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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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A review was made of lightweight mobile nuclear power systems (LMNPS). Data cover technical feasibility studies of LMNPS and airborne vehicles, mission studies, and non-technical conditions that are required to develop and use LMNPS.
Technical and economic feasibility studies on a small windmill to provide overnight charging for an electrically driven car are reported. The auxiliary generator provides power for heating and cooling the vehicle which runs for 25 miles on battery power alone, and for 50 miles with the onboard charger operating. The blades for this windmill have a diameter of 12 feet and are coupled through to a conventional automobile alternator so that they are able to completely recharge car batteries in 8 hours. Optimization of a windmill/storage system requires detailed wind velocity information which permits rational sitting of wind power system stations.
Hill County, Montana was the site chosen for feasibility studies concerning wheat crop identification using ERTS 1 multispectral band scanner data, in which the specific objective was to determine whether wheat is spectrally separable from other crops which are typically grown in wheat producing areas. Available computerized techniques were evaluated for their utility in the investigation. It was found that wheat can be separated from other crops with a classification accuracy of roughly 90 percent or better, and that the best single data set occurs after wheat is fully headed and before it turns yellow. The best overall performance was obtained using the three-pass data set using the best 8 channels, or all 12 channels.
A planning and feasibility study to identify and document a methodology needed to incorporate educational programs into future missions and operations of the space transportation system was conducted. Six tasks were identified and accomplished during the study. The task statements are as follows: (1) potential user identification, (2) a review of space education programs, (3) development of methodology for user involvement, (4) methods to encourage user awareness, (5) compilation of follow-on ideas, and (6) response to NASA questions. Specific recommendations for improving the educational coverage of space activities are provided.
NASA is implementing a global atmospheric monitoring program to measure the temporal and spatial distribution of particulate and gaseous constituents related to aircraft engine emissions in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (6 to 12 km). Several 747 aircraft operated by different airlines flying routes selected for maximum world coverage will be instrumented. The initial design of the system (location of equipment, aircraft interfaces, etc.) was conceptually defined in feasibility studies conducted by several airlines and an airframe company. An instrumentation system is now being assembled and tested and is scheduled for operation in airline service in late 1974. An ambient air sampling system was developed to provide undisturbed outside air to the instruments in the pressurized aircraft cabin.
A feasibility study was conducted on the design and construction of a flight-worthy replaceable battery module consisting of four 100 A.H. nickel-cadmium rechargeable cells for large manned space vehicles. The module is planned to weigh less than 43 pounds and be fully maintainable in a zero-g environment by one man without use of special tools. An active environmental control system was designed for the temperature control of the module.
Coupling of satellite data to resource management problems in Alaska is implemented through feasibility studies of applicability of Landsat data to specific environmental surveys in ecology, agriculture, hydrology, wildlife management, oceanography, geology, etc.; and using the results of these studies to extend the benefits of satellite data applications to the operational needs of mission-oriented agencies of federal, state, and regional governments, as well as private industry. Activities designed to encourage the participation of users in the Landsat program at levels most appropriate to the users' interests are described and include: observation, coordination, and information exchange; training courses and workshops; data exchange; consulting services; data processing services; user participation in University research projects; and university participation in the operational projects of user agencies. Progress in these areas is reported. The effectiveness of this broad-based approach in overcoming the initial apprehensiveness of users is demonstrated.
An introduction to the MAPSEP organization and a detailed analytical description of all models and algorithms are given. These include trajectory and error covariance propagation methods, orbit determination processes, thrust modeling, and trajectory correction (guidance) schemes. Earth orbital MAPSEP contains the capability of analyzing almost any currently projected low thrust mission from low earth orbit to super synchronous altitudes. Furthermore, MAPSEP is sufficiently flexible to incorporate extended dynamic models, alternate mission strategies, and almost any other system requirement imposed by the user. As in the interplanetary version, earth orbital MAPSEP represents a trade-off between precision modeling and computational speed consistent with defining necessary system requirements. It can be used in feasibility studies as well as in flight operational support. Pertinent operational constraints are available both implicitly and explicitly. However, the reader should be warned that because of program complexity, MAPSEP is only as good as the user and will quickly succumb to faulty user inputs.
A feasibility study on the problem of computer automated aerial/orbital photogrammetry is documented. The techniques investigated were based on correlation matching of small areas in digitized pairs of stereo images taken from high altitude or planetary orbit, with the objective of deriving a 3-dimensional model for the surface of a planet.
Mission profiles for a Mars Surface Sample Return (MSSR) mission are considered. A profile using separate launches for a lander/ascent module and an orbiter/return system could use present technology and is appropriate for international cooperation. The achievement of clean interfaces between major building blocks and ease of controlling back contamination are advantages offered by the concept. A spatially distributed surface sample could be obtained by using multiple landers delivering samples to a common orbiter. The Pioneer Venus program, originally planned as a cooperative NASA-ESRO project, resulted in development of a standardized spacecraft bus yielding benefits at minimized cost. The first joint US-European planetary mission now planned is the launch of a Pioneer class orbiter to Jupiter in 1980. Feasibility studies are being conducted.
A feasibility study was recently completed on a hopping transporter concept for locomotion on the moon. Termed a Lunar Pogo because it would operate similarly to a conventional pogo stick, this vehicle would accelerate up an inclined leg, pick up the leg, and then enter ballistic flight over the moon's surface. Upon recontacting the lunar surface, the Lunar Pogo would decelerate down the leg. Propulsion would be provided by expansion of gas against a piston. Operation would be partially conservative because much of the energy expended by the gas during takeoff would be recovered by compressing the gas during landing. Two models of the ballistics and propulsion have been set up to estimate performance. The simplified first-order model illuminates the thermodynamics of ideal operation. The second-order model, which includes realistic effects such as sliding, provides a better approximation to actual performance. In a one-man Lunar Pogo, an astronaut would typically make 15-m (50-ft) leaps at an average speed of 5-8 km (3-5 miles) per hour.
The return of Mars surface samples by the orbital rendezvous mode would require smaller, lighter vehicles than the direct return mode and would limit the exposure of the earth return systems to possible contamination by Martian biota. The reference mission considered would use a single Titan IIIE/Centaur launch vehicle, carry a 1 kg sample, and be launched in late 1981. The spacecraft would consist of an orbiter, a Mars lander, a Mars ascent vehicle, an earth return vehicle, and an earth entry capsule. The Mars ascent vehicle is the only all-new vehicle required, the others being derived from Viking and other programs. A key consideration is the feasibility of automatic rendezvous and sample transfer between the ascent vehicle and orbiter in Mars orbit. The maneuvers required and the maneuver algorithm developed in a NASA feasibility study are described in detail. The possibility of international cooperation on a Mars orbital rendezvous mission is discussed.
Feasibility studies to delineate floodplains using aerial photography have been conducted by the Army Corps of Engineers. The objective of this project is to establish floodplain boundaries using natural indicators such as vegetation types, soil types, moisture differences, and geologic variations. Using aircraft multispectral data, an automated mapping routine should enable the Corps of Engineers to reduce costly field surveys and improve the accuracy of floodplain delineation in pristine areas. The purpose of this paper is to document the methodology utilized in this investigation while using one of a series of available data sets and test sites and to report preliminary findings.
The Viking '75 Mission to Mars permits a truly unique opportunity to explore the natural satellites, Phobos and Deimos, from distances measured in the tens of kilometers. Because of the particular orbital geometry currently planned for the Viking Mission, the Viking spacecraft can be maneuvered to make repeated passes very close to Phobos and Deimos during the proposed extended mission phase. Multipass images of both satellites will cover approximately 75% of Phobos and 50% of Deimos. Resolution on the order of 50 meters is possible. Close encounters will permit mass determination to an accuracy of tens of percent. A preliminary feasibility study has been made which shows that the propulsive requirements are nominal, the orbit determination accuracy is adequate, and the satellites are within the scan platform pointing capability during portions of each encounter.
The olfactory epithelium, but not the nasal respiratory epithelium, of the four pocket mice (Perognathus longimembris) that survived their flight on Apollo XVII showed both diffuse alterations and numerous disseminated focal lesions. The olfactory mucosa of the mouse that died during flight was also affected, but to a minor degree insofar as could be determined. All this was in contrast to the normal appearance of the olfactory mucosa of the numerous control animals. A number of possible causes were considered: systemic or regional infection; inhaled particulate material (seed dust); by-products from the KO2 bed in aerosol or particulate form; gas contaminants originating in the flight package; volatile substances from the dead mouse; weightlessness; and cosmic ray particle radiation. Where feasible, studies were conducted in an effort to rule in or rule out some of these potentially causative factors. No definitive conclusions were reached as to the cause of the lesions in the flight mice.
Planetary-orbit mission capabilities will be greatly improved by the advent of space-storable retropropulsion systems with liquid fluorine and hydrazine as bipropellants even when the Shuttle/Tug is used as launch vehicle. Having a specific impulse as large as 375 sec, a multimission propulsion module using space-storable propellants with Pioneer or Mariner spacecraft as payload can perform Mercury, Saturn, and Uranus orbiter missions, and even some comet rendezvous missions, more cost effectively and flexibly than one using earth-storable propellants. It also can reduce trip time to the outer planets significantly. This paper presents mission requirements, technology status, system design and performance, development schedules, and costs based on data derived in a recent design and feasibility study.
Results are presented of a conceptual design and feasibility study of chemical propulsion stages that can serve as modular propulsion units, with little or no modification, on a variety of planetary orbit missions, including orbiters of Mercury, Saturn, and Uranus. Planetary spacecraft of existing design or currently under development, viz., spacecraft of the Pioneer and Mariner families, are assumed as payload vehicles. Thus, operating requirements of spin-stabilized and 3-axis stabilized spacecraft have to be met by the respective propulsion module designs. As launch vehicle for these missions the Shuttle orbiter and interplanetary injection stage, or Tug, plus solid-propellant kick motor was assumed. Accommodation constraints and interfaces involving the payloads and the launch vehicle are considered in the propulsion module design. The applicability and performance advantages were evaluated of the space-storable high-energy bipropellants. The incentive for using this advanced propulsion technology on planetary missions is the much greater performance potential when orbit insertion velocities in excess of 4 km/sec are required, as in the Mercury orbiter. Design analyses and performance tradeoffs regarding earth-storable versus space-storable propulsion systems are included. Cost and development schedules of multi-mission versus custom-designed propulsion modules are examined.
Results of a feasibility study to investigate a digital signal processor for real-time operation with a synthetic aperture radar system aboard the space shuttle are presented. Pertinent digital processing theory, a description of the proposed system, and size, weight, power, scheduling, and development estimates are included.