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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 37 records · Page 2

Benefits of Trash-to-Gas Versus Jettison of Waste Via Trash-Lock for Mars Transit

Human exploration missions to Mars pose difficulties due to the significant waste that will be generated during transit, which will need to be carried along or disposed of in some fashion. Waste removal from the spacecraft decreases the spacecraft’s mass as well as the associated logistic items necessary for storing the waste. A mission propellant analysis was performed to highlight the mass benefits that may be accessed via waste removal. The propellant mass savings were determined for different waste removal rates (2.9 – 11.6 kg/day) with the highest removal rate leading to the greatest propellant savings of 7,785 kg for an 850-day round-trip mission. Due to these benefits, two methods for waste reduction were studied for the 850-day Mars mission: Trash-to-Gas (TtG) and physical jettison via a trash-lock. The trash-to-gas methods considered were combustion, steam reforming, and pyrolysis, which convert waste into ventable gases (e.g., CO2, CO, CH4, etc.). Combustion and steam reforming require a co-reactant (O2 and/or H2O). Therefore, additional processing units or integration with the spacecraft’s environmental control and life support system (ECLSS) are required to facilitate recycle of the pertinent species. In contrast, pyrolysis is a purely thermal degradation process, which can operate as a standalone system; however, a lower percentage of waste is gasified with pyrolysis. The study herein compares standalone TtG (e.g., Advanced Organic Waste Gasifier, Plasma Pyrolysis, etc.), integrated TtG-ECLSS (e.g., Orbital Syngas Commodity Augmentation Reactor, Incineration/Gasification, etc.), and physical jettison. Each system’s mass, volume, power, and cooling requirements were compared via an equivalent system mass (ESM) analysis to ascertain potentially promising technologies that can achieve efficient waste removal while minimizing their own spacecraft load. This study highlights the advantages and disadvantages of the different waste management technologies and provides recommendations on the promising technologies based on the ESM metric and propellant mass savings.

Jettison↗

Wind-tunnel simulation of store jettison with the aid of magnetic artificial gravity

A method employed in the simulation of jettison of stores from aircraft involving small scale wind-tunnel drop tests from a model of the parent aircraft is described. Proper scaling of such experiments generally dictates that the gravitational acceleration should ideally be a test variable. A method of introducing a controllable artificial component of gravity by magnetic means has been proposed. The use of a magnetic artificial gravity facility based upon this idea, in conjunction with small scale wind-tunnel drop tests, would improve the accuracy of simulation. A review of the scaling laws as they apply to the design of such a facility is presented. The design constraints involved in the integration of such a facility with a wind tunnel are defined. A detailed performance analysis procedure applicable to such a facility is developed. A practical magnet configuration is defined which is capable of controlling the strength and orientation of the magnetic artificial gravity field in the vertical plane, thereby allowing simulation of store jettison from a diving or climbing aircraft. The factors involved in the choice between continuous or intermittent operation of the facility, and the use of normal or superconducting magnets, are defined.

Stephens, T.↗

First heated jettison test on the Centaur standard shroud

The first in a planned series of heated jettison tests on the Centaur Standard Shround was conducted at NASA Plum Brook Station's Space Power Facility on November 19, 1973. The first 250-second portion of the test sequence involved heating the shroud with a specially-built fixture designed to provide a simulation of the heating environment encountered by the shroud during its ascent through the earth's atmosphere. The two heater halves, which were mounted on a rail system, were then retracted. This was followed by the jettison of the two shroud halves into catch nets positioned at 90 deg to the heater rails. The condition which made this test unique compared to the planned subsequent tests was the location of the maximum thermal line at 32 deg from the shroud separation plane. Information on the test hardware, configuration, and sequence is presented. Shroud thermal and deflection data encountered during the heating portion of the test sequence is compared with free-skin design temperatures in various graphical formats.

Source record↗

Second heated jettison test on the Centaur standard shroud

The second in a planned series of heated jettison tests on the Centaur Standard Shroud was conducted on January 16, 1974. The first 250-second portion of the test sequence involved heating the shroud with a specially-built fixture designed to provide a simulation of the heating environment encountered by the shroud during its ascent through the earth's atmosphere. The two heater halves, which were mounted on a rail system, were then retracted. This was followed by the jettison of the two shroud halves into catch nets positioned at 90 deg to the heater rails. The condition which made this test unique compared to the others in the test series was the alignment of the maximum thermal line with the shroud separation plane. Information on the test hardware, configuration, and sequence is presented. Shroud thermal and deflection data encountered during the heating portion of the test sequence are compared with free-skin design temperatures in various graphical formats.

Source record↗

The design and development of a mounting and jettison assembly for the shuttle orbiter advanced gimbal system

This paper describes the requirements, design development, and qualification of the mounting and jettison assembly (MJA) which serves as the base structure for the advanced gimbal system (AGS) developed for NASA, Marshall Space Flight Center, for use during shuttle missions. An engineering model of the MJA has been built and subjected to the following testing: stiffness and modal characterization, sine and random vibration, and a jettison function and energy release. A qualitative summary of the results and the problems encountered during testing, together with the design solutions, is presented.

Korzeniowski, E. S.↗

Jettison system for a large inflatable antenna

This paper describes a jettison system used to separate a large, inflatable-deployable antenna from a free-flying spacecraft. The jettison system consists of four discrete Marman band clamps, released simultaneously via pyrotechnics. The design, analysis, analytical simulation, and testing of the system are discussed. Of particular note is the correlation of test results with the Marman band design calculations.

Jarosz, Don↗

Development of an analytical transient evacuation model for the fairing jettison process

A general, lumped-parameter, control volume equation is developed to describe the rapid loss of pressure associated with a launch vehicle fairing jettison event in its initial phase. Beginning with a general mass conservation statement, a sonic constraint is applied to the expanding gap between receding fairing halves to produce a statement for transient density. This is related to fairing pressure by assuming the expansion may be described by a polytropic process. A generic, single-step, lateral fairing half separation case is created and explored for illustrative purposes.

Fairing depressurization↗

Development of an analytical transient evacuation model for the fairing jettison process

A general, lumped-parameter, control volume equation is developed to describe the rapid loss of pressure associated with a launch vehicle fairing jettison event in its initial phase. Beginning with a general mass conservation statement, a sonic constraint is applied to the expanding gap between receding fairing halves to produce a statement for transient density. This is related to fairing pressure by assuming the expansion may be described by a polytropic process. A generic, single-step, lateral fairing half separation case is created and explored for illustrative purposes.

fairing depressurization↗

Development of an Analytical Transient Evacuation Model for the Fairing Jettison Process

A general, lumped-parameter, control volume equation is developed to describe the rapid loss of pressure associated with a launch vehicle fairing jettison event in its initial phase. Beginning with a general mass conservation statement, a sonic constraint is applied to the expanding gap between receding fairing halves to produce a statement for transient density. This is related to fairing pressure by assuming the expansion may be described by a polytropic process. A generic, single-step, lateral fairing half separation case is created and explored for illustrative purposes.

fairing depressurization, jettison, venting↗

Jettisoning system for a parachute's canister

Three-point automatically released suspension and jettisoning system operates independently of lander's power system and releases parachute on touchdown. The system is based on a ball-lock device operated by the shock of the parachute's opening and by the subsequent decay in the load on the main cord.

Lonborg, J. O.↗