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NASA NTRS2017

Unlocking the Commercial Value of NASA Technology Investments

Success in executing NASA's ambitious aerospace missions requires solutions to difficult technical challenges that build on proven capabilities, as well as development of new capabilities. Early and continuous investments in aeronautics over 76 years in Cleveland at NASA Glenn have led to Ohio being the number one supplier to both Boeing and Airbus. New technologies that NASA Glenn is working on, the Center's efforts to engage US industry in the global space exploration efforts, and ways GRC is leading spin-offs of NASA IP are enabling new industries from clean water technologies to biomedical applications.

Innovation↗

NASA NTRS2018

New Efforts to Update NASA's Global Reference Atmospheric Models (GRAM)

NASA is at the forefront of planetary exploration. The inability to test planetary spacecraft in the flight environment prior to a mission requires engineers to rely on ground-based testing and models of the vehicle and expected environments. One of the most widely used engineering models of the atmosphere for many NASA projects is the Global Reference Atmospheric Model (GRAM) developed by the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). Over the past decade GRAM upgrades and maintenance have depended on inconsistent and waning project-specific support. Recently, the NASA Science Mission Directorate agreed to provide funding support in Fiscal Year 2018 and 2019 to upgrade the GRAMs. This poster summarizes the objectives, tasks and milestones of this effort.

Justh, Hilary↗

NASA NTRS2018

New Efforts to Update NASA's Global Reference Atmospheric Models (GRAM)

NASA is at the forefront of planetary exploration. The inability to test planetary space-craft in the flight environment prior to a mission requires engineers to rely on ground-based testing and models of the vehicle and expected environments. One of the most widely used engineering models of the atmosphere for many NASA projects is the Global Reference Atmospheric Model (GRAM) developed by the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). Over the past decade GRAM upgrades and maintenance have depended on inconsistent and waning project-specific support. Recently, the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) has agreed to provide funding support in Fiscal Year 2018 and 2019 to upgrade the GRAMs.

Justh, H. L.↗

NASA NTRS2018

New Efforts to Update NASA's Global Reference Atmospheric Models (GRAM)

Dwyer Cianciolo, Alicia↗

NASA NTRS2018

Electric Propulsion Research and Development at NASA

Electric propulsion (EP) is an important technology for NASA. It has played a major role on three missions, that is Deep Space 1, Dawn and Space Technology 7, and it is planned for use on many more. The ion propulsion system for the ongoing Dawn mission has achieved several notable accomplishments, including providing a total velocity change (delta-V) of over 11 km/s to the spacecraft. As a result of these successes, solar electric propulsion (SEP) is now broadly recognized as an essential technology for both robotic and human exploration. NASA is currently conducting many projects focused on research and development of EP for a variety of applications. All three of NASA's mission directorates that deal directly with space exploration are actively engaged in supporting work in this area. This paper describes these projects in more detail, including the specific engineering activities being conducted at NASA's main centers for EP technology development, namely Glenn Research Center (GRC) and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

Schmidt, George↗

NASA NTRS2017

NASA Mars 2020 Landed Mission Development

In January of 2014, NASA received fifty-eight proposals from U.S. and international teams for science and exploration technology investigations, for consideration for inclusion as part of NASA's next mobile landed mission to Mars. The results of the competitive procurement were released in late July of 2014: Seven payloads were selected for the investigations that would contribute to meeting the overall objectives of the mission. The extraordinary scientific and technology development interest in the Mars 2020 mission is a direct result of NASA's sustained and coordinated plan for the exploration of Mars, and ultimately, its search for life elsewhere in the universe. The Mars 2020 Mission will preserve the heritage and directly build upon NASA's Mars Science Laboratory Mission and Curiosity Rover to implement its mission. In this paper, early development history leading to its development announcement, as well as key development status and design features for its implementation, is summarized.

MSR↗

NASA NTRS2018

Electric Propulsion Research and Development at NASA

Schmidt, George↗

NASA NTRS2018

Propulsion Control Technology Development Needs to Address NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Goals for Thrusts 3a and 4

The Commercial Aero-Propulsion Control Working Group (CAPCWG), consisting of propulsion control technology leads from The Boeing Company, GE Aviation, Honeywell, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce, and NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Glenn Research Center, has been working together over the past year to identify propulsion control technology areas of common interest that we believe are critical to achieving the challenging NASA Aeronautics Research goals for Thrust 3a: Ultra-Efficient Commercial Vehicles - Subsonic Transports, and Thrust 4: Transition to Alternative Propulsion and Energy. This paper describes the various propulsion control technology development areas identified by CAPCWG as most critical for NASA to invest in. For Thrust 3a these are: i) Integrated On-Board Model Based Engine Control and Health Management; ii) Flexible and Modular Networked Control Hardware and Software Architecture; iii) Intelligent Air/Fuel Control for Low Emissions Combustion; and iv) Active Clearance Control. For Thrust 4a, the focus is on Hybrid Electric Propulsion (HEP) for single aisle commercial aircraft. The specific technology development areas include: i) Integrated Power and Propulsion System Dynamic Modeling for Control; ii) Control Architectures for HEP; iii) HEP Control Verification and Validation; and iv) Engine/Airplane Control Integration. For each of the technology areas, the discussion includes: problem to be solved and how it relates to NASA goals, and the challenges to be addressed in reducing risk.

Propulsion Control↗

NASA NTRS2018

NASA 2018 Green Propulsion Roadmap

The Green Propulsion Working Group (GPWG) is a technical guidance working group formed April 2017 under the Agency's Capability Leadership Team The GPWG was tasked with recommending an agency road map and providing guidance to NASA on green propulsion technology development and infusion The GPWG's efforts focus on ionic liquid propellants and related technologies The GPWG was chartered with three representatives from NASA Centers currently exploring green propulsion technologies As other Centers may explore programs that utilize green propulsion, membership of the working group can be expanded to include more interested parties Working group also solicits and coordinates with other government agencies (e.g. AFRL, MDA) In 2015, JANNAF hosted a Technical Interchange Meeting (TIM) on Green Monopropellant Alternatives to Hydrazine (GMAH) Included both Government and non-Government contributions on the State-of-the-Art in Green Propulsion Technology Following the TIM, a Government-only session (USAF/AFRL/NASA/MDA/DLA) reviewed and identified remaining technical gaps in Green Propulsion In 2016, an inter-agency team (AFRL/NASA/MDA) worked together to develop an informal inter-agency "roadmap" based on the outcome of the TIM Approach consisted of near-term, mid-term, and long-term technology advancement areas, approaching incrementally larger thrust classes The NASA Green Propulsion Working Group reviewed the work of the 2016 Inter-Agency Working Group, and concurs that the identified technical gaps and technology development areas are still relevant and necessary to see green propulsion technology advanced The GPWG recommends the 2016 roadmap be adopted as baseline for NASA needs, with some additions The focus of the 2016 inter-agency roadmap was primarily on the thruster technology. The Agency must also invest in understanding the broader propulsion system-level technology gaps in parallel. Timeframes are considered suggested from a priority standpoint, but are also flexible as some efforts will need to occur in the nearer term or concurrently in order to meet specific mission requirements The GPWG developed 2018 roadmap breaks down the technology development goals into Technology Development Areas (TDA's), and identifies the near-, mid, and long-term sub-goals within those areas. Those TDA's are: Thruster Hardware Development Modeling & Tools Development Materials Properties and Compatibility Propellant Development.

Cavender, Dan↗

NASA NTRS2018

From Apollo to the Future, the NASA Curation Model for Engaging the Sample Science Community Maximizes Science on Extraterrestrial Samples

The Astromaterials Acquisition and Curation Office at Johnson Space Center (JSC) has enjoyed a long-term partnership (50 years!) with a broad community of planetary sample scientists. This partnership has enabled the curators of planetary samples to plan for and enact evolving requirements for preservation of sample scientific integrity and for handling and long-term storage. The basis for this relationship is a standing peer review advisory committee composed of leading scientists who are recognized for achievements in sample analysis. The committee and its descendants have brought familiarity with the most relevant scientific investigations and the associated analytical and contamination challenges. Beginning with Apollo, the review committee was charged with oversight of curatorial operations and with ensuring fair access to samples. As additional samples from other planetary bodies were acquired, the committee evolved, taking on new responsibilities, reflected in committee name changes. However, oversight of curatorial operations and fair allocation of samples remain basic responsibilities. Committee recommendations are sent to the NASA Headquarters Discipline Scientist for approval. To minimize conflict of interest and maximize fair access, the rules governing the make-up of the committee is structured. Systematic rotation of leadership and staggered terms of membership allow the committee to retain expertise while bringing in fresh ideas. The first peer review committee was called the Lunar Sample Analysis and Planning Team (LSAPT) and was formalized in early 1968 with about 15 members. Their function was to review a) the equipment and procedures used in the new Lunar Receiving Laboratory (LRL); b) the proficiency and capability of the LRL staff; c) the sequence of sample analysis and allocation after quarantine release; and d) the findings of the Preliminary Examination Team (PET). According to LSAPT member Gerald Wasserburg, one of the first issues they faced was deciding whether to have most of the sample analyses performed in house at the LRL or to distribute samples to members of the scientific community. LSAPT concluded that the major scientific investigations should be carried out externally to the LRL by scientists chosen for their expertise in specific disciplines. Further they recommended that the PET's basic characterization of samples be circulated to the broad scientific community. LSAPT set its own agenda, paid attention to facility details, closely monitored the move of samples from the LRL to the interim curatorial facility in 1973, and was active in inspecting curation facilities. Between 1975 and 1979, a Facility Subcommittee of LSAPT oversaw the design and construction of a permanent facility for preservation of lunar samples. The result was an outstanding facility still in use today. In 1977, a separate peer review committee, the Meteorite Working Group (MWG), was formed to evaluate requests for new meteorites then being collected in Antarctica under what would in 1980 become a 3-agency agreement (National Science Foundation, NASA, Smithsonian Institution). By 1979, after lunar samples were moved into the new permanent facility, the vacated gloveboxes and laboratory were prepared for meteorite curation. Recognizing that LSAPT had been helpful in setting up the JSC curatorial facility for Antarctic meteorites, JSC recommended the review committee be given expanded duties, including advice on curation and analysis of materials from other planetary bodies and the name be changed to Lunar and Planetary Sample Team (LAPST). In 1993, LAPST was renamed the Curation and Analysis Planning Team for Extraterrestrial Materials (CAPTEM) to reflect additional functions. CAPTEM is chartered to be (1) a community-based, interdisciplinary forum for discussion and analysis of matters concerning the collection and curation of extraterrestrial samples, including planning future sample return missions and (2) a standing review panel, charged with evaluating proposals requesting allocation of all extraterrestrial samples contained in NASA collections. Efficiency and flexibility are gained through use of subcommittees, both ad hoc and standing. Transition of the MWG to a subcommittee of CAPTEM was completed in 2017. Today subcommittees review allocation requests for lunar samples, Antarctic meteorites, cosmic dust, Stardust cometary samples, Genesis solar wind samples, and samples returned from asteroids. Other subcommittees address facilities, informatics, and micro-cratered substrates. Planetary samples have been sent to research teams in over 30 countries world-wide. The expertise in the care and fair distribution of astromaterials by NASA using this model spans generations of planetary sample scientists and is a valuable resource to be tapped for future sample returns - OSIRIS-REx, Hayabusa 2, and Mars 2020.

Allton, Judith↗

NASA NTRS2018

Overview of Small Spacecraft Technology Activities at the NASA Glenn Research Center

The NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) in Cleveland, Ohio designs and develops innovative technologies to advance NASA's missions in aeronautics and space exploration. The center's expertise includes that in power, energy storage, and conversion; in-space chemical and electric propulsion; communications; and instrumentation technologies. GRC is currently managing and/or developing a number of these technologies for Small Spacecraft applications. Small spacecraft propulsion efforts include efforts with Tethers Unlimited, Inc. (TUI) and Busek. Power systems technology efforts include the Advanced Electrical Bus (ALBus) CubeSat inhouse development as well as efforts with Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), the Kennedy Space Center & the University Miami. In the area of communications, NASA-GRC continues to explore the potential capabilities and advantages of using Ka-band for LEO (Low Earth Orbit) spacecraft communications with both NASA and commercially owned GEO (Geosynchrous Earth Orbit) relays and direct-to-ground terminal networks. GRC has also proposed a number of small spacecraft instrumentation technology demonstration such as SPAGHETI (Solar Proton Anisotropy and Galactic cosmic ray High Energy Transport Instrument) and CFIDS (Compact Full-Field Ion Detector System).

Space Communications↗

NASA NTRS2018

The Small Spacecraft Systems Virtual Institute (S3VI) and NASA's Small Spacecraft Enterprise

The mission of the Small Spacecraft Systems Virtual Institute (S3VI) is to advance the field of small spacecraft systems and allied sciences by promoting innovation, exploring new concepts, identifying emerging technology opportunities, and establishing effective conduits for the collaboration and the dissemination of research results relevant to small spacecraft systems. The S3VI is the common portal for NASA related small spacecraft activities. The portal hosts the Small Spacecraft Body of Knowledge as an online resource for the Small Spacecraft Technology State of the Art report, and reliability processes and practices, among other small spacecraft-focused content. The S3VI's first year activities focused on development of the web portal and investment in collaborative tools to host and support working groups formed to concentrate on a variety of small spacecraft topics such as reliability and access to space. The S3VI serves as the front door for other governmental and non-governmental organizations that wish to collaborate or interact with NASA small spacecraft organizations. NASA presently has a growing number of small spacecraft related programs, projects, and efforts underway to advance the state of the art of small spacecraft instruments, technologies, and missions in order for NASA to achieve its science and exploration goals.

Small spacecraft↗

NASA NTRS2018

Electric Propulsion Research and Development at NASA

Electric propulsion (EP) is an important technology for NASA. It has played a major role on three missions, namely Deep Space 1, Dawn and Space Technology 7, and it is planned for use on many more. The ion propulsion system for the ongoing Dawn mission has achieved several notable accomplishments, including providing a total velocity change (delta-V) of over 11 km/s to the spacecraft. As a result of these successes, solar electric propulsion (SEP) is now broadly recognized as an essential technology for both robotic and human exploration. NASA is currently conducting many projects focused on research and development of EP for a variety of applications. All three of NASA's mission directorates that deal directly with space exploration are actively engaged in supporting work in this area. This paper describes these projects in more detail, including the specific engineering activities being conducted at NASA's main centers for EP technology development, namely Glenn Research Center (GRC) and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

Schmidt, George↗

NASA NTRS2018

Electric Propulsion Research and Development at NASA

Schmidt, George↗

NASA NTRS2018

NASA SPLICE Project: Development and Testing of Precision Landing GN&C Technologies

NASA's technology advancement needs for entry, descent and landing call for high-precision, high-rate sensors that can improve navigation accuracy and vehicle control performance. Higher landing accuracy is required for any future human lander missions, and likely, for most robotic missions 1,2. Sensors and algorithms that significantly reduce navigation errors and can image the local terrain will enable landing at locations of high scientific interest that would otherwise pose significant risk to the vehicle. The Safe and Precise Landing-Integrated Capabilities Evolution project, or SPLICE, is developing precision landing and hazard avoidance (PL&HA) technologies for NASA and for potential commercial space flight missions. SPLICE technologies include sensors, algorithms, advanced space flight computing capabilities, and simulation tools used to integrate and study guidance, navigation, and control (GN&C) system performance. SPLICE efforts include hardware-in-the-loop (HWIL) simulation testing, ground testing, and flight testing, including reuse of hardware from the CoOperative Blending of Autonomous Landing Technologies (COBALT) suborbital flight-test payload3,4. Two of the precise navigation sensors that are being developed and matured within SPLICE are LiDARs. Since 2006, NASA Langley has been developing a Navigation Doppler LiDAR (NDL) for precise velocity measurements, and SPLICE is building an NDL engineering test unit (ETU) that will be brought up to TRL 6 following environmental and high-speed1,2 testing. NASA Goddard is developing a Hazard Detection LiDAR (HD LiDAR) engineering development unit (EDU) for SPLICE that has relevance to future human and robotic lander missions. The HD LiDAR will be flight test and matured to TRL 5.

Restrepo, Carolina I.↗

NASA NTRS2018

Sharing the NASA Experience

Dr. Obadiah Kegege will share his career experience with the University of Missouri _ Kansas City Students. This experience spans from academia, research and development, working on flight and ground systems for space exploration, to current work in engineering project management. Most of his NASA experience concentrates on supporting the Space Communication and Navigation Program (SCaN) program. SCaN implements, manages, and maintains communications and navigation services to existing and planned space missions. Dr. Kegege's talk will touch on topics like "how do we communicate to space," as well giving an overview of NASA's Near-Earth Network (NEN), Space Network (SN), and the Deep Space Network (DSN). Also, Dr. Kegege will answer a few questions from students, i.e applying for NASA internships, applying for jobs at NASA, etc.

Kegege, Obadiah O.↗

NASA NTRS2018

Dynamic Power Convertor Development for Radioisotope Power Systems at NASA Glenn Research Center

The Thermal Energy Conversion Branch at NASA Glenn Research Center is supporting the development of high-efficiency power convertors for use in radioisotope power systems (RPS). Significant progress was made toward such a system that utilized Stirling conversion during the 2001 to 2015 timeframe. Flight development of the Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator (ASRG) was canceled in 2013 by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and NASA Headquarters primarily due to budget constraints, and the Advanced Stirling Convertor (ASC) technology contract was subsequently concluded in 2015. A new chapter of technology development has recently been initiated by the NASA RPS Program. This effort is considering all dynamic power convertor options, such as Stirling and Brayton cycles. Four convertor development contracts supporting this effort were awarded in 2017. The awarded contracts include two free-piston Stirling, one thermoacoustic Stirling, and one turbo-Brayton design. The technology development contracts each consist of up to three phases: design, fabrication, and test. As of May 2018, all contracts have completed the design phase, and each underwent a design review with an independent review board. Three of the contracts are planned to execute the phase 2 option for fabrication. Convertors manifesting from these development efforts will then undergo independent validation and verification (IV and V) at NASA facilities, which will consist of convertor performance and RPS viability demonstrations. Example tests include launch vibration simulation, performance mapping over the environmental temperature range, and static acceleration exposure. In parallel with this renewed development effort, Glenn is still demonstrating free-piston Stirling convertor technology using assets from previous projects. The Stirling Research Laboratory (SRL) is still operating several convertors from previous development projects, which have similarities and relevance to current contract designs. Four of these are flexure-bearing based and another six are gas bearing based. One of the flexure-bearing convertors has accumulated over 110,000 h of operation and holds the current record for maintenance-free heat-engine run time. Another flexure-bearing convertor was recently manually shut down after 105,620 h of operation, then disassembled and inspected. This inspection produced a wealth of information about the effects of this amount of run time on the technology's components. One of the engineering unit flexure-bearing convertors recently underwent a launch simulation vibration test, a static acceleration exposure up to 20 g, and was then placed on extended operation. Among the gas-bearing convertors, the longest running unit has accumulated over 70,000 h of operation. Four high-fidelity gas-bearing convertors from the ASRG project are still operating continuously for which the longest run time has reached 28,000 h.

Oriti, Salvatore M.↗

NASA NTRS2018

Payload Utilization in NASA's Space Launch System

A revitalized National Space Council has directed NASA to return to the moon, with a series of preparatory missions paving the way for eventual human exploration. NASA's new deep space exploration system -- the heavy-lift Space Launch System (SLS), the Orion crew spacecraft and revitalized launch facilities at Kennedy Space Center -- will enable NASA and its commercial and international partners to meet these goals for human deep space exploration. SLS will be the most capable launch vehicle for these efforts, with an initial Block 1 capability of at least 26 metric tons (t) to trans-lunar injection (TLI). A more powerful Block 1B, available in crew and cargo configurations, with have the power to loft more than 37 t to TLI; the ultimate Block 2 variant will lift more than 45 t to TLI. For payload utilization, the Block 1 vehicle will carry 13 6U CubeSats as secondary payloads while the Block 1B crew vehicle will provide as much volume as the space shuttle payload bay in a Universal Stage Adapter (USA). Block 1B cargo vehicles will offer 8.4 m fairings in 19.1 m and 27.4 m lengths, with enough volume to accommodate habitat modules and landers. For missions beyond the Earth-moon system, SLS offers greater characteristic energy (C3), enabling faster transit or heavier payloads to the outer planets. The first mission of SLS and Orion, launching no earlier than December 2019, will send Orion into lunar distant retrograde orbit (DRO) on an approximately 25-day shakedown cruise known as Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1), enabling NASA to verify and validate new systems before sending astronauts to deep space on the next exploration mission. The SLS program and its prime contractors have made significant progress toward first launch, with several major components of the vehicle completed and delivered to the Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) Program at Kennedy Space Center. Major forward work includes integrating tanks, engines and other major sections into the EM-1 core stage at Michoud Assembly Facility and then shipping the entire core stage assembly to Stennis Space Center. There, it will be installed in the refurbished B-2 test stand for a series of integrated stage tests culminating in a green run hotfire test. The Program's Spacecraft Payload Integration and Evolution (SPIE) Office, responsible for the in-space stage, adapters and payload interfaces, has largely completed its effort on the Block 1 vehicle and is supporting manufacture of the first Block 1B vehicle. This paper will provide an overview of the Block 1 vehicle, its expected capabilities, secondary payload accommodations and manufacturing status, including structural testing and the challenges of developing a new launch vehicle. A lookahead to the Block 1B vehicle and the payload utilization opportunities it will provide in the 2020s will also be discussed, including the unique capabilities of the vehicle.

Creech, Stephen D.↗