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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 1,081 records · Page 60
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2012

Antenna Calibration and Measurement Equipment

A document describes the Antenna Calibration & Measurement Equipment (ACME) system that will provide the Deep Space Network (DSN) with instrumentation enabling a trained RF engineer at each complex to perform antenna calibration measurements and to generate antenna calibration data. This data includes continuous-scan auto-bore-based data acquisition with all-sky data gathering in support of 4th order pointing model generation requirements. Other data includes antenna subreflector focus, system noise temperature and tipping curves, antenna efficiency, reports system linearity, and instrument calibration. The ACME system design is based on the on-the-fly (OTF) mapping technique and architecture. ACME has contributed to the improved RF performance of the DSN by approximately a factor of two. It improved the pointing performances of the DSN antennas and productivity of its personnel and calibration engineers.

Rochblatt, David J.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Controller synthesis for flexible spacecraft using multivariable loop-shaping and factorization methods

The problem of designing fine-pointing controllers is considered for large, flexible space structures using modern multivariable synthesis methods. The first method is an iterative procedure which utilizes frequency-domain singular-value techniques, and is found to yield satisfactory performance and robustness. For the second method, which is based on coprime factorizations, a particular bicoprime is obtained, and the steps in the design process are described. This method is still under development.

Joshi, Suresh M.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Application of active control technology to aircraft ride smoothing

Prototype Ride Smoothing System (RSSs) were synthesized for flight testing aboard the National Aeronautics and Space Administration General Purpose Airborne Simulator (GPAS). The systems were designed to meet comprehensive criteria including passenger comfort and aircraft handling qualities considerations. System performance estimates based on analytic expressions were compared to estimates derived from digital calculations. The effect of RSSs on pilot workload during ILS approach in turbulence was examined in a fixed-base simulator. A limited number of flights were conducted to verify predicted RSS performance. Results of these experiments indicate that RSSs reduce pilot workload and increase passenger comfort while maintaining handling qualities.

Jacobson, I. D.↗
NASA NTRS1975

A revolutionary and operational tethered aerostat system illustrating new LTA technology

An operational tethered aerostat system, which demonstrates utility of LTA systems, is described. It was made possible by development of a reliable tethered aerostat that is used to support broadcast equipment at an altitude of 10,000 feet. Two elements of the TCOM system, the aerostat and mooring station, are particularly relevant to the LTA Workshop. They demonstrate the feasibility of using LTA vehicles in real, operational, all-weather applications and, in addition, illustrate an advance in the overall technology base of LTA. The aerostat and the mooring station, including their technical design features and demonstrated performance characteristics, are described.

Menke, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Space shuttle orbit maneuvering engine reusable thrust chamber program

The feasibility of potential reusable thrust chamber concepts is studied. Propellant condidates were examined and analytically combined with potential cooling schemes. A data base of engine data which would assist in a configuration selection was produced. The data base verification was performed by the demonstration of a thrust chamber of a selected coolant scheme design. A full scale insulated columbium thrust chamber was used for propellant coolant configurations. Combustion stability of the injectors and a reduced size thrust chamber were experimentally verified as proof of concept demonstrations of the design and study results.

Senneff, J. M.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Associative programming language and virtual associative access manager

APL provides convenient associative data manipulation functions in a high level language. Six statements were added to PL/1 via a preprocessor: CREATE, INSERT, FIND, FOR EACH, REMOVE, and DELETE. They allow complete control of all data base operations. During execution, data base management programs perform the functions required to support the APL language. VAAM is the data base management system designed to support the APL language. APL/VAAM is used by CADANCE, an interactive graphic computer system. VAAM is designed to support heavily referenced files. Virtual memory files, which utilize the paging mechanism of the operating system, are used. VAAM supports a full network data structure. The two basic blocks in a VAAM file are entities and sets. Entities are the basic information element and correspond to PL/1 based structures defined by the user. Sets contain the relationship information and are implemented as arrays.

Carol Price↗
NASA NTRS1980

An adaptive-control switching buck regulator - Implementation, analysis, and design

Describing-function techniques and averaging methods have been employed to characterize a multiloop switching buck regulator by three functional blocks: power stage, analog signal processor, and pulse modulator. The model is employed to explore possible forms of pole-zero cancellation and the adaptive nature of the control to filter parameter changes. Analysis-based design guidelines are provided including a suggested additional RC-compensation loop to optimize regulator performances such as stability, audiosusceptibility, output impedance, and load transient response.

Lee, F. C.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Data flow modeling techniques

There have been a number of simulation packages developed for the purpose of designing, testing and validating computer systems, digital systems and software systems. Complex analytical tools based on Markov and semi-Markov processes have been designed to estimate the reliability and performance of simulated systems. Petri nets have received wide acceptance for modeling complex and highly parallel computers. In this research data flow models for computer systems are investigated. Data flow models can be used to simulate both software and hardware in a uniform manner. Data flow simulation techniques provide the computer systems designer with a CAD environment which enables highly parallel complex systems to be defined, evaluated at all levels and finally implemented in either hardware or software. Inherent in data flow concept is the hierarchical handling of complex systems. In this paper we will describe how data flow can be used to model computer system.

Kavi, K. M.↗
NASA NTRS1985

User data management

The primary objective is to identify, develop, and demonstrate key data management technologies to support user access to Space Station data. To accomplish this objective, there are several technical challenges which must be addressed. The first is how to provide routine customer access to high volume, dynamic and distributed data bases. This access will encompass the functions of mission and payload planning and operations, data processing and analysis, and data archive and distribution. Secondly, there must be some analysis of architectures for handling high volume data streams like those expected from the Space Station. This analysis will examine the use of packetized versus non-packetized data formats, modular expansion capabilities, real-time versus non-real-time data processing, and the interfaces and architecture required to support telescience operations. The task will also determine benchmarks of performance capabilities for technology operations, such as varied data base structures, data access procedures, distributed data base design, and data base machines. Information is provided here in outline form.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1988

Failure modes and effects analysis automation

A failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) assistant was implemented as a knowledge based system and will be used during design of the Space Station to aid engineers in performing the complex task of tracking failures throughout the entire design effort. The three major directions in which automation was pursued were the clerical components of the FMEA process, the knowledge acquisition aspects of FMEA, and the failure propagation/analysis portions of the FMEA task. The system is accessible to design, safety, and reliability engineers at single user workstations and, although not designed to replace conventional FMEA, it is expected to decrease by many man years the time required to perform the analysis.

Kamhieh, Cynthia H.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Advanced planar array development for space station

The results of the Advanced Planar Array Development for the Space Station contract are presented. The original objectives of the contract were: (1) to develop a process for manufacturing superstrate assemblies, (2) to demonstrate superstrate technology through fabrication and test, (3) to develop and analyze a preliminary solar array wing design, and (4) to fabricate a wing segment based on wing design. The primary tasks completed were designing test modules, fabricating, and testing them. LMSC performed three tasks which included thermal cycle testing for 2000 thermal cycles, thermal balance testing at the Boeing Environmental Test Lab in Kent, Washington, and acceptance testing a 15 ft x 50 in panel segment for 100 thermal cycles. The surperstrate modules performed well during both thermal cycle testing and thermal balance testing. The successful completion of these tests demonstrate the technical feasibility of a solar array power system utilizing superstrate technology. This final report describes the major elements of this contract including the manufacturing process used to fabricate modules, the tests performed, and the results and conclusions of the tests.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1988

Mission telemetry system monitor: A real-time knowledge-based system

The Galileo Mission Telemetry System (MTS) has a cluster of computer subsystems configured as a star network. The MTS handles the real-time processing of spacecraft telemetry and ground monitor data. Large volumes of status and fault messages are generated as a result of changes in the system environment. These messages are triggered by the conditions that exist on any one particular subsystem or device. The order of message generation is in time sequence and does not always correlate to the function sequence of active processes. A significant number of messages provide context with varying degrees of uncertainty. As such, highly skilled telemetry controllers are required to regularly go through high volumes of messages generated by the MTS to identify, diagnose, and isolate faults. A knowledge-based system prototype is being developed to monitor the Galileo Mission Telemetry System performance. The system design approach features temporal reasoning, uncertainty management, and intelligent graphic user interfaces.

Mouneimne, Samih A.↗
NASA NTRS1988

The design of an onboard digital Doppler processor for a spaceborne scatterometer

A digital Doppler processor, which will permit the Doppler center frequency of the measurement cell bandwidths to be adjusted to compensate for the effects of the earth's rotation, will be used in the next NASA spaceborn scatterometer known as NSCAT. The authors describe the design and genesis of the NSCAT digital Doppler processor and discusses the performance tradeoff issues that were evaluated during the design phase. In this FFT (fast Fourier transform)-based technique, computation of the adjustment to the cell center frequencies will be done onboard using an approximate expression for the Doppler shift of the cell center versus orbit time. This technique also permits modification of the parameters used to locate the radar-backscatter-coefficient measurement cells by ground command in response to orbit changes.

Long, David G.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Delay compensation in integrated communication and control systems. I - Conceptual development and analysis

A procedure for compensating for the effects of distributed network-induced delays in integrated communication and control systems (ICCS) is proposed. The problem of analyzing systems with time-varying and possibly stochastic delays could be circumvented by use of a deterministic observer which is designed to perform under certain restrictive but realistic assumptions. The proposed delay-compensation algorithm is based on a deterministic state estimator and a linear state-variable-feedback control law. The deterministic observer can be replaced by a stochastic observer without any structural modifications of the delay compensation algorithm. However, if a feedforward-feedback control law is chosen instead of the state-variable feedback control law, the observer must be modified as a conventional nondelayed system would be. Under these circumstances, the delay compensation algorithm would be accordingly changed. The separation principle of the classical Luenberger observer holds true for the proposed delay compensator. The algorithm is suitable for ICCS in advanced aircraft, spacecraft, manufacturing automation, and chemical process applications.

Luck, Rogelio↗
NASA NTRS1992

Test experience, 490 N high performance (321 sec Isp) engine

Engines with area ratios of 44:1 and 286:1 are tested by means of hot fire tests using the NTO/MMH bipropellant to maximize the performance of the combined technologies. The low-thrust engine systems are designed with oxidation resistant materials that can operate at temperatures of more than 2204 C for tens of hours. The chamber is attached to the injector in a configuration that prevents overheating of the injector, valve, and the spacecraft interface. Three injectors with 44:1 area ratios are capable of nominal specific impulse values of 309 sec, and a performance of 321 lbf-sec/lbm is noted for an all-welded engine assembly with area ratio of 286:1. The all-welded engine is shown to have an acceptable design margin for thermal characteristics. High-performance liquid apogee engines are shown to perform optimally when based on iridium/rhenium chamber technology, use of a special platelet injector, and the minimization of losses due to fuel-film cooling.

Schoenman, L.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Sequential design of linear quadratic state regulators with prescribed eigenvalues and specified relative stability

This paper considers the problem of optimal regulator design of linear multivariable systems with prescribed pole locations and/or poles corresponding to specified relative stability. A sequential method based on the frequency-domain optimality condition is proposed for achieving the desired pole assignment and determination of the corresponding quadratic performance index. This design method enables the retention of some stable open-loop poles and the associated eigenvectors in the closed-loop system. An illustrative example is provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Ganesan, Sekar↗
NASA NTRS1994

Modeling Improvements and Users Manual for Axial-flow Turbine Off-design Computer Code AXOD

An axial-flow turbine off-design performance computer code used for preliminary studies of gas turbine systems was modified and calibrated based on the experimental performance of large aircraft-type turbines. The flow- and loss-model modifications and calibrations are presented in this report. Comparisons are made between computed performances and experimental data for seven turbines over wide ranges of speed and pressure ratio. This report also serves as the users manual for the revised code, which is named AXOD.

Glassman, Arthur J.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Engine system assessment study using Martian propellants

A top-level feasibility study was conducted that identified and characterized promising chemical propulsion system designs which use two or more of the following propellant combinations: LOX/H2, LOX/CH4, and LOX/CO. The engine systems examined emphasized the usage of common subsystem/component hardware where possible. In support of this study, numerous mission scenarios were characterized that used various combinations of Earth, lunar, and Mars propellants to establish engine system requirements to assess the promising engine system design concept examined, and to determine overall exploration leverage of such systems compared to state-of-the-art cryogenic (LOX/H2) propulsion systems. Initially in the study, critical propulsion system technologies were assessed. Candidate expander and gas generator cycle LOX/H2/CO, LOX/H2/CH4, and LOX/CO/CH4 engine system designs were parametrically evaluated. From this evaluation baseline, tripropellant Mars Transfer Vehicle (MTV) LOX cooled and bipropellant Lunar Excursion Vehicle (LEV) and Mars Excursion Vehicle (MEV) engine systems were identified. Representative tankage designs for a MTV were also investigated. Re-evaluation of the missions using the baseline engine design showed that in general the slightly lower performance, smaller, lower weight gas generator cycle-based engines required less overall mission Mars and in situ propellant production (ISPP) infrastructure support compared to the larger, heavier, higher performing expander cycle engine systems.

Pelaccio, Dennis↗