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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 631 records · Page 35

Remote sensing of soil moisture by a 21-cm passive radiometer

Microwave sensors on Skylab collected data as part of the Earth Resources Experiment Package. An investigation was designed to obtain field observations of soil moisture content for comparison with data from Skylab. The 21-cm radiometer has been shown to be highly responsive to the moisture content of the upper 2.5-cm layer of soil. A composite relationship between the radiometric temperature and soil moisture content has been determined from five data sets obtained over Kansas and Texas. This relationship, having a correlation index of -0.96, has been used as a basis for calculating the soil moisture content of large areas across the United States.

Eagleman, J. R.↗

Design, construction, test and field support of a containerless payload package for rocket flight

The performance of a device for electromagnetically heating and positioning containerless melts during space processing was evaluated during a 360 second 0-g suborbital sounding rocket flight. Components of the electromagnetic containerless processing package (ECPP), its operation, and interface with the rocket are described along with flight and qualification tests results.

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Microelectronics/electronic packaging potential

The trend toward smaller and lighter electronic packages was examined. It is suggested that electronic packaging engineers and microelectronic designers closely associate and give full attention to optimization of both disciplines on all product lines. Extensive research and development work underway to explore innovative ideas and make new inroads into the technology base, is expected to satisfy the demands of the 1980's.

Sandeau, R. F.↗

Pulse ignition characterization of mercury ion thruster hollow cathode using an improved pulse ignitor

An investigation of the high voltage pulse ignition characteristics of the 8 cm mercury ion thruster neutralizer cathode identified a low rate of voltage rise and long pulse duration as desirable factors for reliable cathode starting. Cathode starting breakdown voltages were measured over a range of mercury flow rates and tip heater powers for pulses with five different rates of voltage rise. Breakdown voltage requirements for the fastest rising pulse (2.5 to 3.0 kV/micro sec) were substantially higher (2 kV or more) than for the slowest rising pulse (0.3 to 0.5 kV/micro sec) for the same starting conditions. Also described is an improved, low impedance pulse ignitor circuit which reduces power losses and eliminates problems with control and packaging associated with earlier designs.

Wintucky, E. G.↗

Pulse ignition characterization of mercury ion thruster hollow cathode using an improved pulse ignitor

An investigation of the high voltage pulse ignition characteristics of the 8-cm mercury ion thruster neutralizer cathode identified a low rate of voltage rise and long pulse duration as desirable factors for reliable cathode starting. Cathode starting breakdown voltages were measured over a range of mercury flow rates and tip heater powers for pulses with five different rates of voltage rise. Breakdown voltage requirements for the fastest rising pulse (2.5 to 3.0 kV/microsec) were substantially higher (2 kV or more) than for the slowest rising pulse (0.3 to 0.5 kV/microsec) for the same starting conditions. The paper also describes an improved, low impedance pulse ignitor circuit which reduces power losses and eliminates problems with control and packaging associated with earlier designs.

Wintucky, E. G.↗

Power Extension Package (PEP) system definition extension, orbital service module systems analysis study. Volume 1: Executive summary

An array deployment assembly, power regulation and control assembly, the necessary interface, and display and control equipment comprise the power extension package (PEP) which is designed to provide increased power and duration, as well as reduce fuel cell cryogen consumption during Spacelab missions. Compatible with all currently defined missions and payloads, PEP imposes minimal weight and volume penalties on sortie missions, and can be installed and removed as needed at the launch site within the normal Orbiter turnaround cycle. The technology on which it is based consists of a modified solar electric propulsion array, standard design regulator and control equipment, and a minimally modified Orbiter design. The requirements from which PEP was derived, and the system and its performance capabilities are described. Features of the recommended project are presented.

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Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster decelerator subsystem - Air drop test vehicle/B-52 design

The air drop development test program for the Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster Recovery System required the design of a large drop test vehicle that would meet all the stringent requirements placed on it by structural loads, safety considerations, flight recovery system interfaces, and sequence. The drop test vehicle had to have the capability to test the drogue and the three main parachutes both separately and in the total flight deployment sequence and still be low-cost to fit in a low-budget development program. The design to test large ribbon parachutes to loads of 300,000 pounds required the detailed investigation and integration of several parameters such as carrier aircraft mechanical interface, drop test vehicle ground transportability, impact point ground penetration, salvageability, drop test vehicle intelligence, flight design hardware interfaces, and packaging fidelity.

Runkle, R. E.↗

Three-dimensional relativistic field-electron interaction in a multicavity high-power klystron. Part 2: Working Equations

A high power multicavity klystron amplifier was designed and a computation package containing all equations and procedures needed is presented. The rigorously derived three dimensional relativistic axisymmetric equations of motion are used to compute the bunched current and the induced RF gap voltage for all interaction cavities except the input and second cavities, where the linear space charge wave theory data are employed in order to reduce the computation time. Both distance step and time step integration methods are used to compute the Fourier coefficients of both the beam current and induced current.

Kosmahl, H. G.↗

Distributed processing on the Space Shuttle - A case study

A Power Extension Package (PEP) has been designed to provide additional electrical power and energy during Shuttle sortie missions. The considered investigation was conducted to determine the most suitable allocation of PEP monitoring and control functions between the Orbiter's existing (centralized) Systems Management General Purpose Computer and an embedded PEP processor. PEP monitoring and control functions are examined, and a configuration definition is considered, taking into account the 'functional migration' process, function allocation criteria, and candidate functional configurations. A trade study is conducted, giving attention to an assessment of four candidate configurations. Assessment factors are related to cost, development risk, aspects of reliability and safety, PEP design complexity, PEP/STS integration complexity, flight operations, and launch/landing site operations. A thorough (subjective) assessment of the PEP system life cycle indicates substantial benefits from a distributed processing approach.

Schoonmaker, P. B.↗

Evaluation of propellant tank insulation concepts for low-thrust chemical propulsion systems

An analytical evaluation of cryogenic propellant tank insulations for liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen low-thrust 2224N (500 lbf) propulsion systems (LTPS) was conducted. The insulation studied consisted of combinations of N2-purged foam and multilayer insulation (MLI) as well as He-purged MLI-only. Heat leak and payload performance predictions were made for three Shuttle-launched LTPS designed for Shuttle bay packaged payload densities of 56 kg/cu m, 40 kg/cu m and 24 kg/cu m. Foam/MLI insulations were found to increase LTPS payload delivery capability when compared with He-purged MLI-only. An additional benefit of foam/MLI was reduced operational complexity because Orbiter cargo bay N2 purge gas could be used for MLI purging. Maximum payload mass benefit occurred when an enhanced convection, rather than natural convection, heat transfer was specified for the insulation purge enclosure. The enhanced convection environment allowed minimum insulation thickness to be used for the foam/MLI interface temperature selected to correspond to the moisture dew point in the N2 purge gas. Experimental verification of foam/MLI benefits was recommended. A conservative program cost estimate for testing a MLI-foam insulated tank was 2.1 million dollars. It was noted this cost could be reduced significantly without increasing program risk.

Kramer, T.↗

Evaluation of propellent tank insulation concepts for low-thrust chemical propulsion systems: Executive summary

Cryogenic propellant tank insulations or liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen low-thrust 2224N (500 lbf) propulsion systems (LTPS) were assessed. The insulation studied consisted of combinations of N2-purged foam and multilayer insulation (MLI) as well as He-purged MLI-only. Heat leak and payload performance predictions were made for three shuttle-launched LTPS designed for shuttle bay packaged payload densities of 56 kg cu/m (3.5 lbm/cu ft), 40 kg/cu m (2.5 lbm/cu ft) and 24 kg/cu m (1.5 lbm/cu ft). Foam/MLI insulations were found to increase LTPS payload delivery capability when compared with He-purged MLI-only. An additional benefit of foam/MLI was reduced operational complexity because orbiter cargo bay N2 purge gas could be used for MLI purging. Maximum payload mass benefit occurred when an enhanced convection, rather than natural convection, heat transfer was specified for the insulation purge enclosure. The enhanced convection environment allowed minimum insulation thickness to be used for the foam/MLI interface temperature selected to correspond to the moisture dew point in the N2 purge gas. Experimental verification of foam/MLI benefits was recommended. A conservative program cost estimate for testing a MLI-foam insulated tank was 2.1 million dollars. This cost could be reduced significantly without increasing program risk.

Kramer, T.↗

Design and implementation of a low-gravity solidification experiment package for the F-104

The use of the F-104 Interceptor for low gravity materials processing experiments is extended to include alloy solidification studies above 1000 C. The F-104 can provide up to 60 seconds of low gravity, but requires a unique experiment package for integration into the aircraft, both physically and electronically. The current research with the F-104 experimental furnace system which has been used to process cast iron samples is described. Results demonstrate the capability of the facility and its operation.

Smith, G.↗

Space Station planning

An overview of NASA Space Station planning activities is given. Among the specific topics addressed are: the role of private contractors in the construction and operation of Space Station; international cooperation in planning Space Station configurations; and optimum management strategies for Space Station planning activities. The division of work packages for the preliminary design definition phase of the Space Station program is described.

Freitag, R. F.↗

Dynamics Explorer 1 SOI images of the Antarctic ozone hole

The Dynamics Explorer (DE) satellite carries an Auroral Imaging Package which contains filters designed for performing backscatter ultraviolet measurements to measure total column ozone in the Earth's middle and lower atmosphere. Measurements are obtained at 317.5 mm (to measure ozone absorption) and 360 nm (to measure scene reflectivity). In October 1985 and 1986, measurements were obtained near apogee of the Antarctic ozone hole. The only other high spatial resolution measurements were obtained from the Nimbus 7 Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) experiment. In October 1987, the Dynamics Explorer apogee had precessed into the Northern Hemisphere preventing measurements of the ozone hole. However, measurements should be obtained from DE of the ozone hole in both 1988 and 1989. Considering that the Nimbus 7 TOMS instrument has long exceeded its expected lifetime, the DE Spin Scan Ozone Imager (SOI) experiment could easily play a crucial role in studies of the ozone hole over the next few years.

Keating, G. M.↗

Structural design considerations for a Personnel Launch System

A vehicle capable of performing the transfer of eight people to and from the Space Station Freedom is currently in the conceptual/preliminary design stages at the NASA Langley Research Center. Structural definition of this Personnel Launch System (PLS) and the considerations leading to it are described. Issues such as cost, technology level, human factors, and maintainability are used as guidelines for the structural definition. A synergistic design technique involving aerodynamics, performance, mission, packaging, and weights and sizing analyses is utilized to evaluate the structural design. A closed-loop design is achieved when the mission requirements are met by each previously mentioned analysis for a particular vehicle weight. Although satisfactory, the structural concept presented herein is not to be treated as a final answer, but one promising solution. An examination of alternative designs and more detailed analyses can be undertaken in order to identify design inadequacies and more efficient approaches.

Bush, Lance B.↗

Aerocapture for manned Mars missions - Status and challenges

The current status for manned Mars missions and the associated challenges are summarized. Mission benefits are considered to increase with increasing Mars entry velocity. However, significant benefits accrue at moderate entry velocities between 7 and 8 km/sec, which is the realistically achievable range in view of g-limits and heating constraints. Blunt, low mass/drag coefficient (reference area) vehicles with L/Ds from 0.3 to 0.5 are found to be the preferred configurations, taking into account their adequate control authority and good payload packaging characteristics. The overall design characteristics of Mars aerocapture vehicles can be established with good confidence, using flight and ground test data and the state-of-the-art flow field analysis techniques. The principal challenges are identified as follows: to refine the knowledge of the Martian atmosphere in order to reduce design conservatism, to extend present stagnation region heating analyses to the entire vehicle forebody, and to develop reflective low-wall-catalycity TPS systems for enabling reusable vehicles.

Walberg, Gerald D.↗

Design and performance of a high-Tc superconductor coplanar waveguide filter

The design of a coplanar waveguide low-pass filter made of YBa2Cu3O(7-delta) (YBCO) on an LaAlO3 substrate is described. Measurements were incorporated into simple models for microwave CAD analysis to develop a final design. The patterned and packaged coplanar waveguide low-pass filter of YBCO, with dimensions suited for integrated circuits, exhibited measured insertion losses when cooled in liquid nitrogen superior to those of a similarly cooled thin-film copper filter throughout the 0 to 9.5 GHz passband. Coplanar waveguide models for use with thin-film normal metal (with thickness either greater or less than the skin depth) and YBCO are discussed and used to compare the losses of the measured YBCO and copper circuits.

Chew, Wilbert↗

System Testing and Performance Characterization of the LITE Laser Transmitter Module at NASA

The Laser Transmitter Module (LTM) is a three-color Q-switched flashlamp pumped Nd:YAG laser. The original design concept was to package commercially available optics and flashlamp electronics for spaceflight with a power consumption goal of 2200 W and a weight goal of 600 lbs. The optical output was to exceed 200 mJ of IR, 400 mJ of green, and 150 mJ of UV per pulse at 10 Hz. The new space qualified laser exceeds the optical output requirements by 188 percent, 50 percent, and 13 percent in the UR, green, and UV respectively. This output needs only 1500 W at a weight of only 500 lbs. The LTM was delivered to the NASA Langley Research Center in December 1991. Optical characterization is now being completed.

Cimolino, Marc C.↗