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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 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1972

Gravity thrust Jupiter orbiter trajectories generated by encountering the Galilean satellites.

A trajectory design philosophy is introduced for Jupiter orbiter missions that is based on the gravity thrust concept developed for interplanetary trajectories. This is accomplished by utilizing the moving gravitational fields of the four Galilean satellites. A general theorem, applicable to any existing planetary satellite system, is developed to show how the effects of small satellite perturbations can be magnified by incorporating multiple revolutions between encounters.-

Minovitch, M. A.↗
NASA NTRS1982

July 29, 1977, magnetospheric studies - Impulsive waves, global dynamics and geomagnetic indices

Problems of magnetospheric physics addressed by the Coordinated Data Analysis Workshop are grouped into general areas. Immediate magnetospheric response to changes in the solar wind is considered in studies of impulsive waves traced through the magnetosphere to the ground, and interpreted in terms of fast-mode wave propagation. Magnetopause geometry and microstructure after the arrival of the interplanetary shock were analyzed with data from near-geostationary satellites. A model of particle convection during the first quarter of the day gave important evidence that the convection electric field penetrated to small radial distances for extended intervals, and another model is presented which relates the local time of substorm onset to the sector of the tail that was stressed immediately after the onset of daytime reconnection. The evidence for different reconnection patterns is assessed, and a pattern not previously considered is introduced.

Kivelson, M. G.↗
NASA NTRS1999

The Cassini/Huygens Mission to the Saturnian System

Cassini/Huygens will carry out an in-depth exploration of the Saturnian system. On October 15, 1996 the spacecraft was launched on its interplanetary journey. On the way to Saturn, Cassini/Huygens, will flyby Venus, twice (April 26, 1998; June 24, 1999), the Earth once (August 18, 1999), and Jupiter (December 30, 2000). On approach to Saturn, the small satellite Phoebe will be encountered on June 11, 2004. Upon arrival at Saturn on July 1, 2004, Cassini/Huygens will fire its main engine and go into orbit about the planet. Huygens will be delivered to Titan on November 27, 2004. After deceleration in the upper atmosphere, Huygens will deploy a parachute system and its six instruments will make scientific measurements and observations as it descends to the surface. These data then will be transmitted to the Orbiter which, in turn, will relay them to the Earth. The Orbiter will then commence a four year long tour of the Saturnian system. With its complement of 12 instruments, Cassini is capable of making a wide range of in situ and remote sensing observations. There will be repeated close flybys of Titan both to make measurements and for gravity-assisted orbit changes that will enable Cassini to visit other satellites, various parts of the magnetosphere, and obtain occultations of the rings and atmospheres of Saturn and Titan. During the span of the mission, Cassini will also record temporal changes in many of the properties that it can observe. The presentation will emphasize current status and plans for the mission. (The Cassini mission is a joint undertaking by NASA and ESA. This work was carried out at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under contract to NASA.)

Matson, D. L.↗
NASA NTRS1983

An unusual interplanetary event - Encounter with a comet?

The possibility that the slow rise to a sharp maximum and then decay surrounding a strong current sheet observed in the Venus magnetic field 0.72 AU from the sun was caused by passage of Venus through the wake of an active comet is examined. Data were also gathered by the ISEE 3 satellite magnetometer at 0.99 AU 25 h, 20 min later, a delay corresponding to the transit time for the solar wind. No shock structures bounded the phenomenon. The data indicate the presence of a small body in a much larger field of interaction and the magnetometer, solar wind probe, and electron temperature probe support a behavior similar to a planetary magnetosheath. The observed He structure in interplanetary space ruled out a solar wind source, while consideration of the magnetic equator and magnetic pole suggest that an unknown comet passed through the region between the sun and Venus at a distance where the effects would not be detected at earth.

Russell, C. T.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Enabling Multiple Small Satellite Near-Earth Asteroid Flyby Missions Using Small Solid Rocket Kick Stages with Rideshare Opportunities

The large number of Near-Earth Asteroids (NEA’s) provide almost daily launch opportunities to send small rideshare spacecraft to explore our nearest neighbors. Most asteroid missions require large spacecraft with a dedicated launch service. The large delta-V required for an interplanetary trajectory would typically preclude a NEA flyby rideshare unless it was going to the same target body as the primary mission. In this paper, a low-cost, compact, high energy kick stage with 3-axissteeringis proposed that would enable this mission type. This kick stage is compatible with an ESPA ring so that multiple NEA missions can be deployed as rideshares on a single launch.

William W Benson↗
NASA NTRS1993

Activities of the Center for Space Construction

The Center for Space Construction (CSC) at the University of Colorado at Boulder is one of eight University Space Engineering Research Centers established by NASA in 1988. The mission of the center is to conduct research into space technology and to directly contribute to space engineering education. The center reports to the Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences and resides in the College of Engineering and Applied Science. The college has a long and successful track record of cultivating multi-disciplinary research and education programs. The Center for Space Construction is prominent evidence of this record. At the inception of CSC, the center was primarily founded on the need for research on in-space construction of large space systems like space stations and interplanetary space vehicles. The scope of CSC's research has now evolved to include the design and construction of all spacecraft, large and small. Within this broadened scope, our research projects seek to impact the underlying technological basis for such spacecraft as remote sensing satellites, communication satellites, and other special purpose spacecraft, as well as the technological basis for large space platforms. The center's research focuses on three areas: spacecraft structures, spacecraft operations and control, and regolith and surface systems. In the area of spacecraft structures, our current emphasis is on concepts and modeling of deployable structures, analysis of inflatable structures, structural damage detection algorithms, and composite materials for lightweight structures. In the area of spacecraft operations and control, we are continuing our previous efforts in process control of in-orbit structural assembly. In addition, we have begun two new efforts in formal approach to spacecraft flight software systems design and adaptive attitude control systems. In the area of regolith and surface systems, we are continuing the work of characterizing the physical properties of lunar regolith, and we are at work on a project on path planning for planetary surface rovers.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1988

Low frequency VLBI

There are many important astrophysical questions which could be answered with observations at frequencies of a few MHz and angular resolution of an arcmin or better. For example, strong interstellar and interplanetary scattering of EM radiation could be studied along many lines of sight, and the sizes and shapes of scattering disks could be directly measured as a function of time and frequency. Such data can be obtained with an interferometer array composed of several small satellites in earth orbit. The individual satellites for an LF array could be very small and inexpensive.

Jones, Dayton L.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Center for Space Construction

The Center for Space Construction (CSC) at University of Colorado at Boulder is one of eight University Space Engineering Research Centers established by NASA in 1988. The mission of the Center is to conduct research into space technology and to directly contribute to space engineering education. The Center reports to the Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences and resides in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. The College has a long and successful track record of cultivating multi-disciplinary research and education programs. The Center for Space Construction represents prominent evidence of this record. The basic concept on which the Center was founded is the in-space construction of large space systems, such as space stations, interplanetary space vehicles, and extraterrestrial space structures. Since 1993, the scope of CSC research has evolved to include the design and construction of all spacecraft, large and small. With the broadened scope our research projects seek to impact the technological basis for spacecraft such as remote sensing satellites, communication satellites and other special-purpose spacecraft, as well as large space platforms. A summary of accomplishments, including student participation and degrees awarded, during the contract period is presented.

Su, Renjeng↗
NASA NTRS1994

Quiet-time intensifications along the poleward auroral boundary near midnight

Radar and optical measurements from Sondrestrom are combined with satellite and Goose Bay data in a study of the poleward edge of the nightside auroral oval during a quiet period. The B(sub y) and B(sub z) components of the interplanetary magnetic field were close to zero, and the B(sub x) component was approximately 8 nT for more than 24 hours. On a large scale, the convection and precipitation patterns remained almost constant during this period; on a small scale, however, the conditions were quite dynamic. At 10- to 20-min intervals the arc that marked the poleward auroral boundary intensified, and a new arc appeared poleward of it. About once per hour, stronger intensifications were observed. One such event is examined in detail. The auroral arcs first appeared to dim, and then they brightened, with a factor of 10 increase in E region electron density. At the time of the brightening a new arc formed poleward of all the arcs. The arcs then drifted southward at velocities of approximately 270 m/s. A plasma drift disturbance, characterized by a doubling of the southward velocity and a reversal in the east-west component, propagated westward at 900 m/s through the fields of view of the Sondrestrom and Goose Bay radars. A simultaneous satellite overpass close to the radars revealed the presence of an energetic ion event similar to the 'velocity dispersed ion structures' observed on the Aureol satellite and presumed to be the signature of fast ion beams within the plasma sheet boundary layer. The stronger arc intensification events observed by the Sondrestrom radar are associated with an increase in plasma flow across the boundary between open and closed magnetic field lines. We interpret this increased flow as the ionospheric signature of abrupt, localized increases in the reconnection rate in the midnight sector.

De La Beaujardiere, O.↗
NASA NTRS2018

The TechEdSat-N Series: A Collaborative Technology Development Platform in the Nano-Satellite Form Factor

The TechEdSat-1 (TES-1) was the first U.S. CubeSat to be deployed from the ISS (International Space Station). This permitted the initiation of a flight series that has recently de-orbited the 6th nano-satellite with subsequent numbers 7-10 under development. The nano-satellites range from 1U (1 unit) to 6U (TechEdSat-8) but have the critical ISS Safety design features standardized in order to focus on the particular experiment objectives. Incremental experimental development has included unique communication subsystems such as command/control of the nanosatellite through email commands -as well as a recent record for Wifi transmission. Also, the thermophysics of controlled drag devices (Exo-Brake) has been developed which will prelude sample return and planetary exploration applications. The successful "rapid incremental experiment" approach has also been incorporated into collaborations with academia, permitting professors/student interns to be exposed to the rigors of space mission hardware design and execution. The TechEdSat-8, a linear 6U configuration, allows for 5 different groups to contribute an "experiment, sensor, or sub-system" through a well-defined common interface. Lastly, the flying laboratory concept is helpful in developing future interplanetary nano-satellite subsystems which will advance exploration goals by allowing rapid demonstration/validation first in LEO (Low Earth Orbit).

Small Payload Quick Return↗
NASA NTRS1990

SAMPEX mission overview

The Solar, Anomalous, and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer SAMPEX will carry out energetic particle studies of outstanding scientific questions in the fields of space plasma physics, solar physics, magnetospheric and middle atmospheric physics, and cosmic ray physics. SAMPEX will measure the electron and ion composition of energetic particle populations from about 0.4 MeV/nucleon to hundreds of MeV/nucleon from a zenith-pointing small satellite in near-polar orbit. While over the magnetic poles, the instruments will study the composition of anomalous cosmic rays, solar energetic particles, and Galactic cosmic rays. At lower magnetic latitudes, geomagnetic cutoff effects will allow determination of the ionization state of these particles at energies much higher than can be studied from interplanetary spacecraft. At subauroral latitudes, SAMPEX will also observe precipitating relativistic magnetospheric electrons, which undergo important intertactions within the middle atmosphere.

Mason, G. M.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Cosmic ray heavy ion penetration deep into the magnetosphere: Results from S81-1 and CRRES

In spite of strong magnetic shielding by the geomagnetic field, small fractions (1-10 %) of the total high energy, heavy ion intensities of solar and galactic cosmic rays have been observed at energies below theoretical cutoffs for direct entry into the earth's magnetosphere from interplanetary space. We report on measurements of these heavy ions at 10 to 500 MeV/nucleon by cosmic ray composition experiments on the S81-1 satellite in polar orbit during 1982 and on the Combined Release and Radiation Effects Satellite (CRRES) satellite in geosynchronous transfer orbit during 1990-1991.

Cooper, J. F.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Dependence of polar cap potential drop on interplanetary parameters

The convection potential drop across the polar cap is computed from data obtained on high-inclination low-altitude satellites. Potential measurements are correlated with various combinations of parameters measured simultaneously in the upstream solar wind. Most of the potential drop is successfully predicted by merging theory, although a significant background potential drop of 35 kV does not depend on IMF parameters and is attributed to a process other than merging. Results indicate that small values of the IMF are amplified by a factor of 5-10 at the dayside magnetopause, which, when taken into account, improves correlations between IMF parameters and polar cap potential drop. Potential drop is better correlated with IMF parameters than with geomagnetic indices, due to nonlinear response of the magnetosphere affecting geomagnetic activity indices.

Reiff, P. H.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Mars Sample Return mission: Two alternate scenarios

Two scenarios for accomplishing a Mars Sample Return mission are presented herein. Mission A is a low cost, low mass scenario, while Mission B is a high technology, high science alternative. Mission A begins with the launch of one Titan IV rocket with a Centaur G' upper stage. The Centaur performs the trans-Mars injection burn and is then released. The payload consists of two lander packages and the Orbital Transfer Vehicle, which is responsible for supporting the landers during launch and interplanetary cruise. After descending to the surface, the landers deploy small, local rovers to collect samples. Mission B starts with 4 Titan IV launches, used to place the parts of the Planetary Transfer Vehicle (PTV) into orbit. The fourth launch payload is able to move to assemble the entire vehicle by simple docking routines. Once complete, the PTV begins a low thrust trajectory out from low Earth orbit, through interplanetary space, and into low Martian orbit. It deploys a communication satellite into a 1/2 sol orbit and then releases the lander package at 500 km altitude. The lander package contains the lander, the Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV), two lighter than air rovers (called Aereons), and one conventional land rover. The entire package is contained with a biconic aeroshell. After release from the PTV, the lander package descends to the surface, where all three rovers are released to collect samples and map the terrain.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2012

Hydrocarbons on Saturns Satellites: Relationship to Interstellar Dust and the Solar Nebula

To understand the origin and evolution of our Solar System, and the basic components that led to life on Earth, we study interstellar and planetary spectroscopic signatures. The possible relationship of organic material detected in carbonaceous meteorites, interplanetary dust particles (IDPs), comets and the interstellar medium have been the source of speculation over the years as the composition and processes that governed the early solar nebula have been explored to understand the extent to which primitive material survived or became processed. The Cassini VIMS has provided new data relevant to this problem. Three of Saturn's satellites, Phoebe, Iapetus, and Hyperion, are found to have aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons on their surfaces. The aromatic hydrocarbon signature (C-H stretching mode at 3.28 micrometers) is proportionally significantly stronger (relative to the aliphatic bands) than that seen in other Solar System bodies (e.g., comets) and materials (Stardust samples, IDPs, meteorites) and the distinctive sub-features of the 3.4 micrometer aliphatic band (CH2 and CH3 groups) are reminiscent of those widely detected throughout the diffuse ISM. Phoebe may be a captured object that originated in the region beyond the present orbit of Neptune, where the solar nebula contained a large fraction of original interstellar ice and dust that was less processed than material closer to the Sun. Debris from Phoebe now resident on Iapetus and Hyperion, as well as o Phoebe itself, thus presents a unique blend of hydrocarbons, amenable to comparisons with interstellar hydrocarbons and other Solar System materials. The dust ring surrounding Saturn, in which Phoebe is embedded, probably originated from a collision with Phoebe. Dust ring particles are the likely source of the organic-bearing materials, and perhaps the recently identified small particles of Fe detected on Saturn's satellites. Lab measurements of the absolute band strengths of representative aliphatic and aromatic molecules, together with measurements from the VIMS data, allow us to calculate the number of C atoms to find the relative abundances of C atoms in the two kinds of organic molecules. The strength of the prominent aromatic C-H stretch band relative to the aliphatic band complex in Phoebe and Iapetus indicates that the relative abundance of aromatic to aliphatic carbon is very large (greater than 200). In contract, the aromatic band is nearly imperceptible in spectra of interplanetary dust particles (IDP), returned samples from comet 91P/Wild 2, insoluable carbonaceous material in most meteorites, and the diffuse interstellar dust (DISM) (although aromatics are known in all these materials-here we consider only the spectroscopic signature)

Cruikshank, D. P.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Asteroids as Propulsion Systems of Space Ships

Currently, rockets are used to change the trajectory of space ships and probes. This method is very expensive and requires a lot of fuel, which limits the feasibility of space stations, interplanetary space ships, and probes. Sometimes space probes use the gravity field of a planet However, there am only nine planets in the Solar System, all separated by great distances. There are tons of millions of asteroids in outer space. This paper offers a revolutionary method for changing the trajectory of space probes. The method uses the kinetic or rotary energy of asteroids, comet nuclei, meteorites or other space bodies (small planets, natural planetary satellites, space debris, etc.) to increase (to decrease) ship (probe) speed up to 1000 m/sec (or more) and to achieve any new direction in outer space. The flight possibilities of space ships and probes are increased by a factor of millions.

Bolonkin, Alexander↗
NASA NTRS2002

Employment of Asteroids for Movement Space Ship and Probes

At present, rockets are used to change the trajectory of space ships and probes. This method is very expensive and requires a lot of fuel, which limits the feasibility of space stations, interplanetary space ships, and probes. Sometimes space probes use the gravity field of a planet. However, there are only 9 planets in our solar system and they are separated by great distances. There are tens of millions of asteroids in outer space. The author offers a revolutionary method for changing the trajectory of space probes. This method uses the kinetic or rotary energy of asteroids, meteorites or other space bodies (small planets, natural planet satellites, etc.). to increase (to decrease) ship (probe) speed up to 1000 m/sec (or more) and to get any new direction in outer space. The flight possibilities of space ships and probes are increased by a factor of millions.

Bolonkin, Alexander↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

TECHEDSAT-7 and 10: The Little Spacecraft That Could

The NOW (Nanosatellite Orbital Workshop) of NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) has two cubesats in orbit at this time: 6 U TechEdSat-10 (T-10) and the 3U TechEdSat-7 (T-7). T10 was jettisoned from the ISS via the NANORACKS system 7/13/2020, and T-7 was launched via Virgin Orbit 1/17/2021. Both were built by the Nano-satellite Orbital Workshop (NOW) at NASA ARC, and designed and fabricated by interns and students in collaboration with educational institutions. Prototyping novel technologies for non-powered re-entry and communications from orbit are primary research interests, however all subsystems including power generation and distribution, subsystem control, navigation, positioning, heat management etc. extend current technologies. Use of distributed processors using open software platforms and standards other based technologies and software is integral to all segments of spacecraft design. Here, we will present an overview of the spacecraft, experiments, and accomplishments – as well as the next three flight experiments. Some of these experiments include: The exo-brake re-entry system is being developed to enable sample return and end of life disposal; Internal communications for sensors, inter-subsystem and experiments uses both a Zigbee based PAN and internal Wi-Fi for high-speed inter-device communications; The Iridium small message LEO system (Short Burst Data) is used to both command the spacecraft and send data to the ground; Experimental use of the Global-Star system for L-band system comparison and back-up; Collaborative NOAA an experiment to communicate from LEO to the GOES geostationary satellite using the DCS (Data Collection System) with on-board Doppler correction; Mars and Lunar experimental communication systems for future cis-lunar and interplanetary nano-satellites; First demonstration of the NASA Near Earth Network systems with nano-satellites at NASA/Wallops Island; Solar array design and implementation for unique future flexible structures; Power distribution using Tardigrade rad-hard processor omni-board (designed by the team); Distributed processors with internal Wi-Fi connectivity; and Initial experiments with AI/Machine Learning.

M Murbach↗