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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 343 records · Page 19
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1979

Phase 1 of the First Small Power System Experiment (engineering Experiment No. 1). Volume 2: System Concept Selection

The development of a modular solar thermal power system for application in the 1 to 10 MWe range is presented. The system is used in remote utility applications, small communities, rural areas, and for industrial uses. Systems design and systems optimization studies are conducted which consider plant size, annual capacity factors, and startup time as variables. Investigations are performed on the energy storage requirements and type of energy storage, concentrator design and field optimization, energy transport, and power conversion subsystems. The system utilizes a Rankine cycle, an axial flow steam turbine for power conversion, and heat transfer sodium for collector fluid.

Holl, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Phase 1 of the First Small Power System Experiment (engineering Experiment No. 1). Volume 4: Commercial System Definition

The development and design of a modular solar thermal power system for application in the 1 to 10 MWe range is described. The system is used in remote utility applications, small communities, rural areas, and for industrial uses. The operational reliability, the minimum risk of failure, and the maintenance and repair characteristics are determined and the commercial system design is defined.

Holl, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Phase 1 of the First Small Power System Experiment (engineering Experiment No. 1). Volume 5: Supporting Analyses and Trade Studies

The development and design of a modular solar thermal power system for application in the 1 to 10 MWe range is described. The system is used in remote utility applications, small communities, rural areas, and for industrial uses. Thermal and stress analyses are performed on the collector subsystem, energy storage subsystem, energy transport subsystem, the power conversion subsystem, and the plant control subsystem.

Holl, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Government/industry response to questionnaire on space mechanisms/tribology technology needs

President Bush has proposed that the U.S. undertake an ambitious mission of manned and robotic exploration of the solar system. This mission will require advanced mechanical moving components, such as bearings, gears, seals, lubricants, etc. There has been concern in the NASA community that the current technology level in these mechanical component/tribology areas may not be adequate to meet the goals of such a mission. To attempt to answer this, NASA-Lewis has sent out a questionnaire to government and industry workers (who have been involved in space mechanism research, design, and implementation) to ask their opinion if the current space mechanisms technology (mechanical components/tribology) is adequate to meet future NASA Missions needs and goals. If they deemed that the technology base inadequate, they were asked to specify the areas of greatest need. The unedited remarks of those who responded to the survey are presented.

Fusaro, Robert L.↗
NASA NTRS1992

The Optical Properties Monitor (OPM): a Multipurpose Optical Laboratory in Space

The Optical Properties Monitor (OPM) is a multifunction in-flight laboratory for in-situ optical studies of materials. Many independent and related studies can be carried out on EURECA with the OPM instruments to address the experiment objectives. Test samples will be selected to address the materials and issues of the greatest interest to NASA, ESA, DoD, and the aerospace community. The objective of the OPM program is to study the effects of the space environment, both natural and induced, on optical, thermal control, solar array, and other materials.

Wilkes, Donald R.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Space exploration - Scientific and technological aspects

NASA's current plans for solar system exploration are summarized, focusing on the robotic missions planned for the next decade. The areas in which these mission engage the legal community as regards planetary protection, launch and use in space of nuclear materials, and possession of planetary resources by telepresence are considered.

Pilcher, Carl B.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Critical Evaluation of Chemical Reaction Rates and Collision Cross Sections of Importance in the Earth's Upper Atmosphere and the Atmospheres of Other Planets, Moons, and Comets

We propose to establish a long-term program of critical evaluation by domain experts of the rates and cross sections for atomic and molecular processes that are needed for understanding and modeling the atmospheres in the solar system. We envision data products resembling those of the JPL/NASA Panel for Data Evaluation and the similar efforts of the international combustion modeling community funded by US DoE and its European counterpart.

Huestis, David L.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Next Generation Grating Spectrometer Sounders for LEO and GEO

AIRS and MODIS are widely used for weather, climate, composition, carbon cycle, cross-calibration, and applications. The community asking for new capability in the 2020 timeframe, capabilities desired: (1) Hyperspectral UV to LWIR, High Spatial ?1km IFOV (2) Maximize Synergies of Solar Reflected and IR. Synergies with OCO-2. We expect more users and applications of next gen LEO IR Sounder than GEO. These include: weather, climate, GHG monitoring, aviation, disaster response. There is a new direction for imagers and sounders: (1) Separate Vis/NIR/SWIR from MWIR/LWIR instruments reduces technology risk and complexity. (2) Expect Costs to be lower than CrIS & VIIRS Some additional ideas to reduce costs include: (1) minimum set of requirements (2) mini-grating spectrometers. supports constellation for higher revisit (3) new technology to reduce instrument size (large format fpa's) (4) hosted payloads

Hyperspectral↗
NASA NTRS2013

Examples of Optical Assessment of Surface Cleanliness of Genesis Samples

Optical microscope assessment of Genesis solar wind collector surfaces is a coordinated part of the effort to obtain an assessed clean subset of flown wafer material for the scientific community. Microscopic survey is typically done at 50X magnification at selected approximately 1 square millimeter areas on the fragment surface. This survey is performed each time a principle investigator (PI) returns a sample to JSC for documentation as part of the established cleaning plan. The cleaning plan encompasses sample handling and analysis by Genesis science team members, and optical survey is done at each step in the process. Sample surface cleaning is performed at JSC (ultrapure water [1] and UV ozone cleaning [2]) and experimentally by other science team members (acid etch [3], acetate replica peels [4], CO2 snow [5], etc.). The documentation of each cleaning method can potentially be assessed with optical observation utilizing Image Pro Plus software [6]. Differences in particle counts can be studied and discussed within analysis groups. Approximately 25 samples have been identified as part of the cleaning matrix effort to date.

Rodriquez, Melissa C.↗
NASA NTRS2016

The James Webb Space Telescope's Plan for Operations and Instrument Capabilities for Observations in the Solar System

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is optimized for observations in the near- and mid-infrared and will provide essential observations for targets that cannot be conducted from the ground or other missions during its lifetime. The state-of-the-art science instruments, along with the telescopeʼs moving target tracking, will enable the infrared study, with unprecedented detail, for nearly every object (Mars and beyond) in the Solar System. The goals of this special issue are to stimulate discussion and encourage participation in JWST planning among members of the planetary science community. Key science goals for various targets, observing capabilities for JWST, and highlights for the complementary nature with other missions/observatories are described in this paper.

Milam, Stefanie N.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Radar Measurements of the LEO Orbital Debris Environment

Access to space and the preservation of the near-Earth space environment is of critical significance. Increased interest in issues surrounding space traffic management and the continued assessment and discussion of orbital debris at the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) illustrates the significance of the topic of orbital debris. There are currently over 20,000 tracked objects in the publicly available satellite catalog on Space-Track.org. The catalog is maintained by the US Air Force Space Command using a network of optical and radar ground-based sensors and is believed to be complete for a characteristic size of 10 cm or larger in low Earth orbit (LEO). Based on the work of the NASA Orbital Debris Program Office (ODPO) over approximately the past 40 years it is understood that the small debris population (< 10 cm) increases by orders of magnitude as characteristic size decreases. With population estimates ranging from 500,000 to 1,000,000 small debris objects (> 5 mm) in orbit, it is currently not practical to track and maintain precision orbits on every object. Instead the NASA ODPO uses powerful ground-based radars to sample the low Earth Orbit (LEO) environment and assign approximate orbits to each detection. This poses an interesting signal processing challenge as we are trying to detect the smallest objects possible on the edge of the radar's sensitivity. For approximately the last 30 years, NASA ODPO has partnered with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory (MIT/LL) to utilize the Haystack Ultra-wideband Satellite Imaging Radar (HUSIR - formerly the Long-Range Imaging Radar or simply Haystack) and the Haystack Auxiliary (HAX) radar to collect orbital debris radar data. Additionally, the ODPO collaborates with the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to use the Goldstone Solar System Radar. The orbital debris detections from these radars serve as inputs for statistical risk models used by the human spaceflight and satellite communities to assess risk to spacecraft posed by orbital debris. In this paper, we will describe the history of orbital debris radar measurements conducted by NASA, provide an overview of current radar measurements techniques and facilities, discuss the signal processing software used for orbital debris measurements and the inference of debris size and orbital parameters from these measurements, and discuss how orbital debris radar measurements are validated for use in models that are used throughout the aerospace industry.

Blackwell, Chris↗
NASA NTRS2018

Next-Generation Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator Study

Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs) have been used to power NASA missions of various types throughout the past five decades. The most recent RTG iteration, used for NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory, is the Multi-Mission RTG (MMRTG), which is currently the only spaceflight-qualified system available. The U.S. planetary science community has expressed a desire for more power system options to be available to accommodate a range of ambitious future mission concepts across the solar system. Recent advancements in thermoelectric (TE) materials technology have raised a potential for significantly increased efficiency in future RTGs, which helped spur a recent in-depth NASA study of options for future systems. A “next-generation” RTG study was conducted to develop new RTG concepts that could meet the needs of planetary science missions through the 2030s and beyond. A Next-Generation RTG would aim to extend the types of potential NASA missions able to be supported, while fulfilling requirements related to technical risk and schedule. In this study, 21 potential thermoelectric couple configurations were analyzed by considering various high-performance, high-temperature TE materials and segmentation techniques that maximize convertor efficiency and power density. System modularity was explored, and found to be a promising means to offer improved flexibility for NASA mission concepts with varying scope and power requirements. This paper presents the results of the study, demonstrating the viability of developing an updated RTG system design, and defining conceptual system approaches for a new, potentially revolutionary RTG.

Matthes, Christopher S. R.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Jet Propulsion Laboratory: Annual Report 2006

Nothing is as gratifying in space exploration as when we are surprised by the unexpected. Much of our work progresses in an orderly way, from concept to plan to creation to finding. But now and then we are caught off-guard by something startlingly new, and it is these moments that make our hearts race and leave us with many of our most compelling memories. And 2006 was an exceptional year for the unforeseen. One of our orbiters shocked many with stark proof that liquid water, the seemingly long-gone force that reshaped so much of the scenery of Mars, still flows there today,at least in occasional bursts. Another spacecraft caught us by surprise with photos of Yellowstone-like geysers on one of Saturn's seemingly nondescript moons, Enceladus. A spaceborne observatory created to plumb the life histories of stars and galaxies showed off a completely unexpected talent when it revealed the day and night faces of a fire and ice planet far beyond our solar system 40 light-years away. A newly launched Earth observer revealed that the clouds that decorate our own planet are not what we thought them to be in many ways. Of course, not all of the high points of the year arrived on our doorstep in such unexpected ways. There was also great drama when missions came off exactly as planned, such as when Stardust's sample return capsule made a flawless landing in the Utah desert, bringing home samples of cometary and interstellar dust. Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter slipped into orbit around the red planet exactly as planned. Numerous other missions and technology programs likewise made great achievements during the year. In all, 17 spacecraft and six instruments were stationed across the solar system, studying our own world, other planets, comets and the deeper universe. All of these achievements were enabled by many teams and systems at the Laboratory. The Deep Space Network of communications complexes across three continents supported all of NASA's solar system missions, and several from our international partners, while looking ahead to reinvent itself for the future. Technologists were at work creating innovations both for NASA missions and terrestrial uses. JPL's community of scientific researchers was equally busy coordinating the science activities of our missions and pursuing independent investigations. None of this would be possible without the support of business and administrative teams dedicated to making the Laboratory's institutional environment as world-class as its technical face, or the public engagement specialists who bring the experience of space to the country's diverse publics. All of our missions in one way or another support our nation's Vision for Space Exploration, which envisages a gradually widening robotic and human presence across the solar system in the years ahead.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NAS↗
NASA NTRS2010

Development of a Solar Array Drive Assembly for CubeSat

Small satellites and in particular CubeSats, have increasingly become more viable as platforms for payloads typically requiring much larger bus structures. As advances in technology make payloads and instruments for space missions smaller, lighter and more power efficient, a niche market is emerging from the university community to perform rapidly developed, low-cost missions on very small spacecraft - micro, nano, and picosatellites. In just the last few years, imaging, biological and new technology demonstration missions have been either proposed or have flown using variations of the CubeSat structure as a basis. As these missions have become more complex, and the CubeSat standard has increased in both size (number of cubes) and mass, available power has become an issue. Body-mounted solar cells provide a minimal amount of power; deployable arrays improve on that baseline but are still limited. To truly achieve maximum power, deployed tracked arrays are necessary. To this end, Honeybee Robotics Spacecraft Mechanisms Corporation, along with MMA of Nederland Colorado, has developed a solar array drive assembly (SADA) and deployable solar arrays specifically for CubeSat missions. In this paper, we discuss the development of the SADA.

Passaretti, Mike↗
NASA NTRS2003

Strategies to Support Exploration of Mars' Surface

Surface Visible infrared spectroscopy has a long history of providing fundamental compositional discoveries in the solar system. However, we are entering a new era of Mars exploration in which missions will take place nearly every 2 years.The visible infrared spectral community thus faces a more rapid influx in data volume and variety than it has previously handled.Visible- infrared instruments are on the 1996 Mars Global Surveyor, 2001 Mars Odyssey 2003 Mars Exploration Rovers, 2003 Mars Express, 2005 Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter; and likely on the 2007 and 2009 missions. Interpretations of those data sets provide a critical foundation for geologic and climatic interpretations as well as an opportunity to select landing sites.

Kirkland, L.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Charge Analyzer Responsive Local Oscillations

The first transatlantic radio transmission, demonstrated by Marconi in December of 1901, revealed the essential role of the ionosphere for radio communications. This ionized layer of the upper atmosphere controls the amount of radio power transmitted through, reflected off of, and absorbed by the atmospheric medium. Low-frequency radio signals can propagate long distances around the globe via repeated reflections off of the ionosphere and the Earth's surface. Higher frequency radio signals can punch through the ionosphere to be received at orbiting satellites. However, any turbulence in the ionosphere can distort these signals, compromising the performance or even availability of space-based communication and navigations systems. The physics associated with this distortion effect is analogous to the situation when underwater images are distorted by convecting air bubbles. In fact, these ionospheric features are often called 'plasma bubbles' since they exhibit some of the similar behavior as underwater air bubbles. These events, instigated by solar and geomagnetic storms, can cause communication and navigation outages that last for hours. To help understand and predict these outages, a world-wide community of space scientists and technologists are devoted to researching this topic. One aspect of this research is to develop instruments capable of measuring the ionospheric plasma bubbles. Figure 1 shows a photo of the Charge Analyzer Responsive to Local Oscillations (CARLO), a new instrument under development at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). It is a frequency-domain ion spectrum analyzer designed to measure the distributions of ionospheric turbulence from 1 Hz to 10 kHz (i.e., spatial scales from a few kilometers down to a few centimeters). This frequency range is important since it focuses on turbulence scales that affect VHF/UHF satellite communications, GPS systems, and over-the-horizon radar systems. CARLO is based on the flight-proven Plasma Local Anomalous Noise Environment (PLANE) instrument, previously flown on a U.S. Air Force low-Earth orbiting satellite, which successfully measured ion turbulence in five frequency decades from 0.1 Hz to 10 kHz (fig 2).

Krause, Linda Habash↗
NASA NTRS2018

Air Quality Satellite Monitoring by TROPOMI on Sentinel-5P

The recently launched Sentinel satellite mission, the Sentinel-5 Precursor (Sentinel-5P), is one of the European Space Agency's (ESA) new mission family – Sentinels. The sole payload on Sentinel-5P is the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI), a nadir-viewing 108⁰ field-of-view push-broom grating hyperspectral spectrometer, covering the wavelengths of ultraviolet-visible (270 nm - 495 nm), near infrared (675 nm - 775 nm), and shortwave infrared (2305 nm - 2385 nm). Sentinel-5P is the first of the Atmospheric Composition Sentinels, and is providing measurements of atmospheric chemistry, aerosols, and clouds at high spatial, temporal, and spectral resolution. The NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC) supports over a thousand data collections in the focus areas of Atmospheric Composition, Water & Energy Cycles, and Climate Variability. Sentinel-5P TROPOMI Level-1B (L1B) and Level-2 (L2) products are curated at the GES DISC. Sentinel-5P data are provided by the European Union and the European Space Agency (ESA) through an agreement between ESA and NASA. Through its convenient and enhanced tools/services, such as OPeNDAP and L2 Subsetting, GES DISC offers the air quality remote sensing user community facile solutions for using complex Earth science data and applications. This presentation will demonstrate up-to-date TROPOMI products including EarthView (EV) radiance, solar irradiance, Aerosol Index, Carbon Monoxide, Total column Ozone, Nitrogen Dioxide, and cloud, as well as easy ways to access, visualize and subset TROPOMI data.

TROPOMI↗
NASA NTRS2002

NASA Technology Investments in Electric Propulsion: New Directions in the New Millennium

The last decade was a period of unprecedented acceptance of NASA developed electric propulsion by the user community. The benefits of high performance electric propulsion systems are now widely recognized, and new technologies have been accepted across the commonly. NASA clearly recognizes the need for new, high performance, electric propulsion technologies for future solar system missions and is sponsoring aggressive efforts in this area. These efforts are mainly conducted under the Office of Aerospace Technology. Plans over the next six years include the development of next generation ion thrusters for end of decade missions. Additional efforts are planned for the development of very high power thrusters, including magnetoplasmadynamic, pulsed inductive, and VASIMR, and clusters of Hall thrusters. In addition to the in-house technology efforts, NASA continues to work closely with both supplier and user communities to maximize the acceptance of new technology in a timely and cost-effective manner. This paper provides an overview of NASA's activities in the area of electric propulsion with an emphasis on future program directions.

Sankovic, John M.↗