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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 1,153 records · Page 64
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1992

Mars Observer camera

The Mars Observer camera (MOC) is a three-component system (one narrow-angle and two wide-angle cameras) designed to take high spatial resolution pictures of the surface of Mars and to obtain lower spatial resolution, synoptic coverage of the planet's surface and atmosphere. The cameras are based on the 'push broom' technique; that is, they do not take 'frames' but rather build pictures, one line at a time, as the spacecraft moves around the planet in its orbit. MOC is primarily a telescope for taking extremely high resolution pictures of selected locations on Mars. Using the narrow-angle camera, areas ranging from 2.8 km x 2.8 km to 2.8 km x 25.2 km (depending on available internal digital buffer memory) can be photographed at about 1.4 m/pixel. Additionally, lower-resolution pictures (to a lowest resolution of about 11 m/pixel) can be acquired by pixel averaging; these images can be much longer, ranging up to 2.8 x 500 km at 11 m/pixel. High-resolution data will be used to study sediments and sedimentary processes, polar processes and deposits, volcanism, and other geologic/geomorphic processes.

Malin, M. C.↗
NASA NTRS1994

A qualitative and quantitative laser-based computer-aided flow visualization method

The experimental approach presented here offers a nonintrusive, qualitative and quantitative evaluation of full field flow patterns applicable in various geometries in a variety of fluids. This Full Flow Field Tracking (FFFT) Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) technique, by means of particle tracers illuminated by a laser light sheet, offers an alternative to Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV), and intrusive systems such as Hot Wire/Film Anemometry. The method makes obtainable the flow patterns, and allows quantitative determination of the velocities, accelerations, and mass flows of an entire flow field. The method uses a computer based digitizing system attached through an imaging board to a low luminosity camera. A customized optical train allows the system to become a long distance microscope (LDM), allowing magnifications of areas of interest ranging up to 100 times. Presented in addition to the method itself, are studies in which the flow patterns and velocities were observed and evaluated in three distinct geometries, with three different working fluids. The first study involved pressure and flow analysis of a brush seal in oil. The next application involved studying the velocity and flow patterns in a cowl lip cooling passage of an air breathing aircraft engine using water as the working fluid. Finally, the method was extended to a study in air to examine the flows in a staggered pin arrangement located on one side of a branched duct.

Canacci, Victor A.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Mobile Agents: A Distributed Voice-Commanded Sensory and Robotic System for Surface EVA Assistance

A model-based, distributed architecture integrates diverse components in a system designed for lunar and planetary surface operations: spacesuit biosensors, cameras, GPS, and a robotic assistant. The system transmits data and assists communication between the extra-vehicular activity (EVA) astronauts, the crew in a local habitat, and a remote mission support team. Software processes ("agents"), implemented in a system called Brahms, run on multiple, mobile platforms, including the spacesuit backpacks, all-terrain vehicles, and robot. These "mobile agents" interpret and transform available data to help people and robotic systems coordinate their actions to make operations more safe and efficient. Different types of agents relate platforms to each other ("proxy agents"), devices to software ("comm agents"), and people to the system ("personal agents"). A state-of-the-art spoken dialogue interface enables people to communicate with their personal agents, supporting a speech-driven navigation and scheduling tool, field observation record, and rover command system. An important aspect of the engineering methodology involves first simulating the entire hardware and software system in Brahms, and then configuring the agents into a runtime system. Design of mobile agent functionality has been based on ethnographic observation of scientists working in Mars analog settings in the High Canadian Arctic on Devon Island and the southeast Utah desert. The Mobile Agents system is developed iteratively in the context of use, with people doing authentic work. This paper provides a brief introduction to the architecture and emphasizes the method of empirical requirements analysis, through which observation, modeling, design, and testing are integrated in simulated EVA operations.

Clancey, William J.↗
NASA NTRS2021

Marshall Space Flight Center Faculty Fellowship Program

The 2020 Marshall Aerospace Fellowship Program involved 11 faculty in the laboratories and departments at Marshall Space Flight Center and one faculty researcher working from Colorado. These faculty engineers and scientists worked with NASA collaborators on NASA projects, bringing new perspectives and solutions to bear. This Technical Memorandum is a compilation of nine research reports of the 2020 Marshall Aerospace Fellowship program, along with the Program Announcement (Appendix A) and the Program Description (Appendix B). The research affected the following five areas: (1) Materials (2) Spacecraft systems (3) Human-System Interactions (4) Vehicle systems (5) Space science Additive manufacturing was the single materials investigation during the summer of 2020. Spacecraft systems tasks dominated the fellows’ explorations: covering camera sensors for lunar surface mobility, a real-time system for navigation and mapping, flexible sensor modeling, and transmitter design for high data rate telemetry. One project concentrated on Human-System Interactions. Another fellow designed a model to predict heat leak into a cryogen tank, as in most vehicle systems. One of the scientists worked on a proposed space-based gravitational wave interferometer that will detect Galactic white dwarf binaries. Another space science fellow used a mature astrophysical code to synthesize galactic stellar populations. Our goal is to continue the Marshall Aerospace Program funded by Center project offices.

N. F. Six↗
DOE OSTI2017

Determining Spatial Resolution of Gamma Cameras Using MATLAB

It is important to monitor the spatial resolution of a gamma camera on a weekly basis to acquire medical images with accurate quantitative information. A simple and fast computer program with a graphical user interface to analyze spatial resolution was successfully developed using MATLAB. The results were compared with those obtained from the standard processing system available in our gamma camera. The spatial resolution calculated using MATLAB was 1.24% lower than using the standard processing system. The developed program is cost effective, faster, and provides an easy platform for the physicists and technologists to analyze the spatial resolution based on the image of the line source.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
NASA NTRS2012

Photogrammetry Tool for Forensic Analysis

A system allows crime scene and accident scene investigators the ability to acquire visual scene data using cameras for processing at a later time. This system uses a COTS digital camera, a photogrammetry calibration cube, and 3D photogrammetry processing software. In a previous instrument developed by NASA, the laser scaling device made use of parallel laser beams to provide a photogrammetry solution in 2D. This device and associated software work well under certain conditions. In order to make use of a full 3D photogrammetry system, a different approach was needed. When using multiple cubes, whose locations relative to each other are unknown, a procedure that would merge the data from each cube would be as follows: 1. One marks a reference point on cube 1, then marks points on cube 2 as unknowns. This locates cube 2 in cube 1 s coordinate system. 2. One marks reference points on cube 2, then marks points on cube 1 as unknowns. This locates cube 1 in cube 2 s coordinate system. 3. This procedure is continued for all combinations of cubes. 4. The coordinate of all of the found coordinate systems is then merged into a single global coordinate system. In order to achieve maximum accuracy, measurements are done in one of two ways, depending on scale: when measuring the size of objects, the coordinate system corresponding to the nearest cube is used, or when measuring the location of objects relative to a global coordinate system, a merged coordinate system is used. Presently, traffic accident analysis is time-consuming and not very accurate. Using cubes with differential GPS would give absolute positions of cubes in the accident area, so that individual cubes would provide local photogrammetry calibration to objects near a cube.

Lane, John↗
NASA NTRS1972

Automatic lightning detection and photographic system

A system is presented for monitoring and recording lightning strokes within a predetermined area with a camera having an electrically operated shutter with means for advancing the film in the camera after activating the shutter. The system includes an antenna for sensing lightning strikes which, in turn, generates a signal that is fed to an electronic circuit which generates signals for operating the shutter of the camera. Circuitry is provided for preventing activation of the shutter as the film in the camera is being advanced.

Wojtasinski, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Hubble Space Telescope Program on STS-95 Supported by Space Acceleration Measurement System for Free Flyers

John Glenn's historic return to space was a primary focus of the STS 95 space shuttle mission; however, the 83 science payloads aboard were the focus of the flight activities. One of the payloads, the Hubble Space Telescope Orbital System Test (HOST), was flown in the cargo bay by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. It served as a space flight test of upgrade components for the telescope before they are installed in the shuttle for the next Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission. One of the upgrade components is a cryogenic cooling system for the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS). The cooling is required for low noise in the receiver's sensitive electronic instrumentation. Originally, a passive system using dry ice cooled NICMOS, but the ice leaked away and must be replaced. The active cryogenic cooler can provide the cold temperatures required for the NICMOS, but there was a concern that it would create vibrations that would affect the fine pointing accuracy of the Hubble platform.

Kacpura, Thomas J.↗
NASA NTRS2004

The STARDUST Discovery Mission: Data from the Encounter with Comet Wild 2 and the Expected Sample Return

On January 2,2004, the STARDUST spacecraft made the closest ever flyby (236 km) of the nucleus of a comet - Comet Wild 2. During the fly by the spacecraft collected samples of dust from the coma of the comet. These samples will be returned to Earth on January 15,2006. After a brief preliminary examination to establish the nature of the returned samples, they will be made available to the general scientific community for study. In addition to its aerogel dust collector, the STARDUST spacecraft was also equipped with instruments that made in situ measurements of the comet during the flyby. These included several dust impact monitors, a mass spectrometer, and a camera. The spacecraft's communication system was also used to place dynamical constraints on the mass of the nucleus and the number of impacts the spacecraft had with large particles. The data taken by these instruments indicate that the spacecraft successfully captured coma samples. These instruments, particularly the camera, also demonstrated that Wild 2 is unlike any other object in the Solar System previously visited by a spacecraft. During my talk I will discuss the scientific goals of the STARDUST mission and provide an overview of its design and flight to date. I will then end with a description of the exciting data returned by the spacecraft during the recent encounter with Wild 2 and discuss what these data tell us about the nature of comets. It will probably come as no surprise that the encounter data raise as many (or more) new questions as they answer old ones.

Sandford, Scott A.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Telescope With A Two-Color Camera And Two Imaging Spectrometers

Proposed remote-sensing optical instrument system includes two charge-coupled-device (CCD) video cameras sensitive to different colors of light; line-imaging infrared spectrometer; and line-imaging ultraviolet spectrometer; all sharing common telescope foreoptics. Principal advantages: compactness and light weight.

Chrisp, Michael P.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Photogrammetry System and Method for Determining Relative Motion Between Two Bodies

A photogrammetry system and method provide for determining the relative position between two objects. The system utilizes one or more imaging devices, such as high speed cameras, that are mounted on a first body, and three or more photogrammetry targets of a known location on a second body. The system and method can be utilized with cameras having fish-eye, hyperbolic, omnidirectional, or other lenses. The system and method do not require overlapping fields-of-view if two or more cameras are utilized. The system and method derive relative orientation by equally weighting information from an arbitrary number of heterogeneous cameras, all with non-overlapping fields-of-view. Furthermore, the system can make the measurements with arbitrary wide-angle lenses on the cameras.

Miller, Samuel A.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Improving 3D reconstruction quality for root phenotyping: assessing the impact of camera calibration and imaging parameters

Arate 3D reconstruction is essential for high-throughput plant phenotyping, particularly for studying complex structures such as root systems. While photogrammetry and Structure from Motion (SfM) techniques have become widely used for 3D root imaging, the camera settings used are often underreported in studies, and the impact of camera calibration on model accuracyccu remains largely underexplored in plant science. In this study, we systematically evaluate the effects of focus, aperture, exposure time, and gain settings on the quality of 3D root models made with a multi-camera scanning system. We show through a series of experiments that calibration significantly improves model quality, with focus misalignment and shallow depth of field (DoF) being the most important factors affecting reconstruction accuracy. Our results further show that proper calibration has a greater effect on reducing noise than filtering it during post-processing, emphasizing the importance of optimizing image acquisition rather than relying solely on computational corrections. This work improves the repeatability and accuracy of 3D root imaging for phenotyping pipelines by giving useful calibration guidelines. This leads to better trait quantification for use in crop research and plant breeding in downstream analysis.

3D reconstruction↗
NASA NTRS1972

An investigation of optical feedback to extend the frequency response of solid-state detector systems

A primary limitation of many solid-state photodetectors used in electro-optical systems such as the facsimile camera is their slow response in converting light intensities into electrical signals. An optical feedback technique is presented which can extend the frequency response of systems that use these detectors by orders of magnitude without significantly degrading their signal-to-noise performance. This technique is analyzed to predict improvement, implemented, and evaluated to verify analytical results.

Katzberg, S. J.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Estimation of the absolute position of mobile systems by an optoelectronic processor

A method that determine the absolute position of a mobile system with a hybrid optoelectronic processor has been developed. Position estimates are based on an analysis of circular landmarks that are detected by a TV camera attached to the mobile system. The difference between the known shape of the landmark and its image provides the information needed to determine the absolute position of the mobile system. For robust operation, the parameters of the landmark image are extracted at high speeds using an optical processor that performs an optical Hough transform. The coordinates of the mobile system are computed from these parameters in a digital co-processor using fast algorithms. Different sources of position estimation errors have also been analyzed, and consequent algorithms to improve the navigation performance of the mobile system have been developed and evaluated by both computer simulation and experiments.

Feng, Liqiang↗
NASA NTRS1973

Skylab's photographic workhorse

There are ten Data Acquisition Cameras (DAC) aboard the Skylab workshop, and one additional is aboard each of the three command modules that ferry astronauts to Skylab. These cameras will transport approximately 40,000 feet of 16-mm film at frame rates from time exposures to 24 frames per second (fps). The heart of the 16-mm DAC system is a unique sequence camera. Approximately 80% of the Skylab 16-mm film will be exposed at 2 fps to maximize data acquisition time and remain within spacecraft return weight limitations. Of the approximately 225 accessories, the most unique item is the 400-foot magazine system.-

Gerlach, R.↗
DOE OSTI2017

Video Camera Improvements to Support Hanford Tank Farms - 17141

Hanford Tank Farms consist of 177 underground storage tanks that contain 56 million gallons of radioactive waste. The current mission is to safely manage this waste in preparation to feed the Waste Treatment Plant. Fulfilling this mission includes inspecting each tank regularly to ensure tank integrity and support ongoing operations such as transferring waste from older single-shell tanks to the newer double-shell tanks. Video cameras derived from commercially available equipment have provided the ability to remotely see inside the tanks, reducing some of the challenges of fulfilling this mission. However, there are many challenges and limitations with the currently used video systems. Among some of the challenges are limited tank interior entry points for camera deployment, high radiation dose rates, limited equipment longevity in the environmental conditions, need for high resolution image quality, low light conditions, and in-tank obstructions. Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) has identified and tested new video systems that will effectively manage these challenges and increase capability, efficiency, and improve safety. The new camera systems are planned for deployment to support the next Single Shell Tank Retrieval Project in the A/AX tank Farm complex. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
NASA NTRS2011

Influence of Fault-Controlled Topography on Fluvio-Deltaic Sedimentary Systems in Eberswalde Crater, Mars

Eberswalde crater was selected as a candidate landing site for the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission based on the presence of a fan-shaped sedimentary deposit interpreted as a delta. We have identified and mapped five other candidate fluvio -deltaic systems in the crater, using images and digital terrain models (DTMs) derived from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) and Context Camera (CTX). All of these systems consist of the same three stratigraphic units: (1) an upper layered unit, conformable with (2) a subpolygonally fractured unit, unconformably overlying (3) a pitted unit. We have also mapped a system of NNE-trending scarps interpreted as dip-slip faults that pre-date the fluvial -lacustrine deposits. The post-impact regional faulting may have generated the large-scale topography within the crater, which consists of a Western Basin, an Eastern Basin, and a central high. This topography subsequently provided depositional sinks for sediment entering the crater and controlled the geomorphic pattern of delta development.

Rice, Melissa S.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Final Scientific/Technical Report: Real Time Particle Size and Settling Velocity for In-Situ Monitoring of Deep-Sea Polymetallic Nodule Mining

In the coming decade, it is anticipated that deep-sea mining activities will commence throughout the deep ocean, at depths around 4000-6000m where vast deposits of baseball-sized rocks called polymetallic nodules lay on the seabed. These nodules contain resources such as cobalt, copper and nickel which are needed to produce batteries for electric vehicles. Collector machines driving on the seabed and gathering these nodules will stir up clouds of sediment, and there is concern about how the resulting concentration of sediment in the near-bottom ocean water will affect deep and mid-ocean biology. There is currently no technology capable of comprehensively monitoring the concentrations and properties of stirred up sediment in the deep. This project addressed this critical gap by developing a deep-sea particle measurement system (Real-Time Size and Settling Velocity, RTSSV) that uses a multi-camera high-resolution video imaging system, with accompanying image processing, to measure the concentration, size distribution and settling speed of sediment. Importantly, these measurements are made in-situ, so that delicate sediment aggregates will not be disturbed, as is the case when collecting samples at depth to be measured in the lab. The instrument can be mounted on a variety of established deep-sea platforms such as moorings, AUVs and ROVs, providing data in near real time, where the key measurements need to be made—from the source of the sediment disturbance and throughout the resulting plume—vital for determining if deep-sea mining can be done in an environmentally responsible manner. The developed system (RTSSV) will possess the only such capability worldwide, giving a US-based group a substantial competitive advantage as this newly evolving global industry develops. As added value, the technology will also have widespread application to the offshore oil and gas industry, dredging industry, and to sediment science research.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗