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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 505 records · Page 28
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2005

STS-114: Post Launch Press Conference

Dean Acosta, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Public Affairs hosted this post launch press conference. Present were Mike Griffin, NASA Administrator; William Ready, Associate Administrator for Space Operations; Bill Parsons, Space Shuttle Program Manager; Mike Leinbach, NASA Launch Director; and Wayne Hill, Deputy Program Manager for Space Shuttle Program. Each expressed thanks to all of NASA Officials and employees, contractors, vendors and the crew for their hard work the past two and a half years that resulted the successful and pristine launch of Space Shuttle Discovery. The Panel emphasized that through extensive technical analysis, thorough planning and tremendous amount of public support brought them full circle again to return to flight. Flight safety, debris during rocket separation, sensors, observations from the mission control, launch conditions were some of the topics discussed with the News media.

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NASA NTRS2006

STS-121: Discovery Post Flight Readiness Review Briefing

This post Flight Readiness Review (FRR) briefing begins with NASA Press Secretary Dean Acosta, introducing the panel who consist of: NASA Administrator, Dr. Michael Griffin; Associate Administrator for Space Operations, Bill Gerstenmaier; Space Shuttle Program Manager, Wayne Hale; and NASA Launch director, Mike Leinbach. The discussion begins with Dr. Michael Griffin, who expresses his gladness to be a part of the FRR. Bill Gerstenmaier talks about how they were very thorough about the subjects reviewed and that they wanted to make sure that they were ready to fly. He discusses and presents two slides. The first slide is a description of the LO2 intertank and LH2 ice/frost ramps staging location and the second are the top ten LH2 Ice/Frost Ramp Foam Loss events. Wayne Hale gives his thoughts on the human element that came into play during the FRRs. He talks about the willingness of everyone to speak their mind, instead of giving short comments. He expressed that this element is a huge step forward for NASA. Mike Leinbach reports on the processing of the vehicle and expresses that everything is going well and there is nothing to prohibit the launch. He also gives a good report on Atlantis, in case there is a need to use the vehicle. This FRR briefing ends with a short question and answer period from the press on topics such as debris, foam loss, ice/frost ramp redesign, crew risks, and launch date.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2006

STS-121: Discovery Post Launch Press Briefing

The briefing begins with Dean Acousta (NASA Press Secretary) introducing Michael Griffin (NASA Administrator), Bill Gerstenmaier (Associate Administrator for Space Operations) Wayne Hale (Space Shuttle Program Manager), John Shannon (Chairman, Mission Management Team, JSC), and Mike Leinbach (NASA Launch Director). The teams effort and dedication paid off in the form of a perfect launch and the weather cooperated. The Mission Management Team no problems during inspection. Debris assessment at 2 min. 47 sec. and 4 min. 50 sec. will be discussed when that information becomes available.The floor was then open for questions from the press.

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NASA NTRS2012

Managing Science Operations during Planetary Surface Operations at Long Light Delay-Time Targets: The 2011 Desert RATS Test

Desert Research and Technology Studies (Desert RATS) is a multi-year series of hardware and operations tests carried out annually in the high desert of Arizona in the San Francisco Volcanic Field. Conducted since 1997, these activities are designed to exercise planetary surface hardware and operations in conditions where multi-day tests are achievable. Desert RATS 2011 Science Operations Test simulated the management of crewed science operations at targets that were beyond the light delay time experienced during Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) and lunar surface missions, such as a mission to a Near-Earth Object (NEO) or the martian surface. Operations at targets at these distances are likely to be the norm as humans move out of the Earth-Moon system. Operating at these distances places significant challenges on mission operations, as the imposed light-delay time makes normal, two-way conversations extremely inefficient. Consequently, the operations approach for space missions that has been exercised during the first half-century of human space operations is no longer viable, and new approaches must be devised.

Eppler, D. B.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Biomedical Monitoring By A Novel Noncontact Radio Frequency Technology Project

The area of Space Health and Medicine is one of the NASA's Space Technology Grand Challenges. Space is an extreme environment which is not conducive to human life. The extraterrestrial environment can result in the deconditioning of various human physiological systems and thus require easy to use physiological monitoring technologies in order to better monitor space crews for appropriate health management and successful space missions and space operations. Furthermore, the Space Technology Roadmap's Technology Area Breakdown Structure calls for improvements in research to support human health and performance (Technology Area 06). To address these needs, this project investigated a potential noncontact and noninvasive radio frequency-based technique of monitoring central hemodynamic function in human research subjects in response to orthostatic stress.

Portfolio↗
NASA NTRS2016

NASA HERMeS Hall Thruster Electrical Configuration Characterization

NASAs Hall Effect Rocket with Magnetic Shielding (HERMeS) 12.5 kW Technology Demonstration Unit-1 (TDU-1) Hall thruster has been the subject of extensive technology maturation in preparation for development into a flight ready propulsion system. Part of the technology maturation was to test the TDU-1 thruster in several ground based electrical configurations to assess the thruster robustness and suitability to successful in-space operation. The ground based electrical configuration testing has recently been demonstrated as an important step in understanding and assessing how a Hall thruster may operate differently in space compared to ground based testing, and to determine the best configuration to conduct development and qualification testing. This presentation will cover the electrical configuration testing of the TDU-1 HERMeS Hall thruster in NASA Glenn Research Centers Vacuum Facility 5. The three electrical configurations examined are the thruster body tied to facility ground, thruster floating, and finally the thruster body electrically tied to cathode common. The TDU-1 HERMeS was configured with two different exit plane boundary conditions, dielectric and conducting, to examine the influence on the electrical configuration characterization.

Facility↗
NASA NTRS2019

Aerobracking the ExoMars TGO: the JPL Navigation Experience

In October 2016, ESA’s Trace Gas Orbiter entered into orbit around Mars. The transfer from its initial 24-hour elliptical orbit into the final 2-hour science orbit was helped by means of 952 aerobraking passes between March 2017 and February 2018. For this first aerobraking operation by European Space Operations Centre (ESOC), a dedicated partnership was organized between ESOC and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to allow for JPL navigation team’s support during the TGO aerobraking operations. The Mission Design and Navigation section at JPL supported the mission by providing consulting in aerobraking navigation operations and independent orbit determination solutions during TGO’s aerobraking. This paper discusses the JPL Navigation team’s experience, challenges faced, and lessons learned during TGO’s aerobraking at Mars. Topics include the collaboration between the two navigation teams, configuration of orbit determination for aero drag passes, arrangement of automated orbit determination, and reporting processes.

Young, Brian↗
NASA NTRS1981

Annual survey of spaceflight safety systems: 11th supplement. Survey period - July 1980-June 1981

Reports in the field of space flight safety applicable to current and future operational space activities which appeared between July 1980 and June 1981 are surveyed. Subjects in the area of flight rescue and safety during launch, on-orbit, reentry and landing phases include the major activities and findings of the first Shuttle test flight, a slidewire system for emergency egress from the Space Shuttle on the launch pad, and the testing of the Spacelab engineering model. In the area of human capabilities and crew roles, attention is given to reports of repairs to the Salyut 6 space station made by a Soyuz crew, and an assessment of weightlessness effects on space worker health and safety. Safety requirements for STS payloads including pressure vessels, and the Orbiter window system and for spacecraft testing are also presented, along with those for a television system to aid in monitoring astronaut extravehicular activities. For the operation of large space structures, reports include EVA equipment for satellite servicing and the safety aspects of connectors used in construction. Finally, attention is given to safety-related criteria in a study of Shuttle interactions with the proposed Space Operations Center.

Brown, N. E.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Science Operation in Space: Lessons

This program (conceived by a group of veteran Shuttle astronauts) shows prospective experimenters how they can better design their experiments for operation onboard Shuttle flights. Shuttle astronauts Dunbar, Seddon, Hoffman, Cleave, Ross, and ChangDiaz also show how crews live and work in space.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1987

Rationale for an integrated moon/Mars exploration program

Although it is possible to design manned missions to Mars that do not involve prior lunar missions, a strategy that includes development of a lunar base before or concurrent with the Mars program offers potential benefits from space infrastructure development, space operations experience, and utilization of lunar materials for propulsion. Common utilization of infrastructure elements (e.g., Orbital Transfer Vehicles, Space Operation Center modules) is emphasized in this approach. Mass flows through a low Earth orbit Space Station change in quantity and in proportion of propellant to hardware as the infrastructure develops.

Duke, Michael B.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Expert operator's associate: A knowledge based system for spacecraft control

The Expert Operator's Associate (EOA) project is presented which studies the applicability of expert systems for day-to-day space operations. A prototype expert system is developed, which operates on-line with an existing spacecraft control system at the European Space Operations Centre, and functions as an 'operator's assistant' in controlling satellites. The prototype is demonstrated using an existing real-time simulation model of the MARECS-B2 telecommunication satellite. By developing a prototype system, the extent to which reliability and effectivens of operations can be enhanced by AI based support is examined. In addition the study examines the questions of acquisition and representation of the 'knowledge' for such systems, and the feasibility of 'migration' of some (currently) ground-based functions into future spaceborne autonomous systems.

Nielsen, Mogens↗
NASA NTRS1972

Space flight operations for world development.

Mission objectives, hardware development efforts, and aspects of international cooperation are covered in an outline of space flight programs planned by the United States for the forthcoming decade. Scientific experiments envisioned for the Apollo 17 mission and for the Skylab program are discussed along with the current status of the joint Apollo/Soyuz test project specified by the U.S.-USSR space agreement of May 1972. The Space Shuttle, Space Tug, and Sortie Laboratory projects are outlined with emphasis on the use of experience and hardware gained in earlier phases of this space program.

Myers, D. D.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Proximity operations for space stations and platforms

The present study is concerned with concepts, techniques, and system requirements which would permit 'automated' proximity operations utilizing an unmanned vehicle such as the proposed Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle (OMV). Attention is given to proximity operations mission phases, tethered operations, operational control zones, operation control zone objectives, operational control zone definition, aspects of monitoring and tracking, the departure zone, the rendezvous zone, and coorbiting satellite zones.

Lineberry, E. C., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1993

The Consolidated Planning and Scheduling System for Space Transportation and Space Station operations - Successful development experience

In 1992, NASA made the decision to evolve a Consolidated Planning System (CPS) by adding the Space Transportation System (STS) requirements to the Space Station Freedom (SSF) planning software. This paper describes this evolutionary process, which began with a series of six-month design-build-test cycles, using a domain-independent architecture and a set of developmental tools known as the Advanced Scheduling Environment. It is shown that, during these tests, the CPS could be used at multiple organizational levels of planning and for integrating schedules from geographically distributed (including international) planning environments. The potential for using the CPS for other planning and scheduling tasks in the SSF program is being currently examined.

Hornstein, Rhoda S.↗
NASA NTRS1980

A long-life bipropellant system demonstration: Viking Orbiter Propulsion System - 4 years in space and operating

On April 23, 1980, Viking Orbiter One (VO-1), operating in the blowdown mode, completed a ten second Mars orbit trim maneuver to position the spacecraft for its final science sequence in May-June 1980. This brought the number of propulsive maneuvers for VO-1 to 23. Total accumulated operating time for the rocket engine was 2896 seconds, representing a total impulse of 3.93 x 10 to the 6th N-sec. The estimated propellant remaining was sufficient to operate the rocket engine for an additional 30 seconds. VO-1 has completed more than 1700 days in space, 1400 days in orbit around Mars and more than two years of attitude control system operation with helium gas transferred from the propulsion system pressurant tank. The mass of helium remaining is expected to be sufficient for attitude control through June 1980. This paper presents the flight history of the Viking 75 Orbiter Propulsion Systems and summarizes the design and test philosophy which have contributed to their success.

Schmit, D. D.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Application of System Operational Effectiveness Methodology to Space Launch Vehicle Development and Operations

The Department of Defense (DoD) defined System Operational Effectiveness (SOE) model provides an exceptional framework for an affordable approach to the development and operation of space launch vehicles and their supporting infrastructure. The SOE model provides a focal point from which to direct and measure technical effectiveness and process efficiencies of space launch vehicles. The application of the SOE model to a space launch vehicle's development and operation effort leads to very specific approaches and measures that require consideration during the design phase. This paper provides a mapping of the SOE model to the development of space launch vehicles for human exploration by addressing the SOE model key points of measurement including System Performance, System Availability, Technical Effectiveness, Process Efficiency, System Effectiveness, Life Cycle Cost, and Affordable Operational Effectiveness. In addition, the application of the SOE model to the launch vehicle development process is defined providing the unique aspects of space launch vehicle production and operations in lieu of the traditional broader SOE context that examines large quantities of fielded systems. The tailoring and application of the SOE model to space launch vehicles provides some key insights into the operational design drivers, capability phasing, and operational support systems.

Watson, Michael D.↗
NASA NTRS1989

NASA's Chemical Transfer Propulsion Program for Pathfinder

Pathfinder is a research and technology project, with specific deliverables, initiated by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) which will strengthen the technology base of the United States civil space program in preparation for future space exploration missions. Pathfinder begins in Fiscal Year 1989, and is to advance a collection of critical technologies for these missions and ensure technology readiness for future national decisions regarding exploration of the solar system. The four major thrusts of Pathfinder are: surface exploration, in-space operations, humans-in-space, and space transfer. The space transfer thrust will provide the critical technologies needed for transportation to, and return from, the Moon, Mars, and other planets in the solar system, as well as for reliable and cost-effective Earth-orbit operations. A key element of this thrust is the Chemical Transfer Propulsion program which will provide the propulsion technology for high performance, liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen expander cycle engines which may be operated and maintained in space. Described here are the program overview including the goals and objectives, management, technical plan, and technology transfer for the Chemical Transfer Propulsion element of Pathfinder.

Hannum, Ned P.↗