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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2004

Silicone-Rubber Microvalves Actuated by Paraffin

Microvalves containing silicone-rubber seals actuated by heating and cooling of paraffin have been proposed for development as integral components of microfluidic systems. In comparison with other microvalves actuated by various means (electrostatic, electromagnetic, piezoelectric, pneumatic, and others), the proposed valves (1) would contain simpler structures that could be fabricated at lower cost and (2) could be actuated by simpler (and thus less expensive) control systems. Each valve according to the proposal would include a flow channel bounded on one side by a flat surface and on the other side by a curved surface defined by an arched-cross-section, elastic seal made of silicone rubber [polydimethylsilane (PDMS)]. The seal would be sized and shaped so that the elasticity of the PDMS would hold the channel open except when the seal was pressed down onto the flat surface to close the channel. The principle of actuation would exploit the fact that upon melting or freezing, the volume of a typical paraffin increases or decreases, respectively, by about 15 percent. In a valve according to the proposal, the seal face opposite that of the channel would be in contact with a piston-like plug of paraffin. In the case of a valve designed to be normally open at ambient temperature, one would use a paraffin having a melting temperature above ambient. The seal would be pushed against the flat surface to close the channel by heating the paraffin above its melting temperature. In the case of a valve designed to be normally closed at ambient temperature, one would use a paraffin having a melting temperature below ambient. The seal would be allowed to spring away from the flat surface to open the channel by cooling the paraffin below its melting temperature. The availability of paraffins that have melting temperatures from 70 to +80 C should make it possible to develop a variety of normally closed and normally open valves. The figure depicts examples of prototype normally open and normally closed valves according to the proposal. In each valve, an arch cross section defining a channel having dimensions of the order of tens of micrometers would be formed in a silicone-rubber sheet about 40 m thick. The silicone rubber sheet would be hermetically sealed to a lower glass plate that would define the sealing surface and to an upper glass plate containing a well. The well would be filled with paraffin and capped with a rigid restraining layer of epoxy. In the normally open valve, the paraffin would have a melting temperature above ambient (e.g., 40 C) and the wall of the well would be coated with a layer of titanium that would serve as an electric heater. In the normally closed valve, the paraffin would have a melting temperature below ambient (e.g.-5 C). Instead of a heater in the well, the normally closed valve would include a thermoelectric cooler on top of the epoxy cap.

Svelha, Danielle↗
NASA NTRS2006

SpaceWire Plug and Play

The ability to rapidly deploy inexpensive satellites to meet tactical goals has become an important goal for military space systems. In fact, Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) has been in the spotlight at the highest levels. The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) has identified that the critical next step is developing the bus standards and modular interfaces. Historically, satellite components have been constructed based on bus standards and standardized interfaces. However, this has not been done to a degree, which would allow the rapid deployment of a satellite. Advancements in plug-and-play (PnP) technologies for terrestrial applications can serve as a baseline model for a PnP approach for satellite applications. Since SpaceWire (SpW) has become a de facto standard for satellite high-speed (greater than 200Mbp) on-board communications, it has become important for SpW to adapt to this Plug and Play (PnP) environment. Because SpW is simply a bulk transport protocol and lacks built-in PnP features, several changes are required to facilitate PnP with SpW. The first is for Host(s) to figure out what the network looks like, i.e., how pieces of the network, routers and nodes, are connected together; network mapping, and to receive notice of changes to the network. The second is for the components connected to the network to be understood so that they can communicate. The first element, network topology mapping & change of status indication, is being defined (topic of this paper). The second element describing how components are to communicate has been defined by ARFL with the electronic data sheets known as XTEDS. The first element, network mapping, is recent activities performed by Air Force Research Lab (ARFL), Naval Research Lab (NRL), NASA and US industry (Honeywell, Clearwater, FL, and others). This work has resulted in the development of a protocol that will perform the lower level functions of network mapping and Change Of Status (COS) indication required by Plug 'n' Play over SpaceWire. This work will be presented to the SpaceWire working group for standardization under European Cooperation for Space Standardization (ECSS) and to obtain a permanent Protocol ID (see SpaceWire Protocol ID: What Does it Mean to You; IEEE Aerospace Conference 2006). The portion of the Plug 'n' Play protocol that will be described in this paper is how the Host(s) of a SpaceWire network map the network and detect additions and deletions of devices on a SpaceWire network.

Rakow, Glenn↗
NASA NTRS2005

Medical and Scientific Evaluations aboard the KC-135. Microgravity-Compatible Flow Cytometer

A spaceflight-compatible flow cytometer would be useful for the diagnosis of astronaut illness during long duration spaceflight and for conducting in-flight research to evaluate the effects of microgravity on human physiology. Until recently, the primary limitations preventing the development of a spaceflight compatible flow cytometer have been largely mechanical. Standard commercially available flow cytometers are large, complex instruments that use high-energy lasers and require significant training to operate. Standard flow cytometers function by suspending the particles to be analyzed inside a sheath fluid for analysis. This requires the presence of several liters of sheath fluid for operation, and generates a corresponding amount of liquid hazardous waste. The particles are then passed through a flow cell which uses the fluid mechanical property of hydrodynamic focusing to place the cells in single-file (laminar flow) as they pass through a laser beam for scanning and evaluation. Many spaceflight experiments have demonstrated that fluid physics is dramatically altered in microgravity (MSF [Manned Space Flight] Fluid Physics Data Sheet-August 1997) and previous studies have shown that sheath-fluid based hydrodynamic focusing may also be altered during microgravity (Crucian et al, 2000). For these reasons it is likely that any spaceflight compatible design for a flow cytometer would abandon the sheath fluid requirement. The elimination of sheath fluid would remove both the problems of weight associated with large volumes of liquids as well as the large volume of liquid waste generated. It would also create the need for a method to create laminar particle flow distinct from the standard sheath-fluid based method. The spaceflight prototype instrument is based on a recently developed commercial flow cytometer possessing a novel flow cell design that creates single-particle laser scanning and evaluation without the need for sheath-fluid based hydrodynamic focusing. This instrument also possesses a number of design advances that make it conditionally microgravity compatible: it is highly miniaturized and lightweight, uses a low energy diode laser, has a small number of moving parts, does not use sheath fluid and does not generate significant liquid waste. Although possessing certain limitations, the commercial cytometer functions operationally like a standard bench top laboratory flow cytometer, aspirating liquid particle samples and generating histogram or dot-plot data in standard FCS file format. In its current configuration however, the cytometer is limited to three parameter/two-color capability (two color PMTs + forward scatter), does not allow compensation between colors, does not allow linear analysis and is operated by rather inflexible software with limited capabilities. This is due to the fact that the cytometer has been designed and marketed as an instrument specific to a few particular assays, not as a multipurpose cytometer.

Crucian, Brian↗
NASA NTRS1989

The Next Generation Space Telescope

In Space Science in the Twenty-First Century, the Space Science Board of the National Research Council identified high-resolution-interferometry and high-throughput instruments as the imperative new initiatives for NASA in astronomy for the two decades spanning 1995 to 2015. In the optical range, the study recommended an 8 to 16-meter space telescope, destined to be the successor of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), and to complement the ground-based 8 to 10-meter-class telescopes presently under construction. It might seem too early to start planning for a successor to HST. In fact, we are late. The lead time for such major missions is typically 25 years, and HST has been in the making even longer with its inception dating back to the early 1960s. The maturity of space technology and a more substantial technological base may lead to a shorter time scale for the development of the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST). Optimistically, one could therefore anticipate that NGST be flown as early as 2010. On the other hand, the planned lifetime of HST is 15 years. So, even under the best circumstances, there will be a five year gap between the end of HST and the start of NGST. The purpose of this first workshop dedicated to NGST was to survey its scientific potential and technical challenges. The three-day meeting brought together 130 astronomers and engineers from government, industry and universities. Participants explored the technologies needed for building and operating the observatory, reviewed the current status and future prospects for astronomical instrumentation, and discussed the launch and space support capabilities likely to be available in the next decade. To focus discussion, the invited speakers were asked to base their presentations on two nominal concepts, a 10-meter telescope in space in high earth orbit, and a 16-meter telescope on the moon. The workshop closed with a panel discussion focused mainly on the scientific case, siting, and the programmatic approach needed to bring NGST into being. The essential points of this panel discussion have been incorporated into a series of recommendations that represent the conclusions of the workshop. Speakers were asked to provide manuscripts of their presentation. Those received were reproduced here with only minor editorial changes. The few missing papers have been replaced by the presentation viewgraphs. The discussion that follows each speaker's paper was derived from the question and answer sheets, or if unavailable, from the tapes of the meeting. In the latter case, the editors have made every effort to faithfully represent the discussion.

Bely, Pierre-Yves↗