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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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NASA NTRS1991

Conceptual studies on the integration of a nuclear reactor system to a manned rover for Mars missions

Multiyear civilian manned missions to explore the surface of Mars are thought by NASA to be possible early in the next century. Expeditions to Mars, as well as permanent bases, are envisioned to require enhanced piloted vehicles to conduct science and exploration activities. Piloted rovers, with 30 kWe user net power (for drilling, sampling and sample analysis, onboard computer and computer instrumentation, vehicle thermal management, and astronaut life support systems) in addition to mobility are being considered. The rover design, for this study, included a four car train type vehicle complete with a hybrid solar photovoltaic/regenerative fuel cell auxiliary power system (APS). This system was designed to power the primary control vehicle. The APS supplies life support power for four astronauts and a limited degree of mobility allowing the primary control vehicle to limp back to either a permanent base or an accent vehicle. The results showed that the APS described above, with a mass of 667 kg, was sufficient to provide live support power and a top speed of five km/h for 6 hours per day. It was also seen that the factors that had the largest effect on the APS mass were the life support power, the number of astronauts, and the PV cell efficiency. The topics covered include: (1) power system options; (2) rover layout and design; (3) parametric analysis of total mass and power requirements for a manned Mars rover; (4) radiation shield design; and (5) energy conversion systems.

El-Genk, Mohamed S.↗

NASA NTRS2007

Observing Mode Attitude Controller for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission is the first of a series of lunar robotic spacecraft scheduled for launch in Fall 2008. LRO will spend at least one year in a low altitude polar orbit around the Moon, collecting lunar environment science and mapping data to enable future human exploration. The LRO employs a 3-axis stabilized attitude control system (ACS) whose primary control mode, the "Observing mode", provides Lunar Nadir, off-Nadir, and Inertial fine pointing for the science data collection and instrument calibration. The controller combines the capability of fine pointing with that of on-demand large angle full-sky attitude reorientation into a single ACS mode, providing simplicity of spacecraft operation as well as maximum flexibility for science data collection. A conventional suite of ACS components is employed in this mode to meet the pointing and control objectives. This paper describes the design and analysis of the primary LRO fine pointing and attitude re-orientation controller function, known as the "Observing mode" of the ACS subsystem. The control design utilizes quaternion feedback, augmented with a unique algorithm that ensures accurate Nadir tracking during large angle yaw maneuvers in the presence of high system momentum and/or maneuver rates. Results of system stability analysis and Monte Carlo simulations demonstrate that the observing mode controller can meet fine pointing and maneuver performance requirements.

Calhourn, Philip C.↗

NASA NTRS2007

Observing Mode Attitude Controller for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

Calhoun, Philip C.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Primary production control of methane emission from wetlands

Based on simultaneous measurements of CO2 and CH4 exchange in wetlands extending from subarctic peatlands to subtropical marshes, a positive correlation between CH4 emission and net ecosystem production is reported. It is suggested that net ecosystem production is a master variable integrating many factors which control CH4 emission in vegetated wetlands. It is found that about 3 percent of the daily net ecosystem production is emitted back to the atmosphere as CH4. With projected stimulation of primary production and soil microbial activity in wetlands associated with elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration, the potential for increasing CH4 emission from inundated wetlands, further enhancing the greenhouse effect, is examined.

Whiting, G. J.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Active control of primary mirror of an orbiting telescope with thermal excitation

The generalization is presented that was made to model a layered structure of a kind that represents a light-weighted mirror. This theory is presented along with the strategy for error suppression. The results of a variety of error-suppression studies are also presented. The computer programs for all parts of this study are included.

Hill, J. L.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Quiet Clean Short-haul Experimental Engine (QCSEE) over-the-wing control system design report

A control system incorporating a digital electronic control was designed for the over-the-wing engine. The digital electronic control serves as the primary controlling element for engine fuel flow and core compressor stator position. It also includes data monitoring capability, a unique failure indication and corrective action feature, and optional provisions for operating with a new type of servovalve designed to operate in response to a digital-type signal and to fail with its output device hydraulically locked into position.

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NASA NTRS1990

Plume flowfield analysis of the shuttle primary Reaction Control System (RCS) rocket engine

A solution was generated for the physical properties of the Shuttle RCS 4000 N (900 lb) rocket engine exhaust plume flowfield. The modeled exhaust gas consists of the five most abundant molecular species, H2, N2, H2O, CO, and CO2. The solution is for a bare RCS engine firing into a vacuum; the only additional hardware surface in the flowfield is a cylinder (=engine mount) which coincides with the nozzle lip outer corner at X = 0, extends to the flowfield outer boundary at X = -137 m and is coaxial with the negative symmetry axis. Continuum gas dynamic methods and the Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method were combined in an iterative procedure to produce a selfconsistent solution. Continuum methods were used in the RCS nozzle and in the plume as far as the P = 0.03 breakdown contour; the DSMC method was used downstream of this continuum flow boundary. The DSMC flowfield extends beyond 100 m from the nozzle exit and thus the solution includes the farfield flow properties, but substantial information is developed on lip flow dynamics and thus results are also presented for the flow properties in the vicinity of the nozzle lip.

Hueser, J. E.↗

NASA NTRS2010

Solar Array Disturbances to Spacecraft Pointing During the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Mission

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), the first spacecraft to support NASA s return to the Moon, launched on June 18, 2009 from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station aboard an Atlas V launch vehicle. It was initially inserted into a direct trans-lunar trajectory to the Moon. After a five day transit to the Moon, LRO was inserted into the Lunar orbit and successfully lowered to a low altitude elliptical polar orbit for spacecraft commissioning. Successful commissioning was completed in October 2009 when LRO was placed in its near circular mission orbit with an approximate altitude of 50km. LRO will spend at least one year orbiting the Moon, collecting lunar environment science and mapping data, utilizing a suite of seven instruments to enable future human exploration. The objective is to provide key science data necessary to facilitate human return to the Moon as well as identification of opportunities for future science missions. LRO's instrument suite will provide the high resolution imaging data with sub-meter accuracy, highly accurate lunar cartographic maps, mineralogy mapping, amongst other science data of interest. LRO employs a 3-axis stabilized attitude control system (ACS) whose primary control mode, the "Observing Mode", provides Lunar nadir, off-nadir, and inertial fine pointing for the science data collection and instrument calibration. This controller combines the capability of fine pointing with on-demand large angle full-sky attitude reorientation. It provides simplicity of spacecraft operation as well as additional flexibility for science data collection. A conventional suite of ACS components is employed in the Observing Mode to meet the pointing and control objectives. Actuation is provided by a set of four reaction wheels developed in-house at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). Attitude feedback is provided by a six state Kalman filter which utilizes two SELEX Galileo Star Trackers for attitude updates, and a single Honeywell Miniature Inertial Measurement Unit (MIMU) to provide body rates for attitude propagation. Rate is computed by differentiating accumulated angle provided by the MIMU. The Observing Mode controller is required to maintain fine pointing while a large fully-articulated solar array (SA) maintains its panel normal to the solar incidence. This paper describes the disturbances to the attitude control resulting from the SA articulation. Observing Mode performance in the presence of this disturbance was assessed while the spacecraft was in an initial elliptical low altitude orbit during the commissioning phase, which started about two weeks after launch and lasted for 90 days. LRO demonstrated excellent pointing performance during Observing Mode nadir and inertial attitude target operations during this phase. Transient LRO attitude errors observed during commissioning resulted primarily from three sources, Diviner instrument calibrations, RW zero crossings, and SA articulation. Even during times of considerable disturbance from SA articulation, the attitude errors were maintained below the statistical attitude error requirement level of 15 arc-sec (3 sigma).

Calhoun, Philip↗

NASA NTRS1983

Robust precision pointing control of large space platform payloads

Large space structure (LSS) secondary controllers to enhance inherent damping, and primary controllers for controlling rigid-body modes and structural modes are discussed. It was concluded that LSS control is stable and robust and offers promise. Further investigation is needed on the effects of actuator/sensor bandwidth.

Joshi, S. M.↗

NASA NTRS1987

The impact of circulation control on rotary aircraft controls systems

Application of circulation to rotary wing systems is a new development. Efforts to determine the near and far field flow patterns and to analytically predict those flow patterns have been underway for some years. Rotary wing applications present a new set of challenges in circulation control technology. Rotary wing sections must accommodate substantial Mach number, free stream dynamic pressure and section angle of attack variation at each flight condition within the design envelope. They must also be capable of short term circulation blowing modulation to produce control moments and vibration alleviation in addition to a lift augmentation function. Control system design must provide this primary control moment, vibration alleviation and lift augmentation function. To accomplish this, one must simultaneously control the compressed air source and its distribution. The control law algorithm must therefore address the compressor as the air source, the plenum as the air pressure storage and the pneumatic flow gates or valves that distribute and meter the stored pressure to the rotating blades. Also, mechanical collective blade pitch, rotor shaft angle of attack and engine power control must be maintained.

Kingloff, R. F.↗

NASA NTRS2017

Optimal Control Allocation with Load Sensor Feedback for Active Load Suppression

These slide sets describe the OCLA formulation and associated algorithms as a set of new technologies in the first practical application of load limiting flight control utilizing load feedback as a primary control measurement. Slide set one describes Experiment Development and slide set two describes Flight-Test Performance.

Miller, Christopher↗

NASA NTRS2017

Optimal Control Allocation with Load Sensor Feedback for Active Load Suppression

Miller, Christopher↗

NASA NTRS1951

Theoretical Investigation of an Automatic Control System with Primary Sensitivity to Normal Accelerations as Used to Control a Supersonic Canard Missile Configuration

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Seaberg, Ernest C↗

NASA NTRS1979

Application of digital controls on the quiet clean short haul experimental engines

The digital control systems for the Under-the-Wing (UTW) and Over-the-Wing (OTW) engines developed on the NASA/General Electric Quiet Clean Shorthaul Experimental Engine (QCSEE) program are described. The system to control engine variables includes three major functional parts: system sensors, digital control and system actuators. One of the primary control system functions is to prevent the engine from exceeding speed or temperature limits. The UTW control system also provides fault detection and condition monitoring. The control system requirements for the OTW engine are essentially the same as the UTW engine, however the inlet Mach number control requirement is eliminated, and failure indication and corrective action and full authority digital control are added. The digital controls scheduled the engine variables and maintained engine operation within all physical limits throughout the test program of approximately 200 hours of operation and provided stable and accurate control of both engines.

Saunders, A. A., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Universal Controller For Supersonic Engine Inlet

Engine-demand airflow used as primary control parameter. Optimum inlet angle depends on such other variables as mach number, altitude, and ambient temperature. Function of these variables approximated by schedule ("inlet ramp schedule") of digitized values implemented by digital control system.

Yonke, William A.↗

NASA NTRS1970

Pulse-rate averaging circuit

Averaging circuit provides a secondary control signal during inoperative periods of an intermittent primary control system. It can also provide an average pulse rate over a fixed time interval, such as in a digital frequency meter.

Jessee, R. D.↗

NASA NTRS1983

A variable-geometry combustor used to study primary and secondary zone stoichiometry

A combustion program is underway to evaluate fuel quality effects on gas turbine combustors. A rich-lean variable geometry combustor design was chosen to evaluate fuel quality effects over a wide range of primary and secondary zone equivalence ratios at simulated engine operating conditions. The first task of this effort, was to evaluate the performance of the variable geometry combustor. The combustor incorporates three stations of variable geometry to control primary and secondary zone equivalence ratio and overall pressure loss. Geometry changes could be made while a test was in progress through the use of remote control actuators. The primary zone liner was water cooled to eliminate the concern of liner durability. Emissions and performance data were obtained at simulated engine conditions of 80 percent and full power. Inlet air temperature varied from 611 to 665K, inlet total pressure varied from 1.02 to 1.24 MPa, reference velocity was a constant 1400 K.

Briehl, D.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Ecosystem and physiological controls over methane production in northern wetlands

Peat chemistry appears to exert primary control over methane production rates in the Canadian Northern Wetlands Study (NOWES) area. We determined laboratory methane production rate potentials in anaerobic slurries of samples collected from a transect of sites through the NOWES study area. We related methane production rates to indicators of resistance to microbial decay (peat C: N and lignin: N ratios) and experimentally manipulated substrate availability for methanogenesis using ethanol (EtOH) and plant litter. We also determined responses of methane production to pH and temperature. Methane production potentials declined along the gradient of sites from high rates in the coastal fens to low rates in the interior bogs and were generally highest in surface layers. Strong relationships between CH4 production potentials and peat chemistry suggested that methanogenesis was limited by fermentation rates. Methane production at ambient pH responded strongly to substrate additions in the circumneutral fens with narrow lignin: N and C: N ratios (delta CH4/delta EtOH = 0.9-2.3 mg/g) and weakly in the acidic bogs with wide C: N and lignin: N ratios (delta CH4/delta EtOH = -0.04-0.02 mg/g). Observed Q(sub 10) values ranged from 1.7 to 4.7 and generally increased with increasing substrate availability, suggesting that fermentation rates were limiting. Titration experiments generally demonstrated inhibition of methanogenesis by low pH. Our results suggest that the low rates of methane emission observed in interior bogs during NOWES likely resulted from pH and substrate quality limitation of the fermentation step in methane production and thus reflect intrinsically low methane production potentials. Low methane emission rates observed during NOWES will likely be observed in other northern wetland regions with similar vegetation chemistry.

Valentine, David W.↗