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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 NTRS1993

The RNA-world and co-evolution hypothesis and the origin of life: Implications, research strategies and perspectives

The applicability of the RNA-world and co-evolution hypothesis to the study of the very first stages of the origin of life is discussed. The discussion focuses on the basic differences between the two hypotheses and their implications, with regard to the reconstruction methodology, ribosome emergence, balance between ribozymes and protein enzymes, and their major difficultites. Additional complexities of the two hypotheses, such as membranes and the energy source of the first reactions, are not treated in the present work. A central element in the proposed experimental strategies is the study of the catalytic activites of very small peptides and RNA-like oligomers, according to existing, as well as to yet-to-be-invented scenarios of the two hypothesis under consideration. It is suggested that the novel directed molecular evolution technology, and molecular computational modeling, can be applied to this research. This strategy is assumed to be essential for the suggested goal of future studies of the origin of life, namely, the establishment of a `Primordial Darwinian entity'.

Lahav, Noam↗
NASA NTRS1996

New TDRSS communications options for small satellites

The NASA uses a space network which includes the tracking and data relay satellite system (TDRSS) for the provision of reliable low data rate and high data rate relay services between user spacecraft in earth orbit and the ground. In relation to future small satellite designs, new communication options for the TDRSS support of small spacecraft missions are reported on. The technologies considered include new transponder technologies, evolution to Ka band frequencies and a TDRSS demand access service capability. Multiple access aspects are considered.

Zillig, David J.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Open Architecture SDR for Space

This paper describes an open-architecture SDR (software defined radio) infrastructure that is suitable for space-based operations (Space-SDR). SDR technologies will endow space and planetary exploration systems with dramatically increased capability, reduced power consumption, and significantly less mass than conventional systems, at costs reduced by vigorous competition, hardware commonality, dense integration, reduced obsolescence, interoperability, and software re-use. Significant progress has been recorded on developments like the Joint Tactical Radio System (JSTRS) Software Communication Architecture (SCA), which is oriented toward reconfigurable radios for defense forces operating in multiple theaters of engagement. The JTRS-SCA presents a consistent software interface for waveform development, and facilitates interoperability, waveform portability, software re-use, and technology evolution.

Smith, Carl↗
NASA NTRS2005

An Evolvable Approach to Launch Vehicles for Exploration

This paper presents ideas that may be used individually or in combination to mitigate high costs for separate developments of new crew and heavy-lift cargo launch vehicles, while providing the foundation for a highly reliable and evolvable approach to exploration. Consideration is given to reclassification of cargo for launch purposes into high value versus low value categories, rather than the presently-defined crew versus cargo categories. Objectives for the reclassification are to reduce the gap between payload mass requirements for crew and cargo payloads to better allow closure on a single moderately-sized common core vehicle to reduce development cost, achieve an economical balance between launch frequency and payload mass, and to improve total mission reliability and safety, as compared a light-weight crew vehicle and heavy cargo lift approach. Concepts to reduce design and flight qualification costs for a common core vehicle with derivatives are presented. Appropriate types and mass of cargo for each class of vehicle are identified. Utilization of existing infrastructure and flight hardware is considered to reduce costs and build on proven capabilities. The approach enables low-risk incorporation of international and commercial launch of relatively low-cost, easily replaceable assets as a means to evolve toward longer-duration and more distant missions. Benefits are identified for ground idrastructure, personnel, training, logistics, spares, and system evolution. Technology needs are compared with needs for other aspects of exploration. Technology development phasing, demonstration, and reliability growth opportunities are considered. Flexibility to adapt to future technologies such as advanced in-space propulsion is contrasted with an approach of sizing the cargo launch vehicle based on today's in-space propellants.

Cheuvront, David L.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Making Technology Ready: Integrated Systems Health Management

This paper identifies work needed by developers to make integrated system health management (ISHM) technology ready and by programs to make mission infrastructure ready for this technology. This paper examines perceptions of ISHM technologies and experience in legacy programs. Study methods included literature review and interviews with representatives of stakeholder groups. Recommendations address 1) development of ISHM technology, 2) development of ISHM engineering processes and methods, and 3) program organization and infrastructure for ISHM technology evolution, infusion and migration.

Malin, Jane T.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Five Decades Observing Earth's Atmospheric Trace Gases Using Ultraviolet and Visible Backscatter Solar Radiation from Space

Over the last five decades, Earth’s atmosphere has been extensively monitored from space using different spectral ranges. Early efforts were directed at improving weather forecasts with the first meteorological satellites launched in the 1960s. Soon thereafter, the intersection between weather, climate and atmospheric chemistry led to the observation of atmospheric composition from space. During the 1970s the Nimbus satellite program started regular monitoring of ozone integrated columns and water vapor profiles using the Backscatter Ultraviolet Spectrometer, the Infrared Interferometer Spectrometer and the Satellite Infrared Spectrometer instruments. Five decades after these pioneer efforts, continuous progress in instrument design, and retrieval techniques allow researchers to monitor tropospheric concentrations of a wide range of species with implications for air quality, climate and weather. The time line of historic, present and future space-borne instruments measuring ultraviolet and visible backscattered solar radiation designed to quantify atmospheric trace gases is presented. We describe the instruments technological evolution and the basic concepts of retrieval theory. We include a review of algorithms developed for ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, formaldehyde, bromine monoxide, water vapor and glyoxal, a selection of studies using these algorithms, the challenges they face and how these challenges can be addressed. The paper ends by providing insights on the opportunities that new instruments will bring to the atmospheric chemistry, weather and air quality communities and how to address the pressing need for long-term, inter-calibrated data records necessary to monitor the response of the atmosphere to rapidly changing ecosystems.

Infrared Interferometer Spectrometer↗
NASA NTRS2022

An Overview of the Current State of the Art on Small Spacecraft Avionics Systems

Small spacecraft command and data handling and flight software systems, technologies, and capabilities are continuously evolving, enabling new opportunities for developing and deploying next-generation small spacecraft avionics. When small spacecraft were first introduced, their primary purpose was to observe and send information back to Earth. As awareness and utility expands, there is a need to improve the overall capability of collecting data in a specific mission environment. Small spacecraft currently perform a wide variety of science in low-Earth orbit and are emerging as candidates for more formidable beyond low-Earth orbit missions. This paper will expand on the technological evolution of avionics systems, their requirements to meet the need for modern, complex small spacecraft missions, and the updated avionics architecture composition. The authors will also inform the readers on the current state-of-the-art in SmallSat avionics and connect decentralized avionics architecture to non-aerospace applications and its underlying role in the movement to “digitally managed everything”.

B. Yost↗
NASA NTRS2017

Evolution of Fundamental Technologies for Future Electrified Aircraft

Gradual progression of electric and hybrid electric aircraft from small planes to large planes will require technology advances in multiple areas, which include energy storage, electrical machines, power transmission, power electronics, control systems, materials, thermal management, and multi-scale modeling tools. Advances in both fundamental research and applied interdisciplinary research will be required to realize the goals for future electric and hybrid electric aircraft. The presentation will provide an overview of long-range research and technology needs for the next thirty years and how evolution of several early stage technologies will influence the development of electrified aircraft in the future.

Germany↗
NASA NTRS1990

Evolution and advanced technology

The NASREM architecture with its standard interfaces permits development and evolution of the Flight Telerobotic Servicer to greater autonomy. Technologies in control strategies for an arm with seven DOF, including a safety system containing skin sensors for obstacle avoidance, are being developed. Planning and robotic execution software includes symbolic task planning, world model data bases, and path planning algorithms. Research over the last five years has led to the development of laser scanning and ranging systems, which use coherent semiconductor laser diodes for short range sensing. The possibility of using a robot to autonomously assemble space structures is being investigated. A control framework compatible with NASREM is being developed that allows direct global control of the manipulator. Researchers are developing systems that permit an operator to quickly reconfigure the telerobot to do new tasks safely.

Ollendorf, Stanford↗
NASA NTRS1990

Technology for Space Station Evolution. Executive summary and overview

NASA's Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology (OAST) conducted a workshop on technology for space station evolution 16-19 Jan. 1990. The purpose of this workshop was to collect and clarify Space Station Freedom technology requirements for evolution and to describe technologies that can potentially fill those requirements. These proceedings are organized into an Executive Summary and Overview and five volumes containing the technology discipline presentations. The Executive Summary and Overview contains an executive summary for the workshop, the technology discipline summary packages, and the keynote address. The executive summary provides a synopsis of the events and results of the workshop and the technology discipline summary packages.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1990

Technology for Space Station Evolution. Volume 4: Power Systems/Propulsion/Robotics

NASA's Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology (OAST) conducted a workshop on technology for space station evolution on 16-19 Jan. 1990. The purpose of this workshop was to collect and clarify Space Station Freedom technology requirements for evolution and to describe technologies that can potentially fill those requirements. These proceedings are organized into an Executive Summary and Overview and five volumes containing the Technology Discipline Presentations. Volume 4 consists of the technology discipline sections for Power, Propulsion, and Robotics. For each technology discipline, there is a Level 3 subsystem description, along with the papers.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1990

Technology for Space Station Evolution. Volume 3: EVA/Manned Systems/Fluid Management System

NASA's Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology (OAST) conducted a workshop on technology for space station evolution 16-19 Jan. 1990 in Dallas, Texas. The purpose of this workshop was to collect and clarify Space Station Freedom technology requirements for evolution and to describe technologies that can potentially fill those requirements. These proceedings are organized into an Executive Summary and Overview and five volumes containing the Technology Discipline Presentations. Volume 3 consists of the technology discipline sections for Extravehicular Activity/Manned Systems and the Fluid Management System. For each technology discipline, there is a Level 3 subsystem description, along with the papers.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1990

Technology for Space Station Evolution. Volume 5: Structures and Materials/Thermal Control System

NASA's Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology (OAST) conducted a workshop on technology for space station evolution on 16-19 Jan. 1990. The purpose of this workshop was to collect and clarify Space Station Freedom technology requirements for evolution and to describe technologies that can potentially fill those requirements. These proceedings are organized into an Executive Summary and Overview and five volumes containing the Technology Discipline Presentations. Volume 5 consists of the technology discipline sections for Structures/Materials and the Thermal Control System. For each technology discipline, there is a level 3 subsystem description, along with papers.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1990

Technology for Space Station Evolution. Volume 2: Data Management System/Environmental Control and Life Support Systems

NASA's Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology conducted a workshop on technology for space station evolution 16-19 Jan. 1990. The purpose of the workshop was to collect and clarify Space Station Freedom technology requirements for evolution and to describe technologies that can potentially fill those requirements. These proceedings are organized into an Executive Summary and Overview and five volumes containing the Technology Discipline Presentations. Volume 2 consists of the technology discipline sections for the Data Management System and the Environmental Control and Life Support Systems. For each technology discipline, there is a Level 3 subsystem description, along with the invited papers.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1989

Evolution of Ada technology in the flight dynamics area: Implementation/testing phase analysis

An analysis is presented of the software engineering issues related to the use of Ada for the implementation and system testing phases of four Ada projects developed in the flight dynamics area. These projects reflect an evolving understanding of more effective use of Ada features. In addition, the testing methodology used on these projects has changed substantially from that used on previous FORTRAN projects.

Quimby, Kelvin L.↗
NASA NTRS2015

RadWorks Project. ISS REM - to - BIRD - to - HERA: The Evolution of a Technology

The advancement of particle detectors based on technologies developed for use in high-energy physics applications has enabled the development of a completely new generation of compact low-power active dosimeters and area monitors for use in space radiation environments. One such device, the TimePix, is being developed at CERN, and is providing the technology basis for the most recent line of radiation detection devices being developed by the NASA AES RadWorks project. The most fundamental of these devices, an ISS-Radiation Environment Monitor (REM), is installed as a USB device on ISS where it is monitoring the radiation environment on a perpetual basis. The second generation of this TimePix technology, the BIRD (Battery-operated Independent Radiation Detector), was flown on the NASA EFT-1 flight in December 2014. Data collected by BIRD was the first data made available from the Trapped Belt region of the Earth's atmosphere in over 40 years. The 3rdgeneration of this technology, the HERA (Hybrid Electronic Radiation Assessor), is planned to be integrated into the Orion EM-1, and EM-2 vehicles where it will monitor the radiation environment. For the EM-2 flight, HERA will provide Caution and Warning notification for SPEs as well as real time dose measurements for crew members. The development of this line of radiation detectors provide much greater information and characterization of charged particles in the space radiation environment than has been collected in the past, and in the process provide greater information to inform crew members of radiation related risks, while being very power and mass efficient.

McLeod, Catherine D.↗