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At least 1,135 records · Page 63

Reflectivity characterization of in-flow acoustic floor treatment for the NASA Langley 14- by 22-Foot Subsonic Tunnel

An experimental campaign was performed to assess acoustic modifications to the NASA Langley Research Center 14- by 22-Foot Subsonic Tunnel. Recent acoustic test campaigns in this facility have emphasized the reduction of aerodynamic noise due to flow scrubbing across acoustically treated floor baskets. However, the measures implemented to address this noise contaminant have resulted in the installation of floor basket coverings of high acoustic reflectivity. Therefore, a controlled test campaign was performed to identify a suitable acoustic basket configuration in terms of both acoustic absorptivity and reduced flow scrubbing noise. This test campaign was conducted in two phases: the first in an anechoic chamber facility on a single acoustic basket panel to identify a notional configuration of acceptable absorptivity, and the second in a complete floor basket installation checkout test in the NASA Langley 14- by 22-Foot Subsonic Tunnel. Results show that the newly implemented floor treatment exhibits suitable performance in both desired categories of acoustic absorptivity and reduced flow scrubbing noise. This campaign has also validated the effectiveness and usefulness of the anechoic chamber test configuration as a means of assessing acoustic reflections at oblique angles of incidence.

Nikolas S Zawodny↗

Flight-Test Approach for X-57 Mod II Configuration

The primary objective of the X-57 Mod II test flights is to perform a functional checkout of the research traction battery power and motor systems, perform an airworthiness assessment of the modified vehicle, and to collect baseline performance, stability, and acoustic data for comparisons with later modifications of the X-57 airplane. This paper describes the planned flight operations of the Mod II airplane, the unique considerations and decisions made in operating an electric aircraft, and the development and planning of the research test points necessary to achieve the Mod II flight objectives. Due to the constrained flight time, which resulted from limited capacity of the battery system, careful scripting of flights was required to maximize test time and execute test points efficiently.

James Reynolds↗

Tiltrotor Test Rig Wind-Tunnel Test Data Catalog

The Tiltrotor Test Rig (TTR) is a large-scale proprotor test system for the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex (NFAC). The first wind-tunnel entry was completed in November 2018 with a modern, 26-ft diameter proprotor. The rotor tested was the Bell Model 699, an AW609 rotor modified specifically for wind-tunnel testing. The primary purpose was to complete the development of the TTR, including systems integration with the NFAC. Testing included axial flow up to 273 knots, conversion mode from 30 to 100 deg nacelle angle, and hover/vertical climb conditions. Additional testing included aerodynamic tares, motor tests, thermal tests, modal vibration tests, and other checkout activities. This report lists the test conditions achieved and the types of data acquired and saved in the database.

NFAC↗

Exploration Exercise System (EES) Development

Exploration class missions will be required to have an exercise device that is lightweight, has a small footprint, and is capable of providing enough physical stimulus and exercise variability to be an effective countermeasure against muscle and bone loss that results from the microgravity environment. Exploration exercise device prototypes should be evaluated on the ground and in-orbit for feasibility of use in microgravity for long and short duration exploration missions and efficacy of the device to maintain multi-system health and performance. The European Enhanced Exploration Exercise Device (E4D) was selected as the exploration prototype device to be evaluated on ISS for efficacy and feasibility of use as a single multi-modality device for the exercise system for exploration missions. This effort supports the continued development, testing, and verification of E4D hardware and software, internal NASA integration (Human Health and Performance, ISS Vehicle Office, Engineering, and Flight Operations), and external integration across NASA, ESA, and the Danish Aerospace Company (DAC). Providing a feasibility and acceptability assessment from a physiological efficacy and hardware durability standpoint are critical for informing use and risk associated with use on exploration missions. Clearly defined objectives from end users, stakeholders, and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) will be tested by crewmembers during acute use sessions and long duration use of the exercise device while on ISS. This effort will include a flight study where crewmembers will be asked to exercise using only the E4D during the duration of their mission and participate in a battery of physiological testing to evaluate the efficacy. Hardware is scheduled to launch in FY25 followed by 2 years of operational use after activation and checkout. A final recommendation will be provided to the Artemis program on acceptability of the device for exploration missions. The E4D needs a vibration isolation stabilization (VIS) system that serves as a platform for the exercise hardware to protect the vehicle from loads imparted during exercise. Exploration forward VIS systems will need to protect the vehicle and provide sufficient stabilization for the exerciser during performance of all critical exercises. These enabling capabilities need to be achieved within exploration vehicle power, thermal, mass, and volume limitations.

Kent Lawrence Kalogera↗

Long-Term Groundwater Monitoring Report Industrial Area Kennedy Space Center, Florida

This report presents the 2023 groundwater sampling results from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Industrial Area (IA) Long-Term Monitoring (LTM) activities. Due to the project contract ending in 2023, this report presents one year of LTM activities instead of the two-year timeframe presented in previous reports. The NASA IA LTM Program includes the following 12 sites: - Ransom Road Landfill (RRLF) – Solid Waste Management Unit (SWMU) 003 - Building M7-0505 Treatment Tank Area (M505) – SWMU 039 - Operations and Checkout Building (O&C) – SWMU 076 - Vertical Processing Facility (VPF) – SWMU 077 - Environmental Health Facility (EHF) – SWMU 079 - Kennedy Athletic, Recreation, and Social Park 1 (KARS Park 1) – SWMU 084 - Engineering Development Laboratory (EDL) – SWMU 085 - Launch Equipment Test Facility (LETF) – SWMU 091 - Mobil Service Station (MOBIL) – SWMU 093 - General Services Administration Seized Property (GSSP) – SWMU 095 - Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF) – SWMU 098 - Fuel Storage Area #1 Underground Storage Tank [Building 1044] (FSA1) – Potential Release Location (PRL) 157 Sampling events for the IA LTM Program are conducted seasonally during the dry and wet seasons, which occur in May and November, respectively. The sites in the NASA IA LTM Program are sampled on annual, biennial, or 5-year sampling frequencies based on historical trends. The current sampling frequencies for the NASA IA LTM sites are as follows: - FSA1 is sampled annually, alternating between wet and dry seasons. - GSSP is sampled annually during the wet season. - Seven sites are sampled biennially, alternating between the wet and dry seasons (RRLF, M505, O&C, VPF, LETF, MOBIL, and SSPF). - EHF and EDL are sampled biennially during the wet season. - KARS Park 1 is sampled once every 5 years.

remediation↗

NASA 5.2%-Scale Semispan High Lift Common Research Model Wind Tunnel Test at the 14- by 22-Foot Subsonic Tunnel

A wind tunnel test of the NASA 5.2%-scale Semispan High Lift Common Research Model (CRM-HL) was conducted at the 14- by 22-Foot Subsonic Tunnel (14x22) in the fall of 2022. The main purpose of the test was a model checkout before shipping it overseas. The model was shipped to Germany in the spring of 2023, and the team wanted to be sure that instrumentation in the model was working, all of the model parts fit together well, and model changes could be done smoothly, as designed while installed in a wind tunnel. Force and moment and pressure data were collected during the test, and while these data were a secondary objective, they can be used for for tunnel-to-tunnel verification of the model, and for database supplementation for the NASA CRM-HL ecosystem. The test was run from August 15, 2022 through September 8, 2022. Eight configurations were tested at Mach 0.2 and 0.26, over an alpha range from -4deg to +24deg. All of the configurations that were tested accomplished testing of all model parts. This test campaign was a unique opportunity to test a complicated model design in a wind tunnel that is less expensive to test in and has easier model access than the tunnel that it was designed to run in. The test was invaluable in providing lessons learned about building up and running the model, and the model was returned to the model manufacturer from December 2022 to February 2023 for updates to make model changes easier, to make design fixes on the model, and to do clean up work on the model.

CRM-HL↗

Demonstration of Navigation Doppler Lidar Capabilities Onboard the First Commercial Lunar Lander

Landing on the Moon safely, softly, and precisely is still an extremely difficult task to achieve. Navigation Doppler Lidar (NDL) was designed to provide a solution to spaceflight landing vehicles in achieving this task. NDL is a high-performance, compact, and cost-effective velocity and altitude measurement instrument that has been developed, tested and improved over many years. Testing has now culminated with NDL’s successful operation on two spaceflight vehicles this year: Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander and Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus lunar lander. Odysseus became the first U.S. vehicle to land successfully on the Moon since Apollo 17. The performance data obtained by NDL during the Intuitive Machines mission is exceptional, and this mission fully demonstrated NDL’s ability to produce critical velocity and altitude data for future robotic and human exploration missions to the Moon and other planetary bodies. This paper will give an overview of NDL briefly describing its history, architecture, and theory of operation. NDL’s system checkout on Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander is then discussed followed by NDL’s performance during the Intuitive Machines Odysseus lunar lander mission. A description of how the data acquired by NDL is then used to perform trajectory reconstruction and animation is then provided. Finally, this paper concludes with potential uses of NDL’s acquired mission data to future applications.

Lunar Landing↗

NASA 5.2%-Scale Semispan High Lift Common Research Model Wind Tunnel Test at the 14- by 22-Foot Subsonic Tunnel

A wind tunnel test of the NASA 5.2%-scale Semispan High Lift Common Research Model (CRM-HL) was conducted at the 14- by 22-Foot Subsonic Tunnel (14x22) in the fall of 2022. The main purpose of the test was a model checkout before shipping it overseas. The model was shipped to Germany in the spring of 2023, and the team wanted to be sure that instrumentation in the model was working, all of the model parts fit together well, and model changes could be done smoothly, as designed while installed in a wind tunnel. Force and moment and pressure data were collected during the test, and while these data were a secondary objective, they can be used for for tunnel-to-tunnel verification of the model, and for database supplementation for the NASA CRM-HL ecosystem. The test was run from August 15, 2022 through September 8, 2022. Eight configurations were tested at Mach 0.2 and 0.26, over an alpha range from -4deg to +24deg. All of the configurations that were tested accomplished testing of all model parts. This test campaign was a unique opportunity to test a complicated model design in a wind tunnel that is less expensive to test in and has easier model access than the tunnel that it was designed to run in. The test was invaluable in providing lessons learned about building up and running the model, and the model was returned to the model manufacturer from December 2022 to February 2023 for updates to make model changes easier, to make design fixes on the model, and to do clean up work on the model.

Semispan↗

Demonstration of Navigation Doppler Lidar Capabilities Onboard the First Commercial Lunar Lander

Landing on the Moon safely, softly, and precisely is still an extremely difficult task to achieve. Navigation Doppler Lidar (NDL) was designed to provide a solution to spaceflight landing vehicles in achieving this task. NDL is a high-performance, compact, and cost-effective velocity and altitude measurement instrument that has been developed, tested and improved over many years. Testing has now culminated with NDL’s successful operation on two spaceflight vehicles this year: Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander and Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus lunar lander. Odysseus became the first U.S. vehicle to land successfully on the Moon since Apollo 17. The performance data obtained by NDL during the Intuitive Machines mission is exceptional, and this mission fully demonstrated NDL’s ability to produce critical velocity and altitude data for future robotic and human exploration missions to the Moon and other planetary bodies. This paper will give an overview of NDL briefly describing its history, architecture, and theory of operation. NDL’s system checkout on Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander is then discussed followed by NDL’s performance during the Intuitive Machines Odysseus lunar lander mission. A description of how the data acquired by NDL is then used to perform trajectory reconstruction and animation is then provided. Finally, this paper concludes with potential uses of NDL’s acquired mission data to future applications.

Lunar Landing↗

NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) Rocket Ready for Artemis II Lunar Mission

In early 2026, NASA will launch the Artemis II mission, an approximately 10-day long lunar mission that will fly three NASA astronauts and one CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut on a free-return trajectory around the Moon, following a one-day checkout of their Orion spacecraft in Earth orbit. The mission will be the first to launch astronauts aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft and on top of the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. The mission will also deploy four 12U CubeSats as secondary payloads from the Orion stage adapter, following Orion separation and departure. The payloads, developed by four of NASA’s international partners, will perform a variety of science and technology investigations. The SLS and Orion for the mission are currently stacked in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and are undergoing final preparations to rollout to Launch Pad 39B for a tanking test before launch. In addition to preparations for the Artemis II mission, significant progress is being made on the SLS for the Artemis III mission, which is targeted to return astronauts to the lunar surface no later than 2029. Major components of the core stage and solid rocket boosters are already at NASA Kennedy undergoing build-up for the mission. Data from the Artemis II launch and mission, as well as progress to subsequent missions, as available, will be presented.

Bruce R Askins↗

NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) Rocket Ready for Artemis II Lunar Mission

In early 2026, NASA will launch the Artemis II mission, an approximately 10-day long lunar mission that will fly three NASA astronauts and one CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut on a free-return trajectory around the Moon, following a one-day checkout of their Orion spacecraft in Earth orbit. The mission will be the first to launch astronauts aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft and on top of the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. The mission will also deploy four 12U CubeSats as secondary payloads from the Orion stage adapter, following Orion separation and departure. The payloads, developed by four of NASA’s international partners, will perform a variety of science and technology investigations. The SLS and Orion for the mission are currently stacked in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and are undergoing final preparations to rollout to Launch Pad 39B for a tanking test before launch. In addition to preparations for the Artemis II mission, significant progress is being made on the SLS for the Artemis III mission, which is targeted to return astronauts to the lunar surface no later than 2029. Major components of the core stage and solid rocket boosters are already at NASA Kennedy undergoing build-up for the mission. Data from the Artemis II launch and mission, as well as progress to subsequent missions, as available, will be presented.

Bruce Askins↗

On-Orbit Calibration Assessment of NOAA-21 VIIRS Thermal Emissive Bands and Implications for JPSS-4 VIIRS

The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument onboard the NOAA-21 (N21) satellite has been successfully operating for over three years collecting valuable scientific measurements. A large suite of weather forecasting models and scientific research applications are supported with the VIIRS measurements from N21 combined with those acquired from the VIIRS instrument onboard the S-NPP and NOAA-20 spacecraft. Among the 22 VIIRS spectral bands, there are seven thermal emissive bands (TEB) covering the 3.7 to 12.2 µm spectral range at two different spatial resolutions. The VIIRS TEB detectors are calibrated onboard using a blackbody at a controlled temperature and a space view for background signal measurement. In this paper, we discuss the on-orbit performance of the N21 VIIRS TEB using various parameters such as the detector gain, noise, and offset. This on-orbit assessment provides critical insights into instrument behavior and calibration performance that will inform pre-launch testing and post-launch validation strategies for the upcoming JPSS-4 VIIRS mission scheduled for launch in 2027. The methodologies and lessons learned from characterizing the N21 TEB performance will enable more efficient and comprehensive radiometric assessment of the next VIIRS instrument. Specific focus is placed on identifying performance trends and anomaly signatures observed during the N21 commissioning phase that can enhance the JPSS4 instrument checkout procedures and accelerate the transition to routine on-orbit operations. The established performance baselines and uncertainty estimates will serve as an acceptance criterion for the JPSS-4 commissioning activities, ensuring mission readiness and data continuity for operational users.

Amit Angal↗

Overview and Lessons Learned of the Jefferson Lab Cryomodule Production for the CEBAF 12 GeV Upgrade

The Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) at Jefferson Lab is nearing completion of an energy upgrade from 6 to 12 GeV. An integral part of the upgrade is the addition of ten new cryomodules, each consisting of eight seven-cell superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) cavities. An average performance of 100+MV of acceleration per cryomodule is needed to achieve the 12 GeV beam energy goal. The production methodology was for industry to provide and deliver the major components to Jefferson Lab, where they were tested and assembled into cryomodules. The production process begins with an inspection upon receiving of all major components followed by individual performance qualification testing. The SRF cavities received their final chemical processing and cleaning at Jefferson Lab. The qualified components along with all associated hardware and instrumentation are assembled, tested, installed into CEBAF and run through an integrated system checkout in preparation for beam operations. The production process is complete and one of the first completed cryomodules has successfully produced 108 MV of acceleration with a linac beam current of 465 {micro}A.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

SLAC All Access: Laser Labs

From supermarket checkouts to video game consoles, lasers are ubiquitous in our lives. Here at SLAC, high-power lasers are critical to the cutting-edge research conducted at the laboratory. But, despite what you might imagine, SLAC's research lasers bear little resemblance to the blasters and phasers of science fiction. In this edition of All Access we put on our safety goggles for a peek at what goes on inside some of SLAC's many laser labs. LCLS staff scientist Mike Minitti and SLAC laser safety officer Mike Woods detail how these lasers are used to study the behavior of subatomic particles, broaden our understanding of cosmic rays and even unlock the mysteries of photosynthesis.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

The CEBAF Element Database and Related Operational Software

The newly commissioned 12GeV CEBAF accelerator relies on a flexible, scalable and comprehensive database to define the accelerator. This database delivers the configuration for CEBAF operational tools, including hardware checkout, the downloadable optics model, control screens, and much more. The presentation will describe the flexible design of the CEBAF Element Database (CED), its features and assorted use case examples.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

The Role of the CEBAF Element Database in Commissioning the 12GeV Accelerator Upgrade

The CEBAF Element Database (CED) was first developed in 2010 as a resource to support model-driven configuration of the Jefferson Lab Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator (CEBAF). Since that time, its uniquely flexible schema design, robust programming interface, and support for multiple concurrent versions has permitted it to evolve into a more broadly useful operational and control system tool. The CED played a critical role before and during the 2013 startup and commissioning of CEBAF following its 18-month long shutdown and upgrade. Information in the CED about hardware components and their relations to one-another facilitated a thorough Hot Checkout process involving more than 18,000 system checks. New software relies on the CED to generate EDM screens for operators on-demand thereby ensuring that the information on those screens is correct and up-to-date. The CED also continues to fulfill its original mission of supporting model-driven accelerator setup. Using the new ced2elegant and eDT (elegant Download Tool), accelerator physicists have proven able to compute and apply energy-dependant set points with greater efficiency than ever before.

Larrieu, T.↗

Launch vehicle support.

Criteria for power, weight, personnel, cost and development requirements of launch vehicle support operations

PRELAUNCH PROBLEM↗