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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2006

NASA Balloon Technology Activities

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Balloon Program technology development efforts are fundamental to improving the capabilities of the balloon systems, better understanding of the flight dynamics, and to support the science missions throughout the next decade. Building on the foundations of the 20-year research and development program, a technology roadmap has been generated which identifies specific areas of interest to NASA and the vision of future developments. The major components of the roadmap are: vehicle systems, ballooncraft systems, operational and safety support systems, and planetary vehicles. Within each of these major components, technologies are targeted that will provide both better understanding and foster advancements. The Program's technology thrust areas are directed both in broad efforts that touch on a number of the major components as well as specific tasks that address elements within a specific component. Advances in vehicle systems have focused on producing better balloon designs. This is being attempted through the use of improved inputs into the ba!loon des@ process. Central to this is an increasing the understanding of materials used to fabricate balloons. Testing techniques have been improved with better bi-axial characterization of the balloon materials. More realistic radiative properties of the balloon films and components have also been made. Analytical assessments of the balloon designs are also key in improving balloon designs. These analytical assessments have been accomplished using improving analysis tools and an increased understanding of the float environment. Details of these improvements will be presented. To help improve the operational and flight safety of the balloons, improved flight performance predictions have been made using new analytical tools as well as incorporating the increased understanding of the float environment. These two have combined to allow for improved post-flight balloon performance correlations. A potential to significantly improve the potential safety of a long duration flight can be accomplished using some form of a trajectory modification system. An overview of the development efforts for a trajectory modification system will be presented. A number of efforts will be presented that are focused on the improvement of the ballooncraft systems. Planetary ballooning activities have benefited from a number of separate but related technology advancements made by the NASA Balloon Program's technology developments. The tools, techniques, and advancements made for balloon design and balloon analysis are directly applicable to the processes to develop planetary balloons for either Mars or Venus. An overview of the NASA Balloon Program's role in these efforts and testing will be presented. The technology roadmap, as well as specific projects and recent advancements, will be presented. This overview will demonstrate the technology advancements made by the NASA Balloon Program are focusing on leading balloon developments into the future.

Fairbrother, Debora A.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Advanced Technology for Isolating Payloads in Microgravity

One presumption of scientific microgravity research is that while in space disturbances are minimized and experiments can be conducted in the absence of gravity. The problem with this assumption is that numerous disturbances actually occur in the space environment. Scientists must consider all disturbances when planning microgravity experiments. Although small disturbances, such as a human sneeze, do not cause most researchers on earth much concern, in space, these minuscule disturbances can be detrimental to the success or failure of an experiment. Therefore, a need exists to isolate experiments and provide a quiescent microgravity environment. The objective of microgravity isolation is to quantify all possible disturbances or vibrations and then attenuate the transmission of the disturbance to the experiment. Some well-defined vibration sources are: experiment operations, pumps, fans, antenna movements, ventilation systems and robotic manipulators. In some cases, it is possible to isolate the source using simple vibration dampers, shock absorbers and other isolation devices. The problem with simple isolation systems is that not all vibration frequencies are attenuated, especially frequencies less than 0.1 Hz. Therefore, some disturbances are actually emitted into the environment. Sometimes vibration sources are not well defined, or cannot be controlled. These include thermal "creak," random acoustic vibrations, aerodynamic drag, crew activities, and other similar disturbances. On some "microgravity missions," such as the United States Microgravity Laboratory (USML) and the International Microgravity Laboratory (IML) missions, the goal was to create extended quiescent times and limit crew activity during these times. This might be possible for short periods, but for extended durations it is impossible due to the nature of the space environment. On the International Space Station (ISS), vehicle attitude readjustments are required to keep the vehicle in a minimum torque orientation and other experimental activities will occur continually, both inside and outside the station. Since all vibration sources cannot be controlled, the task of attenuating the disturbances is the only realistic alternative. Several groups have independently developed technology to isolate payloads from the space environment. Since 1970, Honeywell's Satellite Systems Division has designed several payload isolation systems and vibration attenuators. From 1987 to 1992, NASA's Lewis Research Center (LeRC) performed research on isolation technology and developed a 6 degree-of-freedom (DOF) isolator and tested the system during 70 low gravity aircraft flight trajectories. Beginning in early 1995, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and McDonnell Douglas Aerospace (MDA) jointly developed the STABLE (Suppression of Transient Accelerations By Levitation Evaluation) isolation system. This 5 month accelerated effort produced the first flight of an active microgravity vibration isolation system on STS-73/USML-02 in late October 1995. The Canadian Space Agency developed the Microgravity Vibration Isolation Mount (MIM) for isolating microgravity payloads and this system began operating on the Russian Mir Space Station in May 1996. The Boeing Defense & Space Group, Missiles & Space Division developed the Active Rack Isolation System (ARIS) for isolating payloads in a standard payload rack. ARIS was tested in September 1996 during the STS-79 mission to Mir. Although these isolation systems differ in their technological approach, the objective is to isolate payloads from disturbances. The following sections describe the technologies behind these systems and the different types of hardware used to perform isolation. The purpose of these descriptions is not to detail the inner workings of the hardware but to give the reader an idea of the technology and uses of the hardware components. Also included in the component descriptions is a paragraph detailing some of the advances in isolation technology for that particular component. The final section presents some concluding thoughts and a summary of anticipated advances in research and development for isolating microgravity experiments.

Alhorn, Dean C.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Pilot evaluation of experimental flight trajectories in the near-terminal area

Advanced cockpit avionics systems now under development at NASA Langley Research Center will provide the means for effectively utilizing MLS technology to achieve a number of important objectives in the near-terminal airspace. A simulator study has recently been completed at NASA Langley Research Center in which guest pilots from a number of airlines were asked to fly curved ground tracks designed to avoid population centers in four airport communities. Eight two-man crews comprised of commercial line pilots, and three NASA crews each evaluated a total of eight departures and eight approaches on the basis of such factors as workload, safety, passenger acceptance, controllability, and piloting skill. Various physical measurements were also made, including cross-track errors, altitude errors, bank angles, and fuel flow rates. Half of the trajectories were curved and designed to be population-minimal, and half were designed to represent conventional ground tracks. The objective of the study was to determine if statistically significant differences could be detected between curved and conventional ground tracks on the basis of these parameters.

Deloach, R.↗
NASA NTRS2019

The TASAR Project: Launching Aviation on an Optimized Route Toward Aircraft Autonomy

The Traffic Aware Strategic Aircrew Request (TASAR) concept applies onboard automation for the purpose of advising the pilot of route modifications that would be beneficial to the flight. Leveraging onboard computing platforms with connectivity to avionics and diverse data sources on and off the aircraft, TASAR introduces a new, powerful capability for in-flight trajectory management to the cockpit and its flight crew that is anticipated to induce a significant culture change in airspace operations. Flight crews empowered by TASAR and its derivative technologies could transform from today’s flight plan followers to proactive trajectory managers, taking an initial critical step towards increasing autonomy in the airspace system. TASAR was developed as a catalyst for operational autonomy, a future vision where the responsibilities and authorities of trajectory management reside with the aircraft operator and are distributed among participating aircraft, thus fulfilling a vision dating back decades and enabling a fully scalable airspace system. This NASA Technical Paper maps TASAR to its foundational vision and traces its research and development from initial concept generation to an operational evaluation by a U.S. airline in revenue service, the final stage before technology transfer and commercialization.

Wing, David J.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Aerial Vehicles to Detect Maximum Volume of Plume Material Associated with Habitable Areas in Extreme Environments

Current technologies of exploring habitable areas of icy moons are limited to flybys of space probes. This research project addresses long-term navigation of icy moons by developing a MATLAB adjustable trajectory based on the volume of plume material observed. Plumes expose materials from the sub-surface without accessing the subsurface. Aerial vehicles capable of scouting vapor plumes and detecting maximum plume material volumes, which are considered potentially habitable in inhospitable environments, would enable future deep-space missions to search for extraterrestrial organisms on the surface of icy moons. Although this platform is still a prototype, it demonstrates the potential aerial vehicles can have in improving the capabilities of long-term space navigation and enabling technology for detecting life in extreme environments. Additionally, this work is developing the capabilities that could be utilized as a platform for space biology research. For example, aerial vehicles that are sent to map extreme environments of icy moons or the planet Mars, could also carry small payloads with automated cell-biology experiments, designed to probe the biological response of low-gravity and high-radiation planetary environments, serving as a pathfinder for future human missions.

Vehicles Extreme Environment↗
DOE OSTI2023

Understanding the Uncertainty in the Technical Performance Level Assessment for Wave Energy

In recent years, the design and development of wave energy converters (WECs) has been explored with intense interest, with highly varying design concepts emerging globally across both research enterprises and industry. The design space for WECs is vast - many concepts ranging in functionality, control systems, power development systems, materials, and scale have been ideated and prototyped, but WEC technology has yet to converge. One critical element of the technology trajectory that governs the speed of adoption is the performance of a WEC concept. In analogous but more-established industries (such as aerospace, and environmentally sustainable electronics design), performance assessment is a quantitative method, based on historical data, that is used as an iterative tool to improve the design of these systems early on in the design process. Though more nascent than these approaches, in wave energy R&D, WEC performance has been assessed using the Technology Performance Level (TPL) assessment, which provides designers with a quantitative score, situating a grid-scale WEC concept on a scale from 1-9 (1 being the lowest performance, and 9 being the highest, trending with the oft-used Technology Readiness Level, or TRL). The TPL assessment is designed to be used during design iteration, when a WEC concept is fully ideated, to enable designers to consider potential means of improving the downstream performance of the concept. One concern that may be slowing the adoption of TPL among WEC developers is the inherent uncertainty in the assessment, and how uncertainty in the individual questions asked as part of the assessment may contribute to perceived inaccuracies in the final score. In this work, we explore the uncertainty present in the assessment and quantify this uncertainty using both traditional mathematical operations and a Monte Carlo simulation. Results imply areas of improvement of the TPL assessment, where reducing uncertainty will be most helpful to end users, enabling both TPL practitioners and users to understand with more accuracy those design elements that can be improved to impact device performance most substantively.

techno-economic analysis↗
NASA NTRS2016

HIAD on ULA (HULA) Orbital Reentry Flight Experiment Concept

This paper describes a proposed orbital velocity reentry flight test of a Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD). The flight test builds upon ground development activities that continue to advance the materials, design, and manufacturing techniques for the inflatable structure and flexible thermal protection system (F-TPS) that comprise the inflatable heat shield. While certain aspects of material and system performance can be assessed using a variety of ground testing capabilities, only orbital velocity energy on a trajectory through the gradient density of the atmosphere can impart the combined aerodynamic and aeroheating design environments in real time. To achieve this at limited cost, the HIAD would be delivered to a spin-stabilized entry trajectory as a secondary payload on the Centaur stage of a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V launch vehicle. Initial trajectory studies indicate that the combination of launch vehicle capability and achievable reentry vehicle ballistic numbers make this a strategic opportunity for technology development. This 4 to 6 meter diameter scale aeroshell flight, referred to as HIAD on ULA (HULA), would also contribute to ULA asset recovery development. ULA has proposed that a HIAD be utilized as part of the Sensible, Modular, Autonomous Return Technology (SMART) initiative to enable recovery of the Vulcan launch vehicle booster main engines [1], including a Mid-Air Recovery (MAR) to gently return these assets for reuse. Whereas HULA will attain valuable aerothermal and structural response data toward advancing HIAD technology, it may also provide a largest-to-date scaled flight test of the MAR operation, which in turn would allow the examination of a nearly pristine post-entry aeroshell. By utilizing infrared camera imaging, HULA will also attain aft-side thermal response data, enhancing understanding of the aft side aerothermal environment, an area of high uncertainty. The aeroshell inflation will utilize a heritage design compressed gas system to minimize development costs. The data will be captured to both an onboard recorder and a recorder that is jettisoned and recovered separately from the reentry vehicle to mitigate risk. This paper provides an overview, including the architecture and flight concept of operations, for the proposed HULA flight experiment.

Dinonno, J. M.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Automated Mars surface sample return mission concepts for achievement of essential scientific objectives

Mission concepts were investigated for automated return to Earth of a Mars surface sample adequate for detailed analyses in scientific laboratories. The minimum sample mass sufficient to meet scientific requirements was determined. Types of materials and supporting measurements for essential analyses are reported. A baseline trajectory profile was selected for its low energy requirements and relatively simple implementation, and trajectory profile design data were developed for 1979 and 1981 launch opportunities. Efficient spacecraft systems were conceived by utilizing existing technology where possible. Systems concepts emphasized the 1979 launch opportunity, and the applicability of results to other opportunities was assessed. It was shown that the baseline missions (return through Mars parking orbit) and some comparison missions (return after sample transfer in Mars orbit) can be accomplished by using a single Titan III E/Centaur as the launch vehicle. All missions investigated can be accomplished by use of Space Shuttle/Centaur vehicles.

Weaver, W. L.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Solar power satellite system definition study, volume 4, phase 2

Results of an overall evaluation of the solar power satellite concept are reported. Specific topics covered include: solid state sandwich configuration; parametric development of reliability design; power distribution system for solid state solar power satellites; multibeam transmission; GEO base system configuration; suppression of the heavy lift launch vehicle trajectory; conceptual design of an offshore space center facility; solar power satellite development and operations scenario; and microwave power transmission technology, advancement, development, and facility requirements.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1988

Project Longshot

Project Longshot presents a preliminary design for an unmanned probe to Alpha Centauri with a planned launch early in the 21st century. A 100-year estimated travel time was baselined for the mission on Space Report, Pioneering the Space Frontier. One of the elements of the Commission's solar and space physics plan is 'a long-life, high-velocity spacecraft to be sent out of the Solar System on a trajectory to the nearest star'. Adequate lead time is included in the scenario to allow the development of several enabling technologies and to ensure that the required space operations infrastructure will be in place.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2015

Flight Testing of Terrain-Relative Navigation and Large-Divert Guidance on a VTVL Rocket

Since 2011, the Autonomous Descent and Ascent Powered-Flight Testbed (ADAPT) has been used to demonstrate advanced descent and landing technologies onboard the Masten Space Systems (MSS) Xombie vertical-takeoff, vertical-landing suborbital rocket. The current instantiation of ADAPT is a stand-alone payload comprising sensing and avionics for terrain-relative navigation and fuel-optimal onboard planning of large divert trajectories, thus providing complete pin-point landing capabilities needed for planetary landers. To this end, ADAPT combines two technologies developed at JPL, the Lander Vision System (LVS), and the Guidance for Fuel Optimal Large Diverts (G-FOLD) software. This paper describes the integration and testing of LVS and G-FOLD in the ADAPT payload, culminating in two successful free flight demonstrations on the Xombie vehicle conducted in December 2014.

ADAPT↗
NASA NTRS2018

Operational Impact of the Baseline Integrated Arrival, Departure, and Surface System Field Demonstration

To address the Integrated Arrival, Departure, and Surface (IADS) challenge, NASA is developing and demonstrating trajectory-based departure automation under a collaborative effort with the FAA and industry known as Airspace Technology Demonstration 2 (ATD-2). ATD-2 builds upon and integrates previous NASA research capabilities that include the Spot and Runway Departure Advisor (SARDA), the Precision Departure Release Capability (PDRC), and the Terminal Sequencing and Spacing (TSAS) capability. The ATD-2 field demonstration is organized into three phases. Phase I illustrates a Baseline IADS demonstration and includes all components of ATD-2 running in operational environments. Subsequent phases will fuse together strategic scheduling components as well as take into account metroplex considerations. This paper describes the baseline IADS system that was deployed at the end of 2017 and is continuing to run as part of the ATD-2 demonstration taking place at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport (CLT). The primary areas of deployment and system use are in the CLT Air Traffic Control Tower, CLT TRACON, CLT American Airlines ramp tower, Washington Center facility and American Airlines Integration Operations Center (IOC). In addition to describing the functions and capabilities that are part of the baseline IADS system, this paper also provides metrics regarding operational use as well as initial benefits metrics. Benefit metrics continue to be collected and aggregated across the areas of system delay, throughput, taxi time, fuel burn savings, and emissions savings. Furthermore, benefits as a result of common awareness of delays and the impact of takeoff and departure restrictions stemming from traffic flow management initiatives are described. The overall benefit of improved predictability and efficiency as a result of the baseline IADS system demonstration is also discussed.

operational system↗
NASA NTRS2021

High Performance, Web-Based, Real-Time Telemetry Visualization for Deep Space Mission Support and Operations

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Mission ControlSystems Section and Mobility and Robotic Systems Section havepartnered to developed a high-performance telemetry visualizationsystem, based on our mature, web-based, 3D visualizationsoftware technology, that provides mission trajectory designers,operations personnel and reconstruction analysts with a highlyaccurate, re-usable, multi-mission solution to interactively visualizeresults from Entry, Descent and Landing (EDL) simulations,real-time mission test beds, live telemetry streams during criticalmission events, such as landing, as well as post-event reconstructionanalysis. This work builds on previous mission visualizationsystems that we have deployed for a variety of flight missions andJPL organizations including NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory(MSL), NASA’S Low Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD),NASA’s Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP), JPL’s MoonRiseLunar sample return proposal. JPL’s mission design teams, JPL’sOffice of Naval Research tasks, and JPL’s Education and PublicOutreach Office.

Wenzel, Sean↗
NASA NTRS2004

Formation acquisition sensor for the Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) mission

The Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) pre-project, an element of NASA’s Origins Program, is currently investigating multiple implementation architectures for finding earth-like planets around other stars. One of the technologies being developed is the Formation Flying Interferometer (FFI). The FFI is envisioned to consist of up to seven spacecraft, each with an infrared telescope, flying in precise formation within +/- l cm of pre-determined trajectories for synchronized observations. The spacecraft to- spacecraft separations are variable between 20 m to 100m during observations to support various interferometer configurations in the planet-finding mode. The challenges involved with TPF autonomous operations, ranging from formation acquisition and formation maneuvering, to high precision formation flying during science observations are unprecedented for deep space missions. To meet these challenges, the Formation Sensor Testbed (FST) under the TPF technology program will develop and demonstrate the key technology of the formation acquisition sensor. Key performance targets for the acquisition sensor are an instantaneous 4phi-steradian field of view and simultaneous range and bearing-angle measurements for multiple spacecraft with accuracy better than 50 cm and 1 degree, respectively. In this paper, we will describe the TPF FFI mission concept, the key formation flying challenges, the acquisition sensor design, the key design challenges, and the current plan to mitigate these design challenges.

Purcell, George H. Jr.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Splashdown Visualization of Spent Stages

The state of the art for many Earth-to-orbit trajectory analysis toolsets used at NASA is somewhat dated in terms of the languages they are written in and their user interfaces. Many of these programs are written in languages like Fortran or C that are no longer considered modern in the technology industry, and are command-line based without any means of interpreting the data outputs. This presentation is meant to demonstrate a specific use case for a newly developed web app that visualizes the output data for one of these tools. Specifically, one key usage is to investigate and validate launches for notional multi-stage vehicle concepts to various non-standard high-inclination orbits. Some NASA requirements dictate that trajectories be designed such that no surviving debris lands closer than 200 nautical miles (nm) from foreign landmasses or 27 nm from the continental United States, therefore validating re-entry locations of spent stages is an integral part of the launch planning process. In addition, at programmatic levels it can prove insightful and clarifying for the decision-making process to enhance the technical results of numerical simulations with visualizations. The intent with this tool is to provide the mission analyst and program level management with an intuitive and clear grasp of key information on possible mission scenarios either departing from or arriving at Earth, and in the future, the moon or Mars as well. The software tool was developed with an agile development approach and utilizes the latest frameworks and technologies. The front end uses the React JavaScript library for making a state of the art frontend and a backend based on the Django Python framework for handling data using Python’s powerful and free scientific libraries. In addition, the CesiumJS open-source library is key for visualizing these end-to-end trajectories on a high-resolution Earth model. The presentation will demonstrate the current capability and tested use cases.

Jack Agolli↗
NASA NTRS2013

Future Development Trajectories for Imaging X-rays Spectrometers Based on Microcalorimeters

Future development trajectories for imaging x-ray spectrometers based on microcalorimeters. Since their invention 30 years ago, the capability of X-ray microcalorimeters has increased steadily, with continual improvements in energy resolution, speed, and array size. Arrays of up to 1024 pixels have been produced, and resolution better than 1 eV at 1.5 keV has been achieved. These detectors can be optimized for the highest priority science, such as designing for the highest resolving power at low energies at the expense of dynamic range, or the greatest focal-plane coverage at the expense of speed. Three types of X-ray microcalorimeters presently dominate the field, each characterized by the thermometer technology. The first two types use temperature-sensitive resistors: semiconductors in the metal-insulator transition and superconductors operated in the superconducting-normal transition. The third type uses a magnetically coupled thermometer, and is at an earlier stage of development than the other two. The Soft X-ray Spectrometer (SXS) on Astro-H, expected to launch in 2015, will use an array of silicon thermistors with HgTe X-ray absorbers that will operate at 50 mK. Both the semiconductor and superconductor calorimeters have been implemented in small arrays. Kilopixel arrays of the superconducting calorimeters are being produced, and much larger arrays may require the non-dissipative advantage of magnetically coupled thermometers. I will project the development trajectories of these detectors and their read-out technologies and assess what their capabilities and limitations will be 10 - 20 years from now.

Kilbourne, Caroline A.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Unveiling contextual realities by microscopically entangling a neutron

The development of qualitatively new measurement capabilities is often a prerequisite for critical scientific and technological advances. Here we introduce an unconventional quantum probe, an entangled neutron beam, where individual neutrons can be entangled in spin, trajectory and energy. The spatial separation of trajectories from nanometers to microns and energy differences from peV to neV will enable investigations of microscopic magnetic correlations in systems with strongly entangled phases, such as those believed to emerge in unconventional superconductors. We develop an interferometer to prove entanglement of these distinguishable properties of the neutron beam by observing clear violations of both Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt and Mermin contextuality inequalities in the same experimental setup. Our work opens a pathway to a future of entangled neutron scattering in matter.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗