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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 721 records · Page 40
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1995

Fourth Report of the Task Force on the Shuttle-Mir Rendezvous and Docking Missions

On December 6, 1994, the NASA Administrator, Mr. Daniel Goldin, requested that Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Stafford, in his role as the Chairman of the NASA Advisory Council Task Force on the Shuttle-Mir Rendezvous and Docking Missions, lead a team composed of several Task Force members and technical advisors' to Russia with the goal of reviewing preparations and readiness for the upcoming international Space Station Phase 1 missions. In his directions to Gen. Stafford, Mr. Goldin requested that the review team focus its initial efforts on safety of flight issues for the following Phase 1A missions: the Soyuz TM-21 mission which will carry U.S. astronaut Dr. Norman Thagard and cosmonauts Lt. Col. Vladimir Dezhurov and Mr. Gennady Strekalov aboard a Soyuz spacecraft to the Mir Station; the Mir 18 Main Expedition during which Thagard and his fellow cosmonauts, Dezhurov and Strokalov, will spend approximately three months aboard the Mir Station; the STS-71 Space Shuttle mission which will perform the first Shuttle-Mir docking, carry cosmonauts Col. Anatoly SoloViev and Mr. Nikolai Budarin to the Mir Station, and return Thagard, Dezhurov, and Strekalov to Earth.

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NASA NTRS1996

NASA Mir program: Mission operations concept

The joint NASA/Russian Space Agency mission program is discussed, considering the lessons learned. The initial Shuttle Mir science program and the NASA Mir program are described. The NASA Mir program is organized into ten distinct working groups which are co-chaired by representatives from the two cooperating nations. The NASA component is managed from the Johnson Space Center (TX). The support provided by NASA for long-duration missions and Mir expeditions is described. The scope of the scientific research carried out within the framework of the joint program is considered. The NASA Mir training approach is discussed and the mission operations are reviewed with emphasis on the Mir 21/NASA 2 mission.

Cardenas, Jeffrey A.↗
NASA NTRS1996

ISS External Payload Accommodations (EXPRESS pallet)

The 'expedite the process of experiments to Space Station' (EXPRESS) pallet which is attached to the DS3 truss segment of the International Space Station (ISS) via the payload attach structure is illustrated. The EXPRESS pallet constitutes the primary ISS external payload carrier. Each pallet carries six robotically replaceable payload adapters which are capable of containing one or more payloads. The following aspects of the EXPRESS program and pallet are illustrated: the concept drivers; the physical integration; the installation and in-orbit replacement; and the experiments to be implemented. The program status is summarized.

Harvey L. Shelton↗
NASA NTRS1997

STS-83 Day 02

On this second day of the STS-83 mission, the flight crew, Cmdr. James D. Halsell, Jr. Pilot Susan L. Still, Payload Cmdr, Janice E. Voss, Mission Specialists Michael L. Gernhardt and Donald A. Thomas, and Payload Specialists Gregory T. Linteris and Roger K. Crouch can be seen setting up experiments for studying the properties of combustion and the behavior of metals, materials, and fluids in the absence of gravity. The astronauts are split into red and blue teams, each working a 12-hour shift, to allow around-the-clock operations in the pressurized Spacelab science module in Columbia's cargo bay. Thomas is seen activating the Large Isothermal Furnace (LIF) experiment and the Expedite the Processing of Experiments to the International Space Station (EXPRESS) Rack while Linteris continues the activation of Protein Crystal Growth experiments.

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NASA NTRS1997

STS-83 Mission Highlights Resources Tape

The STS-83 mission flight crew, Cmdr. James D. Halsell Jr., Pilot Susan L. Still, Payload Cmdr. Janice E. Voss, Mission Specialists Michael L. Gernhardt and Donald A. Thomas, and Payload Specialist Gregory T. Linteris and Roger K. Crouch present an overview of their mission. The primary payload is the Microgravity Science Laboratory (MSL), which is a collection of microgravity experiments housed inside a European Spacelab Long Module (LM). MSL features 19 materials science investigations in 4 major facilities. These facilities are the Large Isothermal Furnace, the EXpedite the PRocessing of Experiments to the Space Station (EXPRESS) Rack, the Electromagnetic Containerless Processing Facility (TEMPUS), and the Coarsening in Solid-Liquid Mixtures (CSLM) Facility, the Droplet Combustion Experiment (DCE); and the Combustion Module-1 Facility. Additional technology experiments will be performed in the Middeck Glovebox (MGBX) developed by the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and the High-Packed Digital Television (HI-PAC DTV) system will be used to provide multi-channel real-time analog science video. Pre-flight, launch, and orbital footage is followed a discussion of the spaceborne experiments aboard the MSL. The end footage shows the shuttle's prelanding checkout, reentry, and landing.

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NASA NTRS1993

New Observations of the NO(y)/N2O Correlation in the lower Stratosphere

During the Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition II (AASE II), September 1991 through March 1992, in situ measurements of reactive nitrogen (NO(y)) and N2O were made in the Northern Hemisphere lower stratosphere. We present an analysis of this new data and compare it with results from similar data taken during AASE in the winter of 1989. In the Northern Hemisphere there is a consistent linear correlation of N2O and NO(y) which shows no interannual variation. Cases of departure from a linear correlation are examined and classified as being due to denitrification (NO(y) loss) or sampling air from a region where the photochemical lifetime of NO(y) is decreased. The latter case was observed for the first time in the winter of 1992.

Lowenstein, M.↗
NASA NTRS1993

AASE-2 Observations of Trace Carbon Species Distributions in the Mid to Upper Troposphere

We report tropospheric (altitudes greater than 5 km) observations of CO2, CO, CH4, and light hydrocarbons (C2-C4) over the latitude range from 90 deg N to 23 deg S recorded onboard the NASA DC-8 aircraft during the winter 1992 Second Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition (AASE-II). Mixing ratios for these species exhibited significant north-south gradients with maximum values in subpolar and arctic regions and minima over the southern tropics. At latitudes greater than 40 deg N, the mixing ratios of most species increased significantly over the course of the 3-month measurement period. Also at high northern latitudes, the variations of all relatively long-lived reactive carbon species were linearly correlated with fluctuations of CO2 with CO, CH4, C2H6, C2H2, C3H8, and n-C4H10 exhibiting average enhancement ratios in terms of ppbv(X)/ppmv(CO2) of 13.8, 8.4, 0.21, 0.075, 0.085, and 0.037, respectively.

Anderson, B. E.↗
NASA NTRS1993

In-Situ Measurements of Changes in Stratospheric Aerosol and the N2O - Aerosol Relationship inside and outside of the Polar Vortex

Two optical particle counters on the ER-2, together covering a particle size diameter range from 0.1 micrometers to 23 micrometers, were used to measure the aerosol bulk quantities integral number, aerosol surface and volume, as well as detailed size distributions inside and outside of the polar vortex in the lower stratosphere. While AASE I (Arctic Airborne Stratospheric Expedition, (Dec. 1988 - Feb. 1989) was conducted in a period of relative volcanic quiescence, enhancements in aerosol number, surface and volume of factors around 10, 25 and 100 were observed during AASE II (Aug. 1991 - Mar. 1992) due to the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo. The changes in these bulk quantities as well as in the size distributions measured both outside and inside the the polar vortex are presented and compared with those obtained in polar stratospheric cloud events (AASE I). Except for a shift towards larger aerosol mixing ratios the general shape of correlograms between the measured N2O and particle mixing ratios remain similar before and after the eruption. Similar correlograms are used to interpret data from vertical profiles inside and outside of the polar vortex.

Borrmann, S.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Results of Aerothermodynamic and Boundary-Layer Transition Testing of 0.0362-Scale X-38 (Rev. 3.1) Vehicle in NASA Langley 20-Inch Mach 6 Tunnel

The aeroheating characteristics of the X-38 Revision 3.1 lifting-body configuration have been experimentally examined in the Langley 20-inch Mach 6 Tunnel. Global surface heat transfer distributions, surface streamline patterns, and shock shapes were measured on a 0.0362-scale model of a proposed Space Station Crew Return Vehicle at Mach 6 in air. Parametric variations include angles-of-attack of 20 deg, 30 deg, and 40 deg; Reynolds numbers based on model length of 0.9 to 3.7 million; and body-flap deflections of O deg, 20 deg, 25 deg, and 30 deg. The effects of discrete roughness elements, which included trip height, location, size, and orientation, as well as multiple-trip parametrics, were investigated. This document is intended to serve as a quick release of preliminary data to the X-38 program; analysis is limited to observations of the experimental trends in order to expedite dissemination.

Berry, Scott A.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Emergency Medical Operations at Kennedy Space Center in Support of Space Shuttle

The unique environment of the Kennedy Space Center includes a wide variety of industrial processes culminating in launch and spaceflight. Many are potentially hazardous to the work force and the astronauts. Technology, planning, training, and quality control are utilized to prevent contingencies and expedite response should a contingency occur.

Myers, K. Jeffrey↗
NASA NTRS1994

The Distribution of Hydrogen, Nitrogen, and Chlorine Radicals in the Lower Stratosphere: Implications for Changes in O3 due to Emission of NO(y) from Supersonic Aircraft

In situ measurements of hydrogen, nitrogen, and chlorine radicals obtained in the lower stratosphere during the Stratospheric Photochemistry, Aerosols and Dynamics Expedition (SPADE) are compared to results from a photochemical model that assimilates measurements of radical precursors and environmental conditions. Models allowing for heterogeneous hydrolysis of N2O5 agree well with measured concentrations of NO and ClO, but concentrations of HO2 and OH are underestimated by 10 to 25%, concentrations of NO2 are overestimated by 10 to 30%, and concentrations of HCl are overestimated by a factor of 2. Discrepancies for [OH] and [HO2] are reduced if we allow for higher yields of O(sup 1)D) from 03 photolysis and for heterogeneous production of HNO2. The data suggest more efficient catalytic removal of O3 by hydrogen and halogen radicals relative to nitrogen oxide radicals than predicted by models using recommended rates and cross sections. Increases in [O3] in the lower stratosphere may be larger in response to inputs of NO(sub y) from supersonic aircraft than estimated by current assessment models.

Salawitch, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Stratospheric Heterogeneous Chemistry and Microphysics: Model Development, Validation and Applications

The objectives of this project are to: define the chemical and physical processes leading to stratospheric ozone change that involve polar stratospheric clouds (PSCS) and the reactions occurring on the surfaces of PSC particles; study the formation processes, and the physical and chemical properties of PSCS, that are relevant to atmospheric chemistry and to the interpretation of field measurements taken during polar stratosphere missions; develop quantitative models describing PSC microphysics and heterogeneous chemical processes; assimilate laboratory and field data into these models; and calculate the extent of chemical processing on PSCs and the impact of specific microphysical processes on polar composition and ozone depletion. During the course of the project, a new coupled microphysics/physical-chemistry/ photochemistry model for stratospheric sulfate aerosols and nitric acid and ice PSCs was developed and applied to analyze data collected during NASA's Arctic Airborne Stratospheric Expedition-II (AASE-II) and other missions. In this model, detailed treatments of multicomponent sulfate aerosol physical chemistry, sulfate aerosol microphysics, polar stratospheric cloud microphysics, PSC ice surface chemistry, as well as homogeneous gas-phase chemistry were included for the first time. In recent studies focusing on AASE measurements, the PSC model was used to analyze specific measurements from an aircraft deployment of an aerosol impactor, FSSP, and NO(y) detector. The calculated results are in excellent agreement with observations for particle volumes as well as NO(y) concentrations, thus confirming the importance of supercooled sulfate/nitrate droplets in PSC formation. The same model has been applied to perform a statistical study of PSC properties in the Northern Hemisphere using several hundred high-latitude air parcel trajectories obtained from Goddard. The rates of ozone depletion along trajectories with different meteorological histories are presently being systematically evaluated to identify the principal relationships between ozone loss and aerosol state. Under this project, we formulated a detailed quantitative model that predicts the multicomponent composition of sulfate aerosols under stratospheric conditions, including sulfuric, nitric, hydrochloric, hydrofluoric and hydrobromic acids. This work defined for the first time the behavior of liquid ternary-system type-1b PSCS. The model also allows the compositions and reactivities of sulfate aerosols to be calculated over the entire range of environmental conditions encountered in the stratosphere (and has been incorporated into a trajectory/microphysics model-see above). Important conclusions that derived from this work over the last few years include the following: the HNO3 content of liquid-state aerosols dominate PSCs below about 195 K; the freezing of nitric acid ice from sulfate aerosol solutions is likely to occur within a few degrees K of the water vapor frost point; the uptake and reactions of HCl in liquid aerosols is a critical component of PSC heterogeneous chemistry. In a related application of this work, the inefficiency of chlorine injection into the stratosphere during major volcanic eruptions was explained on the basis of nucleation of sulfuric acid aerosols in rising volcanic plumes leading to the formation of supercooled water droplets on these aerosols, which efficiently scavenges HCl via precipitation.

Turco, Richard P.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Asian Influence Over the Western North Pacific during the Fall Season: Inferences from Lead 210, Soluble Ionic Species and Ozone

Aerosol samples collected over the western Pacific during the NASA/Global Tropospheric Experiment Pacific Exploratory Mission (PEM-West A) expedition (September - October 1991) revealed mean Pb-210 concentrations in the free troposphere in the 5-10 fCi m(exp -3) STP range. Most soluble ionic aerosol-associated species were near detection limits [much less than 40 parts per trillion by volume (pptv)] in these same samples. The altitude distribution of O3 near Asia closely resembled that of Pb-210, while no relationship was found between the concentrations of O3 and Be-7. Free tropospheric air over the western Pacific was depleted in soluble aerosol-associated species but enriched in Pb-210 and O3, indicative of deep wet convection over the Asian continent. The influence of Asian air on the composition of the free troposphere over the western Pacific was evident on most of the PEM-West A flights. However, evidence of continental influence was largely restricted to those species that are relatively insoluble (or have insoluble precursors), hence escape scavenging during vertical transport from the boundary layer into the free troposphere by wet convective activity.

Dibb, J. E.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Origin of Ozone NO(x) in the Tropical Troposphere: A Photochemical Analysis of Aircraft Observations Over the South Atlantic Basin

The photochemistry of the troposphere over the South Atlantic basin is examined by modeling of aircraft observations up to 12-km altitude taken during the TRACE A expedition in September-October 1992. A close balance is found in the 0 to 12-km column between photochemical production and loss Of O3, with net production at high altitudes compensating for weak net loss at low altitudes. This balance implies that O3 concentrations in the 0-12 km column can be explained solely by in situ photochemistry; influx from the stratosphere is negligible. Simulation of H2O2, CH3OOH, and CH2O concentrations measured aboard the aircraft lends confidence in the computations of O3 production and loss rates, although there appears to be a major gap in current understanding of CH2O chemistry in the marine boundary layer. The primary sources of NO(x) over the South Atlantic Basin appear to be continental (biomass burning, lightning, soils). There is evidence that NO(x) throughout the 0 to 12-km column is recycled from its oxidation products rather than directly transported from its primary sources. There is also evidence for rapid conversion of HNO3 to NO(x) in the upper troposphere by a mechanism not included in current models. A general representation of the O3 budget in the tropical troposphere is proposed that couples the large scale Walker circulation and in situ photochemistry. Deep convection in the rising branches of the Walker circulation injects NO(x) from combustion, soils, and lightning to the upper troposphere, leading to O3 production; eventually, the air subsides and net O3 loss takes place in the lower troposphere, closing the O3 cycle. This scheme implies a great sensitivity of the oxidizing power of the atmosphere to NO(x) emissions in the tropics.

Jacob, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Cultural and Gender Issues in Long-Duration Flights

Session TA5 includes short reports concerning: (1) Psychological Issues During Long-Duration International Space Missions; (2) Psychosocial Issues in Crew Selection: Finding the Right Mix of the Right Stuff; (3) Culture, Gender and Mission Accomplishment: Operational Experience; (4) Interpersonal Tension in Multicultural Crews; (5) Personality and Coping in Extreme Environments; and (6) Application of Expedition and Polar Work Group Findings for Enhancing Performance in Space.

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NASA NTRS1998

X-33/RLV System Health Management/ Vehicle Health Management

To reduce operations cost, the RLV must include the following elements: highly reliable, robust subsystems designed for simple repair access with a simplified servicing infrastructure and incorporating expedited decision making about faults and anomalies. A key component for the Single Stage to Orbit (SSTO) RLV System used to meet these objectives is System Health Management (SHM). SHM deals with the vehicle component- Vehicle Health Management (VHM), the ground processing associated with the fleet (GVHM) and the Ground Infrastructure Health Management (GIHM). The objective is to provide an automated collection and paperless health decision, maintenance and logistics system. Many critical technologies are necessary to make the SHM (and more specifically VHM) practical, reliable and cost effective. Sanders is leading the design, development and integration of the SHM system for RLV and X-33 SHM (a sub-scale, sub-orbit Advanced Technology Demonstrator). This paper will present the X-33 SHM design which forms the baseline for RLV SHM. This paper will also discuss other applications of these technologies.

Garbos, Raymond J.↗
NASA NTRS1998

A Method for Making Cross-Comparable Estimates of the Benefits of Decision Support Technologies for Air Traffic Management

We present a general method for making cross comparable estimates of the benefits of NASA-developed decision support technologies for air traffic management, and we apply a specific implementation of the method to estimate benefits of three decision support tools (DSTs) under development in NASA's advanced Air Transportation Technologies Program: Active Final Approach Spacing Tool (A-FAST), Expedite Departure Path (EDP), and Conflict Probe and Trial Planning Tool (CPTP). The report also reviews data about the present operation of the national airspace system (NAS) to identify opportunities for DST's to reduce delays and inefficiencies.

Lee, David↗
NASA NTRS1986

The 1984-1985 Antarctic Search for Meteorites (ANSMET) Field Program

The purpose of the 1984-1985 ANSMET (Antarctic Search for Meteorites) expedition was to recover meteorites from the Main, Near Western, Middle Western, and Far Western icefields in the Allan Hills area and to carry out a reconnaissance of other nearby blue icefields. A brief summary of the locations and maps visited are provided.

Sandford, Scott A.↗