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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 433 records · Page 24

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NASA NTRS1973

Flight experience with Apollo spacecraft propulsion systems

Apollo 17 ended the most successful application of rocket propulsion systems in man's history. A total of 23 developmental and manned operational flights were made. Seven hundred and sixty-three spacecraft rocket engines were flown in the program. Over 6 h of manned rocket flights were logged by the spacecraft propulsion systems and approximately one million rocket engine firings were made. One engine failure was encountered on an early unmanned flight as a result of a failure in the guidance programmer which caused the engine to operate in a manner known to cause failures. Numerous operational problems and malfunctions were observed; however, system and component redundancy prevented loss of mission objectives and never jeopardized crew safety. Performance of all systems was usually nominal and most problems were merely nuisances. This paper will present some highlights of Apollo propulsion performance and will provide a bibliography of all flight results.

Thibodaux, J. G., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Skylab Fluid Mechanics Simulations: Oscillation, Rotation, Collision and Coalescence of Water Droplets Under Low-Gravity Environment

Skylab 4 crew members performed a series of demonstrations showing the oscillations, rotations, as well as collision coalescence of water droplets which simulate various physical models of fluids under low gravity environment. The results from Skylab demonstrations provide information and illustrate the potential of an orbiting space-oriented research laboratory for the study of more sophisticated fluid mechanic experiments. Experiments and results are discussed.

Otha H Vaughan, Jr↗

NASA NTRS1975

Apollo Soyuz Mission: 5-Day Report

The Apollo Soyuz Test Project mission objectives and technical investigations are summarized. Topics discussed include: spacecraft and crew systems performance; joint flight activities; scientific and applications experiments; in-flight demonstrations; biomedical considerations; and mission support performance.

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NASA NTRS1976

Applications Study of Aero-Maneuvering Orbit-to-Orbit Shuttle (AMOOS), Executive Summary

Preliminary designs and the supporting analysis for both the Aeromaneuvering Orbit-to-Orbit Shuttle (AMOOS) and the Aeromaneuvering Recovery System (AMRS) are presented. The AMOOS design is shown to yield from twice to almost three times the high energy, round-trip payloads as a purely propulsive vehicle of the same weight. Typically AMOOS can perform a crew rotation mission to equatorial geosynchronous orbit in one space shuttle launch. The flight test program analysis modeled parameters such as maximum dynamic pressure, heating rates, guidance, stability and recovery. Two model flight schedules were developed, one consisting of four flights and the other of two flights. The former is considered a very low risk, high information return program whereas the latter is a minimal cost program consistent with reasonable data returns and chance of success. The AMOOS and AMRS guidance scheme developed using linear regulator theory proved a precise and accurate guidance scheme. Both it and a classical linear system's based scheme were evaluated using 65 simulated trajectories in which the position in the entry corridor and the atmospheric density were varied randomly.

White, J.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Flight control experiences

A multidisciplinary medical-management team at mission control provided Skylab crew support by monitoring health, retrieving and compiling experimental data, assisting in the development of flight plans, and by contributing to in-flight procedures and checklists. Real time computers assisted the flight crews in performing medical and other experiments.

Musgrave, F. S.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Task and work performance on Skylab missions 2, 3, and 4: Time and motion study: Experiment M151

Human task performance was evaluated under weightlessness conditions during long duration space flight in order to study the characteristics of the adaptation function. Results show that despite pronounced variability in training schedules and in initial reaction to the Skylab environment, in-flight task performance was relatively equivalent among Skylab crews, and behavioral performance continued to improve from beginning to end of all missions.

Kubis, J. F.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Crew procedures and workload of retrofit concepts for microwave landing system

Crew procedures and workload for Microwave Landing Systems (MLS) that could be retrofitted into existing transport aircraft were evaluated. Two MLS receiver concepts were developed. One is capable of capturing a runway centerline and the other is capable of capturing a segmented approach path. Crew procedures were identified and crew task analyses were performed using each concept. Crew workload comparisons were made between the MLS concepts and an ILS baseline using a task-timeline workload model. Workload indexes were obtained for each scenario. The results showed that workload was comparable to the ILS baseline for the MLS centerline capture concept, but significantly higher for the segmented path capture concept.

Summers, Leland G.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Trends and individual differences in response to short-haul flight operations

A survey of airline pilots was undertaken to determine normative patterns and individual differences in mood and sleep during short-haul flight operations. The results revealed that over the course of a typical 2-d trip, pilots experience a decline in positive mood, or activity, and an increase in negative mood, or tension. On layovers, pilots report experiencing sleep of shorter duration and poorer quality than at home. These patterns are very similar to those reported by Gander and Graeber (1987) and by Gander et al. (1988), using high-fidelity sleep and activity monitoring equipment. Examination of the impact of two personality dimensions extracted from the Jenkins Activity Survey measure of the Type A personality, Achievement Striving and Impatience/Irritability, suggested that Impatience/Irritability may serve as a marker of individuals most likely to experience health-related problems on trips. Achievement Striving may serve as a predictor of performance in crew settings.

Chidester, Thomas R.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Aircrew decision-making behavior in hazardous weather avoidance

A study was conducted to assess the situation awareness and decision-making behavior of aircrews in a line-oriented simulation of the microburst/windshear encounter which occurred on July 11, 1988, at the Denver Stapleton Airport as affected by the manner in which information available at different times and in different forms. Intracrew communications and approach-to-land decisions were evaluated with conventional ATC communications and with automated cockpit alerting and display of weather information. It was found that the avoidance dicision-making performance of aircrews provided only with conventional ATC transmissions of weather information was significantly less efficient than the performance of crews provided with a visual display of microburst events.

Lee, Alfred T.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Crew considerations in the design for Space Station Freedom modules on-orbit maintenance

The paper presents an approach to the maintenance process currently planned for the Space Station Freedom modules. In particular, it describes the planned crew interfaces with maintenance items, and the anticipated implications for the crew in performing the interior and exterior maintenance of modules developed by U.S., ESA, and NASDA. Special consideration is given to the maintenance requirements, allocations, and approach; the maintenance design; the Maintenance Workstation; the robotic mechanisms; and the developemnt of maintenance techniques.

Stokes, Jack W.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Infectious disease

This is a collection of viewgraphs on the Johnson Space Center's work on infectious disease. It addresses their major concern over outbreaks of infectious disease that could jeopardize the health, safety and/or performance of crew members engaged in long duration space missions. The Antarctic environment is seen as an analogous location on Earth and a good place to carry out such infectious disease studies and methods for proposed studies as suggested.

Pierson, Duane L.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Use of infrared telemetry as part of a nonintrusive inflight data collection system to collect human factors data

The objective of this paper is to present a methodology and rationale for development of a Nonintrusive Inflight Data Collection System (NIDCS) to collect Human Factors (HF) data during a space mission. These data will enable the research team to identify and resolve issues. This paper will present the background and history of the NIDCS, the methodology and techniques employed versus those in current use on Earth, initial results of the effort--including a brief description of the equipment, and, finally, a discussion of the scientific importance and possible future applications of this system elsewhere. The schema for the NIDCS includes a collection of three types of data: behavioral, physiological, and biomechanical. These will be collected using videotape of crew members' activities, bioelectric signal measurement, and measurement of kinematics and kinetics, respectively. This paper will focus on the second type of data, physiological activity as determined by changes in bioelectric potentials as crew members perform daily assignments.

Micocci, Angelo↗

NASA NTRS1994

La Chalupa-30: Lessons learned from a 30-day subsea mission analogue

The Behavior and Performance Laboratory (BPL) utilizes space mission analogs to study issues such as the psychological health and well-being, team characteristics, and task performance of crew members on long-duration missions. The analog used in this investigation was an underwater habitat named La Chalupa, which was selected for its similar features to a space station environment. The primary objectives of the La Chalupa-30 investigation were to evaluate the efficiency of several methods for collecting data in remote environments and to assess aspects of living and working under isolated and confined conditions.

Vanderark, Steve↗

NASA NTRS1994

Inhomogeneity of pulmonary ventilation during sustained microgravity as determined by single-breath washouts

Gravity is known to cause inhomogeneity of ventilation. Nongravitational factors are also recognized, but their relative contribution is not understood. We therefore studied ventilatory inhomogeneity during sustained microgravity during the 9-day flight of Spacelab SLS-1. All seven crew members performed single-breath nitrogen washouts. They inspired a vital capacity breath of 100% oxygen with a bolus of argon at the start of inspiration, and the inspiratory and expiratory flow rates were controlled at 0.5 l/s. Control measurements in normal gravity (1 G) were made pre- and postflight in the standing and supine position. Compared with the standing 1-G measurements, there was a marked decrease in ventilatory inhomogeneity during microgravity, as evidenced by the significant reductions in cardiogenic oscillations, slope of phase III, and height of phase IV for nitrogen and argon. However, argon phase IV volume was not reduced, and considerable ventilatory inhomogeneity remained. For example, the heights of the cardiogenic oscillations during microgravity for nitrogen and argon were 44 and 24%, respectively, of their values at 1 G, whereas the slopes of phase III for nitrogen and argon were 78 and 29%, respectively, of those at 1 G. The presence of a phase IV in microgravity is strong evidence that airway closure still occurs in the absence of gravity. The results were qualitatively similar to those found previously during short periods of 0 G in parabolic flight.

Guy, Harold J. B.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Human factors in incident reporting

The paper proposes a cooperative research effort be undertaken by academic institutions and industry organizations toward the compilation of a human factors data base in conjunction with technical information. Team members in any discipline can benefit and learn from observing positive examples of decision making and performance by crews under stressful or less than optimal circumstances. The opportunity to note trends in interpersonal and interactive behaviors and to categorize them is terms of more or less desirable outcomes should not be missed.

Jones, S. G.↗

NASA NTRS1996

STS-72 Mission Highlights Resource Tape

The flight crew of the STS-72 Space Shuttle Orbiter Endeavour Cmdr. Brian Duffy, Pilot Brent W. Jett, and Mission Specialists; Leroy Chiao, Daniel T. Barry, Winston E. Scott, and Koichi Wakata (NASDA) present an overview of their mission, whose primary objective is the retrieval of two research satellites. The major activities of the mission will include retrieval of the Japanese Space Flyer Unit (SFU), which was launched aboard a Japanese H-2 rocket to conduct a variety of microgravity experiments. In addition, the STS-72 crew will deploy the AST-Flyer, a satellite, that will fly free of the Shuttle for about 50 hours. Four experiments on the science platform will operate autonomously before the satellite is retrieved by Endeavour's robot arm. Three of Endeavour's astronauts will conduct a pair of spacewalks during the mission to test hardware and tools that will be used in the assembly of the Space Station. Video footage includes the following: prelaunch and launch activities; the crew eating breakfast; shuttle launch; retrieval of the Japanese Space Flyer Unit (SFU); suit-up and EVA-1; EVA-2; crew members performing various physical exercises; various earth views; and the night landing of the shuttle at KSC.

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NASA NTRS1996

Summary Report of Mission Acceleration Measurements for STS-75, Launched February 22, 1996

Two accelerometers provided acceleration data during the STS-75 mission in support of the third United States Microgravity Payload (USMP-3) experiments. The Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment (OARE) and the Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS) provided a measure of the microgravity environment of the Space Shuttle Columbia. The OARE provided investigators with quasi-steady acceleration measurements after about a six hour time lag dictated by downlink constraints. SAMS data were downlinked in near-real-time and recorded on-board for post-mission analysis. An overview of the mission is provided as are brief discussions of these two accelerometer systems. Data analysis techniques used to process SAMS and OARE data are discussed Using a combination of these techniques, the microgravity environment related to several different Orbiter, crew, and experiment operations is presented and interpreted. The microgravity environment represented by SAMS and OARE data is comparable to the environments measured by the instruments on earlier microgravity science missions. The OARE data compared well with predictions of the quasi-steady environment. The SAMS data show the influence of thruster firings and crew motion (transient events) and of crew exercise, Orbiter systems, and experiment operations (oscillatory events). Thruster activity on this mission appears to be somewhat more frequent than on other microgravity missions with the combined firings of the F5L and F5R jets producing significant acceleration transients. The specific crew activities performed in the middeck and flight deck, the SPREE table rotations, the waste collection system compaction, and the fuel cell purge had negligible effects on the microgravity environment of the USMP-3 carriers. The Ku band antenna repositioning activity resulted in a brief interruption of the ubiquitous 17 Hz signal in the SAMS data. In addition, the auxiliary power unit operations during the Flight Control System checkout appeared to have a significant impact on the microgravity environment.

Rogers, Melissa J. B.↗

NASA NTRS1998

Principal Investigator Microgravity Services: USMP-3

Two accelerometers provided acceleration data during the STS-75 mission in support of the third United States Microgravity Payload (USMP-3) experiments. The Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment (OARE) and the Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS) provided a measure of the microgravity environment of the Space Shuttle Columbia. The OARE provided investigators with quasi-steady acceleration measurements after about a six hour time lag dictated by downlink constraints. SAMS data were downlinked in near-real-time and recorded on-board for post-mission analysis. These two accelerometer systems are briefly described. Using a combination of data analysis techniques, the microgravity environment related to several different Orbiter, crew, and experiment operations is presented and interpreted. The microgravity environment represented by SAMS and OARE data is comparable to the environments measured by these instruments on earlier microgravity science missions. Thruster activity on this mission seen in the SAMS data appear to be more frequent than on other microgravity missions with the combined firings of the F5L and F5R jets producing significant acceleration transients. Of the events studied, the crew activities performed in the middeck and flight deck, SPREE table rotations, a waste collection system compaction, and a fuel cell purge had negligible effects on the microgravity environment of the USMP-3 carriers. The Ku band antenna repositioning activity resulted in a brief interruption of the ubiquitous 17 Hz signal in the SAMS data. In addition, the auxiliary power unit operations during the Flight Control System checkout appeared to have a significant impact on the microgravity environment.

Rogers, Melissa J. B.↗