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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 91 records · Page 5
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2005

Virtual Machine Language

Virtual Machine Language (VML) is a mission-independent, reusable software system for programming for spacecraft operations. Features of VML include a rich set of data types, named functions, parameters, IF and WHILE control structures, polymorphism, and on-the-fly creation of spacecraft commands from calculated values. Spacecraft functions can be abstracted into named blocks that reside in files aboard the spacecraft. These named blocks accept parameters and execute in a repeatable fashion. The sizes of uplink products are minimized by the ability to call blocks that implement most of the command steps. This block approach also enables some autonomous operations aboard the spacecraft, such as aerobraking, telemetry conditional monitoring, and anomaly response, without developing autonomous flight software. Operators on the ground write blocks and command sequences in a concise, high-level, human-readable programming language (also called VML ). A compiler translates the human-readable blocks and command sequences into binary files (the operations products). The flight portion of VML interprets the uplinked binary files. The ground subsystem of VML also includes an interactive sequence- execution tool hosted on workstations, which runs sequences at several thousand times real-time speed, affords debugging, and generates reports. This tool enables iterative development of blocks and sequences within times of the order of seconds.

Grasso, Christopher↗
NASA NTRS1998

Autonomous Satellite Command and Control Through the World Wide Web

The Automated Space System Experimental Testbed (ASSET) system is a simple yet comprehensive real-world operations network being developed. Phase 3 of the ASSET Project was January-December 1997 and is the subject of this report. This phase permitted SSDL and its project partners to expand the ASSET system in a variety of ways. These added capabilities included the advancement of ground station capabilities, the adaptation of spacecraft on-board software, and the expansion of capabilities of the ASSET management algorithms. Specific goals of Phase 3 were: (1) Extend Web-based goal-level commanding for both the payload PI and the spacecraft engineer. (2) Support prioritized handling of multiple (PIs) Principle Investigators as well as associated payload experimenters. (3) Expand the number and types of experiments supported by the ASSET system and its associated spacecraft. (4) Implement more advanced resource management, modeling and fault management capabilities that integrate the space and ground segments of the space system hardware. (5) Implement a beacon monitoring test. (6) Implement an experimental blackboard controller for space system management. (7) Further define typical ground station developments required for Internet-based remote control and for full system automation of the PI-to-spacecraft link. Each of those goals are examined. Significant sections of this report were also published as a conference paper. Several publications produced in support of this grant are included as attachments. Titles include: 1) Experimental Initiatives in Space System Operations; 2) The ASSET Client Interface: Balancing High Level Specification with Low Level Control; 3) Specifying Spacecraft Operations At The Product/Service Level; 4) The Design of a Highly Configurable, Reusable Operating System for Testbed Satellites; 5) Automated Health Operations For The Sapphire Spacecraft; 6) Engineering Data Summaries for Space Missions; and 7) Experiments In Automated Health Assessment And Notification For The Sapphire Microsatellite.

Cantwell, Brian↗
NASA NTRS2003

Capabilities of the Materials Contamination Team at Marshall Space Flight Center

The Materials Contamination Team at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has been recognized for its contributions supporting the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) spacecraft development programs. These programs include the Reusable Solid Rocket Motor (RSRM), Chandra X-Ray Observatory, and the International Space Station (ISS). The Environmental Effects Group, with the Materials Contamination Team and the Space Environmental Effects Team has been an integral part of NASA's success by the testing, evaluation, and qualification of materials, hardware, and processes. This paper focuses on the capabilities of the Materials Contamination Team. The Materials Contamination Team's realm of responsibility includes establishing contamination control during all phases of hardware development, including design, manufacturing, assembly, test, transportation, launch site processing, on-orbit exposure, return, and refurbishment. The team continues its mission of reducing the risk of equipment failure due to molecular or particulate contamination. Contamination is a concern in the Space Shuttle with sensitive bond-lines and reactive fluid (liquid oxygen) compatibility as well as for spacecraft with sensitive optics, such as Hubble Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory. The Materials Contamination Team has a variety of facilities and instrumentation capable of contaminant detection, identification, and monitoring. The team addresses material applications dealing with environments, including production facilities, clean rooms, and on-orbit exposure. The optically stimulated electron emission (OSEE) system, the Ultraviolet (UV) fluorescence (UVF) surface contamination detection, and the Surface Optics Corporation 400 (SOC 400) portable hand-held Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometer are state-of-the-art tools for in-process molecular contamination detection. The team of engineers and technicians also develop contamination calibration standards and evaluate new surface cleanliness inspection technologies. The team utilizes facilities for on-orbit simulation testing of materials for outgassing and molecular film deposition characteristics in the presence of space environmental effects, such as Atomic Oxygen (AO) and UV radiation exposure. The Materials Contamination Team maintains databases for process materials as well as outgassing and optical compatibility test results for specific environments.

Burns, Howard↗
NASA NTRS1983

Prototype Wash Water Renovation System Integration with Government-Furnished Wash Fixture

A total renovation concept for removing objectionable materials from spacecraft wash water to make the water reusable was developed. This concept included ferric chloride pretreatment to coagulate suspended solids such as soap and lint, pressure filtration, and carbon adsorption and ion exchange to remove trace dissolved organics and inorganic salts. A breadboard model which was developed to demonstrate the design adequacy of the various system components and the limits on system capacities and efficiencies.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1988

Reusable space systems (Eugen Saenger Lecture, 1987)

The history and current status of reusable launch vehicle (RLV) development are surveyed, with emphases on the contributions of Eugen Saenger and ongoing NASA projects. Topics addressed include the capabilities and achievements of the Space Shuttle, the need to maintain a fleet with both ELVs and RLVs to meet different mission requirements, the X-30 testbed aircraft for the National Aerospace Plane program, current design concepts for Shuttle II (a 1000-ton fully reusable two-stage rocket-powered spacecraft capable of carrying 11,000 kg to Space Station orbit), proposals for dual-fuel-propulsion SSTO RLVs, and the Space Station Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle and Orbital Transfer Vehicle. The importance of RLVs and of international cooperation in establishing the LEO infrastructure needed for planetary exploration missions is stressed.

Fletcher, J. C.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Mixed fleet assessment for on-orbit consumables resupply

Significant increases in the cost effectiveness and operational flexibility of in-space systems can be realized when the capability to replenish consumable fluids and propellants is incorporated into the designs of spacecraft, satellites, and orbiting platforms and laboratories. Reusable tankers are currently being designed for transporting fluids to space. A number of options exist for transporting the fluids and propellants to the space-based user systems. The fluids can be transported to space either in the Shuttle cargo bay or using Expendable Launch Vehicles (ELVs). Resupply can thus be accomplished either from the Shuttle bay, or the tanker can be removed from an ELV and attached to a carrier such as the Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle (OMV) or Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV) for transport to the user to be serviced. A third option involves locating the tanker at the Space Station or an unmanned platform as a quasi-permanent servicing facility which returns to the ground for recycling once its tanks have been depleted. This paper documents the impacts of a mixed fleet approach to consumables logistics to orbit. Both storable fluids and propellants, and superfluid helium, are considered. Current modular tanker designs for monopropellants, bipropellants and water for Space Station propulsion are discussed. Trade-offs in superfluid helium tanker sizes, shapes to fit the range of ELVs currently available, and boil-off losses associated with longer-term (greater than 6 months) space-basing, are addressed.

Eberhardt, Ralph N.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Orbital Fluid Resupply Assessment

Orbital fluid resupply can significantly increase the cost-effectiveness and operational flexibility of spacecraft, satellites, and orbiting platforms and observatories. Reusable tankers are currently being designed for transporting fluids to space. A number of options exist for transporting the fluids and propellant to the space-based user systems. The fluids can be transported to space either in the Shuttle cargo bay or using expendable launch vehicles (ELVs). Resupply can thus be accomplished either from the Shuttle bay, or the tanker can be removed from the Shuttle bay or launched on an ELV and attached to a carrier such as the Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle (OMV) or Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV) for transport to the user to be serviced. A third option involves locating the tanker at the space station or an unmanned platform as a quasi-permanent servicing facility or depot which returns to the ground for recycling once its tanks are depleted. Current modular tanker designs for monopropellants, bipropellants, and water for space station propulsion are discussed. Superfluid helium tankers are addressed, including trade-offs in tanker sizes, shapes to fit the range of ELVs currently available, and boil-off losses associated with longer-term (greater than 6-month) space-basing. It is concluded that the mixed fleet approach to on-orbit consumables resupply offers significant advantages to the overall logistics requirements.

Eberhardt, Ralph N.↗
NASA NTRS1999

From the Rocket Equation to Maxwell's Equations: Electrodynamic Tether Propulsion Nears Space Test

The US space program is facing a growing challenge to its decades-long, global leadership position, as current launch costs consume valuable resources and limit achievements in science, exploration, and commercial development. More than 40% of projected launches over the next 10 years have payloads with intended destinations beyond low-Earth orbit. Therefore, more cost-effective upper stages and on-board propulsion systems are critical elements in reducing total space transportation costs. A new type of space propulsion, using electrodynamic tethers, may be capable of performing multiple sequential missions without resupply and have a potential usable lifetime of several years. They may provide an in-space infrastructure that has a very low life cycle cost and greatly enhanced mission flexibility, thus supporting the goal of reducing the cost of access to space. Electrodynamic tether thrusters work by virtue of the force the Earth's magnetic field exerts on a wire carrying an electrical current. The effect is the basis for electric motors and generators. The Propulsive Small Expendable Deployer System (ProSEDS) experiment, planned for launch in the summer of 2000, will demonstrate the use electrodynamic tether thrust by lowering the altitude of a Delta-H rocket's upper stage on which it will be flying. Applications of the technology include a passive deorbit system for spacecraft at their end-of-life, reusable Orbit Transfer Vehicles, propellantless reboost of the International Space Station, and propulsion and power generation for future missions to Jupiter.

Johnson, Les↗
NASA NTRS1994

Uses of Advanced Ceramic Composites in the Thermal Protection Systems of Future Space Vehicles

Current ceramic composites being developed and characterized for use in the thermal protection systems (TPS) of future space vehicles are reviewed. The composites discussed include new tough, low density ceramic insulation's, both rigid and flexible; ultra-high temperature ceramic composites; nano-ceramics; as well as new hybrid ceramic/metallic and ceramic/organic systems. Application and advantage of these new composites to the thermal protection systems of future reusable access to space vehicles and small spacecraft is reviewed.

Rasky, Daniel J.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Next Generation Spacecraft, Crew Exploration Vehicle

This special bibliography includes research on reusable launch vehicles, aerospace planes, shuttle replacement, crew/cargo transfer vehicle, related X-craft, orbital space plane, and next generation launch technology.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1994

An operations and command systems for the extreme ultraviolet explorer

About 40% of the budget of a scientific spacecraft mission is usually consumed by Mission Operations & Data Analysis (MO&DA) with MO driving these costs. In the current practice, MO is separated from spacecraft design and comes in focus relatively late in the mission life cycle. As a result, spacecraft may be designed that are very difficult to operate. NASA centers have extensive MO expertise but often lessons learned in one mission are not exploited for other parallel or future missions. A significant reduction of MO costs is essential to ensure a continuing and growing access to space for the scientific community. We are addressing some of these issues with a highly automated payload operations and command system for an existing mission, the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE). EUVE is currently operated jointly by the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), responsible for spacecraft operations, and the Center for Extreme Ultraviolet Astrophysics (CEA) of the University of California, Berkeley, which controls the telescopes and scientific instruments aboard the satellite. The new automated system is being developed by a team including personnel from the NASA Ames Research Center (ARC), the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the Center for EUV Astrophysics (CEA). An important goal of the project is to provide AI-based technology that can be easily operated by nonspecialists in AI. Another important goal is the reusability of the techniques for other missions. Models of the EUVE spacecraft need to be built both for planning/scheduling and for monitoring. In both cases, our modeling tools allow the assembly of a spacecraft model from separate sub-models of the various spacecraft subsystems. These sub-models are reusable; therefore, building mission operations systems for another small satellite mission will require choosing pre-existing modules, reparametrizing them with respect to the actual satellite telemetry information, and reassembling them in a new model. We briefly describe the EUVE mission and indicate why it is particularly suitable for the task. Then we briefly outline our current work in mission planning/scheduling and spacecraft and instrument health monitoring.

Muscettola, Nicola↗
NASA NTRS1980

DOD low-thrust mission studies

The space transportation system (STS) will be the principal means of launching USAF spacecraft beginning in the 1980's. Since it is manned and reusable it provides new opportunities for unique approaches for cost effective utilization of its capabilities. The STS also places additional requirements and constraints on advanced spacecraft deployment systems that did not previously exist for expandable launch vehicles. To fully utilize these new capabilities designers must be prepared by having cost effective technologies available. Advanced propulsion technology that would provide flexibility, performance, and economic benefits to future Air Force missions was identified. Both electric and chemical propulsion systems are discussed. An LO2/LH2 stage with a torus LO2 tank and 500 lbf pumb fed engine is high on the list of propulsion technology.

Pipes, W. E.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Prediction of the pattern performance for the Aeroassist Flight Experiment (AFE) spacecraft

In order to provide a set of benchmark flight data for a reusable Aeroassisted Orbit Transfer Vehicle (AOTV) application, NASA undertook the development of an Aeroassisted Flight Experiment (AFE) which will be launched from the Space Shuttle. A representative aeroassist trajectory will be flown and sensor measurements of aerodynamic performance, thermal protection response, and plasma ionization reentry effects will be obtained. Discussed here is the spacecraft antenna. Estimates of signal transmissions from the AFE to the Tracking and Data Relay Satellites (TDRS) during the reentry period are given. The computer modeling of the antennas is presented with and without the reentry plasma.

Yang, C.↗
NASA NTRS2011

LADEE Satellite Modeling and Simulation Development

As human activity on and around the Moon increases, so does the likelihood that our actions will have an impact on its atmosphere. The Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE), a NASA satellite scheduled to launch in 2013, will orbit the Moon collecting composition, density, and time variability data to characterize the current state of the lunar atmosphere. LADEE will also test the concept of the "Modular Common Bus" spacecraft architecture, an effort to reduce both development time and cost by designing reusable, modular components for use in multiple missions with similar requirements. An important aspect of this design strategy is to both simulate the spacecraft and develop the flight code in Simulink, a block diagram-style programming language that allows easy algorithm visualization and performance testing. Before flight code can be tested, however, a realistic simulation of the satellite and its dynamics must be generated and validated. This includes all of the satellite control system components such as actuators used for force and torque generation and sensors used for inertial orientation reference. My primary responsibilities have included designing, integrating, and testing models for the LADEE thrusters, reaction wheels, star trackers, and rate gyroscopes.

Adams, Michael↗
NASA NTRS2008

Multi-Terrain Earth Landing Systems Applicable for Manned Space Capsules

A key element of the President's Vision for Space Exploration is the development of a new space transportation system to replace the Shuttle that will enable manned exploration of the moon, Mars, and beyond. NASA has tasked the Constellation Program with the development of this architecture, which includes the Ares launch vehicle and Orion manned spacecraft. The Orion spacecraft must carry six astronauts and its primary structure should be reusable, if practical. These requirements led the Constellation Program to consider a baseline land landing on return to earth. To assess the landing system options for Orion, a review of current operational parachute landing systems such as those used for the F-111 escape module and the Soyuz is performed. In particular, landing systems with airbags and retrorockets that would enable reusability of the Orion capsule are investigated. In addition, Apollo tests and analyses conducted in the 1960's for both water and land landings are reviewed. Finally, tests and dynamic finite element simulations to understand land landings for the Orion spacecraft are also presented.

Fasanella, Edwin L.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Multi-Terrain Earth Landing Systems Applicable for Manned Space Capsules

A key element of the President's Vision for Space Exploration is the development of a new space transportation system to replace Shuttle that will enable manned exploration of the moon, Mars, and beyond. NASA has tasked the Constellation Program with the development of this architecture, which includes the Ares launch vehicle and Orion manned spacecraft. The Orion spacecraft must carry six astronauts and its primary structure should be reusable, if practical. These requirements led the Constellation Program to consider a baseline land landing on return to earth. To assess the landing system options for Orion, a review of current operational parachute landing systems such as those used for the F-111 escape module and the Soyuz is performed. In particular, landing systems with airbags and retrorockets that would enable reusability of the Orion capsule are investigated. In addition, Apollo tests and analyses conducted in the 1960's for both water and land landings are reviewed. Finally, tests and dynamic finite element simulations to understand land landings for the Orion spacecraft are also presented.

Fasanella, Edwin L.↗
NASA NTRS2011

A Hyperbolic Ontology Visualization Tool for Model Application Programming Interface Documentation

Spacecraft modeling, a critically important portion in validating planned spacecraft activities, is currently carried out using a time consuming method of mission to mission model implementations and integration. A current project in early development, Integrated Spacecraft Analysis (ISCA), aims to remedy this hindrance by providing reusable architectures and reducing time spent integrating models with planning and sequencing tools. The principle objective of this internship was to develop a user interface for an experimental ontology-based structure visualization of navigation and attitude control system modeling software. To satisfy this, a number of tree and graph visualization tools were researched and a Java based hyperbolic graph viewer was selected for experimental adaptation. Early results show promise in the ability to organize and display large amounts of spacecraft model documentation efficiently and effectively through a web browser. This viewer serves as a conceptual implementation for future development but trials with both ISCA developers and end users should be performed to truly evaluate the effectiveness of continued development of such visualizations.

mission operations system (MOS)↗
NASA NTRS1978

Breadboard wash water renovation system

A total wash water renovation system concept was developed for removing objectionable materials from spacecraft wash water in order to make the water reusable. The breadboard model system described provides for pretreatment with ferric chloride to remove soap by chemical precipitation, carbon adsorption to remove trace dissolved organics, and ion exchange for removal of dissolved salts. The entire system was put into continuous operation and carefully monitored to assess overall efficiency and equipment maintenance problems that could be expected in actual use. In addition, the capacity of the carbon adsorbers and the ion-exchange resin was calculated and taken into consideration in the final evaluation of the system adequacy. The product water produced was well within the Tentative Wash Water Standards with regard to total organic carbon, conductivity, urea content, sodium chloride content, color, odor, and clarity.

Source record↗