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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 1,729 records · Page 96
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2005

Debris/Ice/TPS Assessment and Integrated Photographic Analysis of Shuttle Mission STS-111

A debris/ice/thermal protection system assessment and integrated photographic analysis was conducted for Shuttle mission STS-111. Debris inspections of the flight elements and launch pad were performed before and after launch. Icing conditions on the External Tank were assessed by the use of computer programs and infrared scanned data during cryogenic loading of the vehicle, followed by on-pad visual inspection. High speed photography of the launch was analyzed to identify ice/debris sources and evaluate potential vehicle damage and/or in-flight anomalies. The report documents the debris/ice/thermal protection system conditions and integrated photographic analysis of Space Shuttle mission STS-111 and the resulting effect of the Space Shuttle Program.

Oliu, Armando↗
NASA NTRS2007

Computational Fluid Dynamics-Based Aeroservoelastic Analysis with Hyper-X Applications

A finite element computational fluids dynamics-based aeroservoelastic analysis methodology is presented in this paper, in which both structural and fluids discretization are achieved by the finite element method, and their interaction is modeled by the transpiration boundary condition technique. In the fluids discipline either inviscid or viscous flow may be accounted for, usually employing unstructured grids.Adescription of a novel viscous flow solver employing unstructured grids is given in detail. Provisions are made for digital as well as analog controllers. These new aeroservoelastic analysis techniques are next applied for the solution of a number of example problems including the novel Hyper-X launch vehicle. Experimental and actual flight test data are also compared with analysis results that signify to the efficacy and accuracy of the newly developed solution procedures.

Gupta, K. K.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Debris/Ice/TPS Assessment and Integrated Photographic Analysis of Shuttle Mission STS-100

A debris/ice/thermal protection system assessment and integrated photographic analysis was conducted for Shuttle mission STS-100. Debris inspections of the flight elements and launch pad were performed before and after launch. Icing conditions on the External Tank were assessed by the use of computer programs and infrared scanned data during cryogenic loading of the vehicle, followed by on-pad visual inspection. High speed photography of the launch was analyzed to identify ice/debris sources and evaluate potential vehicle damage and/or in-flight anomalies. The report documents the debris/ice/thermal protection system conditions and integrated photographic analysis of Space Shuttle mission STS-100 and the resulting effect of the Space Shuttle Program.

Oliu, Armando↗
NASA NTRS2009

"Fly-by-Wireless" and Wireless Sensors Update

This slide presentation reviews the uses of wires in the Aerospace industry. The vision is to minimize cables and connectors and increase functionality across the aerospace industry by providing reliable lower cost modular and higher performance alternatives to wired data connectivity to benefit the entire vehicle and program

Studor, George F.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Orchestrator Telemetry Processing Pipeline

Orchestrator is a software application infrastructure for telemetry monitoring, logging, processing, and distribution. The architecture has been applied to support operations of a variety of planetary rovers. Built in Java with the Eclipse Rich Client Platform, Orchestrator can run on most commonly used operating systems. The pipeline supports configurable parallel processing that can significantly reduce the time needed to process a large volume of data products. Processors in the pipeline implement a simple Java interface and declare their required input from upstream processors. Orchestrator is programmatically constructed by specifying a list of Java processor classes that are initiated at runtime to form the pipeline. Input dependencies are checked at runtime. Fault tolerance can be configured to attempt continuation of processing in the event of an error or failed input dependency if possible, or to abort further processing when an error is detected. This innovation also provides support for Java Message Service broadcasts of telemetry objects to clients and provides a file system and relational database logging of telemetry. Orchestrator supports remote monitoring and control of the pipeline using browser-based JMX controls and provides several integration paths for pre-compiled legacy data processors. At the time of this reporting, the Orchestrator architecture has been used by four NASA customers to build telemetry pipelines to support field operations. Example applications include high-volume stereo image capture and processing, simultaneous data monitoring and logging from multiple vehicles. Example telemetry processors used in field test operations support include vehicle position, attitude, articulation, GPS location, power, and stereo images.

Powell, Mark↗
NASA NTRS2009

Improving the Estimates of International Space Station (ISS) Induced K-Factor Failure Rates for On-Orbit Replacement Unit (ORU) Supportability Analyses

This is a case study on revised estimates of induced failure for International Space Station (ISS) on-orbit replacement units (ORUs). We devise a heuristic to leverage operational experience data by aggregating ORU, associated function (vehicle sub -system), and vehicle effective' k-factors using actual failure experience. With this input, we determine a significant failure threshold and minimize the difference between the actual and predicted failure rates. We conclude with a discussion on both qualitative and quantitative improvements the heuristic methods and potential benefits to ISS supportability engineering analysis.

Anderson, Leif F.↗
NASA NTRS2007

NASA Tech Briefs, February 2007

Topics covered include: Calibration Test Set for a Phase-Comparison Digital Tracker; Wireless Acoustic Measurement System; Spiral Orbit Tribometer; Arrays of Miniature Microphones for Aeroacoustic Testing; Predicting Rocket or Jet Noise in Real Time; Computational Workbench for Multibody Dynamics; High-Power, High-Efficiency Ka-Band Space Traveling-Wave Tube; Gratings and Random Reflectors for Near-Infrared PIN Diodes; Optically Transparent Split-Ring Antennas for 1 to 10 GHz; Ice-Penetrating Robot for Scientific Exploration; Power-Amplifier Module for 145 to 165 GHz; Aerial Videography From Locally Launched Rockets; SiC Multi-Chip Power Modules as Power-System Building Blocks; Automated Design of Restraint Layer of an Inflatable Vessel; TMS for Instantiating a Knowledge Base With Incomplete Data; Simulating Flights of Future Launch Vehicles and Spacecraft; Control Code for Bearingless Switched- Reluctance Motor; Machine Aided Indexing and the NASA Thesaurus; Arbitrating Control of Control and Display Units; Web-Based Software for Managing Research; Driver Code for Adaptive Optics; Ceramic Paste for Patching High-Temperature Insulation; Fabrication of Polyimide-Matrix/Carbon and Boron-Fiber Tape; Protective Skins for Aerogel Monoliths; Code Assesses Risks Posed by Meteoroids and Orbital Debris; Asymmetric Bulkheads for Cylindrical Pressure Vessels; Self-Regulating Water-Separator System for Fuel Cells; Self-Advancing Step-Tap Drills; Array of Bolometers for Submillimeter- Wavelength Operation; Delta-Doped CCDs as Detector Arrays in Mass Spectrometers; Arrays of Bundles of Carbon Nanotubes as Field Emitters; Staggering Inflation To Stabilize Attitude of a Solar Sail; and Bare Conductive Tether for Decelerating a Spacecraft.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2010

An Up-Close Look at Ares I-X

On October 28, 2009, one day later than the originally planned launch date, the Ares I-X suborbital test flight roared into the Florida sky. Flying its preplanned parabolic arc over the Atlantic, the development test vehicle for the Ares I crew launch vehicle performed as advertised, executing a perfect liftoff, 90-degree roll maneuver, ascent, and separation before its upper and lower stages descended into the ocean 150 miles downrange. This test flight, while carrying no astronauts, marked a major milestone for NASA, which had not flown a test launch of a human-rated rocket since the first flight of the Space Shuttle in 1981. During the flight, over 700 sensors collected over 900 measurements, which NASA will apply to validating the engineering models they used to design the vehicle in the first place. That data, telemetered to the ground and stored in a flight recorder onboard, was the primary "payload" of the mission.

Leahy, Bart↗
NASA NTRS2010

Flexible Modes Control Using Sliding Mode Observers: Application to Ares I

The launch vehicle dynamics affected by bending and sloshing modes are considered. Attitude measurement data that are corrupted by flexible modes could yield instability of the vehicle dynamics. Flexible body and sloshing modes are reconstructed by sliding mode observers. The resultant estimates are used to remove the undesirable dynamics from the measurements, and the direct effects of sloshing and bending modes on the launch vehicle are compensated by means of a controller that is designed without taking the bending and sloshing modes into account. A linearized mathematical model of Ares I launch vehicle was derived based on FRACTAL, a linear model developed by NASA/MSFC. The compensated vehicle dynamics with a simple PID controller were studied for the launch vehicle model that included two bending modes, two slosh modes and actuator dynamics. A simulation study demonstrated stable and accurate performance of the flight control system with the augmented simple PID controller without the use of traditional linear bending filters.

Shtessel, Yuri B.↗
NASA NTRS2012

External Contamination Control of Attached Payloads on the International Space Station

The International Space Station (ISS) is an on-orbit platform for science utilization in low Earth orbit with multiple sites for external payloads with exposure to the natural and induced environments. Contamination is one of the induced environments that can impact performance, mission success and science utilization on the vehicle. This paper describes the external contamination control requirements and integration process for externally mounted payloads on the ISS. The external contamination control requirements are summarized and a description of the integration and verification process is detailed to guide payload developers in the certification process of attached payloads on the vehicle. A description of the required data certification deliverables covers the characterization of contamination sources. Such characterization includes identification, usage and operational data for each class of contamination source. Classes of external contamination sources covered are vacuum exposed materials, sources of leakage, vacuum venting and thrusters. ISS system level analyses are conducted by the ISS Space Environments Team to certify compliance with external contamination control requirements. This paper also addresses the ISS induced contamination environment at attached payload sites, both at the requirements level as well as measurements made on ISS.

Soares, Carlos E.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Structural Analysis Using Computer Based Methods

The stiffness of a flex hose that will be used in the umbilical arms of the Space Launch Systems mobile launcher needed to be determined in order to properly qualify ground umbilical plate behavior during vehicle separation post T-0. This data is also necessary to properly size and design the motors used to retract the umbilical arms. Therefore an experiment was created to determine the stiffness of the hose. Before the test apparatus for the experiment could be built, the structure had to be analyzed to ensure it would not fail under given loading conditions. The design model was imported into the analysis software and optimized to decrease runtime while still providing accurate rest~lts and allow for seamless meshing. Areas exceeding the allowable stresses in the structure were located and modified before submitting the design for fabrication. In addition, a mock up of a deep space habitat and the support frame was designed and needed to be analyzed for structural integrity under different loading conditions. The load cases were provided by the customer and were applied to the structure after optimizing the geometry. Once again, weak points in the structure were located and recommended design changes were made to the customer and the process was repeated until the load conditions were met without exceeding the allowable stresses. After the stresses met the required factors of safety the designs were released for fabrication.

Dietz, Matthew R.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Vertical Spin Tunnel Testing and Stability Analysis of Multi-Mission Earth Entry Vehicles

Multi-Mission Earth Entry Vehicles (MMEEVs) are blunt-body vehicles designed with the purpose of transporting payloads from space to the surface of the Earth. To achieve high reliability and minimum weight, MMEEVs avoid using limited-reliability systems, such as parachutes, retro-rockets, and reaction control systems and rely on the natural aerodynamic stability of the vehicle throughout the Entry, Descent, and Landing phases of flight. Testing in NASA Langley's 20-FT Vertical Spin Tunnel (20-FT VST), dynamically-scaled MMEEV models was conducted to improve subsonic aerodynamic models and validate stability criteria for this class of vehicle. This report documents the resulting data from VST testing for an array of 60-deg sphere-cone MMEEVs. Model configurations included were 1.2 meter, and 1.8 meter designs. The addition of a backshell extender, which provided a 150% increase in backshell diameter for the 1.2 meter design, provided a third test configuration. Center of Gravity limits were established for all MMEEV configurations. An application of System Identification (SID) techniques was performed to determine the aerodynamic coefficients in order to provide databases for subsequent 6-degree-of-freedom simulations.

Glaab, Louis J.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Interfacing Space Communications and Navigation Network Simulation with Distributed System Integration Laboratories (DSIL)

NASA's planned Lunar missions will involve multiple NASA centers where each participating center has a specific role and specialization. In this vision, the Constellation program (CxP)'s Distributed System Integration Laboratories (DSIL) architecture consist of multiple System Integration Labs (SILs), with simulators, emulators, testlabs and control centers interacting with each other over a broadband network to perform test and verification for mission scenarios. To support the end-to-end simulation and emulation effort of NASA' exploration initiatives, different NASA centers are interconnected to participate in distributed simulations. Currently, DSIL has interconnections among the following NASA centers: Johnson Space Center (JSC), Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Through interconnections and interactions among different NASA centers, critical resources and data can be shared, while independent simulations can be performed simultaneously at different NASA locations, to effectively utilize the simulation and emulation capabilities at each center. Furthermore, the development of DSIL can maximally leverage the existing project simulation and testing plans. In this work, we describe the specific role and development activities at JPL for Space Communications and Navigation Network (SCaN) simulator using the Multi-mission Advanced Communications Hybrid Environment for Test and Evaluation (MACHETE) tool to simulate communications effects among mission assets. Using MACHETE, different space network configurations among spacecrafts and ground systems of various parameter sets can be simulated. Data that is necessary for tracking, navigation, and guidance of spacecrafts such as Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV), Crew Launch Vehicle (CLV), and Lunar Relay Satellite (LRS) and orbit calculation data are disseminated to different NASA centers and updated periodically using the High Level Architecture (HLA). In addition, the performance of DSIL under different traffic loads with different mix of data and priorities are evaluated.

Traffic Measuring and Monitoring↗
NASA NTRS2015

The Structural Heat Intercept-Insulation-Vibration Evaluation Rig (SHIVER)

NASA is currently investigating methods to reduce the boil-off rate on large cryogenic upper stages. Two such methods to reduce the total heat load on existing upper stages are vapor cooling of the cryogenic tank support structure and integration of thick multilayer insulation systems to the upper stage of a launch vehicle. Previous efforts have flown a 2-layer MLI blanket and shown an improved thermal performance, and other efforts have ground-tested blankets up to 70 layers thick on tanks with diameters between 2 3 meters. However, thick multilayer insulation installation and testing in both thermal and structural modes has not been completed on a large scale tank. Similarly, multiple vapor cooled shields are common place on science payload helium dewars; however, minimal effort has gone into intercepting heat on large structural surfaces associated with rocket stages. A majority of the vapor cooling effort focuses on metallic cylinders called skirts, which are the most common structural components for launch vehicles. In order to provide test data for comparison with analytical models, a representative test tank is currently being designed to include skirt structural systems with integral vapor cooling. The tank is 4 m in diameter and 6.8 m tall to contain 5000 kg of liquid hydrogen. A multilayer insulation system will be designed to insulate the tank and structure while being installed in a representative manner that can be extended to tanks up to 10 meters in diameter. In order to prove that the insulation system and vapor cooling attachment methods are structurally sound, acoustic testing will also be performed on the system. The test tank with insulation and vapor cooled shield installed will be tested thermally in the B2 test facility at NASAs Plumbrook Station both before and after being vibration tested at Plumbrooks Space Power Facility.

Cryogenic Fluid Management↗
NASA NTRS2016

Automated Segmentation and Classification of Coral using Fluid Lensing from Unmanned Airborne Platforms

In recent years, there has been a growing interest among biologists in monitoring the short and long term health of the world's coral reefs. The environmental impact of climate change poses a growing threat to these biologically diverse and fragile ecosystems, prompting scientists to use remote sensing platforms and computer vision algorithms to analyze shallow marine systems. In this study, we present a novel method for performing coral segmentation and classification from aerial data collected from small unmanned aerial vehicles (sUAV). Our method uses Fluid Lensing algorithms to remove and exploit strong optical distortions created along the air-fluid boundary to produce cm-scale resolution imagery of the ocean floor at depths up to 5 meters. A 3D model of the reef is reconstructed using structure from motion (SFM) algorithms, and the associated depth information is combined with multidimensional maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimation to separate organic from inorganic material and classify coral morphologies in the Fluid-Lensed transects. In this study, MAP estimation is performed using a set of manually classified 100 x 100 pixel training images to determine the most probable coral classification within an interrogated region of interest. Aerial footage of a coral reef was captured off the coast of American Samoa and used to test our proposed method. 90 x 20 meter transects of the Samoan coastline undergo automated classification and are manually segmented by a marine biologist for comparison, leading to success rates as high as 85%. This method has broad applications for coastal remote sensing, and will provide marine biologists access to large swaths of high resolution, segmented coral imagery.

algorithms segments classifications↗
NASA NTRS2016

Flight Analysis of an Autonomously Navigated Experimental Lander for High Altitude Recovery

First steps have been taken to qualify a family of parafoil systems capable of increasing the survivability and reusability of high-altitude balloon payloads. The research is motivated by the common risk facing balloon payloads where expensive flight hardware can often land in inaccessible areas that make them difficult or impossible to recover. The Autonomously Navigated Experimental Lander (ANGEL) flight test introduced a commercial Guided Parachute Aerial Delivery System (GPADS) to a previously untested environment at 108,000ft MSL to determine its high-altitude survivability and capabilities. Following release, ANGEL descended under a drogue until approximately 25,000ft, at which point the drogue was jettisoned and the main parachute was deployed, commencing navigation. Multiple data acquisition platforms were used to characterize the return-to-point technology performance and help determine its suitability for returning future scientific payloads ranging from 180 to 10,000lbs to safer and more convenient landing locations. This report describes the test vehicle design, and summarizes the captured sensor data. Various post-flight analyses are used to quantify the system's performance, gondola load data, and serve as a reference point for subsequent missions.

Parafoil↗
NASA NTRS2017

Structural Health Management of Damaged Aircraft Structures Using the Digital Twin Concept

The development of multidisciplinary integrated Structural Health Management (SHM) tools will enable accurate detection, and prognosis of damaged aircraft under normal and adverse conditions during flight. As part of the digital twin concept, methodologies are developed by using integrated multiphysics models, sensor information and input data from an in-service vehicle to mirror and predict the life of its corresponding physical twin. SHM tools are necessary for both damage diagnostics and prognostics for continued safe operation of damaged aircraft structures. The adverse conditions include loss of control caused by environmental factors, actuator and sensor faults or failures, and structural damage conditions. A major concern in these structures is the growth of undetected damage/cracks due to fatigue and low velocity foreign object impact that can reach a critical size during flight, resulting in loss of control of the aircraft. To avoid unstable, catastrophic propagation of damage during a flight, load levels must be maintained that are below a reduced load-carrying capacity for continued safe operation of an aircraft. Hence, a capability is needed for accurate real-time predictions of damage size and safe load carrying capacity for structures with complex damage configurations. In the present work, a procedure is developed that uses guided wave responses to interrogate damage. As the guided wave interacts with damage, the signal attenuates in some directions and reflects in others. This results in a difference in signal magnitude as well as phase shifts between signal responses for damaged and undamaged structures. Accurate estimation of damage size, location, and orientation is made by evaluating the cumulative signal responses at various pre-selected sensor locations using a genetic algorithm (GA) based optimization procedure. The damage size, location, and orientation is obtained by minimizing the difference between the reference responses and the responses obtained by wave propagation finite element analysis of different representative cracks, geometries, and sizes.

Seshadri, Banavara R.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Get the Power You Need, When and Where You Need It Aboard the International Space Station (ISS) Using the ISS Plug-In Plan (IPiP) Requirement Request Process

Trying to get your experiment aboard ISS? You likely will need power. Many enditem providers do. ISS Plug-In Plan (IPiP) supports power and data for science, Payloads (or Utilization), vehicle systems, and daily operations through the Electrical Power System (EPS) Secondary Power/Data Subsystem. Yet limited resources and increasing requirements continue to influence decisions on deployment of ISS end items. Given the fluid launch schedule and the rapidly- increasing number of end item providers requiring power support, the focus of the Plug-In Plan has evolved from a simple FIFO recommendation to provide power to end item users, to anticipating future requirements by judicious development and delivery of support equipment (cables, power supplies, power strips, and alternating current (AC) power inverters), employing innovative deployment strategies, and collaborating on end item development. This paper describes the evolution of the ISS Program Office, Engineering Directorate, Flight Operations Directorate (FOD), International Partners and the end item provider relationship and how collaboration successfully leverages unique requirements with limited on- board equipment and resources, tools and processes which result in more agile integration, and describes the process designed for the new ISS end item provider to assure that their power requirements will be met.

Moore, Kevin D.↗