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At least 1,495 records · Page 83
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1998

Auroral Kilometric Radiation Integrated Power Flux as a Proxy for A E

We propose to use the integrated intensity of auroral kilometric radiation from Polar measurements as a proxy for the auroral electrojet index A(sub E) in support of studies of the response of the magnetosphere and the geomagnetic tail to changes in magnetic activity. In addition to providing event timing information to understand the effects of perturbations and substorms, the resulting space-based auroral kilometric radiation index would be useful as an input to space weather efforts as an auroral activity metric.

Kurth, W. S.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Solid Freeform Fabrication: An Enabling Technology for Future Space Missions

The emerging class of direct manufacturing processes known as Solid Freeform Fabrication (SFF) employs a focused energy beam and metal feedstock to build structural parts directly from computer aided design (CAD) data. Some variations on existing SFF techniques have potential for application in space for a variety of different missions. This paper will focus on three different applications ranging from near to far term to demonstrate the widespread potential of this technology for space-based applications. One application is the on-orbit construction of large space structures, on the order of tens of meters to a kilometer in size. Such structures are too large to launch intact even in a deployable design; their extreme size necessitates assembly or erection of such structures in space. A low-earth orbiting satellite with a SFF system employing a high-energy beam for high deposition rates could be employed to construct large space structures using feedstock launched from Earth. A second potential application is a small, multifunctional system that could be used by astronauts on long-duration human exploration missions to manufacture spare parts. Supportability of human exploration missions is essential, and a SFF system would provide flexibility in the ability to repair or fabricate any part that may be damaged or broken during the mission. The system envisioned would also have machining and welding capabilities to increase its utility on a mission where mass and volume are extremely limited. A third example of an SFF application in space is a miniaturized automated system for structural health monitoring and repair. If damage is detected using a low power beam scan, the beam power can be increased to perform repairs within the spacecraft or satellite structure without the requirement of human interaction or commands. Due to low gravity environment for all of these applications, wire feedstock is preferred to powder from a containment, handling, and safety standpoint. The energy beams may be either electron beam or laser, and the developments required for either energy source to achieve success in these applications will be discussed.

Taminger, Karen M. B.↗
NASA NTRS2005

REUSABLE PROPULSION ARCHITECTURE FOR SUSTAINABLE LOW-COST ACCESS TO SPACE

The primary obstacle to any space-based mission is, and has always been, the cost of access to space. Even with impressive efforts toward reusability, no system has come close to lowering the cost a significant amount. It is postulated here, that architectural innovation is necessary to make reusability feasible, not incremental subsystem changes. This paper shows two architectural approaches of reusability that merit further study investments. Both #inherently# have performance increases and cost advantages to make affordable access to space a near term reality. A rocket launched from a subsonic aircraft (specifically the Crossbow methodology) and a momentum exchange tether, reboosted by electrodynamics, offer possibilities of substantial reductions in the total transportation architecture mass - making access-to-space cost-effective. They also offer intangible benefits that reduce risk or offer large growth potential. The cost analysis indicates that approximately a 50% savings is obtained using today#s aerospace materials and practices.

Bonometti, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Ground-Based VIS/NIR Reflectance Spectra of 25143 Itokawa: What Hayabusa will See and How Ground-Based Data can Augment Analyses

Planning for the arrival of the Hayabusa spacecraft at asteroid 25143 Itokawa includes consideration of the expected spectral information to be obtained using the AMICA and NIRS instruments. The rotationally-resolved spatial coverage the asteroid we have obtained with ground-based telescopic spectrophotometry in the visible and near-infrared can be utilized here to address expected spacecraft data. We use spectrophotometry to simulate the types of data that Hayabusa will receive with the NIRS and AMICA instruments, and will demonstrate them here. The NIRS will cover a wavelength range from 0.85 m, and have a dispersion per element of 250 Angstroms. Thus, we are limited in coverage of the 1.0 micrometer and 2.0 micrometer mafic silicate absorption features. The ground-based reflectance spectra of Itokawa show a large component of olivine in its surface material, and the 2.0 micrometer feature is shallow. Determining the olivine to pyroxene abundance ratio is critically dependent on the attributes of the 1.0- and 2.0 micrometer features. With a cut-off near 2,1 micrometer the longer edge of the 2.0- feature will not be obtained by NIRS. Reflectance spectra obtained using ground-based telescopes can be used to determine the regional composition around space-based spectral observations, and possibly augment the longer wavelength spectral attributes. Similarly, the shorter wavelength end of the 1.0 micrometer absorption feature will be partially lost to the NIRS. The AMICA filters mimic the ECAS filters, and have wavelength coverage overlapping with the NIRS spectral range. We demonstrate how merging photometry from AMICA will extend the spectral coverage of the NIRS. Lessons learned from earlier spacecraft to asteroids should be considered.

Vilas, Faith↗
NASA NTRS2006

Estimating the NO(x) produced by lightning from GOME and NLDN data: A case study in the Gulf of Mexico

Nitrogen oxides (NO(x)=NO+NO2) play an important role in tropospheric chemistry, in particular in catalytic ozone production. Lightning provides a natural source of nitrogen oxides, dominating the production in the tropical upper troposphere, with strong impact on tropospheric ozone and the atmosphere s oxidizing capacity. Recent estimates of lightning produced NO(x) (LNO(x)) are of the order of 5 Tg [N] per year with still high uncertainties in the range of one order of magnitude. The Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME) on board the ESA-satellite ERS-2 allows the retrieval of tropospheric column densities of NO2 on a global scale. Here we present the GOME NO2 measurement directly over a large convective system over the Gulf of Mexico. Simultaneously, cloud-to-ground (CG) flashes are counted by the U.S. National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN(TradeMark)), and extrapolated to include intracloud (IC)+CG flashes based on a climatological IC:CG ratio derived from NASA s space-based lightning sensors. A series of 14 GOME pixels shows largely enhanced column densities over thick and high clouds, coinciding with strong lightning activity. The enhancements can not be explained by transport of anthropogenic NO(x) and must be due to fresh production of LNO(x). A quantitative analysis, accounting in particular for the visibility of LNO, from satellite, yields a LNO, production of 90 (32-240) moles of NO(x), or 1.3 (0.4-3.4) kg [N], per flash. If simply extrapolated, this corresponds to a global LNO(x) production of 1.7 (0.6-4.7) Tg [N]/yr.

Beirle, S.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Formation Control for the MAXIM Mission

Over the next twenty years, a wave of change is occurring in the space-based scientific remote sensing community. While the fundamental limits in the spatial and angular resolution achievable in spacecraft have been reached, based on today s technology, an expansive new technology base has appeared over the past decade in the area of Distributed Space Systems (DSS). A key subset of the DSS technology area is that which covers precision formation flying of space vehicles. Through precision formation flying, the baselines, previously defined by the largest monolithic structure which could fit in the largest launch vehicle fairing, are now virtually unlimited. Several missions including the Micro-Arcsecond X-ray Imaging Mission (MAXIM), and the Stellar Imager will drive the formation flying challenges to achieve unprecedented baselines for high resolution, extended-scene, interferometry in the ultraviolet and X-ray regimes. This paper focuses on establishing the feasibility for the formation control of the MAXIM mission. MAXIM formation flying requirements are on the order of microns, while Stellar Imager mission requirements are on the order of nanometers. This paper specifically addresses: (1) high-level science requirements for these missions and how they evolve into engineering requirements; and (2) the development of linearized equations of relative motion for a formation operating in an n-body gravitational field. Linearized equations of motion provide the ground work for linear formation control designs.

Luquette, Richard J.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Merging Black Holes

The final merger of two black holes is expected to be the strongest source of gravitational waves for both ground-based detectors such as LIGO and VIRGO, as well as the space-based LISA. Since the merger takes place in the regime of strong dynamical gravity, computing the resulting gravitational waveforms requires solving the full Einstein equations of general relativity on a computer. For many years, numerical codes designed to simulate black hole mergers were plagued by a host of instabilities. However, recent breakthroughs have conquered these instabilities and opened up this field dramatically. This talk will focus on the resulting gold rush of new results that are revealing the dynamics and waveforms of binary black hole mergers, and their applications in gravitational wave detection, testing general relativity, and astrophysics.

Centrella, Joan↗
NASA NTRS2010

Merging Black Holes

The final merger of two black holes is expected to be the strongest source of gravitational waves for both ground-based detectors such as LIGO and VIRGO, as well as the space-based LISA. Since the merger takes place in the regime of strong dynamical gravity, computing the resulting gravitational waveforms requires solving the full Einstein equations of general relativity on a computer. For many years, numerical codes designed to simulate black hole mergers were plagued by a host of instabilities. However, recent breakthroughs have conquered these instabilities and opened up this field dramatically. This talk will focus on the resulting gold rush of new results that are revealing the dynamics and waveforms of binary black hole mergers, and their applications in gravitational wove detection, testing general relativity, and astrophysics.

Centrella, Joan↗
NASA NTRS2010

Black Hole Mergers, Gravitational Waves, and Multi-Messenger Astronomy

The final merger of two black holes is expected to be the strongest source of gravitational waves for both ground-based detectors such as LIGO and VIRGO, as well as the space-based LISA. Since the merger takes place in the regime of strong dynamical gravity, computing the resulting gravitational waveforms requires solving the full Einstein equations of general relativity on a computer. Although numerical codes designed to simulate black hole mergers were plagued for many years by a host of instabilities, recent breakthroughs have conquered these problems and opened up this field dramatically. This talk will focus on the resulting gold rush of new results that is revealing the dynamics and waveforms of binary black hole mergers, and their applications in gravitational wave detection, astrophysics, and testing general relativity.

Centrella, Joan M.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Merging Black Holes

The final merger of two black holes is expected to be the strongest source of gravitational waves for both ground-based detectors such as LIGO and VIRGO, as well as future. space-based detectors. Since the merger takes place in the regime of strong dynamical gravity, computing the resulting gravitational waveforms requires solving the full Einstein equations of general relativity on a computer. For many years, numerical codes designed to simulate black hole mergers were plagued by a host of instabilities. However, recent breakthroughs have conquered these instabilities and opened up this field dramatically. This talk will focus on.the resulting 'gold rush' of new results that is revealing the dynamics and waveforms of binary black hole mergers, and their applications in gravitational wave detection, testing general relativity, and astrophysics

Centrella, Joan↗
NASA NTRS2012

Overview of Photocatalysis, Photocatalytic Surface Materials Studies, and Demonstration of Self-Cleaning Materials for Space and Terrestrial Based Applications at the Infinity Science Center at NASA Stennis Space Center

Research into photocatalytic technology has been progressing for over three decades in the early 1990s Japanese and European companies initiate research into photocatalytic technology. In the 1996 specific focus on the technology with the first large-scale application: the construction of a church in Rome (Jubilee Church). And in 2000 Europe and Japan research into the benefits of photocatalytic technology. Currently, photocatalytic technology continues to improve, and with time development is becoming more efficient and effective. What is Photocatalysis? Photo: phenomenon induced by the light, having specifically a wavelength around 320-400 nm (artificial or natural sunlight). Catalyst: a material that induces a reaction but is not consumed or transformed by it. The catalyst remains constantly available. In this case, the catalyst is made with nano-particles of titanium oxide (Ti02).

Underwood, Lauren W.↗
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↗
NASA NTRS2020

Data Processing for High-Contrast Imaging with the James Webb Space Telescope

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will probe circumstellar environments at an unprecedented sensitivity.However, the performance of high-contrast imaging instruments is limited by the residual light from the star at close separations (<2-3”), where the incidence of exoplanets increases rapidly. There is currently no solution to get rid of the residual light down to the photon noise level at those separations, which may prevent some crucial discoveries. JWST’s debut is planned for October 2021 for a baseline mission lifetime of only five years. Thus,it is crucial to find a solution to this problem before its launch. We are further developing and implementing an innovative approach of post-processing built on a Bayesian framework that provides a more robust determination of faint astrophysical structures around a bright source. This approach uses a model of high-contrast imaging instrument that takes advantage of prior information, such as data from wavefront sensing (WFS) operations on JWST, to estimate simultaneously instrumental aberrations and the circumstellar environment. With this approach, our goal is to further improve the contrast gain over the contrast that can be achieved with JWST instruments, starting with NIRCam imaging and coronagraphic imaging. This work will pave the way for the future space-based high-contrast imaging instruments such as the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Coronagraph Instrument (Roman CGI). This technique will be crucial to make the best use of the telemetry data that will be collected during the CGI operations.

Jewell, Jeffrey B.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

AWP: NASA's Aerosol Wind Profiler Coherent Doppler Wind Lidar

A new airborne coherent Doppler Wind Lidar (DWL) instrument has been implemented leveraging NASA's development of the 2-micron Wind-Space Pathfinder (Wind-SP) lidar transceiver. A technology development project, Wind-SP refined and demonstrated numerous components required for a coherent-detection space wind lidar instrument. Aerosol Wind Profiler (AWP) transitioned this transceiver into an airborne wind lidar capable of providing full 3-D wind vector retrievals. AWP operates with laser pulse energy and repetition rate combination required for high spatial and vertical resolution wind profiling from space. Operation from aircraft platforms will yield very strong signal return required for detailed process studies at <2km spatial and <100m vertical resolution under most conditions. AWP will serve as NASA’s wind calibration and validation instrument for future space-based wind observations over the coming decades, while also providing data supporting space wind lidar simulation studies. The AWP instrument is introduced and preliminary results from recent AWP demonstration flights are presented.

AWP↗
NASA NTRS1986

Budget availability

A forecast of the total NASA budget required to achieve a manned mission to Mars at around the end of this century is described. A methodology is presented for projecting the major components of the NASA budget, including the NASA base, space flight, space station, Shuttle Derived Launch Vehicle, and the Manned Mars Mission. The NASA base, including administrative expenses, construction of facilities and research and development other than manned flight, is assumed to level off at the present (1985) level and remain constant at approximately $3.5 billion (constant fiscal year 1985 dollars). The budget for space flight, which consists of Shuttle research and development, operations, and tracking and data acquisition costs, is projected to decrease from approximately $4 billion in 1985 to just under $2.5 billion by 1989 and then level off. Planning profiles for three major programs are constructed: a permanently manned space station; a Shuttle Derived Vehicle; and a Manned Mars Mission. It is concluded that all of the programs can be conducted by the year 2002 with a 3 percent real growth rate in the NASA budget.

Cyr, Kelley J.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Wide-Band Heterodyne Submillimetre Wave Spectrometer for Planetary Atmospheres

We present calculations and measurements on a passive submillimetre wave spectroscopic sounder to gather data on the thermal structure, dynamics and composition of the upper atmosphere of a planet, e.g. the stratosphere of Jupiter, or the entire thickness of the atmosphere of Mars. The instrument will be capable of measuring wind speeds, temperature, pressure, and key constituent concentrations in the stratosphere of the target planet. This instrument consists of a Schottky diode based front end and a digital back-end spectrometer. It differs from previous space-based spectrometers in its combination of wide tunability (520-590 GHz), and rapid frequency switching between widely spaced lines within that range. This will enable near simultaneous observation of multiple lines, which is critical to the reconstruction of atmospheric pressure and density versus altitude profiles. At the same time frequency accuracy must be high to enable wind speeds to be determined directly by measurement of the line's Doppler shift.

Submillimeter↗