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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 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Sizing, Buckling, and Thermal-Structural Analysis of Tall Lunar Tower

Tall lunar towers enable direct collection of solar energy using solar panels that can generate power exceeding 100-kW above shadowed regions on the surface. Tall lunar towers also support solar reflectors and concentrators for solar farms, which enable various mission architectures on the lunar surface. The Tall Lunar Tower (TLT) project at NASA Langley Research Center is focused on the design, modeling, fabrication, and testing of an assembled TLT Engineering Development Unit (EDU). In this paper, the design and analysis plan of a TLT is presented and predicted buckling and thermal-structural response of the TLT EDU on the lunar surface are investigated.

Kyongchan Song↗
NASA NTRS1978

SOLARES - A new hope for solar energy

A system of orbiting reflectors, SOLARES, has been studied as a possible means of reducing the diurnal variation and enhancing the average intensity of sunlight with a space system of minimum mass and complexity. The key impact that such a system makes on the economic viability of solar farming and other solar applications is demonstrated. The system is compatible with incremental implementation and continual expansion to meet the world's power needs. Key technology, environmental, and economic issues and payoffs are identified. SOLARES appears to be economically superior to other advanced, and even competitive with conventional, energy systems and could be scaled to completely abate our fossil fuel usage for power generation. Development of the terrestrial solar conversion technique, optimized for this new artificial source of solar radiation, yet remains.

Billman, K. W.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Contamination of optical surfaces

The effect of molecular contamination on Space Station optical surfaces is examined. In particular, contamination of solar voltaic power sources and optical solar reflectors for thermal control or solar dynamic power generation is addressed. The published Space Station requirements for molecular contamination accretion and for the monitoring of such accretion is discussed in the context of the historical performance of space systems. Specific reference is made to the results from the Spacecraft Charging at High Altitudes (SCATHA) ML12 experiment.

Arnold, Graham S.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Critical requirements for the design of large space structures

The requirements for the design of a large space structure which will be deployed, erected, assembled or fabricated in space are delineated in terms of operational loads, stiffness requirements, structure-control interaction, deformations, precision requirements and member slenderness. Design examples for a truss antenna reflector, interorbit propulsion loads and free-flying solar reflectors are given. It is concluded that the demand for dimensional accuracy and stability form the primary requirements.

Hedgepeth, J. M.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Ion beam textured and coated surfaces experiment (IBEX)

The IBEX, with 36 samples of various materials, was placed aboard the LDEF. Twenty-seven of the samples had surfaces modified using ion beam technology, and nine were made up of commercially available materials. The materials are in some way useful in space power systems. The various types of materials tested included six categories: (1) ion beam structured surfaces suitable for solar thermal (concentrator) or space radiators; (2) ion beam sputtered conductive coatings for thermal and space charge control; (3) solar reflector surfaces; (4) flexible thin film coatings and solar array blanket material for protection of spacecraft polymers; (5) painted and/or state-of-the-art solar thermal materials; and (6) micrometeoroid sensitive detector. Data analysis presented include the optical properties of each surface before and after exposure to the space environment and the respective backup surfaces.

Mirtich, Michael J.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Solar collector performance evaluated outdoors at NASA-Lewis Research Center

The study of solar reflector performance reported is related to a project in which solar collectors are to be provided for the solar heating and cooling system of an office building at NASA's Langley Research Center. The solar collector makes use of a liquid consisting of 50% ethylene glycol and 50% water. A conventional air-liquid heat exchanger is employed. Collector performance and solar insolation data are recorded along with air temperature, wind speed and direction, and relative humidity.

Vernon, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Interaction between the SPS solar power satellite solar array and the magnetospheric plasma

The results of study to determine the effects of space plasmas on a large GaAs solar cell array using solar reflectors at a concentration ratio of two in geostationary orbit are summarized. It was concluded that the system could function in the GEO environment if certain design changes were implemented. These included conductive coatings on the solar cells, changing the reflector material from Kapton to a higher conductivity material, and oversizing the array to compensate for a 0.7% parasitic load due to losses from the ambient magnetospheric plasma. The operation of the solar powered earth orbit transfer vehicle (EOTV) was also examined and it was concluded that LEO servere arcing would take place on all high voltage negative portions of the array. The parasitic load loss at LEO was estimated at 3%. Operation of a high voltage array at LEO represents a major problem. Charge exchange ion feedback from argon ion thrusters located near the EOTV solar array was also examined and all problems found were believed to be solvable by the placement of protective ground screens.

Freeman, J. W.↗
NASA NTRS1962

High-Efficiency Modified Fresnel Reflectors for Solar-Energy Concentration

A study has been made of the Fresnel reflector and two variations of this reflector for use as solar-energy collectors. One variation is the conical Fresnel reflector in which the serrations are located on the inner surface of a cone. It is shown that this reflector can have a collection efficiency of 1.00 for any rim angle, if the proper cone angle is selected. Equations are developed for the design of the second variation which consists of a reflector plane that is not perpendicular to the incoming light rays. Segments of this reflector can be used to form a pyramidal collector which combines the desired flatness of the Fresnel reflector with the high efficiency of the conical Fresnel reflector. This collector can have an efficiency which is very close to 1.00 when a sufficient number of reflective sides are used.

REFLECTOR↗
NASA NTRS2002

Contamination in Orbit of GOES-8

The GOES-8 satellite has lost some of its ability to dissipate heat over time. This is shown by the temperature increases over time of spacecraft and instrument components that are cooled with optical solar reflector (OSR) radiators. Contamination has a significant, well-documented effect on the solar absorptance (a(sub s)) of OSRs. This document attempts to discern how much molecular contamination has collected on the Imager and Sounder radiant coolers by analyzing the increase in temperature of the vacuum cooler housing. In the first part, temperature change is transformed into solar absorptance units by a method devised by ITT. The second part transfomis the solar absorptance gain into a molecular film thickness.

Sanders, Jack T.↗
NASA NTRS1982

IUS materials outgassing condensation effects on sensitive spacecraft surfaces

Four materials used on the inertial upper state (IUS) were subjected to vacuum conditions and heated to near-operational temperatures (93 to 316 C), releasing volatile materials. A fraction of the volatile materials were collected on 25 C solar cells, optical solar reflectors (OSR's) or aluminized Mylar. The contaminated surfaces were exposed to 26 equivalent sun hours of simulated solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Measurements of contamination deposit mass, structure, reflectance and effects on solar cell power output were made before and after UV irradiation. Standard total mass loss - volatile condensible materials (TML - VCM) tests were also performed. A 2500 A thick contaminant layer produced by EPDM rubber motor-case insulation outgassing increased the solar absorptance of the OSR's from 0.07 to 0.14, and to 0.18 after UV exposure. An 83,000 A layer caused an increase from 0.07 to 0.21, and then the 0.46 after UV exposure. The Kevlar-epoxy motor-case material outgassing condensation raised the absorptance from 0.07 to 0.13, but UV had no effect. Outgassing from multilayer insulation and carbon-carbon nozzle materials did not affect the solar absorptance of the OSR's.

Mullen, C. R.↗
NASA NTRS1992

LDEF thermal control coatings post-flight analysis

The optical, physical, and chemical properties of selected spacecraft thermal control coatings, exposed for 10 months and 5.8 years on the leading edge (Row 9) of the LDEF, are reported. The following coatings were used: quartz/silver optical solar reflector; silvered FEP Teflon; S-13GLO, YB-71, and A-276 white paints; black paint; and sputter deposited coatings over graphite-epoxy composite substrates. The solar absorptance, total normal emittance, scanning electron and X-ray photoelectron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction analyses will be compared for the control, the 10 month exposed, and the 5.8 year exposed specimens. Data suggests that the high atomic flux over the last 6 months of the LDEF mission may have influenced the results from from this coatings experiment.

Slemp, Wayne S.↗
NASA NTRS1978

An assessment of potential weather effects due to operation of the Space Orbiting Light Augmentation Reflector Energy System (SOLARES)

Implementation of SOLARES will input large quantities of heat continuously into a stationary location on the Earth's surface. The quantity of heat released by each of the SOlARES ground receivers, having a reflector orbit height of 6378 km, exceeds by 30 times that released by large power parks which were studied in detail. Using atmospheric models, estimates are presented for the local weather effects, the synoptic scale effects, and the global scale effects from such intense thermal radiation.

Allen, N. C.↗