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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 757 records · Page 42
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2016

Miniature X-Ray Solar Spectrometer: A Science-Oriented, University 3U CubeSat

The miniature x-ray solar spectrometer is a three-unit CubeSat developed at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Over 40 students contributed to the project with professional mentorship and technical contributions from professors in the Aerospace Engineering Sciences Department at University of Colorado, Boulder and from Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics scientists and engineers. The scientific objective of the miniature x-ray solar spectrometer is to study processes in the dynamic sun, from quiet sun to solar flares, and to further understand how these changes in the sun influence the Earth's atmosphere by providing unique spectral measurements of solar soft x-rays. The enabling technology providing the advanced solar soft x-ray spectral measurements is the Amptek X123, a commercial off-the-shelf silicon drift detector. The Amptek X123 has a low mass (approx. 324 g after modification), modest power consumption (approx. 2.50 W), and small volume (6.86 x 9.91 x 2.54 cm), making it ideal for a CubeSat. This paper provides an overview of the miniature x-ray solar spectrometer mission: the science objectives, project history, subsystems, and lessons learned, which can be useful for the small-satellite community.

Mason, James P.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Bantam System Technology Project

This report focuses on determining a best value, low risk, low cost and highly reliable Data and Command System for support of the launch of low cost vehicles which are to carry small payloads into low earth orbit. The ground-based DCS is considered as a component of the overall ground and flight support system which includes the DCS, flight computer, mission planning system and simulator. Interfaces between the DCS and these other component systems are considered. Consideration is also given to the operational aspects of the mission and of the DCS selected. This project involved: defining requirements, defining an efficient operations concept, defining a DCS architecture which satisfies the requirements and concept, conducting a market survey of commercial and government off-the-shelf DCS candidate systems and rating the candidate systems against the requirements/concept. The primary conclusions are that several low cost, off-the-shelf DCS solutions exist and these can be employed to provide for very low cost operations and low recurring maintenance cost. The primary recommendation is that the DCS design/specification should be integrated within the ground and flight support system design as early as possible to ensure ease of interoperability and efficient allocation of automation functions among the component systems.

Moon, J. M.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Velocity of the solar wind as determined from interplanetary scintillations.

The method of smooth perturbations is used to derive the equations for interplanetary scintillation in a (statistically) spherically symmetric solar wind with constant wind velocity. The expressions, valid in the limit of small scintillation index, are used to discuss the relation between the radial wind velocity and the observed projected velocity of the scintillation pattern. It is found that the pattern velocity is systematically less than the wind velocity by a substantial fraction, depending on the radial variation of the density fluctuations. If the fluctuations fall off as 1/r-squared the correction is 18 percent, whereas if the fluctuations are proportional to 1/r the correction is 57 percent. The effects may be even more severe if the solar wind is not spherically symmetric.

Jokipii, J. R.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Estimate of winter wheat yield from ERTS-1

A model for estimating wheat yield per acre has been applied to acreage estimates derived from ERTS-1 imagery to project the 1973 wheat yields for a ten county area in southwest Kansas. The results (41.04 million bushels) are within 3 per cent of the preharvest estimates for the same area prepared by the USDA Statistical Reporting Service (39.91 million bushels). The projection from ERTS data is based on a visual enumeration of all detectable wheat fields in the study area and was completed while the harvest was in progress. Visual identification of winter wheat is readily achieved by using a temporal sequence of images (band 5 for Sept.-Oct.; band 5 for Dec.-Jan.; and band 5 and 7 for March-April). Identification can be improved by stratifying the project area into subregions having more or less homogeneous agricultural practices and crop mixes. By doing this, small changes in the spectral appearance of wheat related to soil type, irrigation, etc. can be accounted for. The interpretation rules developed by visual analysis can be automated for rapid computer surveys.

Morain, S. A.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Design and performance of the propulsion system for the quiet short-haul research aircraft /QSRA/

This paper describes the design and performance of the Quiet Short-Haul Research Aircraft (QSRA) propulsion system. A discussion of the mixed-flow boundary layer control (BLC) system, which uses high and low pressure engine bleed air, is included. This system seriously affected propulsion system performance, particularly engine acceleration characteristics, requiring an integration of BLC system and powerplant controls. Funding limitations for the QSRA Project prevented extensive full-scale testing and systems mockups, resulting in a high reliance on small-scale tests and analytical techniques. Ground tests of the actual aircraft systems showed that the extrapolation of small-scale tests and analytical techniques were in good agreement with measured full-scale results.

Shovlin, M. D.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Electrodynamics of the stratosphere using 5000 cu m superpressure balloons

The Electrodynamics of the Middle Atmosphere research project encompasses the design of a microprocessor-controlled payload and the launch of up to eight small superpressure balloons in the 1982-1984 period. The primary payload instrument will measure the vector electric field from dc to 10 kHz, and the payloads will include instruments measuring local ionization, electrical conductivity, magnetic field, and temperature and pressure fluctuations. In addition, optical lightning will be recorded. The simultaneous measurement of these stratospheric parameters by several balloons, for periods extending over several solar rotations, will allow the study of electrical coupling between atmosphere and magnetosphere, of global current systems, and of global response to solar flares and magnetospheric storms.

Holzworth, R. H.↗
NASA NTRS1985

The X-ray signature of solar coronal mass

The coronal response to six solar X-ray flares has been investigated. At a time coincident with the projected onset of the white-light coronal mass ejection associated with each flare, there is a small, discrete soft X-ray enhancement. These enhancements (precursors) precede by typically about 20 m the impulsive phase of the solar flare which is dominant by the time the coronal mass ejection has reached an altitude above 0.5 solar radii. Motions of hot X-ray emitting plasma, during the precursors, which may well be a signature of the mass ejection onsets, are identified. Further investigations have also revealed a second class of X-ray coronal transient, during the main phase of the flare. These appear to be associated with magnetic reconnection above post-flare loop systems.

Harrison, R. A.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Flat-plate solar array project. Volume 5: Process development

The goal of the Process Development Area, as part of the Flat-Plate Solar Array (FSA) Project, was to develop and demonstrate solar cell fabrication and module assembly process technologies required to meet the cost, lifetime, production capacity, and performance goals of the FSA Project. R&D efforts expended by Government, Industry, and Universities in developing processes capable of meeting the projects goals during volume production conditions are summarized. The cost goals allocated for processing were demonstrated by small volume quantities that were extrapolated by cost analysis to large volume production. To provide proper focus and coverage of the process development effort, four separate technology sections are discussed: surface preparation, junction formation, metallization, and module assembly.

Gallagher, B.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Velocity dispersion and the stellar population in the central 1.2 parsecs of the Galaxy

New observations of the 2.3 micron absorption band head of CO in integrated stellar light in the central 1.2 pc of the Galaxy are presented. These data confirm that the velocity dispersion of the stars increases toward the Galactic center and totally dominates their systematic rotation at small radii. The velocity dispersion is constant an average value of 125 km/s within about 30 arcsec projected diameter central region. The strength of the CO features decreases in the integrated faint light within the same region. These observations are all consistent with the hypothesis that both the diffuse 2 micron light and the bright 2 micron point sources in the central region are dominated by sources that have little or no CO absorption feature. The observed CO feature at projected distances less than 0.6 pc thus actually arises in stars that are at true radii greater than 0.6 pc. The mass distribution at radius between 3.7 and 0.6 pc from IRS 16 is strong evidence for an increasing mass/2 micron radiation ratio toward the Galactic center.

Sellgren, K.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Spacecraft systems engineering: An introduction to the process at GSFC

The main objective in systems engineering is to devise a coherent total system design capable of achieving the stated requirements. Requirements should be rigid. However, they should be continuously challenged, rechallenged and/or validated. The systems engineer must specify every requirement in order to design, document, implement and conduct the mission. Each and every requirement must be logically considered, traceable and evaluated through various analysis and trade studies in a total systems design. Margins must be determined to be realistic as well as adequate. The systems engineer must also continuously close the loop and verify system performance against the requirements. The fundamental role of the systems engineer, however, is to engineer, not manage. Yet, in large, complex missions, where more than one systems engineer is required, someone needs to manage the systems engineers, and we call them 'systems managers.' Systems engineering management is an overview function which plans, guides, monitors and controls the technical execution of a project as implemented by the systems engineers. As the project moves on through Phases A and B into Phase C/D, the systems engineering tasks become a small portion of the total effort. The systems management role increases since discipline subsystem engineers are conducting analyses and reviewing test data for final review and acceptance by the systems managers.

Fragomeni, Tony↗
NASA NTRS1997

Science in the Stratosphere

The Science in the Stratosphere program, first established in 1992, was conceived to introduce K-6 teachers to airborne infrared astronomy through the Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO), and to use this venue as a basis for seeing scientists at work in a mission-intensive program. The teachers selected for this program would bring their new perspectives back to their schools and students. Unlike the related FOSTER program, the emphasis of this program was on more intensive exposure of the KAO mission to a small number of teachers. The teachers in the Science in the Stratosphere program essentially lived with the project scientists and staff for almost a week. One related goal was to imbed the KAO project with perspectives of working teachers, thereby sensitizing the project staff and scientists to educational outreach efforts in general, which is an important goal of the NASA airborne astronomy program. A second related goal was to explore the ways in which K-5 educators could participate in airborne astronomy missions. Also unlike FOSTER, the Science in the Stratosphere program was intentionally relatively unstructured, in that the teacher participants were wholly embraced by the science team, and were encouraged to 'sniff out' the flavor of the whole facility by talking with people.

Lester, Dan↗
NASA NTRS2007

Modeling Malaria Transmission in Thailand and Indonesia

Malaria Modeling and Surveillance is a project in the NASA Applied Sciences Public Health Applications Program. The main objectives of this project are: 1) identification of the potential breeding sites for major vector species: 2) implementation of a malaria transmission model to identify they key factors that sustain or intensify malaria transmission; and 3) implementation of a risk algorithm to predict the occurrence of malaria and its transmission intensity. Remote sensing and GIs are the essential elements of this project. The NASA Earth science data sets used in this project include AVHRR Pathfinder, TRMM, MODIS, NSIPP and SIESIP. Textural-contextual classifications are used to identify small larval habitats. Neural network methods are used to model malaria cases as a function of precipitation, temperatures, humidity and vegetation. Hindcastings based on these environmental parameters have shown good agreement to epidemiological records. Examples for spatio-temporal modeling of malaria transmissions in Southeast Asia are given. Discrete event simulations were used for modeling the detailed interactions among the vector life cycle, sporogonic cycle and human infection cycle, under the explicit influences of selected extrinsic and intrinsic factors. The output of the model includes the individual infection status and the quantities normally observed in field studies, such as mosquito biting rates, sporozoite infection rates, gametocyte prevalence and incidence. Results are in good agreement with mosquito vector and human malaria data acquired by Coleman et al. over 4.5 years in Kong Mong Tha, a remote village in western Thailand. Application of our models is not restricted to Southeast Asia. The model and techniques are equally applicable to other regions of the world, when appropriate epidemiological and vector ecological parameters are used as input.

Kiang, Richard↗
NASA NTRS2010

LCROSS Lunar Impactor - Lessons Learned from a Small Satellite Mission

The Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) launched with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) on June 18, 2009. While the science function of the LCROSS mission was to determine the presence of water-ice in a permanently-shadowed crater on the moon, the operational purpose was to be a pioneer for future low-cost, risk-tolerant small satellite NASA missions. Recent strategic changes at the Agency level have only furthered the importance of small satellite missions. NASA Ames Research Center and its industry partner, Northrop-Grumman, initiated this spacecraft project two-years after its co-manifest mission had started, with less than one-fifth the budget. With a $79M total cost cap (including operations and reserves) and 31-months until launch, LCROSS needed a game-changing approach to be successful. At the LCROSS Confirmation Review, the ESMD Associate Administrator asked the Project team to keep a close record of lessons learned through the course of the mission and share their findings with the Agency at the end of the mission. This paper summarizes the Project, the mission, its risk position, and some of the more notable lessons learned.

Andrews, Daniel R.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Lcross Lunar Impactor - Lessons Learned from a Small Satellite Mission

The Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) launched with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) on June 18, 2009. While the science purpose of the LCROSS mission was to determine the presence of water-ice in a permanently-shadowed crater on the moon, the functional purpose was to be a pioneer for future low-cost, risk-tolerant small satellite NASA missions. Recent strategic changes at the Agency level have only furthered the importance of small satellite missions. NASA Ames Research Center and its industry partner, Northrop-Grumman, initiated this spacecraft project two-years after its co-manifest mission had started, with less than one-fifth the budget. With a $79M total cost cap (including operations and reserves) and 31-months until launch, LCROSS needed a game-changing approach to be successful. At the LCROSS Confirmation Review, the ESMD Associate Administrator asked the Project team to keep a close record of lessons learned through the course of the mission and share their findings with the Agency at the end of the mission. This paper summarizes the Project, the mission, its risk position, and some of the more notable lessons learned.

Andrews, Daniel↗
NASA NTRS2008

REVEAL: Software Documentation and Platform Migration

The Research Environment for Vehicle Embedded Analysis on Linux (REVEAL) is reconfigurable data acquisition software designed for network-distributed test and measurement applications. In development since 2001, it has been successfully demonstrated in support of a number of actual missions within NASA s Suborbital Science Program. Improvements to software configuration control were needed to properly support both an ongoing transition to operational status and continued evolution of REVEAL capabilities. For this reason the project described in this report targets REVEAL software source documentation and deployment of the software on a small set of hardware platforms different from what is currently used in the baseline system implementation. This report specifically describes the actions taken over a ten week period by two undergraduate student interns and serves as a final report for that internship. The topics discussed include: the documentation of REVEAL source code; the migration of REVEAL to other platforms; and an end-to-end field test that successfully validates the efforts.

Wilson, Michael A.↗
NASA NTRS2011

REVEAL: Software Documentation and Platform Migration

The Research Environment for Vehicle Embedded Analysis on Linux (REVEAL) is reconfigurable data acquisition software designed for network-distributed test and measurement applications. In development since 2001, it has been successfully demonstrated in support of a number of actual missions within NASA's Suborbital Science Program. Improvements to software configuration control were needed to properly support both an ongoing transition to operational status and continued evolution of REVEAL capabilities. For this reason the project described in this report targets REVEAL software source documentation and deployment of the software on a small set of hardware platforms different from what is currently used in the baseline system implementation. This presentation specifically describes the actions taken over a ten week period by two undergraduate student interns and serves as an overview of the content of the final report for that internship.

Wilson, Michael A.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Quadrocopter Control Design and Flight Operation

A limiting factor in control system design and analysis for spacecraft is the inability to physically test new algorithms quickly and cheaply. Test flights of space vehicles are costly and take much preparation. As such, EV41 recently acquired a small research quadrocopter that has the ability to be a test bed for new control systems. This project focused on learning how to operate, fly, and maintain the quadrocopter, as well as developing and testing protocols for its use. In parallel to this effort, developing a model in Simulink facilitated the design and analysis of simple control systems for the quadrocopter. Software provided by the manufacturer enabled testing of the Simulink control system on the vehicle.

Karwoski, Katherine↗
NASA NTRS2016

Design and Performance of the NASA SCEPTOR Distributed Electric Propulsion Flight Demonstrator

Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP) technology uses multiple propulsors driven by electric motors distributed about the airframe to yield beneficial aerodynamic-propulsion interaction. The NASA SCEPTOR flight demonstration project will retrofit an existing internal combustion engine-powered light aircraft with two types of DEP: small "high-lift" propellers distributed along the leading edge of the wing which accelerate the flow over the wing at low speeds, and larger cruise propellers co-located with each wingtip for primary propulsive power. The updated high-lift system enables a 2.5x reduction in wing area as compared to the original aircraft, reducing drag at cruise and shifting the velocity for maximum lift-to-drag ratio to a higher speed, while maintaining low-speed performance. The wingtip-mounted cruise propellers interact with the wingtip vortex, enabling a further efficiency increase that can reduce propulsive power by 10%. A tradespace exploration approach is developed that enables rapid identification of salient trades, and subsequent creation of SCEPTOR demonstrator geometries. These candidates were scrutinized by subject matter experts to identify design preferences that were not modeled during configuration exploration. This exploration and design approach is used to create an aircraft that consumes an estimated 4.8x less energy at the selected cruise point when compared to the original aircraft.

Borer, Nicholas K.↗