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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 1,099 records · Page 61
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1971

DORCA computer program. Volume 1: User's guide

The Dynamic Operational Requirements and Cost Analysis Program (DORCA) was written to provide a top level analysis tool for NASA. DORCA relies on a man-machine interaction to optimize results based on external criteria. DORCA relies heavily on outside sources to provide cost information and vehicle performance parameters as the program does not determine these quantities but rather uses them. Given data describing missions, vehicles, payloads, containers, space facilities, schedules, cost values and costing procedures, the program computes flight schedules, cargo manifests, vehicle fleet requirements, acquisition schedules and cost summaries. The program is designed to consider the Earth Orbit, Lunar, Interplanetary and Automated Satellite Programs. A general outline of the capabilities of the program are provided.

Wray, S. T., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Shuttle sortie simulation using a Lear jet aircraft: Mission no. 1 (assess program)

The shuttle sortie simulation mission of the Airborne Science/Shuttle Experiments System Simulation Program which was conducted using the CV-990 aircraft is reported. The seven flight, five day mission obtained data on experiment preparation, type of experiment components, operation and maintenance, data acquisition, crew functions, timelines and interfaces, use of support equipment and spare parts, power consumption, work cycles, influence of constraints, and schedule impacts. This report describes the experiment, the facilities, the operation, and the results analyzed from the standpoint of their possible use in aiding the planning for experiments in the Shuttle Sortie Laboratory.

Mulholland, D. R.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Orbit improvement from satellite imaging data obtainable from outer planet missions.

Equations of motion are established for a dynamical system in which a spacecraft flies close to and interacts with an outer planet and one or more of its satellites. For the computation of the state and mass partials needed in a simultaneous orbit correction of n interacting bodies, a notably compact set of variational equations is derived. The above system of differential equations is integrated numerically on a computer. Spacecraft-satellite direction measurements accurate to plus or minus 10 sec were simulated along three representative trajectories (Mariner/Jupiter/Saturn 1977 missions) approaching Io, Titan, and Iapetus to within 41000, 13000, and 7000 km, respectively. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of the need for future work on the orbits of the satellites of the outer planets.

Aksnes, K.↗
NASA NTRS1973

A geological investigation of the Taurus-Littrow Valley

The geological characteristics of the Taurus-Littrow region in the mountainous southeastern ring of the great plain of the Mare Serenitatis are presented. The major geologically defined units within the valley and the mountains surrounding it were examined during the Apollo 17 mission. The data obtained during the geological analysis are presented. Photographs of the significant formations are included. The specific nature of the rock formations and the stratigraphy of the area are discussed.

Schmitt, H. H.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Skylab Saturn 1B flight manual

A Saturn 1B Flight Manual provides launch vehicle systems descriptions and predicted performance data for the Skylab missions. Vehicle SL-2 (SA-206) is the baseline for this manual; but, as a result of the great similarity, the material is representative of SL-3 and SL-4 launch vehicles, also. The Flight Manual is not a control document but is intended primarily as an aid to astronauts who are training for Skylab missions. In order to provide a comprehensive reference for that purpose, the manual also contains descriptions of the ground support interfaces, prelaunch operations, and emergency procedures. Mission variables and constraints are summarized, and mission control monitoring and data flow during launch preparation and flight are discussed.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1973

An ultrahigh rate digital tape recorder for spacecraft applications

Spaceborne digital recorders must satisfy the conflicting requirements of maximum data storage of high-rate data (particularly for high-resolution sensor data) and a long life with high reliability (meaning rugged design and moderate head-to-tape speeds). The multitrack longitudinal (fixed head) recorder can successfully resolve this conflict and satisfy both requirements. An evolutionary machine is described which was originally designed to store and reproduce 30 minutes of 39.9-Mb/sec sensor data, for mission lives on the order of one year; newer designs have surpassed these parameters by significant amounts.

Thompson, C. R.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Apollo Program Summary Report: Synopsis of the Apollo Program Activities and Technology for Lunar Exploration

Overall program activities and the technology developed to accomplish lunar exploration are discussed. A summary of the flights conducted over an 11-year period is presented along with specific aspects of the overall program, including lunar science, vehicle development and performance, lunar module development program, spacecraft development testing, flight crew summary, mission operations, biomedical data, spacecraft manufacturing and testing, launch site facilities, equipment, and prelaunch operations, and the lunar receiving laboratory. Appendixes provide data on each of the Apollo missions, mission type designations, spacecraft weights, records achieved by Apollo crewmen, vehicle histories, and a listing of anomalous hardware conditions noted during each flight beginning with Apollo 4.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1975

Trajectory analysis for solar electric propulsion stage /SEPS/ out-of-ecliptic mission

It is planned to use the SEPS as the upper stage of a transportation system capable of delivering either a separable payload spacecraft or an attached science package to a host of planetary targets including inner and outer planets, asteroids, and comets. It may also be employed in earth orbit to deliver and retrieve payloads in geosynchronous orbit. An investigation is conducted regarding the use of the SEPS for a relatively high energy out-of-ecliptic mission planned for 1980. Parametric performance data for the mission are considered along with trajectory characteristics, launch vehicle performance, and SEPS performance.

Dazzo, E. J.↗
NASA NTRS1976

User guide to a command and control system; a part of a prelaunch wind monitoring program

A set of programs called Command and Control System (CCS), intended as a user manual, is described for the operation of CCS by the personnel supporting the wind monitoring portion of the launch mission. Wind data obtained by tracking balloons is sent by electronic means using telephone lines to other locations. Steering commands are computed from a system called ADDJUST for the on-board computer and relays this data. Data are received and automatically stored in a microprocessor, then via a real time program transferred to the UNIVAC 1100/40 computer. At this point the data is available to be used by the Command and Control system.

Cowgill, G. R.↗
NASA NTRS1976

LANDSAT D instrument module study

Spacecraft instrument module configurations which support an earth resource data gathering mission using a thematic mapper sensor were examined. The differences in size of these two experiments necessitated the development of two different spacecraft configurations. Following the selection of the best-suited configurations, a validation phase of design, analysis and modelling was conducted to verify feasibility. The chosen designs were then used to formulate definition for a systems weight, a cost range for fabrication and interface requirements for the thematic mapper (TM).

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1977

Determination of cardiac size from chest roentgenograms following Skylab missions

The majority of crewmembers who exhibited postflight decreases in the cardiac silhouette size also showed a decreased orthostatic tolerance to lower body negative pressure. Similar findings were also reported by the Soviet investigators following 30-day bedrest studies and in cosmonauts upon return from space missions. Further radiological data from all three Skylab manned missions are presented and the physiological factors possibly involved in the cardiac silhouette changes are discussed.

Nicogossian, A. E.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Telemetry packetization for improved mission operations

The requirements for mission-operations data management will accelerate sharply when the Space Transportation System (i.e., Space Shuttle) becomes the primary vehicle for research from space. These demands can be satisfied most effectively by providing a higher-level source encoding function within the spaceborne vehicle. An Instrument Telemetry Packet (ITP) concept is described which represents an alternative to the conventional multiplexed telemetry frame approach for acquiring spaceborne instrument data. By providing excellent data-integrity protection at the source and a variable instrument bandwidth capability, this ITP concept represents a significant improvement over present data acquisition procedures. Realignments in the ground telemetry processing functions are described which are intended to take advantage of the ITP concept and to make the data management system more responsive to the scientific investigators.

Greene, E. P.↗
NASA NTRS1978

SeaSat-A Satellite Scatterometer (SASS) Validation and Experiment Plan

This plan was generated by the SeaSat-A satellite scatterometer experiment team to define the pre-and post-launch activities necessary to conduct sensor validation and geophysical evaluation. Details included are an instrument and experiment description/performance requirements, success criteria, constraints, mission requirements, data processing requirement and data analysis responsibilities.

Schroeder, L. C.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Lunar thermal regime to 300 km

Coupling of the global heat flow, crustal heat source enrichment, thermal conductivity, and temperature in the crust and upper mantle of the moon is examined. A steady-state moon in which conductive heat transfer dominates is assumed. Heat-flow measurements from the Apollo 15 and 17 missions and gamma-ray mapping of thorium conducted by the Apollo 15 and 16 missions provide data for the study of the lunar thermal regime. Temperatures in the range of 1100 to 1600 K are found for the 300-km depth level. In the upper mantle, temperature gradients are in the range of 1.8 to 3.2 K/km.

Keihm, S. J.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Environmental observations from space present and future

Spaceborne systems for measuring and predicting environmental conditions have achieved a level of development that justifies a look at the total environmental system. There are common requirements in all the disciplines, and many of the same measurements are needed to satisfy various discipline needs. It is this factor - the commonality of needs and measurements - that will be used in our future missions. The needs and requirements in the future plan will be faced by combining mission and data requirements that may be satisfied from orbiting spacecraft. There are also similarities in information requirements, as a result of which there is a need for developing an integrated data/information system where information will be produced in a format that will be of immediate utility to the users.

Greenwood, L. R.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Spacecraft automated operations

Trends in automation of planetary spacecraft are examined using data from missions as far back as Mariner '67 and up to the highly sophisticated Galileo. Nine design considerations which influence the degree of automation such as protection against catastrophic failures, highly repetitive functions, loss of spacecraft communications, and the need for near-real-time adaptivity are discussed. Rapid growth of automation is shown in terms of on-board hardware by plots of number of processors on board, the average speed of processors, and total core memory. The number of commands transmitted from the ground has grown to 5 million bits in Voyager, so that increases in mission complexity have increased both in spacecraft automation and ground operations. Achieving greater automation by transferring ground operations to the spacecraft with the current means of controlling missions, are considered noting proposed changes. For the future, improved computer technology, more microprocessors and increased core storage will be used, and the number of automated functions and their complexity will grow. It is concluded that using the growing computational capability of spacecraft will achieve more autonomy thus reversing the trend of increased mission complexity and cost.

Bird, T. H.↗