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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 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1976

Space Shuttle Orbiter crash and rescue information - Basic characteristics of the Space Shuttle system

Major fire and rescue activity procedures developed for the Space Shuttle Orbiter are reproduced, together with diagrams of the Orbiter's ejection seat and of emergency egress-ingress hatches and blowout panels. Duties assigned to the Manager of the Fire, Crash and Rescue division of the Space Shuttle Program are discussed, including training of both ground and flight personnel in accordance with the Orbiter Crash Rescue Information manual. The special problem of providing a means of egress and rescue for the flight and ground crews of the Orbiter while it is in the piggyback configuration on top the Boeing 747 carrier was solved by use of a modified 85-foot articulated boom.

Gray, N. C.↗
NASA NTRS2020

Forecasting Global Fire Emissions on Subseasonal to Seasonal (S2S) Time Scales

Fire emissions of gases and aerosols alter atmospheric composition and have substantial impacts on climate, ecosystem function, and human health. Warming climate and human expansion in fire‐prone landscapes exacerbate fire impacts and call for more effective management tools. Here we developed a global fire forecasting system that predicts monthly emissions using past fire data and climate variables for lead times of 1 to 6 months. Using monthly fire emissions from the Global Fire Emissions Database (GFED) as the prediction target, we fit a statistical time series model, the Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average model with eXogenous variables (ARIMAX), in over 1,300 different fire regions. Optimized parameters were then used to forecast future emissions. The forecast system took into account information about region‐specific seasonality, long‐term trends, recent fire observations, and climate drivers representing both large‐scale climate variability and local fire weather. We cross‐validated the forecast skill of the system with different combinations of predictors and forecast lead times. The reference model, which combined endogenous and exogenous predictors with a 1 month forecast lead time, explained 52% of the variability in the global fire emissions anomaly, considerably exceeding the performance of a reference model that assumed persistent emissions during the forecast period. The system also successfully resolved detailed spatial patterns of fire emissions anomalies in regions with significant fire activity. This study bridges the gap between the efforts of near‐real‐time fire forecasts and seasonal fire outlooks and represents a step toward establishing an operational global fire, smoke, and carbon cycle forecasting system.

vapor pressure↗
NASA NTRS1981

The NASA/Baltimore Applications Project (BAP). Computer aided dispatch and communications system for the Baltimore Fire Department: A case study of urban technology application

An engineer and a computer expert from Goddard Space Flight Center were assigned to provide technical assistance in the design and installation of a computer assisted system for dispatching and communicating with fire department personnel and equipment in Baltimore City. Primary contributions were in decision making and management processes. The project is analyzed from four perspectives: (1) fire service; (2) technology transfer; (3) public administration; and (5) innovation. The city benefitted substantially from the approach and competence of the NASA personnel. Given the proper conditions, there are distinct advantages in having a nearby Federal laboratory provide assistance to a city on a continuing basis, as is done in the Baltimore Applications Project.

Levine, A. L.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Solar heating and domestic hot water system installed at Kansas City, Fire Stations, Kansas City, Missouri

The solar system was designed to provide 47 percent of the space heating, 8,800 square feet area and 75 percent of the domestic hot water (DHW) load. The solar system consists of 2,808 square feet of Solaron, model 2001, air, flat plate collector subsystem, a concrete box storage subsystem which contains 1,428 cubic feet of 0.5 inch diameter pebbles weighing 71.5 tons, a DHW preheat tank, blowers, pumps, heat exchangers, air ducting, controls and associated plumbing. Two 120 gallon electric DHW heaters supply domestic hot water which is preheated by the solar system. Auxiliary space heating is provided by three electric heat pumps with electric resistance heaters and four 30 kilowatt electric unit heaters. There are six modes of system operation.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1989

Designing an infrared system to map and detect wildland fires

The 'Firefly' project is developing an infrared remote sensing system to provide near real-time wildland fire information for fire management and suppression. Recent technological advances in several areas now allow the design of an end-to-end, infrared system to map and detect wildland fires. The system components will include an airborne infrared sensor, automatic onboard signal and data processing, telecommunications link, and integration into a ground data terminal. The system will provide improved performance over current systems in terms of increased timeliness of data delivery, quantifiable accuracy, data consistency, reliability, and maintainability. The system will be the next generation of wildland fire mapping and detection system for the United States Forest Service.

Nichols, J. David↗
NASA NTRS2003

Thanksgiving Hocus Pocus

I was managing the construction project, and I thought my biggest challenge was simply finishing the work in time for start of the holiday shopping season. The store opened three weeks before Thanksgiving. Everything looked great. Business picked up steadily as the serious spending season approached. Then, two days before Thanksgiving, disaster struck. The fire protection system was designed to prevent smoke and fire from reaching the merchandise. If a fire alarm went off anywhere in the building, the system went into a massive pressurization mode. Dampers would open and the system would pump in hundreds of cubic feet of air from outside into the store, pressurizing every square foot, preventing fire or smoke from spreading into the store. That night an unknown event tripped the alarm-and it sounded for six hours. The air conditioning system was still operational as the outside air temperatures had been warm all month. That night, however, temperatures plummeted to 20 degrees. With an alarm sounding in a building complex that covers many millions of square feet, no one paid attention to the cold air flowing into the space. Pipes froze and burst. Hundreds of gallons of water came down through the drywall, soaking merchandise, the carpet and the hardwood racks. This state of the art system, which had been designed to protect, was now responsible for unthinkable damage. You could be the among greatest project managers in world, but if you have an attitude and you give the client heartburn, unnecessary heartburn, you're not going to do more work with him. If you have a disaster like this one, and you manage to make everybody feel good and believe that you are going to take care of them, then everybody looks back on it and says, "You know what, this is a good project team; we work well together, so let's do another one."

Zazzali, Christian↗
NASA NTRS1996

Summary Report of Mission Acceleration Measurements for STS-73, Launched October 20, 1995

The microgravity environment of the Space Shuttle Columbia was measured during the STS-73 mission using accelerometers from five different instruments: the Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment, the Space Acceleration Measurement System, the Three-dimensional Microgravity Accelerometer, the Microgravity Measuring Device, and Suppression of Transient Accelerations by Levitation Evaluation System. The Microgravity Analysis Workstation quasi-steady environment calculation and comparison of this calculation with Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment data was used to assess how appropriate a planned attitude was expected to be for one Crystal Growth Facility experiment sample. The microgravity environment related to several different Orbiter, crew, and experiment operations is presented and interpreted in this report. Data are examined to show the effects of vernier reaction control system jet firings for Orbiter attitude control. This is compared to examples of data when no thrusters were firing, when the primary reaction control system jets were used for attitude control, and when single vernier jets were fired for test purposes. In general, vernier jets, when used for attitude control, cause accelerations in the 3 x 10(exp -4) g to 7 x 10(exp -4) g range. Primary jets used in this manner cause accelerations in the 0.01 to 0.025 g range. Other significant disturbance sources characterized are water dump operations, with Y(sub b) axis acceleration deviations of about 1 x 10(exp -6) g; payload bay door opening motion, with Y(sub o) and Z(sub o) axis accelerations of frequency 0.4 Hz; and probable Glovebox fan operations with notable frequency components at 20, 38, 43, 48, and 53 Hz. The STS-73 microgravity environment is comparable to the environments measured on earlier microgravity science missions.

Rogers, Melissa J. B.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Lidar and aircraft studies of deep Cirrus systems from the 1986 FIRE IFO

Several NCAR King Air flight missions were conducted during the Wisconsin FIRE IFO experiment in support of the University of Utah polarization lidar observations of deep cirrus cloud systems at the Wausau ground site. Data collected from four cirrus systems are included in this analysis, including those of 22 and 28 October, and 1 and 2 November. Lidar data were generally obtained at 2 min intervals in the zenith direction over observation periods that ranged from approximately 4 to 10 h, bracketing the aircraft missions. The data were processed to yield height-time (HTI) displays of lidar linear depolarization ratio sigma and relative range-normalized return power P. King Air operations consisted of a combination of rapid profiling and Lagrangian spiral descents and stacked racetrack patterns in the vicinity of the field site. From the spiral descents are constructed vertical profiles of ice particle concentration N(sub i) and ice mass content IWC derived from PMS 2-D probe imagery and, when detected, FSSP cloud droplet concentration N(sub W) and liquid water content, LWC. Aircraft flight leg data are presented for the vertical velocity W and the same ice and water cloud content parameters. In addition, aerosol particle concentrations obtained with the ASAS probe are examined, and photographs of ice particles collected in-situ on oil-coated slides are presented to illustrate ice particle habit.

Sassen, Kenneth↗
NASA NTRS2007

A Small Angle Scattering Sensor System for the Characterization of Combustion Generated Particulate

One of the critical issues for the US space program is fire safety of the space station and future launch vehicles. A detailed understanding of the scattering signatures of particulate is essential for the development of a false alarm free fire detection system. This paper describes advanced optical instrumentation developed and applied for fire detection. The system is being designed to determine four important physical properties of disperse fractal aggregates and particulates including size distribution, number density, refractive indices, and fractal dimension. Combustion generated particulate are the primary detection target; however, in order to discriminate from other particulate, non-combustion generated particles should also be characterized. The angular scattering signature is measured and analyzed using two photon optical laser scattering. The Rayleigh-Debye-Gans (R-D-G) scattering theory for disperse fractal aggregates is utilized. The system consists of a pulsed laser module, detection module and data acquisition system and software to analyze the signals. The theory and applications are described.

Feikema, Douglas A.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Impingement effect of service module reaction control system engine plumes. Results of service module reaction control system plume model force field application to an inflight Skylab mission proximity operation situation with the inflight Skylab response

Plume impingement effects of the service module reaction control system thruster firings were studied to determine if previous flight experience would support the current plume impingement model for the orbiter reaction control system engines. The orbiter reaction control system is used for rotational and translational maneuvers such as those required during rendezvous, braking, docking, and station keeping. Therefore, an understanding of the characteristics and effects of the plume force fields generated by the reaction control system thruster firings were examined to develop the procedures for orbiter/payload proximity operations.

Lobb, J. D., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Survey of Fire Detection Technologies and System Evaluation/Certification Methodologies and Their Suitability for Aircraft Cargo Compartments

As part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) initiated program on global civil aviation, NIST is assisting Federal Aviation Administration in its research to improve fire detection in aircraft cargo compartments. Aircraft cargo compartment detection certification methods have been reviewed. The Fire Emulator-Detector Evaluator (FE/DE) has been designed to evaluate fire detection technologies such as new sensors, multi-element detectors, and detectors that employ complex algorithms. The FE/DE is a flow tunnel that can reproduce velocity, temperature, smoke, and Combustion gas levels to which a detector might be exposed during a fire. A scientific literature survey and patent search have been conducted relating to existing and emerging fire detection technologies, and the potential use of new fire detection strategies in cargo compartment areas has been assessed. In the near term, improved detector signal processing and multi-sensor detectors based on combinations of smoke measurements, combustion gases and temperature are envisioned as significantly impacting detector system performance.

Cleary, T.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Analysis and Results from a Flush Airdata Sensing System in Close Proximity to Firing Rocket Nozzles

This paper presents information regarding the nosecap Flush Airdata Sensing (FADS) system on Orion’s Pad Abort 1 (PA-1) vehicle. The purpose of the nosecap FADS system was to test whether or not useful data could be obtained from a FADS system if it was placed in close proximity to firing rocket nozzles like the Attitude Control Motor (ACM) nozzles on the PA-1 Launch Abort System. The nosecap FADS system used pressure measurements from a series of pressure ports which were arranged in a cruciform pattern and flush with the surface of the vehicle to estimate values of angle of attack, angle of sideslip, Mach number, impact pressure, and freestream static pressure. This paper will present the algorithms employed by the FADS system along with the development of the calibration datasets and a comparison of the final results to the Best Estimated Trajectory (BET) data for PA-1. Also presented in this paper is a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) study to explore the impact of the ACM on the nosecap FADS system. The comparison of the nosecap FADS system results to the BET and the CFD study showed that more investigation is needed to quantify the impact of the firing rocket motors on the FADS system.

Flush Air Data Sensing System↗
NASA NTRS1986

Emergency Management Computer-Aided Trainer (EMCAT)

The Emergency Management Computer-Aided Trainer (EMCAT) developed by Essex Corporation or NASA and the Federal Emergency Management Administration's (FEMA) National Fire Academy (NFA) is described. It is a computer based training system for fire fighting personnel. A prototype EMCAT system was developed by NASA first using video tape images and then video disk images when the technology became available. The EMCAT system is meant to fill the training needs of the fire fighting community with affordable state-of-the-art technologies. An automated real time simulation of the fire situation was needed to replace the outdated manual training methods currently being used. In order to be successful, this simulator had to provide realism, be user friendly, be affordable, and support multiple scenarios. The EMCAT system meets these requirements and therefore represents an innovative training tool, not only for the fire fighting community, but also for the needs of other disciplines.

Rodriguez, R. C.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Integrated Systems Health Management for Sustainable Habitats (Using Sustainability Base as a Testbed)

Habitation systems provide a safe place for astronauts to live and work in space and on planetary surfaces. They enable crews to live and work safely in deep space, and include integrated life support systems, radiation protection, fire safety, and systems to reduce logistics and the need for resupply missions. Innovative health management technologies are needed in order to increase the safety and mission-effectiveness for future space habitats on other planets, asteroids, or lunar surfaces. For example, off-nominal or failure conditions occurring in safety-critical life support systems may need to be addressed quickly by the habitat crew without extensive technical support from Earth due to communication delays. If the crew in the habitat must manage, plan and operate much of the mission themselves, operations support must be migrated from Earth to the habitat. Enabling monitoring, tracking, and management capabilities on-board the habitat and related EVA platforms for a small crew to use will require significant automation and decision support software.Traditional caution and warning systems are typically triggered by out-of-bounds sensor values, but can be enhanced by including machine learning and data mining techniques. These methods aim to reveal latent, unknown conditions while still retaining and improving the ability to provide highly accurate alerts for known issues. A few of these techniques will briefly described, along with performance targets for known faults and failures. Specific system health management capabilities required for habitat system elements (environmental control and life support systems, etc.) may include relevant subsystems such as water recycling systems, photovoltaic systems, electrical power systems, and environmental monitoring systems. Sustainability Base, the agency's flagship LEED-platinum certified green building acts as a living laboratory for testing advanced information and sustainable technologies that provides an opportunity to test novel machine learning and controls capabilities. In this talk, key features of Sustainability Base that make it relevant to deep space habitat technology and its use of these kinds of subsystems previously listed will be presented. The fact that all such systems require less power to support human occupancy can be used as a focal point to serve as a testbed for deep space habitats that will need to operate within finite energy budgets.

Systems Health Management↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA Space Launch System Completes Key Hot Fire Test and Begins Vehicle Integration

NASA and its commercial and international partners are on the way back to the Moon. Significant progress towards that goal was made in 2021, including on the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket – a key part of the Artemis initiative. The SLS core stage for the Artemis I mission – the first launch of SLS and an uncrewed Orion capsule – completed its Green Run test series in early 2021 and was successfully mated with the SLS twin solid rocket boosters on the mobile launcher at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The launch vehicle stage adapter, interim cryogenic propulsion stage, and the Orion stage adapter structural test article and Orion spacecraft mass simulator were also stacked. The flight Orion spacecraft and Orion stage adapter are being prepared for stacking and launch, targeted for late 2021 following a wet dress rehearsal at Launch Complex 39B. SLS hardware for Artemis II, which will be the first flight of crew on Orion and SLS, is also in work. Work progressed on core stage components, booster segments, and other hardware for Artemis III and future missions. This paper will detail the progress made.

John Honeycutt↗
NASA NTRS1991

Risks, designs, and research for fire safety in spacecraft

Current fire protection for spacecraft relies mainly on fire prevention through the use of nonflammable materials and strict storage controls of other materials. The Shuttle also has smoke detectors and fire extinguishers, using technology similar to aircraft practices. While experience has shown that the current fire protection is adequate, future improvements in fire safety technology to meet the challenges of long duration space missions, such as the Space Station Freedom, are essential. All spacecraft fire protection systems, however, must deal with the unusual combustion characteristics and operational problems in the low gravity environment. The features of low gravity combustion that affect spacecraft fire safety, and the issues in fire protection for Freedom that must be addressed eventually to provide effective and conservative fire protection systems are discussed.

Friedman, Robert↗
NASA NTRS1999

Preliminary Results of the Third Test Series of Nonmetal Material Flammability Evaluation In SKOROST Apparatus on the Space Station Mir

The work has been done according to the US/Russian Joint Project "Experimental Evaluation of the Material Flammability in Microgravity" a continued combustion study in the SKOROST test apparatus on the OS Mir. The objective of the project was to evaluate the flammability and flame-spread rate for the selected polymer materials in low velocity flow in microgravity. Lately, the issue of nonmetal material combustion in microgravity has become of great importance, based on the necessity to develop the fire safety system for the new International Space Station (ISS). Lack of buoyant flow in microgravity reduces oxygen transfer into the combustion zone, which leads to flame extinction when the flow velocity is less than the limiting flow velocity V(sub lim) for the material. The ISS FGB fire-safety system was developed based on this phenomenon. The existence of minimum flow velocity V(sub lim) to sustain fire for the selected materials was determined both theoretically and experimentally. In the latter, it is shown that, even for thermally thin nonmetal materials with a very low oxygen index C(sub lim) of 12.5% (paper sheets with the thickness of 0.1 mm), a limiting flow velocity V(sub lim) exists at oxygen concentration Co(sub OX) = 17-21%, and is about 1.0 - 0.1 cm/sec. This might be explained by the relative increase in thermal losses due to radiation from the surface and from the gaseous phase. In the second series of experiments in Skorost apparatus on Orbital Station Mir the existence of the limiting flow velocity V(sub lim) for combustion was confirmed for PMMA and glass-epoxy composite strip samples 2 mm thick at oxygen concentration C(sub OX) = 21.5%. It was concluded that V(sub lim) depends on C(sub OX) for the PMMA sample with a low oxygen index of 15.5%, the limiting flow velocity V(sub lim) was less than 0.5 cm/sec, and for the glass-epoxy composite sample with a high oxygen index of 19%, the limiting flow velocity V(sub lim) was higher than 15 cm/sec. As of now only those materials that maintain their integrity during combustion were investigated. The materials that disintegrate when burning present more danger for fire safety because the flame can spread farther with the parts of the structure, ejected melt drops, et cetera. Materials such as polyethylene are of great interest since they form a lengthy melt zone during the combustion in normal gravity. This melt zone generates drops of liquids that promote faster flame spread compared to usual combustion. The preliminary results of polyethylene insulation flammability evaluation in microgravity are shown in the NASA Wire Insulation Flammability (WIF) experiment during Space Shuttle flight STS-50. A lot of interesting data was collected during the WIF test program. However, one of the most important results was that, in microgravity, the extinction of the polyethylene occurred almost immediately when the flow of relatively low oxygen concentration (C(sub OX)=21%) was stopped. The purpose of the work reported here is to expand the existing data base on material flammability in microgravity and to conduct the third series of the space experiment using Skorost apparatus on Orbiatl Station Mir with melting polymers, which might increase the probability of fire and its propagation in ventilated microgravity environment of orbiting spacecraft.

Ivanov, A. V.↗