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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
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2012

Deep Space Communication

ITU defines deep space as the volume of Space at distances from the Earth equal to, or greater than, 2 106 km. Deep Space Spacecraft have to travel tens of millions of km from Earth to reach the nearest object in deep space. Spacecraft mass and power are precious. Large ground-based antennas and very high power transmitters are needed to overcome large space loss and spacecraft's small antennas and low power transmitters. Navigation is complex and highly dependent on measurements from the Earth. Every deep space mission is unique and therefore very costly to develop.

deep space communications↗
NASA NTRS2012

PHOBOS Exploration using Two Small Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) Spacecraft

Phobos Surveyor Mission concept provides an innovative low cost, highly reliable approach to exploring the inner solar system 1/16/2013 3 Dual manifest launch. Use only flight proven, well characterize commercial off-the-shelf components. Flexible mission architecture allows for a slew of unique measurements.

Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP)↗
NASA NTRS2014

Ultralight Weight Optical Systems Using Nano-Layered Synthesized Materials

Optical imaging is important for many NASA science missions. Even though complex optical systems have advanced, the optics, based on conventional glass and mirrors, require components that are thick, heavy and expensive. As the need for higher performance expands, glass and mirrors are fast approaching the point where they will be too large, heavy and costly for spacecraft, especially small satellite systems. NASA Langley Research Center is developing a wide range of novel nano-layered synthesized materials that enable the development and fabrication of ultralight weight optical device systems that enable many NASA missions to collect science data imagery using small satellites. In addition to significantly reducing weight, the nano-layered synthesized materials offer advantages in performance, size, and cost.

Clark, Natalie↗
NASA NTRS2016

Technology Overview and Assessment for Small-Scale EDL Systems

Motivated by missions to land large rovers and humans at Mars and other bodies, high-mass EDL technologies are a prevalent trend in the research community. In contrast, EDL systems for low-mass payloads have attracted less attention. Significant potential in science and discovery exists in small-scale EDL systems. Payloads acting secondary to a flagship mission are a currently under-utilzed resource. Before taking advantage of these opportunities, further developed of scaled EDL technologies is required. The key limitations identified in this study are compact decelerators and deformable impact systems. Current technologies may enable rough landing of small payloads, with moderate restrictions in packaging volume. Utilization of passive descent and landing stages will greatly increase the applicability of small systems, allowing for vehicles robust to entry environment uncertainties. These architectures will provide an efficient means of achieving science and support objectives while reducing cost and risk margins of a parent mission.

small spacecraft↗
NASA NTRS2016

Magnetospheric Multiscale Observations of Magnetic Reconnection Associated with Kelvin-Helmholtz Waves

The four Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft recorded the first direct evidence of reconnection exhausts associated with Kelvln-Helmholtz (KH) waves at the duskside magnetopause on 8 September 2015 which allows for local mass and energy transport across the flank magnetopause. Pressure anisotropy-weighted Walen analyses confirmed in-plane exhausts across 22 of 42 KH-related trailing magnetopause current sheets (CSs). Twenty-one jets were observed by all spacecraft, with small variations in ion velocity, along the same sunward or antisunward direction with nearly equal probability. One exhaust was only observed by the MMS-1,2 pair, while MMS-3,4 traversed a narrow CS (1.5 ion inertial length) in the vicinity of an electron diffusion region. The exhausts were locally 2-D planar in nature as MMS-1, 2 observed almost identical signatures separated along the guide-field. Asymmetric magnetic and electric Hall fields are reported in agreement with a strong guide-field and a weak plasma density asymmetry across the magnetopause CS.

Eriksson, S.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Active Thermal Architecture for Cryogenic Optical Instrumentation (ATACOI)

The Active Thermal Architecture for Cryogenic Optical Instrumentation (ATACOI) project will demonstrate an advanced thermal control system for CubeSats and enable the use of cryogenic electro-optical instrumentation on small satellite platforms. Specifically, the project focuses on the development of a deployable solar tracking radiator, a rotationally flexible rotary union fluid joint, and a thermal/vibrational isolation system for miniature cryogenic detectors. This technology will represent a significant improvement over the current state of the art for CubeSat thermal control, which generally relies on simple passive and conductive methods.

small spacecraft↗
NASA NTRS2018

High Specific-Impulse Electrospray Explorer for Deep-Space (HiSPEED): Stage-Based Electrospray Propulsion System for CubeSats

The objective of the High Specific-impulse Electrospray Explorer for Deep-space (HiSPEED) project is to develop an efficient propulsion system to enable deep-space exploration with small satellites. The ion electrospray propulsion system developed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) Space Propulsion Laboratory is one of the first systems to offer compact and efficient propulsion that is compatible with the CubeSat form factor. However, existing thruster heads have lifetimes less than the required firing time for a deep-space mission. Therefore, a stage-based approach is considered where burnt out thruster heads are ejected and replaced, thereby extending the overall lifetime of the propulsion system.

Propulsion↗
NASA NTRS2019

Advanced Composite Solar Sail System Animation

At NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, and Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley, researchers and engineers are planning a mission to demonstrate the next generation of solar sail technology for small interplanetary spacecraft. As part of this development effort, the Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3) will demonstrate deployment of an approximately 800 square foot (74 square meter) composite boom solar sail system in low-Earth orbit. This will be the first use of composite booms as well as sail packing and deployment systems for a solar sail in orbit. Also developed for ACS3 is an innovative tape-spool boom extraction system to minimize blossoming, or jamming, of the coiled booms during deployment.

Horner, Scott D.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Gene Expression Measurement Module (GEMM) for space application: Design and validation

In order to facilitate studies on the impact of the space environment on biological systems, we have developed a prototype of GEMM (Gene Expression Measurement Module) - an automated, miniaturized, integrated fluidic system for in-situ measurements of gene expression in microbial samples. The GEMM instrument is capable of (1) lysing bacterial cell walls, (2) extracting and purifying RNA released from cells, (3) hybridizing the RNA to probes attached to a microarray and (4) providing electrochemical readout, all in a microfluidics cartridge. To function on small, uncrewed spacecraft, the conventional, laboratory protocols for both sample preparation and hybridization required significant modifications. Biological validation of the instrument was carried out on Synechococcus elongatus, a photosynthetic cyanobacterium known for its metabolic diversity and resilience to adverse conditions. It was demonstrated that GEMM yielded reliable, reproducible gene expression profiles. GEMM is the only high throughput instrument that can be deployed in near future on space platforms other than the ISS to advance biological research in space. It can also prove useful for numerous terrestrial applications in the field.

Kianoosh Peyvan↗
NASA NTRS2020

Dynamical Evolution of Simulated Particles Ejected from Asteroid Bennu

In early 2019, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft discovered small particles being ejected from the surface of the near-Earth asteroid Bennu. Although they were seen to be ejected at slow speeds, on the order of tens of cm/s, a number of particles were surprisingly seen to orbit for multiple revolutions and days, which requires a dynamical mechanism to quickly and substantially modify the orbit to prevent re-impact upon their first periapse passage. This paper demonstrates that, based on simulations constrained by the conditions of the observed events, the combined effects of gravity, solar radiation pressure, and thermal radiation pressure from Bennu can produce many sustained orbits for ejected particles. Furthermore, the simulated populations exhibit two interesting phenomena that could play an important role in the geophysical evolution of bodies such as Bennu. First, small particles (< 1 cm radius) are preferentially removed from the system, which could lead to a deficit of such particles on the surface. Second, re-impacting particles preferentially land near or on the equatorial bulge of Bennu. Over time, this can lead to crater in-filling and growth of the equatorial radius without requiring landslides.

Jay W. McMahon↗
NASA NTRS1993

(abstract) Overview of NASA's Adaptive Structures Program

NASA's research program in Adaptive Structures was initiated seven years ago to provide the technology required for large (20-50 meters in dimension) precision (submicron) structures for observations from space. The current approach of designing thermally stable passive structures cannot meet the requirements and moreover the systems cannot be validated by ground tests. Adaptive Structures provides the capability to adjust the quasistatic dimensions of the structures, preload joints, add active damping, and provide the actuation forces necessary to attenuate the undesired dynamic motions. The technology is applicable to space platforms with various pointing instruments as well as for microspacecraft. This technology has been incorporated as part of a small Active Fold Mirror on the Wide Field Planetary Camera to be flown within the year to correct the optical errors in the Hubble Telescope. Highlights of NASA's Adaptive Structures research and applications will be presented along with future technology and research requirements for both small inexpensive spacecraft and large precision systems.

adaptive↗