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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 NTRS2014

Raising Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) Technology Readiness Above 3

NTP development is currently supported by the NASA program office "Advanced Exploration Systems". The concept is a main propulsion option being considered for human missions to Mars in the 2030's. Major NTP development took place in the 1960's and 1970's under the Rover/NERVA program. The technology had matured to TRL 6 and was preparing to go to TRL 7 with a prototype flight engine before the program was cancelled. Over the last 40 years, a variety of continuations started, but only lasted a few years each. The Rover/NERVA infrastructure is almost all gone. The only remains are a few pieces of hardware, final reports and a few who worked the Rover/NERVA. Two types of nuclear fuel are being investigated to meet the current engine design specific impulse of 900 seconds compared to approximately 850 seconds demonstrated during Rover/NERVA. One is a continuation of composite fuel with new coatings to better control mid-band corrosion. The other type is a CERMET fuel made of Tungsten and UO2. Both fuels are being made from Rover/NERVA lessons learned, but with slightly different recipes to increase fuel endurance at higher operating temperatures. The technology readiness level (TRL) of these current modified reactor fuels is approximately TRL 3. To keep the development cost low and help mature the TRL level past 4 quickly, a few special non-nuclear test facilities have been made to test surrogate fuel, with depleted uranium, as coupons and full length elements. Both facilities utilize inductive heating and are licensed to handle depleted uranium. TRL 5 requires exposing the fuel to a nuclear environment and TRL 6 requires a prototype ground or flight engine system test. Currently, three different NTP ground test facility options are being investigated: exhaust scrubber, bore hole, and total exhaust containment. In parallel, a prototype flight demonstration test is also being studied. The first human mission to Mars in the 2030's is currently 2033. For an advanced propulsion concept to be seriously considered for use, the engine development plans need to show it is feasible and affordable to reach TRL 8 by 2027 and can be qualified for human mission use.

Gerrish, Harold P., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Technology Readiness Assessment for HEEET TPS

The HEEET project was conceived to develop a heatshield with a high performance ablative thermal protection material that can withstand the extreme entry environment produced as a result of rapid deceleration during high speed entry into Venus, Saturn, Uranus or higher speed entry into Earth's atmosphere. Successful maturation of HEEET supports future New Frontiers and Discovery AO's, as well as Flagship and directed missions in the longer term. In addition, HEEET has the potential to evolve and to support re-entry to Earth, for missions such as Mars Sample Return.The primary goal of the HEEET Project was to develop an ablative TPS heat-shield based on woven TPS technology to Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6. Key evidence to support the TRL evaluation includes: Demonstration of reproducible manufacturing of a dual layer material over a range of thicknesses and integrated on to a heatshield engineering test unit at a scale that is applicable to near term Discovery as the highest priority and future NF missions as secondary priority set of missions. Demonstration of predictable and stable performance of the dual layer TPS over a range of entry environments that are applicable to near term Discovery and NF missions of interest to SMD.Includes completion of coupon arc jet and laser testing and development of a mid-fidelity thermal response model that correlates with test results. Demonstration of flight heatshield system design for a range of sizes and loads that are relevant to near term Discovery and NF missions of interest to SMD. Includes completion of structural testing to validate analytic thermal/structural models and development of a material property database. Includes structural testing of a ~1m Engineering Test Unit under relevant entry loads.

Gage, Peter↗
NASA NTRS2021

Technology Readiness Level (TRL) as the foundation of Human Readiness Level (HRL)

As space programs became more complex, it became evident to NASA that a means of defining a methodological way to evaluate the maturity of technologies for spacecraft design was needed for risk assessment that could affect technical, cost and schedule. NASA first saw that infusing technology intoNASA programs required some means to assess technology maturity like flight readiness for a mission. Hence, a seven-point technology readiness level scale was developed in the mid-70s by a NASA researcher and later formally defined in 1989 (Sadin et al., 1989) that comprised of seven levels (See Table 1). These levels provided a definitive meaning of what complexity a research and technology development program should be followed. NASA recognized the approach as a useful way of an effective assessment of,and communication regarding the maturity of new technologies, using a simplistic figure of merit, the state of maturity of a technology-particularly, critical technology necessary to meet a mission/application objective

George Salazar↗
NASA NTRS2016

Final Report of the NASA Technology Readiness Assessment (TRA) Study Team

The material in this report covers the results on the NASA-wide TRA team, who are responsible for ascertaining the full extent of issues and ambiguities pertaining to TRATRL and to provide recommendations for mitigation. The team worked for approximately 6 months to become knowledgeable on the current TRATRL process and guidance and to derive recommendations for improvement.The team reviewed the TRA processes of other government agencies (OGA), including international agencies, and found that while the high-level processes are similar, the NASA process has a greater level of detail. Finally, NASA’s HQ OCT continues to monitor the GAO’s efforts to produce a TRA Best Practices Guide, a draft of which was received in February 2016. This Guide could impact the recommendations of this report.

Technology readiness assessment↗
NASA NTRS2015

Bridging the Technology Readiness "Valley of Death" Utilizing Nanosats

Incorporating new technology is a hallmark of space missions. Missions demand ever-improving tools and techniques to allow them to meet the mission science requirements. In Earth Science, these technologies are normally expressed in new instrument capabilities that can enable new measurement concepts, extended capabilities of existing measurement techniques, or totally new detection capabilities, and also, information systems technologies that can enhance data analysis or enable new data analyses to advance modeling and prediction capabilities. Incorporating new technologies has never been easy. There is a large development step beyond demonstration in a laboratory or on an airborne platform to the eventual space environment that is sometimes referred to as the "technology valley of death." Studies have shown that non-validated technology is a primary cause of NASA and DoD mission delays and cost overruns. With the demise of the New Millennium Program within NASA, opportunities for demonstrating technologies in space have been rare. Many technologies are suitable for a flight project after only ground testing. However, some require validation in a relevant or a space flight environment, which cannot be fully tested on the ground or in airborne systems. NASA's Earth Science Technology Program has initiated a nimble program to provide a fairly rapid turn-around of space validated technologies, and thereby reducing future mission risk in incorporating new technologies. The program, called In-Space Validation of Earth Science Technology (InVEST), now has five tasks in development. Each are 3U CubeSats and they are targeted for launch opportunities in the 2016 time period. Prior to formalizing an InVEST program, the technology program office was asked to demonstrate how the program would work and what sort of technologies could benefit from space validation. Three projects were developed and launched, and have demonstrated the technologies that they set out to validate. This paper will provide a brief status of the pre-InVEST CubeSats, and discuss the development and status of the InVEST program. Figure

Earth Science↗
NASA NTRS2003

Using Technology Readiness Level (TRL), Life Cycle Cost (LCC), and Other Metrics to Supplement Equivalent System Mass (ESM) in Advanced Life Support (ALS)

The ALS project plan goals are reducing cost, improving performance, and achieving flight readiness. ALS selects projects to advance the mission readiness of low cost, high performance technologies. The role of metrics is to help select good projects and report progress. The Equivalent Mass (EM) of a system is the sum of the estimated mass of the hardware, of its required materials and spares, and of the pressurized volume, power supply, and cooling system needed to support the hardware in space. EM is the total payload launch mass needed to provide and support a system. EM is directly proportional to the launch cost.

Jones, Harry↗
NASA NTRS2010

Assessing Space Exploration Technology Requirements as a First Step Towards Ensuring Technology Readiness for International Cooperation in Space Exploration

Advancing critical and enhancing technologies is considered essential to enabling sustainable and affordable human space exploration. Critical technologies are those that enable a certain class of mission, such as technologies necessary for safe landing on the Martian surface, advanced propulsion, and closed loop life support. Others enhance the mission by leading to a greater satisfaction of mission objectives or increased probability of mission success. Advanced technologies are needed to reduce mass and cost. Many space agencies have studied exploration mission architectures and scenarios with the resulting lists of critical and enhancing technologies being very similar. With this in mind, and with the recognition that human space exploration will only be enabled by agencies working together to address these challenges, interested agencies participating in the International Space Exploration Coordination Group (ISECG) have agreed to perform a technology assessment as an important step in exploring cooperation opportunities for future exploration mission scenarios. "The Global Exploration Strategy: The Framework for Coordination" was developed by fourteen space agencies and released in May 2007. Since the fall of 2008, several International Space Exploration Coordination Group (ISECG) participating space agencies have been studying concepts for human exploration of the moon. They have identified technologies considered critical and enhancing of sustainable space exploration. Technologies such as in-situ resource utilization, advanced power generation/energy storage systems, reliable dust resistant mobility systems, and closed loop life support systems are important examples. Similarly, agencies such as NASA, ESA, and Russia have studied Mars exploration missions and identified critical technologies. They recognize that human and robotic precursor missions to destinations such as LEO, moon, and near earth objects provide opportunities to demonstrate the technologies needed for Mars mission. Agencies see the importance of assessing gaps and overlaps in their plans to advance technologies in order to leverage their investments and enable exciting missions as soon as practical. They see the importance of respecting the ability of any agency to invest in any technologies considered interesting or strategic. This paper will describe the importance of developing an appropriate international strategy for technology development and ideas for effective mechanisms for advancing an international strategy. This work will both inform and be informed by the development of an ISECG Global Exploration Roadmap and serve as a concrete step forward in advancing the Global Exploration Strategy.

Laurini, Kathleen C.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Challenges and Opportunities For Ensuring Entry System Technology Readiness For Ice Giants Probe Missions

The Ice Giants represent a distinct class of planets within our solar system, and appear to be similar to most exoplanets that have been detected thus far. Exploring Ice Giants in our Solar System would allow us to better understand their formation and evolution processes, and thus help establish scientific links to exoplanets. In situ exploration using probes similar to Galileo, along with an orbiter or a relay spacecraft, will require entry followed by deployment of the descent probe containing science instruments into Uranus or Neptune atmosphere. The challenge is not in the deployment of the probe, but in the atmospheric entry prior to deployment. The entry system has to have a capable, robust and efficient ablative thermal protection system (TPS) designed to protect the descent probe from the thermal and mechanical entry loads. Although entries into Ice Giants may not be as demanding as the Galileo entry at Jupiter, the entry environments will be more severe than environments for Mars, Sample Return missions, and Venus, and will therefore require robust TPS. While Galileo Probe’s success, nearly 25 years ago, should give us confidence, the recession data from the Galileo entry informs us that the entry environment was under predicted and the design thickness was barely adequate. The lesson learned from Galileo probe for future Ice Giant missions will require us to be cautious and demand a more robust design. The TPS technology used on Galileo entry system no longer exists due to atrophy of manufacturing processes. Instead of attempting to revive Galileo-legacy TPS technology, NASA invested in a new and innovative TPS called HEEET (Heat-shield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology). HEEET has been matured, and is now ready to support future missions not only to the Ice Giants but also for Venus, high-speed sample return, and Saturn probe missions. This lead talk, intended for the technology section of the workshop, will cover entry, descent, and deployment (EDD), with an emphasis on entry. A brief history of the TPS challenges for extreme entry missions will be given along with a quick overview of the concept of operations for EDD. The development and maturation of HEEET system capability will be described. Data gathered in ground-test facilities in the US will be highlighted to show that the technology is mature and ready for Ice Giant missions. All thermal protection systems carry some risk as a result of ground test limitations and Ice Giant missions present some unique challenges. These challenges are not only technical, but also due to limitations in the currently established manufacturing and integration. In addition, the concerns that arise due to potential for atrophy for future Ice Giant mission a decade or more from now will be analyzed. Plausible avenues for mitigation will be presented. There are two companion planned presentations by Dr. Prabhu and Dr. Hwang will dive deeper in the challenges and opportunities. This intended talk will set the stage for their presentations.

Venkatapathy, Ethiraj↗
NASA NTRS2019

Challenges and Opportunities for Ensuring Entry System Technology Readiness for Ice Giants Probe Missions

The Ice Giants represent a distinct class of planets within our solar system, and appear to be similar to most exoplanets that have been detected thus far. Exploring Ice Giants in our Solar System would allow us to better understand their formation and evolution processes, and thus help establish scientific links to exoplanets. In situ exploration using probes similar to Galileo, along with an orbiter or a relay spacecraft, will require entry followed by deployment of the descent probe containing science instruments into Uranus or Neptune atmosphere. The challenge is not in the deployment of the probe, but in the atmospheric entry prior to deployment. The entry system has to have a capable, robust and efficient ablative thermal protection system (TPS) designed to protect the descent probe from the thermal and mechanical entry loads. Although entries into Ice Giants may not be as demanding as the Galileo entry at Jupiter, the entry environments will be more severe than environments for Mars, Sample Return missions, and Venus, and will therefore require robust TPS. While Galileo Probe’s success, nearly 25 years ago, should give us confidence, the recession data from the Galileo entry informs us that the entry environment was under-predicted and the design thickness was barely adequate. The lesson learned from the Galileo probe for future Ice Giant missions will require us to be cautious and demand a more robust design. The TPS technology used on the Galileo entry system no longer exists due to atrophy of manufacturing processes. Instead of attempting to revive Galileo-legacy TPS technology, NASA invested in a new and innovative TPS called HEEET (Heat-shield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology). HEEET has been matured, and is now ready to support future missions not only to the Ice Giants but also for Venus, high-speed sample return, and Saturn probe missions. This lead talk, intended for the technology section of the workshop, will cover entry, descent, and deployment (EDD), with an emphasis on entry. A brief history of the TPS challenges for extreme entry missions will be given, along with a quick overview of the concept of operations for EDD. The development and maturation of HEEET system capability will be described. Data gathered in ground-test facilities in the US will be highlighted to show that the technology is mature and ready for Ice Giant missions. All thermal protection systems carry some risk as a result of ground test limitations and Ice Giant missions present some unique challenges. These challenges are not only technical, but also due to limitations in the currently established manufacturing and integration. In addition, the concerns that arise due to the potential for atrophy for future Ice Giant missions a decade or more from now will be analyzed. Plausible avenues for mitigation will be presented. There are two planned companion presentations by Dr. Prabhu and Dr. Hwang that will dive deeper into the challenges and opportunities. This intended talk will set the stage for their presentations.

Venkatapathy, Ethiraj↗
NASA NTRS1992

Cryogenic storage technology readiness for First Lunar Outpost

The topics are presented in viewgraph form and include the following: an assessment of cryogenic storage technology; cryogenic boiloff predictions; Space Shuttle/Centaur thermodynamic vent system; zero-g thermodynamic vent system; heat exchanger/mixer pump module; the thick multilayer insulation (MLI) development program; blanket geometry concept evaluations; four-inch thick MLI system on 1/4-scale test tank; combined environments of vibration, acceleration, and temperature testing (CEVAT); Centaur fixed foam insulation; insulation system design; and fixed foam on operational Atlas 2.

John R. Schuster↗
NASA NTRS2008

Up the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) Scale to Demonstrate a Robust, Long Life, Liquid Rocket Engine Combustion Chamber, or...Up the Downstairs

Advanced vacuum plasma spray (VPS) technology, utilized to successfully apply thermal barrier coatings to space shuttle main engine turbine blades, was further refined as a functional gradient material (FGM) process for space furnace cartridge experiments at 1600 C and for robust, long life combustion chambers for liquid rocket engines. A VPS/FGM 5K (5,000 lb. thrust) thruster has undergone 220 hot firing tests, in pristine condition, showing no wear, blanching or cooling channel cracks. Most recently, this technology has been applied to a 40K thruster, with scale up planned for a 194K Ares I, J-2X engine.

Holmes, Richard↗
NASA NTRS1988

Shuttle to Shuttle 2: Subsystem weight reduction potential (estimated 1992 technology readiness date)

The objective of this study was to make estimates of the weight savings that might be realized on all the subsystems on an advanced rocket-powered shuttle (designated Shuttle 2) by using advanced technologies having a projected maturity date of 1992. The current Shuttle with external tank was used as a baseline from which to make the estimates of weight savings on each subsystem. The subsystems with the greatest potential for weight reduction are the body shell and the thermal protection system. For the body shell, a reduction of 5.2 percent in the weight of the vehicle at main engine cutoff is projected through the application of new technologies, and an additional configuration-based reduction of 5 percent is projected through simplification of body shape. A reduction of 5 percent is projected for the thermal protection system through experience with the current Space Shuttle and the potential for reducing thermal protection system thicknesses in selected areas. Main propellant tanks are expected to increase slightly in weight. The main propulsion system is also projected to increase in weight because of the requirement to operate engines at derated power levels in order to accommodate one-engine-out capability. The projections for weight reductions through improvements in the remaining subsystems are relatively small. By summing all the technology factors, a projected reduction of 16 percent in the vehicle weight at main engine cutoff is obtained. By summarizing the configurational factors, a potential reduction of 12 percent in vehicle weight is obtained.

Macconochie, Ian O.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Advances in Starshade Technology Readiness for an Exoplanet Characterizing Science Mission in the 2020's

The discovery of thousands of exoplanets is generating increasing interest in the direct imaging and characterization of these planets. Starshade, and eternal occulter, could fly in formation between a telescope and distant star, blocking out the light from the star, and enabling us to focus on the light of any orbiting planets. Recent technology developments in coordination with system design, has added much needed detail to define the technology requirements for a science mission that could launch in the 2020's. This paper address the mechanical architecture, the successful efforts to date, the current state of design for the mechanical system, and upcoming technology efforts.

occulter↗
NASA NTRS1973

Coated columbium thermal protection systems: An assessment of technological readiness

Evaluation and development to date show that of the coated columbium alloys FS-85 coated with R512E shows significant promise for a reusable thermal protection system (TPS) as judged by environmental resistance and the retention of mechanical properties and structural integrity of panels upon repeated reentry simulation. Production of the alloy, the coating, and full-sized TPS panels is well within current manufacturing technology. Small defects which arise from impact damage or from local coating breakdown do not appear to have serious immediate consequences in the use environment anticipated for the space shuttle orbiter TPS.

Levine, S. R.↗