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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 847 records · Page 47
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1987

Development of an emulation-simulation thermal control model for space station application

Many features were added to the Thermal Control System (TCS) program to increase its user-friendliness. Several apparent inconsistencies were identified. In some instances, these have led to modifications to the source programs. With the summary line-sizing information, the user can more readily compare the TCS program results with other available data. Two mathematical models were completed: one deals with sizing and analysis of bus heat exchangers and the other provides a means of analyzing a variety of heat pipe radiator designs. A generic heat pipe model was added to the TCS Analysis Program.

Colwell, Gene T.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Fiber optic data systems

An overview is given of a continuing data system architecture development effort. Accomplishments and states of Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology, NASA efforts are discussed, and possible future directions are briefly commented upon. Some performance data is presented on the access protocol utilized in the Bus Interface Unit (BIU) design effort, and it is compared with other access protocols. The status of the qualification effort is presented showing the successful qualification testing of cables, connectors, light emitting diodes and PIN diodes. Information is given in the form of charts and diagrams.

Hartenstein, R.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Network operating system

Long-term and short-term objectives for the development of a network operating system for the Space Station are stated. The short-term objective is to develop a prototype network operating system for a 100 megabit/second fiber optic data bus. The long-term objective is to establish guidelines for writing a detailed specification for a Space Station network operating system. Major milestones are noted. Information is given in outline form.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1986

The use of UNIX in a real-time environment

This paper describes a project to evaluate the feasibility of using commercial off-the-shelf hardware and the UNIX operating system, to implement a real-time control and monitor system. A functional subset of the Checkout, Control and Monitor System was chosen as the test bed for the project. The project consists of three separate architecture implementations: a local area bus network, a star network, and a central host. The motivation for this project stemmed from the need to find a way to implement real-time systems, without the cost burden of developing and maintaining custom hardware and unique software. This has always been accepted as the only option because of the need to optimize the implementation for performance. However, with the cost/performance of today's hardware, the inefficiencies of high-level languages and portable operating systems can be effectively overcome.

Luken, R. D.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Development and evaluation of a fault-tolerant multiprocessor (FTMP) computer

The design, development, and testing of FTMP hardware and software for use in advanced NASA vehicles are described in three previously published reports prepared for NASA. Consideration is given to the overall FTMP architecture; the system bus; the regional design and operation of processor, slave, clock-generation, and power systems; and the FTMP executive, facilities, acceptance-test/diagnostic, applications, and support softwar. Also included are a summary of test procedures and results and an executive summary characterizing the system, the reliability and availability models, and the overall performance.

Smith, T. B., III↗
NASA NTRS1986

Electronic timer for sounding rocket payload use

An electronic timer has been developed for sounding rocket use. The timer uses CMOS technology for low power consumption and has a battery back-up to keep the timing circuit active in case of a dropout on the payload power bus. Time-event decoding is done by programming EPROM's which enable a +28 volt dc sourcing output. There are 32 discrete outputs which can provide +28 volt dc into a minimum load impedance of 150 ohms. Inputs are designed to operate on standard CMOS voltage levels, but they can withstand +28 volts dc without damage. The timer can be started by either 'G' or lift-off switch closure or umbilical release at lift-off.

Williams, C. P.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Electrical power system for the U.S. Space Station

The Space Station Electrical Power System presents many interesting challenges. It will be much larger than previous space power systems, and it must be designed for on-orbit maintenance and replacement, along with having a growth capability. The power generation, energy storage, and power management and distribution (PMAD) subsystems comprise the primary elements of the overall system. Each was analyzed by NASA Lewis Research Center and its two contractors Rocketdyne and TRW - in the definition studies of the program to determine the optimum approach to minimize initial costs and life cycle costs. For the PMAD subsystem, a ring bus architecture operating at 440 V, 20 kHz, single phase, was selected. Photovoltaic and solar dynamic power generation subsystems were both studied. Major tradeoffs were made for each subsystem and for the overall system, and a hybrid system (both photovoltaic and solar dynamic) was selected.

Nored, D. L.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Space Station power distribution and control

A general description of the Space Station is given with the basic requirements of the power distribution and controls system presented. The dual bus and branch circuit concepts are discussed and a computer control method presented.

Willis, A. H.↗
NASA NTRS1985

The Galileo attitude and articulation control system - A radiation-hard, high precision, state-of-the-art control system

The Galileo mission and spacecraft, consisting of a Jupiter-orbiter and an atmospheric entry probe, are discussed. Components will include: magnetometers and plasma-wave antennas on a boom, high-gain antenna, probe vehicle, two different bus electronics packages, and a radioisotope thermoelectric generator. Instruments, investigators and objectives are tabulated for both probe science and orbiter science investigations. Requirements in the design of the attitude and articulation control system are very stringent because of the complex dynamics, flexible body effects, the need for autonomy, and the severe radiation environment in the Jupiter nighborhood. Galileo was intended to be ready for launch via Space Shuttle in May of 1986.

Stephenson, R. Rhoads↗
NASA NTRS1986

NASA ACTS Multibeam Antenna (MBA) System

The design of the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite MBA system, which provides both spot beam and scanning beam coverage to both high and low burst rates data-users is examined. The MBA consists of receive and transmit antennas installed on a common precision mounting platform that is integrated to the bus through three flexures; a lightweight system with low thermal distortion is obtained by using composite materials for the MBA structures. The RF design, which is a Cassegrain reflector with a large equivalent focal length/aperture size, is described. Consideration is given to the position of the feed in order to minimize scan loss and sidelobe levels, the size of the subreflector in order to minimize feed spillover, and antenna performance degradation caused by reflector surface distortion. Breadbroad model test result reveal that the maximum sidelobe level outside the 2.5 HPBW region is -30 dB or lower relative to the power.

Choung, Youn H.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Structural and preliminary thermal performance testing of a pressure activated contact heat exchanger

A contact heat exchanger concept is being developed for use onboard Space Station as an interface device between external thermal bus and pressurized modules. The concept relies on mechanical contact activated by the fluid pressure inside thin-walled tubes. Structural testings were carried out to confirm the technology feasibility of using such thin-walled tubes. The test results also verified the linear elastic stress analysis which was used to predict the tube mechanical behaviors. A preliminary thermal testing was also performed with liquid Freon-11 flowing inside tubes and heat being supplied by electrical heating from the bottom of the contact heat exchanger baseplate. The test results showed excellent agreement of test data with analytical prediction for all thermal resistances except for the two-phase flow characteristics. Testing with two-phase flow inside tubes will, however, be performed on the NASA-JSC test bed.

Lee, C. Y.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Status of xenon ion propulsion technology

This paper describes a working-model xenon ion propulsion subsystem (XIPS) designed for north-south stationkeeping (NSSK) of 2500-kg-class geosynchronous communication satellites. The XIPS consists of a 25-cm-diameter laboratory-model thruster, a breadboard-model power supply, and a flight-prototype pressure regulator (the critical component of the pressure-regulated xenon feed system). With a thrust of 63.5 mN, specific impulse of 2800 sec, and thruster efficiency of 65 percent, the XIPS performance is believed to be the highest ever reported for an ion thruster operated at 1.3-kW input power. The XIPS power supply accepts an input power of about 1.4 kW from a 28- to 35-V bus and converts it into the seven outputs required for startup and operation of the thruster. The simplified power supply contains only about 500 parts and has demonstrated an unprecedented efficiency of 90 percent and a specific mass of about 8 kg/kW. The results of a highly successful wear-mechanism test in which the working-model XIPS was operated for 4350 hours and 3850 ON/OFF cycles are presented. These hours and cycles are equivalent to over ten years of NSSK on large communication satellites.

Beattie, J. R.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Unified Robot-Control System

Robot-joint motors integrated with control computer or computers. Robot controller uses only 1 microprocessor to control as many as 16 joint-actuating motors. Control system uses high-speed bus to communicate with joint-interface circuits, addressing scheme to write commands to several motors simultaneously, and efficient assembly-language servo code. Features enable control of 16 joints at 1-kHz servo rate. Suitable for control of motors in numerically-controlled manufacturing systems. Use of single joint-control processor results in few components, lower cost, and simpler architecture.

Szakaly, Zoltan F.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Computer Interface For A Spectroreflectometer

FORTRAN program controls stepping motors and signal-processing electronics via S-100 computer bus. Group of spectroreflectometers modified to provide computer-controlled operation and data collection. Analog and digital signal-processing circuits enable use of computerized automatic data collection and analysis. Previously, spectroreflectometer data recorded on strip charts.

Hurd, William A.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Merging Digital Data With A Video Signal

Data displayed on television image of experiment. Video images of experiment sent with digital data on experiment to remote station. Digital data raw and unformatted or in form of characters. For minimal power consumption, interface circuit built of CMOS and HMOS integrated-circuit chips. Buffer/decoder circuit enables experiment computer to communicate with board without excessive loading of computer bus by board. Memory multiplexer/memory array implements buffer-swapping scheme as one buffer is read, other filled with new data.

Collins, Thomas J., III↗
NASA NTRS1988

Analyzing Pulse-Code Modulation On A Small Computer

System for analysis pulse-code modulation (PCM) comprises personal computer, computer program, and peripheral interface adapter on circuit board that plugs into expansion bus of computer. Functions essentially as "snapshot" PCM decommutator, which accepts and stores thousands of frames of PCM data, sifts through them repeatedly to process according to routines specified by operator. Enables faster testing and involves less equipment than older testing systems.

Massey, David E.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Fault-tolerant computer architecture based on INMOS transputer processor

Redundant processing was used for several years in mission flight systems. In these systems, more than one processor performs the same task at the same time but only one processor is actually in real use. A fault-tolerance computer architecture based on the features provided by INMOS Transputers is presented. The Transputer architecture provides several communication links that allow data and command communication with other Transputers without the use of a bus. Additionally the Transputer allows the use of parallel processing to increase the system speed considerably. The processor architecture consists of three processors working in parallel keeping all the processors at the same operational level but only one processor is in real control of the process. The design allows each Transputer to perform a test to the other two Transputers and report the operating condition of the neighboring processors. A graphic display was developed to facilitate the identification of any problem by the user.

Ortiz, Jorge L.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Power components for the space station 20-kHz power distribution system

Since 1984, NASA Lewis Research Center was developing high power, high frequency space power components as part of The Space Station Advanced Development program. The purpose of The Advanced Development program was to accelerate existing component programs to ensure their availability for use on the Space Station. These components include a rotary power transfer device, remote power controllers, remote bus isolators, high power semiconductor, a high power semiconductor package, high frequency-high power cable, high frequency-high power connectors, and high frequency-high power transformers. All the components were developed to the prototype level and will be installed in the Lewis Research Center Space Station power system test bed.

Renz, David D.↗