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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1994

Motion estimation of objects in KC-135 microgravity

The simulated microgravity environment aboard a KC-135 aircraft flying along a parabolic trajectory was used to study the ability of an autonomous space robot to grasp a freely translating and rotating object. Since the KC-135 cabin environment and the instrumentation for the Extravehicular Activity Helper/Retriever (EVAHR) do not provide a practical intertial reference frame, estimators based on the extended Kalman filter algorithm were used to model the relative translational dynamics of the KC-135 and the EVAHR. The estimator algorithms require intensive mathematical computation and therefore, i860 real-time. Estimator design, implementation concerns, and issues specific to the KC-135 environment are discussed and the architecture of the KC-135 translational state estimator is depicted.

Hewgill, Lisa↗
NASA NTRS1999

KC-135 and Other Microgravity Simulations

This document represents a summary of medical and scientific evaluations conducted aboard the KC-135 from June 20, 1998 to June 20, 1999. Included is a general overview of KC-135 activities manifested and coordinated by the Life Sciences Research Laboratories. A collection of brief reports that describes tests conducted aboard the KC-135 follows the overview. Principal investigators and test engineers contributed significantly to the content of the report describing their particular experiment or hardware evaluation. Although this document follows general guidelines, each report format may vary to accommodate differences in experiment design and procedures. This document concludes with an appendix that provides background information concerning the KC-135 and the Reduced-Gravity Program.

Noel C Skinner↗
NASA NTRS2001

KC-135 and Other Microgravity Simulations

This document represents a summary of medical and scientific evaluations conducted aboard the KC-135 from January to June 15, 2001. Included is a general overview of KC-135 activities manifested and coordinated by the Human Adaptation and Countermeasures Office. A collection of brief reports that describes tests conducted aboard the KC-135 follows the overview. Principal investigators and test engineers contributed significantly to the content of the report describing their particular experiment or hardware evaluation. Although this document follows general guidelines, each report format may vary to accommodate differences in experiment design and procedures. This document concludes with an appendix that provides background information concerning the KC-135 and the Reduced-Gravity Program.

Skinner, Noel C.↗
NASA NTRS2005

KC-135 and Other Microgravity Simulations

This document represents a summary of medical and scientific evaluations conducted aboard the KC-135 from June 23, 2004 to June 27, 2005. Included is a general overview of KC-135 activities manifested and coordinated by the Human Adaptation and Countermeasures Office. A collection of brief reports that describe tests conducted aboard the KC-135 follows the overview. Principal investigators and test engineers contributed significantly to the content of the report describing their particular experiment or hardware evaluation. This document concludes with an appendix that provides background information concerning the KC-135 and the Reduced-Gravity Program.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1988

The development of two new KC-135 furnaces for studies on microgravity materials processing

Wyle Laboratories is currently designing and fabricating two KC-135 materials processing furnaces for Marshall Space Flight Center. The first of these, called the Rapid Melt/Rapid Quench (RM/RQ) Furnace, will be used to melt and resolidify Cu-, Al-, and Ni-based alloys and composites, all during the 20 to 30 seconds of low gravity (0.1 to 0.001 g) available in a single parabola of the KC-135. In addition, it will be capable of directional solidification of these alloys. The furnace can be configured for either liquid or gas quenching of the samples. The second furnace, called the Polymer Solidification Transparent (PST) Furnace, will use a wide range of sample translation rates to directionally solidify polymers and low-melting-point metals as the KC-135 flies a series of parabolic maneuvers. The use of transparent crucibles and an optics system between the hot and cold zones of the furnace will allow for high-resolution video monitoring of the solid-liquid interface during processing. It is hoped that the development of these two furnaces will lead to significant increases in understanding of interface kinetics, fluid flow, and heat transfer in materials during solidification in a low-gravity environment.

Fiske, Michael↗
NASA NTRS1994

Grasping objects autonomously in simulated KC-135 zero-g

The KC-135 aircraft was chosen for simulated zero gravity testing of the Extravehicular Activity Helper/retriever (EVAHR). A software simulation of the EVAHR hardware, KC-135 flight dynamics, collision detection and grasp inpact dynamics has been developed to integrate and test the EVAHR software prior to flight testing on the KC-135. The EVAHR software will perform target pose estimation, tracking, and motion estimation for rigid, freely rotating, polyhedral objects. Manipulator grasp planning and trajectory control software has also been developed to grasp targets while avoiding collisions.

Norsworthy, Robert S.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Background Information About the KC-135 and the Reduced-Gravity Program

The Reduced-Gravity Program, operated by the NASA/Johnson Space Center (JSC), provides engineers, scientists, and astronauts alike, a unique opportunity to perform testing and training in a weightless environment but without ever having to leave the confines of the earth's orbit. Given the frequency of Space Shuttle missions and the anticipated construction and eventual habitation of the New International Space Station, the Reduced-Gravity Program provides a truly ideal environment to test and evaluate space hardware and experimental procedures prior to launch. The Reduced-Gravity Program was established in 1959 to investigate the reactions of humans and hardware during operations in a weightless environment. A specially modified KC-135 turbojet (KC-135A), flying parabolic arcs, produces periodic episodes of weightlessness lasting 20-25 secs. The KC-135 is sometimes also flown to provide short periods of lunar (1/6) and Martian (1/3) gravity.

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NASA NTRS2000

Volatile Removal Assembly Flight Experiment and KC-135 Packed Bed Experiment: Results and Lessons Learned

The Volatile Removal Assembly (VRA) is a high temperature catalytic oxidation process that will be used as the final treatment for recycled water aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The multiphase nature of the process had raised concerns as to the performance of the VRA in a microgravity environment. To address these concerns, two experiments were designed. The VRA Flight Experiment (VRAFE) was designed to test a full size VRA under controlled conditions in microgravity aboard the SPACEHAB module and in a 1 -g environment and compare the performance results. The second experiment relied on visualization of two-phase flow through small column packed beds and was designed to fly aboard NASA's microgravity test bed plane (KC-135). The objective of the KC-135 experiment was to understand the two-phase fluid flow distribution in a packed bed in microgravity. On Space Transportation System (STS) flight 96 (May 1999), the VRA FE was successfully operated and in June 1999 the KC-135 packed bed testing was completed. This paper provides an overview of the experiments and a summary of the results and findings.

Holder, Donald W.↗
NASA NTRS1974

A study of KC-135 aircraft antenna patterns

Numerical solutions for the radiation patterns of aircraft antennas are evaluated. Designing and locating antennas in order to achieve the desired performance is discussed. The high frequency solutions presented in this report are based on fuselage antennas mounted on a general-type aircraft but applied specifically to the KC-135 aircraft. The roll and elevation plane patterns are computed for a monopole, axial slot, and circumferential slot mounted both over and forward of the wings. In each case the calculated patterns compare very favorably with the measured patterns. The precision pattern measurements were taken on a 1/25 scale model of the KC-135 aircraft at NASA (Langley, Virginia) with special emphasis on reducing the mount and background effects.

Burnside, W. D.↗
NASA NTRS1975

A study of KC-135 aircraft antenna patterns

Numerical solutions for the radiation patterns of aircraft antennas provide and excellent means of designing and locating antennas in order to achieve the desired performance. The high frequency solutions presented in this paper are based on fuselage antennas mounted on a general-type aircraft but applied specifically to the KC-135 aircraft. The roll and elevation plane patterns are computed for a monopole, axial slot, and circumferential slot mounted both over and forward of the wings. In each case the calculated patterns compare very favorably with the measured patterns. The precision pattern measurements were taken on a 1/25 scale model of the KC-135 aircraft at NASA (Hampton, Va.) with special emphasis on reducing the mount and background effects.

Burnside, W. D.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Measurements of the Fuel Mileage of a KC-135 Aircraft with and Without Winglets

The KC-135A Winglet Flight Research and Demonstration Program was a joint effort of the Air Force, NASA and the Boeing Military Airplane Company to flight test winglets on the KC-135A. The primary objective of the program was to verify the cruise performance improvements predicted by analysis and wind tunnel tests. Flight test data were obtained for winglets positioned at 15 deg cant/-2 deg incidence, 0 deg cant/-4 deg incidence, 15 deg cant/-4 deg incidence and for winglets off (baseline). Both fuel mileage and drag measurements were obtained. The 15 deg cant/-4 deg incidence winglet configuration provided the greatest performance improvement. The flight test measured fuel mileage improvement for a 0.78 Mach number was 3.1 percent at 8 x 10(5) pounds W/delta and 5.5 percent at 1.05 x 10(6) pounds W/delta. Correcting the flight measured data for surface pressure differences between wind tunnel and flight resulted in a fuel mileage improvement of 4.4 percent at 8 x 10(5) pounds W/delta and 7.2 percent at 1.05 x 10(6) pounds W/delta. The agreement between the fuel mileage and drag data was excellent.

Temanson, G. E.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Directional solidification of flake and nodular cast iron during KC-135 low-g maneuvers

Alloys solidified in a low-gravity environment can, due to the elimination of sedimentation and convection, form unique and often desirable microstructures. One method of studying the effects of low-gravity (low-g) on alloy solidification was the use of the NASA KC-135 aircraft flying repetitive low-g maneuvers. Each maneuver gives from 20 to 30 seconds of low-g which is between about 0.1 and 0.001 gravity. A directional solidification furnace was used to study the behavior of off eutectic composition case irons in a low-g environment. The solidification interface of hypereutectic flake and spheroidal graphite case irons was slowly advanced through a rod sample, 5 mm in diameter. Controlled solidification was continued through a number of aircraft parabolas. The known solidification rate of the sample was then correlated with accelerometer data to determine the gravity level during solidification for any location of the sample. The thermal gradient and solidification rate were controlled independently. Samples run on the KC-135 aircraft exhibited bands of coarser graphite or of larger nodules usually corresponding to the regions solidified under low-g. Samples containing high phosphorous (used in order to determine the eutectic cell) exhibited larger eutectic cells in the low-g zone, followed by a band of coarser graphite.

Curreri, P. A.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Investigation of surface tension phenomena using the KC-135 aircraft

The microgravity environment of the KC-135 aircraft was utilized in three experiments designed to determine the following: (1) the feasibility of measuring critical wetting temperatures; (2) the effectiveness of surface tension as a means of keeping the cushioning heat transfer liquid in the furnace during ampoule translation; and (3) whether a non-wetting fluid would separate from the ampoule wall under low gravity conditions. This trio of investigations concerning surface phenomena demonstrates the effectiveness of the KC-135 as a microgravity research environment for small-scale, hand-held experiments.

Alter, W. S.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Design and test of a prototype thermal bus evaporator reservoir aboard the KC-135 0-g aircraft

The Thermal Bus Zero-G Reservoir Demonstration Experiment (RDE) has currently undergone two flights on the NASA-JSC KC-135 Reduced Gravity Aircraft. The objective of the experiment, which uses a smaller version of the evaporator reservoirs being designed for the Prototype Thermal Bus for Space Station, is to demonstrate proper 0-g operation of the reservoir in terms of fluid positioning, draining, and filling. The KC-135 was chosen to provide a cost-effective and timely evaluation of 0-g design issues that would be difficult to predict analytically. A total of fifty 0-g parabolas have been flown, each providing approximately 25-30 seconds of 0-g time. While problems have been encountered, the experiment has provided valuable design data on the 0-g operation of the reservoir. This paper documents the design of the experiment; the results of both flights, based on the high-speed movies taken during the flight and the visual observations of the experimenters; and the design modifications made as a result of the first flight and planned as a result of the second flight.

Brown, Richard F.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Reduced-gravity two-phase flow experiments in the NASA KC-135

An adequate understanding is sought of flow and heat transfer behavior in reduced and zero gravity conditions. Microgravity thermal-hydraulic analysis capabilities were developed for application to space nuclear power systems. A series of reduced gravity two phase flow experiments using the NASA KC-135 were performed. The objective was to supply basic thermal hydraulic information that could be used in development of analytical tools for design of space power systems. The experiments are described. Two main conclusions were drawn. First, the tests demonstrate that the KC-135 is a suitable test environment for obtaining two phase flow and heat transfer data in reduced gravity conditions. Second, the behavior of two phase flow in low gravity is sufficiently different from that obtained in 1 g to warrant intensive investigation of the phenomenon if adequate analytical tools are to be developed for microgravity conditions.

Cuta, Judith M.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Impact cratering in low-gravity environments - Results of reconnaissance experimentation on the NASA KC-135A reduced-gravity aircraft

A program of flight experimentation was performed on the NASA KC-135A reduced-gravity aircraft to evaluate the potential for conducting impact experiments in reduced-gravity environments and to collect impact-cratering data at gravity levels below 1 g. Lead pellets were launched into coarse-grained sand at velocities of about 65-130 m/sec while the gravitational acceleration was maintained at 0.59-0.05 g. A total of 64 craters were studied and, after allowance is made for the atmospheric pressure over the target (0.83 atm), their diameters are found to have been consistent with scaling predictions made on the basis of ground-based experimentation. Formation times were also obtained for 33 of these craters and constitute a distribution that is somewhat different from that described by the ground-based data. Nevertheless, the KC-135 data set as a whole falls on the trend formed by the ground-based results. The overall agreement between the two data sets attests to the stability of the aircraft as a platform for impact experimentation.

Cintala, M. J.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Modifications to the rapid melt/rapid quench and transparent polymer video furnaces for the KC-135

Given here is a summary of tasks performed on two furnace systems, the Transparent Polymer (TPF) and the Rapid Melt/Rapid Quench (RMRQ) furnaces, to be used aboard NASA's KC-135. It was determined that major changes were needed for both furnaces to operate according to the scientific investigators' experiment parameters. Discussed here are what the problems were, what was required to solve the problems, and possible future enhancements. It was determined that the enhancements would be required for the furnaces to perform at their optimal levels. Services provided include hardware and software modifications, Safety DataPackage documentation, ground based testing, transportation to and from Ellington Air Field, operation of hardware during KC-135 flights, and post-flight data processing.

Smith, Guy A.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Process modeling KC-135 aircraft

Instrumentation will be provided for KC-135 aircraft which will provide a quantitative measure of g-level variation during parabolic flights and its effect on experiments which demonstrate differences in results obtained with differences in convective flow. The flight apparatus will provide video recording of the effects of the g-level variations on varying fluid samples. The apparatus will be constructed to be available to fly on the KC-135 during most missions.

Workman, Gary L.↗