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NASA NTRS1990

The reflection and transmission properties of a triple band dichroic surface

The development of a triple-band dichroic surface design is detailed that is reflective in the Ka-band from 22.5 to 27.3 GHz and the Ku-band from 13.7 to 15.1 GHz, yet transparent in the S-band from 2.0 to 2.3 GHz, for all planes of incidence, and for all angles of incidence out to eta = 45 deg. The design is comprised of two gangbuster whole-surfaces separated by a distance, d, that is comparable to a fraction of a wavelength in S-band, and enhanced by the addition of a dielectric matching plate. The gangbuster array is comprised of tightly packed straight skewed dipole elements referred to as half-surfaces. Two of these half-surfaces are oriented orthogonal to each other and placed an array separation distance, s, apart to form the gangbuster whole-surface which allows any arbitrary plane of incidence. Results are given for the triple-band design with and without dielectric and conduction losses. The cross polarization properties of the dichroic surface was further investigated. It is shown that the reflection cross polarized component is dominated by the geometry of the front whole surface of the design (particularly the array separation s) and is never more than -22.5 dB in the frequency band 0 to 30 GHz. The transmission cross polarization component is dependent on both whole-surfaces and is never more than -30 dB in the same frequency band.

Schneider, S. W.↗

NASA NTRS1986

An IBM PC-based math model for space station solar array simulation

This report discusses and documents the design, development, and verification of a microcomputer-based solar cell math model for simulating the Space Station's solar array Initial Operational Capability (IOC) reference configuration. The array model is developed utilizing a linear solar cell dc math model requiring only five input parameters: short circuit current, open circuit voltage, maximum power voltage, maximum power current, and orbit inclination. The accuracy of this model is investigated using actual solar array on orbit electrical data derived from the Solar Array Flight Experiment/Dynamic Augmentation Experiment (SAFE/DAE), conducted during the STS-41D mission. This simulator provides real-time simulated performance data during the steady state portion of the Space Station orbit (i.e., array fully exposed to sunlight). Eclipse to sunlight transients and shadowing effects are not included in the analysis, but are discussed briefly. Integrating the Solar Array Simulator (SAS) into the Power Management and Distribution (PMAD) subsystem is also discussed.

Emanuel, E. M.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Inertial storage for satellites

A new system is being developed that performs satellite attitude control, attitude reference, and energy storage utilizing inertia wheels. The baseline approach consists of two counter rotating flywheels suspended in specially designed magnetic bearings, spin axis motor/generators, and a control system. The control system regulates the magnetic bearings and spin axis motor/generators and interacts with other satellite subsystems (photovoltaic array, star trackers, Sun sensors, magnetic torquers, etc.) to perform the three functions. Existing satellites utilize separate subsystems to perform attitude control, provide attitude reference, and store energy. These functions are currently performed using reaction or momentum wheels, gyros, batteries, and devices that provide an absolute reference (Sun sensors and star trackers). A Combined Attitude, Reference, and Energy Storage (CARES) system based on high energy density inertial energy storage wheels (flywheels) has potential advantages over existing technologies. Even when used only for energy storage, this system offers the potential for substantial improvements in life, energy efficiency, and weight over existing battery technologies. Utilizing this same device for both attitude control and attitude reference would result in significant additional savings in overall satellite weight and complexity.

Eisenhaure, D.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Exhaust pollutant emissions from swirl-can combustor module arrays at parametric test conditions

Improved designs of swirl-can combustor modules were tested using seven-module arrays in a combustor. The combustor was operated over a pressure range of 69 to 207 N/sq cm, a fuel-air ratio range of 0.015 to 0.046, at a constant inlet air temperature of 733 K, and at reference velocities of 23.9 and 30.6 m/sec. The three designs tested performed with high combustion efficiency at all conditions tested and exhibited oxides of nitrogen emissions substantially lower than that of conventional gas turbine combustors. A correlating parameter used to extrapolate oxides of nitrogen emissions to full power or takeoff conditions for large commercial turbofan engines predicts oxides of nitrogen emissions somewhat higher than those specified in the 1979 government emissions standards.

Mularz, E. J.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Meteorological radar facility (MRF) slot conductance investigations

A preliminary meteorological radar facility (MRF) array design was completed in support of the slot conductance measurement program. Three different slot measurement techniques were evaluated. The selection of the probe comparison measurement technique was selected as the principal experimental method with the impedance measurement technique chosen to measure a few higher conductance slots to be used as reference slots. The impedance of 43 slots in 0.9 x 0.4 inch standard waveguide and of 40 slots in 0.835 x 0.4 inch waveguide was measured. Also, impedance measurements were made of a few slots using image planes to simulate mutual coupling effects. The measured and theoretical conductance, susceptance, and radiation phase data are presented in graphic form as a function of slot displacement for constant slot length, and of slot length for constant slot displacement. It is concluded that the proposed MRF array design approach is a feasible one.

Ratkevich, A. E.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Solar power satellite offshore rectenna study

It was found that an offshore rectenna is feasible and cost competitive with land rectennas but that the type of rectenna which is suitable for offshore use is quite different from that specified in the present reference system. The result is a nonground plane design which minimizes the weight and greatly reduces the number of costly support towers. This preferred design is an antenna array consisting of individually encapsulated dipoles with reflectors supported on feed wires. Such a 5 GW rectenna could be built at a 50 m water depth site to withstand hurricane and icing conditions for a one time cost of 5.7 billion dollars. Subsequent units would be about 1/3 less expensive. The east coast site chosen for this study represents an extreme case of severe environmental conditions. More benign and more shallow water sites would result in lower costs. Secondary uses such as mariculture appear practical with only minor impact on the rectenna design. The potential advantages of an offshore rectenna, such as no land requirements, removal of microwave radiation from populated areas and minimal impact on the local geopolitics argue strongly that further investigation of the offshore rectenna should be vigorously pursued.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2007

On the Mutual Coupling Between Circular Resonant Slots

For near- and far-field microwave imaging purposes, array of circular resonant slots can be utilized to sample the electric field at a given reference plane. In general, the sensitivity of such array probes is impaired by the mutual coupling present between the radiating elements. The mutual coupling problem poses a design tradeoff between the resolution of the array and its sensitivity. In this paper, we investigate the mutual coupling between circular resonant slots in conducting ground plane both numerically and experimentally. Based on the analysis of the dominant coupling mechanism, i.e., the surface currents, various remedies to reduce the slots' mutual coupling are proposed and verified.

Abou-Khousa, M. A.↗

NASA NTRS1989

High-speed digital fiber optic links for satellite traffic

Large aperture phased array antennas operating at millimeter wave frequencies are designed for space-based communications and imaging platforms. Array elements are comprised of active T/R modules which are linked to the central processing unit through high-speed fiber-optic networks. The system architecture satisfying system requirements at millimeter wave frequency is T/R level data mixing where data and frequency reference signals are distributed independently before mixing at the T/R modules. This paper demonstrates design procedures of a low loss high-speed fiber-optic link used for transmission of data signals over 600-900 MHz bandwidth inside satellite. The fiber-optic link is characterized for transmission of analog and digital data. A dynamic range of 79 dB/MHz was measured for analog data over the bandwidth. On the other hand, for bursted SMSK satellite traffic at 220 Mbps rates, BER of 2 x 10 to the -7th was measured for E(b)/N(o) of 14.3 dB.

Daryoush, A. S.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Space station electrical power distribution analysis using a load flow approach

The space station's electrical power system will evolve and grow in a manner much similar to the present terrestrial electrical power system utilities. The initial baseline reference configuration will contain more than 50 nodes or busses, inverters, transformers, overcurrent protection devices, distribution lines, solar arrays, and/or solar dynamic power generating sources. The system is designed to manage and distribute 75 KW of power single phase or three phase at 20 KHz, and grow to a level of 300 KW steady state, and must be capable of operating at a peak of 450 KW for 5 to 10 min. In order to plan far into the future and keep pace with load growth, a load flow power system analysis approach must be developed and utilized. This method is a well known energy assessment and management tool that is widely used throughout the Electrical Power Utility Industry. The results of a comprehensive evaluation and assessment of an Electrical Distribution System Analysis Program (EDSA) is discussed. Its potential use as an analysis and design tool for the 20 KHz space station electrical power system is addressed.

Emanuel, Ervin M.↗

NASA NTRS1971

Fast response solar array simulator

Tradeoff studies to determine the design requirements for a fast response solar array simulator capable of delivering output power in the range of 20 to 5000 watts are reported. The studies were divided into four major areas: frequency and transient response considerations, digital versus analog characteristic generation and programming, optimum power module size, and accuracy considerations. Based on an evaluation of the tradeoffs, a reference design was selected with a forward biased solar cell as an analog reference, and with current accuracy of + or - 0.5% of the short circuit setting.

Zerbel, D. W.↗

DOE OSTI2024

Binary pseudo-random array standards for calibration of 3D optical surface profilers used for metrology with significantly curved x-ray optics

High-accuracy metrology is vitally important in manufacturing ultra-high-quality free-form mirrors designed to manipulate X-ray light with nanometer-scale wavelengths. The current capabilities and possibility for improvements in X-ray mirror manufacturing are limited by inherent imperfections of the integrated metrology tools. In the case of Fizeau interferometry, metrology tools are currently calibrated with super-polished flat test-standard/reference mirrors. This is acceptable for measuring slightly curved X-ray optics. However, for even moderately curved aspherical X-ray mirrors the flat-reference calibration is not sufficiently accurate and stitching Fizeau interferometer-based surface metrology is used to mitigate the problem. But still, the retrace and aberration errors, as well as the limited spatial resolution, described with the instrument transfer function (ITF), can be transferred into the optical surface topography of X-ray mirrors obtained in stitching metrology. For ITF calibration, we have developed an original technique, based on test standards structured as two-dimensional (2D) highly-randomized (HR) binary pseudo-random arrays (BPRAs). The technique employs the unique properties of the HR BPRA patterns in the spatial frequency domain., i.e. the inherent 2D power spectral density of the HR BPRA pattern has a deterministic white-noise-like character that allows direct determination of the ITF with uniform sensitivity over the entire spatial frequency range and field-of-view of an instrument. Here, we explore technological, metrological, and analytical aspects essential for calibration of the retrace and aberration errors of Fizeau interferometers using different types of tilted test samples, including a super-polished reference mirror for the re-trace calibration and the uniformly redundant array (URA) BPRA standards for the geometrical distortion (aberration) calibration. While the first method was previously demonstrated by researchers at DIAMOND Light Source, a method based on the URA BPRA is described and demonstrated here for the first time. We outline the design and fabrication process used in fabrication of URA BPRA test standards, and present the results of application of the URA BPRA standards demonstrating the high efficacy of our approach to geometrical distortion calibration of Fizeau interferometers. We also discuss the possible sources of unexpected peculiarities of the systematic errors, including an astigmatic character of the retrace error, observed with Fizeau interferometers at the Advanced Light Source X-Ray Optics Laboratory.

Munechika, Keiko↗

NASA NTRS2004

New NASA SEE LEO Spacecraft Charging Design Guidelines: How to Survive in LEO Rather than GEO

It has been almost two solar cycles since the GEO Guidelines of Purvis et al (1984) were published. In that time, interest in high voltage LEO systems has increased. The correct and conventional wisdom has been that LEO conditions are sufficiently different from GEO that the GEO Guidelines (and other GEO and POLAR documents produced since then) should not be used for LEO spacecraft. Because of significant recent GEO spacecraft failures that have been shown in ground testing to be likely to also occur on LEO spacecraft, the SEE program commissioned the production of the new LEO Spacecraft Charging Design Guidelines (hereafter referred to as the LEO Guidelines). Now available in CD-ROM form, the LEO Guidelines highlight mitigation techniques to prevent spacecraft arcing on LEO solar arrays and other systems. We compare and contrast the mitigation techniques for LEO and GEO in this paper. We also discuss the extensive bibliography included in the LEO Guidelines, so results can be found in their primary sources.

Ferguson, Dale C.↗

NASA NTRS2005

Large CMOS imager using hadamard transform based multiplexing

We have developed a concept design for a large (~10k x 10k) CMOS imaging array whose elements are grouped in small subarrays with N pixels in each. The subarrays are code-division multiplexed using the Hadamard Transform (HT) based encoding. The Hadamard code improves the signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio to the reference of the read-out amplifier by a factor of N^1/2. This way of grouping pixels reduces the number of hybridization bumps by N. A single chip layout has been designed and the architecture of the imager has been developed to accommodate the HT base multiplexing into the existing CMOS technology. The imager architecture allows for a trade-off between the speed and the sensitivity. The envisioned imager would operate at a speed >100 fps with the pixel noise < 20 e-. The power dissipation would be ~100 pW/pixe1. The combination of the large format, high speed, high sensitivity and low power dissipation can be very attractive for space reconnaissance applications.

CMOS imager↗

NASA NTRS1980

A J-band space-fed phased array

A J-band, space-fed transmissive array suitable to the constraints of space platform applications has been designed and an engineering model array has been fabricated and tested. Attention is given to the design of the aperture, radiating element, phase shifter module, and flatplate feed. Test results and performance are discussed with reference to gain, sidelobe level, and beamwidth as functions of frequency and scan angle.

Orr, C. L.↗

NASA NTRS1980

High-power microwave optics for flexible power transmission systems

A large concave microwave mirror near the transmitter can magnify the apparent size of the Earth as seen from a phased array, and vice versa, permitting a small phased array to be coupled to a small rectenna while preserving the transmission efficiency (the reflection loss is slight) and peak power densities characteristic of the reference system. This augmentation of the phased array aperture with a large mirror gives the system greater resolution (in the optical sense), and opens new degrees of freedom in SPS design. The consequences of such an approach for a prototype satellite were explored. Its consequences for a mature SPS are discussed.

Drexler, K. E.↗

NASA NTRS2000

Landsat 7 Solar Array Testing Experiences

This paper covers the extensive Landsat 7 solar array flight qualification testing effort. Details of the mechanical design of the solar array and its retention/release system are presented. A testing chronology is provided beginning with the onset of problems encountered at the subsystem level and carrying through the third and final powered-spacecraft ground deployment test. Design fixes and other changes are explained in the same order as they became necessary to flight-qualify the array. Some interesting lessons learned are included along with key references.

Helfrich, Daniel↗

NASA NTRS2000

Landsat 7 Solar Array Testing Experiences

Helfrich, Daniel↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

A Vacuum-Compatible, Spectrally Tunable, Flat Panel Uniform Source for Testing Large Aperture Earth Observation Systems

Labsphere, Inc in conjunction with NASA GSFC and Genesis Engineering Solutions inc. has developed an innovative, fully T-VAC compatible, calibration spectro-radiometric illumination source with a highly uniform large-area rectangular flat panel active area. This source leverages a new shaped integration geometry to achieve high uniformity over a large active output area while maintaining a smaller and more robust overall form-factor when compared to previous designs or integrating spheres. This new illuminator also leverages a set of selectable LED arrays as well as broadband tungsten-halogen sources to provide multi-level, wide spectrum reference illumination to the VIIRS instrument over all optical sensor bands during pre-launch testing. The first unit has been demonstrated to meet its requirements using ambient technology and a fully-vacuum-compatible second unit is planned to allow testing for T-VAC campaigns. This technology is both flexible and capable of meeting the needs of many other instruments/missions requiring this type of test/calibration capability.

Jeff Holt↗