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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 613 records · Page 34

Low Cost Atmospheric Probe Missions to the Outer Planets

From Introduction: Missions such as the atmospheric probe missions to the outer planets participate in the quest to explain the formation and evolution of the Solar System and the Earth within it. The probe missions described in this Abstract seek: understanding of the origin of the solar nebula and forces that formed Earth and the other planets; to determine the evolutionary processes that led to the diversity of Solar System bodies and the uniqueness of the Planet Earth; and to use the exotic worlds of our Solar System bodies and the uniqueness of the planet Earth; and to use the exotic worlds of our Solar System as natural science laboratories...The key to low cost atmospheric probe missions to the outer planets is low probe mass and the short time to the target planet.

cost↗

Insights and Lessons Learned from the NASA Juncture Flow Experiment

The NASA Juncture Flow experiment involved both CFD and wind tunnel measurements in its quest to provide CFD validation data for separated flow in a wing-fuselage corner. The experience has produced not only a wealth of valuable validation data and a new version of a turbulence model, it also yielded many lessons learned. This paper conveys those insights, particularly with respect to the qualities we believe to be essential in a CFD validation experiment. These include wind tunnel characterization and use of CFD as an assessment tool during the validation process. With a considerable number of validation tests already run both by the NASA team as well as by independent groups, a brief assessment is made of CFD’s current ability to predict the corner flow separation.

separation↗

Insights and Lessons Learned from the NASA Juncture Flow Experiment

The NASA Juncture Flow experiment involved both CFD and wind tunnel measurements in its quest to provide CFD validation data for separated flow in a wing-fuselage corner. The experience has produced not only a wealth of valuable validation data and a new version of a turbulence model, it also yielded many lessons learned. This paper conveys those insights, particularly with respect to the qualities we believe to be essential in a CFD validation experiment. These include wind tunnel characterization and use of CFD as an assessment tool during the validation process. With a considerable number of validation tests already run both by the NASA team as well as by independent groups, a brief assessment is made of CFD’s current ability to predict the corner flow separation.

separation↗

Novel Lightweight Insulation Protects Fuel Tanks from Extreme Temperatures

Quest Thermal Group developed its integrated multi-layer insulation (IMLI) with funding from the NASA SBIR/STTR program. IMLI is high-performance insulation that protects spacecraft and cryogenic systems from extreme temperatures at a lighter weight than traditional MLI. IMLI performed successful flight demonstrations on NASA’s Robotic Refueling Mission 3 in 2018 and NASA’s Green Propellant Infusion Mission in partnership with large business Ball Aerospace in 2019, opening the door for additional opportunities with NASA and commercial customers.

SBIR/STTR↗

Towards Formalization of Advanced Linear Algebra with Applications to Dynamical Systems using PVS

Linear Algebra is essential for numerous aerospace problems of interest. Formal reasoning about hybrid systems that contain variables modeled by differential equations rely on concepts from Linear Algebra such as eigenvalues, matrix decompositions, and matrix valued functions. For example, the long-term dynamics of a system of differential equations depend on the stability/instability of its equilibrium points, which often reduces to an eigenvalue problem. This talk will embark on a quest to formalize theorems and results about eigenvalues and eigenvectors using PVS. We shall start our journey with 2 x 2 complex matrices, where we will apply our PVS code to a simple example of a dynamical system. Since it can be difficult or impossible to give simple expressions of eigenvalues for larger matrices (i.e. 5 x 5 or higher), we then move towards specifying the power method for verified computation of eigenvalue approximations in PVS. This effort requires development of multivariate complex arithmetic. At the end of the day, having such additions to the PVS NASA libraries will help move towards the use of formal methods to verify concepts of control theory and system level verification.

Linear Algebra↗

Arm DevSummit Keynote: Environment for Data Engineering in Virtual Reality: Ethical Considerations

Currently, the US Government is going through a large-scale data Transformation effort, where the GSA playbook is guiding all agencies to make their processes data-driven with the help of emerging technologies. To address concerns about algorithm sharing, AI adoption, and vendor lock-in, the NASA Langley Research Center Digital Transformation Group has developed the Environment for Data Engineering in Virtual Reality (EnDEVR), a data science ecosystem that allows users to command and investigate customizable data analyses from a VR environment. The system has been evaluated in the Oculus Rift S and Quest environments, two popular VR systems powered by the ARM architecture. Current and future development will employ several AI capabilities to guide research and automation within the environment and to facilitate algorithm sharing. In this talk, we will discuss the results of an initial ethical investigation and recommended considerations for the use of AI within the system.

Artificial Intelligence↗

Evaluation of Materials and Surfaces for Lunar Regolith Adherence Characterization (RAC) Payload Samples

As the quest for long term lunar exploration and habitation comes closer to reality, widespread efforts are ongoing to effectively mitigate lunar dust surface contamination and infiltration. This dust is hazardous to humans and tends to adhere tenaciously to all exposed surfaces, causing performance issues and ultimately failure. While several active and passive technologies have been developed to address this challenge, assessing the performance of these technologies in the actual lunar environment is extremely important. The regolith adherence characterization (RAC) experiment payload provides an important opportunity for this evaluation. The RAC payload is designed by Alpha Space for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)and scheduled to be flown to the moon in 2023 on the Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost lander. As there were a limited number of slots available for materials to be chosen for this mission, it was critical to make an informed selection. Two polymers, a carbon fiber reinforced composite and a metal alloy were chosen to be a diverse selection of structural materials from NASA Langley Research Center. Each material was topographically modified using laser ablation patterning. This article briefly describes the selection and testing procedure and some of the results obtained for the passive dust mitigating materials and surfaces selected for this lunar surface experiment.

Lunar Dust↗

The Hubble Space Telescope: New Windows of Discovery

The Hubble Space Telescope has enabled incredible discoveries about our solar system, stars, galaxies, and the universe. It is also glimpsing the mysterious effects of dark matter, dark energy, and black holes. Thanks to a series of astronaut servicing missions and an incredible technical support team on the ground, Hubble is poised for many years of scientific discovery ahead. As we celebrate Hubble’s 32nd birthday, this presentation will showcase Hubble’s most recent incredible images and findings as well as innovative plans for future observations. Hubble is a key player in planned future scientific quests, to complement new solar system probes and major observatories on the ground and in space including the recently launched Webb Space Telescope.

Jennifer Wiseman↗

The Hubble Space Telescope: New Windows of Discovery (AAS 2022)

The Hubble Space Telescope has enabled incredible discoveries about our solar system, stars, galaxies, and the universe. It is also glimpsing the mysterious effects of dark matter, dark energy, and black holes. Thanks to a series of astronaut servicing missions and an incredible technical support team on the ground, Hubble is poised for many years of scientific discovery ahead. As we celebrate Hubble’s 32nd birthday, this presentation will showcase Hubble’s most recent incredible images and findings as well as innovative plans for future observations. Hubble is a key player in planned future scientific quests, to complement new solar system probes and major observatories on the ground and in space including the recently launched Webb Space Telescope.

Jennifer Wiseman↗

Why Developing A Full-Sun UV Spectrograph Sounding Rocket Is Difficult but Necessary

For a conference focused on a 20-year perspective of where we have been and where we are going, this talk will highlight specifically why we need a sounding rocket to lead the way in obtaining high-resolution UV spectroscopy of our sun-as-a-star. The currently available data is either sparse or at a much lower resolution when compared with Hubble (HST) spectra of other stars. Because of this, we cannot say with certainty if our Sun’s variability is typical. This limitation is hindering our quest to place our Sun in it’s rightful place on our star-charts. Ultraviolet light is a key component in determining this. Elements such as Hydrogen and Iron have strong emission lines here, and from them we can determine many things about the star from which they originate. The width of these spectral features can tell us about the relative plasma activity on the surface of the star, the abundance of those elements, and of course the temperatures. This has of course been done with many instruments that have very narrow field of views and/or narrow bandwidths. The only way to directly compare our Sun’s UV ”fingerprint” with other stars is to take an image of it in the same manner by which HST does: as a point source object. Our team’s aim has been to develop a sounding rocket capable of doing just that. Along the way, the many challenges we face are producing many solutions. A unique take on the traditional Rowland circle spectrograph will allow us to cover a large range of UV spectra with minimal moving parts. A novel in-situ gain calibration technique will be used in order to maintain the high level of radiometric accuracy desired. Naturally, complications arise when one takes UV measurements as you are flying out of earth’s atmosphere and back into it. Though it may be minor, the absorbed UV spectra from the atmosphere will have to be accounted for. In preparing for this, we have stumbled across a way in which those ”telluric” absorption lines may prove useful for spectral calibration purposes. In addition, raw data from previous sounding rocket missions may have hidden within them useful information for the atmospheric-physics community. In this talk, we will highlight the unique calibration problems and solutions we have faced, and how those are of greater importance to the greater heliophysics and atmospheric communities. With these amazing developments at hand, the future of heliophysics instrumentation is looking bright. This material is based upon work supported by the NSF EPSCoR RII-Track-1.2a (Non-invasive plasma diagnostics for LTP) Cooperative Agreement OIA-1655280. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

NASA, UAH, MSU, Sounding Rocket, Aeronomy, Instrum↗

A Virtual Reality Planning Environment for High-Risk, High-Latency Teleoperation

Teleoperation of robots in space is challenging due to high latency and limited workspace visibility. Previously, the Interactive Planning and Supervised Execution (IPSE) and Augmented Virtuality systems were developed to reduce failure risk. These tools were visualized on a 3D da Vinci surgical console and operated using the da Vinci manipulators or visualized on conventional monitors and operated with a keyboard and mouse. Experimental studies indicated operator preference for the latter. In this work, we develop a 3D virtual reality (VR) interface for IPSE, implemented on a Meta Quest 2 head-mounted display (HMD), and evaluate it against the prior 2D, keyboard-and-mouse-based interface. The results demonstrate improved operator load with the 3D VR interface, with no decrease in task performance, while also providing cost and portability benefits compared to the conventional 2D interface.

Will Pryor↗

Europa Clipper Mission: System Integration Review Report

Jupiter’s icy moon Europa is a prime target in our exploration of potentially habitable worlds beyond Earth. The combination of a subsurface liquid water layer in contact with a rocky seafloor may yield an ocean rich in the elements and energy needed for the emergence of life, and for potentially sustaining life through time. Europa may hold the clues to one of NASA’s long-standing quests – to determine whether or not we are alone in the universe. The Europa Clipper mission will characterize Europa’s habitability as the first step in the search for potential life at Europa by conducting approximately four dozen flybys. The project is preparing for a System Integration Review in November of 2021. This paper will summarize changes from the mission’s Preliminary Design Review (PDR) baseline, including science objectives, launch vehicle, interplanetary trajectory, science tour, flight system, payload and mission phases. Since PDR several of the Level 1 science requirements were descoped and the science requirement flow was realigned, in order to control cost growth. The realignment deemphasized science redundancy, which had resulted in an over-constrained science tour, in favor of a more targeted linkage to the primary responding instrument. Additionally, changes to the PDR flight system design baseline include changes to the sounding radar antenna design, the magnetometer architecture, and the heat redistribution system pumps. All changes have been incorporated into a reference science tour used to demonstrate that the requirements and design of the flight system and payload are mature enough to support flight builds.

Cook, Kendra↗

Lunar Terrain Mapping Using 3D Software and Modeling Techniques for the Glenn Research Center Communication Analysis Suite

As NASA prepares to return humans to the Moon as part of upcoming Artemis missions, engineers must examine the surface features and safety of lunar terrain at various locations. The Glenn Research Center Communication Analysis Suite (GCAS) includes visualization tools developed to aid scientists in this quest to comprehend lunar terrain data, as well as spatial communication information. Visual information and understanding will be highly useful to engineers as they use the GCAS to compare the topography of regions of interest for the Artemis III and future space travel missions. Not only can three-dimensional (3D) visualization display the intricacies of the lunar terrain, but it can also demonstrate relationships such as the presence or absence of communication links between Earth ground stations, lunar crew members, and rovers, and the presence of shadows on the lunar surface. In the future, the GCAS has the potential to support the planning of other space exploration missions as well. The emerging possibility of incorporating more planetary bodies becomes especially important as NASA plans not only to return to the Moon but to press onward to Mars.

Visualization↗

NASA Engineering and Safety Center Technical Bulletin No. 10-01: Power MOSFET Thermal Instability

In the quest for faster switching times and lower “on resistance” the Metal-Oxide Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor (MOSFET), produced since 1998, has achieved most intended goals. Unfortunately, lower “on resistance” and higher switching speeds in the designs now being produced allow the charge carrier dominated region to develop conditions that could lead to thermal runaway. Temperatures above 450º C on any location within the part can cause the metals to begin migrating causing a fatal short circuit.

Metal-Oxide Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor ↗

Eleven Countries, an Integrated Spacecraft: the Story of International Collaboration that Built the Orion Spacecraft and Powered the Success of the Artemis I Mission

The quest to return humans to the Moon in the next step towards humanity's exploration of space is more alive than ever. After a great deal of achievements, failures, and lessons learned, the Artemis I mission set o to the Moon on November 16, 2022, with the goal of testing a new rocket, the Space Launch System, and a new spacecraft, Orion: designed, assembled, and tested across two continents, and 11 countries. Behind this mission, decades of experience with the International Space Station, Autonomous Transfer Vehicle operations, and many other program collaborations built the know-how on how to succeed together in the toughest environment | deep space. The Artemis I mission proved to be an incredible success, meeting 161 total mission objectives, including 21 developed during the flight based on outperforming spacecraft. It was also a case-study in international collaboration, given that ESA, NASA, and industry partners Airbus and Lockheed Martin for the first time had to design, build, test, and fly a fully integrated human-rated spacecraft, with most critical functions dependent and interconnected across U.S. and European systems. The U.S.-built Orion Crew Module and Crew Module Adapter and European-built European Service Module (ESM) shared critical interfaces and commodities, from propulsion, avionics, active/passive thermal, electrical power generation, storage and distribution to the software that managed it all. In this paper, we will describe relevant aspects of the integrated spacecraft design, providing context for the challenges that the team faced in all phases required to get Orion ready to fly, and provide a direct account of how the joint team formed, trained, and supported the operations of the successful Artemis I mission. We will also explore the evolution of the partnerships, given that these allow a multi-national e ort to sustain the program production, share costs, leverage a broader base of engineering expertise, and build more diverse capabilities over the long haul to support the Artemis goals and objectives. Lastly, we will cover critical lessons learned and how the Orion Program has implemented these in preparation of the next Artemis missions to repeat the success of Artemis I. The purpose of this paper is to document knowledge we gained and lessons we learned through the development of an integrated Orion spacecraft, since it is imperative we build on this now, at the dawn of the Artemis Program, an international endeavor to push human space exploration.

Deep Space Exploration↗

The Webb Space Telescope - An Engineering Marvel Story

This presentation will provide an overview of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and its engineering development process. JWST has succeeded the Hubble Space Telescope in our quest for the first galaxies formed out of the darkness of the early universe. Since its launch in December 2021, JWST has helped us understand how these galaxies evolved over billions of years, how stars and planetary systems form, what exoplanets look like and if they can harbor life. JWST uses a ~6.5-m-diameter primary mirror to collect infrared light, which is sent to four scientific instruments. It operates at the second Sun-Earth Lagrange point and has a five-layer sunshield to be able to operate at cryogenic temperatures. JWST is an international effort of NASA and the European and Canadian Space Agencies.

James Webb Space Telescope↗

Lunar Laser Ranging in the Artemis Era

The retroreflector arrays placed on the lunar surface by the Apollo astronauts and the Soviet Luna missions continue to contribute to our understanding of gravitational physics, Earth and Moon geophysics, geodesy, and dynamics. The key science questions addressed by Lunar Laser Ranging remain very relevant today: What is the interior structure of the Moon? Is the Equivalence Principle exact? Does the strength of gravity vary with space and time? What is the nature of spacetime? Do extra dimensions or other new physics alter the inverse square law of gravity? The lunar retroreflectors are also an essential component of the realizations of the lunar reference frames. The half-century old lunar retroreflectors continue to provide excellent ranging targets but are showing signs of degradation and the measurement error associated with their physical size and varying tilt is becoming a limitation in the quest for more precise range measurements. In addition, the clustering of the arrays in the mid-latitudes of the Moon limits their geometrical strength and coverage. The south polar region planned for Artemis presents an ideal opportunity for improving the geometric distribution. Retroreflectors utilizing a large optical cross-section single cube corner do not have tilt error associated with the existing arrays making them good options for lunar deployment. Several new retroreflectors of this type are being prepared for upcoming Commercial Lunar Payload Services missions as well as Artemis. This presentation will discuss NASA’s plans for expanding the lunar laser ranging capabilities with a focus on the Artemis Lunar Laser Retroreflector.

Stephen Merkowitz↗