SEARCH · Engineering Papers
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.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
From a distance, the drop of a mock nuclear weapon — containing only non-nuclear components — was a mere puff of dust rising from a dry lake bed at Nevada’s Tonopah Test Range. However, it marked the start of a new series of test flights vital to the nation’s B61-12 weapon refurbishment program.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists recently flight tested a new rocket design that includes a high-energy fuel and a motor design that also delivers a high degree of safety. Researchers will now work to scale-up the design, as well as explore miniaturization of the system, in order to exploit all potential applications that would require high-energy, high-velocity, and correspondingly high safety margins.
Sandia National Laboratories is evaluating alternative gravity bomb flight test (GBFT) options that might be more cost effective in the 2025 timeframe than the current Tonopah Test Range (TTR) facility. The alternate ranges being considered are White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) and the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS). One of the factors considered in the decision process is if the geology of the alternative sites is suitable for gravity bomb flight testing. The study looked at seven specific sites within the three test ranges, including the TTR. Those seven sites are Main Lake and Antelope Lake at TTR, Trinity Lake at WSMR, and Yucca Lake, an area west of Frenchman Flat, Pahute Mesa, and the Pahute Airstrip all at NNSS. The four lakes studied are playas. In general the findings indicate that the playa lakes (Main, Antelope, Trinity, and Yucca) consist of fine-grained lacustrine sediments with inter-bedded stringers of coarse grains and gravels towards the shorelines. Frenchman Flat and Pahute Airstrip are both located within basins filled with poorly sorted gravel alluviums. Pahute Mesa consists of volcanic tuff. The seven sites are listed in order from the most favorable location to least favorable based on the suitability of the geology for GBFT. An ideal test site would consist of a succession of soft sediments devoid of hard layers. WSMR Lake Trinity is the most suitable site, exhibiting solely find-grained sediments across the study region. The lakes at TTR follow next with Antelope Lake and Main Lake, Antelope lake being finer grained and more homogeneous than Main Lake. The four NNSS sites are considered the least favorable due the heterogenetic character of Yucca Lake, Pahute Airstrip, and Frenchman Flat. The geology of Pahute Mesa is considered the least favorable consisting of volcanic tuff too hard for current test operations.
The hypersonic vehicle (HV) is defined as any vehicle capable of traveling at or above five times the local speed of sound (Mach 5). Development of hypersonic flight has been pursued since the late 1950s, especially for reentry of missile warheads and returning orbiting spacecraft. Although considerable progress has been made since then, air- breathing and gliding hypersonic flight remains in the development and testing phase. Concerns have been raised, however, about continued HV flight tests because of HV's potential military use, which has the potential to encourage hair-trigger tactics that would increase crisis instability. In recent years, non-governmental organizations have called for a ban on HV flight testing for the primary purpose of halting continued development of the HV as a weapon. The emphasis on banning flight tests is due to its vital role in aerospace programs. Without it, significant technical uncertainties remain, creating safety and reliability issues that would discourage commercial development. Although the cost and time involved in flight tests have already spurred the use of other test methods, none can completely reproduce the flight test environment. Flight tests are important for reasons such as generating data unique to flight test environments to use in validating models and verifying ground test data, identifying unanticipated problems, and reducing risk. Commercial HV technology development today depends on advancements in four areas: propulsion; aerodynamics; critical guidance, navigation and control; and thermal management. This report summarizes the ramifications on HV technology development if flight tests were banned.
Abstract not provided.
Cultivation of microorganisms in space has enormous potential to enable in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) Here, we develop an autonomous payload with fully programmable serial passaging and sample preservation, termed the Modular Open Biological Platform (MOBP), and flight-test the MOBP aboard the International Space Station (ISS) by conducting enzymatic and microbial plastics upcycling experiments. The MOBP is a compact, modular bioreactor system that allows for sustained microbial growth via automated media transfers, such as those for sample collection and storage for terrestrial analyses, and precise data monitoring from integrated sensors. The MOBP was flight-tested with two experiments designed to evaluate biological upcycling of the plastic poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET). The bioproduct βKA can be polymerized into a nylon-6,6 analog with improved properties for use in the production of a variety of materials. We posit the MOBP will aid in democratizing the execution of synthetic biology in spaceflight towards enabling ISRU.
This document outlines key elements of a data format standard for transferring Navy environmental flight test data between members of the Collaborative Environments Characterization Working Group (CECWG). The plan applies to measured data as well as analyzed or processed data. This plan is intended to foster a more productive collaboration between CECWG members by providing a common interface format such that each agency only has to receive and transmit data in one common format. Ideally, each agency is thus only responsible for translating formats between the native format of each agency’s respective database of flight measurements and this common data transfer format.
The azimuth of an incoming acoustic wave cannot be determined using microbarometers on a free floating balloon. A single observation of infrasound-induced acceleration on a large zero pressure balloon suggested that a motion sensing "aeroseismometer" could fill this gap. Here, a flight test of prototype balloon-borne aeroseismometers is presented. Two balloons, each carrying accelerometers and IMUs, recorded three sets of chemical explosions. The resulting balloon motion time series allows the explosive source to be geolocated. The future of this technology is discussed, along with a planned publication. Finally, recommendations and lessons learned from the campaign are discussed.
Hypersonic Vehicle (HV) development has been pursued since the late 1950s. These vehicles could significantly cut the cost of accessing space, lessen flight time anywhere on the planet to two to three hours, and be used as weapons that would be extremely difficult to intercept. Although considerable progress has been made, hypersonic flight remains in the development and testing phase.
We proposed to integrate and fly the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Ozone Photometer for Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS)/Balloon-Based Studies (OPUS) on the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility’s tethered balloon system (TBS) during the second phase (August 1-15) of the 2022 Tracking Aerosol Convection Interactions Experiment (TRACER) in southwest Houston, Texas. The two main goals were: 1) Test fly the sensor to discover and address any potential problems such as interface and communication with other instruments, interferences with other instruments and radio, and 2) If OPUS performs well, then inter-compare OPUS with the EN-SCI ozonesondes that will also be flown on the TBS. The collaborating institutions are DOE Sandia National Laboratories TBS team, the University of Houston, and St. Edward's University.
Not Available
Explore the source record for details and available documents.