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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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This NASA Kennedy Space Center video release presents footage of workcrews overseeing the cooler deployment on the GOES-J weather satellite that will be launched on the Atlas Centaur rocket from Complex 36 at the Cape Canaveral Air Station.
The latter half of the last century has seen rapid advancements in semiconductor crystal growth powered by the demand for high performance electronics in myriad applications. The reduced gravity environment of space has also been used for crystal growth tests, especially in instances where terrestrial growth has largely been unsuccessful. While reduced gravity crystal growth affords some control of the gravity parameter, many crystals grown in space, to date, have structural flaws believed to result from convective motions during the growth phase. The character of these instabilities is not well understood but is associated with thermal and solutal density variations near the solidification interface in the presence of residual gravity and g-jitter. In order to study these instabilities in a separate, controlled space experiment, a concentration gradient would first have to be artificially established in a timely manner as an initial condition. This is generally difficult to accomplish in a microgravity environment because the momentum of the fluid injected into a test cell tends to swirl around and mix in the absence of a restoring force. The use of magnetic fields to control the motion and position of liquids has received growing interest in recent times. The possibility of using the force exerted by a non-uniform magnetic field on a ferrofluid to not only achieve fluid manipulation but also to actively control fluid motion makes it an attractive candidate for space applications. This paper describes a technique for quickly establishing a linear or exponential fluid concentration gradient using a magnetic field in place of gravity to stabilize the deployment. Also discussed is a photometric technique for measuring the concentration profile using light attenuation. Results of the ground-based experiments indicate that the concentration distribution is within 3% of the predicted value. Although any range of concentations can be realized, photometric constraints are discussed which impose some limitations on measurements.
This presentation reviews the design and specifications for several instruments for deployment in extreme environments. The instruments are: (1) In Situ Geochronology Instrument, (2) Laser Ablation Sampling Instrument, (3) Micro Hygrometer (4) Micro Lidar, (5) Atmospheric Electron X-Ray Spectrometer and (6) Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer. Included in the descriptions are the contact people and the objective of each instrument.
This NASA Kennedy Space Center video presents live footage of the Delta XTE Solar Panel Deployment and Stowing.
Development of a rover deployable Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) involves: the nearly finished design and testing of a transducer array with high frequency (bistatic) and low frequency (monostatic) components; and design and development of a complete impulse GPR system.
Live footage shows the crewmembers of STS-41, Commander Richard N. Richards, Pilot Robert D. Cabana, Mission Specialists William M. Shepherd, Bruce E. Melnick, and Thomas D. Akers, participating in the traditional activities the day of their flight. The crew are seen eating breakfast, suiting-up, walking out to the Astronaut-Van, putting on life vests in the 'White Room' area, and entering the crew module of the Discovery Orbiter. Footage also includes the deployment of the Ulysses satellite. The Discovery spacecraft is seen as it approaches and lands at Edwards Air Force Base. Also shown are several scenes from different cameras of both launching and landing of the STS-41 spacecraft.
Live footage of the STS-41 deployment of the European Space Agency's Ulysses probe is presented. Richard N. Richards, Commander, Robert D. Cabana, Pilot, Mission Specialists William M. Shepherd, Bruce E. Melnick and Thomas D. Akers are shown aboard the Space Shuttle.
Footage shows the deployment of the solar panels on the Eureca satellite. The unfurling takes place against a backdrop of Earth and the Persian Gulf can be identified.
The Terra spacecraft (formerly identified as EOS AM1) is the flagship in a planned series of NASA/GSFC (Goddard Space Flight Center) Earth observing system satellites designed to provide information on the health of the Earth's land, oceans, air, ice, and life as a total ecological global system. It has been successfully performing its mission since a late-December 1999 launch into a 705 km polar orbit. The spacecraft is powered by a single wing, flexible blanket array using single junction (SJ) gallium arsenide/germanium (GaAs/Ge) solar cells sized to provide five year end-of-life (EOL) power of greater than 5000 watts at 127 volts. It is currently the highest voltage and power operational flexible blanket array with GaAs/Ge cells. This paper briefly describes the wing design as a basis for discussing the operation of the electronics and mechanisms used to achieve successful on-orbit deployment. Its orbital electrical performance to date will be presented and compared to analytical predictions based on ground qualification testing. The paper concludes with a brief section on future applications and performance trends using advanced multi-junction cells and weight-efficient mechanical components.
The Terra spacecraft (formerly identified as EOS AM1) is the flagship in a planned series of NASA/GSFC (Goddard Space Flight Center) Earth observing system satellites designed to provide information on the health of the Earth's land, oceans, air, ice, and life as a total ecological global system. It has been successfully performing its mission since a late-December 1999 launch into a 705 km polar orbit. The spacecraft is powered by a single wing, flexible blanket array using single junction (SJ) gallium arsenide/germanium (GaAs/Ge) solar cells sized to provide five year end-of-life (EOL) power of greater than 5000 watts at 127 volts. It is currently the highest voltage and power operational flexible blanket array with GaAs/Ge cells. This paper briefly describes the wing design as a basis for discussing the operation of the electronics and mechanisms used to achieve successful on-orbit deployment. Its orbital electrical performance to date will be presented and compared to analytical predictions based on ground qualification testing. The paper concludes with a brief section on future applications and performance trends using advanced multi-junction cells and weight-efficient mechanical components. A viewgraph presentation is attached that outlines the same information as the paper and includes more images of the Terra Spacecraft and its components.
Footage of various stages of the STS-43 Atlantis launch is shown, including shots of the crew at breakfast, getting suited up, and departing to board the Orbiter. The launch is shown from many vantage points, as is the landing. Atlantis is shown from space and the deployment of the fifth Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-E) is also shown.
Footage shows the mating of the Tethered Satellite System (TSS) to the Deployer.
Footage shows the deployment of the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite/Transfer Orbit Station (ACTS/TOS) and the Shuttle Pallet Satellite (SPAS) as seen from the Discovery Orbiter.
The coming decade of Mars exploration will involve a diverse set of robotic science missions, including in situ and sample return investigations, and ultimately moving towards sustained robotic presence on the Martian surface. In supporting this mission set, NASA must establish a robust telecommunications architecture that meets the specific science needs of near-term missions while enabling new methods of future exploration. This paper will assess the anticipated telecommunications needs of future Mars exploration, examine specific options for deploying capabilities, and quantify the performance of these options in terms of key figures of merit.
As part of the April 2000 Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) Hawaii deployment, two researchers from the University of California, Santa Barbara, were sent to Hawaii to collect supporting field data. The primary goal of the fieldwork was to obtain spectra of bright targets to be used for retrieving surface reflectance from AVIRIS imagery. Secondary goals included recording the spectra of dominant vegetation, marking the position of homogeneous land cover for use as potential image endmembers (PIEs), and recording firsthand impressions of cover types. Primary and secondary goals were met. Spectra were recorded for 12 calibration targets on 5 islands and spectra were obtained for 61 vegetation species. Twenty PIEs were located, and video was used to document cover at 56 locations.
The utilization of Kevlar cord and thermal knives in a deployable release system produces a number of issues that must be addressed in the design of the system. This paper proposes design considerations that minimize the major issues, thermal knife failure, Kevlar cord relaxation, and the measurement of the cord tension. Design practices can minimize the potential for thermal knife laminate and element damage that result in failure of the knife. A process for in-situ inspection of the knife with resistance, rather than continuity, checks and 10x zoom optical imaging can detect damaged knives. Tests allow the characterization of the behavior of the particular Kevlar cord in use and the development of specific prestretching techniques and initial tension values needed to meet requirements. A new method can accurately measure the tension of the Kevlar cord using a guitar tuner, because more conventional methods do not apply to arimid cords such as Kevlar.
Education projects supported by federal agencies and carried out by a wide range of organizations foster learning about Earth and Space systems science in a wide array of venues. Across these agencies a range of strategies are employed to ensure that effective materials are created for these diverse venues. And that these materials are deployed broadly so that a large spectrum of the American Public, both adults and children alike, can learn and become excited by the Earth and space system science. This session will highlight some of those strategies and will cover representative examples to illustrate the effectiveness of the strategies. Invited speakers from selected formal and informal educational efforts will anchor this session. Speakers with representative examples are encouraged to submit abstracts for the session to showcase the strategies which they use.
The utilization of Kevlar cord and thermal knives in a deployable release system produces a number of issues that must be addressed in the design of the system. This paper proposes design considerations that minimize the major issues, thermal knife failure, Kevlar cord relaxation, and the measurement of the cord tension. Design practices can minimize the potential for thermal knife laminate and element damage that result in failure of the knife. A process for in-situ inspection of the knife with resistance, rather than continuity, checks and 10x zoom optical imaging can detect damaged knives. Tests allow the characterization of the behavior of the particular Kevlar cord in use and the development of specific pre-stretching techniques and initial tension values needed to meet requirements. A new method can accurately measure the tension of the Kevlar cord using a guitar tuner, because more conventional methods do not apply to arimid cords such as Kevlar.