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At least 163 records · Page 9
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2009

Thermal Analysis and Testing of Candidate Materials for PAIDAE Inflatable Aeroshell

The Program to Advance Inflatable-Decelerators for Atmospheric Entry (PAIDAE) is a NASA project tasked with developing and evaluating viable inflatable-decelerator aeroshell geometries and materials. Thermal analysis of material layups supporting an inflatable aeroshell was completed in order to identify expected material response, failure times, and to establish an experimental test matrix to keep barrier layer materials from reaching critical temperature limits during thermal soak. Material layups were then tested in the 8- foot High Temperature Tunnel (8'HTT), where they were subjected to hypersonic aerothermal heating conditions, similar to those expected for a Mars entry. This paper presents a broad overview of the thermal analysis supporting multiple materials, and layup configurations tested in the 8'HTT at flight conditions similar to those that would be experienced during Mars entry trajectories. Direct comparison of TPS samples tested in the 8'HTT verify that the thermal model accurately predicted temperature profiles when there are up to four materials in the test layup. As the number of material layers in each test layup increase (greater than 4), the accuracy of the prediction decreases significantly. The inaccuracy of the model predictions for layups with more than four material layers is believed to be a result of the contact resistance values used throughout the model being inaccurate. In addition, the harsh environment of the 8'HTT, including hot gas penetrating through the material layers, could also be a contributing factor.

DelCorso, Joseph A.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Aerial Deployment and Inflation System for Mars Helium Balloons

A method is examined for safely deploying and inflating helium balloons for missions at Mars. The key for making it possible to deploy balloons that are light enough to be buoyant in the thin, Martian atmosphere is to mitigate the transient forces on the balloon that might tear it. A fully inflated Mars balloon has a diameter of 10 m, so it must be folded up for the trip to Mars, unfolded upon arrival, and then inflated with helium gas in the atmosphere. Safe entry into the Martian atmosphere requires the use of an aeroshell vehicle, which protects against severe heating and pressure loads associated with the hypersonic entry flight. Drag decelerates the aeroshell to supersonic speeds, then two parachutes deploy to slow the vehicle down to the needed safe speed of 25 to 35 m/s for balloon deployment. The parachute system descent dynamic pressure must be approximately 5 Pa or lower at an altitude of 4 km or more above the surface.

Lachenmeler, Tim↗
NASA NTRS2010

Improved Attachment in a Hybrid Inflatable Pressure Vessel

The vessel is a hybrid that comprises an inflatable shell attached to a rigid structure. The inflatable shell is, itself, a hybrid that comprises (1) a pressure bladder restrained against expansion by (2) a restraint layer that comprises a web of straps made from high-strength polymeric fabrics. The present improvements are intended to overcome deficiencies in those aspects of the original design that pertain to attachment of the inflatable shell to the rigid structure. In a typical intended application, such attachment(s) would be made at one or more window or hatch frames to incorporate the windows or hatches as integral parts of the overall vessel.

Johnson, Christopher J.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Flight Performance of the Inflatable Reentry Vehicle Experiment II

The Inflatable Reentry Vehicle Experiment II launched August 17, 2009, from NASA Wallops Flight Facility. The three mission objectives were to demonstrate inflation and re-entry survivability, assess the thermal and drag performance of the reentry vehicle, and to collect flight data for comparison with analysis and design techniques used in vehicle development. The flight was a complete success, with the re-entry vehicle separating cleanly from the launcher, inflating as planned, and demonstrating stable flight through reentry and descent while on-board systems telemetered video and flight performance data to the ground.

Dillman, Robert A.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Subsonic and Transonic Wind Tunnel Testing of Two Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerators

Two inflatable aerodynamic decelerator designs were tested in the Transonic Dynamics Tunnel at the NASA Langley Research Center: a tension cone and an isotensoid. The tension cone consists of a flexible tension shell attached to a torus and the isotensoid employs a ram-air inflated envelope. Tests were conducted at Mach numbers from 0.3 to 1.08 and Reynolds numbers from 0.59 to 2.46 million. The main objective of these tests was to obtain static aerodynamic coefficients at subsonic and transonic speeds to supplement supersonic aerodynamic data for these same two designs. The axial force coefficients of both designs increased smoothly from subsonic through transonic Mach numbers. Dynamic data show significant oscillation of the tension cone and minimal oscillation of the isotensoid. The transonic and subsonic data will be used to assemble an inflatable decelerator aerodynamic database for use in computational analyses and system studies.

Tanner, Christopher L.↗
NASA NTRS2000

TransHab: NASA's Large-Scale Inflatable Spacecraft

TransHab is a, 27-foot diameter by 40-foot, lightweight inflatable habitation module for space applications. TransHab consists of a lightweight graphite-composite core, 11-foot diameter by 23-foot tall, surrounded by a 27-foot diameter inflatable shell. Originally envisioned to be the habitation module of an interplanetary transit vehicle, TransHab is currently being considered as a module for use on the International Space Station (ISS). During the past two years, several tests have been performed at the NASA/Johnson Space Center to demonstrate and prove the technologies required in building a large-scale inflatable habitation module. This paper discusses the results of these tests which including the following: 1) a structural integrity development test article hydJ"Ostatically tested to four times ambient pressure, 2) a full-scale development test article manufactured, assembled, folded and deployed at vacuum, and 3) extensive hypervelocity impact testing of the micro meteoroid and orbital debris protection system.

delaFuente, Horacio↗
NASA NTRS2010

Inflatable Antennas Support Emergency Communication

Glenn Research Center awarded Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts to ManTech SRS Technologies, of Newport Beach, California, to develop thin film inflatable antennas for space communication. With additional funding, SRS modified the concepts for ground-based inflatable antennas. GATR (Ground Antenna Transmit and Receive) Technologies, of Huntsville, Alabama, licensed the technology and refined it to become the world s first inflatable antenna certified by the Federal Communications Commission. Capable of providing Internet access, voice over Internet protocol, e-mail, video teleconferencing, broadcast television, and other high-bandwidth communications, the systems have provided communication during the wildfires in California, after Hurricane Katrina in Mississippi, and following the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2011

Cosmic Microwave Background Polarization and Inflation

Measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) offer a means to explore the universe at a very early epoch. Specifically, if the universe went through a brief period of exponential expansion called inflation as current data suggest, gravitational waves from this period would polarize the CMB in a specific pattern. At GSFC, we are currently working towards two experiments that work in concert to measure this polarization pattern in search of evidence for inflation. The Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor (CLASS) will measure the polarization at frequencies between 40 and 150 GHz from the Atacama Desert in Chile. The Primordial Inflation Polarization Explorer (PIPER) is a balloon-borne experiment that will make similar measurements at frequencies between 200 and 600 GHz.

Chuss, David T.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Advanced High-Temperature Flexible TPS for Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerators

Typical entry vehicle aeroshells are limited in size by the launch vehicle shroud. Inflatable aerodynamic decelerators allow larger aeroshell diameters for entry vehicles because they are not constrained to the launch vehicle shroud diameter. During launch, the hypersonic inflatable aerodynamic decelerator (HIAD) is packed in a stowed configuration. Prior to atmospheric entry, the HIAD is deployed to produce a drag device many times larger than the launch shroud diameter. The large surface area of the inflatable aeroshell provides deceleration of high-mass entry vehicles at relatively low ballistic coefficients. Even for these low ballistic coefficients there is still appreciable heating, requiring the HIAD to employ a thermal protection system (TPS). This TPS must be capable of surviving the heat pulse, and the rigors of fabrication handling, high density packing, deployment, and aerodynamic loading. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of flexible TPS tests and results, conducted over the last three years. This paper also includes an overview of each test facility, the general approach for testing flexible TPS, the thermal analysis methodology and results, and a comparison with 8-foot High Temperature Tunnel, Laser-Hardened Materials Evaluation Laboratory, and Panel Test Facility test data. Results are presented for a baseline TPS layup that can withstand a 20 W/cm2 heat flux, silicon carbide (SiC) based TPS layup, and polyimide insulator TPS layup. Recent work has focused on developing material layups expected to survive heat flux loads up to 50 W/cm2 (which is adequate for many potential applications), future work will consider concepts capable of withstanding more than 100 W/cm2 incident radiant heat flux. This paper provides an overview of the experimental setup, material layup configurations, facility conditions, and planned future flexible TPS activities.

DelCorso, Joseph A.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Methods to Determine the Deformation of the IRVE Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator

Small resonant targets used in conjunction with a microwave reflectometer to determine the deformation of the Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD) during reentry are investigated. The reflectometer measures the distance to the targets and from this the HIAD deformation is determined. The HIAD is used by the Inflatable Reentry Vehicle Experiment (IRVE) which investigates the use of inflatable heat shields for atmospheric reentry. After several different microwave reflectometer systems were analyzed and compared it was determined that the most desirable for this application is the Frequency Doubling Target method.

Young, William R.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Instrumentation Development for Large Scale Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator Characterization

Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD) technology is currently being considered for multiple atmospheric entry applications as the limitations of traditional entry vehicles have been reached. The Inflatable Re-entry Vehicle Experiment (IRVE) has successfully demonstrated this technology as a viable candidate with a 3.0 m diameter vehicle sub-orbital flight. To further this technology, large scale HIADs (6.0 8.5 m) must be developed and tested. To characterize the performance of large scale HIAD technology new instrumentation concepts must be developed to accommodate the flexible nature inflatable aeroshell. Many of the concepts that are under consideration for the HIAD FY12 subsonic wind tunnel test series are discussed below.

Swanson, Gregory T.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Hybrid Inflatable Pressure Vessel

Figure 1 shows a prototype of a large pressure vessel under development for eventual use as a habitable module for long spaceflight (e.g., for transporting humans to Mars). The vessel is a hybrid that comprises an inflatable shell attached to a rigid central structural core. The inflatable shell is, itself, a hybrid that comprises (1) a pressure bladder restrained against expansion by (2) a web of straps made from high-strength polymeric fabrics. On Earth, pressure vessels like this could be used, for example, as portable habitats that could be set up quickly in remote locations, portable hyperbaric chambers for treatment of decompression sickness, or flotation devices for offshore platforms. In addition, some aspects of the design of the fabric straps could be adapted to such other items as lifting straps, parachute straps, and automotive safety belts. Figure 2 depicts selected aspects of the design of a vessel of this type with a toroidal configuration. The bladder serves as an impermeable layer to keep air within the pressure vessel and, for this purpose, is sealed to the central structural core. The web includes longitudinal and circumferential straps. To help maintain the proper shape upon inflation after storage, longitudinal and circumferential straps are indexed together at several of their intersections. Because the web is not required to provide a pressure seal and the bladder is not required to sustain structural loads, the bladder and the web can be optimized for their respective functions. Thus, the bladder can be sealed directly to the rigid core without having to include the web in the seal substructure, and the web can be designed for strength. The ends of the longitudinal straps are attached to the ends of the rigid structural core by means of clevises. Each clevis pin is surrounded by a roller, around which a longitudinal strap is wrapped to form a lap seam with itself. The roller is of a large diameter chosen to reduce bending of the fibers in the strap. The roller also serves to equalize the load in the portions of the strap on both sides of the clevis pin. The lap seam is formed near the clevis by use of a tapered diamond stitch: This stitch is designed specifically to allow fibers in the stitch and strap to relax under load in such a manner that the load becomes more nearly evenly distributed among all fibers in the stitch region. Thus, the tapered diamond stitch prevents load concentrations that could cause premature failure of the strap and thereby increases the strength of the strap/structural-core joint. The lap seam can be rated at >90 percent of the strength of the strap material.

Raboin, Jasen↗
NASA NTRS2004

Inflatable Emergency Atmospheric-Entry Vehicles

In response to the loss of seven astronauts in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, large, lightweight, inflatable atmospheric- entry vehicles have been proposed as means of emergency descent and landing for persons who must abandon a spacecraft that is about to reenter the atmosphere and has been determined to be unable to land safely. Such a vehicle would act as an atmospheric decelerator at supersonic speed in the upper atmosphere, and a smaller, central astronaut pod could then separate at lower altitudes and parachute separately to Earth. Astronaut-rescue systems that have been considered previously have been massive, and the cost of designing them has exceeded the cost of fabrication of a space shuttle. In contrast, an inflatable emergency-landing vehicle according to the proposal would have a mass between 100 and 200 kg, could be stored in a volume of approximately 0.2 to 0.4 cu m, and could likely be designed and built much less expensively. When fully inflated, the escape vehicle behaves as a large balloon parachute, or ballute. Due to very low mass-per-surface area, a large radius, and a large coefficient of drag, ballutes decelerate at much higher altitudes and with much lower heating rates than the space shuttle. Although the space shuttle atmospheric reentry results in surface temperatures of about 1,600 C, ballutes can be designed for maximum temperatures below 600 C. This allows ballutes to be fabricated with lightweight ZYLON(Registered TradeMark) or polybenzoxazole (PBO), or equivalent.

Jones, Jack↗
NASA NTRS2011

Inflation Features of the Distal Pahoehoe Portion of the 1859 Mauna Loa Flow, Hawaii; Implications for Evaluating Planetary Lava Flows

The 1859 eruption of Mauna Loa, Hawaii, resulted in the longest subaerial lava flow on the Big Island. Detailed descriptions were made of the eruption both from ships and following hikes by groups of observers; the first three weeks of the eruption produced an `a`a flow that reached the ocean, and the following 10 months produced a pahoehoe flow that also eventually reached the ocean. The distal portion of the 1859 pahoehoe flow component includes many distinctive features indicative of flow inflation. Field work was conducted on the distal 1859 pahoehoe flow during 2/09 and 3/10, which allowed us to document several inflation features, in or-der evaluate how well inflated landforms might be detected in remote sensing data of lava flows on other planets.

Zimbelman, J. R.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Inflatable Hangar for Assembly of Large Structures in Space

The NASA Human Space Flight program is interested in projects where humans, beyond low-Earth orbit (LEO), can make an important and unique contribution that cannot be reasonably accomplished purely by robotic means, and is commensurate with the effort and cost associated with human spaceflight. Robotic space telescope missions have been conceived and launched as completed assemblies (e.g., Hubble) or as jack-in-the-box one-time deployments (e.g., James Webb). If it were possible to assemble components of a very large telescope from one or two launches into a telescope that was vastly greater in light-gathering power and resolution, that would constitute a breakthrough. Large telescopes on Earth, like all one-off precision assembly tasks, are done by humans. Humans in shirtsleeves (or cleanroom bunny suits) can perform tasks of remarkable dexterity and precision. Unfortunately, astronauts in pressure suits cannot perform such dexterous and precise tasks because of the limitations of the pressurized gloves. If a large, inflatable hangar were placed in high orbit, along with all the components needed for a large assembly such as a large telescope, then humans in bunny suits could perform the same sorts of extremely precise and dexterous assembly that they could be expected to perform on Earth. Calculations show that such an inflatable hangar, and the necessary gas to make it safe to occupy by shirtsleeves humans wearing oxygen masks, fits within the mass and volume limitations of the proposed "Space Launch System" heavy-lift rocket. A second launch could bring up all the components of an approximately 100-meter-diameter or larger telescope. A large [200 ft (approximately 61 m) in diameter] inflated fabric sphere (or hangar) would contain four humans in bunny suits. The sphere would contain sufficient atmospheric pressure so that spacesuits would not be necessary [about 3.2 psi (approximately 22 kPa)]. The humans would require only oxygen masks and small backpacks similar to SCUBA tanks. The oxygen content of the gas would be about 35%, low enough to reduce fire risk but high enough to sustain life in the event of a failure of an oxygen mask. The bunnysuited astronauts could ride on long "cherry-picker" robots with foot restraints somewhat similar to the arm on the International Space Station. Other astronauts would maneuver freely with small propeller fans on their backpacks to provide thrust in the zero-g environment.

Wilcox, Brian H.↗
NASA NTRS2013

The Challenges of Integrating Instrumentation with Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerators

To realize the National Aeronautics and Space Administration s (NASA) goal of landing humans on Mars, development of technologies to facilitate the landing of heavy payloads are being explored. Current entry, decent, and landing technologies are not practical when utilizing these heavy payloads due to mass and volume constraints dictated by limitations imposed by current launch vehicle fairings. Therefore, past and present technologies are now being considered to provide a mass and volume efficient solution, including Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerators (IADs) [1]. IAD ground and flight tests are currently being conducted to develop and characterize their performance under flight-like conditions. The integrated instrumentation systems, which are key to the performance characterization in each of these tests, have proven to be a challenge compared to the instrumentation of traditional rigid aeroshells. To overcome these challenges, flexible and embedded sensing systems have been developed, along with improved instrumenting techniques. This development opportunity faces many difficult aspects specific to inflatable structures in extreme environments. These include but are not limited to: physical flexibility, packaging, temperature, structural integration and data acquisition [2]. To better define the instrumentation challenges posed by IAD technology development, a survey was conducted to identify valuable measurements for ground and flight testing. From this survey many sensing technologies were explored, resulting in a down-selection to the most viable prospects. These systems were then iterated upon in design to determine the best integration techniques specific to a 3m and 6m stacked torus IAD. Each sensing system was then integrated and employed to support the IAD testing in the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex 40 x 80 wind tunnel at NASA Ames Research Center in the summer of 2012. Another challenge that has been explored is the data acquisition of IAD sensing technologies. Traditionally all space based sensing systems transmit their data through a wired interface. This limits the amount of sensors able to be integrated within the IAD due to volume and routing restrictions of the supporting signal and excitation wires. To alleviate this situation, multiple wireless data acquisition technologies have been researched and developed through rapid prototyping efforts. The final custom multi-nodal wireless system utilized during the summer 2012 IAD test series consisted of four remote nodes and one receiving base station. The system reliably conditioned and acquired 20+ sensors over the course of the wind tunnel test series. These developments in wireless data acquisition techniques can eliminate the need for structural feedthroughs and reduce system mass associated with wiring and wire harnesses. This makes the utilization of flight instrumentation more attractive to future missions, which would result in further improved characterization of IAD technology, and overall, increased scientific knowledge regarding the response of inflatable structures to extreme entry environments. [

Swanson, Gregory T.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Flight Performance of the Inflatable Reentry Vehicle Experiment 3

The Inflatable Reentry Vehicle Experiment 3 (IRVE-3) launched July 23, 2012, from NASA Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) on a Black Brant XI suborbital sounding rocket and successfully performed its mission, demonstrating the survivability of a hypersonic inflatable aerodynamic decelerator (HIAD) in the reentry heating environment and also illustrating the effect of an offset center of gravity on the HIAD's lift-to-drag ratio. IRVE-3 was a follow-on to 2009's IRVE-II mission, which demonstrated exo-atmospheric inflation, reentry survivability - without significant heating - and the aerodynamic stability of a HIAD down to subsonic flight conditions. NASA Langley Research Center is leading the development of HIAD technology for use on future interplanetary and Earth reentry missions.

Dillman, Robert↗
NASA NTRS2014

Long Term Displacement Data of Woven Fabric Webbings Under Constant Load for Inflatable Structures

Inflatable modules for space applications offer weight and launch volume savings relative to current metallic modules. Limited data exist on the creep behavior of the restraint layer of inflatable modules. Long-term displacement and strain data of two high strength woven fabric webbings, Kevlar and Vectran, under constant load is presented. The creep behavior of webbings is required by designers to help determine service life parameters of inflatable modules. Four groups of different webbings with different loads were defined for this study. Group 1 consisted of 4K Kevlar webbings loaded to 33% ultimate tensile strength and 6K Vectran webbings loaded to 27% ultimate tensile strength, group 2 consisted of 6K Kevlar webbings loaded to 40% and 43% ultimate tensile strength, and 6K Vectran webbings loaded to 50% ultimate tensile strength, group 3 consisted of 6K Kevlar webbings loaded to 52% ultimate tensile strength and 6K Vectran webbings loaded to 60% ultimate tensile strength, and group 4 consisted of 12.5K Kevlar webbings loaded to 22% ultimate tensile strength, and 12.5K Vectran webbings loaded to 22% ultimate tensile strength. The uniquely designed test facility, hardware, displacement measuring devices, and test data are presented. Test data indicate that immediately after loading all webbings stretch an inch or more, however as time increases displacement values significantly decrease to fall within a range of several hundredth of an inch over the remainder of test period. Webbings in group 1 exhibit near constant displacements and strains over a 17-month period. Data acquisition was suspended after the 17th month, however webbings continue to sustain load without any local webbing damage as of the 21st month of testing. Webbings in group 2 exhibit a combination of initial constant displacement and subsequent increases in displacement rates over a 16-month period. Webbings in group 3 exhibit steady increases in displacement rates leading to webbing failure over a 3-month period. Five of six webbings experienced local damage and subsequent failure in group 3. Data from group 4 indicates increasing webbing displacements over a 7-month period. All webbings in groups 1, 2, and 4 remain suspended without any local damage as of the writing of this paper. Variations in facility temperatures over test period seem to have had limited effect on long-term webbing displacement data.

Kenner, Winfred S.↗