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NASA NTRS1992

Summary of the NASA Lewis component technology program for Stirling power converters

An update is presented on the NASA Lewis Stirling component technology program. The component technology program has been organized as part of the NASA Lewis effort to develop Stirling converter technology for space power applications. The Stirling space power project is part of the High Capacity Power element of the NASA Civil Space Technology Initiative (CSTI). Lewis is also providing technical management of a DOE funded project to develop Stirling converter systems for distributed dish solar terrestrial power applications. The primary contractors for the space power and solar terrestrial projects develop component technologies directly related to their project goals. This Lewis component technology program, while coordinated with these main projects, is aimed at longer term issues, advanced technologies, and independent assessments. Topics to be discussed include bearings, linear alternators, controls and load interaction, materials/life assessment, and heat exchangers.

Thieme, Lanny G.↗

NASA NTRS1992

INTESPACE's new thermal-vacuum test facility: SIMMER

The development of an European satellite market over the last 10 years, the industrialization of space applications, and the new requirements from satellite prime contractors have led INTESPACE to increase the test center's environmental testing capacities through the addition of a new thermal-vacuum test facility of impressive dimensions referred to as the SIMMER. The SIMMER is a simulator specifically created for the purpose of conducting acceptance tests of satellites and of large structures of the double launching ARIANE IV or half ARIANE V classes. The chamber is 8.3 meters long with a diameter of 10 meters. The conceptual design of a chamber in the horizontal plane and at floor level is in a view to simplify test preparation and to permit final electrical checks of the spacecraft in its actual test configuration prior to the closing of the chamber. The characteristics of the SIMMER complies with the requirements being currently defined in terms of thermal-vacuum tests: (1) thermal regulation (temperatures cycling between 100 K and 360 K); (2) clean vacuum (10(exp -6) mbar); (3) 600 measurement channels; and (4) 100 000 cleanliness class. The SIMMER is located in INTESPACE's space vehicle test complex in which a large variety of environmental test facilities are made available for having a whole test program completed under one and a same roof.

Duprat, Raymond↗

NASA NTRS1992

Design definition of the Laser Atmospheric Wind Sounder (LAWS), phase 2. Volume 2: Final report

Lockheed personnel, along with team member subcontractors and consultants, have performed a preliminary design for the LAWS Instrument. Breadboarding and testing of a LAWS class laser have also been performed. These efforts have demonstrated that LAWS is a feasible Instrument and can be developed with existing state-of-the-art technology. Only a commitment to fund the instrument development and deployment is required to place LAWS in orbit and obtain the anticipated science and operational forecasting benefits. The LAWS Science Team was selected in 1988-89 as were the competing LAWS phase 1/2 contractor teams. The LAWS Science Team developed requirements for the LAWS Instrument, and the NASA/LAWS project office defined launch vehicle and platform design constraints. From these requirements and constraints, the lockheed team developed LAWS Instrument concepts and configurations. A system designed to meet these requirements and constraints is outlined. The LAWS primary subsystem and interfaces - laser, optical, and receiver/processor - required to assemble a lidar are identified. Also identified are the support subsystems required for the lidar to function from space: structures and mechanical, thermal, electrical, and command and data management. The Lockheed team has developed a preliminary design of a LAWS Instrument System consisting of these subsystems and interfaces which will meet the requirements and objectives of the Science Team. This final report provides a summary of the systems engineering analyses and trades of the LAWS. Summaries of the configuration, preliminary designs of the subsystems, testing recommendations, and performance analysis are presented. Environmental considerations associated with deployment of LAWS are discussed. Finally, the successful LAWS laser breadboard effort is discussed along with the requirements and test results.

Wilson, D. J.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Domain specific software architectures: Command and control

GTE is the Command and Control contractor for the Domain Specific Software Architectures program. The objective of this program is to develop and demonstrate an architecture-driven, component-based capability for the automated generation of command and control (C2) applications. Such a capability will significantly reduce the cost of C2 applications development and will lead to improved system quality and reliability through the use of proven architectures and components. A major focus of GTE's approach is the automated generation of application components in particular subdomains. Our initial work in this area has concentrated in the message handling subdomain; we have defined and prototyped an approach that can automate one of the most software-intensive parts of C2 systems development. This paper provides an overview of the GTE team's DSSA approach and then presents our work on automated support for message processing.

Braun, Christine↗

NASA NTRS1993

NASA scientific and technical program: User survey

Results are presented of an intensive user requirements survey conducted by NASA's Scientific and Technical Information (STI) Program with the goal of improving the foundation for the user outreach program. The survey was carried out by interviewing 550 NASA scientists, engineers, and contractors and by analyzing 650 individual responses to a mailed out questionnaire. To analyze the user demographic data, a data base was built and used, and will be applied to ongoing analysis by the NASA STI Program.

Hunter, Judy F.↗

NASA NTRS1993

The 1992 NASA Aerospace Battery Workshop

This document contains the proceedings of the 23rd annual NASA Aerospace Battery Workshop, hosted by the Marshall Space Flight Center on November 15-19, 1992. The workshop was attended by scientists and engineers from various agencies of the U.S. Government, aerospace contractors, and battery manufacturers, as well as international participation in like kind from a number of countries around the world. The subjects covered included nickel-cadmium, nickel-hydrogen, nickel-metal hydride, and lithium based technologies, as well as advanced technologies including sodium-sulfur and various bipolar designs.

Brewer, Jeffrey C.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Advanced booster guidance studies

This report is a summary of work done under Grant NAG1-946 for the period 19 December 1988 through 15 August 1992. Most of the technical work is described in the paper produced, including the NASA Contractor Report 4393 - 'Optimal Control Problems with Switching Points'. In the following pages we present a list of the papers along with a brief abstract. The technical work during the last months of the grant has not yet been submitted for publication so we present a summary of that work in an Appendix.

Cliff, Eugene M.↗

NASA NTRS1992

The FY 1992 scientific and technical reports, articles, papers, and presentations

This document presents formal NASA technical reports, papers published in technical journals, and presentations by MSFC personnel in FY92. It also includes papers of MSFC contractors. After being announced in STAR, all of the NASA series reports may be obtained from the National Technical Information Service, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, VA 22161. The information in this report may be of value to the scientific and engineering community in determining what information has been published and what is available.

Turner, Joyce E.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Toxic substances registry system: Index of material safety data sheets

The Jul. 1992 Revision of the KSC Toxic Substances Registry System (TSRS) Index of Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS's) is presented. The listed MSDS's reflect product inventories and associated MSDS's which were submitted to the Toxic Substance Registry Data Base maintained by the Base Operations Contractors of the Biomedical Operations and Research Office of KSC. The purpose of the index is to provide a means of accessing information on the hazards associated with the toxic and otherwise hazardous chemicals stored and used at KSC. Indices are provided for manufacturers, trademarks, and stock numbers.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1993

Entry Systems Panel deliberations

The Entry Systems Panel was chaired by Don Rummler, LaRC and Dan Rasky, ARC. As requested, each panel participant prior to the workshop prepared and delivered presentations to: (1) identify technology needs; (2) assess current programs; (3) identify technology gaps; and (4) identify highest payoff areas R&D. Participants presented background on the entry systems R&D efforts and operations experiences for the Space Shuttle Orbiter. These participants represented NASA Centers involved in research (Ames Research Center), development (Johnson Space Center) and operations (Kennedy Space Center) and the Shuttle Orbiter prime contractor. The presentations lead to the discovery of several lessons learned.

Rasky, Daniel J.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Thermal protection system of the Space Shuttle's orbiter

It is the teams view that there is a general lack of awareness of orbiter tile susceptibility to damage by debris - the same applies to the care and critical nature of the shuttle elements and operations process so necessary to minimizing damaging debris - it is essential that all involved employees, both government and contractor, understand that minuscule loose objects or materials coming off the elements will most likely cause some tile damage at the speed encountered during ascent. It is recommended that descriptive material, photos, video tape, debris samples and other appropriate matter be assembled and provided to the proper organizations for dissemination to their employees - it should emphasize that the tiles perform outstanding in their debris-free design environment; but, are extremely sensitive to small particle damage.

Jones, Frank E.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Micro-video display with ocular tracking and interactive voice control

In certain space-restricted environments, many of the benefits resulting from computer technology have been foregone because of the size, weight, inconvenience, and lack of mobility associated with existing computer interface devices. Accordingly, an effort to develop a highly miniaturized and 'wearable' computer display and control interface device, referred to as the Sensory Integrated Data Interface (SIDI), is underway. The system incorporates a micro-video display that provides data display and ocular tracking on a lightweight headset. Software commands are implemented by conjunctive eye movement and voice commands of the operator. In this initial prototyping effort, various 'off-the-shelf' components have been integrated into a desktop computer and with a customized menu-tree software application to demonstrate feasibility and conceptual capabilities. When fully developed as a customized system, the interface device will allow mobile, 'hand-free' operation of portable computer equipment. It will thus allow integration of information technology applications into those restrictive environments, both military and industrial, that have not yet taken advantage of the computer revolution. This effort is Phase 1 of Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Topic number N90-331 sponsored by the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Newport. The prime contractor is Foster-Miller, Inc. of Waltham, MA.

Miller, James E.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Autonomous docking ground demonstration (category 3)

The NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) is involved in the development of an autonomous docking ground demonstration. The demonstration combines the technologies, expertise and facilities of the JSC Tracking and Communications Division (EE), Structures and Mechanics Division (ES), and the Navigation, Guidance and Control Division (EG) and their supporting contractors. The autonomous docking ground demonstration is an evaluation of the capabilities of the laser sensor system to support the docking phase (12ft to contact) when operated in conjunction with the Guidance, Navigation and Control Software. The docking mechanism being used was developed for the Apollo Soyuz Test Program. This demonstration will be conducted using the Six-Degrees of Freedom (6-DOF) Dynamic Test System (DTS). The DTS environment simulates the Space Station Freedom as the stationary or target vehicle and the Orbiter as the active or chase vehicle. For this demonstration the laser sensor will be mounted on the target vehicle and the retroreflectors on the chase vehicle. This arrangement was used to prevent potential damage to the laser. The sensor system. GN&C and 6-DOF DTS will be operated closed-loop. Initial condition to simulate vehicle misalignments, translational and rotational, will be introduced within the constraints of the systems involved. Detailed description of each of the demonstration components (e.g., Sensor System, GN&C, 6-DOF DTS and supporting computer configuration) including their capabilities and limitations will be discussed. A demonstration architecture drawing and photographs of the test configuration will be presented.

Lamkin, Steve L.↗

NASA NTRS1993

A NASA-wide approach toward cost-effective, high-quality software through reuse

NASA Langley Research Center sponsored the second Workshop on NASA Research in Software Reuse on May 5-6, 1992 at the Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. The workshop was hosted by the Research Triangle Institute. Participants came from the three NASA centers, four NASA contractor companies, two research institutes and the Air Force's Rome Laboratory. The purpose of the workshop was to exchange information on software reuse tool development, particularly with respect to tool needs, requirements, and effectiveness. The participants presented the software reuse activities and tools being developed and used by their individual centers and programs. These programs address a wide range of reuse issues. The group also developed a mission and goals for software reuse within NASA. This publication summarizes the presentations and the issues discussed during the workshop.

Scheper, Charlotte O.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Introduction to Space Station Freedom

NASA field centers and contractors are organized to develop 'work packages' for Space Station Freedom. Marshall Space Flight Center and Boeing are building the U.S. laboratory and habitation modules, nodes, and environmental control and life support system; Johnson Space Center and McDonnell Douglas are responsible for truss structure, data management, propulsion systems, thermal control, and communications and guidance; Lewis Research Center and Rocketdyne are developing the power system. The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) is contributing a Mobile Servicing Center, Special Dextrous Manipulator, and Mobile Servicing Center Maintenance Depot. The National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) is contributing a Japanese Experiment Module (JEM), which includes a pressurized module, logistics module, and exposed experiment facility. The European Space Agency (ESA) is contributing the Columbus laboratory module. NASA ground facilities, now in various stages of development to support Space Station Freedom, include: Marshall Space Flight Center's Payload Operations Integration Center and Payload Training Complex (Alabama), Johnson Space Center's Space Station Control Center and Space Station Training Facility (Texas), Lewis Research Center's Power System Facility (Ohio), and Kennedy Space Center's Space Station Processing Facility (Florida). Budget appropriations impact the development of the Space Station. In Fiscal Year 1988, Congress appropriated only half of the funds that NASA requested for the space station program ($393 million vs. $767 million). In FY 89, NASA sought $967 million for the program, and Congress appropriated $900 million. NASA's FY 90 request was $2.05 billion compared to an appropriation of $1.75 billion; the FY 91 request was $2.45 billion, and the appropriation was $1.9 billion. After NASA restructured the Space Station Freedom program in response to directions from Congress, the agency's full budget request of $2.029 billion for Space Station Freedom in FY 92 was appropriated. For FY 93, NASA is seeking $2.25 billion for the program; the planned budget for FY 94 is $2.5 billion. Further alterations to the hardware configuration for Freedom would be a serious setback; NASA intends 'to stick with the current baseline' and continue planning for utilization.

Kohrs, Richard↗

NASA NTRS1993

Application of fuzzy logic-neural network based reinforcement learning to proximity and docking operations: Special approach/docking testcase results

As part of the RICIS project, the reinforcement learning techniques developed at Ames Research Center are being applied to proximity and docking operations using the Shuttle and Solar Maximum Mission (SMM) satellite simulation. In utilizing these fuzzy learning techniques, we use the Approximate Reasoning based Intelligent Control (ARIC) architecture, and so we use these two terms interchangeably to imply the same. This activity is carried out in the Software Technology Laboratory utilizing the Orbital Operations Simulator (OOS) and programming/testing support from other contractor personnel. This report is the final deliverable D4 in our milestones and project activity. It provides the test results for the special testcase of approach/docking scenario for the shuttle and SMM satellite. Based on our experience and analysis with the attitude and translational controllers, we have modified the basic configuration of the reinforcement learning algorithm in ARIC. The shuttle translational controller and its implementation in ARIC is described in our deliverable D3. In order to simulate the final approach and docking operations, we have set-up this special testcase as described in section 2. The ARIC performance results for these operations are discussed in section 3 and conclusions are provided in section 4 along with the summary for the project.

Jani, Yashvant↗

NASA NTRS1992

Flight Project Data Book

The Office of Space Science and Applications (OSSA) is responsible for the overall planning, directing, executing, and evaluating that part of the overall NASA program that has the goal of using the unique characteristics of the space environment to conduct a scientific study of the universe, to understand how the Earth works as an integrated system, to solve practical problems on Earth, and to provide the scientific and technological research foundation for expanding human presence beyond Earth orbit into the solar system. OSSA guides its program toward leadership through its pursuit of excellence across the full spectrum of disciplines. OSSA pursues these goals through an integrated program of ground-based laboratory research and experimentation, suborbital flight of instruments on airplanes, balloons, and sounding rockets; flight of instruments and the conduct of research on the Shuttle/Spacelab system and on Space Station Freedom; and development and flight of automated Earth-orbiting and interplanetary spacecraft. The OSSA program is conducted with the participation and support of other Government agencies and facilities, universities throughout the United States, the aerospace contractor community, and all of NASA's nine Centers. In addition, OSSA operates with substantial international participation in many aspects of our Space Science and Applications Program. OSSA's programs currently in operation, those approved for development, and those planned for future missions are described.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1989

Preliminary base heating environments for a generalized ALS LO2/LH2 launch vehicle, appendix 1 and 2

A secondary objective of contract NAS8-39141 is to provide base heating assessments, as required, to support Advanced Launch System (ALS) preliminary launch vehicle and propulsion system design studies. The ALS propulsion systems integration working group meeting (No. 3) recently completed in San Diego, California, focused attention on the need for base heating environment determination to provide preliminary requirements for LO2/LH2 propulsion systems currently being considered for ALS. We were requested to provide these environments for a range of possible propellant mixture and nozzle area ratios. Base heating environments can only be determined as a function of altitude when the engine operating conditions and vehicle base region geometry (engine arrangement) are known. If time dependent environments are needed to assess thermal loads, a trajectory must also be provided. These parameters are not fixed at this time since the ALS configurations and propulsion operating conditions are varied and continue to be studied by Phase B contractors. Therefore, for this study, a generalized LO2/LH2 system was selected along with a vehicle configuration consisting of a seven-engine booster and a three-engine core. MSFC provided guidance for the selection. We also selected a limited number of body points on the booster and core vehicles and engines for the environment estimates. Environments at these locations are representative of maximum heating conditions in the base region and are provided as a function of altitude only. Guidelines and assumptions for this assessment, methodology for determining the environments, and preliminary results are provided in this technical note. Refinements in the environments will be provided as the ALS design matures.

Bender, Robert L.↗