the failure investigations including identified lessons learned and best practices to aid in future design iterations of the spring strut and to help other mechanism developers avoid similar pitfalls.

Dervan, Jared↗
NASA NTRS1996

NASA's Advanced Life Support Systems Human-Rated Test Facility

Future NASA missions to explore the solar system will be long-duration missions, requiring human life support systems which must operate with very high reliability over long periods of time. Such systems must be highly regenerative, requiring minimum resupply, to enable the crews to be largely self-sufficient. These regenerative life support systems will use a combination of higher plants, microorganisms, and physicochemical processes to recycle air and water, produce food, and process wastes. A key step in the development of these systems is establishment of a human-rated test facility specifically tailored to evaluation of closed, regenerative life supports systems--one in which long-duration, large-scale testing involving human test crews can be performed. Construction of such a facility, the Advanced Life Support Program's (ALS) Human-Rated Test Facility (HRTF), has begun at NASA's Johnson Space Center, and definition of systems and development of initial outfitting concepts for the facility are underway. This paper will provide an overview of the HRTF project plan, an explanation of baseline configurations, and descriptive illustrations of facility outfitting concepts.

NASA Discipline Number 61-10↗
NASA NTRS1987

Artificial intelligence and space power systems automation

Various applications of artificial intelligence to space electrical power systems are discussed. An overview is given of completed, on-going, and planned knowledge-based system activities. These applications include the Nickel-Cadmium Battery Expert System (NICBES) (the expert system interfaced with the Hubble Space Telescope electrical power system test bed); the early work with the Space Station Experiment Scheduler (SSES); the three expert systems under development in the space station advanced development effort in the core module power management and distribution system test bed; planned cooperation of expert systems in the Core Module Power Management and Distribution (CM/PMAD) system breadboard with expert systems for the space station at other research centers; and the intelligent data reduction expert system under development.

Weeks, David J.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Space Transportation System Payloads Data and Analysis

The background, current developments and future plans for the Space Transportation System Payloads Data and Analysis (SPDA) activities at Marshall Space Flight Center are reviewed. It is shown how the payload data bank and future planned activities will interface with the payloads community and Space Transportation System designers. The interfaces with the STS data base include NASA planning, international planning, payload design, shuttle design, user agencies planning and information, and OMB, Congress and others.

Peterson, J. D.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Analysis of the nonvented fill of a 4.96-cubic-meter lightweight liquid hydrogen tank

As part of its development of cryogenic fluid management techniques for spacecraft, the NASA Lewis Research Center Cryogenic Fluid Technology Office (CFTO) is planning to perform ground tests of nonvented fill techniques on a 4.96-cubic-meter lightweight liquid hydrogen tank. This tank is similar in size and shape to the tankage planned for CFTO's COLD-SAT liquid hydrogen flight experiment. The analyses used to select two injection systems are presented for nonvented fills of this tank at design flow rates between 220 and 450 kg/hr. The first system uses multiple nozzles spraying from the top of the tank through the ullage space. This system should be capable of liquid fill levels in excess of 95 percent. The second system injects the liquid through a submerged nozzle and should produce fill levels on the order of 80 percent liquid.

Chato, David J.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Software Reuse Issues

NASA Langley Research Center sponsored a Workshop on NASA Research in Software Reuse on November 17-18, 1988 in Melbourne, Florida, hosted by Software Productivity Solutions, Inc. Participants came from four NASA centers and headquarters, eight NASA contractor companies, and three research institutes. Presentations were made on software reuse research at the four NASA centers; on Eli, the reusable software synthesis system designed and currently under development by SPS; on Space Station Freedom plans for reuse; and on other reuse research projects. This publication summarizes the presentations made and the issues discussed during the workshop.

Voigt, Susan J.↗
NASA NTRS1993

The geo-control system for station keeping and colocation of geostationary satellites

GeoControl is a compact but powerful and accurate software system for station keeping of single and colocated satellites, which has been developed at the German Space Operations Center. It includes four core modules for orbit determination (including maneuver estimation), maneuver planning, monitoring of proximities between colocated satellites, and interference and event prediction. A simple database containing state vector and maneuver information at selected epochs is maintained as a central interface between the modules. A menu driven shell utilizing form screens for data input serves as the central user interface. The software is written in Ada and FORTRAN and may be used on VAX workstations or mainframes under the VMS operating system.

Montenbruck, O.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Center for Advanced Computational Technology

The Center for Advanced Computational Technology (ACT) was established to serve as a focal point for diverse research activities pertaining to application of advanced computational technology to future aerospace systems. These activities include the use of numerical simulations, artificial intelligence methods, multimedia and synthetic environments, and computational intelligence, in the modeling, analysis, sensitivity studies, optimization, design and operation of future aerospace systems. The Center is located at NASA Langley and is an integral part of the School of Engineering and Applied Science of the University of Virginia. The Center has four specific objectives: 1) conduct innovative research on applications of advanced computational technology to aerospace systems; 2) act as pathfinder by demonstrating to the research community what can be done (high-potential, high-risk research); 3) help in identifying future directions of research in support of the aeronautical and space missions of the twenty-first century; and 4) help in the rapid transfer of research results to industry and in broadening awareness among researchers and engineers of the state-of-the-art in applications of advanced computational technology to the analysis, design prototyping and operations of aerospace and other high-performance engineering systems. In addition to research, Center activities include helping in the planning and coordination of the activities of a multi-center team of NASA and JPL researchers who are developing an intelligent synthesis environment for future aerospace systems; organizing workshops and national symposia; as well as writing state-of-the-art monographs and NASA special publications on timely topics.

Noor, Ahmed K.↗