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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 451 records · Page 25
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1986

A multiple-satellite observation of the high-latitude auroral activity on January 11, 1983

Akasofu and Tsurutani (1984) have observed very unusual auroral activity on January 10-11, 1983. They employed visible line scan imagery from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) F6 satellite to monitor auroral activity over the northern (winter) polar region. Magnetometer data from the ISEE 3 and IMP 8 spacecraft were used to monitor the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) orientation. A number of auroral features which occurred in coincidence with changes in the IMF orientation were noted. The present paper is mainly concerned with the specific occurrence of a broad transpolar are later on January 11, 1983. During this occurrence, the IMF B(z) and B(y) components were positive and stable in time. This report has the objective to use a fortunate orbital configuration of three low-altitude polar orbiting spacecraft to probe the distribution of precipitating plasma responsible for the arc.

Gorney, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Auroral morphology of the midday oval

Auroral displays in the noon sector were examined by using hundreds of Defense Meteorological Satellite Program auroral images, taken over the southern polar region in austral winters, in order to determine the morphology. The auroral displays in the midday part of the auroral oval can be grouped into five characteristic types, depending on the geomagnetic activity and the Bz component of the interplanetary magnetic field. An important characteristic is the clear disconnection in appearance between the noonside and the nightside discrete auroras. Also, there is the lack of correlation between the concurrent nightside substorm activity and midday discrete auroral activity. Thus, the occurrence of bright, discrete auroras in the midday oval may be caused by the local injection of the magnetosheath plasma into the dayside boundary layer. The observed discontinuity of discrete auroras between the dayside and the nightside ovals is consistent with the existence of two separated major injection regions along the auroral oval: the dayside cusp and the nightside plasma sheet.

Meng, C.-I.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Testing of 30-GHz low noise receivers

NASA-sponsored studies of the growth in communications traffic have indicated that the frequency spectrum allocated to fix-service satellites at the C and Ku bands will reach saturation by the early 1990's. The next higher frequency bands allocated for communications satellites are 27.5 to 30 GHz for the uplink and 17.7 to 20.2 GHz for the downlink. Current plans for developing satellite systems that use these bands include a NASA demonstration satellite (ACTS). One of the components identified as critical to the success of that mission is a 27.5 to 30 GHz satellite receiver. In response to that identification, NASA has sponsored the development of such a receiver to the proof-of-concept (POC) level. Design and fabrication of such POC model receivers was carried out under parallel contracts awarded to LNR Communications, Inc. of Hauppauge, New York and to ITT Defense Communications Division of Nutley, New Jersey. The most significant of the performance goals were a 5 dB maximum noise figure, a 2.5 GHz passband, and 20 dB RF to IF gain. Following delivery of hardware from each of the contractors, an in-house test program was undertaken at NASA's Lewis Research Center in order to verify the contractor-reported performance and to provide a comparison of the two receivers under identical test conditions. The present paper reports the results of those tests.

Conroy, M. J.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Structures and materials technology issues for reusable launch vehicles

Projected space missions for both civil and defense needs require significant improvements in structures and materials technology for reusable launch vehicles: reductions in structural weight compared to the Space Shuttle Orbiter of up to 25 percent or more, a possible factor of 5 or more increase in mission life, increases in maximum use temperature of the external surface, reusable containment of cryogenic hydrogen and oxygen, significant reductions in operational costs, and possibly less lead time between technology readiness and initial operational capability. In addition, there is increasing interest in hypersonic airbreathing propulsion for launch and transmospheric vehicles, and such systems require regeneratively cooled structure. The technology issues are addressed, giving brief assessments of the state-of-the-art and proposed activities to meet the technology requirements in a timely manner.

Dixon, S. C.↗
NASA NTRS1986

National space transportation and support study/mission requirements and architecture studies

The government approach to fulfilling the requirements of the National Space Transportation and Support Study is described. DOD and NASA were required to determine the architecture and technology that would be needed for civil and defense space transportation during the 1995-2010 time range. NASA collected data from the National Commission on Space and the DOD research focused on SDI requirements. The objectives and recommendations of the space transportation architecture, transportation and support systems, and technology assessment and planning tasks are discussed.

Durocher, C. L.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Future space transportation options - Overview

A comprehensive consideration of space transportation system design possibilities and capabilities has noted that the U.S. (NASA and Department of Defense) launch vehicle users may enter the post-1995 period with a high operating cost space transportation architecture, primarily consisting of a small Space Shuttle fleet and its Complementary Expendable Launch Vehicle for unmanned operations. On the other hand, many technologies critical to the future of space transportation could yield substantial benefits in the post-1995 period. Current funding levels are expected to inhibit the timely development of many such technologies, however, and many current development programs have narrow and short term objectives that will not yield a cohesive data base for further development.

Holloway, P. F.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Structural dynamics research in a full-scale transport aircraft crash test

A remotely piloted air-to-ground crash test of a full-scale transport aircraft was conducted for the first time for two purposes: (1) to demonstrate performance of an antimisting fuel additive in suppressing fire in a crash environment, and (2) to obtain structural dynamics data under crash conditions for comparison with analytical predictions. The test, called the Controlled Impact Demonstration (CID), was sponsored by FAA and NASA with cooperation of industry, the Department of Defense, and the British and French governments. The test aircraft was a Boeing 720 jet transport. The aircraft impacted a dry lakebed at Edwards Air Force Base, CA. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the structural aspects of the CID. The fuselage section tests and the CID itself are described. Structural response data from these tests are presented and discussed. Nonlinear analytical modeling efforts are described, and comparisons between analytical results and experimental results are presented.

Mccomb, H. G., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Hard Suit With Adjustable Torso Length

Torso sizing rings allow single suit to fit variety of people. Sizing rings inserted between coupling rings of torso portion of hard suit. Number of rings chosen to fit torso length of suit to that of wearer. Rings mate with, and seal to, coupling rings and to each other. New adjustable-size concept with cost-saving feature applied to other suits not entirely constructed of "hard" materials, such as chemical defense suits and suits for industrial-hazard cleanup.

Vykukal, Hubert C.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Spacecraft Dynamics and Control Program at AFRPL

A number of future DOD and NASA spacecraft such as the space based radar will be not only an order of magnitude larger in dimension than the current spacecraft, but will exhibit extreme structural flexibility with very low structural vibration frequencies. Another class of spacecraft (such as the space defense platforms) will combine large physical size with extremely precise pointing requirement. Such problems require a total departure from the traditional methods of modeling and control system design of spacecraft where structural flexibility is treated as a secondary effect. With these problems in mind, the Air Force Rocket Propulsion Laboratory (AFRPL) initiated research to develop dynamics and control technology so as to enable the future large space structures (LSS). AFRPL's effort in this area can be subdivided into the following three overlapping areas: (1) ground experiments, (2) spacecraft modeling and control, and (3) sensors and actuators. Both the in-house and contractual efforts of the AFRPL in LSS are summarized.

Das, A.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Hydraulic mechanism to limit torsional loads between the IUS and space transportation system orbiter

The Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) is a two-stage booster used by NASA and the Defense Department to insert payloads into geosynchronous orbit from low-Earth orbit. The hydraulic mechanism discussed here was designed to perform a specific dynamic and static interface function within the Space Transportation System's Orbiter. Requirements, configuration, and application of the hydraulic mechanism with emphasis on performance and methods of achieving zero external hydraulic leakage are discussed. The hydraulic load-leveler mechanism meets the established design requirements for operation in a low-Earth orbit. Considerable testing was conducted to demonstrate system performance and verification that external leakage had been reduced to zero. Following each flight use of an ASE, all hydraulic mechanism components are carefully inspected for leakage. The ASE, including the hydraulic mechanism, has performed without any anomalies during all IUS flights.

Farmer, James R.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Overview of the 1986 free-piston Stirling activities at NASA Lewis Research Center

An overview of the NASA Lewis Research Center's free-piston Stirling engine research is presented, including efforts to improve and advance its design for use in specific space power applications. These efforts are a part of the SP-100 program being conducted to support the Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Energy (DOE) and NASA. Such efforts include: (1) the testing and improvement of 25 kWe Stirling Space Power Demonstrator Engine (SPDE); (2) the preliminary design of 25 kWe single-cylinder Experimental stirling Space Engine (ESSE); and, (3) a study to determine the feasibility of scaling a single-cylinder free-piston Stirling engine/linear alternator to 150 kWe. Other NASA Lewis free-piston Stirling engine activities will be described, directed toward the advancement of general free-piston Stirling engine technology and its application in specific terrestrial applications. One such effort, supported by DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory (DRNL), is the development of a free-piston Stirling engine which produces hydraulic power. Finally, a terrestrial solar application involving a conceptual design of a 25 kWe Solar Advanced Stirling Conversion System (ASCS) capable of delivering power to an electric utility grid will be discussed. The latter work is supported by DOE/Sandia National Laboratory (SNLA).

Alger, Donald L.↗
NASA NTRS1987

NORAD/SPACECMD comments concerning the atmospheric density models

Recent models do not produce more accurate neutral densities (although they require more computer time), regardless of the level of solar activity. This implies that there has been no measurable improvement of the calculation of neutral density since the early 60s. With known solar flux and geomagnetic activity (Ap) inputs, the density evaluation needs improvement. For highly eccentric orbits which span low to high altitude, the accuracy generated which has an altitude limitation of 1000 km remains comparable with those obtained by more recent models. This implies that either the density at 1000 km and above is insignificant or that the values provided by the recent models at high altitudes may not be reliable or both. Prediction accuracies obtained through the use of precision data from the Defense Mapping Agency are generally comparable to those obtained by using operational sensor data. This implies that the prediction accuracy problem is not necessarily caused by less accurate observations. The definition of the mean solar flux F10.7 is not universal.

Liu, Joseph J. F.↗
NASA NTRS1987

NASA/DOD Control/Structures Interaction Technology, 1986

Papers presented at the CSI Technology Conference are given. The conference was jointly sponsored by the NASA Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology and the Department of Defense. The conference is the beginning of a series of annual conferences whose purpose is to report to industry, academia, and government agencies the current status of Control/Structures Interaction technology. The conference program was divided into five sessions: (1) Future spacecraft requirements; Technology issues and impact; (2) DOD special topics; (3) Large space systems technology; (4) Control of flexible structures, and (5) Selected NASA research in control structures interaction.

Wright, Robert L.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Joint Optics Structures Experiment (JOSE)

The objectives of the JOSE program is to develop, demonstrate, and evaluate active vibration suppression techniques for Directed Energy Weapons (DEW). DEW system performance is highly influenced by the line-of-sight (LOS) stability and in some cases by the wave front quality. The missions envisioned for DEW systems by the Strategic Defense Initiative require LOS stability and wave front quality to be significantly improved over any current demonstrated capability. The Active Control of Space Structures (ACOSS) program led to the development of a number of promising structural control techniques. DEW structures are vastly more complex than any structures controlled to date. They will be subject to disturbances with significantly higher magnitudes and wider bandwidths, while holding higher tolerances on allowable motions and deformations. Meeting the performance requirements of the JOSE program requires upgrading the ACOSS techniques to meet new more stringent requirements, the development of requisite sensors and acturators, improved control processors, highly accurate system identification methods, and the integration of hardware and methodologies into a successful demonstration.

Founds, David↗
NASA NTRS1987

Workshop on Workload and Training, and Examination of their Interactions: Executive summary

The goal of the workshop was to bring together experts in the fields of workload and training and representatives from the Dept. of Defense and industrial organizations who are reponsible for specifying, building, and managing advanced, complex systems. The challenging environments and requirements imposed by military helicopter missions and space station operations were presented as the focus for the panel discussions. The workshop permitted a detailed examination of the theoretical foundations of the fields of training and workload, as well as their practical applications. Furthermore, it created a forum where government, industry, and academic experts were able to examine each other's concepts, values, and goals. The discussions pointed out the necessity for a more efficient and effective flow of information among the groups respresented. The executive summary describes the rationale of the meeting, summarizes the primary points of discussion, and lists the participants and some of their summary comments.

Donchin, Emanuel↗
NASA NTRS1987

Air Force and DOD solar power requirements

It is noted that future power requirements are increasing for some expanded and new missions within the Air Force and Department of Defense. New requirements are needed in terms of lifetime, survivability, power level and performance. The photovoltaic arrays have a demonstrated record of reliable performance, life, affordable cost, and utility. It is argued that there is a need to push for the research and development resources needed to develop the technology base for these future power system needs.

Wise, Joseph F.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Activities of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Work accomplished by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) under contract to NASA in 1985 is described. The work took place in the areas of flight projects, space science, geodynamics, materials science, advanced technology, defense and civil programs, telecommunications systems, and institutional activities.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1985

A VHSIC general purpose processor

The very high speed integrated circuit (VHSIC) program offers NASA and its contractors assured availability of military specification embedded computer components and integrated computer aided design/computer aided engineering and software development support that result in low system life costs for data management systems on the space station and the Earth Observatory Satellite. Viewgraphs given review progress in both the Department of Defense VHSIC program and the NASA VHSIC related insertion development of a general purpose processor are presented.

Benz, H. F.↗