Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “prototype specifications”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 919 records · Page 51
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2016

Space Suit Portable Life Support System (PLSS) 2.0 Pre-Installation Acceptance (PIA) Testing

Following successful completion of the space suit Portable Life Support System (PLSS) 1.0 development and testing in 2011, the second system-level prototype, PLSS 2.0, was developed in 2012 to continue the maturation of the advanced PLSS design which is intended to reduce consumables, improve reliability and robustness, and incorporate additional sensing and functional capabilities over the current Space Shuttle/International Space Station Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) PLSS. PLSS 2.0 represents the first attempt at a packaged design comprising first generation or later component prototypes and medium fidelity interfaces within a flight-like representative volume. Pre-Installation Acceptance (PIA) is carryover terminology from the Space Shuttle Program referring to the series of test sequences used to verify functionality of the EMU PLSS prior to installation into the Space Shuttle airlock for launch. As applied to the PLSS 2.0 development and testing effort, PIA testing designated the series of 27 independent test sequences devised to verify component and subsystem functionality, perform in situ instrument calibrations, generate mapping data to define set-points for control algorithms, evaluate hardware performance against advanced PLSS design requirements, and provide quantitative and qualitative feedback on evolving design requirements and performance specifications. PLSS 2.0 PIA testing was carried out from 3/20/13 - 3/15/14 using a variety of test configurations to perform test sequences that ranged from stand-alone component testing to system-level testing, with evaluations becoming increasingly integrated as the test series progressed. Each of the 27 test sequences was vetted independently, with verification of basic functionality required before completion. Because PLSS 2.0 design requirements were evolving concurrently with PLSS 2.0 PIA testing, the requirements were used as guidelines to assess performance during the tests; after the completion of PIA testing, test data served to improve the fidelity and maturity of design requirements as well as plans for future advanced PLSS functional testing.

Watts, Carly↗
NASA NTRS2013

The Challenges of Integrating Instrumentation with Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerators

To realize the National Aeronautics and Space Administration s (NASA) goal of landing humans on Mars, development of technologies to facilitate the landing of heavy payloads are being explored. Current entry, decent, and landing technologies are not practical when utilizing these heavy payloads due to mass and volume constraints dictated by limitations imposed by current launch vehicle fairings. Therefore, past and present technologies are now being considered to provide a mass and volume efficient solution, including Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerators (IADs) [1]. IAD ground and flight tests are currently being conducted to develop and characterize their performance under flight-like conditions. The integrated instrumentation systems, which are key to the performance characterization in each of these tests, have proven to be a challenge compared to the instrumentation of traditional rigid aeroshells. To overcome these challenges, flexible and embedded sensing systems have been developed, along with improved instrumenting techniques. This development opportunity faces many difficult aspects specific to inflatable structures in extreme environments. These include but are not limited to: physical flexibility, packaging, temperature, structural integration and data acquisition [2]. To better define the instrumentation challenges posed by IAD technology development, a survey was conducted to identify valuable measurements for ground and flight testing. From this survey many sensing technologies were explored, resulting in a down-selection to the most viable prospects. These systems were then iterated upon in design to determine the best integration techniques specific to a 3m and 6m stacked torus IAD. Each sensing system was then integrated and employed to support the IAD testing in the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex 40 x 80 wind tunnel at NASA Ames Research Center in the summer of 2012. Another challenge that has been explored is the data acquisition of IAD sensing technologies. Traditionally all space based sensing systems transmit their data through a wired interface. This limits the amount of sensors able to be integrated within the IAD due to volume and routing restrictions of the supporting signal and excitation wires. To alleviate this situation, multiple wireless data acquisition technologies have been researched and developed through rapid prototyping efforts. The final custom multi-nodal wireless system utilized during the summer 2012 IAD test series consisted of four remote nodes and one receiving base station. The system reliably conditioned and acquired 20+ sensors over the course of the wind tunnel test series. These developments in wireless data acquisition techniques can eliminate the need for structural feedthroughs and reduce system mass associated with wiring and wire harnesses. This makes the utilization of flight instrumentation more attractive to future missions, which would result in further improved characterization of IAD technology, and overall, increased scientific knowledge regarding the response of inflatable structures to extreme entry environments. [

Swanson, Gregory T.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Optical Component Performance for the Ocean Radiometer for Carbon Assessment (ORCA)

The Ocean Radiometer for Carbon Assessment (ORCA) is a new design for the next generation remote sensing of ocean biology and biogeochemistry. ORCA is configured to meet all the measurement requirements of the Decadal Survey Aerosol, Cloud, and Ecology (ACE), the Ocean Ecosystem (OES) radiometer and the Pro-ACE climate data continuity mission (PACE). Under the auspices of a 2007 grant from NASA Research Opportunity in Space and Earth Science (ROSES) and the Instrument Incubator Program (IIP), a team at the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has been working on a functional prototype with flight-like fore and aft optics and scan mechanisms. As part of the development efforts to bring ORCA closer to a flight configuration and in order to reduce cost, we have conducted component-level optical testing using standard spectrophotometers and system-level characterizations using non-flight commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) focal plane array detectors. Although these arrays would not be able to handle flight data rates, they are adequate for optical alignment and performance testing. The purpose of this presentation is to describe the results of this testing performed at GSFC and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) at the component and system level. Specifically, we show results for ORCA's spectral calibration ranging from the near UV, visible, and near-infrared spectral region.

Quijada, Manuel A.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Simplifying the construction of domain-specific automatic programming systems: The NASA automated software development workstation project

An overview is presented of the Automated Software Development Workstation Project, an effort to explore knowledge-based approaches to increasing software productivity. The project focuses on applying the concept of domain specific automatic programming systems (D-SAPSs) to application domains at NASA's Johnson Space Center. A version of a D-SAPS developed in Phase 1 of the project for the domain of space station momentum management is described. How problems encountered during its implementation led researchers to concentrate on simplifying the process of building and extending such systems is discussed. Researchers propose to do this by attacking three observed bottlenecks in the D-SAPS development process through the increased automation of the acquisition of programming knowledge and the use of an object oriented development methodology at all stages of the program design. How these ideas are being implemented in the Bauhaus, a prototype workstation for D-SAPS development is discussed.

Allen, Bradley P.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Design and development of a leak tight helium II valve with low thermal impact

The Lambda Point Experiment is a precision measurement of the specific heat of liquid helium near the lambda point phase transition, in the low gravity of the space shuttle. It requires a valve for the helium sample chamber that operates at helium II temperature, has minimal thermal disturbance to the rest of the instrument, and is leak tight to helium II. A valve meeting these and all of the other science and engineering requirements of the mission has been developed by Ball. Initially, both torque and pressure actuated valve concepts were considered; the final flight design is pressure actuated. The rational for this decision as well as the rest of the valve design are given. The paper also discusses the manufacturing and testing of the prototype and flight valves. Test data is presented and discussed.

Mills, G. L.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Man-machine Integration Design and Analysis System (MIDAS) Task Loading Model (TLM) experimental and software detailed design report

This is the experimental and software detailed design report for the prototype task loading model (TLM) developed as part of the man-machine integration design and analysis system (MIDAS), as implemented and tested in phase 6 of the Army-NASA Aircrew/Aircraft Integration (A3I) Program. The A3I program is an exploratory development effort to advance the capabilities and use of computational representations of human performance and behavior in the design, synthesis, and analysis of manned systems. The MIDAS TLM computationally models the demands designs impose on operators to aide engineers in the conceptual design of aircraft crewstations. This report describes TLM and the results of a series of experiments which were run this phase to test its capabilities as a predictive task demand modeling tool. Specifically, it includes discussions of: the inputs and outputs of TLM, the theories underlying it, the results of the test experiments, the use of the TLM as both stand alone tool and part of a complete human operator simulation, and a brief introduction to the TLM software design.

Staveland, Lowell↗
NASA NTRS2015

Lightweight Innovative Solar Array (LISA): Providing Higher Power to Small Spacecraft

Affordable and convenient access to electrical power is essential for all spacecraft and is a critical design driver for the next generation of smallsats, including cubesats, which are currently extremely power limited. The Lightweight Innovative Solar Array (LISA), a concept designed, prototyped, and tested at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama provides an affordable, lightweight, scalable, and easily manufactured approach for power generation in space. This flexible technology has many wide‐ranging applications from serving small satellites to providing abundant power to large spacecraft in GEO and beyond. By using very thin, ultra‐flexible solar arrays adhered to an inflatable structure, a large area (and thus large amount of power) can be folded and packaged into a relatively small volume. The LISA array comprises a launch‐stowed, orbit‐deployed structure on which lightweight photovoltaic devices and, potentially, transceiver elements are embedded. The system will provide a 2.5 to 5 fold increase in specific power generation (Watts/kilogram) coupled with a >2x enhancement of stowed volume (Watts/cubic‐meter) and a decrease in cost (dollars/Watt) when compared to state‐of‐the‐art solar arrays.

Johnson, Les↗
NASA NTRS1988

Simplifying the construction of domain-specific automatic programming systems: The NASA automated software development workstation project

An overview is presented of the Automated Software Development Workstation Project, an effort to explore knowledge-based approaches to increasing software productivity. The project focuses on applying the concept of domain specific automatic programming systems (D-SAPSs) to application domains at NASA's Johnson Space Flight Center. A version of a D-SAPS developed in Phase 1 of the project for the domain of space station momentum management is described. How problems encountered during its implementation led researchers to concentrate on simplifying the process of building and extending such systems is discussed. Researchers propose to do this by attacking three observed bottlenecks in the D-SAPS development process through the increased automation of the acquisition of programming knowledge and the use of an object oriented development methodology at all stages of the program design. How these ideas are being implemented in the Bauhaus, a prototype workstation for D-SAPS development is discussed.

Allen, Bradley P.↗
NASA NTRS1992

A spatial data handling system for retrieval of images by unrestricted regions of user interest

The Intelligent Data Management (IDM) project at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center has prototyped an Intelligent Information Fusion System (IIFS), which automatically ingests metadata from remote sensor observations into a large catalog which is directly queryable by end-users. The greatest challenge in the implementation of this catalog was supporting spatially-driven searches, where the user has a possible complex region of interest and wishes to recover those images that overlap all or simply a part of that region. A spatial data management system is described, which is capable of storing and retrieving records of image data regardless of their source. This system was designed and implemented as part of the IIFS catalog. A new data structure, called a hypercylinder, is central to the design. The hypercylinder is specifically tailored for data distributed over the surface of a sphere, such as satellite observations of the Earth or space. Operations on the hypercylinder are regulated by two expert systems. The first governs the ingest of new metadata records, and maintains the efficiency of the data structure as it grows. The second translates, plans, and executes users' spatial queries, performing incremental optimization as partial query results are returned.

Dorfman, Erik↗
NASA NTRS1994

Concept verification of three dimensional free motion simulator for space robot

In the development of automatic assembling technologies for space structures, it is an indispensable matter to investigate and simulate the movements of robot satellites concerned with mission operation. The movement investigation and simulation on the ground will be effectively realized by a free motion simulator. Various types of ground systems for simulating free motion have been proposed and utilized. Some of these methods are a neutral buoyancy system, an air or magnetic suspension system, a passive suspension balance system, and a free flying aircraft or drop tower system. In addition, systems can be simulated by computers using an analytical model. Each free motion simulation method has limitations and well known problems, specifically, disturbance by water viscosity, limited number of degrees-of-freedom, complex dynamics induced by the attachment of the simulation system, short experiment time, and the lack of high speed super-computer simulation systems, respectively. The basic idea presented here is to realize 3-dimensional free motion. This is achieved by combining a spherical air bearing, a cylindrical air bearing, and a flat air bearing. A conventional air bearing system has difficulty realizing free vertical motion suspension. The idea of free vertical suspension is that a cylindrical air bearing and counter balance weight realize vertical free motion. This paper presents a design concept, configuration, and basic performance characteristics of an innovative free motion simulator. A prototype simulator verifies the feasibility of 3-dimensional free motion simulation.

Okamoto, Osamu↗
NASA NTRS1975

CARETS: A prototype regional environmental information system. Volume 3: Toward a national land use information system

It is recommended that a national land use information system be established by an agency of the Federal Government. This recommendation comes at a time of increasing demand for scientific information in support of environmentally relevant land use planning and management at all levels of government. It is also a time when new airborne and spaceborne remote sensors, tested in cooperation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Earth Resources Observation Systems (EROS) Program of the Department of the Interior, make possible the gathering of land use information rapidly and on an unprecedented scale. Furthermore, information handling technology is developing toward a capability to receive, store, and disseminate the huge quantities of data that would be involved. The recommendation for the national land use information system is based upon careful analysis of the results of remote sensing experiments funded by NASA, EROS, and the Geography Program of the Geological Survey, with specific examples drawn from the demonstration project known as the Central Atlantic Regional Ecological Test Site (CARETS). CARETS is cast in the framework of a regional land use information system, channeling the flow bf information generated in response to users' declaration of their needs, through stages dealing with remote sensing data gathering systems, data processing and land mensuration, calibration in-terms of environmental impact, and evaluation with feedback from users. The proposed system would develop and implement a unified approach to the description and interpretation of the changing uses of the nation's land resources, building upon the base of interagency and intergovernmental cooperation already achieved in the experimental work to date. The land use data base that is being derived from high-altitude aerial color infrared photography would be the initial component of the recommended system. High-altitude photographic coverage would immediately be extended to as much of the nation as possible as technological developments and economic considerations permit. The system would later expand to include multiple-sensor, multiple-platform data sources. Six system characteristics are recommended: (1) High capacity storage of data available for quick retrieval, inexpensive processing, and update, (2) provision of accuracy appropriate to the scale of survey or to the level of detail dictated by different types of management and decision requirements; (3) permanent, publicly accessible sensor records for historical interpretation; (4) compatibility of the recording, storage, and retrieval system with all types of inputs, from ground observer to satellite; (5) products of diverse formats and scales, responsive to user feedback; (6) and standardization of formats, scales, and storage inputs to permit nationwide comparability.

Land use mapping↗
NASA NTRS2004

Electronic Tongue for Quantitation of Contaminants in Water

An assembly of sensors, denoted an electronic tongue, is undergoing development as a prototype of compact devices for use in measuring concentrations of contaminants in water. Thus far, the electronic tongue has been tested on ions of Cu, Zn, Pb, and Fe and shown to respond to concentrations as low as about 10 parts per million. This electronic tongue is expected to be capable of measuring concentrations of other metal ions and organic compounds. Potential uses for electronic tongues include monitoring the chemical quality of water in a variety of natural, industrial, and laboratory settings; detecting micro-organisms indirectly by measuring microbially influenced corrosion; and characterizing compounds of interest to the pharmaceutical and food industries. This version of the electronic tongue includes a heater, a temperature sensor, an array of ion-specific electrodes, an oxidation/ reduction sensor pair, an electrical-conductivity sensor, and an array of galvanic cells, all on one compact ceramic substrate. Special-purpose electronic excitation and readout circuitry for the sensors has also been constructed. The main advantage of the electronic tongue, relative to electrodes of this type used traditionally to assess water quality, is extreme ruggedness. The types of measurements that can be performed by use of the sensors on the electronic tongue are quite varied. The best combination of types of measurements for a given application depends on the specific contaminants that one seeks to detect. Experimental studies to identify such combinations were in progress at the time of reporting the information for this article.

Buehler, Marlin↗
NASA NTRS2012

Performance and Life Tests of a Regenerative Blower for EVA Suit Ventilation

Ventilation fans for future space suits must meet demanding performance specifications, satisfy stringent safety requirements for operation in an oxygen atmosphere, and be able to increase output to operate in buddy mode. A regenerative blower is an attractive choice due to its ability to meet these requirements at low operating speed. This paper describes progress in the development and testing of a regenerative blower designed to meet requirements for ventilation subsystems in future space suits. The blower includes a custom-designed motor that has significantly improved its efficiency. We have measured the blower s head/flow performance and power consumption under conditions that simulate both the normal and buddy mode operating points. We have operated the blower for TBD hours and demonstrated safe operation in an oxygen test loop at prototypical pressures. We also demonstrated operation with simulated lunar dust.

Izenson, Michael G.↗
NASA NTRS1975

CARETS: A prototype regional environmental information system. Volume 13: Utility of CARETS products to local planners; an evaluation

The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) in cooperation with and under contract to the U.S. Geological Survey, conducted an evaluation of the utility of remote-sensor derived land use data produced by the USGS Central Atlantic Regional Ecological Test Site (CARETS) project. Investigators invited representatives of Washington, D.C. metropolitan area planning agencies to a workshop, introduced them to the CARETS products, and asked them to evaluate the products. In follow-up interviews, planners from 12 participating agencies reported general support for the fulI spectrum of CARETS products but gave more positive responses towards products with which they had some familiarity. Planners considered some products of limited utility because of (1) insufficient detail, (2) too small a scale, or (3) lack of technical capability to incorporate the information and products into the current planning process. Some planners expressed doubt about the application of CARETS products in most day-to-day planning activities , which involve specific rezoning requests or site development plans requiring highly localized data. The greatest potential of the CARETS products was in the identification of broad development patterns at the county or regional level. An appendix documents the results of an inventory of local government decisions relating to land use.

Land use planning↗
NASA NTRS1989

Lunar landing and launch facilities (Complex 39L): Guidance systems and propellant systems

After a general, overall definition of Complex 39L during the previous two years, the 1988-89 projects were chosen to focus on more specific aspects, specifically, guidance systems and propellant systems. Six teams or subtasks were formulated: cascade refrigeration for boil-off recovery of cryogenic storage vessels; lunar ground-based radar system to track space vehicles; microwave altimeter for spacecraft; development of a computational model for the determination of lunar surface and sub-surface temperatures; lunar cryogenic facility for the storage of fuels; and lunar lander fuel inventory tent for the storage of cryogenic vessels. At the present time, a cascade refrigeration system for a cryogenic boil-off recovery system has been designed. This is to serve as a baseline system. The ground-based tracking system uses existing technology to implement a reliable tracking radar for use on the lunar surface. A prototype has been constructed. The microwave altimeter is for use on lunar landers. It makes use of the Doppler effect to measure both altitude and the vertical velocity component of the spacecraft. A prototype has been constructed. A computational model that predicts the spatial and temporal temperature profiles of the lunar subsurface was formulated. Propellant storage vessels have been designed. A support for these vessels which minimizes heat leaks was also designed. Further work on the details of the Fuel Inventory Tent (FIT) was performed. While much design work on the overall Complex 39L remains to be done, significant new work has been performed in the subject areas.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1996

Evaluation of an Anthropometric Human Body Model for Simulated EVA Task Assessment

One of the more mission-critical tasks performed in space is extravehicular activity (EVA) which requires the astronaut to be external to the station or spacecraft, and subsequently at risk from the many threats posed by space. These threats include, but are not limited to: no significant atmosphere, harmful electromagnetic radiation, micrometeoroids, and space debris. To protect the astronaut from this environment, a special EVA suit is worn which is designed to maintain a sustainable atmosphere (at 1/3 atmosphere) and provide protection against the hazards of space. While the EVA suit serves these functions well, it does impose limitations on the astronaut as a consequence of the safety it provides. Since the astronaut is in a virtual vacuum, any atmospheric pressure inside the suit serves to pressurize the suit and restricts mobility of flexible joints (such as fabric). Although some of the EVA suit joints are fixed, rotary-style joints, most of the mobility is achieved by the simple flexibility of the fabric. There are multiple layers of fabric, each of which serves a special purpose in the safety of the astronaut. These multiple layers add to the restriction of motion the astronaut experiences in the space environment. Ground-based testing is implemented to evaluate the capability of EVA-suited astronauts to perform the various tasks in space. In addition to the restriction of motion imposed by the EVA suit, most EVA activity is performed in a micro-gravity (weight less) environment. To simulate weightlessness EVA-suited testing is performed in a neutral buoyancy simulator (NBS). The NBS is composed of a large container of water (pool) in which a weightless environment can be simulated. A subject is normally buoyant in the pressurized suit; however he/she can be made neutrally buoyant with the addition of weights. In addition, most objects the astronaut must interface with in the NBS sink in water and flotation must be added to render them "weightless". The implementation of NBS testing has proven to invaluable in the assessment of EVA activities performed with the Orbiter and is considered to be a key step in the construction of the International Space Station (ISS). While the NBS testing is extremely valuable, it does require considerable overhead to maintain and operate. It has been estimated that the cost of utilizing the facility is approximately $10,000 per day. Therefore it is important to maximize the utility of NBS testing for optimal results. One important aspect to consider in any human/worksite interface is the considerable wealth of anthropometric and ergonomic data available. A subset of this information specific to EVA activity is available in NASA standard 3000. The difficulty in implementing this data is that most of the anthropometric information is represented in a two-dimensional format. This poses some limitations in complete evaluation of the astronaut's capabilities in a three-dimensional environment. Advances in computer hardware and software have provided for three-dimensional design and implementation of hardware with the advance of computer aided design (CAD) software. There are a number of CAD products available and most companies and agencies have adopted CAD as a fundamental aspect of the design process. Another factor which supports the use of CAD is the implementation of computer aided manufacturing (CAM) software and hardware which provides for rapid prototyping and decreases the time to product in the design process. It is probable that most hardware to be accessed by astronauts in EVA or IVA (intravehicular activity) has been designed by a CAD system, and is therefore represented in three-dimensional space for evaluation. Because of the implementation of CAD systems and the movement towards early prototyping, a need has arisen in industry and government for tools which facilitate the evaluation of ergonomic consideration in a three-dimensional environment where the hardware has been designed by the CAD tools. One such product is Jack which was developed by the University of Pennsylvania with funding from several government agencies, including NASA. While the primary purpose of Jack is to model human figures in a ground-based (gravity) environment, it can be utilized to evaluate EVA-suited activities as well. The effects of simulated gravity must be turned off by turning off "behaviors". Although Jack provides human figures for manipulation, the primary instrument to be evaluated for EVA mobility is the work envelope provided by the EVA suit. An EVA Jack suit model has been developed by NASA-JSC and was utilized in this study. This suit model provided a more restrictive motion environment as expected for an EVA suited subject. As part of this study, the anthropometric dimensions for a 50th percentile male were compared with basic anthropometric data and were found to be representative for the population group expected in the NASA flight program. The joints for the suit were created in a manner which provided consistent performance with EVA reach envelopes published in NASA standard #3000.

Etter, Brad↗
NASA NTRS2022

Development of a Loop Antenna Deployment System for TEM-Based Subsurface Mars Water Detection

The subsurface of Mars has the potential to harbor existing deposits of liquid water, which are of great interest both scientifically (in the search for life) and as resources for future astronauts living on the red planet. However, the depth to a potential subsurface aquifer may be kilometers deep, which is well beyond what current surface or orbital approaches can survey while also confirming the unique signature for liquid water. Inspired by critical technology for exploring deep aquifers on Earth, we are developing the Transient H2O Reconnaissance (TH2OR) instrument at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). TH2OR operates on the principle of transient electromagnetics (TEM), which leverages induction and electromotive force to induce a current in a subsurface water body using a loop-shaped antenna that provides both transmit and receive functions when placed on the surface. On Mars, TEM may be even more effective given the relative dryness of the subsurface compared to a more conductive, saline, liquid, water body on Earth. However, to probe deep within the subsurface (below 5 km) a large enclosed antenna is needed – specifically, a 100-m diameter effective loop or a shape with roughly equivalent area that can transmit at low frequencies (kHz-Hz). The deployment of a large-scale structure on the surface is complicated by the fact that the transmit wire must be both lightweight and robust to contact with the surface. Further, TH2OR may be delivered to the surface by a non-mobile vehicle, so it is desired that the deployment can be activated from a static location. This paper provides an overview of the deployment trade study, focusing on our current, favored approach, using a projectile wire launcher. Building on past approaches in the literature, we have developed and fielded an Earth-based, gas-projectile prototype for launching a triangle-shaped antenna onto analogue terrain. Our results compare simulated launch performance to actual field tests conducted under Earth gravity and pressure conditions. We discuss how Earth performance maps to a prospective Mars deployment under reduced gravity and pressure. We also provide lessons learned and next steps towards the development of an integrated TH2OR instrument for finding water on Mars.

Stamenkovic, Vlada↗
NASA NTRS2005

Sample Collection from Small Airless Bodies: Examination of Temperature Constraints for the TGIP Sample Collector for the Hera Near-Earth Asteroid Sample Return Mission

There have been a number of missions that have explored the solar system with cameras and other instruments but profound questions remain that can only be addressed through the analysis of returned samples. However, due to lack of appropriate technology, high cost, and high risk, sample return has only recently become a feasible part of robotic solar system exploration. One specific objective of the President s new vision is that robotic exploration of the solar system should enhance human exploration as it discovers and understands the the solar system, and searches for life and resources [1]. Missions to small bodies, asteroids and comets, will partially fill the huge technological void between missions to the Moon and missions to Mars. However, such missions must be low cost and inherently simple, so they can be applied routinely to many missions. Sample return from asteroids, comets, Mars, and Jupiter s moons will be an important and natural part of the human exploration of space effort. Here we describe the collector designed for the Hera Near-Earth Asteroid Sample Return Mission. We have built a small prototype for preliminary evaluation, but expect the final collector to gather approx.100 g of sample of dust grains to centimeter sized clasts on each application to the surface of the asteroid.

Franzen, M. A.↗