Sourcebook on the space sciences.
Book on space science discussing orbits, trajectories, propulsion, guidance, tracking, solar system, universe, man in space, environments, meteorology, communication and navigation
SOLAR SYSTEM↗
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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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Science & Technology Review: March 2026 - The Future of Lasers
At Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, we focus on science and technology research to ensure our nation’s security. We also apply that expertise to solve other important national problems in energy, bioscience, and the environment. Science & Technology Review is published eight times a year to communicate, to a broad audience, the Laboratory’s scientific and technological accomplishments in fulfilling its primary missions. The publication’s goal is to help readers understand these accomplishments and appreciate their value to the individual citizen, the nation, and the world.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Vibration and Acoustic Testing for Mars Micromission Spacecraft
The objective of the Mars Micromission program being managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for NASA is to develop a common spacecraft that can carry telecommunications equipment and a variety of science payloads for exploration of Mars. The spacecraft will be capable of carrying robot landers and rovers, cameras, probes, balloons, gliders or aircraft, and telecommunications equipment to Mars at much lower cost than recent NASA Mars missions. The lightweight spacecraft (about 220 Kg mass) will be launched in a cooperative venture with CNES as a TWIN auxiliary payload on the Ariane 5 launch vehicle. Two or more Mars Micromission launches are planned for each Mars launch opportunity, which occur every 26 months. The Mars launch window for the first mission is November 1, 2002 through April 2003, which is planned to be a Mars airplane technology demonstration mission to coincide with the 100 year anniversary of the Kittyhawk flight. Several subsequent launches will create a telecommunications network orbiting Mars, which will provide for continuous communication with lenders and rovers on the Martian surface. Dedicated science payload flights to Mars are slated to start in 2005. This new cheaper and faster approach to Mars exploration calls for innovative approaches to the qualification of the Mars Micromission spacecraft for the Ariane 5 launch vibration and acoustic environments. JPL has in recent years implemented new approaches to spacecraft testing that may be effectively applied to the Mars Micromission. These include 1) force limited vibration testing, 2) combined loads, vibration and modal testing, and 3) direct acoustic testing. JPL has performed nearly 200 force limited vibration tests in the past 9 years; several of the tests were on spacecraft and large instruments, including the Cassini and Deep Space One spacecraft. Force limiting, which measures and limits the spacecraft base reaction force using triaxial force gages sandwiched between the spacecraft and the test fixture, alleviates the severe overtest at spacecraft resonances inherent in rigid fixture vibration tests. It has the distinct advantage over response limiting that the method is not dependent on the accuracy of a detailed dynamic model of the spacecraft. Combined loads, vibration, and modal testing were recently performed on the QuikSCAT spacecraft. The combined tests were performed in a single test setup per axis on a vibration shaker, reducing test time by a factor of two or three. Force gages were employed to measure the true c.g. acceleration of the spacecraft for structural loads verification using a sine burst test, to automatically notch random vibration test input accelerations at spacecraft resonances based on predetermined force limits, and to directly measure modal masses in a base drive modal test. In addition to these combined tests on the shaker, the QuikSCAT spacecraft was subjected to a direct field acoustic test by surrounding the spacecraft, still on the vibration shaker, with rock concert type acoustic speakers. Since the spacecraft contractor does not have a reverberant field acoustic test facility, performing a direct field acoustic test -saved the program nearly two weeks schedule time that would have been required for packing / unpacking and shipping of the spacecraft. This paper discusses the rationale behind and advantages of the above test approaches and provides examples of their actual implementation and comparisons to flight data. The applicability of the test approaches to Mars Micromission spacecraft qualification is discussed.
Kern, Dennis L.↗
The Space Science Enterprise Strategic Plan
It is a pleasure to present our new Space Science Strategic Plan. It represents contributions by hundreds of members of the space science community, including researchers, technologists, and educators, working with staff at NASA, over a period of nearly two years. Our time is an exciting one for space science. Dramatic advances in cosmology, planetary research, and solar-terrestrial science form a backdrop for this ambitious plan. Our program boldly addresses the most fundamental questions that science can ask: (1) how the universe began and is changing, (2) what are the past and future of humanity, and (3) whether we are alone. In taking up these questions, researchers and the general public--for we are all seekers in this quest--will draw upon all areas of science and the technical arts. Our Plan outlines how we will communicate our findings to interested young people and adults. The program that you will read about in this Plan includes forefront research and technology development on the ground as well as development and operation of the most complex spacecraft conceived. The proposed flight program is a balanced portfolio of small missions and larger spacecraft. Our goal is to obtain the best science at the lowest cost, taking advantage of the most advanced technology that can meet our standards for expected mission success. In driving hard to achieve this goal, we experienced some very disappointing failures in 1999. But NASA, as a research and development agency, makes progress by learning also from mistakes, and we have learned from these.
Source record↗
S&TR Jan/Feb 2025 Partnerships Issue
At Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, we focus on science and technology research to ensure our nation’s security. We also apply that expertise to solve other important national problems in energy, bioscience, and the environment. Science & Technology Review is published eight times a year to communicate, to a broad audience, the Laboratory’s scientific and technological accomplishments in fulfilling its primary missions. The publication’s goal is to help readers understand these accomplishments and appreciate their value to the individual citizen, the nation, and the world
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
Navigation services of the Mars Network
The Mars Network provides proximity based communications and navigation services to support Mars exploration. The network will be comprised of science orbiters with a MN relay transceiver, and potentially, dedicated telecommunication orbiters. The common MN transceiver, called Electra, is currently in deployment, and is being designed for both communications and radiometric tracking.
Mars Network navigation doppler↗
Flight and Direct to Earth/Space Relay Communication System Architecture for GSFC CubeSat Missions
The CubeSat platform is finding increasing use in space science applications due to its low cost and comparative ease of launch. It is becoming a key scientific discovery tool in low Earth orbit (LEO) and beyond, including geosynchronous equatorial orbit (GEO), the Lagrange Points, Lunar missions, and more. The increasing complexity of these missions and their scientific goals must be supported by equal advancements in communications technology. Higher data rates and greater reliability are required every year. However, the reduced Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) constraints of CubeSat platforms introduce unique challenges in the area of satellite communications. There is currently a lack of communication equipment tailored specifically to the CubeSat platform. This lack of standardized, tested equipment extends development time and reduces mission confidence. Furthermore, missions utilizing the CubeSat platform are often subject to more difficult design constraints. Antenna placement, size, and pointing are often subordinate to the requirements of the payload instruments and mission goals. Traditional link margin estimation techniques are insufficient in these cases, as they emphasize worst case scenarios. In reality the actual link parameters may vary widely even during a single pass. This presents new challenges in predicting communications performance and scheduling ground station contacts, but also new opportunities for improving efficiency. This paper presents the integration, testing, and validation process for a new software defined radio (SDR) designed for the CubeSat platform in conjunction with Vulcan Wireless, Inc. The SDR is planned for use on 5 upcoming CubeSat missions at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) including a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) mission and it may also serve as a standard and well-tested option for future missions by enabling a standardized, rapid and low cost CubeSat communication system network integration process. Detailed simulations have been developed to estimate the communication performance of these missions, taking the unique antenna placements and attitude behavior of each satellite into account. These simulations allow a much more accurate analysis of the expected link margin, which varies considerably during each pass for the NASA Space Relay (SR) and Direct to Earth (DTE) network. The modelling procedures are outlined, and the results are used to predict communications performance of the missions.
Space Networks↗
Science Autonomy for Ocean Worlds Astrobiology: A Perspective
Astrobiology missions to ocean worlds in our solar system must overcome both scientific and technological challenges due to extreme temperature and radiation conditions, long communication times, and limited bandwidth. While such tools could not replace ground-based analysis by science and engineering teams, machine learning algorithms could enhance the science return of these missions through development of autonomous science capabilities. Examples of science autonomy include onboard data analysis and subsequent instrument optimization, data prioritization (for transmission), and real-time decision-making based on data analysis. Similar advances could be made to develop streamlined data processing software for rapid ground-based analyses. Here we discuss several ways machine learning and autonomy could be used for astrobiology missions, including landing site selection, prioritization and targeting of samples, classification of “features” (e.g., proposed biosignatures) and novelties (uncharacterized, “new” features, which may be of most interest to agnostic astrobiological investigations), and data transmission.
ocean worlds↗
Dynamic Radioisotope Power System (DRPS) Permanently Shadowed Region (PSR) Demonstrator Rover
This conceptual design study investigated trading several Dynamic Radioisotope Power Systems (DRPS) in development to supply power to a lunar science rover which operates for long periods (months) in permanently shadowed regions (PSR) over many years. The design was conducted by the Compass team and relied heavily on the planned VIPER rover design, which is limited to only a few hours of operations in PSRs and less than a month near the south pole. As such this conceptual design shows what a DRPS can do for a follow-on type VIPER rover. In addition to the long duration, go anywhere DRPS power system, the Compass team added a communications system that utilizes the Gateway spacecraft as a relay node for nearly 24/7 communications link to the DRPS rover in lunar craters not visible from the earth. The Compass design includes a notional conops, launch and delivery, subsystem designs of power, mobility, structures, science, command and data handling, communications, guidance and control, and thermal. The thermal design was especially important due the low temperatures in PSRs where the science environment needs to be shielded from the waste heat from the DRPS.
Dynamic Radioisotope Power Systems↗
Simultaneous Optical Links with the Inter-Satellite Omnidirectional Optical Communicator
As the onboard data volume for smaller platforms such as CubeSats increases, Radio Frequency (RF) communications systems may be unable to adequately support the required downlink demand. Optical communications (lasercom) systems can relieve the data bottleneck as they can support higher data throughput than RF for comparable Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP). Lasercom crosslinks are of particular interest for spacecraft swarms and constellations because they enable additional mission robustness for distributed science observations and remote sensing applications. The Inter-Satellite Omnidirectional optical Communicator (ISOC) is capable of supporting simultaneous lasercom crosslinks between multiple spacecraft at separations of up to thousands of kilometers in orbit. The ISOC architecture features a truncated dodecahedron chassis containing an array of photodetectors and gimbal-less MEMS mirrors, enabling full-duplex communications. The main objectives of the ISOC terminal include: 1) full sky coverage, 2) Gbps data rates, and 3) the ability to maintain multiple simultaneous links. We show ISOC can support up to 12 simultaneous links with the current architecture at 1-Gbps at 200-km separation with 10-9 BER. Compared to current lasercom transceivers (i.e., point-to-point), ISOC offers increased throughput performance for similar SWaP. A detailed link budget for both scenarios is presented, and the limiting factors for maximum number of simultaneous links are discussed.
Cahoy, Kerri↗
Science & Technology Review June 2026: Predicting Tsunamis
At Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, we focus on science and technology research to ensure our nation’s security. We also apply that expertise to solve other important national problems in energy, bioscience, and the environment. Science & Technology Review is published eight times a year to communicate, to a broad audience, the Laboratory’s scientific and technological accomplishments in fulfilling its primary missions. The publication’s goal is to help readers understand these accomplishments and appreciate their value to the individual citizen, the nation, and the world.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Hardware Testing for the Optical PAyload for Lasercomm Science (OPALS)
Hardware for several subsystems of the proposed Optical PAyload for Lasercomm Science (OPALS), including the gimbal and avionics, was tested. Microswitches installed on the gimbal were evaluated to verify that their point of actuation would remain within the acceptable range even if the switches themselves move slightly during launch. An inspection of the power board was conducted to ensure that all power and ground signals were isolated, that polarized components were correctly oriented, and that all components were intact and securely soldered. Initial testing on the power board revealed several minor problems, but once they were fixed the power board was shown to function correctly. All tests and inspections were documented for future use in verifying launch requirements.
optical communications↗
CLAIRE: Enabling Heterogeneous Communication Network Optimization for Robust and Resilient Operations
In this paper, we present the capabilities of the CLAIRE System which provides resilient communications for NASA in presence of interference and congestion for a heterogeneous multi-vendor network. CLAIRE increases mission science data return to improve resource efficiencies and ensures resilience in the unpredictable space environment for NASA missions and communication networks. CLAIRE provides technology / waveform agnostic cognitive control plane that is instantiated at the Application Layer (APP) so that it can ride on NASA’s HDTN bundle protocol or any other protocol stack that is used by the network. The cognitive control plane is instantiated using Heartbeats (HTBTs). CLAIRE is assisted by Wideband UHF-Ka Band RF Sensing that leverages advances in the Direct Digital Transceiver (DDTRX) technology. The Wideband RF Sensing is driven by statistical signal processing and machine learning algorithms. Interference is mitigated using Dynamic Spectrum Access (DSA). Finally, CLAIRE addresses congestion using spectrum aware packet forwarding algorithm. CLAIRE provides an extensible protocol that allows passing of RF spectrum situational awareness, cross-layer sensing, delay tolerant networking and dynamic spectrum access information that can help with network optimization. Cross-Layer Sensing (CLS) and CLAIRE Decision Engine (CDE) enable spectrum and delay aware packet forwarding and Dynamic Spectrum Access during cases of severe interference.
cognitive communications↗
Hubble 2006: Science Year in Review
The 10 science articles selected for this years annual science report exemplify the range of Hubble research from the Solar System, across our Milky Way, and on to distant galaxies. The objects of study include a new feature on Jupiter, binaries in the Kuiper Belt, Cepheid variable stars, the Orion Nebula, distant transiting planets, lensing galaxies, active galactic nuclei, red-and-dead galaxies, and galactic outflows and jets. Each narrative strives to construct the readers understanding of the topics and issues, and to place the latest research in historical, as well as scientific, context. These essays reveal trends in the practice of astronomy. More powerful computers are permitting astronomers to study ever larger data sets, enabling the discovery of subtle effects and rare objects. (Two investigations created mosaic images that are among the largest produced to date.) Multiwavelength data sets from ground-based telescopes, as well as other great observatories Spitzer and Chandraare increasingly important for holistic interpretations of Hubble results. This yearbook also presents profiles of 12 individuals who work with Hubble, or Hubble data, on a daily basis. They are representative of the many students, scientists, engineers, and other professions who are proudly associated with Hubble. Their stories collectively communicate the excitement and reward of careers related to space science and technology.
Hubble space telescope↗
Synergy Between Entry Probes and Orbiters
We identify two catagories of probe-orbiter interactions which benefit the science return from a particular mission. The first category is termed "Mission Design Aspects". This category is meant to describe those aspects of the mission design involving the orbiter that affect the science return from the probe(s). The second category of probe-orbiter interaction is termed "Orbiter-Probe Science Interactions", and is meant to include interactions between oribter and probe(s) that directly involve science measurements made from each platform. Two mission related aspects of probe-orbiter interactions are delivery of a probe(s) to the entry site(s) by an orbiter, and communication between each probe and the orbiter. We consider four general probe-orbiter science interactions that greatly enhance, or in certain cases are essential for, the mission science return. The four topics are, global context of the probe entry site(s), ground truth for remote sensing observations of an orbiter, atmospheric composition measurements, and wind measurements.
Young, Richard E.↗
Science and Technology Review: Getting to Carbon Neutral
At Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, we focus on science and technology research to ensure our nation’s security. We also apply that expertise to solve other important national problems in energy, bioscience, and the environment. Science & Technology Review is published eight times a year to communicate, to a broad audience, the Laboratory’s scientific and technological accomplishments in fulfilling its primary missions. The publication’s goal is to help readers understand these accomplishments and appreciate their value to the individual citizen, the nation, and the world. Achieving carbon neutrality requires a well-considered combination of technologies, private involvement, and public policies. As described in the article beginning on p. 4, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory developed the Getting to Neutral: Options for Negative Carbon Emissions in California report, a three-pillared approach to bridge the gap between California’s initial plans to reduce carbon emissions and the state’s goal to achieve net zero emissions by 2045. The cover image represents the network of strategies and stakeholders involved in achieving carbon neutrality for the environment.
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
Science & Technology Review: April/May 2026 R&D 100 Winners Issue
At Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, we focus on science and technology research to ensure our nation’s security. We also apply that expertise to solve other important national problems in energy, bioscience, and the environment. Science & Technology Review is published eight times a year to communicate, to a broad audience, the Laboratory’s scientific and technological accomplishments in fulfilling its primary missions. The publication’s goal is to help readers understand these accomplishments and appreciate their value to the individual citizen, the nation, and the world. Each year, the R&D 100 Awards recognize the top 100 innovations from a pool of international entries. Technologies developed at Lawrence Livermore earned four 2025 R&D 100 Awards, raising the Laboratory’s total to 186. A series of articles beginning on p. 4 describes each winning innovation: monolithic telescopes, the flexible imaging diffraction diagnostic for laser experiments, the in-air drop encapsulation apparatus, and the metaoptics-enabled large-scale 3D nanolithography platform.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗