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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 NTRS2010

Lifetime Assessment of the NEXT Ion Thruster

Ion thrusters are low thrust, high specific impulse devices with required operational lifetimes on the order of 10,000 to 100,000 hr. The NEXT ion thruster is the latest generation of ion thrusters under development. The NEXT ion thruster currently has a qualification level propellant throughput requirement of 450 kg of xenon, which corresponds to roughly 22,000 hr of operation at the highest throttling point. Currently, a NEXT engineering model ion thruster with prototype model ion optics is undergoing a long duration test to determine wear characteristics and establish propellant throughput capability. The NEXT thruster includes many improvements over previous generations of ion thrusters, but two of its component improvements have a larger effect on thruster lifetime. These include the ion optics with tighter tolerances, a masked region and better gap control, and the discharge cathode keeper material change to graphite. Data from the NEXT 2000 hr wear test, the NEXT long duration test, and further analysis is used to determine the expected lifetime of the NEXT ion thruster. This paper will review the predictions for all of the anticipated failure mechanisms. The mechanisms will include wear of the ion optics and cathode s orifice plate and keeper from the plasma, depletion of low work function material in each cathode s insert, and spalling of material in the discharge chamber leading to arcing. Based on the analysis of the NEXT ion thruster, the first failure mode for operation above a specific impulse of 2000 sec is expected to be the structural failure of the ion optics at 750 kg of propellant throughput, 1.7 times the qualification requirement. An assessment based on mission analyses for operation below a specific impulse of 2000 sec indicates that the NEXT thruster is capable of double the propellant throughput required by these missions.

VanNoord, Jonathan L.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

PACE OCI Short-Wave Infrared Detection Assembly Optical System Design, Alignment, and Environmental Test

The Ocean Color Instrument (OCI), which will be integrated with the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite, will collect science data that will be used to monitor the health of Earth’s oceans and atmosphere. The Short-Wave Infrared (SWIR) Detection Assembly (SDA), built and characterized by Utah State University Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL), is a subsystem of OCI consisting of 32 channels covering seven discrete optical bands of interest. A total of 16 SWIR Detection Subassemblies (SDSs) compose the SDA and house the cold optical system. The science data optical input for each SDS is supplied by a 0.22 NA multimode fiber interfacing with a fiber adapter. The diverging light from the fiber is collimated, split by a dichroic beamsplitter to two separate channels, filtered by the science filter, and then reimaged onto the single-element detectors with a final 0.76 NA. Aspheric, diamond-turned powered elements are used throughout the optical design. Fabrication and alignment tolerance analysis/budgets are balanced to ensure the optical system meets throughput requirements. All systems are aligned at ambient temperature using an InSb camera and an in-line illumination microscope system to directly image the active detector area through the science filters. Compensators used during alignment are detector focus and decenter, which are adjusted via photoetched shims in increments of 25 µm. Average focus and centering errors were less than 8 µm among all 32 flight and 10 flight spare detectors. Each SDS spectral response and conversion gain was verified at operational temperature of -65°C in vacuum.

OCI↗
NASA NTRS1986

Theoretical analysis of segmented Wolter/LSM X-ray telescope systems

The Segmented Wolter I/LSM X-ray Telescope, which consists of a Wolter I Telescope with a tilted, off-axis convex spherical Layered Synthetic Microstructure (LSM) optics placed near the primary focus to accommodate multiple off-axis detectors, has been analyzed. The Skylab ATM Experiment S056 Wolter I telescope and the Stanford/MSFC nested Wolter-Schwarzschild x-ray telescope have been considered as the primary optics. A ray trace analysis has been performed to calculate the RMS blur circle radius, point spread function (PSF), the meridional and sagittal line functions (LST), and the full width half maximum (PWHM) of the PSF to study the spatial resolution of the system. The effects on resolution of defocussing the image plane, tilting and decentrating of the multilayer (LSM) optics have also been investigated to give the mounting and alignment tolerances of the LSM optic. Comparison has been made between the performance of the segmented Wolter/LSM optical system and that of the Spectral Slicing X-ray Telescope (SSXRT) systems.

Shealy, D. L.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Dispersion Leverage Coronagraph: a nulling coronagraph for use on primary objective grating telescopes

Here, we present the Dispersion Leverage Coronagraph (DLC), a variation of the Achromatic Interfero Coronagraph (AIC) that is designed for optical systems featuring large, dispersive primary objective gratings. DLC was originally designed for the Diffractive Interfero Coronagraph Exoplanet Resolver (DICER), a notional 20 m class infrared space telescope utilizing the enhanced one-dimensional angular resolution of large diffraction gratings to discover and characterize near-Earth exoplanets. Here we develop the theoretical foundation for DLC, and apply it to DICER as an example use case. We derive important properties of the DLC system, including focal plane transmission maps, stellar leakage, residual optical path difference tolerance, and pointing error/jitter considerations. Ultimately, we found that DLC effectively nulls an on-axis target across the entire spectrum in the focal plane, allowing for 2D/λ diffraction-limited imaging. It requires asymmetrical fine-guidance tolerances on pointing error/jitter. We work through a benchmark DICER design, explaining the need for a second disperser to reduce background from Zodiacal light, and showing that it could plausibly find and characterize ∼4 nearby, habitable exoplanets around Sun-like stars in a 7-year mission; about 30% of the habitable exoplanets within 8 pc were found in our simulation. The DLC may be useful for any application requiring extremely high-resolution, close companion spectroscopy.

AIC↗
NASA NTRS1982

Elastic Surface Wrinkling

Instability phenomena in elastic surfaces subject to compressive stresses are examined theoretically in new report. Theory is potentially applicable to such practical problems as aircraft panel flutter, nondestructive testing, piezoelectric transducer design, distortion of optical surfaces, and tolerance studies of very precise machine parts.

Zak, M.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Zone plate lens antennas for millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths

Zone plate lenses are a type of focusing element which function essentially as differential phase shifters, having a relatively few, coarsely quantized phase delays across the incident beam of radiation. The major advantages are ease of fabrication and much reduced thickness, compared to conventional refractive focusing elements. These considerations are both of particular importance for the submillimeter range, in which manufacturing tolerances for curved optical elements can pose significant problems, and where the absorption of readily available dielectric materials is quite large. In this presentation we briefly review the theory of zone plate lens operations, present a relatively simple method for calculating the aperture efficiency of zone plate lenses used as antennas, and show some theoretical and measured results in the 100 GHz range.

Goldsmith, Paul F.↗
NASA NTRS1993

System identification of the JPL micro-precision interferometer truss - Test-analysis reconciliation

The JPL Micro-Precision Interferometer (MPI) is a testbed for studying the use of control-structure interaction technology in the design of space-based interferometers. A layered control architecture will be employed to regulate the interferometer optical system to tolerances in the nanometer range. An important aspect of designing and implementing the control schemes for such a system is the need for high fidelity, test-verified analytical structural models. This paper focuses on one aspect of the effort to produce such a model for the MPI structure, test-analysis model reconciliation. Pretest analysis, modal testing, and model refinement results are summarized for a series of tests at both the component and full system levels.

Red-Horse, J. R.↗
NASA NTRS2017

The Space Mobile Network

The definition and development of the next generation space communications and navigation architecture is underway. The primary goals are to remove communications and navigations constraints from missions and to enable increased autonomy. The Space Mobile Network (SMN) is an architectural concept that includes new technology and operations that will provide flight systems with an similar user experience to terrestrial wireless mobile networks. This talk will describe the SMN and its proposed new features, such as Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN), optical communications, and User Initiated Services (UIS).

Spacecraft Communications↗
NASA NTRS1982

Thin film concentrator panel development

The development and testing of a rigid panel concept that utilizes a thin film reflective surface for application to a low-cost point-focusing solar concentrator is discussed. It is shown that a thin film reflective surface is acceptable for use on solar concentrators, including 1500 F applications. Additionally, it is shown that a formed steel sheet substrate is a good choice for concentrator panels. The panel has good optical properties, acceptable forming tolerances, environmentally resistant substrate and stiffeners, and adaptability to low to mass production rates. Computer simulations of the concentrator optics were run using the selected reflector panel design. Experimentally determined values for reflector surface specularity and reflectivity along with dimensional data were used in the analysis. The simulations provided intercept factor and net energy into the aperture as a function of aperture size for different surface errors and pointing errors. Point source and Sun source optical tests were also performed.

Zimmerman, D. K.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Successful Starshade Petal Deployment Tolerance Verification in Support of NASA's Technology Development for Exoplanet Missions

A Starshade is a sunflower-shaped satellite with a large inner disk structure surrounded by petals that flies in formation with a space-borne telescope, creating a deep shadow around the telescope over a broad spectral band to permit nearby exoplanets to be viewed. Removing extraneous starlight before it enters the observatory optics greatly loosens the tolerances on the telescope and instrument that comprise the optical system, but the nature of the Starshade dictates a large deployable structure capable of deploying to a very precise shape. These shape requirements break down into key mechanical requirements, which include the rigid-body position and orientation of each of the petals that ring the periphery of the Starshade. To verify our capability to meet these requirements, we modified an existing flight-like Astromesh reflector, provided by Northrup Grumman, as the base ring to which the petals attach. The integrated system, including 4 of the 30 flight-like subscale petals, truss, connecting spokes and central hub, was deployed tens of times in a flight-like manner using a gravity compensation system. After each deployment, discrete points in prescribed locations covering the petals and truss were measured using a highly-accurate laser tracker system. These measurements were then compared against the mechanical requirements, and the as-measured data shows deployment accuracy well within our milestone requirements and resulting in a contrast ratio consistent with exoplanet detection and characterization.

External occulters↗
NASA NTRS1988

Consistent Data Distribution Over Optical Links

Fiber optics combined with IDE's provide consistent data communication between fault-tolerant computers. Data-transmission-checking system designed to provide consistent and reliable data communications for fault-tolerant and highly reliable computers. New technique performs variant of algorithm for fault-tolerant computers and uses fiber optics and independent decision elements (IDE's) to require fewer processors and fewer transmissions of messages. Enables fault-tolerant computers operating at different levels of redundancy to communicate with each other over triply redundant bus. Level of redundancy limited only by maximum number of wavelengths active on bus.

Palumbo, Daniel L.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Modeling the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna Optics

Creating an optical model of the Laser Interferometer Space antenna which can be used to predict optical sensitivities and set tolerances sufficiently well such that picometer level displacements can be reliably seen poses certain challenges. In part, because the distances between key optical elements, the proof masses, are constantly changing, at speeds of meters/second, the separation between them is about 5 million kilometers and a contributing factor to optical jitter is the self-gravity of the spacecraft. A discussion of the current state and future approach(s) to the creation of such an optical model will be presented.

Waluschka, Eugene↗
NASA NTRS1973

Large space telescope engineering scale model optical design

The objective is to develop the detailed design and tolerance data for the LST engineering scale model optical system. This will enable MSFC to move forward to the optical element procurement phase and also to evaluate tolerances, manufacturing requirements, assembly/checkout procedures, reliability, operational complexity, stability requirements of the structure and thermal system, and the flexibility to change and grow.

Facey, T. A.↗
NASA NTRS2005

ROBUS-2: A Fault-Tolerant Broadcast Communication System

The Reliable Optical Bus (ROBUS) is the core communication system of the Scalable Processor-Independent Design for Enhanced Reliability (SPIDER), a general-purpose fault-tolerant integrated modular architecture currently under development at NASA Langley Research Center. The ROBUS is a time-division multiple access (TDMA) broadcast communication system with medium access control by means of time-indexed communication schedule. ROBUS-2 is a developmental version of the ROBUS providing guaranteed fault-tolerant services to the attached processing elements (PEs), in the presence of a bounded number of faults. These services include message broadcast (Byzantine Agreement), dynamic communication schedule update, clock synchronization, and distributed diagnosis (group membership). The ROBUS also features fault-tolerant startup and restart capabilities. ROBUS-2 is tolerant to internal as well as PE faults, and incorporates a dynamic self-reconfiguration capability driven by the internal diagnostic system. This version of the ROBUS is intended for laboratory experimentation and demonstrations of the capability to reintegrate failed nodes, dynamically update the communication schedule, and tolerate and recover from correlated transient faults.

Torres-Pomales, Wilfredo↗
NASA NTRS2002

Toric offset three-reflector antenna for the advanced microwave limb sounder

An advanced Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS), now in concept development for a potential future mission, is a space-borne heterodyne instrument to measure pressure, temperature, and atmospheric constituents from thermal emission between 120 and 2400 GHz. Previous MLS instruments used pencil-beam antennas sized to resolve N 1 vertical scale height. Current atmospheric models need better horizontal resolution than orbit spacing provides. To meet these needs, a new antenna concept combines the wide scan range of the parabolic torus with unblocked offset Cassegrain optics. The resulting system is diffraction-limited in the vertical plane but extremely astigmatic, with beamwidths 0.13~2.5. Nadir axis symmetry ensures that this Beam AspectRatio (BAR) is invariant over f33' of azimuth. The antenna can feed either an array of receivers or multiplexed low-noise receivers whose FOVs are swept by a small scanning mirror. We describe 3 stages of antenna design: First, using a paraxial-optics method, we choose conic profiles given vertical resolution orbit geometry, then develop the surfaces by nadir axis rotation, matching axisymmetric feeds to the BAR. A ray-trace program validates the design and generates alignment and deformation tolerances. Finally, a physical optics analysis verifies reflector surface currents and radiation patterns.

microwave↗