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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 559 records · Page 31
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1995

Method for determining shear direction using liquid crystal coatings

A method is provided for determining shear direction wherein a beam of white light is directed onto the surface of a liquid crystal coating to cause the white light to be dispersed (reflected) from the surface in a spectrum having bands of different colors in a fixed spatial 2 (angular) sequence. The system is calibrated by locating an observer, e.g., a video and movie camera, such that a particular color band (preferably at or near the center of the reflected spectrum) is observed to thereby provide a reference color band. Because the application of shear causes either clockwise or counterclockwise rotation of the reflected spectrum dependent on the direction of the shear, a determination is then made of the reflected color band observed by the observer when the surface of the liquid crystal is subjected to shear to thereby determine the direction of the shear based on the directional (rotation) relation of the observed color band with respect to the reference color band in the spatial sequence of color bands.

Reda, Daniel C.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Interaction of Burning Metal Particles

Physical characteristics of the combustion of metal particle groups have been addressed in this research. The combustion behavior and interaction effects of multiple metal particles has been studied using a microgravity environment, which presents a unique opportunity to create an "aerosol" consisting of relatively large particles, i.e., 50-300 micrometer diameter. Combustion behavior of such an aerosol could be examined using methods adopted from well-developed single particle combustion research. The experiment included fluidizing relatively large (order of 100 micrometer diameter) uniform metal particles under microgravity and igniting such an "aerosol" using a hot wire igniter. The flame propagation and details of individual particle combustion and particle interaction have been studied using a high speed movie and video-imaging with cameras coupled with microscope lenses to resolve individual particles. Interference filters were used to separate characteristic metal and metal oxide radiation bands form the thermal black body radiation. Recorded flame images were digitized and employed to understand the processes occurring in the burning aerosol. The development of individual particle flames, merging or separation, and extinguishing as well as induced particle motion have been analyzed to identify the mechanisms governing these processes. Size distribution, morphology, and elemental compositions of combustion products were characterized and used to link the observed in this project aerosol combustion phenomena with the recently expanded mechanism of single metal particle combustion.

Dreizin, Edward L.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Interaction of Burning Metal Particles

Physical characteristics of the combustion of metal particle groups have been addressed in this research. The combustion behavior and interaction effects of multiple metal particles has been studied using a microgravity environment, which presents a unique opportunity to create an "aerosol" consisting of relatively large particles, i.e., 50-300 m diameter. Combustion behavior of such an aerosol could be examined using methods adopted from well-developed single particle combustion research. The experiment included fluidizing relatively large (order of 100 m diameter) uniform metal particles under microgravity and igniting such an "aerosol" using a hot wire igniter. The flame propagation and details of individual particle combustion and particle interaction have been studied using a high speed movie and video-imaging with cameras coupled with microscope lenses to resolve individual particles. Interference filters were used to separate characteristic metal and metal oxide radiation bands from the thermal black body radiation. Recorded flame images were digitized and various image processing techniques including flame position tracking, color separation, and pixel by pixel image comparison were employed to understand the processes occurring in the burning aerosol. The development of individual particle flames, merging or separation, and extinguishment as well as induced particle motion have been analyzed to identify the mechanisms governing these processes. Size distribution, morphology, and elemental compositions of combustion products were characterized and used to link the observed in this project aerosol combustion phenomena with the recently expanded mechanism of single metal particle combustion.

Dreizin, Edward L.↗
NASA NTRS1998

End-to-End Data System Architecture for the Space Station Biological Research Project

The Space Station Biological Research Project (SSBRP) Is developing hardware referred to as the "facility" for providing life sciences research capability on the International Space Station. This hardware includes several biological specimen habitats, habitat holding racks, a centrifuge and a glovebox. An SSBRP end to end data system architecture has been developed to allow command and control of the facility from the ground, either with crew assistance or autonomously. The data system will be capable of handling commands, sensor data, and video from multiple cameras. The data will traverse through several onboard and ground networks and processing entities including the SSBRP and Space Station onboard and ground data systems. A large number of onboard and ground (,entities of the data system are being developed by the Space Station Program, other NASA centers and the International Partners. The SSBRP part of the system which includes the habitats, holding racks, and the ground operations center, User Operations Facility (UOF) will be developed by a multitude of geographically distributed development organizations. The SSBRP has the responsibility to define the end to end data and communications systems to make the interfaces manageable and verifiable with multiple contractors with widely varying development constraints and schedules. This paper provides an overview of the SSBRP end-to-end data system. Specifically, it describes the hardware, software and functional interactions of individual systems, and interface requirements among various entities of the end-to-end system.

Mian, Arshad↗
NASA NTRS2002

Simulation of an Impact Test of the All-Composite Lear Fan Aircraft

An MSC.Dytran model of an all-composite Lear Fan aircraft fuselage was developed to simulate an impact test conducted at the NASA Langley Research Center Impact Dynamics Research Facility (IDRF). The test was the second of two Lear Fan impact tests. The purpose of the second test was to evaluate the performance of retrofitted composite energy-absorbing floor beams. A computerized photogrammetric survey was performed to provide airframe geometric coordinates, and over 5000 points were processed and imported into MSC.Patran via an IGES file. MSC.Patran was then used to develop the curves and surfaces and to mesh the finite element model. A model of the energy-absorbing floor beams was developed separately and then integrated into the Lear Fan model. Structural responses of components such as the wings were compared with experimental data or previously published analytical data wherever possible. Comparisons with experimental results were used to guide structural model modifications to improve the simulation performance. This process was based largely on qualitative (video and still camera images and post-test inspections) rather than quantitative results due to the relatively few accelerometers attached to the structure.

Stockwell, Alan E.↗
NASA NTRS2002

STS-112 Flight Day 3 Highlights

During the third flight day of STS-112 (Commander Jeff Ashby, Pilot Pam Melroy and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus, Piers Sellers, David Wolf and Fyodor Yurchikhin), the Space Shuttle Atlantis begins its final approach to the International Space Station (ISS) with which it will dock. The Chinese mainland is seen, at night, at a height of 242 statute miles. In one section of video from a camera onboard the ISS, Atlantis can be seen to be almost directly below the station, at a distance of several hundred feet. The orbiter's docking system is shown, as it is slowly guided by Ashby towards the forward docking port on the ISS's Destiny Laboratory Module and its forward docking port. Above the docking port, the S0 truss structure can be seen, to which the S1 truss structure in Atlantis' payload bay will be attached during this mission. Also seen are the Unity airlock and other modules. Following the completion of docking, in which an excellent shot of the docking system in hard dock is visible, the hatches between the two crafts are opened and the members of Atlantis are greeted by the very excited members of Expedition 5, who have been aboard the ISS for several months.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2002

STS-109/Columbia/HST Pre-Launch Activities/Launch On Orbit-Landing-Crew Egress

The STS-109 Space Shuttle Mission begins with introduction of the seven crew members: Commander Scott D. Altman, pilot Duane G. Carey, payload commander John M. Grunsfeld, mission specialists: Nancy J. Currie, James H. Newman, Richard M. Linnehan, and Michael J. Massimino. Spacewalking NASA astronauts revive the Hubble Space Telescope's (HST) sightless infrared eyes, outfitting the observatory with an experimental refrigerator designed to resuscitate a comatose camera. During this video presentation John Grunsfeld and Rick Linnehan bolt the new cryogenic cooler inside HST and hung a huge radiator outside the observatory and replaces the telescope power switching station. In the video we can see how the shuttle robot arm operator, Nancy Currie, releases the 13-ton HST. Also, the landing of the Space Shuttle Columbia is presented.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2001

Videogrammetric Model Deformation Measurement Technique

The theory, methods, and applications of the videogrammetric model deformation (VMD) measurement technique used at NASA for wind tunnel testing are presented. The VMD technique, based on non-topographic photogrammetry, can determine static and dynamic aeroelastic deformation and attitude of a wind-tunnel model. Hardware of the system includes a video-rate CCD camera, a computer with an image acquisition frame grabber board, illumination lights, and retroreflective or painted targets on a wind tunnel model. Custom software includes routines for image acquisition, target-tracking/identification, target centroid calculation, camera calibration, and deformation calculations. Applications of the VMD technique at five large NASA wind tunnels are discussed.

Burner, A. W.↗
NASA NTRS2004

"Smart" Magnetic Fluids Experiment Operated on the International Space Station

InSPACE is a microgravity fluid physics experiment that was operated on the International Space Station (ISS) in the Microgravity Science Glovebox from late March 2003 through early July 2003. (InSPACE is an acronym for Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates From Colloidal Emulsions.) The purpose of the experiment is to obtain fundamental data of the complex properties of an exciting class of smart materials termed magnetorheological (MR) fluids. MR fluids are suspensions, or colloids, comprised of small (micrometer-sized) superparamagnetic particles in a nonmagnetic medium. Colloids are suspensions of very small particles suspended in a liquid. (Examples of other colloids are blood, milk, and paint.) These controllable fluids can quickly transition into a nearly solid state when exposed to a magnetic field and return to their original liquid state when the magnetic field is removed. Controlling the strength of the magnetic field can control the relative stiffness of these fluids. MR fluids can be used to improve or develop new seat suspensions, robotics, clutches, airplane landing gear, and vibration damping systems. The principal investigator for InSPACE is Professor Alice P. Gast of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The InSPACE hardware was developed at the NASA Glenn Research Center. The InSPACE samples were delivered to the ISS in November 2002, on the Space Shuttle Endeavour, on Space Station Utilization Flight UF-2/STS113. Operations began on March 31, 2003, with the processing of three different particle size samples at multiple test parameters. This investigation focused on determining the structural organization of MR colloidal aggregates when exposed to a pulsing magnetic field. On Earth, the aggregates take the shape of footballs with spiky tips. This characteristic shape may be influenced by the pull of gravity, which causes most particles initially suspended in the fluid to sediment, (i.e., settle and collect at the bottom of the cell). In the absence of sedimentation effects on the ISS, the behavior and shape of these MR aggregate structures are dominated exclusively by magnetic and surface tension forces. The microscopic detail of these structures was imaged under two orthogonal camera views. The video was downlinked to the InSPACE team at Glenn's Telescience Support Center and to MIT and also recorded onboard the ISS on videotapes that will be brought back to the ground by the space shuttles. The study examined the effect on the structure formation by varying the magnetic field strength and pulse frequency, and particle size. Fundamental data that characterized the structure formation were obtained. InSPACE completed its last planned test run on July 2, 2003. Operations occurred on 21 days over approximately a 3-month period. Forty-one test points were completed during 26 test runs. During the initial testing, the procedures followed by the crew were modified to maximize the observation of some unexpected and interesting aggregate behavior. As a result Dr. Gast has reported on the formation of aggregate shapes that are more extended and diverse than those observed on the ground. Sheets of magnetic material folded over in a labyrinth pattern and large columnar aggregates with complex interfaces with the surrounding fluid are examples of the interesting structures that have been observed on the ISS. In light of these early findings, the understanding of the fundamental properties of MR fluids on the basis of ground-based observations may need to be reconsidered.The experiments on the ISS have provided a vast amount of video data for analysis. While this analysis is ongoing, plans are being made for additional experimental runs. For this purpose, additional hardware and cells containing samples of different magnetic particles and sizes are being fabricated for a future launch to the ISS. The InSPACE hardware will remain on orbit until this testing is completed.

Agui, Juan H.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Grapple fixture for use with electromagnetic attachment mechanism

An electromagnetic attachment mechanism for use as an end effector of a remote manipulator system. A pair of electromagnets 15A,15B, each with a U-shaped magnetic core with a pull-in coil 34 and two holding coils 35,36 are mounted by a spring suspension system 38,47 on a base plate 25 of the mechanism housing 30 with end pole pieces 21,22 adapted to move through openings in the base plate when the attractive force of the electromagnets is exerted on a strike plate 65 of a grapple fixture 20 affixed to a target object 14. The pole pieces are spaced by an air gap from the strike plate when the mechanism first contacts the grapple fixture. An individual control circuit and power source is provided for the pull-in coil and one holding coil of each electromagnet. A back-up control circuit connected to the two power sources and a third power source is provided for the remaining holding coils. When energized, the pull-in coils overcome the suspension system and air gap and are automatically de-energized when the pole pieces move to grapple and impose a preload force across the grapple interface. A battery back-up 89A,89B is a redundant power source for each electromagnet in each individual control circuit and is automatically connected upon failure of the primary power source. A centerline mounted camera 31 and video monitor 70 are used in cooperation with a target pattern 19 on the reflective surface 67 of the strike plate to effect targeting and alignment.

Monford, Jr., Leo G.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Advanced IR System For Supersonic Boundary Layer Transition Flight Experiment

Infrared thermography is a preferred method investigating transition in flight: a) Global and non-intrusive; b) Can also be used to visualize and characterize other fluid mechanic phenomena such as shock impingement, separation etc. F-15 based system was updated with new camera and digital video recorder to support high Reynolds number transition tests. Digital Recording improves image quality and analysis capability and allows for accurate quantitative (temperature) measurements and greater enhancement through image processing allows analysis of smaller scale phenomena.

Banks, Daniel W.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Human-Robot Interaction

Risk of Inadequate Design of Human and Automation/Robotic Integration (HARI) is a new Human Research Program (HRP) risk. HRI is a research area that seeks to understand the complex relationship among variables that affect the way humans and robots work together to accomplish goals. The DRP addresses three major HRI study areas that will provide appropriate information for navigation guidance to a teleoperator of a robot system, and contribute to the closure of currently identified HRP gaps: (1) Overlays -- Use of overlays for teleoperation to augment the information available on the video feed (2) Camera views -- Type and arrangement of camera views for better task performance and awareness of surroundings (3) Command modalities -- Development of gesture and voice command vocabularies

Rochlis-Zumbado, Jennifer↗
NASA NTRS2014

Image Analysis Based Estimates of Regolith Erosion Due to Plume Impingement Effects

Characterizing dust plumes on the moon's surface during a rocket landing is imperative to the success of future operations on the moon or any other celestial body with a dusty or soil surface (including cold surfaces covered by frozen gas ice crystals, such as the moons of the outer planets). The most practical method of characterizing the dust clouds is to analyze video or still camera images of the dust illuminated by the sun or on-board light sources (such as lasers). The method described below was used to characterize the dust plumes from the Apollo 12 landing.

Regolith Erosion↗
NASA NTRS2016

Astrobee: A New Platform for Free-Flying Robotics on the International Space Station

The Astrobees are next-generation free-flying robots that will operate in the interior of the International Space Station (ISS). Their primary purpose is to provide a flexible platform for research on zero-g freeflying robotics, with the ability to carry a wide variety of future research payloads and guest science software. They will also serve utility functions: as free-flying cameras to record video of astronaut activities, and as mobile sensor platforms to conduct surveys of the ISS. The Astrobee system includes two robots, a docking station, and a ground data system (GDS). It is developed by the Human Exploration Telerobotics 2 (HET-2) Project, which began in Oct. 2014, and will deliver the Astrobees for launch to ISS in 2017. This paper covers selected aspects of the Astrobee design, focusing on capabilities relevant to potential users of the platform.

robotics↗
NASA NTRS2016

The Virtual Tablet: Virtual Reality as a Control System

In the field of human-computer interaction, Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) have been rapidly growing areas of interest and concerted development effort thanks to both private and public research. At NASA, a number of groups have explored the possibilities afforded by AR and VR technology, among which is the IT Advanced Concepts Lab (ITACL). Within ITACL, the AVR (Augmented/Virtual Reality) Lab focuses on VR technology specifically for its use in command and control. Previous work in the AVR lab includes the Natural User Interface (NUI) project and the Virtual Control Panel (VCP) project, which created virtual three-dimensional interfaces that users could interact with while wearing a VR headset thanks to body- and hand-tracking technology. The Virtual Tablet (VT) project attempts to improve on these previous efforts by incorporating a physical surrogate which is mirrored in the virtual environment, mitigating issues with difficulty of visually determining the interface location and lack of tactile feedback discovered in the development of previous efforts. The physical surrogate takes the form of a handheld sheet of acrylic glass with several infrared-range reflective markers and a sensor package attached. Using the sensor package to track orientation and a motion-capture system to track the marker positions, a model of the surrogate is placed in the virtual environment at a position which corresponds with the real-world location relative to the user's VR Head Mounted Display (HMD). A set of control mechanisms is then projected onto the surface of the surrogate such that to the user, immersed in VR, the control interface appears to be attached to the object they are holding. The VT project was taken from an early stage where the sensor package, motion-capture system, and physical surrogate had been constructed or tested individually but not yet combined or incorporated into the virtual environment. My contribution was to combine the pieces of hardware, write software to incorporate each piece of position or orientation data into a coherent description of the object's location in space, place the virtual analogue accordingly, and project the control interface onto it, resulting in a functioning object which has both a physical and a virtual presence. Additionally, the virtual environment was enhanced with two live video feeds from cameras mounted on the robotic device being used as an example target of the virtual interface. The working VT allows users to naturally interact with a control interface with little to no training and without the issues found in previous efforts.

virtual control interface↗
NASA NTRS2018

Geostationary Lightning Mapper On-Orbit Sources of False Events

The first Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) was launched aboard the GOES-R Spacecraft (now GOES-East) on November 19, 2016 and is now fully operational. GLM uses a high-speed camera and onboard video processing to detect the optical emission of lightning for the full disk observed from the geostationary orbit. During the Post Launch Test period the instrument and ground processing algorithms (GPAs) were tuned to optimize the tradeoff between detection efficiency and false event rate. False events, those not due to lightning, arise from a variety of sources. A primary function of the GPAs is to remove false events prior to assembling events into groups and flashes for use by weather forecasters and scientists. Effective discrimination of false events depends on understanding the phenomenology of the various sources of false events.

GOES-R↗
NASA NTRS2019

Astrobee Free Flyers: Integrated and Tested. Ready for Launch!

As of March 2019, four Astrobee free-flying robots have been integrated, tested and shipped to NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Texas, ready to be launched to space. Two of these Astrobee units (Honey and Bumble) will be launched to the International Space Station (ISS) on April 17, 2019, on the Cygnus NG-11 (Northrop Grumman) cargo resupply spacecraft from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) launch facility, at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, in Virginia, while the third unit (Queen) will be launched in mid-July 2019, with the cargo resupply mission Space-X 18, from Cape Canaveral, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The primary purpose of the Astrobee system is to provide an autonomous and flexible platform for research on zero-g free-flying robotics, with the ability to accommodate guest researchers looking to utilize the unique capabilities of this platform in the microgravity of low earth orbit, and to advance the state of the art of guest science software and research payloads, which range from gecko-inspired adhesives for perching on smooth surfaces, to augmented reality interfaces to help astronauts and robots work together effectively, to RFID reader, performing inventory of RFID tagged items inside the ISS. Astrobee will also serve utility functions, such as free-flying cameras to record video and provide assistance during astronaut activities, and as mobile sensor platforms to conduct surveys of the ISS. In this paper we will give an overview of the status of the Astrobee system, which includes the docking station already launched and mounted in the JAXA JEM module of the ISS, the Astrobee robots, the Astrobee robotic arms, the ground data system (GDS) and the development of the several guest science payloads.

Carlino, Roberto↗
NASA NTRS1977

Low-light-level integrating video system

System consists of television camera using 25 mm SEC vidicon, low dispersion spectrograph, and digital video image system used for buffer storage of video data during tube readout scanning. Six-bit ADC converts video to digital data which are stored on magnetic tape for future evaluation.

Duncan, B. J.↗