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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 1,711 records · Page 95
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1977

LANDSAT information for state planning

The transfer of remote sensing technology for the digital processing of LANDSAT data to state and local agencies in Georgia and other southeastern states is discussed. The project consists of a series of workshops, seminars, and demonstration efforts, and transfer of NASA-developed hardware concepts and computer software to state agencies. Throughout the multi-year effort, digital processing techniques have been emphasized classification algorithms. Software for LANDSAT data rectification and processing have been developed and/or transferred. A hardware system is available at EES (engineering experiment station) to allow user interactive processing of LANDSAT data. Seminars and workshops emphasize the digital approach to LANDSAT data utilization and the system improvements scheduled for LANDSATs C and D. Results of the project indicate a substantially increased awareness of the utility of digital LANDSAT processing techniques among the agencies contracted throughout the southeast. In Georgia, several agencies have jointly funded a program to map the entire state using digitally processed LANDSAT data.

Faust, N. L.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Solar energy water desalination in the United States and Saudi Arabia

Five solar energy water desalination systems were designed to deliver 6000 cubic m/day of desalted water from either seawater or brackish water. Two systems will be selected for pilot plant construction. The pilot plants will have capacities in the range of 100 to 400 m/day. Goals of the Project Agreement for Cooperation in the Field of Solar Energy, under the auspices of the United States-Saudi Arabian Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation, are to: (1) cooperate in the field of solar energy technology for the mutual benefit of the two countries, including the development and stimulation of solar industries within the two countries; (2) advance the development of solar energy technology in the two countries; and (3) facilitate the transfer between the two countries of technology developed under this agreement.

Luft, W.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Roll ring assemblies for the Space Station

Space Station Freedom requires the transmission of high power and signals through three different rotational interfaces. Roll ring technology was baselined by NASA for rotary joints to transfer up to 65.5 kW of power for 30 years at greater than 99 percent efficiency. Signal transfer requirements included MIL-STD-1553 data transmission and 4.5 MHz RS250A base and color video. A unique design for each rotary joint was developed and tested to accomplish power and signal transfer. An overview of roll ring technology is presented, followed by design requirements, hardware configuration, and test results.

Batista, J.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Optical Time Transfer for Bistatic SAR Spacecraft

A spacecraft-to-spacecraft optical time-transfer simulation has been developed as a tool for informing NASA’s Surface Deformation and Change (SDC) mission architecture. The SDC mission will combine radar images from multiple spacecraft to improve understanding of the Earth’s sea-level and landscape changes. Spacecraft must be precisely synchronized in order to create sharp radar images. Simulation of multiple spacecraft time-synchronizing via laser communication can inform technology choices of a mission by providing a picosecond-precision level estimate of clock error. This timing and ranging simulation has been combined with a radar system performance analysis pipeline. The simulated timing errors are used to predict performance of bistatic SAR systems in the presence of oscillator noise and time synchronization in accuracy. This analysis includes both analytic approximation equations from existing literature, and a numerical radar simulation to extract key system performance parameters like phase error and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)degradation. Precision time-transfer techniques facilitate the accurate synchronization of clocks between any combination of terminals. Most time-transfer technology for comparing two clocks at different terminals use radio frequencies (RF) to measure the time delay between the sending and receiving of signals. Laser technology offers the capability to transmit high data rates with systems that are of smaller size and lower power than comparable RF systems. The clocks on independent spacecraft will have some phase and frequency errors between them that result in clock drift. The two clock models that are included in this bi-directional MATLAB simulation are a cesium-based Chip-Scale Atomic Clock (CSAC) and a rubidium-based Miniature Atomic Clock (MAC). The CSAC has flown as hardware for small satellite missions such as the University of Florida’s CHOMPTT mission. A study of example orbits, including that of NASA NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar Mission (NISAR) mission, and lasing rates demonstrate the impact of flight configuration parameters on the synchronization error between two spacecraft. The MATLAB timing simulation uses a Runge-Kutta 4th-order method to propagate spacecraft orbits and computes the light-travel time estimate between them. The simulation outputs the estimated range and estimated clock error based on a user-defined spacecraft cluster configuration. The radar simulation and analytic approximations are applied to evaluate a potential future NASA bistatic SAR constellation architecture. In the proposed architecture, satellites follow each other in the same orbit at 800 km altitude, with a 210 km baseline. We also baseline the CSAC as an ultra stable oscillator, and use NASA’s NISAR for baseline radar system parameters to compute a clock-system introduced phase error of 5.6 degrees without synchronization by frequent time transfer. We build on this base case with a sensitivity analysis of radar performance over a proposed range of constellation and radar system parameters. With this analysis pipeline, we comment on which radar parameters should or should not be changed to minimize synchronization requirements. This analysis technique could be extended or modified to evaluate the timing requirements of other geometries for other future multistatic SAR missions, or other interferometric satellite missions.

Surface Deformation and Change↗
NASA NTRS1977

Who should conduct aeronautical R and D for the Federal Government?

It was found that Government laboratories, and especially NASA laboratories, should be the prime national producers of applied research in aeronautics. American aeronautic needs the new stimulus of markedly increased outputs of broad-based innovative research from NASA laboratories more than it needs most of the technology advancement and development-oriented programs currently underway in these laboratories. The Government should use manufacturing companies for the vast bulk of development and most technology advancement. However, the Government will have to implement programs to encourage the transfer of full information on technology and research advancements, from the companies that do this work for the Government, to competing companies. Universities should be the primary sources of basic research. Service R&D companies and non-profit R&D institutions provide valuable, specialized, supplementary technical capabilities and other unique attributes, which together span the entire spectrum of aeronautical R&D.

Album, H. H.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Toll-Booth Purification

NASA's Technology Application Team at Stanford Research Institute searched available information and suggested a transfer of clean-room technology employing the use of the same laminar flow techniques found in environmental control systems of clean rooms used for contamination-free assembly of precision aerospace equipment. That information, from technology originally developed by NASA and the Energy Research & Development Administration was incorporated in the design of a prototype toll booth purifier. The draft-free design includes a "diffusor", which blows clean air out the toll booth doorway, thus retarding the infiltration of contaminated air. The net effect is a decrease in the toll collector's inhalation of exhaust fumes. The Washington Department of Highways installed the prototype system in a toll booth at the Evergreen Point Bridge near Seattle. After a successful two-year test, the department now has equipped all 10 of the bridge's toll booths with the air purifiers.

Source record↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

PlanetVac: Regolith Mining Systems for CLPS Blue Ghost Lander

PlanetVac is a revolutionary technology for acquiring and transferring regolith from almost any planetary body to instruments (for in situ analysis) or sample returned container (for sample return missions). PlanetVac uses a robust and dust tolerant pneumatic approach, similar to traditional pneumatic based pow-der delivery technologies used on Earth. The main difference is the sources of gas: PlanetVac uses a standalone gas canister to provide the working fluid.

Regolith↗
NASA NTRS2002

Solar Electric Propulsion Vehicle Design Study for Cargo Transfer to Earth-moon L1

A design study for a cargo transfer vehicle using solar electric propulsion was performed for NASA's Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts program. Targeted for 2016, the solar electric propulsion (SEP) transfer vehicle is required to deliver a propellant supply module with a mass of approximately 36 metric tons from Low Earth Orbit to the first Earth-Moon libration point (LL1) within 270 days. Following an examination of propulsion and power technology options, a SEP transfer vehicle design was selected that incorporated large-area (approx. 2700 sq m) thin film solar arrays and a clustered engine configuration of eight 50 kW gridded ion thrusters mounted on an articulated boom. Refinement of the SEP vehicle design was performed iteratively to properly estimate the required xenon propellant load for the out-bound orbit transfer. The SEP vehicle performance, including the xenon propellant estimation, was verified via the SNAP trajectory code. Further efforts are underway to extend this system model to other orbit transfer missions.

Sarver-Verhey, Timothy R.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Non-doe-sponsored Domestic Dish Activities

The parabolic dish development activities being undertaken within the private sector of the United States were addressed. The primary emphasis of these non-DOE-sponsored activities is the development of commercial products that can penetrate the market in the near term. The exchange of information between these activities and the complementary DOE-sponsored work directed toward developing advancements in technology is considered to be of major importance. The experiences and problems encountered in the private sector serve as inputs that will help guide in the planning of the DOE program. In turn, a principal objective of the DOE program is the transfer findings of its technological development activities to the private sector. Activities in the private are characterized by their diversity in terms of both product design and marketing approach. The differences in the design concepts and the sizes of the dish concentrators under development are particularly noteworthy.

Fujita, T.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Seeding Innovative Ideas and Partnering with the Ecosystem

Jenn Gustetic will talk about how NASA selects ideas and collaborates with the ecosystem to develop new technologies for NASA’s portfolio. She will explain how the organization encourages collaboration, co-invests to develop ideas from lab to market, and acts as the hub-and-spoke of the ecosystem. Jenn will also discuss NASA’s journey to break silos and work horizontally across programs. • Gathering and evaluating ideas internally and externally with diverse players – engaging communities, being the hub-and-spoke of the ecosystem, and encouraging collaboration through co-investments • Identify the best ideas, funding ideas from maturation to hand-off with fluctuating budgets, and managing IP and tech transfer • Balancing investments in projects that address NASA’s needs with higher risk ideas that may not have an obvious application • Transitioning ideas to the next phase – training people and teams and ensuring ownership • Developing a 3.0 innovation capacity strategy – disrupting silos, enabling the ecosystem to work seamlessly together, and taking people and leaders along

innovation↗
DOE OSTI2013

Note: Near infrared spectral and transient measurements of PbS quantum dots luminescence

We describe an experimental setup for the characterization of luminescence from nanostructures. The setup is intended for steady-state and time-resolved luminescence measurements in the near-infrared region. The setup allows us to study spectral luminescence properties in the spectral range of 0.8–2.0 μm with high spectral resolution and kinetic luminescence properties between 0.8 and 1.7 μm with a time resolution of 3 ns. The capabilities of the system are illustrated by taking luminescence measurements from PbS quantum dots. We established the size dependencies of the optical properties of the PbS quantum dots over a wide spectral range. Finally, the energy transfer process was studied with a high temporal and spectral resolution.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

In-Pile Instrumentation Advanced Manufacturing: Devleopment of Pt, Mo, and Nb Inks

This report summarizes the nanoparticle ink synthesis for in–pile nuclear sensor applications. Bulk nanopowders of Pt, Mo, and Nb were dispersed in aqueous solvents and printed into in–pile nuclear sensor structures to demonstrate their compatibility with aerosol jet printing and plasma jet printing. While we did not directly demonstrate plasma jet printing, due to delays in equipment installation from the manufacturer, compatibility with aerosol jet printing technology is expected to transfer to the plasma jet printer based upon the manufacturer’s specifications for ink compatibility.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS2000

International Agreement on Planetary Protection

The maintenance of a NASA policy, is consistent with international agreements. The planetary protection policy management in OSS, with Field Center support. The advice from internal and external advisory groups (NRC, NAC/Planetary Protection Task Force). The technology research and standards development in bioload characterization. The technology research and development in bioload reduction/sterilization. This presentation focuses on: forward contamination - research on the potential for Earth life to exist on other bodies, improved strategies for planetary navigation and collision avoidance, and improved procedures for sterile spacecraft assembly, cleaning and/or sterilization; and backward contamination - development of sample transfer and container sealing technologies for Earth return, improvement in sample return landing target assessment and navigation strategy, planning for sample hazard determination requirements and procedures, safety certification, (liaison to NEO Program Office for compositional data on small bodies), facility planning for sample recovery system, quarantine, and long-term curation of 4 returned samples.

Source record↗
DOE OSTI2016

Isolating and quantifying cross-beam energy transfer in direct-drive implosions on OMEGA and the National Ignition Facility

The angularly resolved mass ablation rates and ablation-front trajectories for Si-coated CH targets were measured in direct-drive inertial confinement fusion experiments to quantify cross-beam energy transfer (CBET) while constraining the hydrodynamic coupling. A polar-direct-drive laser configuration, where the equatorial laser beams were dropped and the polar beams were repointed from a symmetric direct-drive configuration, was used to limit CBET at the pole while allowing it to persist at the equator. The combination of low- and high-CBET conditions observed in the same implosion allowed for the effects of CBET on the ablation rate and ablation pressure to be determined. Hydrodynamic simulations performed without CBET agreed with the measured ablation rate and ablation-front trajectory at the pole of the target, confirming that the CBET effects on the pole are small. The simulated mass ablation rates and ablation-front trajectories were in excellent agreement with the measurements at all angles when a CBET model based on Randall's equations [C. J. Randall et al., Phys. Fluids 24, 1474 (1981)] was included into the simulations with a multiplier on the CBET gain factor. These measurements were performed on OMEGA and at the National Ignition Facility to access a wide range of plasma conditions, laser intensities, and laser beam geometries. The presence of the CBET gain multiplier required to match the data in all of the configurations tested suggests that additional physics effects, such as intensity variations caused by diffraction, polarization effects, or shortcomings of extending the 1-D Randall model to 3-D, should be explored to explain the differences in observed and predicted drive.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

A Miniature Multilevel Structures for Lossless Ion Manipulations Ion Mobility Spectrometer with Wide Mobility Range Separation Capabilities

Here, ion mobility spectrometry employing structures for lossless ion manipulations (SLIM-IMS) is an attractive gas-phase separation technique due to its ability to achieve unprecedented effective ion path lengths (>1 km) and IMS resolving powers in a small footprint. The emergence of multilevel SLIM technology, where ions are transferred between vertically stacked SLIM electrode surfaces, has subsequently allowed for ultralong single pass path lengths (>40 m) to be achieved, enabling ultrahigh resolution IMS measurements to be performed over the entire mobility range in a single experiment. The implementation of multiple SLIM levels requires very little additional space for the SLIM system, and we developed a miniature SLIM module (miniSLIM) based on multilevel SLIM technology and report the performance here. The module is 11.1 cm x 6.7 cm x 1.4 cm (L x W x H) and consists of three SLIM levels totaling 1-meter path length. Ion trajectory simulations were used to optimize the SLIM board spacings and SLIM board thicknesses of the miniSLIM IMS system. Methods of efficiently transferring ions between SLIM levels were examined and a new approach using asymmetric traveling waves (TWs) was developed and implemented in the miniSLIM. We experimentally characterized the performance of the --meter multilevel miniSLIM IMS-MS relative to a drift tube IM--MS using an Agilent tuning mixture and tetraalkylammonium cations. The 1-meter miniSLIM achieved a resolving power of up to 131 (CCS/ΔCCS), ~1.5x higher than achievable with a 78 cm path length drift tube IMS, and successfully transmitted the entire ion mobility range in a single separation. We also demonstrated the miniSLIM’s performance as a standalone IMS system (i.e., without MS), showing baseline separation between Agilent tuning mixture cations with the full mobility range observed, and a standard peptide mixture with different charge states readily differentiated. Overall the miniSLIM provides a compact alternative to high performance IMS instruments possessing similar path lengths.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
NASA NTRS1982

Preliminary technology utilization assessment of the robotic fruit harvester

The results of an analysis whose purpose was to examine the history and progress of mechanical fruit harvesting, to determine the significance of a robotic fruit tree harvester and to assess the available market for such a product are summarized. Background information that can be used in determining the benefit of a proof of principle demonstration is provided. Such a demonstration could be a major step toward the transfer of this NASA technology.

Wilhelm, J.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA’s Exploration and In-Space Services (NExIS) Division OSAM-1 and Related Propellant Transfer Subsystem Progress through FY 2024 Presentation

NASA’s Exploration and In-Space Services (NExIS) Division has been developing technologies for the on-orbit servicing of satellites for decades (Hubble servicing missions) On-Orbit Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing mission 1 (OSAM-1) had plans to robotically refuel a heritage satellite on-orbit (a.k.a. non-cooperative) Future plans of the OSAM-1 flight hardware will not be discussed The OSAM-1 Space Infrastructure Dexterious Robot (SPIDER) payload is designed to assemble a 3-meter communications antenna OSAM-1 Propellant Transfer Subsystem (PTS) development supports the nascent in-space refueling ISAM goals Reference “National In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing Implementation Plan” (Dec 2022 from White House Office of Science and Technology Policy) ISAM fluid transfer technology shortfalls still exist and are actively being addressed at NASA

PTS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Chemical hydrodynamics of a downward microbubble flow for intensification of gas‐fed bioreactors

Bioreactors are of interest for value‐upgrading of stranded or waste industrial gases. Reactor intensification requires development of low cost bioreactors with fast gas–liquid mass transfer rate. Here we assess published reactor technology in comparison with a novel downward bubble flow created by a micro‐jet array. Compared to known technology, the advanced design achieves higher volumetric gas transfer efficiency (k L a per power density) and can operate at higher k L a. We measure the effect of four reactor heights (height‐to‐diameter ratios of 12, 9, 6, and 3) on the gas transfer coefficient k L , total interfacial area a, liquid residence time distribution, energy consumption, and turbulent hydrodynamics. Leading models for predicting k L and a are appraised with experimental data. The results show k L is governed by “entrance effects” due to Higbie penetration dominate at short distances below the micro‐jet array, while turbulence dominates at intermediate distances, and finally terminal rise velocity dominates at large distances. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J , 64: 1399–1411, 2018

Ansari, Manizheh↗