Some innovations and accomplishments of Ames Research Center since its inception

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1987-01-01

The innovations and accomplishments of Ames Research Center from 1940 through 1966 are summarized and illustrated. It should be noted that a number of accomplishments were begun at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Facility before that facility became part of the Ames Research Center. Such accomplishments include the first supersonic flight, the first hypersonic flight, the lunar landing research vehicle, and the first digital fly-by-wire aircraft.

The Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base is NASA's premier center for atmospheric flight research to validate high-risk aerospace technology.

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-07-25

Since the 1940s the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, has developed a unique and highly specialized capability for conducting flight research programs. The organization, made up of pilots, scientists, engineers, technicians, and mechanics, has been and will continue to be leaders in the field of advanced aeronautics. Located on the northwest "shore" of Rogers Dry Lake, the complex was built around the original administrative-hangar building constructed in 1954. Since then many additional support and operational facilities have been built including a number of unique test facilities such as the Thermalstructures Research Facility, Flow Visualization Facility, and the Integrated Test Facility. One of the most prominent structures is the space shuttle program's Mate-Demate Device and hangar in Area A to the north of the main complex. On the lakebed surface is a Compass Rose that gives pilots an instant compass heading. The Dryden complex originated at Edwards Air Force Base in support of the X-1 supersonic flight program. As other high-speed aircraft entered research programs, the facility became permanent and grew from a staff of five engineers in 1947 to a population in 2006 of nearly 1100 full-time government and contractor employees.

Automated flight test management system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hewett, M. D.; Tartt, D. M.; Agarwal, A.

1991-01-01

The Phase 1 development of an automated flight test management system (ATMS) as a component of a rapid prototyping flight research facility for artificial intelligence (AI) based flight concepts is discussed. The ATMS provides a flight engineer with a set of tools that assist in flight test planning, monitoring, and simulation. The system is also capable of controlling an aircraft during flight test by performing closed loop guidance functions, range management, and maneuver-quality monitoring. The ATMS is being used as a prototypical system to develop a flight research facility for AI based flight systems concepts at NASA Ames Dryden.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Life Sciences Lab, Lanfang Levine, with Dynamac Corp., transfers material into a sample bottle for analysis. She is standing in front of new equipment in the lab that will provide gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. The equipment will enable analysis of volatile compounds, such as from plants. The 100,000 square-foot facility houses labs for NASA’s ongoing research efforts, microbiology/microbial ecology studies and analytical chemistry labs. Also calling the new lab home are facilities for space flight-experiment and flight-hardware development, new plant growth chambers, and an Orbiter Environment Simulator that will be used to conduct ground control experiments in simulated flight conditions for space flight experiments. The SLS Lab, formerly known as the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory or SERPL, provides space for NASA’s Life Sciences Services contractor Dynamac Corporation, Bionetics Corporation, and researchers from the University of Florida. NASA’s Office of Biological and Physical Research will use the facility for processing life sciences experiments that will be conducted on the International Space Station. The SLS Lab is the magnet facility for the International Space Research Park at KSC being developed in partnership with Florida Space Authority.

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-01-05

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Life Sciences Lab, Lanfang Levine, with Dynamac Corp., transfers material into a sample bottle for analysis. She is standing in front of new equipment in the lab that will provide gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. The equipment will enable analysis of volatile compounds, such as from plants. The 100,000 square-foot facility houses labs for NASA’s ongoing research efforts, microbiology/microbial ecology studies and analytical chemistry labs. Also calling the new lab home are facilities for space flight-experiment and flight-hardware development, new plant growth chambers, and an Orbiter Environment Simulator that will be used to conduct ground control experiments in simulated flight conditions for space flight experiments. The SLS Lab, formerly known as the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory or SERPL, provides space for NASA’s Life Sciences Services contractor Dynamac Corporation, Bionetics Corporation, and researchers from the University of Florida. NASA’s Office of Biological and Physical Research will use the facility for processing life sciences experiments that will be conducted on the International Space Station. The SLS Lab is the magnet facility for the International Space Research Park at KSC being developed in partnership with Florida Space Authority.

Wallops: The Management of Rapid Change

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kremer, Steven E.

2016-01-01

A unique national resource, Wallops Flight Facility's Research Range enables flexible, low-cost space access, in-flight science, and technology research for all of NASA and the nation. It is the only launch range that NASA owns. This is for Keynote Address and charts are primarily an overview of activities performed at Wallops Flight Facility.

Simulation at Dryden Flight Research Facility from 1957 to 1982

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, John P.; Schilling, Lawrence J.; Wagner, Charles A.

1989-01-01

The Dryden Flight Research Facility has been a leader in developing simulation as an integral part of flight test research. The history of that effort is reviewed, starting in 1957 and continuing to the present time. The contributions of the major program activities conducted at Dryden during this 25-year period to the development of a simulation philosophy and capability is explained.

Microgravity

NASA Image and Video Library

1981-03-30

Composite of Marshall Space Flight Center's Low-Gravity Free Fall Facilities.These facilities include a 100-meter drop tower and a 100-meter drop tube. The drop tower simulates in-flight microgravity conditions for up to 4.2 seconds for containerless processing experiments, immiscible fluids and materials research, pre-flight hardware design test and flight experiment simulation. The drop tube simulates in-flight microgravity conditions for up to 4.6 seconds and is used extensively for ground-based microgravity convection research in which extremely small samples are studied. The facility can provide deep undercooling for containerless processing experiments that require materials to remain in a liquid phase when cooled below the normal solidification temperature.

A flight test facility design for examining digital information transfer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Knox, Charles E.

1990-01-01

Information is given in viewgraph form on a flight test facility design for examining digital information transfer. Information is given on aircraft/ground exchange, data link research activities, data link display format, a data link flight test, and the flight test setup.

Flight Research Using F100 Engine P680063 in the NASA F-15 Airplane

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burcham, Frank W., Jr.; Conners, Timothy R.; Maxwell, Michael D.

1994-01-01

The value of flight research in developing and evaluating gas turbine engines is high. NASA Dryden Flight Research Center has been conducting flight research on propulsion systems for many years. The F100 engine has been tested in the NASA F-15 research airplane in the last three decades. One engine in particular, S/N P680063, has been used for the entire program and has been flown in many pioneering propulsion flight research activities. Included are detailed flight-to-ground facility tests; tests of the first production digital engine control system, the first active stall margin control system, the first performance-seeking control system; and the first use of computer-controlled engine thrust for emergency flight control. The flight research has been supplemented with altitude facility tests at key times. This paper presents a review of the tests of engine P680063, the F-15 airplanes in which it flew, and the role of the flight test in maturing propulsion technology.

Kennedy Space Center Launch and Landing Support

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wahlberg, Jennifer

2010-01-01

The presentations describes Kennedy Space Center (KSC) payload processing, facilities and capabilities, and research development and life science experience. Topics include launch site processing, payload processing, key launch site processing roles, leveraging KSC experience, Space Station Processing Facility and capabilities, Baseline Data Collection Facility, Space Life Sciences Laboratory and capabilities, research payload development, International Space Station research flight hardware, KSC flight payload history, and KSC life science expertise.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Life Sciences (SLS) Lab, Jan Bauer, with Dynamac Corp., places samples of onion tissue in the elemental analyzer, which analyzes for carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and sulfur. The 100,000 square-foot SLS houses labs for NASA’s ongoing research efforts, microbiology/microbial ecology studies and analytical chemistry labs. Also calling the new lab home are facilities for space flight-experiment and flight-hardware development, new plant growth chambers, and an Orbiter Environment Simulator that will be used to conduct ground control experiments in simulated flight conditions for space flight experiments. The SLS Lab, formerly known as the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory or SERPL, provides space for NASA’s Life Sciences Services contractor Dynamac Corporation, Bionetics Corporation, and researchers from the University of Florida. NASA’s Office of Biological and Physical Research will use the facility for processing life sciences experiments that will be conducted on the International Space Station. The SLS Lab is the magnet facility for the International Space Research Park at KSC being developed in partnership with Florida Space Authority.

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-01-05

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Life Sciences (SLS) Lab, Jan Bauer, with Dynamac Corp., places samples of onion tissue in the elemental analyzer, which analyzes for carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and sulfur. The 100,000 square-foot SLS houses labs for NASA’s ongoing research efforts, microbiology/microbial ecology studies and analytical chemistry labs. Also calling the new lab home are facilities for space flight-experiment and flight-hardware development, new plant growth chambers, and an Orbiter Environment Simulator that will be used to conduct ground control experiments in simulated flight conditions for space flight experiments. The SLS Lab, formerly known as the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory or SERPL, provides space for NASA’s Life Sciences Services contractor Dynamac Corporation, Bionetics Corporation, and researchers from the University of Florida. NASA’s Office of Biological and Physical Research will use the facility for processing life sciences experiments that will be conducted on the International Space Station. The SLS Lab is the magnet facility for the International Space Research Park at KSC being developed in partnership with Florida Space Authority.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Life Sciences (SLS) Lab, Jan Bauer, with Dynamac Corp., weighs samples of onion tissue for processing in the elemental analyzer behind it. The equipment analyzes for carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and sulfur. The 100,000 square-foot SLS houses labs for NASA’s ongoing research efforts, microbiology/microbial ecology studies and analytical chemistry labs. Also calling the new lab home are facilities for space flight-experiment and flight-hardware development, new plant growth chambers, and an Orbiter Environment Simulator that will be used to conduct ground control experiments in simulated flight conditions for space flight experiments. The SLS Lab, formerly known as the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory or SERPL, provides space for NASA’s Life Sciences Services contractor Dynamac Corporation, Bionetics Corporation, and researchers from the University of Florida. NASA’s Office of Biological and Physical Research will use the facility for processing life sciences experiments that will be conducted on the International Space Station. The SLS Lab is the magnet facility for the International Space Research Park at KSC being developed in partnership with Florida Space Authority.

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-01-05

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Life Sciences (SLS) Lab, Jan Bauer, with Dynamac Corp., weighs samples of onion tissue for processing in the elemental analyzer behind it. The equipment analyzes for carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and sulfur. The 100,000 square-foot SLS houses labs for NASA’s ongoing research efforts, microbiology/microbial ecology studies and analytical chemistry labs. Also calling the new lab home are facilities for space flight-experiment and flight-hardware development, new plant growth chambers, and an Orbiter Environment Simulator that will be used to conduct ground control experiments in simulated flight conditions for space flight experiments. The SLS Lab, formerly known as the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory or SERPL, provides space for NASA’s Life Sciences Services contractor Dynamac Corporation, Bionetics Corporation, and researchers from the University of Florida. NASA’s Office of Biological and Physical Research will use the facility for processing life sciences experiments that will be conducted on the International Space Station. The SLS Lab is the magnet facility for the International Space Research Park at KSC being developed in partnership with Florida Space Authority.

Microgravity

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-09-30

The Electrostatic Levitator (ESL) Facility established at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) supports NASA's Microgravity Materials Science Research Program. NASA materials science investigations include ground-based, flight definition and flight projects. Flight definition projects, with demanding science concept review schedules, receive highest priority for scheduling experiment time in the Electrostatic Levitator (ESL) Facility.

Unveiling of sign for Walter C. Williams Research Aircraft Integration Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

In a brief ceremony following a memorial service for the late Walter C. Williams on November 17, 1995, the Integrated Test Facility (ITF) at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, California, was formally renamed the Walter C. Williams Research Aircraft Integration Facility. Shown is the family of Walt Williams: Helen, his widow, sons Charles and Howard, daughter Elizabeth Williams Powell, their spouses and children unveiling the new sign redesignating the Facility. The test facility provides state-of-the-art capabilities for thorough ground testing of advanced research aircraft. It allows researchers and technicians to integrate and test aircraft systems before each research flight, which greatly enhances the safety of each mission. In September 1946 Williams became engineer-in-charge of a team of five engineers who arrived at Muroc Army Air Base (now Edwards AFB) from the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics's Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory, Hampton, Virginia (now NASA's Langley Research Center), to prepare for supersonic research flights in a joint NACA-Army Air Forces program involving the rocket-powered X-1. This established the first permanent NACA presence at the Mojave Desert site although initially the five engineers and others who followed them were on temporary assignment. Over time, Walt continued to be in charge during the many name changes for the NACA-NASA organization, with Williams ending his stay as Chief of the NASA Flight Research Center in September 1959 (today NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center).

KSC-04PD-0003

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Sharon Edney, with Dynamac Corp., checks the growth of radishes being grown hydroponically for study in the Space Life Sciences Lab. The 100,000 square-foot facility houses labs for NASAs ongoing research efforts, microbiology/microbial ecology studies and analytical chemistry labs. Also calling the new lab home are facilities for space flight-experiment and flight-hardware development, new plant growth chambers, and an Orbiter Environment Simulator that will be used to conduct ground control experiments in simulated flight conditions for space flight experiments. The SLS Lab, formerly known as the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory or SERPL, provides space for NASAs Life Sciences Services contractor Dynamac Corporation, Bionetics Corporation, and researchers from the University of Florida. NASAs Office of Biological and Physical Research will use the facility for processing life sciences experiments that will be conducted on the International Space Station. The SLS Lab is the magnet facility for the International Space Research Park at KSC being developed in partnership with Florida Space Authority.

KSC-04PD-0002

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Sharon Edney, with Dynamac Corp., checks the roots of green onions being grown hydroponically for study in the Space Life Sciences Lab. The 100,000 square-foot facility houses labs for NASAs ongoing research efforts, microbiology/microbial ecology studies and analytical chemistry labs. Also calling the new lab home are facilities for space flight-experiment and flight-hardware development, new plant growth chambers, and an Orbiter Environment Simulator that will be used to conduct ground control experiments in simulated flight conditions for space flight experiments. The SLS Lab, formerly known as the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory or SERPL, provides space for NASAs Life Sciences Services contractor Dynamac Corporation, Bionetics Corporation, and researchers from the University of Florida. NASAs Office of Biological and Physical Research will use the facility for processing life sciences experiments that will be conducted on the International Space Station. The SLS Lab is the magnet facility for the International Space Research Park at KSC being developed in partnership with Florida Space Authority.

KSC-04PD-0001

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Sharon Edney, with Dynamac Corp., measures photosynthesis on Bibb lettuce being grown hydroponically for study in the Space Life Sciences Lab. The 100,000 square-foot facility houses labs for NASAs ongoing research efforts, microbiology/microbial ecology studies and analytical chemistry labs. Also calling the new lab home are facilities for space flight-experiment and flight-hardware development, new plant growth chambers, and an Orbiter Environment Simulator that will be used to conduct ground control experiments in simulated flight conditions for space flight experiments. The SLS Lab, formerly known as the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory or SERPL, provides space for NASAs Life Sciences Services contractor Dynamac Corporation, Bionetics Corporation, and researchers from the University of Florida. NASAs Office of Biological and Physical Research will use the facility for processing life sciences experiments that will be conducted on the International Space Station. The SLS Lab is the magnet facility for the International Space Research Park at KSC being developed in partnership with Florida Space Authority.

Ballistocraft: a novel facility for microgravity research.

PubMed

Mesland, D; Paris, D; Huijser, R; Lammertse, P; Postema, R

1995-05-01

One of ESA's aims is to provide the microgravity research community with various microgravity exposure facilities. Those facilities include drop towers, sounding rockets, and parabolic flights on board aircraft, in addition to orbital spacecraft. Microgravity flights are usually achieved using large aircraft like the French 'Caravelle' that offer a large payload volume and where a person can be present to perform the experiments and to participate as a human test-subject. However, the microgravity community is also very interested in a flexible, complementary facility that would allow frequent and repetitive exposure to microgravity for a laboratory-type of payload. ESA has therefore undertaken a study of the potential of using a 'ballistocraft', a small unmanned aircraft, to provide a low-cost facility for short-duration (30-40 seconds) microgravity experimentation. Fokker Space & Systems performed the study under an ESA contract, supported by Dutch national funding. To assess the ballistocraft, a simple breadboard of the facility was built and flight tests were performed. The ability of the on-board controller to achieve automated parabolic flights was demonstrated, and the performance of the controller in one-g level flights, and in flights with both zero-g and partial-g setpoints, was evaluated. The partial-g flights are a unique and valuable feature of the facility.

A unique facility for V/STOL aircraft hover testing. [Langley Impact Dynamics Research Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Culpepper, R. G.; Murphy, R. D.; Gillespie, E. A.; Lane, A. G.

1979-01-01

The Langley Impact Dynamics Research Facility (IDRF) was modified to obtain static force and moment data and to allow assessment of aircraft handling qualities during dynamic tethered hover flight. Test probe procedures were also established. Static lift and control measurements obtained are presented along with results of limited dynamic tethered hover flight.

Aircraft flight flutter testing at the NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kehoe, Michael W.

1988-01-01

Many parameter identification techniques have been used at the NASA Ames Research Center, Dryden Research Facility at Edwards Air Force Base to determine the aeroelastic stability of new and modified research vehicles in flight. This paper presents a summary of each technique used with emphasis on fast Fourier transform methods. Experiences gained from application of these techniques to various flight test programs are discussed. Also presented are data-smoothing techniques used for test data distorted by noise. Data are presented for various aircraft to demonstrate the accuracy of each parameter identification technique discussed.

An inventory of aeronautical ground research facilities. Volume 4: Engineering flight simulation facilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pirrello, C. J.; Hardin, R. D.; Capelluro, L. P.; Harrison, W. D.

1971-01-01

The general purpose capabilities of government and industry in the area of real time engineering flight simulation are discussed. The information covers computer equipment, visual systems, crew stations, and motion systems, along with brief statements of facility capabilities. Facility construction and typical operational costs are included where available. The facilities provide for economical and safe solutions to vehicle design, performance, control, and flying qualities problems of manned and unmanned flight systems.

National remote computational flight research facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rediess, Herman A.

1989-01-01

The extension of the NASA Ames-Dryden remotely augmented vehicle (RAV) facility to accommodate flight testing of a hypersonic aircraft utilizing the continental United States as a test range is investigated. The development and demonstration of an automated flight test management system (ATMS) that uses expert system technology for flight test planning, scheduling, and execution is documented.

Development and validation of the crew-station system-integration research facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nedell, B.; Hardy, G.; Lichtenstein, T.; Leong, G.; Thompson, D.

1986-01-01

The various issues associated with the use of integrated flight management systems in aircraft were discussed. To address these issues a fixed base integrated flight research (IFR) simulation of a helicopter was developed to support experiments that contribute to the understanding of design criteria for rotorcraft cockpits incorporating advanced integrated flight management systems. A validation experiment was conducted that demonstrates the main features of the facility and the capability to conduct crew/system integration research.

NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center is situated immediately adjacent to the compass rose on the bed of Rogers Dry Lake at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-07-25

Since the 1940s the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, has developed a unique and highly specialized capability for conducting flight research programs. The organization, made up of pilots, scientists, engineers, technicians, and mechanics, has been and will continue to be leaders in the field of advanced aeronautics. Located on the northwest "shore" of Rogers Dry Lake, the complex was built around the original administrative-hangar building constructed in 1954. Since then many additional support and operational facilities have been built including a number of unique test facilities such as the Thermalstructures Research Facility, Flow Visualization Facility, and the Integrated Test Facility. One of the most prominent structures is the space shuttle program's Mate-Demate Device and hangar in Area A to the north of the main complex. On the lakebed surface is a Compass Rose that gives pilots an instant compass heading. The Dryden complex originated at Edwards Air Force Base in support of the X-1 supersonic flight program. As other high-speed aircraft entered research programs, the facility became permanent and grew from a staff of five engineers in 1947 to a population in 2006 of nearly 1100 full-time government and contractor employees.

The NASA Ames Hypervelocity Free Flight Aerodynamic Facility: Experimental Simulation of the Atmospheric Break-Up of Meteors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilder, M. C.; Bogdanoff, D. W.

2015-01-01

The Hypervelocity Free Flight Aerodynamic Facility at NASA Ames Research Center provides a potential platform for the experimental simulation of meteor breakup at conditions that closely match full-scale entry condition for select parameters. The poster describes the entry environment simulation capabilities of the Hypervelocity Free Flight Aerodynamic Facility (HFFAF) at NASA Ames Research Center and provides example images of the fragmentation of a hypersonic projectile for which break-up was initiated by mechanical forces (impact with a thin polymer diaphragm).

Microgravity

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-01-31

Arn Harris Hoover of Lockheed Martin Company demonstrates an engineering mockup of the Human Research Facility (HRF) that will be installed in Destiny, the U.S. Laboratory Module on the International Space Station (ISS). Using facilities similar to research hardware available in laboratories on Earth, the HRF will enable systematic study of cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, neurosensory, pulmonary, radiation, and regulatory physiology to determine biomedical changes resulting from space flight. Research results obtained using this facility are relevant to the health and the performance of the astronaut as well as future exploration of space. Because this is a mockup, the actual flight hardware may vary as desings are refined. (Credit: NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center)

The F-18 systems research aircraft facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sitz, Joel R.

1992-01-01

To help ensure that new aerospace initiatives rapidly transition to competitive U.S. technologies, NASA Dryden Flight Research Facility has dedicated a systems research aircraft facility. The primary goal is to accelerate the transition of new aerospace technologies to commercial, military, and space vehicles. Key technologies include more-electric aircraft concepts, fly-by-light systems, flush airdata systems, and advanced computer architectures. Future aircraft that will benefit are the high-speed civil transport and the National AeroSpace Plane. This paper describes the systems research aircraft flight research vehicle and outlines near-term programs.

KSC-04PD-0005

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Lanfang Levine, with Dynamac Corp., helps install new equipment for gas chromatography and mass spectrometry in the Space Life Sciences Lab. The equipment will enable analysis of volatile compounds, such as from plants. The 100,000 square-foot facility houses labs for NASAs ongoing research efforts, microbiology/microbial ecology studies and analytical chemistry labs. Also calling the new lab home are facilities for space flight-experiment and flight-hardware development, new plant growth chambers, and an Orbiter Environment Simulator that will be used to conduct ground control experiments in simulated flight conditions for space flight experiments. The SLS Lab, formerly known as the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory or SERPL, provides space for NASAs Life Sciences Services contractor Dynamac Corporation, Bionetics Corporation, and researchers from the University of Florida. NASAs Office of Biological and Physical Research will use the facility for processing life sciences experiments that will be conducted on the International Space Station. The SLS Lab is the magnet facility for the International Space Research Park at KSC being developed in partnership with Florida Space Authority.

F-15 HiDEC taxi on ramp at sunrise

NASA Image and Video Library

1991-09-23

NASA's highly modified F-15A (Serial #71-0287) used for digital electronic flight and engine control systems research, at sunrise on the ramp at the Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, California. The F-15 was called the HIDEC (Highly Integrated Digital Electronic Control) flight facility. Research programs flown on the testbed vehicle have demonstrated improved rates of climb, fuel savings, and engine thrust by optimizing systems performance. The aircraft also tested and evaluated a computerized self-repairing flight control system for the Air Force that detects damaged or failed flight control surfaces. The system then reconfigures undamaged control surfaces so the mission can continue or the aircraft is landed safely.

Research and technology, 1990

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

Selected research and technology activities at Ames Research Center, including the Moffett Field site and the Dryden Flight Research Facility, are summarized. These accomplishments exemplify the Center's varied and highly productive research efforts for 1990. The activities addressed are under the directories of: (1) aerospace systems which contains aircraft technology, full-scale aerodynamics research, information sciences, aerospace human factors research, and flight systems and simulation research divisions; (2) Dryden flight research facility which contains research engineering division; (3) aerophysics which contains aerodynamics, fluid dynamics, and thermosciences divisions; and (4) space research which contains advanced life support, space projects, earth system science, life science, and space science divisions, and search for extraterrestrial intelligence and space life sciences payloads offices.

Enhancing the usability of CRT displays in test flight monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Granaas, Michael M.; Sredinski, Victoria E.

1991-01-01

Enhancing the usability of Mission Control Center (MCC) CRT displays stands to improve the quality, productivity, and safety of flight-test research at the NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility. The results of this research suggests that much can be done to assist the user and improve the quality of flight research through the enhancement of current displays. This research has applications to a variety of flight data monitoring displays.

Practical Application of a Subscale Transport Aircraft for Flight Research in Control Upset and Failure Conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cunningham, Kevin; Foster, John V.; Morelli, Eugene A.; Murch, Austin M.

2008-01-01

Over the past decade, the goal of reducing the fatal accident rate of large transport aircraft has resulted in research aimed at the problem of aircraft loss-of-control. Starting in 1999, the NASA Aviation Safety Program initiated research that included vehicle dynamics modeling, system health monitoring, and reconfigurable control systems focused on flight regimes beyond the normal flight envelope. In recent years, there has been an increased emphasis on adaptive control technologies for recovery from control upsets or failures including damage scenarios. As part of these efforts, NASA has developed the Airborne Subscale Transport Aircraft Research (AirSTAR) flight facility to allow flight research and validation, and system testing for flight regimes that are considered too risky for full-scale manned transport airplane testing. The AirSTAR facility utilizes dynamically-scaled vehicles that enable the application of subscale flight test results to full scale vehicles. This paper describes the modeling and simulation approach used for AirSTAR vehicles that supports the goals of efficient, low-cost and safe flight research in abnormal flight conditions. Modeling of aerodynamics, controls, and propulsion will be discussed as well as the application of simulation to flight control system development, test planning, risk mitigation, and flight research.

KSC-04PD-0007

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Life Sciences (SLS) Lab, Jan Bauer, with Dynamac Corp., places samples of onion tissue in the elemental analyzer, which analyzes for carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and sulfur. The 100,000 square-foot SLS houses labs for NASAs ongoing research efforts, microbiology/microbial ecology studies and analytical chemistry labs. Also calling the new lab home are facilities for space flight-experiment and flight-hardware development, new plant growth chambers, and an Orbiter Environment Simulator that will be used to conduct ground control experiments in simulated flight conditions for space flight experiments. The SLS Lab, formerly known as the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory or SERPL, provides space for NASAs Life Sciences Services contractor Dynamac Corporation, Bionetics Corporation, and researchers from the University of Florida. NASAs Office of Biological and Physical Research will use the facility for processing life sciences experiments that will be conducted on the International Space Station. The SLS Lab is the magnet facility for the International Space Research Park at KSC being developed in partnership with Florida Space Authority.

The 1985 National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Summer High School Apprenticeship Research Program (SHARP)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1985-01-01

In 1985, a total of 126 talented high school students gained first hand knowledge about science and engineering careers by working directly with a NASA scientist or engineer during the summer. This marked the sixth year of operation for NASA's Summer High School Apprenticeship Research Program (SHARP). The major priority of maintaining the high standards and success of prior years was satisfied. The following eight sites participated in the Program: Ames Research Center, Ames' Dryden Flight Research Facility, Goddard Space Flight Center, Goddard's Wallop Flight Facility, Kennedy Space Center, Langley Research Center, Lewis Research Center, and Marshall Space Flight Center. Tresp Associates served as the SHARP contractor and worked closely with NASA staff at headquarters and the sites just mentioned to plan, implement, and evaluate the program.

KSC-04PD-0006

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Life Sciences Lab, Lanfang Levine, with Dynamac Corp., transfers material into a sample bottle for analysis. She is standing in front of new equipment in the lab that will provide gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. The equipment will enable analysis of volatile compounds, such as from plants. The 100,000 square-foot facility houses labs for NASAs ongoing research efforts, microbiology/microbial ecology studies and analytical chemistry labs. Also calling the new lab home are facilities for space flight-experiment and flight-hardware development, new plant growth chambers, and an Orbiter Environment Simulator that will be used to conduct ground control experiments in simulated flight conditions for space flight experiments. The SLS Lab, formerly known as the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory or SERPL, provides space for NASAs Life Sciences Services contractor Dynamac Corporation, Bionetics Corporation, and researchers from the University of Florida. NASAs Office of Biological and Physical Research will use the facility for processing life sciences experiments that will be conducted on the International Space Station. The SLS Lab is the magnet facility for the International Space Research Park at KSC being developed in partnership with Florida Space Authority.

Zero Gravity Research Facility User's Guide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thompson, Dennis M.

1999-01-01

The Zero Gravity Research Facility (ZGF) is operated by the Space Experiments Division of the NASA John H. Glenn Research Center (GRC) for investigators sponsored by the Microgravity Science and Applications Division of NASA Headquarters. This unique facility has been utilized by scientists and engineers for reduced gravity experimentation since 1966. The ZGF has provided fundamental scientific information, has been used as an important test facility in the space flight hardware design, development, and test process, and has also been a valuable source of data in the flight experiment definition process. The purpose of this document is to provide information and guidance to prospective researchers regarding the design, buildup, and testing of microgravity experiments.

Experimental Supersonic Combustion Research at NASA Langley

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rogers, R. Clayton; Capriotti, Diego P.; Guy, R. Wayne

1998-01-01

Experimental supersonic combustion research related to hypersonic airbreathing propulsion has been actively underway at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) since the mid-1960's. This research involved experimental investigations of fuel injection, mixing, and combustion in supersonic flows and numerous tests of scramjet engine flowpaths in LaRC test facilities simulating flight from Mach 4 to 8. Out of this research effort has come scramjet combustor design methodologies, ground test techniques, and data analysis procedures. These technologies have progressed steadily in support of the National Aero-Space Plane (NASP) program and the current Hyper-X flight demonstration program. During NASP nearly 2500 tests of 15 scramjet engine models were conducted in LaRC facilities. In addition, research supporting the engine flowpath design investigated ways to enhance mixing, improve and apply nonintrusive diagnostics, and address facility operation. Tests of scramjet combustor operation at conditions simulating hypersonic flight at Mach numbers up to 17 also have been performed in an expansion tube pulse facility. This paper presents a review of the LaRC experimental supersonic combustion research efforts since the late 1980's, during the NASP program, and into the Hyper-X Program.

KSC-07pd0913

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Starfighter F-104 approaches the runway at the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility for a landing after its test flight. The aircraft is taking part in a series of pathfinder test missions from the space shuttle runway. Two flights will generate test data to validate sonic boom assumptions about the potential impacts of suborbital and orbital commercial spaceflight from the facility. NASA is assessing the environmental impact of such flights. Starfighters Inc. of Clearwater, Fla., will perform the flights to help in assessing suborbital space launch trajectories from the runway and paving the way for future commercial space tourism and research flights from the facility. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd0914

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Starfighter F-104 lands on the runway at the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility after its test flight. The aircraft is taking part in a series of pathfinder test missions from the space shuttle runway. Two flights will generate test data to validate sonic boom assumptions about the potential impacts of suborbital and orbital commercial spaceflight from the facility. NASA is assessing the environmental impact of such flights. Starfighters Inc. of Clearwater, Fla., will perform the flights to help in assessing suborbital space launch trajectories from the runway and paving the way for future commercial space tourism and research flights from the facility. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

The C-17 simulator at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-10-04

The C-17 simulator at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. Simulators offer a safe and economical alternative to actual flights to gather data, as well as being excellent facilities for pilot practice and training.

Summer High School Apprenticeship Research Program (SHARP) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1984-01-01

A total of 125 talented high school students had the opportunity to gain first hand experience about science and engineering careers by working directly with a NASA scientist or engineer during the summer. This marked the fifth year of operation for NASA's Summer High School Apprenticehsip Research Program (SHARP). Ferguson Bryan served as the SHARP contractor and worked closely with NASA staff at Headquarters and the eight participating sites to plan, implement, and evaluate the Program. The main objectives were to strengthen SHARP and expand the number of students in the Program. These eight sites participated in the Program: Ames Research Center North, Ames' Dryden Flight Research Facility, Goddard Space Flight Center, Goddard's Wallops Flight Facility, Kennedy Space Center, Langley Research Center, Lewis Research Center, and Marshall Space Flight Center.

Functional requirements for the man-vehicle systems research facility. [identifying and correcting human errors during flight simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clement, W. F.; Allen, R. W.; Heffley, R. K.; Jewell, W. F.; Jex, H. R.; Mcruer, D. T.; Schulman, T. M.; Stapleford, R. L.

1980-01-01

The NASA Ames Research Center proposed a man-vehicle systems research facility to support flight simulation studies which are needed for identifying and correcting the sources of human error associated with current and future air carrier operations. The organization of research facility is reviewed and functional requirements and related priorities for the facility are recommended based on a review of potentially critical operational scenarios. Requirements are included for the experimenter's simulation control and data acquisition functions, as well as for the visual field, motion, sound, computation, crew station, and intercommunications subsystems. The related issues of functional fidelity and level of simulation are addressed, and specific criteria for quantitative assessment of various aspects of fidelity are offered. Recommendations for facility integration, checkout, and staffing are included.

Terminal configured vehicle program: Test facilities guide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1980-01-01

The terminal configured vehicle (TCV) program was established to conduct research and to develop and evaluate aircraft and flight management system technology concepts that will benefit conventional take off and landing operations in the terminal area. Emphasis is placed on the development of operating methods for the highly automated environment anticipated in the future. The program involves analyses, simulation, and flight experiments. Flight experiments are conducted using a modified Boeing 737 airplane equipped with highly flexible display and control equipment and an aft flight deck for research purposes. The experimental systems of the Boeing 737 are described including the flight control computer systems, the navigation/guidance system, the control and command panel, and the electronic display system. The ground based facilities used in the program are described including the visual motion simulator, the fixed base simulator, the verification and validation laboratory, and the radio frequency anechoic facility.

Main Building (4800) at Dryden FRC

NASA Image and Video Library

1991-09-05

The X-1E research aircraft provides a striking view at the entrance of NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The X-1E, one of the three original X-1 aircraft modified with a raised cockpit canopy and an ejection seat, was flown at the facility between 1953 and 1958 to investigate speeds at twice that of sound, and also to evaluate a thin wing designed for high-speed flight. The Dryden complex was originally established in 1946 as a small high-speed flight station to support the X-1 program. The X-1 was the first aircraft to fly at supersonic speeds. The main administrative building is to the rear of the X-1E and is the center of a research installation that has grown to more than 450 government employees and nearly 400 civilian contractors. Located on the northwest "shore" of Rogers Dry Lake, the Dryden Center was built around the original administrative-hangar building constructed in 1954 at a cost of $3.8 million. Since then many additional support and operational facilities have been built including a number of unique test facilities such as the Thermalstructures Research Facility, Flow Visualization Facility, and the newest addition, the Integrated Test Facility.

KSC-04PD-0008

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Life Sciences (SLS) Lab, Jan Bauer, with Dynamac Corp., weighs samples of onion tissue for processing in the elemental analyzer behind it. The equipment analyzes for carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and sulfur. The 100,000 square-foot SLS houses labs for NASAs ongoing research efforts, microbiology/microbial ecology studies and analytical chemistry labs. Also calling the new lab home are facilities for space flight-experiment and flight-hardware development, new plant growth chambers, and an Orbiter Environment Simulator that will be used to conduct ground control experiments in simulated flight conditions for space flight experiments. The SLS Lab, formerly known as the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory or SERPL, provides space for NASAs Life Sciences Services contractor Dynamac Corporation, Bionetics Corporation, and researchers from the University of Florida. NASAs Office of Biological and Physical Research will use the facility for processing life sciences experiments that will be conducted on the International Space Station. The SLS Lab is the magnet facility for the International Space Research Park at KSC being developed in partnership with Florida Space Authority.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Space Life Sciences Lab (SLSL), formerly known as the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory (SERPL), is nearing completion. The new lab is a state-of-the-art facility being built for ISS biotechnology research. Developed as a partnership between NASA-KSC and the State of Florida, NASA’s life sciences contractor will be the primary tenant of the facility, leasing space to conduct flight experiment processing and NASA-sponsored research. About 20 percent of the facility will be available for use by Florida’s university researchers through the Florida Space Research Institute.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-09-10

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Space Life Sciences Lab (SLSL), formerly known as the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory (SERPL), is nearing completion. The new lab is a state-of-the-art facility being built for ISS biotechnology research. Developed as a partnership between NASA-KSC and the State of Florida, NASA’s life sciences contractor will be the primary tenant of the facility, leasing space to conduct flight experiment processing and NASA-sponsored research. About 20 percent of the facility will be available for use by Florida’s university researchers through the Florida Space Research Institute.

Microgravity

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-01-01

Line drawing depicts the location of one of three racks that will make up the Materials Science Research Facility in the U.S. Destiny laboratory module to be attached to the International Space Station (ISS). Other positions will be occupied by a variety of racks supporting research in combustion, fluids, biotechnology, and human physiology, and racks to support lab and station opertions. The Materials Science Research Facility is managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. Photo credit: NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center

Research objectives, opportunities, and facilities for microgravity science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bayuzick, Robert J.

1992-01-01

Microgravity Science in the U.S.A. involves research in fluids science, combustion science, materials science, biotechnology, and fundamental physics. The purpose is to achieve a thorough understanding of the effects of gravitational body forces on physical phenomena relevant to those disciplines. This includes the study of phenomena which are usually overwhelmed by the presence of gravitational body forces and, therefore, chiefly manifested when gravitational forces are weak. In the pragmatic sense, the research involves gravity level as an experimental parameter. Calendar year 1992 is a landmark year for research opportunities in low earth orbit for Microgravity Science. For the first time ever, three Spacelab flights will fly in a single year: IML-1 was launched on January 22; USML-1 was launched on June 25; and, in September, SL-J will be launched. A separate flight involving two cargo bay carriers, USMP-1, will be launched in October. From the beginning of 1993 up to and including the Space Station era (1997), nine flights involving either Spacelab or USMP carriers will be flown. This will be augmented by a number of middeck payloads and get away specials flying on various flights. All of this activity sets the stage for experimentation on Space Station Freedom. Beginning in 1997, experiments in Microgravity Science will be conducted on the Space Station. Facilities for doing experiments in protein crystal growth, solidification, and biotechnology will all be available. These will be joined by middeck-class payloads and the microgravity glove box for conducting additional experiments. In 1998, a new generation protein crystal growth facility and a facility for conducting combustion research will arrive. A fluids science facility and additional capability for conducting research in solidification, as well as an ability to handle small payloads on a quick response basis, will be added in 1999. The year 2000 will see upgrades in the protein crystal growth and fluids science facilities. From the beginning of 1997 to the fall of 1999 (the 'man-tended capability' era), there will be two or three utilization flights per year. Plans call for operations in Microgravity Science during utilization flights and between utilization flights. Experiments conducted during utilization flights will characteristically require crew interaction, short duration, and less sensitivity to perturbations in the acceleration environment. Operations between utilization flights will involve experiments that can be controlled remotely and/or can be automated. Typically, the experiments will require long times and a pristine environment. Beyond the fall of 1999 (the 'permanently-manned capability' era), some payloads will require crew interaction; others will be automated and will make use of telescience.

KSC-07pd0904

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility, a Starfighter F-104 aircraft is being prepared for test flights. Behind the plane is Dave Waldrop, co-pilot. The aircraft is taking part in a series of pathfinder test missions from the space shuttle runway. Two flights will generate test data to validate sonic boom assumptions about the potential impacts of suborbital and orbital commercial spaceflight from the facility. NASA is assessing the environmental impact of such flights. Starfighters Inc. of Clearwater, Fla., will perform the flights to help in assessing suborbital space launch trajectories from the runway and paving the way for future commercial space tourism and research flights from the facility. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd0905

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility, a Starfighter F-104 aircraft is being prepared for test flights. Ready to climb into the cockpit is the pilot, Rick Svetkoff. The aircraft is taking part in a series of pathfinder test missions from the space shuttle runway. Two flights will generate test data to validate sonic boom assumptions about the potential impacts of suborbital and orbital commercial spaceflight from the facility. NASA is assessing the environmental impact of such flights. Starfighters Inc. of Clearwater, Fla., will perform the flights to help in assessing suborbital space launch trajectories from the runway and paving the way for future commercial space tourism and research flights from the facility. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd0915

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Starfighter F-104 comes to a stop on the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility after its test flight. The pilot is Rick Svetkoff; the co-pilot is Dave Waldrop.The aircraft is taking part in a series of pathfinder test missions from the space shuttle runway. Two flights will generate test data to validate sonic boom assumptions about the potential impacts of suborbital and orbital commercial spaceflight from the facility. NASA is assessing the environmental impact of such flights. Starfighters Inc. of Clearwater, Fla., will perform the flights to help in assessing suborbital space launch trajectories from the runway and paving the way for future commercial space tourism and research flights from the facility. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA's Platform for Cross-Disciplinary Microchannel Research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Son, Sang Young; Spearing, Scott; Allen, Jeffrey; Monaco, Lisa A.

2003-01-01

A team from the Structural Biology group located at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama is developing a platform suitable for cross-disciplinary microchannel research. The original objective of this engineering development effort was to deliver a multi-user flight-certified facility for iterative investigations of protein crystal growth; that is, Iterative Biological Crystallization (IBC). However, the unique capabilities of this facility are not limited to the low-gravity structural biology research community. Microchannel-based research in a number of other areas may be greatly accelerated through use of this facility. In particular, the potential for gas-liquid flow investigations and cellular biological research utilizing the exceptional pressure control and simplified coupling to macroscale diagnostics inherent in the IBC facility will be discussed. In conclusion, the opportunities for research-specific modifications to the microchannel configuration, control, and diagnostics will be discussed.

Real-time in-flight engine performance and health monitoring techniques for flight research application

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ray, Ronald J.; Hicks, John W.; Wichman, Keith D.

1992-01-01

Various engine related performance and health monitoring techniques developed in support of flight research are described. Techniques used during flight to enhance safety and to increase flight test productivity are summarized. A description of the NASA range facility is given along with a discussion of the flight data processing. Examples of data processed and the flight data displays are shown. A discussion of current trends and future capabilities is also included.

Technology for Sustained Supersonic Combustion Task Order 0006: Scramjet Research with Flight-Like Inflow Conditions

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-01-01

flight vehicle . Many facilities are not large enough to perform free-jet testing of scramjet engines which include an inlet. Rather, testing is often...AFRL-RQ-WP-TR-2013-0029 TECHNOLOGY FOR SUSTAINED SUPERSONIC COMBUSTION Task Order 0006: Scramjet Research with Flight-Like Inflow...TITLE AND SUBTITLE TECHNOLOGY FOR SUSTAINED SUPERSONIC COMBUSTION Task Order 0006: Scramjet Research with Flight-Like Inflow Conditions 5a

Experimental Validation: Subscale Aircraft Ground Facilities and Integrated Test Capability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bailey, Roger M.; Hostetler, Robert W., Jr.; Barnes, Kevin N.; Belcastro, Celeste M.; Belcastro, Christine M.

2005-01-01

Experimental testing is an important aspect of validating complex integrated safety critical aircraft technologies. The Airborne Subscale Transport Aircraft Research (AirSTAR) Testbed is being developed at NASA Langley to validate technologies under conditions that cannot be flight validated with full-scale vehicles. The AirSTAR capability comprises a series of flying sub-scale models, associated ground-support equipment, and a base research station at NASA Langley. The subscale model capability utilizes a generic 5.5% scaled transport class vehicle known as the Generic Transport Model (GTM). The AirSTAR Ground Facilities encompass the hardware and software infrastructure necessary to provide comprehensive support services for the GTM testbed. The ground facilities support remote piloting of the GTM aircraft, and include all subsystems required for data/video telemetry, experimental flight control algorithm implementation and evaluation, GTM simulation, data recording/archiving, and audio communications. The ground facilities include a self-contained, motorized vehicle serving as a mobile research command/operations center, capable of deployment to remote sites when conducting GTM flight experiments. The ground facilities also include a laboratory based at NASA LaRC providing near identical capabilities as the mobile command/operations center, as well as the capability to receive data/video/audio from, and send data/audio to the mobile command/operations center during GTM flight experiments.

Rehabilitation of the Rocket Vehicle Integration Test Stand at Edwards Air Force Base

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Daniel S.; Ray, Ronald J.; Phillips, Paul

2005-01-01

Since initial use in 1958 for the X-15 rocket-powered research airplane, the Rocket Engine Test Facility has proven essential for testing and servicing rocket-powered vehicles at Edwards Air Force Base. For almost two decades, several successful flight-test programs utilized the capability of this facility. The Department of Defense has recently demonstrated a renewed interest in propulsion technology development with the establishment of the National Aerospace Initiative. More recently, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is undergoing a transformation to realign the organization, focusing on the Vision for Space Exploration. These initiatives provide a clear indication that a very capable ground-test stand at Edwards Air Force Base will be beneficial to support the testing of future access-to-space vehicles. To meet the demand of full integration testing of rocket-powered vehicles, the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, the Air Force Flight Test Center, and the Air Force Research Laboratory have combined their resources in an effort to restore and upgrade the original X-15 Rocket Engine Test Facility to become the new Rocket Vehicle Integration Test Stand. This report describes the history of the X-15 Rocket Engine Test Facility, discusses the current status of the facility, and summarizes recent efforts to rehabilitate the facility to support potential access-to-space flight-test programs. A summary of the capabilities of the facility is presented and other important issues are discussed.

KSC-07pd0889

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-16

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Pilot Rick Svetkoff taxis a Starfighter F-104 down the runway on the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center. The aircraft will take part in a series of pathfinder test missions from the space shuttle runway. Two flights will generate test data to validate sonic boom assumptions about the potential impacts of suborbital and orbital commercial spaceflight from the facility. NASA is assessing the environmental impact of such flights. Starfighters Inc. of Clearwater, Fla., will perform the flights to help in assessing suborbital space launch trajectories from the runway and paving the way for future commercial space tourism and research flights from the facility. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd0888

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-16

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A Starfighter F-104 piloted by Rick Svetkoff lands on the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center. The aircraft will take part in a series of pathfinder test missions from the space shuttle runway. Two flights will generate test data to validate sonic boom assumptions about the potential impacts of suborbital and orbital commercial spaceflight from the facility. NASA is assessing the environmental impact of such flights. Starfighters Inc. of Clearwater, Fla., will perform the flights to help in assessing suborbital space launch trajectories from the runway and paving the way for future commercial space tourism and research flights from the facility. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd0887

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-16

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A Starfighter F-104 piloted by Rick Svetkoff approaches the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center. The aircraft will take part in a series of pathfinder test missions from the space shuttle runway. Two flights will generate test data to validate sonic boom assumptions about the potential impacts of suborbital and orbital commercial spaceflight from the facility. NASA is assessing the environmental impact of such flights. Starfighters Inc. of Clearwater, Fla., will perform the flights to help in assessing suborbital space launch trajectories from the runway and paving the way for future commercial space tourism and research flights from the facility. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd0908

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility, pilot Rick Svetkoff settles into the cockpit of the Starfighter F-104. The aircraft is taking part in a series of pathfinder test missions from the space shuttle runway. Two flights will generate test data to validate sonic boom assumptions about the potential impacts of suborbital and orbital commercial spaceflight from the facility. NASA is assessing the environmental impact of such flights. Starfighters Inc. of Clearwater, Fla., will perform the flights to help in assessing suborbital space launch trajectories from the runway and paving the way for future commercial space tourism and research flights from the facility. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

A Unique Software System For Simulation-to-Flight Research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chung, Victoria I.; Hutchinson, Brian K.

2001-01-01

"Simulation-to-Flight" is a research development concept to reduce costs and increase testing efficiency of future major aeronautical research efforts at NASA. The simulation-to-flight concept is achieved by using common software and hardware, procedures, and processes for both piloted-simulation and flight testing. This concept was applied to the design and development of two full-size transport simulators, a research system installed on a NASA B-757 airplane, and two supporting laboratories. This paper describes the software system that supports the simulation-to-flight facilities. Examples of various simulation-to-flight experimental applications were also provided.

Development and use of interactive displays in real-time ground support research facilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rhea, Donald C.; Hammons, Kvin R.; Malone, Jacqueline C.; Nesel, Michael C.

1989-01-01

The NASA Western Aeronautical Test Range (WATR) is one of the world's most advanced aeronautical research flight test support facilities. A variety of advanced and often unique real-time interactive displays has been developed for use in the mission control centers (MCC) to support research flight and ground testing. These dispalys consist of applications operating on systems described as real-time interactive graphics super workstations and real-time interactive PC/AT compatible workstations. This paper reviews these two types of workstations and the specific applications operating on each display system. The applications provide examples that demonstrate overall system capability applicable for use in other ground-based real-time research/test facilities.

Research and technology, 1993

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

Selected research and technology activities at Ames Research Center, including the Moffett Field site and the Dryden Flight Research Facility, are summarized. These activities exemplify the center's varied and productive research efforts for 1993. This year's report presents some of the challenging work recently accomplished in the areas of aerospace systems, flight operations and research, aerophysics, and space research.

Advanced flight deck/crew station simulator functional requirements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wall, R. L.; Tate, J. L.; Moss, M. J.

1980-01-01

This report documents a study of flight deck/crew system research facility requirements for investigating issues involved with developing systems, and procedures for interfacing transport aircraft with air traffic control systems planned for 1985 to 2000. Crew system needs of NASA, the U.S. Air Force, and industry were investigated and reported. A matrix of these is included, as are recommended functional requirements and design criteria for simulation facilities in which to conduct this research. Methods of exploiting the commonality and similarity in facilities are identified, and plans for exploiting this in order to reduce implementation costs and allow efficient transfer of experiments from one facility to another are presented.

Expanded operational capabilities of the Langley Mach 7 Scramjet test facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomas, S. R.; Guy, R. W.

1983-01-01

An experimental research program conducted to expand the operational capabilities of the NASA Langley Mach 7 Scramjet Test Facility is described. Previous scramjet testing in this facility was limited to a single simulated flight condition of Mach 6.9 at an altitude of 115,300 ft. The arc heater research demonstrates the potential of the facility for scramjet testing at simulated flight conditions from Mach 4 (at altitudes from 77,000 to 114,000 ft) to Mach 7 (at latitudes from 108,000 to 149,000 ft). Arc heater electrical characteristics, operational problems, measurements of nitrogen oxide contaminants, and total-temperature profiles are discussed.

An automated calibration laboratory for flight research instrumentation: Requirements and a proposed design approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oneill-Rood, Nora; Glover, Richard D.

1990-01-01

NASA's Dryden Flight Research Facility (Ames-Dryden), operates a diverse fleet of research aircraft which are heavily instrumented to provide both real time data for in-flight monitoring and recorded data for postflight analysis. Ames-Dryden's existing automated calibration (AUTOCAL) laboratory is a computerized facility which tests aircraft sensors to certify accuracy for anticipated harsh flight environments. Recently, a major AUTOCAL lab upgrade was initiated; the goal of this modernization is to enhance productivity and improve configuration management for both software and test data. The new system will have multiple testing stations employing distributed processing linked by a local area network to a centralized database. The baseline requirements for the new AUTOCAL lab and the design approach being taken for its mechanization are described.

ARC-1969-AC76-1400-15

NASA Image and Video Library

1976-09-21

Crows Landing Naval Auxiliary Landing Field and flight research facility, Crows Landing, CA Note: Used in publication in Flight Research at Ames; 57 Years of Development and Validation of Aeronautical Technology NASA SP-1998-3300 fig. 109

A New Direction for the NASA Materials Science Research Using the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schlagheck, Ronald A.; Stinson, Thomas N. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

In 2001 NASA created a fifth Strategic Enterprise, the Office of Biological and Physical Research (OBPR), to bring together physics, chemistry, biology, and engineering to foster interdisciplinary research. The Materials Science Program is one of five Microgravity Research disciplines within this new Enterprise's Division of Physical Sciences Research. The Materials Science Program will participate within this new enterprise structure in order to facilitate effective use of ISS facilities, target scientific and technology questions and transfer results for Earth benefits. The Materials Science research will use a low gravity environment for flight and ground-based research in crystallization, fundamental processing, properties characterization, and biomaterials in order to obtain fundamental understanding of various phenomena effects and relationships to the structures, processing, and properties of materials. Completion of the International Space Station's (ISS) first major assembly, during the past year, provides new opportunities for on-orbit research and scientific utilization. The Enterprise has recently completed an assessment of the science prioritization from which the future materials science ISS type payloads will be implemented. Science accommodations will support a variety of Materials Science payload hardware both in the US and international partner modules with emphasis on early use of Express Rack and Glovebox facilities. This paper addresses the current scope of the flight and ground investigator program. These investigators will use the various capabilities of the ISS lab facilities to achieve their research objectives. The type of research and classification of materials being studied will be addressed. This includes the recent emphasis being placed on radiation shielding, nanomaterials, propulsion materials, and biomaterials type research. The Materials Science Program will pursue a new, interdisciplinary approach, which contributes, to Human Space Flight Exploration research. The Materials Science Research Facility (MSRF) and other related American and International experiment modules will serve as the foundation for the flight research environment. A summary will explain the concept for materials science research processing capabilities aboard the ISS along with the various ground facilities necessary to support the program.

Performance of the Research Animal Holding Facility (RAHF) and General Purpose Work Station (GPWS) and other hardware in the microgravity environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hogan, Robert P.; Dalton, Bonnie P.

1991-01-01

This paper discusses the performance of the Research Animal Holding Facility (RAHF) and General Purpose Work Station (GPWS) plus other associated hardware during the recent flight of Spacelab Life Sciences 1 (SLS-1). The RAHF was developed to provide proper housing (food, water, temperature control, lighting and waste management) for up to 24 rodents during flights on the Spacelab. The GPWS was designed to contain particulates and toxic chemicals generated during plant and animal handling and dissection/fixation activities during space flights. A history of the hardware development involves as well as the redesign activities prior to the actual flight are discussed.

Aerospace Energy Systems Laboratory - Requirements and design approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glover, Richard D.

1988-01-01

The NASA Ames/Dryden Flight Research Facility operates a mixed fleet of research aircraft employing NiCd batteries in a variety of flight-critical applications. Dryden's Battery Systems Laboratory (BSL), a computerized facility for battery maintenance servicing, has evolved over two decades into one of the most advanced facilities of its kind in the world. Recently a major BSL upgrade was initiated with the goal of modernization to provide flexibility in meeting the needs of future advanced projects. The new facility will be called the Aerospace Energy Systems Laboratory (AESL) and will employ distributed processing linked to a centralized data base. AESL will be both a multistation servicing facility and a research laboratory for the advancement of energy storage system maintenance techniques. This paper describes the baseline requirements for the AESL and the design approach being taken for its mechanization.

Space Technology Demonstrations Using Low Cost, Short-Schedule Airborne and Range Facilities at the Dryden Flight Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carter, John; Kelly, John; Jones, Dan; Lee, James

2013-01-01

There is a national effort to expedite advanced space technologies on new space systems for both government and commercial applications. In order to lower risk, these technologies should be demonstrated in a relevant environment before being installed in new space systems. This presentation introduces several low cost, short schedule space technology demonstrations using airborne and range facilities available at the Dryden Flight Research Center.

KSC-07pd0906

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility, pilot Rick Svetkoff (left) and co-pilot Dave Waldrop are ready to climb into the cockpit of the Starfighter F-104. The aircraft is taking part in a series of pathfinder test missions from the space shuttle runway. Two flights will generate test data to validate sonic boom assumptions about the potential impacts of suborbital and orbital commercial spaceflight from the facility. NASA is assessing the environmental impact of such flights. Starfighters Inc. of Clearwater, Fla., will perform the flights to help in assessing suborbital space launch trajectories from the runway and paving the way for future commercial space tourism and research flights from the facility. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd0909

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility, the Starfighter F-104 starts to taxi to the runway. The pilot is Rick Svetkoff; the co-pilot is Dave Waldrop. The aircraft is taking part in a series of pathfinder test missions from the space shuttle runway. Two flights will generate test data to validate sonic boom assumptions about the potential impacts of suborbital and orbital commercial spaceflight from the facility. NASA is assessing the environmental impact of such flights. Starfighters Inc. of Clearwater, Fla., will perform the flights to help in assessing suborbital space launch trajectories from the runway and paving the way for future commercial space tourism and research flights from the facility. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd0910

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- From the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility, the Starfighter F-104 picks up speed on the runway for takeoff. The pilot is Rick Svetkoff; the co-pilot is Dave Waldrop. The aircraft is taking part in a series of pathfinder test missions from the space shuttle runway. Two flights will generate test data to validate sonic boom assumptions about the potential impacts of suborbital and orbital commercial spaceflight from the facility. NASA is assessing the environmental impact of such flights. Starfighters Inc. of Clearwater, Fla., will perform the flights to help in assessing suborbital space launch trajectories from the runway and paving the way for future commercial space tourism and research flights from the facility. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd0911

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Starfighter F-104 is airborne after taking off from the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility. The pilot is Rick Svetkoff; the co-pilot is Dave Waldrop. The aircraft is taking part in a series of pathfinder test missions from the space shuttle runway. Two flights will generate test data to validate sonic boom assumptions about the potential impacts of suborbital and orbital commercial spaceflight from the facility. NASA is assessing the environmental impact of such flights. Starfighters Inc. of Clearwater, Fla., will perform the flights to help in assessing suborbital space launch trajectories from the runway and paving the way for future commercial space tourism and research flights from the facility. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd0907

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility, pilot Rick Svetkoff (left) climbs toward the cockpit of the Starfighter F-104 while co-pilot Dave Waldrop settles in his seat. The aircraft is taking part in a series of pathfinder test missions from the space shuttle runway. Two flights will generate test data to validate sonic boom assumptions about the potential impacts of suborbital and orbital commercial spaceflight from the facility. NASA is assessing the environmental impact of such flights. Starfighters Inc. of Clearwater, Fla., will perform the flights to help in assessing suborbital space launch trajectories from the runway and paving the way for future commercial space tourism and research flights from the facility. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd0912

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Starfighter F-104 banks for a turn after taking off from the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility. The pilot is Rick Svetkoff; the co-pilot is Dave Waldrop. The aircraft is taking part in a series of pathfinder test missions from the space shuttle runway. Two flights will generate test data to validate sonic boom assumptions about the potential impacts of suborbital and orbital commercial spaceflight from the facility. NASA is assessing the environmental impact of such flights. Starfighters Inc. of Clearwater, Fla., will perform the flights to help in assessing suborbital space launch trajectories from the runway and paving the way for future commercial space tourism and research flights from the facility. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Complete NACA Muroc Staff of 1954, in front of new NACA building (4800)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1954-01-01

The employees of the NACA High-Speed Flight Station are gathered for a 1954 photo shoot on the front steps of building 4800, the new NACA Facility at Main Base of Edwards Air Force Base, California. This new building was considerably larger than the earlier NACA buildings on South Base, but then the staff had increased and the extra space was needed. From 1950 when an earlier group picture was taken (E-33717) until 1954 the staff at NACA increased from 132 to 250. As the workload increased and more research flights were completed the complement of employees grew to 662 in 1966. More changes took place in 1954 with the Station being called the NACA High-Speed Flight Station. A further name change occurred in October 1958 to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) High-Speed Flight Station and again in September 1959 to the NASA Flight Research Center. There would be two more name changes before the next group photo (EC85-33160-2) would be made. On March 1976 to NASA Hugh L. Dryden Flight Research Center and in October 1981 when the Center became the Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility.

A knowledge-based flight status monitor for real-time application in digital avionics systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Duke, E. L.; Disbrow, J. D.; Butler, G. F.

1989-01-01

The Dryden Flight Research Facility of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ames Research Center (Ames-Dryden) is the principal NASA facility for the flight testing and evaluation of new and complex avionics systems. To aid in the interpretation of system health and status data, a knowledge-based flight status monitor was designed. The monitor was designed to use fault indicators from the onboard system which are telemetered to the ground and processed by a rule-based model of the aircraft failure management system to give timely advice and recommendations in the mission control room. One of the important constraints on the flight status monitor is the need to operate in real time, and to pursue this aspect, a joint research activity between NASA Ames-Dryden and the Royal Aerospace Establishment (RAE) on real-time knowledge-based systems was established. Under this agreement, the original LISP knowledge base for the flight status monitor was reimplemented using the intelligent knowledge-based system toolkit, MUSE, which was developed under RAE sponsorship. Details of the flight status monitor and the MUSE implementation are presented.

The F-15B Propulsion Flight Test Fixture: A New Flight Facility For Propulsion Research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Corda, Stephen; Vachon, M. Jake; Palumbo, Nathan; Diebler, Corey; Tseng, Ting; Ginn, Anthony; Richwine, David

2001-01-01

The design and development of the F-15B Propulsion Flight Test Fixture (PFTF), a new facility for propulsion flight research, is described. Mounted underneath an F-15B fuselage, the PFTF provides volume for experiment systems and attachment points for propulsion devices. A unique feature of the PFTF is the incorporation of a six-degree-of-freedom force balance. Three-axis forces and moments can be measured in flight for experiments mounted to the force balance. The NASA F-15B airplane is described, including its performance and capabilities as a research test bed aircraft. The detailed description of the PFTF includes the geometry, internal layout and volume, force-balance operation, available instrumentation, and allowable experiment size and weight. The aerodynamic, stability and control, and structural designs of the PFTF are discussed, including results from aerodynamic computational fluid dynamic calculations and structural analyses. Details of current and future propulsion flight experiments are discussed. Information about the integration of propulsion flight experiments is provided for the potential PFTF user.

Flow visualization techniques for flight research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fisher, David F.; Meyer, Robert R., Jr.

1989-01-01

In-flight flow visualization techniques used at the Dryden Flight Research Facility of NASA Ames Research Center (Ames-Dryden) and its predecessor organizations are described. Results from flight tests which visualized surface flows using flow cones, tufts, oil flows, liquid crystals, sublimating chemicals, and emitted fluids were obtained. Off-surface flow visualization of vortical flow was obtained from natural condensation and two methods using smoke generator systems. Recent results from flight tests at NASA Langley Research Center using a propylene glycol smoker and an infrared imager are also included. Results from photo-chase aircraft, onboard and postflight photography are presented.

Flow Visualization Techniques for Flight Research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fisher, David F.; Meyer, Robert R., Jr.

1988-01-01

In-flight flow visualization techniques used at the Dryden Flight Research Facility of NASA Ames Research Center (Ames-Dryden) and its predecessor organizations are described. Results from flight tests which visualized surface flows using flow cones, tufts, oil flows, liquid crystals, sublimating chemicals, and emitted fluids have been obtained. Off-surface flow visualization of vortical flow has been obtained from natural condensation and two methods using smoke generator systems. Recent results from flight tests at NASA Langley Research Center using a propylene glycol smoker and an infrared imager are also included. Results from photo-chase aircraft, onboard and postflight photography are presented.

KSC-07pd0922

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- After a test flight of the Starfighter F-104, Pilot Rick Svetkoff addresses the media on the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility. Behind him are Al Wassel (left), a representative from the FAA Office of Commercial Space, and (right) Bill Parsons, director of Kennedy Space Center. The aircraft is taking part in a series of pathfinder test missions from the space shuttle runway. Two flights will generate test data to validate sonic boom assumptions about the potential impacts of suborbital and orbital commercial spaceflight from the facility. NASA is assessing the environmental impact of such flights. Starfighters Inc. of Clearwater, Fla., will perform the flights to help in assessing suborbital space launch trajectories from the runway and paving the way for future commercial space tourism and research flights from the facility. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

1/48-scale model of an F-18 aircraft in Flow Visualization Facility (FVF)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1985-01-01

This image shows a plastic 1/48-scale model of an F-18 aircraft inside the 'Water Tunnel' more formally known as the NASA Dryden Flow Visualization Facility. Water is pumped through the tunnel in the direction of normal airflow over the aircraft; then, colored dyes are pumped through tubes with needle valves. The dyes flow back along the airframe and over the airfoils highlighting their aerodynamic characteristics. The aircraft can also be moved through its pitch axis to observe airflow disruptions while simulating actual flight at high angles of attack. The Water Tunnel at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, CA, became operational in 1983 when Dryden was a Flight Research Facility under the management of the Ames Research Center in Mountain View, CA. As a medium for visualizing fluid flow, water has played a significant role. Its use dates back to Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), the Renaissance Italian engineer, architect, painter, and sculptor. In more recent times, water tunnels have assisted the study of complex flows and flow-field interactions on aircraft shapes that generate strong vortex flows. Flow visualization in water tunnels assists in determining the strength of vortices, their location, and possible methods of controlling them. The design of the Dryden Water Tunnel imitated that of the Northrop Corporation's tunnel in Hawthorne, CA. Called the Flow Visualization Facility, the Dryden tunnel was built to assist researchers in understanding the aerodynamics of aircraft configured in such a way that they create strong vortex flows, particularly at high angles of attack. The tunnel provides results that compare well with data from aircraft in actual flight in another fluid-air. Other uses of the tunnel have included study of how such flight hardware as antennas, probes, pylons, parachutes, and experimental fixtures affect airflow. The facility has also been helpful in finding the best locations for emitting smoke from flight vehicles for flow visualization.

1/48-scale model of an F-18 aircraft in Flow Visualization Facility (FVF)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1980-01-01

This short movie clip shows a plastic 1/48-scale model of an F-18 aircraft inside the 'Water Tunnel' more formally known as the NASA Dryden Flow Visualization Facility. Water is pumped through the tunnel in the direction of normal airflow over the aircraft; then, colored dyes are pumped through tubes with needle valves. The dyes flow back along the airframe and over the airfoils highlighting their aerodynamic characteristics. The aircraft can also be moved through its pitch axis to observe airflow disruptions while simulating actual flight at high angles of attack. The Water Tunnel at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, CA, became operational in 1983 when Dryden was a Flight Research Facility under the management of the Ames Research Center in Mountain View, CA. As a medium for visualizing fluid flow, water has played a significant role. Its use dates back to Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), the Renaissance Italian engineer, architect, painter, and sculptor. In more recent times, water tunnels have assisted the study of complex flows and flow-field interactions on aircraft shapes that generate strong vortex flows. Flow visualization in water tunnels assists in determining the strength of vortices, their location, and possible methods of controlling them. The design of the Dryden Water Tunnel imitated that of the Northrop Corporation's tunnel in Hawthorne, CA. Called the Flow Visualization Facility, the Dryden tunnel was built to assist researchers in understanding the aerodynamics of aircraft configured in such a way that they create strong vortex flows, particularly at high angles of attack. The tunnel provides results that compare well with data from aircraft in actual flight in another fluid-air. Other uses of the tunnel have included study of how such flight hardware as antennas, probes, pylons, parachutes, and experimental fixtures affect airflow. The facility has also been helpful in finding the best locations for emitting smoke from flight vehicles for flow visualization.

Dryden Flight Research Center Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meyer, Robert R., Jr.

2007-01-01

This viewgraph document presents a overview of the Dryden Flight Research Center's facilities. Dryden's mission is to advancing technology and science through flight. The mission elements are: perform flight research and technology integration to revolutionize aviation and pioneer aerospace technology, validate space exploration concepts, conduct airborne remote sensing and science observations, and support operations of the Space Shuttle and the ISS for NASA and the Nation. It reviews some of the recent research projects that Dryden has been involved in, such as autonomous aerial refueling, the"Quiet Spike" demonstration on supersonic F-15, intelligent flight controls, high angle of attack research on blended wing body configuration, and Orion launch abort tests.

Launch and landing site science processing for ISS utilization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shao, Mimi; van Twest, Jacqueline; van den Ende, Oliver; Gruendel, Douglas; Wells, Deborah; Moyer, Jerry; Heuser, Jan; Etheridge, Guy

2000-01-01

Since 1986, Kennedy Space Center (KSC) has provided support to over 500 spaceflight experiments from NASA, international agencies, academic institutions, commercial entities, and the military sector. The experiments cover a variety of science disciplines including molecular, cellular, developmental biology, chemistry, physiology, and material sciences. KSC supports simulation, pre-flight, in-flight, and post-flight processing of flight hardware, specimens, and data at the primary and secondary landing sites. Science processing activities for spaceflight experiments occurs at the Life Science Support Facility (Hangar L) on the Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS) and select laboratories in the Industrial Area at KSC. Planning is underway to meet the challenges of the International Space Station (ISS). ISS support activities are expected to exceed the current launch site capability. KSC plans to replace the current facilities with Space Experiments Research and Processing Laboratory (SERPL), a collaborative effort between NASA and the State of Florida. This facility will be the cornerstone of a larger Research Park at KSC and is expected to foster relations between commercial industry and academia in areas related to space research. .

Aerospace energy systems laboratory: Requirements and design approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glover, Richard D.

1988-01-01

The NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility at Edwards, California, operates a mixed fleet of research aircraft employing nickel-cadmium (NiCd) batteries in a variety of flight-critical applications. Dryden's Battery Systems Laboratory (BSL), a computerized facility for battery maintenance servicing, has developed over two decades into one of the most advanced facilities of its kind in the world. Recently a major BSL upgrade was initiated with the goal of modernization to provide flexibility in meeting the needs of future advanced projects. The new facility will be called the Aerospace Energy Systems Laboratory (AESL) and will employ distributed processing linked to a centralized data base. AESL will be both a multistation servicing facility and a research laboratory for the advancement of energy storage system maintenance techniques. This paper describes the baseline requirements for the AESL and the design approach being taken for its mechanization.

Shock Tube and Ballistic Range Facilities at NASA Ames Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grinstead, Jay H.; Wilder, Michael C.; Reda, Daniel C.; Cornelison, Charles J.; Cruden, Brett A.; Bogdanoff, David W.

2010-01-01

The Electric Arc Shock Tube (EAST) facility and the Hypervelocity Free Flight Aerodynamic Facility (HFFAF) at NASA Ames Research Center are described. These facilities have been in operation since the 1960s and have supported many NASA missions and technology development initiatives. The facilities have world-unique capabilities that enable experimental studies of real-gas aerothermal, gas dynamic, and kinetic phenomena of atmospheric entry.

The F-18 simulator at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-10-04

The F-18 simulator at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. Simulators offer a safe and economical alternative to actual flights to gather data, as well as being excellent facilities for pilot practice and training. The F-18 Hornet is used primarily as a safety chase and mission support aircraft at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. As support aircraft, the F-18's are used for safety chase, pilot proficiency, aerial photography and other mission support functions.

KSC-07pd0923

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The media swarm around Pilot Rick Svetkoff after his test flight of the Starfighter F-104, in the background. The aircraft is taking part in a series of pathfinder test missions from the space shuttle runway. Two flights will generate test data to validate sonic boom assumptions about the potential impacts of suborbital and orbital commercial spaceflight from the facility. NASA is assessing the environmental impact of such flights. Starfighters Inc. of Clearwater, Fla., will perform the flights to help in assessing suborbital space launch trajectories from the runway and paving the way for future commercial space tourism and research flights from the facility. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd0916

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- After returning from a test flight, pilot Rick Svetkoff climbs out of the cockpit of the Starfighter F-104. The aircraft is taking part in a series of pathfinder test missions from the space shuttle runway. Two flights will generate test data to validate sonic boom assumptions about the potential impacts of suborbital and orbital commercial spaceflight from the facility. NASA is assessing the environmental impact of such flights. Starfighters Inc. of Clearwater, Fla., will perform the flights to help in assessing suborbital space launch trajectories from the runway and paving the way for future commercial space tourism and research flights from the facility. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd0917

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Bill Parsons (left), director of Kennedy Space Center, greets pilot Rick Svetkoff after a test flight of the Starfighter F-104. The aircraft is taking part in a series of pathfinder test missions from the space shuttle runway. Two flights will generate test data to validate sonic boom assumptions about the potential impacts of suborbital and orbital commercial spaceflight from the facility. NASA is assessing the environmental impact of such flights. Starfighters Inc. of Clearwater, Fla., will perform the flights to help in assessing suborbital space launch trajectories from the runway and paving the way for future commercial space tourism and research flights from the facility. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Simulation of nap-of-the-Earth flight in helicopters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Condon, Gregory W.

1991-01-01

NASA-Ames along with the U.S. Army has conducted extensive simulation studies of rotorcraft in the nap-of-the-Earth (NOE) environment and has developed facility capabilities specifically designed for this flight regime. The experience gained to date in applying these facilities to the NOE flight regime are reported along with the results of specific experimental studies conducted to understand the influence of both motion and visual scene on the fidelity of NOE simulation. Included are comparisons of results from concurrent piloted simulation and flight research studies. The results of a recent simulation experiment to study simulator sickness in this flight regime is also discussed.

Coevolving advances in animal flight and aerial robotics

PubMed Central

Lentink, David

2017-01-01

Our understanding of animal flight has inspired the design of new aerial robots with more effective flight capacities through the process of biomimetics and bioinspiration. The aerodynamic origin of the elevated performance of flying animals remains, however, poorly understood. In this themed issue, animal flight research and aerial robot development coalesce to offer a broader perspective on the current advances and future directions in these coevolving fields of research. Together, four reviews summarize and 14 reports contribute to our understanding of low Reynolds number flight. This area of applied aerodynamics research is challenging to dissect due to the complicated flow phenomena that include laminar–turbulent flow transition, laminar separation bubbles, delayed stall and nonlinear vortex dynamics. Our mechanistic understanding of low Reynolds number flight has perhaps been advanced most by the development of dynamically scaled robot models and new specialized wind tunnel facilities: in particular, the tiltable Lund flight tunnel for animal migration research and the recently developed AFAR hypobaric wind tunnel for high-altitude animal flight studies. These world-class facilities are now complemented with a specialized low Reynolds number wind tunnel for studying the effect of turbulence on animal and robot flight in much greater detail than previously possible. This is particular timely, because the study of flight in extremely laminar versus turbulent flow opens a new frontier in our understanding of animal flight. Advancing this new area will offer inspiration for developing more efficient high-altitude aerial robots and removes roadblocks for aerial robots operating in turbulent urban environments.

KSC-07pd0920

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- After a test flight of the Starfighter F-104, Al Wassel, a representative from the FAA Office of Commercial Space, addresses the media on the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility. At left is the F-104 pilot, Rick Svetkoff. At right is Bill Parsons, director of Kennedy Space Center. The aircraft is taking part in a series of pathfinder test missions from the space shuttle runway. Two flights will generate test data to validate sonic boom assumptions about the potential impacts of suborbital and orbital commercial spaceflight from the facility. NASA is assessing the environmental impact of such flights. Starfighters Inc. of Clearwater, Fla., will perform the flights to help in assessing suborbital space launch trajectories from the runway and paving the way for future commercial space tourism and research flights from the facility. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd0919

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Bill Parsons, director of Kennedy Space Center, addresses the media at the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility after a test flight of the Starfighter F-104. Behind Parsons, at left, is the pilot Rick Svetkoff. At right is Al Wassel, a representative from the FAA Office of Commercial Space. The aircraft is taking part in a series of pathfinder test missions from the space shuttle runway. Two flights will generate test data to validate sonic boom assumptions about the potential impacts of suborbital and orbital commercial spaceflight from the facility. NASA is assessing the environmental impact of such flights. Starfighters Inc. of Clearwater, Fla., will perform the flights to help in assessing suborbital space launch trajectories from the runway and paving the way for future commercial space tourism and research flights from the facility. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Development of a Space Flight Prototype Doppler Asymmetric Spatial Heterodyne (DASH) Spectrometer for the Measurement of Upper Atmospheric Winds

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-10-31

required for space flight. Dr. John Hughes and Dr. Abas Sivjee of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona FL and all the staff at the HAARP ...Laboratory, was conducted at the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program ( HAARP ) facility in Alaska. ARROW was shipped to Anchorage AK from...the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington DC and was delivered, installed, and run at the HAARP facility by ARTEP Inc. personnel. The field

Investigation of seismicity and related effects at NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility, Computer Center, Edwards, California

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cousineau, R. D.; Crook, R., Jr.; Leeds, D. J.

1985-01-01

This report discusses a geological and seismological investigation of the NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility site at Edwards, California. Results are presented as seismic design criteria, with design values of the pertinent ground motion parameters, probability of recurrence, and recommended analogous time-history accelerograms with their corresponding spectra. The recommendations apply specifically to the Dryden site and should not be extrapolated to other sites with varying foundation and geologic conditions or different seismic environments.

The aerospace energy systems laboratory: Hardware and software implementation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glover, Richard D.; Oneil-Rood, Nora

1989-01-01

For many years NASA Ames Research Center, Dryden Flight Research Facility has employed automation in the servicing of flight critical aircraft batteries. Recently a major upgrade to Dryden's computerized Battery Systems Laboratory was initiated to incorporate distributed processing and a centralized database. The new facility, called the Aerospace Energy Systems Laboratory (AESL), is being mechanized with iAPX86 and iAPX286 hardware running iRMX86. The hardware configuration and software structure for the AESL are described.

The role of simulation in the development and flight test of the HiMAT vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Evans, M. B.; Schilling, L. J.

1984-01-01

Real time simulations have been essential in the flight test program of the highly maneuverable aircraft technology (HiMAT) remotely piloted research vehicle at NASA Ames Research Center's Dryden Flight Research Facility. The HiMAT project makes extensive use of simulations in design, development, and qualification for flight, pilot training, and flight planning. Four distinct simulations, each with varying amounts of hardware in the loop, were developed for the HiMAT project. The use of simulations in detecting anomalous behavior of the flight software and hardware at the various stages of development, verification, and validation has been the key to flight qualification of the HiMAT vehicle.

Facilities for meteorological research at NASA Goddard/Wallops Flight Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gerlach, J. C.; Carr, R. E.

1984-01-01

The technical characteristics of the Atmospheric Sciences Research Facility, the improvements being made to the instrumentation there which will enhance its usefulness in atmospheric research, and several of the on-going research programs are described. Among the area of atmospheric research discussed are clouds and precipitation, lightning, ozone, wind, and storms. Meteorological instruments including Doppler radar, spectrophotometers, and ozone sensors are mentioned. Atmospheric research relevant to aircraft design and COMSTAR communication satellites is briefly discussed.

Production Support Flight Control Computers: Research Capability for F/A-18 Aircraft at Dryden Flight Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carter, John F.

1997-01-01

NASA Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC) is working with the United States Navy to complete ground testing and initiate flight testing of a modified set of F/A-18 flight control computers. The Production Support Flight Control Computers (PSFCC) can give any fleet F/A-18 airplane an in-flight, pilot-selectable research control law capability. NASA DFRC can efficiently flight test the PSFCC for the following four reasons: (1) Six F/A-18 chase aircraft are available which could be used with the PSFCC; (2) An F/A-18 processor-in-the-loop simulation exists for validation testing; (3) The expertise has been developed in programming the research processor in the PSFCC; and (4) A well-defined process has been established for clearing flight control research projects for flight. This report presents a functional description of the PSFCC. Descriptions of the NASA DFRC facilities, PSFCC verification and validation process, and planned PSFCC projects are also provided.

Advanced Simulation in Undergraduate Pilot Training (ASUPT) Facility Utilization Plan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hagin, William V.; Smith, James F.

The capabilities of a flight simulation research facility located at Williams AFB, Arizona are described. Research philosophy to be applied is discussed. Long range and short range objectives are identified. A time phased plan for long range research accomplishment is described. In addition, some examples of near term research efforts which will…

Aerial View of NACA's Lewis Flight Propulsion Research Laboratory

NASA Image and Video Library

1946-05-21

The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory in Cleveland, Ohio as seen from the west in May 1946. The Cleveland Municipal Airport is located directly behind. The laboratory was built in the early 1940s to resolve problems associated with aircraft engines. The initial campus contained seven principal buildings: the Engine Research Building, hangar, Fuels and Lubricants Building, Administration Building, Engine Propeller Research Building, Altitude Wind Tunnel, and Icing Research Tunnel. These facilities and their associated support structures were located within an area occupying approximately one-third of the NACA’s property. After World War II ended, the NACA began adding new facilities to address different problems associated with the newer, more powerful engines and high speed flight. Between 1946 and 1955, four new world-class test facilities were built: the 8- by 6-Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel, the Propulsion Systems Laboratory, the Rocket Engine Test Facility, and the 10- by 10-Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel. These large facilities occupied the remainder of the NACA’s semicircular property. The Lewis laboratory expanded again in the late 1950s and early 1960s as the space program commenced. Lewis purchased additional land in areas adjacent to the original laboratory and acquired a large 9000-acre site located 60 miles to the west in Sandusky, Ohio. The new site became known as Plum Brook Station.

BIOPACK: the ground controlled late access biological research facility.

PubMed

van Loon, Jack J W A

2004-03-01

Future Space Shuttle flights shall be characterized by activities necessary to further build the International Space Station, ISS. During these missions limited resources are available to conduct biological experiments in space. The Shuttles' Middeck is a very suitable place to conduct science during the ISS assembly missions or dedicated science missions. The BIOPACK, which flew its first mission during the STS-107, provides a versatile Middeck Locker based research tool for gravitational biology studies. The core facility occupies the space of only two Middeck Lockers. Experiment temperatures are controlled for bacteria, plant, invertebrate and mammalian cultures. Gravity levels and profiles can be set ranging from 0 to 2.0 x g on three independent centrifuges. This provides the experimenter with a 1.0 x g on-board reference and intermediate hypogravity and hypergravity data points to investigate e.g. threshold levels in biological responses. Temperature sensitive items can be stored in the facilities' -10 degrees C and +4 degrees C stowage areas. During STS-107 the facility also included a small glovebox (GBX) and passive temperature controlled units (PTCU). The GBX provides the experimenter with two extra levels of containment for safe sample handling. This biological research facility is a late access (L-10 hrs) laboratory, which, when reaching orbit, could automatically be starting up reducing important experiment lag-time and valuable crew time. The system is completely telecommanded when needed. During flight system parameters like temperatures, centrifuge speeds, experiment commanding or sensor readouts can be monitored and changed when needed. Although ISS provides a wide range of research facilities there is still need for an STS-based late access facility such as the BIOPACK providing experimenters with a very versatile research cabinet for biological experiments under microgravity and in-flight control conditions.

Growth hormone secretion during space flight and evaluation of the physiological responses of animals held in the research animal holding facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fast, Thomas N.; Grindeland, Richard; Mehler, William; Oyama, Jiro

1987-01-01

The spaceflight of the Research Animal Holding Facility (RAHF) on the Space Laboratory 3 (SL 3) provided the opportunity to evaluate the suitability of the RAHF for housing and maintaining experimental animals during spaceflight, and to determine changes in the secretion of growth hormone during spaceflight. Using ground-based studies the following were investigated: the optimum conditions for creating gravitational force on space flight animals; neural pathways that may play a role in the space flight syndrome; and the time course of muscle atrophy due to hypodynamia and hypokenesia in hindlimb-suspended animals and the role of growth hormone in these processes.

KSC-07pd0918

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Bill Parsons (left), director of Kennedy Space Center, greets pilot Rick Svetkoff and co-pilot Dave Waldrop after a test flight of the Starfighter F-104. The aircraft is taking part in a series of pathfinder test missions from the space shuttle runway. Two flights will generate test data to validate sonic boom assumptions about the potential impacts of suborbital and orbital commercial spaceflight from the facility. NASA is assessing the environmental impact of such flights. Starfighters Inc. of Clearwater, Fla., will perform the flights to help in assessing suborbital space launch trajectories from the runway and paving the way for future commercial space tourism and research flights from the facility. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Dynamac employees (from left) Larry Burns, Debbie Wells and Michelle Crouch talk in a conference room of the Space Life Sciences Lab (SLSL), formerly known as the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory (SERPL). They have been transferring equipment from Hangar L. The new lab is a state-of-the-art facility being built for ISS biotechnology research. Developed as a partnership between NASA-KSC and the State of Florida, NASA’s life sciences contractor will be the primary tenant of the facility, leasing space to conduct flight experiment processing and NASA-sponsored research. About 20 percent of the facility will be available for use by Florida’s university researchers through the Florida Space Research Institute.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-09-10

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Dynamac employees (from left) Larry Burns, Debbie Wells and Michelle Crouch talk in a conference room of the Space Life Sciences Lab (SLSL), formerly known as the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory (SERPL). They have been transferring equipment from Hangar L. The new lab is a state-of-the-art facility being built for ISS biotechnology research. Developed as a partnership between NASA-KSC and the State of Florida, NASA’s life sciences contractor will be the primary tenant of the facility, leasing space to conduct flight experiment processing and NASA-sponsored research. About 20 percent of the facility will be available for use by Florida’s university researchers through the Florida Space Research Institute.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Dynamac employees Debbie Wells, Michelle Crouch and Larry Burns are silhouetted as they talk inside a conference room of the Space Life Sciences Lab (SLSL), formerly known as the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory (SERPL). They have been transferring equipment from Hangar L. The new lab is a state-of-the-art facility being built for ISS biotechnology research. Developed as a partnership between NASA-KSC and the State of Florida, NASA’s life sciences contractor will be the primary tenant of the facility, leasing space to conduct flight experiment processing and NASA-sponsored research. About 20 percent of the facility will be available for use by Florida’s university researchers through the Florida Space Research Institute.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-09-10

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Dynamac employees Debbie Wells, Michelle Crouch and Larry Burns are silhouetted as they talk inside a conference room of the Space Life Sciences Lab (SLSL), formerly known as the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory (SERPL). They have been transferring equipment from Hangar L. The new lab is a state-of-the-art facility being built for ISS biotechnology research. Developed as a partnership between NASA-KSC and the State of Florida, NASA’s life sciences contractor will be the primary tenant of the facility, leasing space to conduct flight experiment processing and NASA-sponsored research. About 20 percent of the facility will be available for use by Florida’s university researchers through the Florida Space Research Institute.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Ivan Rodriguez, with Bionetics, and Michelle Crouch and Larry Burns, with Dynamac, carry boxes of equipment into the Space Life Sciences Lab (SLSL), formerly known as the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory (SERPL). They are transferring equipment from Hangar L. The new lab is a state-of-the-art facility being built for ISS biotechnology research. Developed as a partnership between NASA-KSC and the State of Florida, NASA’s life sciences contractor will be the primary tenant of the facility, leasing space to conduct flight experiment processing and NASA-sponsored research. About 20 percent of the facility will be available for use by Florida’s university researchers through the Florida Space Research Institute.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-09-10

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Ivan Rodriguez, with Bionetics, and Michelle Crouch and Larry Burns, with Dynamac, carry boxes of equipment into the Space Life Sciences Lab (SLSL), formerly known as the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory (SERPL). They are transferring equipment from Hangar L. The new lab is a state-of-the-art facility being built for ISS biotechnology research. Developed as a partnership between NASA-KSC and the State of Florida, NASA’s life sciences contractor will be the primary tenant of the facility, leasing space to conduct flight experiment processing and NASA-sponsored research. About 20 percent of the facility will be available for use by Florida’s university researchers through the Florida Space Research Institute.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Dynamac employees (from left) Larry Burns, Debbie Wells and Neil Yorio carry boxes of hardware into the Space Life Sciences Lab (SLSL), formerly known as the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory (SERPL). They are transferring equipment from Hangar L. The new lab is a state-of-the-art facility being built for ISS biotechnology research. Developed as a partnership between NASA-KSC and the State of Florida, NASA’s life sciences contractor will be the primary tenant of the facility, leasing space to conduct flight experiment processing and NASA-sponsored research. About 20 percent of the facility will be available for use by Florida’s university researchers through the Florida Space Research Institute.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-09-10

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Dynamac employees (from left) Larry Burns, Debbie Wells and Neil Yorio carry boxes of hardware into the Space Life Sciences Lab (SLSL), formerly known as the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory (SERPL). They are transferring equipment from Hangar L. The new lab is a state-of-the-art facility being built for ISS biotechnology research. Developed as a partnership between NASA-KSC and the State of Florida, NASA’s life sciences contractor will be the primary tenant of the facility, leasing space to conduct flight experiment processing and NASA-sponsored research. About 20 percent of the facility will be available for use by Florida’s university researchers through the Florida Space Research Institute.

Flight projects overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Levine, Jack

1988-01-01

Information is given in viewgraph form on the activities of the Flight Projects Division of NASA's Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology. Information is given on space research and technology strategy, current space flight experiments, the Long Duration Exposure Facility, the Orbiter Experiment Program, the Lidar In-Space Technology Experiment, the Ion Auxiliary Propulsion System, the Arcjet Flight Experiment, the Telerobotic Intelligent Interface Flight Experiment, the Cryogenic Fluid Management Flight Experiment, the Industry/University In-Space Flight Experiments, and the Aeroassist Flight Experiment.

Flight control system design factors for applying automated testing techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sitz, Joel R.; Vernon, Todd H.

1990-01-01

Automated validation of flight-critical embedded systems is being done at ARC Dryden Flight Research Facility. The automated testing techniques are being used to perform closed-loop validation of man-rated flight control systems. The principal design features and operational experiences of the X-29 forward-swept-wing aircraft and F-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle (HARV) automated test systems are discussed. Operationally applying automated testing techniques has accentuated flight control system features that either help or hinder the application of these techniques. The paper also discusses flight control system features which foster the use of automated testing techniques.

Development and applications of nondestructive evaluation at Marshall Space Flight Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitaker, Ann F.

1990-01-01

A brief description of facility design and equipment, facility usage, and typical investigations are presented for the following: Surface Inspection Facility; Advanced Computer Tomography Inspection Station (ACTIS); NDE Data Evaluation Facility; Thermographic Test Development Facility; Radiographic Test Facility; Realtime Radiographic Test Facility; Eddy Current Research Facility; Acoustic Emission Monitoring System; Advanced Ultrasonic Test Station (AUTS); Ultrasonic Test Facility; and Computer Controlled Scanning (CONSCAN) System.

Dryden Test Pilots 1990 - Smolka, Fullerton, Schneider, Dana, Ishmael, Smith, and McMurtry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

It was a windy afternoon on Rogers Dry Lake as the research pilots of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility gathered for a photo shoot. It was a special day too, the 30th anniversary of the first F-104 flight by research pilot Bill Dana. To celebrate, a fly over of Building 4800, in formation, was made with Bill in a Lockheed F-104 (826), Gordon Fullerton in a Northrop T-38, and Jim Smolka in a McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 (841) on March 23, 1990. The F-18 (841), standing on the NASA ramp is a backdrop for the photo of (Left to Right) James W. (Smoke) Smolka, C. Gordon Fullerton, Edward T. (Ed) Schneider, William H. (Bill) Dana, Stephen D. (Steve) Ishmael, Rogers E. Smith, and Thomas C. (Tom) McMurtry. Smolka joined NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility in September 1985. He has been the project pilot on the F-15 Advanced Control Technology for Integrated Vehicles (ACTIVE) research and F-15 Aeronautical Research Aircraft programs. He has also flown as a pilot on the NASA B-52 launch aircraft, as a co-project pilot on the F-16XL Supersonic Laminar Flow Control aircraft and the F-18 High Angle-of-Attack Research Vehicle (HARV) aircraft. Other aircraft he has flown in research programs are the F-16, F-111, F-104 and the T-38 as support. Fullerton, joined NASA's Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility in November 1986. He was project pilot on the NASA/Convair 990 aircraft to test space shuttle landing gear components, project pilot on the F-18 Systems Research Aircraft, and project pilot on the B-52 launch aircraft, where he was involved in six air launches of the commercially developed Pegasus space launch vehicle. Other assignments include a variety of flight research and support activities in multi-engine and high performance aircraft such as, F-15, F-111, F-14, X-29, MD-11 and DC-8. Schneider arrived at the NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility on July 5, 1982, as a Navy Liaison Officer, becoming a NASA research pilot one year later. He has been project pilot for the F-18 High Angle-of-Attack program (HARV), project pilot for the F-15 aeronautical research aircraft, the NASA B-52 launch aircraft, and the SR-71 'Blackbird' aircraft. His past research work at Dryden has included participation in the F-8 Digital Fly-By-Wire, the FAA/NASA 720 Controlled Impact Demonstration, the F-14 Automatic Rudder Interconnect and Laminar Flow programs, and the F-104 Aeronautical Research and Microgravity programs. Dana joined the NASA's High-Speed Flight Station on October 1, 1958. As a research pilot, he was involved in some of the most significant aeronautical programs carried out at the Center. In the late 1960s and in the 1970s Dana was a project pilot on the lifting body program, flying the wingless M2-F1, HL-10, M2-F3, and the X-24B vehicles. He was a project pilot on the hypersonic X-15 research aircraft and flew the rocket-powered vehicle 16 times, reaching a speed of 3,897 mph and an altitude of 310,000 feet. Bill was the pilot on the final (199th) flight of the 10-year program. Other research and support programs Dana participated in were the F-15 Highly Integrated Digital Electronic Control (HIDEC), the F-18 High Angle-of-Attack Research Vehicle (HARV), YF-12, F-104, F-16, PA-30, and T-38. In 1993 Dana became Chief Engineer at NASA's Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility (soon to be renamed the Dryden Flight Research Center). Ishmael was a research pilot at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center from January 1977 until the spring of 1995, when he became manager of Dryden's Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) programs. In 1996 he became NASA's X-33 Deputy Manager for Flight Test and Operation. As a research pilot he served as the chief project pilot on two major aeronautical research programs, the SR-71 High Speed Research program and the F-16XL Laminar Flow Technology program. He took part in the X-29 Forward-Swept-Wing program, and gave support to other pilots' research flights in a T-38 and F-104 aircraft. Smith became a research pilot at NASA's Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility in August 1982. In the spring of 1995 he became Chief of the Flight Crew Branch where currently there are 8 other NASA pilots and 2 flight engineers. Smith has also been a co-project pilot on two major aeronautical programs at Dryden. They are the integrated thrust vectoring F-15 ACTIVE and the SR-71 'Blackbird' Research programs. Other research programs that he has been associated with are the F-104 Zero 'G' tests, F-18 HARV, X-29 Forward-Swept-Wing, with support flights being flown in a T-38 and F-104. McMurtry has been a pilot at NASA's Dryden since joining the Flight Research Center in November 1967. In 1981, Tom became Chief Pilot a position he held until February 1986, when he was appointed Chief of the Research Aircraft Operations Division. McMurtry has been project pilot for the AD-1 Oblique Wing program, the F-15 Digital Electronic Engine Control (DEEC) project and the F-8 Supercritical Wing program. He was co- project pilot on the F-15 ACTIVE program, F-8 Digital Fly-By-Wire program and on several remotely piloted research vehicle programs such as the FAA/NASA 720 Controlled Impact Demonstration and the sub-scale F-15 spin research project. He has also been a co-project pilot on the NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.

Preliminary experience with a stereoscopic video system in a remotely piloted aircraft application

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rezek, T. W.

1983-01-01

Remote piloting video display development at the Dryden Flight Research Facility of NASA's Ames Research Center is summarized, and the reasons for considering stereo television are presented. Pertinent equipment is described. Limited flight experience is also discussed, along with recommendations for further study.

Marshall Space Flight Center's Impact Testing Facility Capabilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Finchum, Andy; Hubbs, Whitney; Evans, Steve

2008-01-01

Marshall Space Flight Center s (MSFC) Impact Testing Facility (ITF) serves as an important installation for space and missile related materials science research. The ITF was established and began its research in spacecraft debris shielding in the early 1960s, then played a major role in the International Space Station debris shield development. As NASA became more interested in launch debris and in-flight impact concerns, the ITF grew to include research in a variety of impact genres. Collaborative partnerships with the DoD led to a wider range of impact capabilities being relocated to MSFC as a result of the closure of Particle Impact Facilities in Santa Barbara, California. The Particle Impact Facility had a 30 year history in providing evaluations of aerospace materials and components during flights through rain, ice, and solid particle environments at subsonic through hypersonic velocities. The facility s unique capabilities were deemed a "National Asset" by the DoD. The ITF now has capabilities including environmental, ballistic, and hypervelocity impact testing utilizing an array of air, powder, and two-stage light gas guns to accommodate a variety of projectile and target types and sizes. Numerous upgrades including new instrumentation, triggering circuitry, high speed photography, and optimized sabot designs have been implemented. Other recent research has included rain drop demise characterization tests to obtain data for inclusion in on-going model development. The current and proposed ITF capabilities range from rain to micrometeoroids allowing the widest test parameter range possible for materials investigations in support of space, atmospheric, and ground environments. These test capabilities including hydrometeor, single/multi-particle, ballistic gas guns, exploding wire gun, and light gas guns combined with Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics Code (SPHC) simulations represent the widest range of impact test capabilities in the country.

Development and flight test of an experimental maneuver autopilot for a highly maneuverable aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Duke, Eugene L.; Jones, Frank P.; Roncoli, Ralph B.

1986-01-01

This report presents the development of an experimental flight test maneuver autopilot (FTMAP) for a highly maneuverable aircraft. The essence of this technique is the application of an autopilot to provide precise control during required flight test maneuvers. This newly developed flight test technique is being applied at the Dryden Flight Research Facility of NASA Ames Research Center. The FTMAP is designed to increase the quantity and quality of data obtained in test flight. The technique was developed and demonstrated on the highly maneuverable aircraft technology (HiMAT) vehicle. This report describes the HiMAT vehicle systems, maneuver requirements, FTMAP development process, and flight results.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Employees check out the new chamber facilities of the Space Life Sciences Lab (SLSL), formerly known as the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory (SERPL). From left are Ray Wheeler, with NASA; Debbie Wells and Larry Burns, with Dynamac; A.O. Rule, president of Environmental Growth Chambers, Inc. (ECG); Neil Yorio, with Dynamac; and John Wiezchowski, with ECG. The SLSL is a state-of-the-art facility being built for ISS biotechnology research. Developed as a partnership between NASA-KSC and the State of Florida, NASA’s life sciences contractor will be the primary tenant of the facility, leasing space to conduct flight experiment processing and NASA-sponsored research. About 20 percent of the facility will be available for use by Florida’s university researchers through the Florida Space Research Institute.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-09-10

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Employees check out the new chamber facilities of the Space Life Sciences Lab (SLSL), formerly known as the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory (SERPL). From left are Ray Wheeler, with NASA; Debbie Wells and Larry Burns, with Dynamac; A.O. Rule, president of Environmental Growth Chambers, Inc. (ECG); Neil Yorio, with Dynamac; and John Wiezchowski, with ECG. The SLSL is a state-of-the-art facility being built for ISS biotechnology research. Developed as a partnership between NASA-KSC and the State of Florida, NASA’s life sciences contractor will be the primary tenant of the facility, leasing space to conduct flight experiment processing and NASA-sponsored research. About 20 percent of the facility will be available for use by Florida’s university researchers through the Florida Space Research Institute.

ECN-33298-03

NASA Image and Video Library

1985-12-19

This image shows a plastic 1/48-scale model of an F-18 aircraft inside the "Water Tunnel" more formally known as the NASA Dryden Flow Visualization Facility. Water is pumped through the tunnel in the direction of normal airflow over the aircraft; then, colored dyes are pumped through tubes with needle valves. The dyes flow back along the airframe and over the airfoils highlighting their aerodynamic characteristics. The aircraft can also be moved through its pitch axis to observe airflow disruptions while simulating actual flight at high angles of attack. The Water Tunnel at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, CA, became operational in 1983 when Dryden was a Flight Research Facility under the management of the Ames Research Center in Mountain View, CA. As a medium for visualizing fluid flow, water has played a significant role. Its use dates back to Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), the Renaissance Italian engineer, architect, painter, and sculptor. In more recent times, water tunnels have assisted the study of complex flows and flow-field interactions on aircraft shapes that generate strong vortex flows. Flow visualization in water tunnels assists in determining the strength of vortices, their location, and possible methods of controlling them. The design of the Dryden Water Tunnel imitated that of the Northrop Corporation's tunnel in Hawthorne, CA. Called the Flow Visualization Facility, the Dryden tunnel was built to assist researchers in understanding the aerodynamics of aircraft configured in such a way that they create strong vortex flows, particularly at high angles of attack. The tunnel provides results that compare well with data from aircraft in actual flight in another fluid-air. Other uses of the tunnel have included study of how such flight hardware as antennas, probes, pylons, parachutes, and experimental fixtures affect airflow. The facility has also been helpful in finding the best locations for emitting smoke from flight vehicles for flow vi

Agreements/subagreements Applicable to Wallops, 12 Nov. 1991

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

The status of space science agreements are noted. A general overview of the Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) is given. The geography, history, and mission of the facility are briefly surveyed. Brief accounts are given of NASA earth science activities at the WFF, including atmospheric dynamics, atmospheric optics, ocean physics, microwave altimetry, ocean color research, wind-wave-current interaction, flight support activities, the Sounding Rocket Program, and the NASA Balloon Program. Also discussed are the WFF launch range, the research airport, aircraft airborne science, telemetry, data systems, communications, and command and control.

The determination of some requirements for a helicopter flight research simulation facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sinacori, J. B.

1977-01-01

Important requirements were defined for a flight simulation facility to support Army helicopter development. In particular requirements associated with the visual and motion subsystems of the planned simulator were studied. The method used in the motion requirements study is presented together with the underlying assumptions and a description of the supporting data. Results are given in a form suitable for use in a preliminary design. Visual requirements associated with a television camera/model concept are related. The important parameters are described together with substantiating data and assumptions. Research recommendations are given.

Integration Process for Payloads in the Fluids and Combustion Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Free, James M.; Nall, Marsha M.

2001-01-01

The Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF) is an ISS research facility located in the United States Laboratory (US Lab), Destiny. The FCF is a multi-discipline facility that performs microgravity research primarily in fluids physics science and combustion science. This facility remains on-orbit and provides accommodations to multi-user and Principal investigator (PI) unique hardware. The FCF is designed to accommodate 15 PI's per year. In order to allow for this number of payloads per year, the FCF has developed an end-to-end analytical and physical integration process. The process includes provision of integration tools, products and interface management throughout the life of the payload. The payload is provided with a single point of contact from the facility and works with that interface from PI selection through post flight processing. The process utilizes electronic tools for creation of interface documents/agreements, storage of payload data and rollup for facility submittals to ISS. Additionally, the process provides integration to and testing with flight-like simulators prior to payload delivery to KSC. These simulators allow the payload to test in the flight configuration and perform final facility interface and science verifications. The process also provides for support to the payload from the FCF through the Payload Safety Review Panel (PSRP). Finally, the process includes support in the development of operational products and the operation of the payload on-orbit.

Ed Schneider gives a "thumbs-up" after his last flight at the Dryden Flight Research Center

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-09-19

In a lighter mood, Ed Schneider gives a "thumbs-up" after his last flight at the Dryden Flight Research Center on September 19, 2000. Schneider arrived at the NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility on July 5, 1982, as a Navy Liaison Officer, becoming a NASA research pilot one year later. He has been project pilot for the F-18 High Angle-of-Attack program (HARV), the F-15 aeronautical research aircraft, the NASA B-52 launch aircraft, and the SR-71 "Blackbird" aircraft. He also participated in such programs as the F-8 Digital Fly-By-Wire, the FAA/NASA 720 Controlled Impact Demonstration, the F-14 Automatic Rudder Interconnect and Laminar Flow, and the F-104 Aeronautical Research and Microgravity projects.

A neural based intelligent flight control system for the NASA F-15 flight research aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Urnes, James M.; Hoy, Stephen E.; Ladage, Robert N.; Stewart, James

1993-01-01

A flight control concept that can identify aircraft stability properties and continually optimize the aircraft flying qualities has been developed by McDonnell Aircraft Company under a contract with the NASA-Dryden Flight Research Facility. This flight concept, termed the Intelligent Flight Control System, utilizes Neural Network technology to identify the host aircraft stability and control properties during flight, and use this information to design on-line the control system feedback gains to provide continuous optimum flight response. This self-repairing capability can provide high performance flight maneuvering response throughout large flight envelopes, such as needed for the National Aerospace Plane. Moreover, achieving this response early in the vehicle's development schedule will save cost.

Space Life Sciences Lab

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-10-09

The Space Life Sciences Lab (SLSL), formerly known as the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory (SERPL), is a state-of-the-art facility built for ISS biotechnology research. Developed as a partnership between NASA-KSC and the State of Florida, NASA’s life sciences contractor is the primary tenant of the facility, leasing space to conduct flight experiment processing and NASA-sponsored research. About 20 percent of the facility will be available for use by Florida’s university researchers through the Florida Space Research Institute.

Research and technology, 1992

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1993-01-01

Selected research and technology activities at Ames Research Center, including the Moffett Field site and the Dryden Flight Research Facility, are summarized. These activities exemplify the Center's varied and productive research efforts for 1992.

1991 research and technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

Selected research and technology activities at Ames Research Center, including the Moffett Field site and the Dryden Flight Research Facility, are summarized. These activities exemplify the Center's varied and productive research efforts for 1991.

SPHERES as Formation Flight Algorithm Development and Validation Testbed: Current Progress and Beyond

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kong, Edmund M.; Saenz-Otero, Alvar; Nolet, Simon; Berkovitz, Dustin S.; Miller, David W.; Sell, Steve W.

2004-01-01

The MIT-SSL SPHERES testbed provides a facility for the development of algorithms necessary for the success of Distributed Satellite Systems (DSS). The initial development contemplated formation flight and docking control algorithms; SPHERES now supports the study of metrology, control, autonomy, artificial intelligence, and communications algorithms and their effects on DSS projects. To support this wide range of topics, the SPHERES design contemplated the need to support multiple researchers, as echoed from both the hardware and software designs. The SPHERES operational plan further facilitates the development of algorithms by multiple researchers, while the operational locations incrementally increase the ability of the tests to operate in a representative environment. In this paper, an overview of the SPHERES testbed is first presented. The SPHERES testbed serves as a model of the design philosophies that allow for the various researches being carried out on such a facility. The implementation of these philosophies are further highlighted in the three different programs that are currently scheduled for testing onboard the International Space Station (ISS) and three that are proposed for a re-flight mission: Mass Property Identification, Autonomous Rendezvous and Docking, TPF Multiple Spacecraft Formation Flight in the first flight and Precision Optical Pointing, Tethered Formation Flight and Mars Orbit Sample Retrieval for the re-flight mission.

Walter C. Williams Research Aircraft Integration Facility (RAIF)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1996-01-01

The NASA-Dryden Integrated Test Facility (ITF), also known as the Walter C. Williams Research Aircraft Integration Facility (RAIF), provides an environment for conducting efficient and thorough testing of advanced, highly integrated research aircraft. Flight test confidence is greatly enhanced by the ability to qualify interactive aircraft systems in a controlled environment. In the ITF, each element of a flight vehicle can be regulated and monitored in real time as it interacts with the rest of the aircraft systems. Testing in the ITF is accomplished through automated techniques in which the research aircraft is interfaced to a high-fidelity real-time simulation. Electric and hydraulic power are also supplied, allowing all systems except the engines to function as if in flight. The testing process is controlled by an engineering workstation that sets up initial conditions for a test, initiates the test run, monitors its progress, and archives the data generated. The workstation is also capable of analyzing results of individual tests, comparing results of multiple tests, and producing reports. The computers used in the automated aircraft testing process are also capable of operating in a stand-alone mode with a simulation cockpit, complete with its own instruments and controls. Control law development and modification, aerodynamic, propulsion, guidance model qualification, and flight planning -- functions traditionally associated with real-time simulation -- can all be performed in this manner. The Remotely Augmented Vehicles (RAV) function, now located in the ITF, is a mainstay in the research techniques employed at Dryden. This function is used for tests that are too dangerous for direct human involvement or for which computational capacity does not exist onboard a research aircraft. RAV provides the researcher with a ground-based computer that is radio linked to the test aircraft during actual flight. The Ground Vibration Testing (GVT) system, formerly housed in the Thermostructural Laboratory, now also resides in the ITF. In preparing a research aircraft for flight testing, it is vital to measure its structural frequencies and mode shapes and compare results to the models used in design analysis. The final function performed in the ITF is routine aircraft maintenance. This includes preflight and post-flight instrumentation checks and the servicing of hydraulics, avionics, and engines necessary on any research aircraft. Aircraft are not merely moved to the ITF for automated testing purposes but are housed there throughout their flight test programs.

An automated calibration laboratory - Requirements and design approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

O'Neil-Rood, Nora; Glover, Richard D.

1990-01-01

NASA's Dryden Flight Research Facility (Ames-Dryden), operates a diverse fleet of research aircraft which are heavily instrumented to provide both real time data for in-flight monitoring and recorded data for postflight analysis. Ames-Dryden's existing automated calibration (AUTOCAL) laboratory is a computerized facility which tests aircraft sensors to certify accuracy for anticipated harsh flight environments. Recently, a major AUTOCAL lab upgrade was initiated; the goal of this modernization is to enhance productivity and improve configuration management for both software and test data. The new system will have multiple testing stations employing distributed processing linked by a local area network to a centralized database. The baseline requirements for the new AUTOCAL lab and the design approach being taken for its mechanization are described.

Research and Technology, 1989

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

Selected research and technology activities at Ames Research Center, including the Moffett Field site and the Dryden Flight Research Facility, are summarized. These accomplishments exemplify the Center's varied and highly productive research efforts for 1989.

Materials Science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

The Materials Science Program is structured so that NASA s headquarters is responsible for the program content and selection, through the Enterprise Scientist, and MSFC provides for implementation of ground and flight programs with a Discipline Scientist and Discipline Manager. The Discipline Working Group of eminent scientists from outside of NASA acts in an advisory capacity and writes the Discipline Document from which the NRA content is derived. The program is reviewed approximately every three years by groups such as the Committee on Microgravity Research, the National Materials Advisory Board, and the OBPR Maximization and Prioritization (ReMaP) Task Force. The flight program has had as many as twenty-six principal investigators (PIs) in flight or flight definition stage, with the numbers of PIs in the future dependent on the results of the ReMaP Task Force and internal reviews. Each project has a NASA-appointed Project Scientist, considered a half-time job, who assists the PI in understanding and preparing for internal reviews such as the Science Concept Review and Requirements Definition Review. The Project Scientist also insures that the PI gets the maximum science support from MSFC, represents the PI to the MSFC community, and collaborates with the Project Manager to insure the project is well-supported and remains vital. Currently available flight equipment includes the Materials Science Research Rack (MSRR-1) and Microgravity Science Glovebox. Ground based projects fall into one or more of several categories. Intellectual Underpinning of Flight Program projects include theoretical studies backed by modeling and computer simulations; bring to maturity new research, often by young researchers, and may include preliminary short duration low gravity experiments in the KC-135 aircraft or drop tube; enable characterization of data sets from previous flights; and provide thermophysical property determinations to aid PIs. Radiation Shielding and preliminary In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) studies work towards future long duration missions. Biomaterials support materials issues affecting crew health. Nanostructured Materials are currently considered to be maturing new research, and Advanced Materials for Space Transportation has as yet no PIs. PIs are assigned a NASA Technical Monitor to maintain contact, a position considered to be a 5 percent per PI effort. Currently 33 PIs are supported on the 1996 NRA, which is about to expire, and 59 on the 1998 NRA. Two new NRAs, one for Radiation Shielding and one for Materials Science for Advanced Space Propulsion are due to be announced by the 2003 fiscal year. MSFC has a number of facilities supporting materials science. These include the Microgravity Development Laboratory/SD43; Electrostatic Levitator Facility; SCN Purification Facility; Electron Microscope/Microprobe Facility; Static and Rotating Magnetic Field Facility; X-Ray Diffraction Facility; and the Furnace Development Laboratory.

Rotorcraft In-Flight Simulation Research at NASA Ames Research Center: A Review of the 1980's and plans for the 1990's

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aiken, Edwin W.; Hindson, William S.; Lebacqz, J. Victor; Denery, Dallas G.; Eshow, Michelle M.

1991-01-01

A new flight research vehicle, the Rotorcraft-Aircrew System Concepts Airborne Laboratory (RASCAL), is being developed by the U.S. Army and NASA at ARC. The requirements for this new facility stem from a perception of rotorcraft system technology requirements for the next decade together with operational experience with the Boeing Vertol CH-47B research helicopter that was operated as an in-flight simulator at ARC during the past 10 years. Accordingly, both the principal design features of the CH-47B variable-stability system and the flight-control and cockpit-display programs that were conducted using this aircraft at ARC are reviewed. Another U.S Army helicopter, a Sikorsky UH-60A Black Hawk, was selected as the baseline vehicle for the RASCAL. The research programs that influence the design of the RASCAL are summarized, and the resultant requirements for the RASCAL research system are described. These research programs include investigations of advanced, integrated control concepts for achieving high levels of agility and maneuverability, and guidance technologies, employing computer/sensor-aiding, designed to assist the pilot during low-altitude flight in conditions of limited visibility. The approach to the development of the new facility is presented and selected plans for the preliminary design of the RASCAL are described.

Potential utilization of the NASA/George C. Marshall Space Flight Center in earthquake engineering research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scholl, R. E. (Editor)

1979-01-01

Earthquake engineering research capabilities of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) facilities at George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Alabama, were evaluated. The results indicate that the NASA/MSFC facilities and supporting capabilities offer unique opportunities for conducting earthquake engineering research. Specific features that are particularly attractive for large scale static and dynamic testing of natural and man-made structures include the following: large physical dimensions of buildings and test bays; high loading capacity; wide range and large number of test equipment and instrumentation devices; multichannel data acquisition and processing systems; technical expertise for conducting large-scale static and dynamic testing; sophisticated techniques for systems dynamics analysis, simulation, and control; and capability for managing large-size and technologically complex programs. Potential uses of the facilities for near and long term test programs to supplement current earthquake research activities are suggested.

Marshall Space Flight Center Test Capabilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hamilton, Jeffrey T.

2005-01-01

The Test Laboratory at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center has over 50 facilities across 400+ acres inside a secure, fenced facility. The entire Center is located inside the boundaries of Redstone Arsenal, a 40,000 acre military reservation. About 150 Government and 250 contractor personnel operate facilities capable of all types of propulsion and structural testing, from small components to engine systems and structural strength, structural dynamic and environmental testing. We have tremendous engineering expertise in research, evaluation, analysis, design and development, and test of space transportation systems, subsystems, and components.

Quiet Short-Haul Research Aircraft Joint Navy/NASA Sea Trials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Queen, S.; Cochrane, J.

1982-01-01

The Quiet Short-Haul Research Aircraft (QSRA) is a flight facility which Ames Research Center is using to conduct a broad program of terminal area and low-speed, propulsive-life flight research. A joint Navy/NASA flight research program used the QSRA to investigate the application of advanced propulsive-lift technology to the naval aircraft-carrier environment. Flight performance of the QSRA is presented together with the results or the joint Navy/NASA flight program. During the joint program, the QSRA operated aboard the USS Kitty Hawk for 4 days, during which numerous unarrested landings and free deck takeoffs were accomplished. These operations demonstrated that a large aircraft incorporating upper-surface-blowing, propulsive-life technology can be operated in the aircraft-carrier environment without any unusual problems.

AirSTAR Hardware and Software Design for Beyond Visual Range Flight Research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Laughter, Sean; Cox, David

2016-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Airborne Subscale Transport Aircraft Research (AirSTAR) Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) is a facility developed to study the flight dynamics of vehicles in emergency conditions, in support of aviation safety research. The system was upgraded to have its operational range significantly expanded, going beyond the line of sight of a ground-based pilot. A redesign of the airborne flight hardware was undertaken, as well as significant changes to the software base, in order to provide appropriate autonomous behavior in response to a number of potential failures and hazards. Ground hardware and system monitors were also upgraded to include redundant communication links, including ADS-B based position displays and an independent flight termination system. The design included both custom and commercially available avionics, combined to allow flexibility in flight experiment design while still benefiting from tested configurations in reversionary flight modes. A similar hierarchy was employed in the software architecture, to allow research codes to be tested, with a fallback to more thoroughly validated flight controls. As a remotely piloted facility, ground systems were also developed to ensure the flight modes and system state were communicated to ground operations personnel in real-time. Presented in this paper is a general overview of the concept of operations for beyond visual range flight, and a detailed review of the airborne hardware and software design. This discussion is held in the context of the safety and procedural requirements that drove many of the design decisions for the AirSTAR UAS Beyond Visual Range capability.

Integrated Test Facility (ITF)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

The NASA-Dryden Integrated Test Facility (ITF), also known as the Walter C. Williams Research Aircraft Integration Facility (RAIF), provides an environment for conducting efficient and thorough testing of advanced, highly integrated research aircraft. Flight test confidence is greatly enhanced by the ability to qualify interactive aircraft systems in a controlled environment. In the ITF, each element of a flight vehicle can be regulated and monitored in real time as it interacts with the rest of the aircraft systems. Testing in the ITF is accomplished through automated techniques in which the research aircraft is interfaced to a high-fidelity real-time simulation. Electric and hydraulic power are also supplied, allowing all systems except the engines to function as if in flight. The testing process is controlled by an engineering workstation that sets up initial conditions for a test, initiates the test run, monitors its progress, and archives the data generated. The workstation is also capable of analyzing results of individual tests, comparing results of multiple tests, and producing reports. The computers used in the automated aircraft testing process are also capable of operating in a stand-alone mode with a simulation cockpit, complete with its own instruments and controls. Control law development and modification, aerodynamic, propulsion, guidance model qualification, and flight planning -- functions traditionally associated with real-time simulation -- can all be performed in this manner. The Remotely Augmented Vehicles (RAV) function, now located in the ITF, is a mainstay in the research techniques employed at Dryden. This function is used for tests that are too dangerous for direct human involvement or for which computational capacity does not exist onboard a research aircraft. RAV provides the researcher with a ground-based computer that is radio linked to the test aircraft during actual flight. The Ground Vibration Testing (GVT) system, formerly housed in the Thermostructural Laboratory, now also resides in the ITF. In preparing a research aircraft for flight testing, it is vital to measure its structural frequencies and mode shapes and compare results to the models used in design analysis. The final function performed in the ITF is routine aircraft maintenance. This includes preflight and post-flight instrumentation checks and the servicing of hydraulics, avionics, and engines necessary on any research aircraft. Aircraft are not merely moved to the ITF for automated testing purposes but are housed there throughout their flight test programs.

Integrated Test Facility (ITF)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

The NASA-Dryden Integrated Test Facility (ITF), also known as the Walter C. Williams Research Aircraft Integration Facility (RAIF), provides an environment for conducting efficient and thorough testing of advanced, highly integrated research aircraft. Flight test confidence is greatly enhanced by the ability to qualify interactive aircraft systems in a controlled environment. In the ITF, each element of a flight vehicle can be regulated and monitored in real time as it interacts with the rest of the aircraft systems. Testing in the ITF is accomplished through automated techniques in which the research aircraft is interfaced to a high-fidelity real-time simulation. Electric and hydraulic power are also supplied, allowing all systems except the engines to function as if in flight. The testing process is controlled by an engineering workstation that sets up initial conditions for a test, initiates the test run, monitors its progress, and archives the data generated. The workstation is also capable of analyzing results of individual tests, comparing results of multiple tests, and producing reports. The computers used in the automated aircraft testing process are also capable of operating in a stand-alone mode with a simulation cockpit, complete with its own instruments and controls. Control law development and modification, aerodynamic, propulsion, guidance model qualification, and flight planning -- functions traditionally associated with real-time simulation -- can all be performed in this manner. The Remotely Augmented Vehicles (RAV) function, now located in the ITF, is a mainstay in the research techniques employed at Dryden. This function is used for tests that are too dangerous for direct human involvement or for which computational capacity does not exist onboard a research aircraft. RAV provides the researcher with a ground-based computer that is radio linked to the test aircraft during actual flight. The Ground Vibration Testing (GVT) system, formerly housed in the Thermostructural Laboratory, now also resides in the ITF. In preparing a research aircraft for flight testing, it is vital to measure its structural frequencies and mode shapes and compare results to the models used in design analysis. The final function performed in the ITF is routine aircraft maintenance. This includes preflight and post-flight instrumentation checks and the servicing of hydraulics, avionics, and engines necessary on any research aircraft. Aircraft are not merely moved to the ITF for automated testing purposes but are housed there throughout their flight test programs.

Western aeronautical test range real-time graphics software package MAGIC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Malone, Jacqueline C.; Moore, Archie L.

1988-01-01

The master graphics interactive console (MAGIC) software package used on the Western Aeronautical Test Range (WATR) of the NASA Ames Research Center is described. MAGIC is a resident real-time research tool available to flight researchers-scientists in the NASA mission control centers of the WATR at the Dryden Flight Research Facility at Edwards, California. The hardware configuration and capabilities of the real-time software package are also discussed.

A research study for the preliminary definition of an aerophysics free-flight laboratory facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Canning, Thomas N.

1988-01-01

A renewed interest in hypervelocity vehicles requires an increase in the knowledge of aerodynamic phenomena. Tests conducted with ground-based facilities can be used both to better understand the physics of hypervelocity flight, and to calibrate and validate computer codes designed to predict vehicle performance in the hypervelocity environment. This research reviews the requirements for aerothermodynamic testing and discusses the ballistic range and its capabilities. Examples of the kinds of testing performed in typical high performance ballistic ranges are described. We draw heavily on experience obtained in the ballistics facilities at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California. Prospects for improving the capabilities of the ballistic range by using advanced instrumentation are discussed. Finally, recent developments in gun technology and their application to extend the capability of the ballistic range are summarized.

The DAST-1 remotely piloted research vehicle development and initial flight testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kotsabasis, A.

1981-01-01

The development and initial flight testing of the DAST (drones for aerodynamic and structural testing) remotely piloted research vehicle, fitted with the first aeroelastic research wing ARW-I are presented. The ARW-I is a swept supercritical wing, designed to exhibit flutter within the vehicle's flight envelope. An active flutter suppression system (FSS) designed to increase the ARW-I flutter boundary speed by 20 percent is described. The development of the FSS was based on prediction techniques of structural and unsteady aerodynamic characteristics. A description of the supporting ground facilities and aircraft systems involved in the remotely piloted research vehicle (RPRV) flight test technique is given. The design, specification, and testing of the remotely augmented vehicle system are presented. A summary of the preflight and flight test procedures associated with the RPRV operation is given. An evaluation of the blue streak test flight and the first and second ARW-I test flights is presented.

In-flight acoustic test results for the SR-2 and SR-3 advanced-design propellers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lasagna, P. L.; Mackall, K. G.; Cohn, R. B.

1983-01-01

Several advanced-design propellers, previously tested in the wind tunnel at the Lewis Research Center, have been tested in flight at the Dryden Flight Research Facility. The flight-test propellers were mounted on a pylon on the top of the fuselage of a JetStar airplane. Acoustic data for the advanced-design SR-2 and SR-3 propellers at Mach numbers to 0.8 and helical-tip Mach numbers to 1.15 are presented; maximum blade-passage frequency sound-pressure levels are also compared.

Multi-man flight simulator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Macdonald, G.

1983-01-01

A prototype Air Traffic Control facility and multiman flight simulator facility was designed and one of the component simulators fabricated as a proof of concept. The facility was designed to provide a number of independent simple simulator cabs that would have the capability of some local, stand alone processing that would in turn interface with a larger host computer. The system can accommodate up to eight flight simulators (commercially available instrument trainers) which could be operated stand alone if no graphics were required or could operate in a common simulated airspace if connected to the host computer. A proposed addition to the original design is the capability of inputing pilot inputs and quantities displayed on the flight and navigation instruments to the microcomputer when the simulator operates in the stand alone mode to allow independent use of these commercially available instrument trainers for research. The conceptual design of the system and progress made to date on its implementation are described.

EC93-41094-4

NASA Image and Video Library

1993-05-18

A NASA F/A-18, specially modified to test the newest and most advanced system technologies, on its first research flight on May 21, 1993, at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, California. Flown by Dryden in a multi-year, joint NASA/DOD/industry program, the F/A-18 former Navy fighter was modified into a unique Systems Research Aircraft (SRA) to investigate a host of new technologies in the areas of flight controls, airdata sensing and advanced computing. The primary goal of the SRA program was to validate through flight research cutting-edge technologies which could benefit future aircraft and spacecraft by improving efficiency and performance, reducing weight and complexity, with a resultant reduction on development and operational costs.

A flight research program to develop airborne systems for improved terminal area operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reeder, J. P.

1974-01-01

The research program considered is concerned with the solution of operational problems for the approximate time period from 1980 to 2000. The problems are related to safety, weather effects, congestion, energy conservation, noise, atmospheric pollution, and the loss in productivity caused by delays, diversions, and schedule stretchouts. The terminal configured vehicle (TCV) program is to develop advanced flight-control capability. The various aspects of the TCV program are discussed, giving attention to avionics equipment, the piloted simulator, terminal-area environment simulation, the Wallops research facility, flight procedures, displays and human factors, flight activities, and questions of vortex-wake reduction and tracking.

KSC-07pd0921

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- After a test flight of the Starfighter F-104, Jim Ball, KSC Spaceport Development manager, addresses the media. Behind him are Pilot Rick Svetkoff; Al Wassel, a representative from the FAA Office of Commercial Space; and Bill Parsons, director of Kennedy Space Center. The aircraft is taking part in a series of pathfinder test missions from the space shuttle runway. Two flights will generate test data to validate sonic boom assumptions about the potential impacts of suborbital and orbital commercial spaceflight from the facility. NASA is assessing the environmental impact of such flights. Starfighters Inc. of Clearwater, Fla., will perform the flights to help in assessing suborbital space launch trajectories from the runway and paving the way for future commercial space tourism and research flights from the facility. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Configuration management issues and objectives for a real-time research flight test support facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yergensen, Stephen; Rhea, Donald C.

1988-01-01

An account is given of configuration management activities for the Western Aeronautical Test Range (WATR) at NASA-Ames, whose primary function is the conduct of aeronautical research flight testing through real-time processing and display, tracking, and communications systems. The processing of WATR configuration change requests for specific research flight test projects must be conducted in such a way as to refrain from compromising the reliability of WATR support to all project users. Configuration management's scope ranges from mission planning to operations monitoring and performance trend analysis.

Man-vehicle systems research facility advanced aircraft flight simulator throttle mechanism

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kurasaki, S. S.; Vallotton, W. C.

1985-01-01

The Advanced Aircraft Flight Simulator is equipped with a motorized mechanism that simulates a two engine throttle control system that can be operated via a computer driven performance management system or manually by the pilots. The throttle control system incorporates features to simulate normal engine operations and thrust reverse and vary the force feel to meet a variety of research needs. While additional testing to integrate the work required is principally now in software design, since the mechanical aspects function correctly. The mechanism is an important part of the flight control system and provides the capability to conduct human factors research of flight crews with advanced aircraft systems under various flight conditions such as go arounds, coupled instrument flight rule approaches, normal and ground operations and emergencies that would or would not normally be experienced in actual flight.

Sonic Booms in Atmospheric Turbulence (SonicBAT) Testing

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-08-22

NASA F-18 jets prepare for takeoff from the agency's Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Several flights a day have been taking place the week of Aug. 21, 2017 to measure the effects of sonic booms. It is part of NASA's Sonic Booms in Atmospheric Turbulence, or SonicBAT II Program. NASA at Kennedy is partnering with the agency's Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, Langley Research Center in Virginia, and Space Florida for a program in which F-18 jets will take off from the Shuttle Landing Facility and fly at supersonic speeds while agency researchers measure the effects of low-altitude turbulence caused by sonic booms.

Sonic Booms in Atmospheric Turbulence (SonicBAT) Testing

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-08-22

NASA pilots board an F-18 jet prior to take off from the agency's Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Several flights a day have been taking place the week of Aug. 21, 2017 to measure the effects of sonic booms. It is part of NASA's Sonic Booms in Atmospheric Turbulence, or SonicBAT II Program. NASA at Kennedy is partnering with the agency's Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, Langley Research Center in Virginia, and Space Florida for a program in which F-18 jets will take off from the Shuttle Landing Facility and fly at supersonic speeds while agency researchers measure the effects of low-altitude turbulence caused by sonic booms.

Sonic Booms in Atmospheric Turbulence (SonicBAT) Testing

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-08-22

A NASA F-18 jet is prepared for takeoff from the agency's Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Several flights a day have been taking place the week of Aug. 21, 2017 to measure the effects of sonic booms. It is part of NASA's Sonic Booms in Atmospheric Turbulence, or SonicBAT II Program. NASA at Kennedy is partnering with the agency's Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, Langley Research Center in Virginia, and Space Florida for a program in which F-18 jets will take off from the Shuttle Landing Facility and fly at supersonic speeds while agency researchers measure the effects of low-altitude turbulence caused by sonic booms.

Sonic Booms in Atmospheric Turbulence (SonicBAT) Testing

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-08-22

A NASA F-18 jet takes off from the agency's Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Several flights a day have been taking place the week of Aug. 21, 2017 to measure the effects of sonic booms. It is part of NASA's Sonic Booms in Atmospheric Turbulence, or SonicBAT II Program. NASA at Kennedy is partnering with the agency's Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, Langley Research Center in Virginia, and Space Florida for a program in which F-18 jets will take off from the Shuttle Landing Facility and fly at supersonic speeds while agency researchers measure the effects of low-altitude turbulence caused by sonic booms.

Sonic Booms in Atmospheric Turbulence (SonicBAT) Testing

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-08-22

A NASA pilot boards an F-18 jet prior to take off from the agency's Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Several flights a day have been taking place the week of Aug. 21, 2017 to measure the effects of sonic booms. It is part of NASA's Sonic Booms in Atmospheric Turbulence, or SonicBAT II Program. NASA at Kennedy is partnering with the agency's Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, Langley Research Center in Virginia, and Space Florida for a program in which F-18 jets will take off from the Shuttle Landing Facility and fly at supersonic speeds while agency researchers measure the effects of low-altitude turbulence caused by sonic booms.

Physical sciences research plans for the International Space Station.

PubMed

Trinh, E H

2003-01-01

The restructuring of the research capabilities of the International Space Station has forced a reassessment of the Physical Sciences research plans and a re-targeting of the major scientific thrusts. The combination of already selected peer-reviewed flight investigations with the initiation of new research and technology programs will allow the maximization of the ISS scientific and technological potential. Fundamental and applied research will use a combination of ISS-based facilities, ground-based activities, and other experimental platforms to address issues impacting fundamental knowledge, industrial and medical applications on Earth, and the technology required for human space exploration. The current flight investigation research plan shows a large number of principal investigators selected to use the remaining planned research facilities. c2003 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Physical sciences research plans for the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Trinh, E. H.

2003-01-01

The restructuring of the research capabilities of the International Space Station has forced a reassessment of the Physical Sciences research plans and a re-targeting of the major scientific thrusts. The combination of already selected peer-reviewed flight investigations with the initiation of new research and technology programs will allow the maximization of the ISS scientific and technological potential. Fundamental and applied research will use a combination of ISS-based facilities, ground-based activities, and other experimental platforms to address issues impacting fundamental knowledge, industrial and medical applications on Earth, and the technology required for human space exploration. The current flight investigation research plan shows a large number of principal investigators selected to use the remaining planned research facilities. c2003 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

MEDES clinical research facility as a tool to prepare ISSA space flights

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maillet, A.; Traon, A. Pavy-Le

This new multi-disciplinary medical experimentation center provides the ideal scientific, medical and technical environment required for research programs and to prepare international space station Alpha (ISSA) missions, where space and healthcare industries can share their expertise. Different models are available to simulate space flight effects (bed-rest, confinement,…). This is of particular interest for research in Human psychology, physiology, physiopathology and ergonomics, validation of biomedical materials and procedures, testing of drugs, and other healthcare related products. This clinical research facility (CRF) provides valuable services in various fields of Human research requiring healthy volunteers. CRF is widely accessible to national and international, scientific, medical and industrial organisations. Furthermore, users have at their disposal the multi-disciplinary skills of MEDES staff and all MEDES partners on a single site.

Design of an expert-system flight status monitor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Regenie, V. A.; Duke, E. L.

1985-01-01

The modern advanced avionics in new high-performance aircraft strains the capability of current technology to safely monitor these systems for flight test prior to their generalized use. New techniques are needed to improve the ability of systems engineers to understand and analyze complex systems in the limited time available during crucial periods of the flight test. The Dryden Flight Research Facility of NASA's Ames Research Center is involved in the design and implementation of an expert system to provide expertise and knowledge to aid the flight systems engineer. The need for new techniques in monitoring flight systems and the conceptual design of an expert-system flight status monitor is discussed. The status of the current project and its goals are described.

Configuration management issues and objectives for a real-time research flight test support facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yergensen, Stephen; Rhea, Donald C.

1988-01-01

Presented are some of the critical issues and objectives pertaining to configuration management for the NASA Western Aeronautical Test Range (WATR) of Ames Research Center. The primary mission of the WATR is to provide a capability for the conduct of aeronautical research flight test through real-time processing and display, tracking, and communications systems. In providing this capability, the WATR must maintain and enforce a configuration management plan which is independent of, but complimentary to, various research flight test project configuration management systems. A primary WATR objective is the continued development of generic research flight test project support capability, wherein the reliability of WATR support provided to all project users is a constant priority. Therefore, the processing of configuration change requests for specific research flight test project requirements must be evaluated within a perspective that maintains this primary objective.

A feasibility study of a hypersonic real-gas facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gully, J. H.; Driga, M. D.; Weldon, W. F.

1987-01-01

A four month feasibility study of a hypersonic real-gas free flight test facility for NASA Langley Research Center (LARC) was performed. The feasibility of using a high-energy electromagnetic launcher (EML) to accelerate complex models (lifting and nonlifting) in the hypersonic, real-gas facility was examined. Issues addressed include: design and performance of the accelerator; design and performance of the power supply; design and operation of the sabot and payload during acceleration and separation; effects of high current, magnetic fields, temperature, and stress on the sabot and payload; and survivability of payload instrumentation during acceleration, flight, and soft catch.

Status Report for the Hypervelocity Free-Flight Aerodynamic Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cornelison, Charles J.; Arnold, James O. (Technical Monitor)

1997-01-01

The Hypervelocity Free-Flight Aerodynamic Facility, located at Ames Research Center, is NASA's only aeroballistic facility. During 1997, its model imaging and time history recording systems were the focus of a major refurbishment effort. Specifically the model detection, spark gap (light source); Kerr cell (high speed shuttering); and interval timer sub-systems were inspected, repaired, modified or replaced as required. These refurbishment efforts have fully restored the HFFAF's capabilities to a much better condition, comparable to what it was 15 years ago. Details of this refurbishment effort along with a brief discussion of future upgrade plans are presented.

A summary of existing and planned experiment hardware for low-gravity fluids research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hill, Myron E.; Omalley, Terence F.

1991-01-01

An overview is presented of (1) existing ground-based, low gravity research facilities, with examples of hardware capabilities, and (2) existing and planned space-based research facilities, with examples of current and past flight hardware. Low-gravity, ground-based facilities, such as drop towers and aircraft, provide the experimenter with quick turnaround time, easy access to equipment, gravity levels ranging from 10(exp -2) to 10(exp -6) G, and low-gravity durations ranging from 2 to 30 sec. Currently, the only operational space-based facility is the Space Shuttle. The Shuttle's payload bay and middeck facilities are described. Existing and planned low-gravity fluids research facilities are also described with examples of experiments and hardware capabilities.

Validation of Digital Systems in Avionics and Flight Control Applications Handbook. Volume 1.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-07-01

will also be available to Airways Facilities, Systems Research and Development Service, Air Traffic Control Service, and Flight Standards elements...2114, March 12-14, 1979. 3. Validation Methods Research for Fault-Tolerant Avionics and Control Systems-- *r Working Group Meeting II, NASA...command generation with the multiple methods becoming avail- able for closure of the outer control loop necessitates research on alternative integration

Wallops Station and the Creation of an American Space Program. Master's Degree awarded by Univ. of Maryland-Baltimore County

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wallace, Harold D., Jr.

1997-01-01

As part of the NASA history series a detailed history of Wallops Space Flight Facility from 1957 to 1966 is given. Discussions of Sputnik, NASA, Piloted Space Flight, Space Science Research, and comments on the changes the facility went through during the period are presented. Several appendices are attached as well covering R&D Launches, the NACA Era, organizational charts, Wallops' complement, and selected international cooperative programs.

PSL Icing Facility Upgrade Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Griffin, Thomas A.; Dicki, Dennis J.; Lizanich, Paul J.

2014-01-01

The NASA Glenn Research Center Propulsion Systems Lab (PSL) was recently upgraded to perform engine inlet ice crystal testing in an altitude environment. The system installed 10 spray bars in the inlet plenum for ice crystal generation using 222 spray nozzles. As an altitude test chamber, the PSL is capable of simulating icing events at altitude in a groundtest facility. The system was designed to operate at altitudes from 4,000 to 40,000 ft at Mach numbers up to 0.8M and inlet total temperatures from -60 to +15 degF. This paper and presentation will be part of a series of presentations on PSL Icing and will cover the development of the icing capability through design, developmental testing, installation, initial calibration, and validation engine testing. Information will be presented on the design criteria and process, spray bar developmental testing at Cox and Co., system capabilities, and initial calibration and engine validation test. The PSL icing system was designed to provide NASA and the icing community with a facility that could be used for research studies of engine icing by duplicating in-flight events in a controlled ground-test facility. With the system and the altitude chamber we can produce flight conditions and cloud environments to simulate those encountered in flight. The icing system can be controlled to set various cloud uniformities, droplet median volumetric diameter (MVD), and icing water content (IWC) through a wide variety of conditions. The PSL chamber can set altitudes, Mach numbers, and temperatures of interest to the icing community and also has the instrumentation capability of measuring engine performance during icing testing. PSL last year completed the calibration and initial engine validation of the facility utilizing a Honeywell ALF502-R5 engine and has duplicated in-flight roll back conditions experienced during flight testing. This paper will summarize the modifications and buildup of the facility to accomplish these tests.

High-speed civil transport issues and technology program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hewett, Marle D.

1992-01-01

A strawman program plan is presented, consisting of technology developments and demonstrations required to support the construction of a high-speed civil transport. The plan includes a compilation of technology issues related to the development of a transport. The issues represent technical areas in which research and development are required to allow airframe manufacturers to pursue an HSCT development. The vast majority of technical issues presented require flight demonstrated and validated solutions before a transport development will be undertaken by the industry. The author believes that NASA is the agency best suited to address flight demonstration issues in a concentrated effort. The new Integrated Test Facility at NASA Dryden Flight Research Facility is considered ideally suited to the task of supporting ground validations of proof-of-concept and prototype system demonstrations before night demonstrations. An elaborate ground hardware-in-the-loop (iron bird) simulation supported in this facility provides a viable alternative to developing an expensive fill-scale prototype transport technology demonstrator. Drygen's SR-71 assets, modified appropriately, are a suitable test-bed for supporting flight demonstrations and validations of certain transport technology solutions. A subscale, manned or unmanned flight demonstrator is suitable for flight validation of transport technology solutions, if appropriate structural similarity relationships can be established. The author contends that developing a full-scale prototype transport technology demonstrator is the best alternative to ensuring that a positive decision to develop a transport is reached by the United States aerospace industry.

John C. Stennis Space Center overview

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1994-05-01

An overview of research being conducted at the John C. Stennis Space Center is given. The Space Center is not only a NASA Space Flight Center, but also houses facilities for 22 other governmental agencies. The programs described are Stennis' High Heat Flux Facility, the Component Test Facility (used to test propulsion rockets and for the development of the National Aerospace Plane), oceanographic and remote sensing research, and contributions to the development of Space Station Freedom.

X-29 High Alpha Test in the National Transonic Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Underwood, Pamela J.; Owens, Lewis R.; Wahls, Richard A.; Williams, Susan

2003-01-01

This paper describes the X-29A research program at the National Transonic Facility. This wind tunnel test leveraged the X-29A high alpha flight test program by enabling ground-to-flight correlation studies with an emphasis on Reynolds number effects. The background and objectives of this test program, as well as the comparison of high Reynolds number wind tunnel data to X-29A flight test data are presented. The effects of Reynolds number on the forebody pressures at high angles of attack are also presented. The purpose of this paper is to document this test and serve as a reference for future ground-to-flight correlation studies, and high angle-of-attack investigations. Good ground-to-flight correlations were observed for angles of attack up to 50 deg, and Reynolds number effects were also observed.

The path to an experiment in space (from concept to flight)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Salzman, Jack A.

1994-01-01

The following are discussed in this viewgraph presentation on developing flight experiments for NASA's Microgravity Science and Applications Program: time from flight PI selection to launch; key flight experiment phases and schedule drivers; microgravity experiment definition/development process; definition and engineering development phase; ground-based reduced gravity research facilities; project organization; responsibilities and duties of principle investigator/co-investigators, project scientist, and project manager; the science requirements document; flight development phase; experiment cost and schedule; and keys to experiment success.

A review of recent developments in flight test techniques at the Ames Research Center, Dryden Flight Research Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Layton, G. P.

1984-01-01

New flight test techniques in use at Ames Dryden are reviewed. The use of the pilot in combination with ground and airborne computational capabilities to maximize data return is discussed, including the remotely piloted research vehicle technique for high-risk testing, the remotely augmented vehicle technique for handling qualities research, and use of ground computed flight director information to fly unique profiles such as constant Reynolds number profiles through the transonic flight regime. Techniques used for checkout and design verification of systems-oriented aircraft are discussed, including descriptions of the various simulations, iron bird setups, and vehicle tests. Some newly developed techniques to support the aeronautical research disciplines are discussed, including a new approach to position-error determination, and the use of a large skin friction balance for the measurement of drag caused by various excrescencies.

Ames Research Center life sciences payload

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Callahan, P. X.; Tremor, J. W.

1982-01-01

In response to a recognized need for an in-flight animal housing facility to support Spacelab life sciences investigators, a rack and system compatible Research Animal Holding Facility (RAHF) has been developed. A series of ground tests is planned to insure its satisfactory performance under certain simulated conditions of flight exposure and use. However, even under the best conditions of simulation, confidence gained in ground testing will not approach that resulting from actual spaceflight operation. The Spacelab Mission 3 provides an opportunity to perform an inflight Verification Test (VT) of the RAHF. Lessons learned from the RAHF-VT and baseline performance data will be invaluable in preparation for subsequent dedicated life sciences missions.

A New Direction for NASA Materials Science Research Using the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schlagheck, Ronald; Trach, Brian; Geveden, Rex D. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

NASA recently created a fifth Strategic Enterprise, the Office of Biological and Physical Research (OBPR), to bring together physics, chemistry, biology, and engineering to foster interdisciplinary research. The Materials Science Program is one of five Microgravity Research disciplines within this new enterprise's Division of Physical Sciences Research. The Materials Science Program will participate within this new enterprise structure in order to facilitate effective use of ISS facilities, target scientific and technology questions and transfer scientific and technology results for Earth benefits. The Materials Science research will use a low gravity environment for flight and ground-based research in crystallization, fundamental processing, properties characterization, and biomaterials in order to obtain fundamental understanding of various phenomena effects and relationships to the structures, processing, and properties of materials. Completion of the International Space Station's (ISS) first major assembly, during the past year, provides new opportunities for on-orbit research and scientific utilization. Accommodations will support a variety of Materials Science payload hardware both in the US and international partner modules with emphasis on early use of Express Rack and Glovebox facilities. This paper addresses the current scope of the flight investigator program. These investigators will use the various capabilities of the ISS to achieve their research objectives. The type of research and classification of materials being studied will be addressed. This includes the recent emphasis being placed on nanomaterials and biomaterials type research. Materials Science Program will pursue a new, interdisciplinary approach, which contributes, to Human Space Flight Exploration research. The Materials Science Research Facility (MSRF) and other related American and International experiment modules will serve as the foundation for this research. Discussion will be included to explain the changing concept for materials science research processing capabilities aboard the ISS along with the various ground facilities necessary to support the program. Finally, the paper will address the initial utilization schedule and strategy for the various materials science payloads including their corresponding hardware.

The deep space network, volume 10

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

Progress on the Deep Space Network (DSN) supporting research and technology is reported. The objectives, functions and facilities of the DSN are described along with the mission support for the following: interplanetary flight projects, planetary flight projects, and manned space flight projects. Work in advanced engineering and communications systems is reported along with changes in hardware and software configurations in the DSN/MSFN tracking stations.

Experience with Ada on the F-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle Flight Test Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Regenie, Victoria A.; Earls, Michael; Le, Jeanette; Thomson, Michael

1992-01-01

Considerable experience was acquired with Ada at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Facility during the on-going High Alpha Technology Program. In this program, an F-18 aircraft was highly modified by the addition of thrust-vectoring vanes to the airframe. In addition, substantial alteration was made in the original quadruplex flight control system. The result is the High Alpha Research Vehicle. An additional research flight control computer was incorporated in each of the four channels. Software for the research flight control computer was written in Ada. To date, six releases of this software have been flown. This paper provides a detailed description of the modifications to the research flight control system. Efficient ground-testing of the software was accomplished by using simulations that used the Ada for portions of their software. These simulations are also described. Modifying and transferring the Ada for flight software to the software simulation configuration has allowed evaluation of this language. This paper also discusses such significant issues in using Ada as portability, modifiability, and testability as well as documentation requirements.

Experience with Ada on the F-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle flight test program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Regenie, Victoria A.; Earls, Michael; Le, Jeanette; Thomson, Michael

1994-01-01

Considerable experience has been acquired with Ada at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Facility during the on-going High Alpha Technology Program. In this program, an F-18 aircraft has been highly modified by the addition of thrust-vectoring vanes to the airframe. In addition, substantial alteration was made in the original quadruplex flight control system. The result is the High Alpha Research Vehicle. An additional research flight control computer was incorporated in each of the four channels. Software for the research flight control computer was written Ada. To date, six releases of this software have been flown. This paper provides a detailed description of the modifications to the research flight control system. Efficient ground-testing of the software was accomplished by using simulations that used the Ada for portions of their software. These simulations are also described. Modifying and transferring the Ada flight software to the software simulation configuration has allowed evaluation of this language. This paper also discusses such significant issues in using Ada as portability, modifiability, and testability as well as documentation requirements.

The Crop Growth Research Chamber - A ground-based facility for CELSS research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bubenheim, David L.; Luna, Phil M.; Wagenbach, Kimberly M.; Haslerud, Mark; Straight, Christian L.

1989-01-01

Crop Growth Research Chambers (CGRCs) are being developed as CELSS research facilities for the NASA/Ames Research Center. The history of the CGRC project is reviewed, noting the applications of CGRC research for the development of the Space Station. The CGRCs are designed for CELSS research and development, system control and integration, and flight hardware design and experimentation. The atmospheric and hydroponic environments of the CGRC system are described and the science requirements for CGRC environmental control are listed.

The deep space network, volume 15

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1973-01-01

The DSN progress is reported in flight project support, TDA research and technology, network engineering, hardware and software implementation, and operations. Topics discussed include: DSN functions and facilities, planetary flight projects, tracking and ground-based navigation, communications, data processing, network control system, and deep space stations.

Application experience with the NASA aircraft interrogation and display system - A ground-support equipment for digital flight systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glover, R. D.

1983-01-01

The NASA Dryden Flight Research Facility has developed a microprocessor-based, user-programmable, general-purpose aircraft interrogation and display system (AIDS). The hardware and software of this ground-support equipment have been designed to permit diverse applications in support of aircraft digital flight-control systems and simulation facilities. AIDS is often employed to provide engineering-units display of internal digital system parameters during development and qualification testing. Such visibility into the system under test has proved to be a key element in the final qualification testing of aircraft digital flight-control systems. Three first-generation 8-bit units are now in service in support of several research aircraft projects, and user acceptance has been high. A second-generation design, extended AIDS (XAIDS), incorporating multiple 16-bit processors, is now being developed to support the forward swept wing aircraft project (X-29A). This paper outlines the AIDS concept, summarizes AIDS operational experience, and describes the planned XAIDS design and mechanization.

10 day flight performance of the plant generic bioprocessing apparatus (PGBA) plant growth facility aboard STS-77

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoehn, Alex; Chamberlain, Dale J.; Forsyth, Sasha W.; Hanna, David S.; Scovazzo, Paul; Horner, Michael B.; Stodieck, Louis S.; Todd, Paul; Heyenga, A. Gerard; Kliss, Mark H.; Bula, Raymond; Yetka, Robert

1997-01-01

PGBA, a plant growth facility developed for space flight biotechnology research, successfully grew a total of 30 plants in a closed, multi-crop chamber for 10 days aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavor (STS-77). Artemisia annua, Catharanthus roseus, Pinus taeda, Spinacia oleracea and Trifolium repens were the five species studied during this mission. The primary mission objectives were to study the effects of microgravity for commercial and pharmaceutical production purposes. PGBA is a payload that represents a consortium of interests including BioServe Space Technologies (payload sponsor), NASA Ames Research Center (Controlled Ecological Life Support System, CELSS, Flight Program), Wisconsin Center for Space Automation and Robotics (WCSAR), and industrial affiliates (spaceflight effects on plants and formation of plant products such as pharmaceuticals). Although BioServe is responsible for the flight hardware development and integration of PGBA, NASA Ames, WSCAR and industrial affiliates provide significant hardware subsystems and technical biological expertise support.

Hypersonic technology-approach to an expanded program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hearth, D. P.; Preyss, A. E.

1976-01-01

An overview of research, testing, and technology in the hypersonic range. Military and civilian hypersonic flight systems envisaged, ground testing facilities under development, methods for cooling the heated airframe, and use of hydrogen as fuel and coolant are discussed extensively. Air-breathing hypersonic cruise systems are emphasized, the airframe-integrated scramjet configuration is discussed and illustrated, materials proposed for hypersonic vehicles are reviewed, and test results on hypersonic flight (X-15 research aircraft) are indicated. Major advances and major problems in hypersonic flight and hypersonic technology are outlined, and the need for a hypersonic flying-laboratory research craft is stressed.

Status of NASA/Army rotorcraft research and development piloted flight simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Condon, Gregory W.; Gossett, Terrence D.

1988-01-01

The status of the major NASA/Army capabilities in piloted rotorcraft flight simulation is reviewed. The requirements for research and development piloted simulation are addressed as well as the capabilities and technologies that are currently available or are being developed by NASA and the Army at Ames. The application of revolutionary advances (in visual scene, electronic cockpits, motion, and modelling of interactive mission environments and/or vehicle systems) to the NASA/Army facilities are also addressed. Particular attention is devoted to the major advances made in integrating these individual capabilities into fully integrated simulation environment that were or are being applied to new rotorcraft mission requirements. The specific simulators discussed are the Vertical Motion Simulator and the Crew Station Research and Development Facility.

Experimental program for real gas flow code validation at NASA Ames Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Deiwert, George S.; Strawa, Anthony W.; Sharma, Surendra P.; Park, Chul

1989-01-01

The experimental program for validating real gas hypersonic flow codes at NASA Ames Rsearch Center is described. Ground-based test facilities used include ballistic ranges, shock tubes and shock tunnels, arc jet facilities and heated-air hypersonic wind tunnels. Also included are large-scale computer systems for kinetic theory simulations and benchmark code solutions. Flight tests consist of the Aeroassist Flight Experiment, the Space Shuttle, Project Fire 2, and planetary probes such as Galileo, Pioneer Venus, and PAET.

Validation of vision-based obstacle detection algorithms for low-altitude helicopter flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Suorsa, Raymond; Sridhar, Banavar

1991-01-01

A validation facility being used at the NASA Ames Research Center is described which is aimed at testing vision based obstacle detection and range estimation algorithms suitable for low level helicopter flight. The facility is capable of processing hundreds of frames of calibrated multicamera 6 degree-of-freedom motion image sequencies, generating calibrated multicamera laboratory images using convenient window-based software, and viewing range estimation results from different algorithms along with truth data using powerful window-based visualization software.

14 CFR 1216.301 - Applicability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... fall within any of the four NASA budget categories: Research and Development (R&D), Construction of Facilities (CoF), Research and Program Management (R&PM), and Space Flight Control and Data Communications...

Republic P-47G Thunderbolt and the NACA Flight Operations Crew

NASA Image and Video Library

1944-03-21

The Flight Operations crew stands before a Republic P-47G Thunderbolt at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory in Cleveland, Ohio. The laboratory’s Flight Research Section was responsible for conducting a variety of research flights. During World War II most of the test flights complemented the efforts in ground-based facilities to improve engine cooling systems or study advanced fuel mixtures. The Republic P–47G was loaned to the laboratory to test NACA modifications to the Wright R–2800 engine’s cooling system at higher altitudes. The laboratory has always maintained a fleet of aircraft so different research projects were often conducted concurrently. The flight research program requires an entire section of personnel to accomplish its work. This staff generally consists of a flight operations group, which includes the section chief, pilots and administrative staff; a flight maintenance group with technicians and mechanics responsible for inspecting aircraft, performing checkouts and installing and removing flight instruments; and a flight research group that integrates the researchers’ experiments into the aircraft. The staff at the time of this March 1944 photograph included 3 pilots, 16 planning and analysis engineers, 36 mechanics and technicians, 10 instrumentation specialists, 6 secretaries and 5 computers.

Langley Mach 4 scramjet test facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Andrews, E. H., Jr.; Torrence, M. G.; Anderson, G. Y.; Northam, G. B.; Mackley, E. A.

1985-01-01

An engine test facility was constructed at the NASA Langley Research Center in support of a supersonic combustion ramjet (scramjet) technology development program. Hydrogen combustion in air with oxygen replenishment provides simulated air at Mach 4 flight velocity, pressure, and true total temperature for an altitude range from 57,000 to 86,000 feet. A facility nozzle with a 13 in square exit produces a Mach 3.5 free jet flow for engine propulsion tests. The facility is described and calibration results are presented which demonstrate the suitability of the test flow for conducting scramjet engine research.

Aerial Views of KSC

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-07-23

The Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory (SERPL) is a major new research facility under construction at the International Space Research Park located on KSC. Being developed as a partnership between KSC and the State of Florida, it will serve as the primary gateway to the International Space Station for science experiments and as a world-class home to ground-based investigations in fundamental and applied biological science. NASA’s life sciences contractor will be the primary tenant of the facility, leasing space to conduct flight experiment processing and NASA-sponsored research. About 20 percent of the facility will be available for use by Florida’s university researchers through the Florida Space Research Institute.

Western Aeronautical Test Range

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sakahara, Robert D.

2008-01-01

NASA's Western Aeronautical Test Range (WATR) is a network of facilities used to support aeronautical research, science missions, exploration system concepts, and space operations. The WATR resides at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center located at Edwards Air Force Base, California. The WATR is a part of NASA's Corporate Management of Aeronautical Facilities and funded by the Strategic Capability Asset Program (SCAP). It is managed by the Aeronautics Test Program (ATP) of the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) to provide the right facility at the right time. NASA is a tenant on Edwards Air Force Base and has an agreement with the Air Force Flight Test Center to use the land and airspace controlled by the Department of Defense (DoD). The topics include: 1) The WATR supports a variety of vehicles; 2) Dryden shares airspace with the AFFTC; 3) Restricted airspace, corridors, and special use areas are available for experimental aircraft; 4) WATR Products and Services; 5) WATR Support Configuration; 6) Telemetry Tracking; 7) Time Space Positioning; 8) Video; 9) Voice Communication; 10) Mobile Operations Facilities; 11) Data Processing; 12) Mission Control Center; 13) Real-Time Data Analysis; and 14) Range Safety.

Development of the Plant Growth Facility for Use in the Shuttle Middeck and Test Units for Ground-Based Experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chapman, David K.; Wells, H. William

1996-01-01

The plant growth facility (PGF), currently under development as a Space Shuttle middeck facility for the support of research on higher plants in microgravity, is presented. The PGF provides controlled fluorescent lighting and the active control of temperature, relative humidity and CO2 concentration. These parameters are designed to be centrally controlled by a dedicated microprocessor. The status of the experiment can be displayed for onboard analysis, and will be automatically archived for post-flight analysis. The facility is designed to operate for 15 days and will provide air filtration to remove ethylene and trace organics with replaceable potassium permanganate filters. Similar ground units will be available for pre-flight experimentation.

Advanced Plant Habitat Flight Unit #1

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-07-24

Inside a laboratory in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a quality technician checks the hardware for the Advanced Plant Habitat flight unit. The flight unit is an exact replica of the APH that was delivered to the International Space Station. Validation tests and post-delivery checkout was performed to prepare for space station in-orbit APH activities. The flight unit will be moved to the International Space Station Environmental Simulator to begin an experiment verification test for the science that will fly on the first mission, PH-01. Developed by NASA and ORBITEC of Madison, Wisconsin, the APH is the largest plant chamber built for the agency. It is a fully automated plant growth facility that will be used to conduct bioscience research on the space station.

Advanced Plant Habitat Flight Unit #1

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-07-24

Inside a laboratory in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, quality technicians check the hardware for the Advanced Plant Habitat flight unit. The flight unit is an exact replica of the APH that was delivered to the International Space Station. Validation tests and post-delivery checkout was performed to prepare for space station in-orbit APH activities. The flight unit will be moved to the International Space Station Environmental Simulator to begin an experiment verification test for the science that will fly on the first mission, PH-01. Developed by NASA and ORBITEC of Madison, Wisconsin, the APH is the largest plant chamber built for the agency. It is a fully automated plant growth facility that will be used to conduct bioscience research on the space station.

Advanced Plant Habitat Flight Unit #1

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-07-24

Inside a laboratory in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, quality technicians check components of the hardware for the Advanced Plant Habitat flight unit. The flight unit is an exact replica of the APH that was delivered to the International Space Station. Validation tests and post-delivery checkout was performed to prepare for space station in-orbit APH activities. The flight unit will be moved to the International Space Station Environmental Simulator to begin an experiment verification test for the science that will fly on the first mission, PH-01. Developed by NASA and ORBITEC of Madison, Wisconsin, the APH is the largest plant chamber built for the agency. It is a fully automated plant growth facility that will be used to conduct bioscience research on the space station.

Advanced Plant Habitat Flight Unit #1

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-07-24

Inside a laboratory in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, quality technicians check the hardware for the Advanced Plant Habitat flight unit. The flight unit is an exact replica of the APH that was delivered to the International Space Station. Validation tests and post-delivery checkout was performed to prepare for space station in-orbit APH activities. The flight unit will be moved to the International Space Station Environment Simulator to begin an experiment verification test for the science that will fly on the first mission, PH-01. Developed by NASA and ORBITEC of Madison, Wisconsin, the APH is the largest plant chamber built for the agency. It is a fully automated plant growth facility that will be used to conduct bioscience research on the space station.

Advanced Plant Habitat Flight Unit #1

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-07-24

Inside a laboratory in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a quality technician checks the control panel on hardware for the Advanced Plant Habitat flight unit. The flight unit is an exact replica of the APH that was delivered to the International Space Station. Validation tests and post-delivery checkout was performed to prepare for space station in-orbit APH activities. The flight unit will be moved to the International Space Station Environmental Simulator to begin an experiment verification test for the science that will fly on the first mission, PH-01. Developed by NASA and ORBITEC of Madison, Wisconsin, the APH is the largest plant chamber built for the agency. It is a fully automated plant growth facility that will be used to conduct bioscience research on the space station.

Context Aware TCP for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Missions on Autonomous Platforms

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-10-08

under the Unmanned Vehicle Experimental Communications Testbed (UVECT) flight test plan and were done over the Stockbridge Research Facility in the...sure the payload did not interfere with the command and control systems of the aircraft several flight paths were selected to exert the link and the...throughput from data source to destination. Figure 1 shows the flight path of a small RPA in a PoL flight path scenario. The change of SNR

The Utilization of Flight Simulation for Research and Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Totah, Joseph J.; Snyder, C. Thomas (Technical Monitor)

1994-01-01

The objective of this paper is to review the conventional uses of flight simulation at NASA Ames Research Center for research and development, and to also consider the many new areas that have embraced flight simulation as an effective and economic research tool. Flight simulators have always been a very useful and economic research tool. Component technologies have evolved considerably to meet demands imposed by the aerospace community. In fact, the utilization of flight simulators for research and development has become so widely accepted that non-traditional uses have evolved. Whereas flight dynamics and control, guidance and navigation, vehicle design, mission assessment, and training have been, and perhaps always will be, the most popular research areas associated with simulation, many new areas under the broad categories of human factors and information science have realized significant benefits from the use of flight simulators for research and development. This paper will survey the simulation facilities at NASA Ames Research Center, and discuss selected topics associated with research programs, simulation experiments, and related technology development activities for the purpose of highlighting the expanding role of simulation in aerospace research and development. The information in this paper will in no way provide foreign companies with a competitive advantage over U. S. industry.

Space Missions for Automation and Robotics Technologies (SMART) Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cliffone, D. L.; Lum, H., Jr.

1985-01-01

NASA is currently considering the establishment of a Space Mission for Automation and Robotics Technologies (SMART) Program to define, develop, integrate, test, and operate a spaceborne national research facility for the validation of advanced automation and robotics technologies. Initially, the concept is envisioned to be implemented through a series of shuttle based flight experiments which will utilize telepresence technologies and real time operation concepts. However, eventually the facility will be capable of a more autonomous role and will be supported by either the shuttle or the space station. To ensure incorporation of leading edge technology in the facility, performance capability will periodically and systematically be upgraded by the solicitation of recommendations from a user advisory group. The facility will be managed by NASA, but will be available to all potential investigators. Experiments for each flight will be selected by a peer review group. Detailed definition and design is proposed to take place during FY 86, with the first SMART flight projected for FY 89.

The Airborne Research Instrumentation Testing Opportunity (ARISTO)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wolff, C.; Romashkin, P.; Lussier, L.; Baeuerle, B.; Stith, J. L.

2016-12-01

In 2015 the National Science Foundation (NSF) began a program to sponsor an annual flight campaign on one of its research aircraft (the C-130 and GV) operated by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). The aircraft are managed by the Research Aviation Facility (RAF), which is part of the Earth Observing Laboratory (EOL) and responsible for planning and executing the campaigns. The purpose of this program, known as the Airborne Research Instrumentation Testing Opportunity or ARISTO, is to provide regular flight test opportunities for newly developed or highly modified instruments as part of their development effort. The NSF community has expressed a strong desire for regularly scheduled flight-testing programs to be able to test instrumentation, data systems, inlets, and software. ARISTO allows this testing in a low-pressure environment where any issues or problems will not affect the scientific goals of a large-scale field campaign. For this reason it is also a good experience for students who may be learning about the operation of an instrument or have not had previous exposure to a field project. They are also able to contribute to flight planning exercises and gain experience in acting as an instrument scientist during the program. A goal of the program is to incorporate students into the project operations to prepare the next generation of airborne researchers. ARISTO is conducted at the Research Aviation Facility at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Broomfield, Colorado. The flight campaign consists of 20 flight hours, spread over three weeks. Flights are planned to allow the ARISTO participants to successfully test their instruments based on requirements they described in the initial application. Due to the limited hours most flights are focused in and around Colorado, though some have gone as far as Oklahoma and the Pacific Northwest to find the right conditions to meet testing requirements. Two ARISTO campaigns were successfully completed in 2015 and 2016, and a summary of these projects will be presented. Preparations for the 2017 campaign are underway, with flights scheduled to take place in February and March. The next ARISTO campaign is likely to occur in the summer of 2018, and details on the schedule and how to apply will be discussed.

The deep space network, volume 6

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1971-01-01

Progress on Deep Space Network (DSN) supporting research and technology is presented, together with advanced development and engineering, implementation, and DSN operations of flight projects. The DSN is described. Interplanetary and planetary flight projects and radio science experiments are discussed. Tracking and navigational accuracy analysis, communications systems and elements research, and supporting research are considered. Development of the ground communications and deep space instrumentation facilities is also presented. Network allocation schedules and angle tracking and test development are included.

Research and test facilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1993-01-01

A description is given of each of the following Langley research and test facilities: 0.3-Meter Transonic Cryogenic Tunnel, 7-by 10-Foot High Speed Tunnel, 8-Foot Transonic Pressure Tunnel, 13-Inch Magnetic Suspension & Balance System, 14-by 22-Foot Subsonic Tunnel, 16-Foot Transonic Tunnel, 16-by 24-Inch Water Tunnel, 20-Foot Vertical Spin Tunnel, 30-by 60-Foot Wind Tunnel, Advanced Civil Transport Simulator (ACTS), Advanced Technology Research Laboratory, Aerospace Controls Research Laboratory (ACRL), Aerothermal Loads Complex, Aircraft Landing Dynamics Facility (ALDF), Avionics Integration Research Laboratory, Basic Aerodynamics Research Tunnel (BART), Compact Range Test Facility, Differential Maneuvering Simulator (DMS), Enhanced/Synthetic Vision & Spatial Displays Laboratory, Experimental Test Range (ETR) Flight Research Facility, General Aviation Simulator (GAS), High Intensity Radiated Fields Facility, Human Engineering Methods Laboratory, Hypersonic Facilities Complex, Impact Dynamics Research Facility, Jet Noise Laboratory & Anechoic Jet Facility, Light Alloy Laboratory, Low Frequency Antenna Test Facility, Low Turbulence Pressure Tunnel, Mechanics of Metals Laboratory, National Transonic Facility (NTF), NDE Research Laboratory, Polymers & Composites Laboratory, Pyrotechnic Test Facility, Quiet Flow Facility, Robotics Facilities, Scientific Visualization System, Scramjet Test Complex, Space Materials Research Laboratory, Space Simulation & Environmental Test Complex, Structural Dynamics Research Laboratory, Structural Dynamics Test Beds, Structures & Materials Research Laboratory, Supersonic Low Disturbance Pilot Tunnel, Thermal Acoustic Fatigue Apparatus (TAFA), Transonic Dynamics Tunnel (TDT), Transport Systems Research Vehicle, Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel, and the Visual Motion Simulator (VMS).

Construction of the Propulsion Systems Laboratory No. 1 and 2

NASA Image and Video Library

1951-01-21

Construction of the Propulsion Systems Laboratory No. 1 and 2 at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory. When it began operation in late 1952, the Propulsion Systems Laboratory was the NACA’s most powerful facility for testing full-scale engines at simulated flight altitudes. The facility contained two altitude simulating test chambers which were a technological combination of the static sea-level test stands and the complex Altitude Wind Tunnel, which recreated actual flight conditions on a larger scale. NACA Lewis began designing the new facility in 1947 as part of a comprehensive plan to improve the altitude testing capabilities across the lab. The exhaust, refrigeration, and combustion air systems from all the major test facilities were linked. In this way, different facilities could be used to complement the capabilities of one another. Propulsion Systems Laboratory construction began in late summer 1949 with the installation of an overhead exhaust pipe connecting the facility to the Altitude Wind Tunnel and Engine Research Building. The large test section pieces arriving in early 1951, when this photograph was taken. The two primary coolers for the altitude exhaust are in place within the framework near the center of the photograph.

The deep space network, volume 16

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1973-01-01

The objectives, functions, and organization of the DSN are summarized, and the instrumentation facility, ground communication facility, and the network control system are described. The requirements for supporting planetary flight projects are discussed along with the research and technology for tracking, navigation, network control, and data processing.

A Qualitative Piloted Evaluation of the Tupolev Tu-144 Supersonic Transport

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rivers, Robert A.; Jackson, E. Bruce; Fullerton, C. Gordon; Cox, Timothy H.; Princen, Norman H.

2000-01-01

Two U.S. research pilots evaluated the Tupolev Tu-144 supersonic transport aircraft on three dedicated flights: one subsonic and two supersonic profiles. The flight profiles and maneuvers were developed jointly by Tupolev and U.S. engineers. The vehicle was found to have unique operational and flight characteristics that serve as lessons for designers of future supersonic transport aircraft. Vehicle subsystems and observed characteristics are described as are flight test planning and ground monitoring facilities. Maneuver descriptions and extended pilot narratives for each flight are included as appendices.

Pegasus Mated to B-52 Mothership - First Flight

NASA Image and Video Library

1989-11-09

The Pegasus air-launched space booster is carried aloft under the right wing of NASA's B-52 carrier aircraft on its first captive flight from the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The first of two scheduled captive flights was completed on November 9, 1989. Pegasus is used to launch satellites into low-earth orbits cheaply. In 1997, a Pegasus rocket booster was also modified to test a hypersonic experiment (PHYSX). An experimental "glove," installed on a section of its wing, housed hundreds of temperature and pressure sensors that sent hypersonic flight data to ground tracking facilities during the experiment’s flight.

X-43A Undergoing Controlled Radio Frequency Testing in the Benefield Anechoic Facility at Edwards Ai

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

The X-43A Hypersonic Experimental (Hyper-X) Vehicle hangs suspended in the cavernous Benefield Aenechoic Facility at Edwards Air Force Base during radio frequency tests in January 2000. Hyper-X, the flight vehicle for which is designated as X-43A, is an experimental flight-research program seeking to demonstrate airframe-integrated, 'air-breathing' engine technologies that promise to increase payload capacity for future vehicles, including hypersonic aircraft (faster than Mach 5) and reusable space launchers. This multiyear program is currently underway at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The Hyper-X schedule calls for its first flight later this year (2000). Hyper-X is a joint program, with Dryden sharing responsibility with NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. Dryden's primary role is to fly three unpiloted X-43A research vehicles to validate engine technologies and hypersonic design tools as well as the hypersonic test facility at Langley. Langley manages the program and leads the technology development effort. The Hyper-X Program seeks to significantly expand the speed boundaries of air-breathing propulsion by being the first aircraft to demonstrate an airframe-integrated, scramjet-powered free flight. Scramjets (supersonic-combustion ramjets) are ramjet engines in which the airflow through the whole engine remains supersonic. Scramjet technology is challenging because only limited testing can be performed in ground facilities. Long duration, full-scale testing requires flight research. Scramjet engines are air-breathing, capturing their oxygen from the atmosphere. Current spacecraft, such as the Space Shuttle, are rocket powered, so they must carry both fuel and oxygen for propulsion. Scramjet technology-based vehicles need to carry only fuel. By eliminating the need to carry oxygen, future hypersonic vehicles will be able to carry heavier payloads. Another unique aspect of the X-43A vehicle is the airframe integration. The body of the vehicle itself forms critical elements of the engine. The forebody acts as part of the intake for airflow and the aft section serves as the nozzle. The X-43A vehicles were manufactured by Micro Craft, Inc., Tullahoma, Tennessee. Orbital Sciences Corporation, Chandler, Arizona, built the Pegasus rocket booster used to launch the X-43 vehicles. For the Dryden research flights, the Pegasus rocket booster and attached X-43 will be air launched by Dryden's B-52 'Mothership.' After release from the B-52, the booster will accelerate the X-43A vehicle to the established test conditions (Mach 7 to 10) at an altitude of approximately 100,000 feet where the X-43 will separate from the booster and fly under its own power and preprogrammed control.

Spheres: from Ground Development to ISS Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Katterhagen, A.

2016-01-01

SPHERES (Synchronized Position Hold Engage and Reorient Experimental Satellites) is an internal International Space Station (ISS) Facility that supports multiple investigations for the development of multi-spacecraft and robotic control algorithms. The SPHERES National Lab Facility aboard ISS is managed and operated by NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) at Moffett Field California. The SPHERES Facility on ISS consists of three self-contained eight-inch diameter free-floating satellites which perform the various flight algorithms and serve as a platform to support the integration of experimental hardware. SPHERES has served to mature the adaptability of control algorithms of future formation flight missions in microgravity (6 DOF (Degrees of Freedom) / long duration microgravity), demonstrate key close-proximity formation flight and rendezvous and docking maneuvers, understand fault diagnosis and recovery, improve the field of human telerobotic operation and control, and lessons learned on ISS have significant impact on ground robotics, mapping, localization, and sensing in three-dimensions - among several other areas of study.

The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (sofia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gehrz, R. D.; Becklin, E. E.

2010-06-01

The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is a joint U.S./German Project to develop and operate a 2.5-meter infrared airborne telescope in a Boeing 747-SP that flies in the stratosphere at altitudes as high as 45,000 feet and is capable of observations from 0.3 microns to 1.6 mm with an average transmission of greater than 80 percent. SOFIA will be staged out of the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center aircraft operations facility at Palmdale, CA and the SOFIA Science Mission Operations Center (SSMOC) will be located at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA. Open door test flights began in December of 2009. First science flights will begin in 2010, and the number of flights will ramp up annually with a flight rate of over 100 eight to ten hour flights per year expected by 2014. The observatory is expected to operate until the mid 2030's. We review the status of the SOFIA facility and its initial complement of eight focal plane instruments that include broadband imagers, moderate resolution spectrographs that will resolve broad features due to dust and large molecules, and high resolution spectrometers capable of studying the kinematics of molecular and atomic gas lines at km/s resolution.

Rat maintenance in the Research Animal Holding Facility during the flight of Space Lab 3

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fast, T.; Grindeland, R.; Kraft, L.; Ruder, M.; Vasques, M.

1985-01-01

To test the husbandry capabilities of the Research Animal Holding Facility (RAHF) during space flight, 24 male rats were flown on Spacelab 3 for 7 days. Twelve large rats (400 g, LF), 5 of which had telemetry devices implanted (IF), and 12 small rats (200 g, SF) were housed in the RAHF. Examination 3 hr after landing (R + 3) revealed the rats to be free of injury, well nourished, and stained with urine. At R + 10 the rats were lethargic and atonic with hyperemia of the extremities and well groomed except for a middorsal area stained with urine and food. Both LF and SF rats showed weight gains comparable to their IG controls; IF rats grew less than controls. Food and water consumption were similar for flight and control groups. Plasma concentrations of total protein, sodium, albumin and creatinine did not differ between flight and control groups. LF and SF rats had elevated plasma glucose, and SF rats had increased blood urea nitrogen, potassium and glutamic pyruvic transaminase. These observations indicate that rats maintained in the RAHF were healthy, well nourished and experienced minimal stress; physiological changes in the rats can thus be attributed to the effects of space flight.

NASA Successfully Conducts Wallops Rocket Launch with Technology Experiments

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-07-07

NASA successfully launched a NASA Black Brant IX suborbital sounding rocket carrying two space technology demonstration projects at 6:15 a.m. today. The rocket carried the SOAREX-8 Exo-Brake Flight Test from NASA’s Ames Research Center in California and the Radial Core Heat Spreader from NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Ohio. Preliminary analysis shows that data was received on both projects. The payload flew to an altitude of 206 miles and impacted in the Atlantic Ocean approximately 10 minutes after launch. The payload will not be recovered. The flight was conducted through NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. The next launch from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility is a Terrier-Improved Malemute suborbital sounding rocket early in the morning on August 11 carrying the RockSat-X university student payload. For more information on NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, visit: www.nasa.gov/wallops NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

A candidate V/STOL research aircraft design concept using an S-3A aircraft and 2 Pegasus 11 engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lampkin, B. A.

1980-01-01

A candidate V/STOL research aircraft concept which uses an S-3A airframe and two Pegasus 11 engines was studied to identify a feasible V/STOL national flight facility that could be obtained at the lowest possible cost for the demonstration of V/STOL technology, inflight simulation, and flight research. The rationale for choosing the configuration, a description of the configuration, and the capability of a fully developed aircraft are discussed.

A radar data processing and enhancement system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, K. F.; Wrin, J. W.; James, R.

1986-01-01

This report describes the space position data processing system of the NASA Western Aeronautical Test Range. The system is installed at the Dryden Flight Research Facility of NASA Ames Research Center. This operational radar data system (RADATS) provides simultaneous data processing for multiple data inputs and tracking and antenna pointing outputs while performing real-time monitoring, control, and data enhancement functions. Experience in support of the space shuttle and aeronautical flight research missions is described, as well as the automated calibration and configuration functions of the system.

Langley test highlights, 1982

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1983-01-01

A 20 ft vertical spin tunnel, a 30 by 60 ft tunnel, a 7 by 10 ft high speed tunnel, a 4 by 7 meter tunnel, an 8 ft transonic pressure tunnel, a transonic dynamics tunnel, a 16 ft transonic tunnel, a national transonic facility, a 0.3 meter transonic cryogenic tunnel, a unitary plan wind tunnel, a hypersonic facilities complex, an 8 ft high temperature tunnel, an aircraft noise reduction lab, an avionics integration research lab, a DC9 full workload simulator, a transport simulator, a general aviation simulator, an advanced concepts simulator, a mission oriented terminal area simulation (MOTAS), a differential maneuvering simulator, a visual/motion simulator, a vehicle antenna test facility, an impact dynamics research facility, and a flight research facility are all reviewed.

Advanced Plant Habitat Flight Unit #1

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-07-24

Inside a laboratory in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, LED plant growth lights are being checked out on the hardware for the Advanced Plant Habitat flight unit. The flight unit is an exact replica of the APH that was delivered to the International Space Station. Validation tests and post-delivery checkout was performed to prepare for space station in-orbit APH activities. The flight unit will be moved to the International Space Station Environmental Simulator to begin an experiment verification test for the science that will fly on the first mission, PH-01. Developed by NASA and ORBITEC of Madison, Wisconsin, the APH is the largest plant chamber built for the agency. It is a fully automated plant growth facility that will be used to conduct bioscience research on the space station.

NACA Groundbreaking Ceremony

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1953-01-01

The NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station, had initially been subordinate to the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory near Hampton, Virginia, but as the flight research in the Mojave Desert increasingly proved its worth after 1946, it made sense to make the Flight Research Station a separate entity reporting directly to the headquarters of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. But an autonomous center required all the trappings of a major research facility, including good quarters. With the adoption of the Edwards 'Master Plan,' the Air Force had committed itself to moving from its old South Base to a new location midway between the South and North Bases. The NACA would have to move also--so why not take advantage of the situation and move into a full-blown research facility. The Air Force issued a lease to NACA for a location on the northwestern shore of the Roger Dry Lake. Construction started on the NACA station in early February 1953. On a windy day, January 27, 1953, at a groundbreaking ceremony stood left to right: Gerald Truszynski, Head of Instrumentation Division; Joseph Vensel, Head of the Operations Branch; Walter Williams, Head of the Station, scooping the first shovel full of dirt; Marion Kent, Head of Personnel; and California state official Arthur Samet.

Marshall Space Flight Center's Impact Testing Facility Capabilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Evans, Steve; Finchum, Andy; Hubbs, Whitney; Gray, Perry

2008-01-01

Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC) Impact Testing Facility (ITF) serves as an important installation for space and missile related materials science research. The ITF was established and began its research in spacecraft debris shielding in the early 1960s, then played a major role in the International Space Station debris shield development. As NASA became more interested in launch debris and in-flight impact concerns, the ITF grew to include research in a variety of impact genres. Collaborative partnerships with the DoD led to a wider range of impact capabilities being relocated to MSFC as a result of the closure of Particle Impact Facilities in Santa Barbara, California, The Particle Impact Facility had a 30 year history in providing evaluations of aerospace materials and components during flights through rain, ice, and solid particle environments at subsonic through hypersonic velocities. The facility's unique capabilities were deemed a 'National Asset' by the DoD, The ITF now has capabilities including environmental, ballistic, and hypervelocity impact testing utilizing an array of air, powder, and two-stage light gas guns to accommodate a variety of projectile and target types and sizes. Relocated test equipment was dated and in need of upgrade. Numerous upgrades including new instrumentation, triggering circuitry, high speed photography, and optimized sabot designs have been implemented. Other recent research has included rain drop demise characterization tests to obtain data for inclusion in on-going model development. Future ITF improvements will be focused on continued instrumentation and performance enhancements. These enhancements will allow further, more in-depth, characterization of rain drop demise characterization and evaluation of ice crystal impact. Performance enhancements also include increasing the upper velocity limit of the current environmental guns to allow direct environmental simulation for missile components. The current and proposed ITF capabilities range from rain to micrometeoroids allowing the widest test parameter range possible for materials investigations in support of space, atmospheric, and ground environments. These test capabilities including hydrometeor, single/multi-particle, ballistic gas guns, exploding wire gun, and light gas guns combined with Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics Code (SPHC) simulations represent the widest range of impact test capabilities in the country.

Marshall Space Flight Center's Impact Testing Facility Capabilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Evans, Steve; Finchum, Andy; Hubbs, Whitney

2008-01-01

Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC) Impact Testing Facility (ITF) serves as an important installation for space and missile related materials science research. The ITF was established and began its research in spacecraft debris shielding in the early 1960% then played a major role in the International Space Station debris shield development. As NASA became more interested in launch debris and in-flight impact concerns, the ITF grew to include research in a variety of impact genres. Collaborative partnerships with the DoD led to a wider range of impact capabilities being relocated to MSFC as a result of the closure of Particle Impact Facilities in Santa Barbara, California. The Particle Impact Facility had a 30 year history in providing evaluations of aerospace materials and components during flights through rain, ice, and solid particle environments at subsonic through hypersonic velocities. The facility's unique capabilities were deemed a "National Asset" by the DoD. The ITF now has capabilities including environmental, ballistic, and hypervelocity impact testing utilizing an array of air, powder, and two-stage light gas guns to accommodate a variety of projectile and target types and sizes. Relocated test equipment was dated and in need of upgrade. Numerous upgrades including new instrumentation, triggering circuitry, high speed photography, and optimized sabot designs have been implemented. Other recent research has included rain drop demise characterization tests to obtain data for inclusion in on-going model development. Future ITF improvements will be focused on continued instrumentation and performance enhancements. These enhancements will allow further, more in-depth, characterization of rain drop demise characterization and evaluation of ice crystal impact. Performance enhancements also include increasing the upper velocity limit of the current environmental guns to allow direct environmental simulation for missile components. The current and proposed ITF capabilities range from rain to micrometeoroids allowing the widest test parameter range possible for materials investigations in support of space, atmospheric, and ground environments. These test capabilities including hydrometeor, single/multi-particle, ballistic gas grins, exploding wire gun, and light gas guns combined with Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics Code (SPHC) simulations represent the widest range of impact test capabilities in the country.

Flight and mission operations support for Voyager spacecraft launching and Viking-Mars mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1978-01-01

The activities of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory during fiscal year 1976-1977 are summarized. Areas covered include ongoing and planned flight projects, DSN operations and development, research and advanced development in science and engineering, and civil systems projects. In addition, administrative and operational facilities and developments are described.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, Bill Prosser (left) and Eric Madaras, NASA-Langley Research Center, conduct impulse tests on the right wing leading edge (WLE) of Space Shuttle Endeavour. The tests monitor how sound impulses propagate through the WLE area. The data collected will be analyzed to explore the possibility of adding new instrumentation to the wing that could automatically detect debris or micrometeroid impacts on the Shuttle while in flight. The study is part of the initiative ongoing at KSC and around the agency to return the orbiter fleet to flight status.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-10-27

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, Bill Prosser (left) and Eric Madaras, NASA-Langley Research Center, conduct impulse tests on the right wing leading edge (WLE) of Space Shuttle Endeavour. The tests monitor how sound impulses propagate through the WLE area. The data collected will be analyzed to explore the possibility of adding new instrumentation to the wing that could automatically detect debris or micrometeroid impacts on the Shuttle while in flight. The study is part of the initiative ongoing at KSC and around the agency to return the orbiter fleet to flight status.

The Biological Flight Research Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Catherine C.

1991-01-01

NASA Ames Research Center is building a research facility, the Biological Flight Research Facility (BFRF), to meet the needs of life scientists to study the long-term effects of variable gravity on living systems. The facility will be housed on Space Station Freedom and is anticipated to operate for the lifetime of the station, approximately 30 years. It will allow plant and animal biologists to study the role of gravity, or its absence, at varying gravity intensities for varying periods of time and with various organisms. The principal difference between current Spacelab missions and those on Space Station Freedom, other than length of mission, will be the capability to perform on-orbit science procedures and the capability to simulate earth gravity. Initially, the facility will house plants and rodents in habitats which can be maintained at microgravity or can be placed on a 2.5-m diam centrifuge. However, the facility is also being designed to accommodate future habitats for small primates, avian, and aquatic specimens. The centrifuge will provide 1 g for controls and will also be able to provide gravity from 0.01 to 2.0 g for threshold gravity studies as well as hypergravity studies. The BFRF will provide the means to conduct basic experiments to gain an understanding of the effects of microgravity on the structure and function of plants and animals, as well as investigate the role of gravity as a potential countermeasure for the physiological changes observed in microgravity.

Future Challenges in Managing Human Health and Performance Risks for Space Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Corbin, Barbara J.; Barratt, Michael

2013-01-01

The global economy forces many nations to consider their national investments and make difficult decisions regarding their investment in future exploration. To enable safe, reliable, and productive human space exploration, we must pool global resources to understand and mitigate human health & performance risks prior to embarking on human exploration of deep space destinations. Consensus on the largest risks to humans during exploration is required to develop an integrated approach to mitigating risks. International collaboration in human space flight research will focus research on characterizing the effects of spaceflight on humans and the development of countermeasures or systems. Sharing existing data internationally will facilitate high quality research and sufficient power to make sound recommendations. Efficient utilization of ISS and unique ground-based analog facilities allows greater progress. Finally, a means to share results of human research in time to influence decisions for follow-on research, system design, new countermeasures and medical practices should be developed. Although formidable barriers to overcome, International working groups are working to define the risks, establish international research opportunities, share data among partners, share flight hardware and unique analog facilities, and establish forums for timely exchange of results. Representatives from the ISS partnership research and medical communities developed a list of the top ten human health & performance risks and their impact on exploration missions. They also drafted a multilateral data sharing plan to establish guidelines and principles for sharing human spaceflight data. Other working groups are also developing methods to promote international research solicitations. Collaborative use of analog facilities and shared development of space flight research and medical hardware continues. Establishing a forum for exchange of results between researchers, aerospace physicians and program managers takes careful consideration of researcher concerns and decision maker needs. Active participation by researchers in the development of this forum is essential, and the benefit can be tremendous. The ability to rapidly respond to research results without compromising publication rights and intellectual property will facilitate timely reduction in human health and performance risks in support of international exploration missions.

Shock Tunnel Studies of Scramjet Phenomena 1993

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stalker, R. J.; Bakos, R. J.; Morgan, R. G.; Porter, L.; Mee, D.; Paull, A.; Tuttle, S.; Simmons, J. M.; Wendt, M.; Skinner, K.

1995-01-01

Reports by the staff of the University of Queensland on various research studies related to the advancement of scramjet technology and hypervelocity pulse test facilities are presented. These reports document the tests conducted in the reflected shock tunnel T4 and supporting research facilities that have been used to study the injection, mixing, and combustion of hydrogen fuel in generic scramjets at flow conditions typical of hypersonic flight. In addition, topics include the development of instrumentation and measurement technology, such as combustor wall shear and stream composition in pulse facilities, and numerical studies and analyses of the scramjet combustor process and the test facility operation. This research activity is Supplement 10 under NASA Grant NAGw-674.

KSC-03PD-2644

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. Employees check out the new chamber facilities of the Space Life Sciences Lab (SLSL), formerly known as the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory (SERPL). From left are Ray Wheeler, with NASA; Debbie Wells and Larry Burns, with Dynamac; A.O. Rule, president of Environmental Growth Chambers, Inc. (ECG); Neil Yorio, with Dynamac; and John Wiezchowski, with ECG. The SLSL is a state-of-the-art facility being built for ISS biotechnology research. Developed as a partnership between NASA-KSC and the State of Florida, NASAs life sciences contractor will be the primary tenant of the facility, leasing space to conduct flight experiment processing and NASA- sponsored research. About 20 percent of the facility will be available for use by Floridas university researchers through the Florida Space Research Institute.

Status report on the activities of National Balloon Facility at Hyderabad

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shankarnarayan, Sreenivasan; S, Sreenivasan; Shankarnarayan, Sreenivasan; Manchanda, R. K.; Subba Rao Jonnalagadda, Venkata; Buduru, Suneelkumar

National balloon facility at Hyderabad has been mandated to provide launch support for Indian and International scientific balloon experiments and also perform the necessary research and development in the design and fabrication of plastic balloons. In the last 4 years, since our last report, NBF has launched many successful balloon flights for the astronomy payloads and a large number of high altitude GPS Sonde flights at different places in the country. We have also continued our efforts on qualification of raw materials for zero-failure performance of our balloons and major focus on upgrading of various facilities and load-line instrumentation for launching from remote sites. We foresee a surge of balloon based experimental activity for in-situ measurements in atmospheric sciences and concept validation payloads for future space based instruments. A new centre for research in Environmental Sciences and Payload Engineering (ESPE) has also been set up at the National Balloon Facility campus to develop and conduct research in various aspects of Environmental sciences in collaboration with other groups, with a specific goal to identify, development of advanced technologies leading to an improved understanding of the earth system. The Payload Engineering facility is geared to the Design and Fabrication of Micro and Nano Satellites and will act as Inter -University Centre for payload fabrication. In this paper we present an overview of the present and planned activities in scientific ballooning at National Balloon Facility Hyderabad.

Operational requirements for flight control and navigation systems for short haul transport aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morrison, J. A.

1978-01-01

To provide a background for evaluating advanced STOL systems concepts, a number of short haul and STOL airline operations in the United States and one operation in Canada were studied. A study of flight director operational procedures for an advanced STOL research airplane, the Augmented Wing Jet STOL Research Airplane, was conducted using the STOLAND simulation facility located at the Ames Changes to the advanced digital flight control system (STOLAND) installed in the Augmentor Wing Airplane are proposed to improve the mode sequencing to simplify pilot procedures and reduce pilot workload.

NASA Johnson Space Center Biomedical Research Resources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Paloski, W. H.

1999-01-01

Johnson Space Center (JSC) medical sciences laboratories constitute a national resource for support of medical operations and life sciences research enabling a human presence in space. They play a critical role in evaluating, defining, and mitigation the untoward effect of human adaption to space flight. Over the years they have developed the unique facilities and expertise required to perform: biomedical sample analysis and physiological performance tests supporting medical evaluations of space flight crew members and scientific investigations of the operationally relevant medical, physiological, cellular, and biochemical issues associated with human space flight. A general overview of these laboratories is presented in viewgraph form.

Probes Measure Gases for Environmental Research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2015-01-01

NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 satellite will make the first space-based measurements of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere. In support of the mission, Goddard Space Flight Center will fly air missions from Wallops Flight Facility to gather finer-grained data in areas of interest. Goddard started working with Blacksburg, Virginia-based Aeroprobe Corporation through the SBIR program in 2008 to develop sensors for such flights, and the company has since commercialized the resulting product.

International Space Station Medical Projects - Full Services to Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pietrzyk, R. A.; Primeaux, L. L.; Wood, S. J.; Vessay, W. B.; Platts, S. H.

2018-01-01

The International Space Station Medical Projects (ISSMP) Element provides planning, integration, and implementation services for HRP research studies for both spaceflight and flight analog research. Through the implementation of these two efforts, ISSMP offers an innovative way of guiding research decisions to meet the unique challenges of understanding the human risks to space exploration. Flight services provided by ISSMP include leading informed consent briefings, developing and validating in-flight crew procedures, providing ISS crew and ground-controller training, real-time experiment monitoring, on-orbit experiment and hardware operations and facilitating data transfer to investigators. For analog studies at the NASA Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA), the ISSMP team provides subject recruitment and screening, science requirements integration, data collection schedules, data sharing agreements, mission scenarios and facilities to support investigators. The ISSMP also serves as the HRP interface to external analog providers including the :envihab bed rest facility (Cologne, Germany), NEK isolation chamber (Moscow, Russia) and the Antarctica research stations. Investigators working in either spaceflight or analog environments requires a coordinated effort between NASA and the investigators. The interdisciplinary nature of both flight and analog research requires investigators to be aware of concurrent research studies and take into account potential confounding factors that may impact their research objectives. Investigators must define clear research requirements, participate in Investigator Working Group meetings, obtain human use approvals, and provide study-specific training, sample and data collection and procedures all while adhering to schedule deadlines. These science requirements define the technical, functional and performance operations to meet the research objectives. The ISSMP maintains an expert team of professionals with the knowledge and experience to guide investigators science through all aspects of mission planning, crew operations, and research integration. During this session, the ISSMP team will discuss best-practices approaches for successfully preparing and conducting studies in both the flight and analog environments. Critical tips and tricks will be shown to greatly improve your chances of successfully completing your research aboard the International Space Station and in Spaceflight Analogs.

Sonic Booms in Atmospheric Turbulence (SonicBAT) Testing

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-08-23

A motorized glider prepares to take off from the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Flying with its engine off, the glider will be positioned above the 14,000-foot level to measure sonic booms created by agency F-18 jets to measure the effects of sonic booms. Several flights a day have been taking place the week of Aug. 21, 2017 as part of NASA's Sonic Booms in Atmospheric Turbulence, or SonicBAT II Program. NASA at Kennedy is partnering with the agency's Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, Langley Research Center in Virginia, and Space Florida for a program in which F-18 jets will take off from the Shuttle Landing Facility and fly at supersonic speeds while agency researchers measure the effects of low-altitude turbulence caused by sonic booms.

Sonic Booms in Atmospheric Turbulence (SonicBAT) Testing

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-08-23

A motorized glider has taken off from the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Flying with its engine off, the glider will be positioned above the 14,000-foot level to measure sonic booms created by agency F-18 jets to measure the effects of sonic booms. Several flights a day have been taking place the week of Aug. 21, 2017 as part of NASA's Sonic Booms in Atmospheric Turbulence, or SonicBAT II Program. NASA at Kennedy is partnering with the agency's Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, Langley Research Center in Virginia, and Space Florida for a program in which F-18 jets will take off from the Shuttle Landing Facility and fly at supersonic speeds while agency researchers measure the effects of low-altitude turbulence caused by sonic booms.

In-flight acoustic results from an advanced-design propeller at Mach numbers to 0.8

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mackall, K. G.; Lasagna, P. L.; Walsh, K.; Dittmar, J. H.

1982-01-01

Acoustic data for the advanced-design SR-3 propeller at Mach numbers to 0.8 and helical tip Mach numbers to 1.14 are presented. Several advanced-design propellers, previously tested in wind tunnels at the Lewis Research Center, are being tested in flight at the Dryden Flight Research Facility. The flight-test propellers are mounted on a pylon on the top of the fuselage of a JetStar airplane. Instrumentation provides near-field acoustic data for the SR-3. Acoustic data for the SR-3 propeller at Mach numbers up to 0.8, for propeller helical tip Mach numbers up to 1.14, and comparison of wind tunnel to flight data are included. Flowfield profiles measured in the area adjacent to the propeller are also included.

First Materials Science Research Facility Rack Capabilities and Design Features

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cobb, S.; Higgins, D.; Kitchens, L.; Curreri, Peter (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The first Materials Science Research Rack (MSRR-1) is the primary facility for U.S. sponsored materials science research on the International Space Station. MSRR-1 is contained in an International Standard Payload Rack (ISPR) equipped with the Active Rack Isolation System (ARIS) for the best possible microgravity environment. MSRR-1 will accommodate dual Experiment Modules and provide simultaneous on-orbit processing operations capability. The first Experiment Module for the MSRR-1, the Materials Science Laboratory (MSL), is an international cooperative activity between NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and the European Space Agency's (ESA) European Space Research and Technology Center (ESTEC). The MSL Experiment Module will accommodate several on-orbit exchangeable experiment-specific Module Inserts which provide distinct thermal processing capabilities. Module Inserts currently planned for the MSL are a Quench Module Insert, Low Gradient Furnace, and a Solidification with Quench Furnace. The second Experiment Module for the MSRR-1 configuration is a commercial device supplied by MSFC's Space Products Development (SPD) Group. Transparent furnace assemblies include capabilities for vapor transport processes and annealing of glass fiber preforms. This Experiment Module is replaceable on-orbit. This paper will describe facility capabilities, schedule to flight and research opportunities.

NASA Research Announcement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chiaramonte, Fran

2002-01-01

This paper presents viewgraphs of NASA's strategic and fundamental research program at the Office of Biological and Physical Research (OBPR). The topics include: 1) Colloid-Polymer Samples; 2) Pool Boiling Experiment; 3) The Dynamics of Miscible Interfaces: A Space Flight Experiment (MIDAS); and 4) ISS and Ground-based Facilities.

Sonic Booms in Atmospheric Turbulence (SonicBAT) Testing

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-08-22

An engineer in a control trailer at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida monitors data before flights of agency F-18 jets to measure the effects of sonic booms. Several flights a day have been taking place the week of Aug. 21, 2017 as part of NASA's Sonic Booms in Atmospheric Turbulence, or SonicBAT II Program. NASA at Kennedy is partnering with the agency's Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, Langley Research Center in Virginia, and Space Florida for a program in which F-18 jets will take off from the Shuttle Landing Facility and fly at supersonic speeds while agency researchers measure the effects of low-altitude turbulence caused by sonic booms.

NASA Microgravity Combustion Science Research Plans for the ISS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sutliff, Thomas J.

2003-01-01

A peer-reviewed research program in Microgravity Combustion Science has been chartered by the Physical Sciences Research Division of the NASA Office of Biological and Physical Research. The scope of these investigations address both fundamental combustion phenomena and applied combustion research topics of interest to NASA. From this pool of research, flight investigations are selected which benefit from access to a microgravity environment. Fundamental research provides insights to develop accurate simulations of complex combustion processes and allows developers to improve the efficiency of combustion devices, to reduce the production of harmful emissions, and to reduce the incidence of accidental uncontrolled combustion (fires, explosions). Through its spacecraft fire safety program, applied research is conducted to decrease risks to humans living and working in space. The Microgravity Combustion Science program implements a structured flight research process utilizing the International Space Station (ISS) and two of its premier facilities- the Combustion Integrated Rack of the Fluids and Combustion Facility and the Microgravity Science Glovebox - to conduct space-based research investigations. This paper reviews the current plans for Microgravity Combustion Science research on the International Space Station from 2003 through 2012.

NASA's Zero-g aircraft operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, R. K.

1988-01-01

NASA's Zero-g aircraft, operated by the Johnson Space Center, provides the unique weightless or zero-g environment of space flight for hardware development and test and astronaut training purposes. The program, which began in 1959, uses a slightly modified Boeing KC-135A aircraft, flying a parabolic trajectory, to produce weightless periods of 20 to 25 seconds. The program has supported the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz and Shuttle programs as well as a number of unmanned space operations. Typical experiments for flight in the aircraft have included materials processing experiments, welding, fluid manipulation, cryogenics, propellant tankage, satellite deployment dynamics, planetary sciences research, crew training with weightless indoctrination, space suits, tethers, etc., and medical studies including vestibular research. The facility is available to microgravity research organizations on a cost-reimbursable basis, providing a large, hands-on test area for diagnostic and support equipment for the Principal Investigators and providing an iterative-type design approach to microgravity experiment development. The facility allows concepts to be proven and baseline experimentation to be accomplished relatively inexpensively prior to committing to the large expense of a space flight.

Highly integrated digital electronic control: Digital flight control, aircraft model identification, and adaptive engine control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baer-Riedhart, Jennifer L.; Landy, Robert J.

1987-01-01

The highly integrated digital electronic control (HIDEC) program at NASA Ames Research Center, Dryden Flight Research Facility is a multiphase flight research program to quantify the benefits of promising integrated control systems. McDonnell Aircraft Company is the prime contractor, with United Technologies Pratt and Whitney Aircraft, and Lear Siegler Incorporated as major subcontractors. The NASA F-15A testbed aircraft was modified by the HIDEC program by installing a digital electronic flight control system (DEFCS) and replacing the standard F100 (Arab 3) engines with F100 engine model derivative (EMD) engines equipped with digital electronic engine controls (DEEC), and integrating the DEEC's and DEFCS. The modified aircraft provides the capability for testing many integrated control modes involving the flight controls, engine controls, and inlet controls. This paper focuses on the first two phases of the HIDEC program, which are the digital flight control system/aircraft model identification (DEFCS/AMI) phase and the adaptive engine control system (ADECS) phase.

Drones for aerodynamic and structural testing /DAST/ - A status report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murrow, H. N.; Eckstrom, C. V.

1978-01-01

A program for providing research data on aerodynamic loads and active control systems on wings with supercritical airfoils in the transonic speed range is described. Analytical development, wind tunnel tests, and flight tests are included. A Firebee II target drone vehicle has been modified for use as a flight test facility. The program currently includes flight experiments on two aeroelastic research wings. The primary purpose of the first flight experiment is to demonstrate an active control system for flutter suppression on a transport-type wing. Design and fabrication of the wing are complete and after installing research instrumentation and the flutter suppression system, flight testing is expected to begin in early 1979. The experiment on the second research wing - a fuel-conservative transport type - is to demonstrate multiple active control systems including flutter suppression, maneuver load alleviation, gust load alleviation, and reduce static stability. Of special importance for this second experiment is the development and validation of integrated design methods which include the benefits of active controls in the structural design.

Western Aeronautical Test Range

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sakahara, Robert D.

2008-01-01

This viewgraph presentation reviews the work of the Western Aeronautical Test Range (WATR). NASA's Western Aeronautical Test Range is a network of facilities used to support aeronautical research, science missions, exploration system concepts, and space operations. The WATR resides at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center located at Edwards Air Force Base, California. The WATR is a part of NASA's Corporate Management of Aeronautical Facilities and funded by the Strategic Capability Asset Program (SCAP). Maps show the general location of the WATR area that is used for aeronautical testing and evaluation. The products, services and facilities of WATR are discussed,

The Future of New Discoveries on the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schlagheck, Ronald; Trach, Brian

2000-01-01

The Materials Science program is one of the five Microgravity research disciplines in NASA's Human Exploration and Development of Space (HEDS). This research uses the low gravity environment to obtain the fundamental understanding of various phenomena effects and it's relationship to structure, processing, and properties of materials. The International Space Station (ISS) will complete the first major assembly phase within the next year thus providing the opportunity for on-orbit research and scientific utilization in early 2001. Research will become routine as the final Space Station configuration is completed. Accommodations will support a variety of Materials Science payload hardware both in the US and international partner modules. This paper addresses the current scope of the flight investigator program that will utilize the various capabilities on ISS. The type of research and classification of materials that are addressed using multiple types of flight apparatus will be explained. The various flight and ground facilities that are used to support the NASA program are described. The early utilization schedule for the materials science payloads with associated hardware will be covered. The Materials Science Research Facility and related international experiment modules serves as the foundation for this capability. The potential applications and technologies obtained from the Materials Science program are described.

Overview of Dynamic Test Techniques for Flight Dynamics Research at NASA LaRC (Invited)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Owens, D. Bruce; Brandon, Jay M.; Croom, Mark A.; Fremaux, C. Michael; Heim, Eugene H.; Vicroy, Dan D.

2006-01-01

An overview of dynamic test techniques used at NASA Langley Research Center on scale models to obtain a comprehensive flight dynamics characterization of aerospace vehicles is presented. Dynamic test techniques have been used at Langley Research Center since the 1920s. This paper will provide a partial overview of the current techniques available at Langley Research Center. The paper will discuss the dynamic scaling necessary to address the often hard-to-achieve similitude requirements for these techniques. Dynamic test techniques are categorized as captive, wind tunnel single degree-of-freedom and free-flying, and outside free-flying. The test facilities, technique specifications, data reduction, issues and future work are presented for each technique. The battery of tests conducted using the Blended Wing Body aircraft serves to illustrate how the techniques, when used together, are capable of characterizing the flight dynamics of a vehicle over a large range of critical flight conditions.

Cold-welding test environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, J. T.

1972-01-01

A flight test was conducted and compared with ground test data. Sixteen typical spacecraft material couples were mounted on an experimental research satellite in which a motor intermittently drove the spherical moving specimens across the faces of the fixed flat specimens in an oscillating motion. Friction coefficients were measured over a period of 14-month orbital time. Surface-to-surface sliding was found to be the controlling factor of generating friction in a vacuum environment. Friction appears to be independent of passive vacuum exposure time. Prelaunch and postlaunch tests identical to the flight test were performed in an oil-diffusion-pumped ultrahigh vacuum chamber. Only 50% of the resultant data agreed with the flight data owing to pump oil contamination. Identical ground tests were run in an ultrahigh vacuum facility and a ion-pumped vacuum chamber. The agreement (90%) between data from these tests and flight data established the adequacy of these test environments and facilities.

The Mothball, Sustainment, and Proposed Reactivation of the Hypersonic Tunnel Facility (HTF) at NASA Glenn Research Center Plum Brook Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomas, Scott R.; Lee, Jinho; Stephens, John W.; Hostler, Robert W., Jr.; VonKamp, William D.

2010-01-01

The Hypersonic Tunnel Facility (HTF) located at the NASA Glenn Research Center s Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio, is the nation s only large-scale, non-vitiated, hypersonic propulsion test facility. The HTF, with its 4-story graphite induction heater, is capable of duplicating Mach 5, 6, and 7 flight conditions. This unique propulsion system test facility has experienced several standby and reactivation cycles. The intent of the paper is to overview the HTF capabilities to the propulsion community, present the current status of HTF, and share the lessons learned from putting a large-scale facility into mothball status for a later restart

Aerial Views of KSC

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-07-23

The Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory (SERPL) is a major new research facility under construction at the International Space Research Park located on KSC. At right is S.R. 3, which leads into the Center from Merritt Island. Being developed as a partnership between KSC and the State of Florida, SERPL will serve as the primary gateway to the International Space Station for science experiments and as a world-class home to ground-based investigations in fundamental and applied biological science. NASA’s life sciences contractor will be the primary tenant of the facility, leasing space to conduct flight experiment processing and NASA-sponsored research. About 20 percent of the facility will be available for use by Florida’s university researchers through the Florida Space Research Institute.

Kopra in JPM

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-07-29

ISS020-E-026299 (29 July 2009) --- Astronaut Tim Kopra, Expedition 20 flight engineer, works at the Protein Crystallization Research Facility (PCRF) in the Kibo laboratory of the International Space Station.

Kopra in JPM

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-07-29

ISS020-E-026298 (29 July 2009) --- Astronaut Tim Kopra, Expedition 20 flight engineer, works at the Protein Crystallization Research Facility (PCRF) in the Kibo laboratory of the International Space Station.

Light airplane crash tests at impact velocities of 13 and 27 m/sec

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alfaro-Bou, E.; Vaughan, V. L., Jr.

1977-01-01

Two similar general aviation airplanes were crash tested at the Langley impact dynamics research facility at velocities of 13 and 27 m/sec. Other flight parameters were held constant. The facility, instrumentation, tests specimens, and test method are briefly described. Structural damage and accelerometer data are discussed.

Crew systems and flight station concepts for a 1995 transport aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sexton, G. A.

1983-01-01

Aircraft functional systems and crew systems were defined for a 1995 transport aircraft through a process of mission analysis, preliminary design, and evaluation in a soft mockup. This resulted in a revolutionary pilot's desk flight station design featuring an all-electric aircraft, fly-by-wire/light flight and thrust control systems, large electronic color head-down displays, head-up displays, touch panel controls for aircraft functional systems, voice command and response systems, and air traffic control systems projected for the 1990s. The conceptual aircraft, for which crew systems were designed, is a generic twin-engine wide-body, low-wing transport, capable of worldwide operation. The flight control system consists of conventional surfaces (some employed in unique ways) and new surfaces not used on current transports. The design will be incorporated into flight simulation facilities at NASA-Langley, NASA-Ames, and the Lockheed-Georgia Company. When interfaced with advanced air traffic control system models, the facilities will provide full-mission capability for researching issues affecting transport aircraft flight stations and crews of the 1990s.

An American knowledge base in England - Alternate implementations of an expert system flight status monitor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Butler, G. F.; Graves, A. T.; Disbrow, J. D.; Duke, E. L.

1989-01-01

A joint activity between the Dryden Flight Research Facility of the NASA Ames Research Center (Ames-Dryden) and the Royal Aerospace Establishment (RAE) on knowledge-based systems has been agreed. Under the agreement, a flight status monitor knowledge base developed at Ames-Dryden has been implemented using the real-time AI (artificial intelligence) toolkit MUSE, which was developed in the UK. Here, the background to the cooperation is described and the details of the flight status monitor and a prototype MUSE implementation are presented. It is noted that the capabilities of the expert-system flight status monitor to monitor data downlinked from the flight test aircraft and to generate information on the state and health of the system for the test engineers provides increased safety during flight testing of new systems. Furthermore, the expert-system flight status monitor provides the systems engineers with ready access to the large amount of information required to describe a complex aircraft system.

Experience with synchronous and asynchronous digital control systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Regenie, V. A.; Chacon, C. V.; Lock, W. P.

1986-01-01

Flight control systems have undergone a revolution since the days of simple mechanical linkages; presently the most advanced systems are full-authority, full-time digital systems controlling unstable aircraft. With the use of advanced control systems, the aerodynamic design can incorporate features that allow greater performance and fuel savings, as can be seen on the new Airbus design and advanced tactical fighter concepts. These advanced aircraft will be and are relying on the flight control system to provide the stability and handling qualities required for safe flight and to allow the pilot to control the aircraft. Various design philosophies have been proposed and followed to investigate system architectures for these advanced flight control systems. One major area of discussion is whether a multichannel digital control system should be synchronous or asynchronous. This paper addressed the flight experience at the Dryden Flight Research Facility of NASA's Ames Research Center with both synchronous and asynchronous digital flight control systems. Four different flight control systems are evaluated against criteria such as software reliability, cost increases, and schedule delays.

14 CFR 135.97 - Aircraft and facilities for recent flight experience.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Aircraft and facilities for recent flight experience. 135.97 Section 135.97 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF... Flight Operations § 135.97 Aircraft and facilities for recent flight experience. Each certificate holder...

14 CFR 135.97 - Aircraft and facilities for recent flight experience.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Aircraft and facilities for recent flight experience. 135.97 Section 135.97 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF... Flight Operations § 135.97 Aircraft and facilities for recent flight experience. Each certificate holder...

14 CFR 135.97 - Aircraft and facilities for recent flight experience.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Aircraft and facilities for recent flight experience. 135.97 Section 135.97 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF... Flight Operations § 135.97 Aircraft and facilities for recent flight experience. Each certificate holder...

14 CFR 135.97 - Aircraft and facilities for recent flight experience.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Aircraft and facilities for recent flight experience. 135.97 Section 135.97 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF... Flight Operations § 135.97 Aircraft and facilities for recent flight experience. Each certificate holder...

14 CFR 135.97 - Aircraft and facilities for recent flight experience.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Aircraft and facilities for recent flight experience. 135.97 Section 135.97 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF... Flight Operations § 135.97 Aircraft and facilities for recent flight experience. Each certificate holder...

Preliminary design features of the RASCAL - A NASA/Army rotorcraft in-flight simulator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aiken, Edwin W.; Jacobsen, Robert A.; Eshow, Michelle M.; Hindson, William S.; Doane, Douglas H.

1992-01-01

Salient design features of a new NASA/Army research rotorcraft - the Rotorcraft Aircrew Systems Concepts Airborne Laboratory (RASCAL) - are described. Using a UH-60A Black Hawk helicopter as a baseline vehicle, the RASCAL will be a flying laboratory capable of supporting the research requirements of major NASA and Army guidance, control, and display research programs. The paper describes the research facility requirements of these programs together with other critical constraints on the design of the research system, including safety-of-flight. Research program schedules demand a phased development approach, wherein specific research capability milestones are met and flight research projects are flown throughout the complete development cycle of the RASCAL. This development approach is summarized, and selected features of the research system are described. The research system includes a full-authority, programmable, fault-tolerant/fail-safe, fly-by-wire flight control system and a real-time obstacle detection and avoidance system which will generate low-latitude guidance commands to the pilot on a wide field-of-view, color helmet-mounted display.

Preliminary design features of the RASCAL: A NASA /Army rotorcraft in-flight simulator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aiken, Edwin W.; Jacobsen, Robert A.; Eshow, Michelle M.; Hindson, William S.; Doane, Douglas H.

1993-01-01

Salient design features of a new NASA/Army research rotorcraft - the Rotorcraft-Aircrew Systems Concepts Airborne Laboratory (RASCAL) - are described. Using a UH-60A Black Hawk helicopter as a baseline vehicle, the RASCAL will be a flying laboratory capable of supporting the research requirements of major NASA and Army guidance, control, and display research programs. The paper describes the research facility requirements of these programs together with other critical constraints on the design of the research system, including safety-of-flight. Research program schedules demand a phased development approach, wherein specific research capability milestones are met and flight research projects are flown throughout the complete development cycle of the RASCAL. This development approach is summarized, and selected features of the research system are described. The research system includes a full-authority, programmable, fault-tolerant/fail-safe, fly-by-wire flight control system and a real-time obstacle detection and avoidance system which will generate low-altitude guidance commands to the pilot on a wide field-of-view, color helmet-mounted display.

Entrance to the NACA's Flight Propulsion Research Laboratory

NASA Image and Video Library

1948-08-21

The sign near the entrance of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) Flight Propulsion Research Laboratory. The name was changed several weeks later to the Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory in honor of the NACA’s former Director of Aeronautical Research, George W. Lewis. The research laboratory has had five different names since its inception in 1941. The Cleveland laboratory was originally known as the NACA Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory. In 1947 it was renamed the NACA Flight Propulsion Research Laboratory to reflect the expansion of the research activities beyond just engines. Following the death of George Lewis, the name was changed to the NACA Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory in September 1948. On October 1, 1958, the lab was incorporated into the new NASA space agency, and it was renamed the NASA Lewis Research Center. Following John Glenn’s flight on the space shuttle, the name was changed again to the NASA Glenn Research Center on March 1, 1999. From his office in Washington DC, George Lewis managed the aeronautical research conducted at the NACA for over 20 years. His most important accomplishment, however, may have been an investigative tour of German research facilities in the fall of 1936. The visit resulted in the broadening of the scope of the NACA’s research and the physical expansion that included the new engine laboratory in Cleveland.

STS-58 Landing at Edwards with Drag Chute

NASA Image and Video Library

1993-11-01

A drag chute slows the space shuttle Columbia as it rolls to a perfect landing concluding NASA's longest mission at that time, STS-58, at the Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility (later redesignated the Dryden Flight Research Center), Edwards, California, with a 8:06 a.m. (PST) touchdown 1 November 1993 on Edward's concrete runway 22. The planned 14 day mission, which began with a launch from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, at 7:53 a.m. (PDT), October 18, was the second spacelab flight dedicated to life sciences research. Seven Columbia crewmembers performed a series of experiments to gain more knowledge on how the human body adapts to the weightless environment of space. Crewmembers on this flight included: John Blaha, commander; Rick Searfoss, pilot; payload commander Rhea Seddon; mission specialists Bill MacArthur, David Wolf, and Shannon Lucid; and payload specialist Martin Fettman.

PIK-20 Aircraft in Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

This photo shows NASA's PIK-20E motor-glider sailplane during a research flight from the Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility (later, the Dryden Flight Research Center), Edwards, California, in 1991. The PIK-20E was a sailplane flown at NASA's Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility (now Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California) beginning in 1981. The vehicle, bearing NASA tail number 803, was used as a research vehicle on projects calling for high lift-over-drag and low-speed performance. Later NASA used the PIK-20E to study the flow of fluids over the aircraft's surface at various speeds and angles of attack as part of a study of airflow efficiency over lifting surfaces. The single-seat aircraft was used to begin developing procedures for collecting sailplane glide performance data in a program carried out by Ames-Dryden. It was also used to study high-lift aerodynamics and laminar flow on high-lift airfoils. Built by Eiri-Avion in Finland, the PIK-20E is a sailplane with a two-cylinder 43-horsepower, retractable engine. It is made of carbon fiber with sandwich construction. In this unique configuration, it takes off and climbs to altitude on its own. After reaching the desired altitude, the engine is shut down and folded back into the fuselage and the aircraft is then operated as a conventional sailplane. Construction of the PIK-20E series was rather unusual. The factory used high-temperature epoxies cured in an autoclave, making the structure resistant to deformation with age. Unlike today's normal practice of laying glass over gelcoat in a mold, the PIK-20E was built without gelcoat. The finish is the result of smooth glass lay-up, a small amount of filler, and an acrylic enamel paint. The sailplane was 21.4 feet long and had a wingspan of 49.2 feet. It featured a wooden, fixed-pitch propeller, a roomy cockpit, wingtip wheels, and a steerable tailwheel.

Shock tunnel studies of scramjet phenomena, supplement 8

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stalker, R. J.; Hollis, P.; Allen, G. A.; Roberts, G. T.; Tuttle, S.; Bakos, R. J.; Morgan, R. G.; Pulsonetti, M. V.; Brescianini, C.; Buttsworth, D. R.

1993-01-01

Reports by the staff of the University of Oueensland on various research studies related to the advancement of scramjet technology are presented. These reports document the tests conducted in the reflected shock tunnel T4 and supporting research facilities that have been used to study the injection, mixing, and combustion of hydrogen fuel in generic scramjets at flow conditions typical of hypersonic flight. In addition, topics include the development of instrumentation and measurement technology, such as combustor wall shear and stream composition in pulse facilities, and numerical studies and analyses of the scramjet combustor process and the test facility operation. This research activity is Supplement 8 under NASA Grant NAGW-674.

Shock tunnel studies of scramjet phenomena, supplement 7

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bakos, R. J.; Morgan, R. G.; Tuttle, S. L.; Kelly, G. M.; Paull, A.; Simmons, J. M.; Stalker, R. J.; Pulsonetti, M. V.; Buttsworth, D.; Allen, G. A., Jr.

1993-01-01

Reports by the staff of the University of Queensland on various research studies related to the advancement of scramjet technology are presented. These reports document the tests conducted in the reflected shock tunnel T4 and supporting research facilities that have been used to study the injection, mixing, and combustion of hydrogen fuel in generic scramjets at flow conditions typical of hypersonic flight. In addition, topics include the development of instrumentation and measurement technology, such as combustor wall shear and stream composition in pulse facilities, and numerical studies and analyses of the scramjet combustor process and the test facility operation. This research activity is Supplement 7 under NASA Grant NAGW-674.

A knowledge-based system design/information tool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allen, James G.; Sikora, Scott E.

1990-01-01

The objective of this effort was to develop a Knowledge Capture System (KCS) for the Integrated Test Facility (ITF) at the Dryden Flight Research Facility (DFRF). The DFRF is a NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) facility. This system was used to capture the design and implementation information for NASA's high angle-of-attack research vehicle (HARV), a modified F/A-18A. In particular, the KCS was used to capture specific characteristics of the design of the HARV fly-by-wire (FBW) flight control system (FCS). The KCS utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) knowledge-based system (KBS) technology. The KCS enables the user to capture the following characteristics of automated systems: the system design; the hardware (H/W) design and implementation; the software (S/W) design and implementation; and the utilities (electrical and hydraulic) design and implementation. A generic version of the KCS was developed which can be used to capture the design information for any automated system. The deliverable items for this project consist of the prototype generic KCS and an application, which captures selected design characteristics of the HARV FCS.

M2-F3 with test pilot John A. Manke

NASA Image and Video Library

1972-12-20

NASA research pilot John A. Manke is seen here in front of the M2-F3 Lifting Body. Manke was hired by NASA on May 25, 1962, as a flight research engineer. He was later assigned to the pilot's office and flew various support aircraft including the F-104, F5D, F-111 and C-47. After leaving the Marine Corps in 1960, Manke worked for Honeywell Corporation as a test engineer for two years before coming to NASA. He was project pilot on the X-24B and also flew the HL-10, M2-F3, and X-24A lifting bodies. John made the first supersonic flight of a lifting body and the first landing of a lifting body on a hard surface runway. Manke served as Director of the Flight Operations and Support Directorate at the Dryden Flight Research Center prior to its integration with Ames Research Center in October 1981. After this date John was named to head the joint Ames-Dryden Directorate of Flight Operations. He also served as site manager of the NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility. John is a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. He retired on April 27, 1984.

Flight testing and simulation of an F-15 airplane using throttles for flight control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burcham, Frank W., Jr.; Maine, Trindel; Wolf, Thomas

1992-01-01

Flight tests and simulation studies using the throttles of an F-15 airplane for emergency flight control have been conducted at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Facility. The airplane and the simulation are capable of extended up-and-away flight, using only throttles for flight path control. Initial simulation results showed that runway landings using manual throttles-only control were difficult, but possible with practice. Manual approaches flown in the airplane were much more difficult, indicating a significant discrepancy between flight and simulation. Analysis of flight data and development of improved simulation models that resolve the discrepancy are discussed. An augmented throttle-only control system that controls bank angle and flight path with appropriate feedback parameters has also been developed, evaluated in simulations, and is planned for flight in the F-15.

The Biological Flight Research Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Catherine C.

1993-01-01

NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) is building a research facility, the Biological Flight Research Facility (BFRF), to meet the needs of life scientists to study the long-term effects of variable gravity on living systems. The facility will be housed on Space Station Freedom and is anticipated to operate for the lifetime of the station, approximately thirty years. It will allow plant and animal biologists to study the role of gravity, or its absence, at varying gravity intensities for varying periods of time and with various organisms. The principal difference between current Spacelab missions and those on Space Station Freedom, other than length of mission, will be the capability to perform on-orbit science procedures and the capability to simulate earth gravity. Initially the facility will house plants and rodents in habitats which can be maintained at microgravity or can be placed on a 2.5 meter diameter centrifuge. However, the facility is also being designed to accommodate future habitats for small primates, avian, and aquatic specimens. The centrifuge will provide 1 g for controls and will also be able to provide gravity from 0.01 to 2.0 g for threshold gravity studies as well as hypergravity studies. Included in the facility are a service unit for providing clean chambers for the specimens and a glovebox for manipulating the plant and animal specimens and for performing experimental protocols. The BFRF will provide the means to conduct basic experiments to gain an understanding of the effects of microgravity on the structure and function of plants and animals, as well as investigate the role of gravity as a potential countermeasure for the physiological changes observed in microgravity.

High-Purity Aluminum Magnet Technology for Advanced Space Transportation Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goodrich, R. G.; Pullam, B.; Rickle, D.; Litchford, R. J.; Robertson, G. A.; Schmidt, D. D.; Cole, John (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Basic research on advanced plasma-based propulsion systems is routinely focused on plasmadynamics, performance, and efficiency aspects while relegating the development of critical enabling technologies, such as flight-weight magnets, to follow-on development work. Unfortunately, the low technology readiness levels (TRLs) associated with critical enabling technologies tend to be perceived as an indicator of high technical risk, and this, in turn, hampers the acceptance of advanced system architectures for flight development. Consequently, there is growing recognition that applied research on the critical enabling technologies needs to be conducted hand in hand with basic research activities. The development of flight-weight magnet technology, for example, is one area of applied research having broad crosscutting applications to a number of advanced propulsion system architectures. Therefore, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Louisiana State University (LSU), and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL) have initiated an applied research project aimed at advancing the TRL of flight-weight magnets. This Technical Publication reports on the group's initial effort to demonstrate the feasibility of cryogenic high-purity aluminum magnet technology and describes the design, construction, and testing of a 6-in-diameter by 12-in-long aluminum solenoid magnet. The coil was constructed in the machine shop of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at LSU and testing was conducted in NHMFL facilities at Florida State University and at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The solenoid magnet was first wound, reinforced, potted in high thermal conductivity epoxy, and bench tested in the LSU laboratories. A cryogenic container for operation at 77 K was also constructed and mated to the solenoid. The coil was then taken to NHMFL facilities in Tallahassee, FL. where its magnetoresistance was measured in a 77 K environment under steady magnetic fields as high as 10 T. In addition, the temperature dependence of the coil's resistance was measured from 77 to 300 K. Following this series of tests, the coil was transported to NHMFL facilities in Los Alamos, NM, and pulsed to 2 T using an existing capacitor bank pulse generator. The coil was completely successful in producing the desired field without damage to the windings.

Accomplishments of the Advanced Reusable Technologies (ART) RBCC Project at NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nelson, Karl W.; McArthur, J. Craig (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The focus of the NASA / Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Advanced Reusable Technologies (ART) project is to advance and develop Rocket-Based Combined-Cycle (RBCC) technologies. The ART project began in 1996 as part of the Advanced Space Transportation Program (ASTP). The project is composed of several activities including RBCC engine ground testing, tool development, vehicle / mission studies, and component testing / development. The major contractors involved in the ART project are Aerojet and Rocketdyne. A large database of RBCC ground test data was generated for the air-augmented rocket (AAR), ramjet, scramjet, and ascent rocket modes of operation for both the Aerojet and Rocketdyne concepts. Transition between consecutive modes was also demonstrated as well as trajectory simulation. The Rocketdyne freejet tests were conducted at GASL in the Flight Acceleration Simulation Test (FAST) facility. During a single test, the FAST facility is capable of simulating both the enthalpy and aerodynamic conditions over a range of Mach numbers in a flight trajectory. Aerojet performed freejet testing in the Pebble Bed facility at GASL as well as direct-connect testing at GASL. Aerojet also performed sea-level static (SLS) testing at the Aerojet A-Zone facility in Sacramento, CA. Several flight-type flowpath components were developed under the ART project. Aerojet designed and fabricated ceramic scramjet injectors. The structural design of the injectors will be tested in a simulated scramjet environment where thermal effects and performance will be assessed. Rocketdyne will be replacing the cooled combustor in the A5 rig with a flight-weight combustor that is near completion. Aerojet's formed duct panel is currently being fabricated and will be tested in the SLS rig in Aerojet's A-Zone facility. Aerojet has already successfully tested a cooled cowl panel in the same facility. In addition to MSFC, other NASA centers have contributed to the ART project as well. Inlet testing and parametrics were performed at NASA / Glenn Research Center (GRC) and NASA / Langley Research Center (LaRC) for both the Aerojet and Rocketdyne concepts. LaRC conducted an Air-Breathing Launch Vehicle (ABLV) study for several vehicle concepts with RBCC propulsion systems. LaRC is also performing a CFD analysis of the ramjet mode for both flowpaths based on GASL test conditions. A study was performed in 1999 to investigate the feasibility of performing an RBCC flight test on the NASA / Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC) SR-71 aircraft. Academia involvement in the ART project includes parametric RBCC flowpath testing by Pennsylvania State University (PSU). In addition to thrust and wall static pressure measurements, PSU is also using laser diagnostics to analyze the flowfield in the test rig. MSFC is performing CFD analysis of the PSU rig at select test conditions for model baseline and validation. Also, Georgia Institute of Technology (GT) conducted a vision vehicle study using the Aerojet RBCC concept. Overall, the ART project has been very successful in advancing RBCC technology. Along the way, several major milestones were achieved and "firsts" accomplished. For example, under the ART project, the first dynamic trajectory simulation testing was performed and the Rocketdyne engine A5 logged over one hour of accumulated test time. The next logical step is to develop and demonstrate a flight-weight RBCC engine system.

X-29 Number Two in Flight Closeup of Spin Chute Mechanism

NASA Image and Video Library

1989-06-27

Because the number two X-29 at NASA's Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility (later the Dryden Flight Research Center) flew at higher angles of attack than the number one aircraft, it required a spin chute system for safety. The system deployed a parachute for recovery of the aircraft if it inadvertently entered an uncontrolled spin. Most of the components of the spin chute system were located on a truss at the aft end of the aircraft. In addition, there were several cockpit modifications to facilitate use of the chute. The parachute was made of nylon and was of the conical ribbon type.

Shuttle Endeavour Mated to 747 SCA Takeoff for Delivery to Kennedy Space Center, Florida

NASA Image and Video Library

1991-05-02

NASA's 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft No. 911, with the space shuttle orbiter Endeavour securely mounted atop its fuselage, begins the ferry flight from Rockwell's Plant 42 at Palmdale, California, where the orbiter was built, to the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. At Kennedy, the space vehicle was processed and launched on orbital mission STS-49, which landed at NASA's Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility (later redesignated Dryden Flight Research Center), Edwards, California, 16 May 1992. NASA 911, the second modified 747 that went into service in November 1990, has special support struts atop the fuselage and internal strengthening to accommodate the added weight of the orbiters.

Airborne water vapor DIAL research: System development and field measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Higdon, Noah S.; Browell, Edward V.; Ponsardin, Patrick; Chyba, Thomas H.; Grossmann, Benoist E.; Butler, Carolyn F.; Fenn, Marta A.; Mayor, Shane D.; Ismail, Syed; Grant, William B.

1992-01-01

This paper describes the airborne differential absorption lidar (DIAL) system developed at the NASA Langley Research Center for remote measurement of water vapor (H2O) and aerosols in the lower atmosphere. The airborne H2O DIAL system was flight tested aboard the NASA Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) Electra aircraft in three separate field deployments between 1989 and 1991. Atmospheric measurements were made under a variety of atmospheric conditions during the flight tests, and several modifications were implemented during this development period to improve system operation. A brief description of the system and major modifications will be presented, and the most significant atmospheric observations will be described.

In-flight rain damage tests of the shuttle thermal protection system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meyer, Robert R., Jr.; Barneburg, Jack

1988-01-01

NASA conducted in-flight rain damage tests of the Shuttle thermal protection system (TPS). Most of the tests were conducted on an F-104 aircraft at the Dryden Flight Research Facility of NASA's Ames Research Center, although some tests were conducted by NOAA on a WP-3D aircraft off the eastern coast of southern Florida. The TPS components tested included LI900 and LI2200 tiles, advanced flexible reusable surface insulation, reinforced carbon-carbon, and an advanced tufi tile. The objective of the test was to define the damage threshold of various thermal protection materials during flight through rain. The test hardware, test technique, and results from both F-104 and WP-3D aircraft are described. Results have shown that damage can occur to the Shuttle TPS during flight in rain.

Flights of Discovery: 50 Years at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wallace, Lance E.

1996-01-01

As part of the NASA History Series, this report (NASA SP-4309) describes fifty years of aeronautical research at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center. Starting with early efforts to exceed the speed of sound with the X-1 aircraft, and continuing through to the X-31 research aircraft, the report covers the flight activities of all of the major research aircraft and lifting bodies studied by NASA. Chapter One, 'A Place for Discovery', describes the facility itself and the surrounding Mojave Desert. Chapter Two, 'The Right Stuff', is about the people involved in the flight research programs. Chapter Three, 'Higher, Faster' summarizes the early years of transonic flight testing and the development of several lifting bodies. Chapter Four, 'Improving Efficiency, Maneuverability & Systems', outlines the development of aeronautical developments such as the supercritical wing, the mission adaptive wing, and various techniques for improving maneuverability fo winged aircraft. Chapter 5, 'Supporting National Efforts', shows how the research activities carried out at Dryden fit into NASA's programs across the country in supporting the space program, in safety and in problem solving related to aircraft design and aviation safety in general. Chapter Six, ' Future Directions' looks to future research building on the fifty year history of aeronautical research at the Dryden Flight Research Center. A glossary of acronyms and an appendix covering concepts and innovations are included. The report also contains many photographs providing a graphical perspective to the historical record.

MSFC ISS Resource Reel 2016

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-04-01

International Space Station Resource Reel. This video describes shows the International Space Station components, such as the Destiny laboratory and the Quest Airlock, being manufactured at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. It provides manufacturing and ground testing video and in-flight video of key space station components: the Microgravity Science Glovebox, the Materials Science Research Facility, the Window Observational Research Facility, the Environmental Control Life Support System, and basic research racks. There is video of people working in Marshall's Payload Operations Integration Center where controllers operate experiments 24/7, 365 days a week. Various crews are shown conducting experiments on board the station. PAO Name:Jennifer Stanfield Phone Number:256-544-0034 Email Address: JENNIFER.STANFIELD@NASA.GOV Name/Title of Video: ISS Resource Reel Description: ISS Resource Reel Graphic Information: NASA PAO Name:Tracy McMahan Phone Number:256-544-1634 Email Address: tracy.mcmahan@nasa.gov

STS-98 crew takes part in Multi-Equipment Interface Test.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

In the Space Station Processing Facility, STS-98 Mission Specialist Thomas D. Jones (Ph.D.) examines a power data grapple fixture outside the U.S. Lab Destiny. Jones is taking part in a Multi-Equipment Interface Test (MEIT), along with other crew members Commander Kenneth D. Cockrell and Pilot Mark Polansky. The remaining members of the crew (not present for the MEIT) are Mission Specialists Robert L. Curbeam Jr. and Marsha S. Ivins. During the STS-98 mission, the crew will install the Lab on the International Space Station during a series of three space walks. The grapple fixture will be the base of operations for the robotic arm on later flights The mission will provide the station with science research facilities and expand its power, life support and control capabilities. The U.S. Laboratory Module continues a long tradition of microgravity materials research, first conducted by Skylab and later Shuttle and Spacelab missions. Destiny is expected to be a major feature in future research, providing facilities for biotechnology, fluid physics, combustion, and life sciences research. The Lab is planned for launch aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis on the sixth ISS flight, currently targeted no earlier than Aug. 19, 2000.

Summary of shuttle data processing and aerodynamic performance comparisons for the first 11 flights

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Findlay, J. T.; Kelly, G. M.; Heck, M. L.; Mcconnell, J. G.

1984-01-01

NASA Space Shuttle aerodynamic and aerothermodynamic research is but one part of the most comprehensive end-to-end flight test program ever undertaken considering: the extensive pre-flight experimental data base development; the multitude of spacecraft and remote measurements taken during entry flight; the complexity of the Orbiter aerodynamic configuration; the variety of flight conditions available across the entire speed regime; and the efforts devoted to flight data reduction throughout the aerospace community. Shuttle entry flights provide a wealth of research quality data, in essence a veritable flying wind tunnel, for use by researchers to verify and improve the operational capability of the Orbiter and provide data for evaluations of experimental facilities as well as computational methods. This final report merely summarizes the major activities conducted by the AMA, Inc. under NASA Contract NAS1-16087 as part of that interesting research. Investigators desiring more detailed information can refer to the glossary of AMA publications attached herein as Appendix A. Section I provides background discussion of software and methodology development to enable Best Estimate Trajectory (BET) generation. Actual products generated are summarized in Section II as tables which completely describe the post-flight products available from the first three-year Shuttle flight history. Summary results are presented in Section III, with longitudinal performance comparisons included as Appendices for each of the flights.

Test-engine and inlet performance of an aircraft used for investigating flight effects on fan noise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Golub, R. A.; Preisser, J. S.

1984-01-01

As part of the NASA Flight Effects on Fan Noise Program, a Grumman OV-1B Mohawk aircraft was modified to carry a modified and instrumented Pratt & Whitney JT15D-1 turbofan engine. Onboard flight data, together with simultaneously measured farfield acoustic data, comprise a flight data base to which JT15D-1 static and wind-tunnel data are compared. The overall objective is to improve the ability to use ground-based facilities for the prediction of flight inlet radiated noise. This report describes the hardware and presents performance results for the research engine.

Space transportation system biomedical operations support study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

White, S. C.

1983-01-01

The shift of the Space Transportation System (STS) flight tests of the orbiter vehicle to the preparation and flight of the payloads is discussed. Part of this change is the transition of the medical and life sciences aspects of the STS flight operations to reflect the new state. The medical operations, the life sciences flight experiments support requirements and the intramural research program expected to be at KSC during the operational flight period of the STS and a future space station are analyzed. The adequacy of available facilities, plans, and resources against these future needs are compared; revisions and/or alternatives where appropriate are proposed.

Neutron Time-of-Flight Spectroscopy

PubMed Central

Copley, John R. D.; Udovic, Terrence J.

1993-01-01

The time-of-flight technique is employed in two of the instruments at the NIST Cold Neutron Research Facility (CNRF). A pulsed monochromatic beam strikes the sample, and the energies of scattered neutrons are determined from their times-of-flight to an array of detectors. The time-of-flight method may be used in a variety of types of experiments such as studies of vibrational and magnetic excitations, tunneling spectroscopy, and quasielastic scattering studies of diffusional behavior; several examples of experiments are discussed. We also present brief descriptions of the CNRF time-of-flight instruments, including their modi operandi and some of their more pertinent parameters and performance characteristics. PMID:28053459

Aircraft interrogation and display system: A ground support equipment for digital flight systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glover, R. D.

1982-01-01

A microprocessor-based general purpose ground support equipment for electronic systems was developed. The hardware and software are designed to permit diverse applications in support of aircraft flight systems and simulation facilities. The implementation of the hardware, the structure of the software, describes the application of the system to an ongoing research aircraft project are described.

Three PhoneSats Hitch Ride on Inaugural Antares Launch (Reporter Pkg)

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-04-10

Package created for JSC's launch coverage of Antares rocket launch from Wallops Flight Facility on April 17, 2013. The Orbital Sciences Corporation test flight of the Antares rocket will be carrying a very small secondary payload into space. Onboard are three nano-satellites that were designed and built at NASA Ames Research Center, the lead Center for Small Spacecraft Development.

LANDING - STS-28/51J - DRYDEN FLIGHT RESEARCH FACILITY (DFRF), CA

NASA Image and Video Library

1985-10-08

S85-41802 (7 Sept 1985) --- Wheels of the Space Shuttle Atlantis touch down on the dry lakebed at Edwards Air Force Base to mark successful completion of the STS 51-J mission. Crewmembers onboard for the flight were Astronauts Karol J. Bobko, Ronald J. Grabe, David C. Hilmers, and Robert L. Stewart; and USAF Maj. William A. Pailes.

Katherine Johnson Legacy

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-05-05

Following a naming dedication ceremony May 5, 2016 - the 55th anniversary of Alan Shepard's historic rocket launch - NASA Langley Research Center's newest building is known as the Katherine G. Johnson Computational Research Facility, honoring the "human computer" who successfully calculated the trajectories for America's first space flights.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, Eric Madaras (left), NASA-Langley Research Center, and Jim McGee, The Boeing Company, Huntington Beach, Calif., conduct impulse tests on the right wing leading edge (WLE) of Space Shuttle Endeavour. The tests monitor how sound impulses propagate through the WLE area. The data collected will be analyzed to explore the possibility of adding new instrumentation to the wing that could automatically detect debris or micrometeroid impacts on the Shuttle while in flight. The study is part of the initiative ongoing at KSC and around the agency to return the orbiter fleet to flight status.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-10-27

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, Eric Madaras (left), NASA-Langley Research Center, and Jim McGee, The Boeing Company, Huntington Beach, Calif., conduct impulse tests on the right wing leading edge (WLE) of Space Shuttle Endeavour. The tests monitor how sound impulses propagate through the WLE area. The data collected will be analyzed to explore the possibility of adding new instrumentation to the wing that could automatically detect debris or micrometeroid impacts on the Shuttle while in flight. The study is part of the initiative ongoing at KSC and around the agency to return the orbiter fleet to flight status.

Development of a Flight Simulation Data Visualization Workstation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaplan, Joseph A.; Chen, Ronnie; Kenney, Patrick S.; Koval, Christopher M.; Hutchinson, Brian K.

1996-01-01

Today's moderm flight simulation research produces vast amounts of time sensitive data. The meaning of this data can be difficult to assess while in its raw format . Therefore, a method of breaking the data down and presenting it to the user in a graphical format is necessary. Simulation Graphics (SimGraph) is intended as a data visualization software package that will incorporate simulation data into a variety of animated graphical displays for easy interpretation by the simulation researcher. Although it was created for the flight simulation facilities at NASA Langley Research Center, SimGraph can be reconfigured to almost any data visualization environment. This paper traces the design, development and implementation of the SimGraph program, and is intended to be a programmer's reference guide.

Australian Air Breathing Propulsion Research for Hypersonic, Beamed Energy-Propelled Vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Froning, David

2010-05-01

A three year laser-propelled vehicle analysis and design investigation has been begun in June, 2009 by Faculty and graduate students at the University of Adelaide under a Grant/Cooperative Agreement Award to the University of Adelaide by the Asian Office of Aerospace Research and Development (AOARD). The major objectives of thsis investigation are: (a) development of hypersonic, air breathing "lightcraft" with innovative air inlets that enable acceptable airflow capture and combustion, and acceptable cowl-lip heating rates during hot, high-speed, high angle-of-attack hypersonic flight; (b) yest of the most promising lightcraft and inlet design in the high power laser beam that is part of the shock tunnel facility at CTO Instituto in Brazil; and (c) plan a series of laser guided and propelled flights that achieve supersonic or higher speed at the Woomera Test Facility (WTF) in South Australia—using the existing WTF launching and tracking facilities and sponsor-provided laser pointing and tracking and illumination systems.

NASA Dryden flow visualization facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Delfrate, John H.

1995-01-01

This report describes the Flow Visualization Facility at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. This water tunnel facility is used primarily for visualizing and analyzing vortical flows on aircraft models and other shapes at high-incidence angles. The tunnel is used extensively as a low-cost, diagnostic tool to help engineers understand complex flows over aircraft and other full-scale vehicles. The facility consists primarily of a closed-circuit water tunnel with a 16- x 24-in. vertical test section. Velocity of the flow through the test section can be varied from 0 to 10 in/sec; however, 3 in/sec provides optimum velocity for the majority of flow visualization applications. This velocity corresponds to a unit Reynolds number of 23,000/ft and a turbulence level over the majority of the test section below 0.5 percent. Flow visualization techniques described here include the dye tracer, laser light sheet, and shadowgraph. Limited correlation to full-scale flight data is shown.

The deep space network

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1980-01-01

The functions and facilities of the Deep Space Network are considered. Progress in flight project support, tracking and data acquisition research and technology, network engineering, hardware and software implementation, and operations is reported.

The deep space network

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1979-01-01

Progress is reported in flight project support, tracking and data acquisition research and technology, network engineering, hardware and software implementation, and operations. The functions and facilities of the Deep Space Network are emphasized.

Transition Analysis for the HIFiRE-5 Vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Choudhari, Meelan M.; Chang, Chau-Lyan; Li, Fei; Berger, Karen T.; Candler, Graham V.; Kimmel, Roger

2009-01-01

The Hypersonic International Flight Research and Experimentation (HIFiRE) 5 flight experiment by Air Force Research Laboratories and Australian Defense Science and Technology Organization is designed to provide in-flight boundary-layer transition data for a canonical 3D configuration at hypersonic Mach numbers. This paper outlines the progress, to date, on boundary layer stability analysis for the HIFiRE-5 flight configuration, as well as for selected test conditions from the wind tunnel experiments supporting the flight test. At flow conditions corresponding to the end of the test window, rather large values of linear amplification factor are predicted for both second mode (N>40) and crossflow (N>20) instabilities, strongly supporting the feasibility of first in-flight measurements of natural transition on a fully three-dimensional hypersonic configuration. Additional results highlight the rich mixture of instability mechanisms relevant to a large segment of the flight trajectory, as well as the effects of angle of attack and yaw angle on the predicted transition fronts for ground facility experiments at Mach 6.

Rodent growth, behavior, and physiology resulting from flight on the Space Life Sciences-1 mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jahns, G.; Meylor, J.; Fast, T.; Hawes, N.; Zarow, G.

1992-01-01

A rodent-based spaceflight study is conducted to investigate physiological changes in rats vs humans and the effects of changes in the design of the Research Animal Holding Facility (RAHF) and the Animal Enclosure Module (AEM). Rats were housed in the AEM and the RAHF, and controls were kept in identical flight hardware on earth subjected to the same flight-environmental profile. Biosamples and organ weights are taken to compare the rats before and after flight, and food/water intake are also compared. Weight gain, body weight, and food consumptions in the flight rats are significantly lower than corresponding values for the control subjects. Flight rats tend to have smaller postexperiment spleens and hearts, and flight rats consumed more water in the AEM than in the RAHF. The rodents' behavior is analogous to humans with respect to physiological and reconditioning effects, showing that the rat is a good model for basic research into the effects of spaceflight on humans.

Shock tunnel studies of scramjet phenomena, supplement 6

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wendt, M.; Nettleton, M.; Morgan, R. G.; Skinner, K.; Casey, R.; Stalker, R.; Brescianini, C.; Paull, A.; Allen, G.; Smart, M.

1993-01-01

Reports by the staff of the University of Queensland on various research studies related to the advancement of scramjet technology are presented. These reports document the tests conducted in the reflected shock tunnel T4 and supporting research facilities that have been used to study the injection, mixing, and combustion of hydrogen fuel in generic scramjets at flow conditions typical of hypersonic flight. In addition, topics include the development of instrumentation and measurement technology, such as combustor wall shear and stream composition in pulse facilities, and numerical studies and analyses of the scramjet combustor process and the test facility operation.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Window Observational Research Facility (WORF), seen in the Space Station Processing Facility, was designed and built by the Boeing Co. at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. WORF will be delivered to the International Space Station and placed in the rack position in front of the Destiny lab window, providing locations for attaching cameras, multi-spectral scanners and other instruments. WORF will support a variety of scientific and commercial experiments in areas of Earth systems and processes, global ecological changes in Earth’s biosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere and climate system, Earth resources, natural hazards, and education. After installation, it will become a permanent focal point for Earth Science research aboard the space station.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-09-08

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Window Observational Research Facility (WORF), seen in the Space Station Processing Facility, was designed and built by the Boeing Co. at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. WORF will be delivered to the International Space Station and placed in the rack position in front of the Destiny lab window, providing locations for attaching cameras, multi-spectral scanners and other instruments. WORF will support a variety of scientific and commercial experiments in areas of Earth systems and processes, global ecological changes in Earth’s biosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere and climate system, Earth resources, natural hazards, and education. After installation, it will become a permanent focal point for Earth Science research aboard the space station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers in the Space Station Processing Facility check out the Window Observational Research Facility (WORF), designed and built by the Boeing Co. at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. WORF will be delivered to the International Space Station and placed in the rack position in front of the Destiny lab window, providing locations for attaching cameras, multi-spectral scanners and other instruments. WORF will support a variety of scientific and commercial experiments in areas of Earth systems and processes, global ecological changes in Earth’s biosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere and climate system, Earth resources, natural hazards, and education. After installation, it will become a permanent focal point for Earth Science research aboard the space station.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-09-08

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers in the Space Station Processing Facility check out the Window Observational Research Facility (WORF), designed and built by the Boeing Co. at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. WORF will be delivered to the International Space Station and placed in the rack position in front of the Destiny lab window, providing locations for attaching cameras, multi-spectral scanners and other instruments. WORF will support a variety of scientific and commercial experiments in areas of Earth systems and processes, global ecological changes in Earth’s biosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere and climate system, Earth resources, natural hazards, and education. After installation, it will become a permanent focal point for Earth Science research aboard the space station.

Flight-testing of the self-repairing flight control system using the F-15 highly integrated digital electronic control flight research facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stewart, James F.; Shuck, Thomas L.

1990-01-01

Flight tests conducted with the self-repairing flight control system (SRFCS) installed on the NASA F-15 highly integrated digital electronic control aircraft are described. The development leading to the current SRFCS configuration is highlighted. Key objectives of the program are outlined: (1) to flight-evaluate a control reconfiguration strategy with three types of control surface failure; (2) to evaluate a cockpit display that will inform the pilot of the maneuvering capacity of the damage aircraft; and (3) to flight-evaluate the onboard expert system maintenance diagnostics process using representative faults set to occur only under maneuvering conditions. Preliminary flight results addressing the operation of the overall system, as well as the individual technologies, are included.

Experience with synchronous and asynchronous digital control systems. [for flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Regenie, Victoria A.; Chacon, Claude V.; Lock, Wilton P.

1986-01-01

Flight control systems have undergone a revolution since the days of simple mechanical linkages; presently the most advanced systems are full-authority, full-time digital systems controlling unstable aircraft. With the use of advanced control systems, the aerodynamic design can incorporate features that allow greater performance and fuel savings, as can be seen on the new Airbus design and advanced tactical fighter concepts. These advanced aircraft will be and are relying on the flight control system to provide the stability and handling qualities required for safe flight and to allow the pilot to control the aircraft. Various design philosophies have been proposed and followed to investigate system architectures for these advanced flight control systems. One major area of discussion is whether a multichannel digital control system should be synchronous or asynchronous. This paper addressed the flight experience at the Dryden Flight Research Facility of NASA's Ames Research Center with both synchronous and asynchronous digital flight control systems. Four different flight control systems are evaluated against criteria such as software reliability, cost increases, and schedule delays.

High-Lift Flight Tunnel - Phase II Report. Phase 2 Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lofftus, David; Lund, Thomas; Rote, Donald; Bushnell, Dennis M. (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

The High-Lift Flight Tunnel (HiLiFT) concept is a revolutionary approach to aerodynamic ground testing. This concept utilizes magnetic levitation and linear motors to propel an aerodynamic model through a tube containing a quiescent test medium. This medium (nitrogen) is cryogenic and pressurized to achieve full flight Reynolds numbers higher than any existing ground test facility world-wide for the range of 0.05 to 0.50 Mach. The results of the Phase II study provide excellent assurance that the HiLiFT concept will provide a valuable low-speed, high Reynolds number ground test facility. The design studies concluded that the HiLiFT facility is feasible to build and operate and the analytical studies revealed no insurmountable difficulties to realizing a practical high Reynolds number ground test facility. It was determined that a national HiLiFT facility, including development, would cost approximately $400M and could be operational by 2013 if fully funded. Study participants included National Aeronautics and Space Administration Langley Research Center as the Program Manager and MSE Technology Applications, Inc., (MSE) of Butte, Montana as the prime contractor and study integrator. MSE#s subcontractors included the University of Texas at Arlington for aerodynamic analyses and the Argonne National Laboratory for magnetic levitation and linear motor technology support.

SCI 236 AGARDograph. Part Two; National Aeronautics and Space Administration Armstrong Flight Research Center Annex

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Neal, Bradford A.; Stoliker, Patrick C.

2018-01-01

NASA AFRC is a United States government entity that conducts the integration and operation of new and unproven technologies into proven flight vehicles as well as the flight test of one-of-a-kind experimental aircraft. AFRC also maintains and operates several platform aircraft that allow the integration of a wide range of sensors to conduct airborne remote sensing, science observations and airborne infrared astronomy. To support these types of operations AFRC has the organization, facilities and tools to support the experimental flight test of unique vehicles and conduct airborne sensing/observing.

Flight Test Evaluation of Situation Awareness Benefits of Integrated Synthetic Vision System Technology f or Commercial Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prinzel, Lawrence J., III; Kramer, Lynda J.; Arthur, Jarvis J., III

2005-01-01

Research was conducted onboard a Gulfstream G-V aircraft to evaluate integrated Synthetic Vision System concepts during flight tests over a 6-week period at the Wallops Flight Facility and Reno/Tahoe International Airport. The NASA Synthetic Vision System incorporates database integrity monitoring, runway incursion prevention alerting, surface maps, enhanced vision sensors, and advanced pathway guidance and synthetic terrain presentation. The paper details the goals and objectives of the flight test with a focus on the situation awareness benefits of integrating synthetic vision system enabling technologies for commercial aircraft.

Life sciences flight hardware development for the International Space Station

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kern, V. D.; Bhattacharya, S.; Bowman, R. N.; Donovan, F. M.; Elland, C.; Fahlen, T. F.; Girten, B.; Kirven-Brooks, M.; Lagel, K.; Meeker, G. B.; Santos, O.

During the construction phase of the International Space Station (ISS), early flight opportunities have been identified (including designated Utilization Flights, UF) on which early science experiments may be performed. The focus of NASA's and other agencies' biological studies on the early flight opportunities is cell and molecular biology; with UF-1 scheduled to fly in fall 2001, followed by flights 8A and UF-3. Specific hardware is being developed to verify design concepts, e.g., the Avian Development Facility for incubation of small eggs and the Biomass Production System for plant cultivation. Other hardware concepts will utilize those early research opportunities onboard the ISS, e.g., an Incubator for sample cultivation, the European Modular Cultivation System for research with small plant systems, an Insect Habitat for support of insect species. Following the first Utilization Flights, additional equipment will be transported to the ISS to expand research opportunities and capabilities, e.g., a Cell Culture Unit, the Advanced Animal Habitat for rodents, an Aquatic Facility to support small fish and aquatic specimens, a Plant Research Unit for plant cultivation, and a specialized Egg Incubator for developmental biology studies. Host systems (Figure 1A, B), e.g., a 2.5 m Centrifuge Rotor (g-levels from 0.01-g to 2-g) for direct comparisons between μg and selectable g levels, the Life Sciences Glove☐ for contained manipulations, and Habitat Holding Racks (Figure 1B) will provide electrical power, communication links, and cooling to the habitats. Habitats will provide food, water, light, air and waste management as well as humidity and temperature control for a variety of research organisms. Operators on Earth and the crew on the ISS will be able to send commands to the laboratory equipment to monitor and control the environmental and experimental parameters inside specific habitats. Common laboratory equipment such as microscopes, cryo freezers, radiation dosimeters, and mass measurement devices are also currently in design stages by NASA and the ISS international partners.

Scientific ballooning in India Recent developments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manchanda, R. K.

Established in 1971, the National Balloon Facility operated by TIFR in Hyderabad, India, is a unique facility in the country, which provides a complete solution in scientific ballooning. It is also one of its kind in the world since it combines both, the in-house balloon production and a complete flight support for scientific ballooning. With a large team working through out the year to design, fabricate and launch scientific balloons, the Hyderabad Facility is a unique centre of expertise where the balloon design, research and development, the production and launch facilities are located under one roof. Our balloons are manufactured from 100% indigenous components. The mission specific balloon design, high reliability control and support instrumentation, in-house competence in tracking, telemetry, telecommand, data processing, system design and mechanics is its hallmark. In the past few years, we have executed a major programme of upgradation of different components of balloon production, telemetry and telecommand hardware and various support facilities. This paper focuses on our increased capability of balloon production of large sizes up to 780,000 m 3 using Antrix film, development of high strength balloon load tapes with the breaking strength of 182 kg, and the recent introduction of S-band telemetry and a commandable timer cut-off unit in the flight hardware. A summary of the various flights conducted in recent years will be presented along with the plans for new facilities.

Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif., chairman of the House Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, was briefed by X-43A engineer Laurie Grindle during his tour of Dryden

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-06-02

Rep. Ken Calvert, (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, received an update on the mission of NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center during a visit on June 2, 2005. Rep. Calvert, accompanied by several staff members, was briefed by center management on the Dryden's role as a flight research institution, and then reviewed some of the center's recent, current and upcoming flight research projects during a tour of the facility. During the afternoon, Rep. Calvert received similar briefings on a variety of projects at several aerospace development firms at the Civilian Flight Test Center in Mojave. Rep. Calvert's tour of NASA Dryden was the second in a series of visits to all 10 NASA field centers to better acquaint him with the roles and responsibilities of each center.

Overview of the Scientific Balloon Activity in Sweden

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abrahamsson, Mattias; Kemi, Stig; Lockowandt, Christian; Andersson, Kent

SSC, formerly known as Swedish Space Corporation, is a Swedish state-owned company working in several different space related fields, including scientific stratospheric balloon launches. Esrange Space Centre (Esrange in short) located in the north of Sweden is the launch facility of SSC, where both sounding rocket launches and stratospheric balloon launches are conducted. At Esrange there are also facilities for satellite communication, including one of the largest civilian satellite data reception stations in the world. Stratospheric balloons have been launched from Esrange since 1974, when the first flights were performed together with the French space agency CNES. These balloon flights have normally flown eastward either only over Sweden or into Finland. Some flights have also had permission to fly into Russia, as far as the Ural Mountains. Normal flight times are from 4 to 12 hours. These eastward flights are conducted during the winter months (September to May). Long duration flights have been flown from ESC since 2005, when NASA flew the BLAST payload from Sweden to north Canada. The prevailing westerly wind pattern is very advantageous for trans-Atlantic flights during summer (late May to late July). The long flight times are very beneficial for astronomical payloads, such as telescopes that need long observation times. In 2013 two such payloads were flown, the first called SUNRISE was a German/US solar telescope, and the other called PoGOLite with a Swedish gamma-ray telescope. In 14 days PoGOLite, which had permission to fly over Russia, made an almost complete circumpolar flight. Typical scientific balloon payload fields include atmospheric research, including research on ozone depletion, astronomical and cosmological research, and research in technical fields such as aerodynamics. University students from all over Europe are involved in flights from Esrange under a Swedish/German programme called BEXUS. Two stratospheric balloons are flown with student payloads yearly, with the goal to introduce students in ballooning. Over the next couple of years the plan is to make a re-flight of the PoGOLite payload, fly two Japanese balloon payloads for planetary science missions, fly four student balloons, three balloons for technical studies of re-entry vehicles, and a balloon with a payload studying aerodynamic behaviour of a falling body.

In-flight investigation of a rotating cylinder-based structural excitation system for flutter testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vernon, Lura

1993-01-01

A research excitation system was test flown at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Facility on the two-seat F-16XL aircraft. The excitation system is a wingtip-mounted vane with a rotating slotted cylinder at the trailing edge. As the cylinder rotates during flight, the flow is alternately deflected upward and downward through the slot, resulting in a periodic lift force at twice the cylinder's rotational frequency. Flight testing was conducted to determine the excitation system's effectiveness in the subsonic and transonic flight regimes. Primary research objectives were to determine the system's ability to develop adequate force levels to excite the aircraft's structure and to determine the frequency range over which the system could excite structural modes of the aircraft. The results from the exciter were compared with results from atmospheric turbulence excitation at the same flight conditions. The results from the forced excitation were of higher quality and had less variation than the results from atmospheric turbulence. The forced excitation data also invariably yielded higher structural damping values than those from the atmospheric turbulence data.

NASA aeronautics research and technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1986-01-01

The technical accomplishments and research highlights of 1986 are featured, along with information on possible areas of future research. These include hypersonic, supersonic, high performance, subsonic, and rotorcraft vehicle technology. Fundamental disciplinary research areas discussed include aerodynamics, propulsion, materials and structures, information sciences and human factors, and flight systems/safety. A description of the NASA organization and facilities is given.

Fire Island National Seashore

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brock, John C.; Wright, C. Wayne; Patterson, Matt; Nayagandhi, Amar; Patterson, Judd

2007-01-01

These lidar-derived topographic maps were produced as a collaborative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Coastal and Marine Geology Program, the National Park Service (NPS), Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network, Inventory and Monitoring Program, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Wallops Flight Facility. The aims of the partnership that created this product are to develop advanced survey techniques for mapping barrier island geomorphology and habitats, and to enable the monitoring of ecological and geological change within National Seashores. This product is based on data from an innovative airborne lidar instrument under development at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility, the NASA Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL).

LADEE NASA Social

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-09-05

Bob Barber, Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) Spacecraft Systems Engineer at NASA Ames Research Center, points to a model of the LADEE spacecraft a NASA Social, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2013 at NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Fifty of NASA's social media followers are attending a two-day event in support of the LADEE launch. Data from LADEE will provide unprecedented information about the environment around the moon and give scientists a better understanding of other planetary bodies in our solar system and beyond. LADEE is scheduled to launch at 11:27 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6, from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

Flight experience with lightweight, low-power miniaturized instrumentation systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hamory, Philip J.; Murray, James E.

1992-01-01

Engineers at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Facility (NASA-Dryden) have conducted two flight research programs with lightweight, low-power miniaturized instrumentation systems built around commercial data loggers. One program quantified the performance of a radio-controlled model airplane. The other program was a laminar boundary-layer transition experiment on a manned sailplane. The purpose of this paper is to report NASA-Dryden personnel's flight experience with the miniaturized instrumentation systems used on these two programs. The paper will describe the data loggers, the sensors, and the hardware and software developed to complete the systems. The paper also describes how the systems were used and covers the challenges encountered to make them work. Examples of raw data and derived results will be shown as well. Finally, future plans for these systems will be discussed.

F-18 simulation with Simulation Group Lead Martha Evans at the controls

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1993-01-01

Simulation Group Leader Martha Evans is seen here at the controls of the F-18 aircraft simulator at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. Simulators offer a safe and economical alternative to actual flights to gather data, as well as being excellent facilities for pilot practice and training. The highly modified F-18 airplane flew 383 flights over a nine year period and demonstrated concepts that greatly increase fighter maneuverability. Among concepts proven in the aircraft is the use of paddles to direct jet engine exhaust in cases of extreme altitudes where conventional control surfaces lose effectiveness. Another concept, developed by NASA Langley Research Center, is a deployable wing-like surface installed on the nose of the aircraft for increased right and left (yaw) control on nose-high flight angles.

The rhesus measurement system: A new instrument for space research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schonfeld, Julie E.; Hines, John W.

1993-01-01

The Rhesus Research Facility (RRF) is a research environment designed to study the effects of microgravity using rhesus primates as human surrogates. This experimental model allows investigators to study numerous aspects of microgravity exposure without compromising crew member activities. Currently, the RRF is slated for two missions to collect its data, the first mission is SLS-3, due to fly in late 1995. The RRF is a joint effort between the United States and France. The science and hardware portions of the project are being shared between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and France's Centre National D'Etudes Spatiales (CNES). The RRF is composed of many different subsystems in order to acquire data, provide life support, environmental enrichment, computer facilities and measurement capabilities for two rhesus primates aboard a nominal sixteen day mission. One of these subsystems is the Rhesus Measurement System (RMS). The RMS is designed to obtain in-flight physiological measurements from sensors interfaced with the subject. The RMS will acquire, preprocess, and transfer the physiologic data to the Flight Data System (FDS) for relay to the ground during flight. The measurements which will be taken by the RMS during the first flight will be respiration, measured at two different sites; electromyogram (EMG) at three different sites; electroencephalogram (EEG); electrocardiogram (ECG); and body temperature. These measurements taken by the RMS will assist the research team in meeting the science objectives of the RRF project.

Free Flight Ground Testing of ADEPT in Advance of the Sounding Rocket One Flight Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, B. P.; Dutta, S.

2017-01-01

The Adaptable Deployable Entry and Placement Technology (ADEPT) project will be conducting the first flight test of ADEPT, titled Sounding Rocket One (SR-1), in just two months. The need for this flight test stems from the fact that ADEPT's supersonic dynamic stability has not yet been characterized. The SR-1 flight test will provide critical data describing the flight mechanics of ADEPT in ballistic flight. These data will feed decision making on future ADEPT mission designs. This presentation will describe the SR-1 scientific data products, possible flight test outcomes, and the implications of those outcomes on future ADEPT development. In addition, this presentation will describe free-flight ground testing performed in advance of the flight test. A subsonic flight dynamics test conducted at the Vertical Spin Tunnel located at NASA Langley Research Center provided subsonic flight dynamics data at high and low altitudes for multiple center of mass (CoM) locations. A ballistic range test at the Hypervelocity Free Flight Aerodynamics Facility (HFFAF) located at NASA Ames Research Center provided supersonic flight dynamics data at low supersonic Mach numbers. Execution and outcomes of these tests will be discussed. Finally, a hypothesized trajectory estimate for the SR-1 flight will be presented.

ER-2 High Altitude Solar Cell Calibration Flights

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Myers, Matthew G.; Piszczor, Michael F.

2015-01-01

The first flights of the ER-2 solar cell calibration demonstration were conducted during September-October of 2014. Three flights were performed that not only tested out the equipment and operational procedures, but also demonstrated the capability of this unique facility by conducting the first short-circuit measurements on a variety of test solar cells. Very preliminary results of these first flights were presented at the 2014 Space Photovoltaic Research and Technology (SPRAT) Conference in Cleveland, OH shortly following these first flights. At the 2015 Space Power Workshop, a more detailed description of these first ER-2 flights will be presented, along with the final flight data from some of the test cells that were flown and has now been reduced and corrected for ER-2 atmospheric flight conditions. Plans for ER-2 flights during the summer of 2015 will also be discussed.

An inventory of aeronautical ground research facilities. Volume 2: Air breathing engine test facilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pirrello, C. J.; Hardin, R. D.; Heckart, M. V.; Brown, K. R.

1971-01-01

The inventory covers free jet and direct connect altitude cells, sea level static thrust stands, sea level test cells with ram air, and propulsion wind tunnels. Free jet altitude cells and propulsion wind tunnels are used for evaluation of complete inlet-engine-exhaust nozzle propulsion systems under simulated flight conditions. These facilities are similar in principal of operation and differ primarily in test section concept. The propulsion wind tunnel provides a closed test section and restrains the flow around the test specimen while the free jet is allowed to expand freely. A chamber of large diameter about the free jet is provided in which desired operating pressure levels may be maintained. Sea level test cells with ram air provide controlled, conditioned air directly to the engine face for performance evaluation at low altitude flight conditions. Direct connect altitude cells provide a means of performance evaluation at simulated conditions of Mach number and altitude with air supplied to the flight altitude conditions. Sea level static thrust stands simply provide an instrumented engine mounting for measuring thrust at zero airspeed. While all of these facilities are used for integrated engine testing, a few provide engine component test capability.

International Space Station -- Fluids and Combustion Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

The Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF) is a modular, multi-user facility to accommodate microgravity science experiments on board Destiny, the U.S. Laboratory Module for the International Space Station (ISS). The FCF will be a permanet facility aboard the ISS, and will be capable of accommodating up to ten science investigations per year. It will support the NASA Science and Technology Research Plans for the International Space Station (ISS) which require sustained systematic research of the effects of reduced gravity in the areas of fluid physics and combustion science. From left to right are the Combustion Integrated Rack, the Shared Rack, and the Fluids Integrated Rack. The FCF is being developed by the Microgravity Science Division (MSD) at the NASA Glenn Research Center. (Photo Credit: NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center)

Scientific Ballooning in India - Recent Developments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manchanda, R. K.; Srinivasan, S.; Subbarao, J. V.

Established in 1972, the National Balloon Facility operated by TIFR in Hyderabad, India is is a unique facility in the country, which provides a complete solution in scientific ballooning. It is also one of its kind in the world since it combines both, the in-house balloon production and a complete flight support for scientific ballooning. With a large team working through out the year to design, fabricate and launch scientific balloons, the Hyderabad Facility is a unique centre of expertise where the balloon design, Research and Development, the production and launch facilities are located under one roof. Our balloons are manufactured from 100% indigenous components. The mission specific balloon design, high reliability control and support instrumentation, in-house competence in tracking, telemetry, telecommand, data processing, system design and mechanics is a hallmark of the Hyderabad balloon facility. In the past few years we have executed a major programme of upgradation of different components of balloon production, telemetry and telecommand hardware and various support facilities. This paper focuses on our increased capability of balloon production of large sizes up to size of 780,000 M^3 using Antrix film, development of high strength balloon load tapes with the breaking strength of 182 kg, and the recent introduction of S-band telemetry and a commandable timer cut-off unit in the flight hardware. A summary of the various flights conducted in recent years will be presented along with the plans for new facilities.

Spacelab Life Sciences 3 biomedical research using the Rhesus Research Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ballard, R. W.; Searby, N. D.; Stone, L. S.; Hogan, R. P.; Viso, M.; Venet, M.

1992-01-01

In 1985, a letter of agreement was signed between the French space agency, CNES, and NASA, formally initiating a joint venture called the RHESUS Project. The goal of this project is to provide a facility to fly rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) to support spaceflight experiments which are applicable but not practical to carry out on human subjects. Biomedical investigations in behavior/performance, immunology/microbiology, muscle physiology, cardiopulmonary physiology, bone/calcium physiology, regulatory physiology, and neurophysiology disciplines will be performed. The Rhesus Research Facility, hardware capable of supporting two adult rhesus monkeys in a microgravity environment, is being developed for a first flight on Spacelab Life Sciences in early 1996.

Air-Ground Integration Experiment

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2002-01-01

could potentially shift aircraft separation responsibility from air traffic controllers to flight crews creating a'shared-separation' : authority environment Areal-time, human-in-the-loop study was conducted using facilities at NASA Ames Research Cen...

Thermal vacuum life test facility for radioisotope thermoelectric generators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deaton, R. L.; Goebel, C. J.; Amos, W. R.

In the late 1970's, the Department of Energy (DOE) assigned Monsanto Research Corporation, Mound Facility, now operated by EG and G Mound Applied Technologies, the responsibility for assembling and testing General Purpose Heat Source (GPHS) radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs). Assembled and tested were five RTGs, which included four flight units and one non-flight qualification unit. Figure 1 shows the RTG, which was designed by General Electric AstroSpace Division (GE/ASD) to produce 285 W of electrical power. A detailed description of the processes for RTG assembly and testing is presented by Amos and Goebel (1989). The RTG performance data are described by Bennett, et al., (1986). The flight units will provide electrical power for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Galileo mission to Jupiter (two RTGs) and the joint NASA/European Space Agency (ESA) Ulysses mission to study the polar regions of the sun (one RTG). The remaining flight unit will serve as the spare for both missions, and a non-flight qualification unit was assembled and tested to ensure that performance criteria were adequately met.

Development of a knowledge acquisition tool for an expert system flight status monitor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Disbrow, J. D.; Duke, E. L.; Regenie, V. A.

1986-01-01

Two of the main issues in artificial intelligence today are knowledge acquisition dion and knowledge representation. The Dryden Flight Research Facility of NASA's Ames Research Center is presently involved in the design and implementation of an expert system flight status monitor that will provide expertise and knowledge to aid the flight systems engineer in monitoring today's advanced high-performance aircraft. The flight status monitor can be divided into two sections: the expert system itself and the knowledge acquisition tool. The knowledge acquisition tool, the means it uses to extract knowledge from the domain expert, and how that knowledge is represented for computer use is discussed. An actual aircraft system has been codified by this tool with great success. Future real-time use of the expert system has been facilitated by using the knowledge acquisition tool to easily generate a logically consistent and complete knowledge base.

Development of a knowledge acquisition tool for an expert system flight status monitor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Disbrow, J. D.; Duke, E. L.; Regenie, V. A.

1986-01-01

Two of the main issues in artificial intelligence today are knowledge acquisition and knowledge representation. The Dryden Flight Research Facility of NASA's Ames Research Center is presently involved in the design and implementation of an expert system flight status monitor that will provide expertise and knowledge to aid the flight systems engineer in monitoring today's advanced high-performance aircraft. The flight status monitor can be divided into two sections: the expert system itself and the knowledge acquisition tool. This paper discusses the knowledge acquisition tool, the means it uses to extract knowledge from the domain expert, and how that knowledge is represented for computer use. An actual aircraft system has been codified by this tool with great success. Future real-time use of the expert system has been facilitated by using the knowledge acquisition tool to easily generate a logically consistent and complete knowledge base.

Real-time aerodynamic heating and surface temperature calculations for hypersonic flight simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Quinn, Robert D.; Gong, Leslie

1990-01-01

A real-time heating algorithm was derived and installed on the Ames Research Center Dryden Flight Research Facility real-time flight simulator. This program can calculate two- and three-dimensional stagnation point surface heating rates and surface temperatures. The two-dimensional calculations can be made with or without leading-edge sweep. In addition, upper and lower surface heating rates and surface temperatures for flat plates, wedges, and cones can be calculated. Laminar or turbulent heating can be calculated, with boundary-layer transition made a function of free-stream Reynolds number and free-stream Mach number. Real-time heating rates and surface temperatures calculated for a generic hypersonic vehicle are presented and compared with more exact values computed by a batch aeroheating program. As these comparisons show, the heating algorithm used on the flight simulator calculates surface heating rates and temperatures well within the accuracy required to evaluate flight profiles for acceptable heating trajectories.

Air STAR Beyond Visual Range UAS Description and Preliminary Test Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cunningham, Kevin; Cox, David E.; Foster, John V.; Riddick, Stephen E.; Laughter, Sean A.

2016-01-01

The NASA Airborne Subscale Transport Aircraft Research Unmanned Aerial System project's capabilities were expanded by updating the system design and concept of operations. The new remotely piloted airplane system design was flight tested to assess integrity and operational readiness of the design to perform flight research. The purpose of the system design is to improve aviation safety by providing a capability to validate, in high-risk conditions, technologies to prevent airplane loss of control. Two principal design requirements were to provide a high degree of reliability and that the new design provide a significant increase in test volume (relative to operations using the previous design). The motivation for increased test volume is to improve test efficiency and allow new test capabilities that were not possible with the previous design and concept of operations. Three successful test flights were conducted from runway 4-22 at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Flight Facility.

ER-2 High Altitude Solar Cell Calibration Flights

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Myers, Matthew; Wolford, David; Snyder, David; Piszczor, Michael

2015-01-01

Evaluation of space photovoltaics using ground-based simulators requires primary standard cells which have been characterized in a space or near-space environment. Due to the high cost inherent in testing cells in space, most primary standards are tested on high altitude fixed wing aircraft or balloons. The ER-2 test platform is the latest system developed by the Glenn Research Center (GRC) for near-space photovoltaic characterization. This system offers several improvements over GRC's current Learjet platform including higher altitude, larger testing area, onboard spectrometers, and longer flight season. The ER-2 system was developed by GRC in cooperation with NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC) as well as partners at the Naval Research Laboratory and Air Force Research Laboratory. The system was designed and built between June and September of 2014, with the integration and first flights taking place at AFRC's Palmdale facility in October of 2014. Three flights were made testing cells from GRC as well as commercial industry partners. Cell performance data was successfully collected on all three flights as well as solar spectra. The data was processed using a Langley extrapolation method, and performance results showed a less than half a percent variation between flights, and less than a percent variation from GRC's current Learjet test platform.

Langley Aerospace Research Summer Scholars (LARSS) Scholars Pres

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-08-07

250 students participated in the Langley Aerospace Research Summer Scholars (LARSS) Presentations focused on 3D modeling of STARBUKS calibration components in the National Transonic Facility, hypersonic aerodynamic inflatable decelerator, and optimization of a microphone-based array for flight testing. Reid Center LaRC Hampton, VA

Goodard Space Flight Center/Wallops Flight Facility airborne geoscience support capability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Navarro, Roger L.

1991-01-01

Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Facility (GSFC/WFF), operates six aircraft which are used as airborne geoscience platforms. The aircraft complement consists of two UH-1B helicopters, one twin engine Skyvan, one twin jet T-39, and two four engine turboprop aircraft (P-3 and Electra) offering the research community a wide range of payload, altitude, speed, and range capabilities. WFF's support to a principal investigator include mission planning of all supporting elements, installation of equipment on the aircraft, fabrication of brackets, and adapters as required to adapt payloads to the aircraft, and planning of mission profiles to meet science objectives. The flight regime includes local, regional, and global missions. The WFF aircraft serve scientists at GSFC, other NASA centers, other government agencies, and universities. The WFF mode of operation features the walk on method of conducting research projects. The principal investigator requests aircraft support by letter to WFF and after approval is granted, works with the assigned mission manager to plan all phases of project support. The instrumentation is installed in WFF electronics racks, mounted on the aircraft, the missions are flown, and the equipment is removed when the scientific objectives are met. The principal investigator reimburses WFF for each flight hours, any overtime and travel expenses generated by the project, and for other mission-related expenses such as aircraft support services required at deployment bases.

KSC-05PD-0369

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. In the Space Station Processing Facility, workers prepare the Human Research Facility-2 (HRF-2) science rack for installation into the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello for flight on Space Shuttle Discoverys Return to Flight mission, STS-114. The HRF-2 will deliver additional biomedical instrumentation and research capability to the International Space Station. HRF-1, installed on the U.S. Lab since May 2001, contains an ultrasound unit and gas analyzer. Both racks provide structural, power, thermal, command and data handling, and communication and tracking interfaces between the HRF biomedical instrumentation and the U.S. Laboratory, Destiny. NASA Kennedy Space Center and their prime contractor responsible for ISS element processing, The Boeing Company, prepared the rack for installation. The HRF Project is managed by NASA Johnson Space Center and implemented through contract with Lockheed Martin, Houston, Texas.

KSC-05PD-0372

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. In the Space Station Processing Facility, the Rack Insertion Device moves the Human Research Facility-2 (HRF-2) science rack toward the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello (at left) for flight on Space Shuttle Discoverys Return to Flight mission, STS-114. The HRF-2 will deliver additional biomedical instrumentation and research capability to the International Space Station. HRF-1, installed on the U.S. Lab since May 2001, contains an ultrasound unit and gas analyzer. Both racks provide structural, power, thermal, command and data handling, and communication and tracking interfaces between the HRF biomedical instrumentation and the U.S. Laboratory, Destiny. NASA Kennedy Space Center and their prime contractor responsible for ISS element processing, The Boeing Company, prepared the rack for installation. The HRF Project is managed by NASA Johnson Space Center and implemented through contract with Lockheed Martin, Houston, Texas.

KSC-05PD-0368

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. In the Space Station Processing Facility, the Human Research Facility-2 (HRF-2) science rack sits on a stand waiting to be installed into the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello for flight on Space Shuttle Discoverys Return to Flight mission, STS-114. The HRF-2 will deliver additional biomedical instrumentation and research capability to the International Space Station. HRF-1, installed on the U.S. Lab since May 2001, contains an ultrasound unit and gas analyzer. Both racks provide structural, power, thermal, command and data handling, and communication and tracking interfaces between the HRF biomedical instrumentation and the U.S. Laboratory, Destiny. NASA Kennedy Space Center and their prime contractor responsible for ISS element processing, The Boeing Company, prepared the rack for installation. The HRF Project is managed by NASA Johnson Space Center and implemented through contract with Lockheed Martin, Houston, Texas.

Shuttle Endeavour Mated to 747 SCA Taxi to Runway for Delivery to Kennedy Space Center, Florida

NASA Image and Video Library

1991-05-02

NASA's 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft No. 911, with the space shuttle orbiter Endeavour securely mounted atop its fuselage, taxies to the runway to begin the ferry flight from Rockwell's Plant 42 at Palmdale, California, where the orbiter was built, to the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. At Kennedy, the space vehicle was processed and launched on orbital mission STS-49, which landed at NASA's Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility (later redesignated Dryden Flight Research Center), Edwards, California, 16 May 1992. NASA 911, the second modified 747 that went into service in November 1990, has special support struts atop the fuselage and internal strengthening to accommodate the added weight of the orbiters.

SonicBAT News Conference

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-08-17

In the Kennedy Space Center's Press Site auditorium, Matthew Kamlet of NASA Communications at the Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, speaks to members of the media at a news conference to discuss upcoming flight tests to study the effects of sonic booms. Kennedy is partnering with Armstrong, Langley and Space Florida for a program called SonicBAT for Sonic Booms in Atmospheric Turbulence. Starting in August, NASA F-18 jets will take off from the Shuttle Landing Facility and fly at supersonic speeds while agency researchers on the ground measure the effects of low-altitude turbulence on sonic booms. The study could lead to technology mitigating the annoying sonic booms making possible supersonic flights over populated areas.

SonicBAT News Conference

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-08-17

In the Kennedy Space Center's Press Site auditorium, Larry Cliatt, SonicBAT Fluid Mechanics at Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, speaks to members of the media at a news conference to discuss upcoming flight tests to study the effects of sonic booms. Kennedy is partnering with Armstrong, Langley and Space Florida for a program called SonicBAT for Sonic Booms in Atmospheric Turbulence. Starting in August, NASA F-18 jets will take off from the Shuttle Landing Facility and fly at supersonic speeds while agency researchers on the ground measure the effects of low-altitude turbulence on sonic booms. The study could lead to technology mitigating the annoying sonic booms making possible supersonic flights over populated areas.

Shuttle Return-to-Flight IH-108 Aerothermal Test at CUBRC - Flow Field Calibration and CFD

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lau, Kei Y.; Holden, M. S.

2011-01-01

This paper discusses one specific aspect of the Shuttle Retrun-To-Flight IH-108 Aerothermal Test at Calspan-University of Buffalo Research Center (CUBRC), the test flow field calibration. It showed the versatility of the CUBRC Large Energy National Shock Tunnel (LENS) II wind tunnel for an aerothermal test with unique and demanding requirements. CFD analyses were used effectively to extend the test range at the low end of the Mach range. It demonstrated how ground test facility and CFD synergy can be utilitzed iteratively to enhance the confidence in the fedility of both tools. It addressed the lingering concerns of the aerothermal community on use of inpulse facility and CFD analysis. At the conclusion of the test program, members from the NASA Marshall (MSFC), CUBRC and USA (United Space Alliance) Consultants (The Grey Beards) were asked to independently verify the flight scaling data generated by Boeing for flight certification of the re-designed external tank (ET) components. The blind test comparison showed very good results.

The 0.040-scale space shuttle orbiter base heating model tests in the Lewis Research Center space power facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dezelick, R. A.

1976-01-01

Space shuttle base heating tests were conducted using a 0.040-scale model in the Plum Brook Space Power Facility of The NASA Lewis Research Center. The tests measured heat transfer rates, pressure distributions, and gas recovery temperatures on the orbiter vehicle 2A base configuration resulting from engine plume impingement. One hundred and sixty-eight hydrogen-oxygen engine firings were made at simulated flight altitudes ranging from 120,000 to 360,000 feet.

Spacelab Life Sciences 1, development towards successive life sciences flights

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dalton, B. P.; Jahns, G.; Hogan, R.

1992-01-01

A general review is presented of flight data and related hardware developments for Spacelab Life Sciences (SLS) 1 with an eye toward applying this knowledge to projected flight planning. Specific attention is given to the Research Animal Holding Facility (RAHF), the General Purpose Work Station (GPWS), the Small Mass Measuring Instrument (SMMI), and the Animal Enclosure Module (AEM). Preflight and in-flight testing methods are detailed including biocompatibility tests, parametric engineering sensitivity analyses, measurements of environmental parameters, and studies of operational interfaces. Particulate containment is demonstrated for some of the equipment, and successful use of the GPWS, RAHF, AEM, and SMMI are reported. The in-flight data are useful for developing more advanced hardware such as the AEM for SLS flight 2 and the modified RAHF for SLS flight 3.

Facilities for Biological Research Aboard the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Souza, Kenneth A.; Yost, Bruce D.; Berry, William E.; Johnson, Catherine C.

1996-01-01

A centrifuge designed as part of an integrated biological facility for installation onboard the International Space Station is presented. The requirements for the 2.5 m diameter centrifuge, which is designed for the support of biological experiments are discussed. The scientific objectives of the facility are to: provide a means of conducting fundamental studies in which gravitational acceleration is a controllable variable; provide a 1g control; determine the threshold acceleration for physiological response, and determine the value of centrifugation as a potential countermeasure for the biomedical problems associated with space flight. The implementation of the facility is reported on, and the following aspects of the facility are described: the host resources systems supply requirements such as power and data control; the habitat holding rack; the life sciences glove box; the centrifuge; the different habitats for cell culture, aquatic studies, plant research and insect research; the egg incubator, and the laboratory support equipment.

Calibration Laboratory Capabilities Listing as of April 2009

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kennedy, Gary W.

2009-01-01

This document reviews the Calibration Laboratory capabilities for various NASA centers (i.e., Glenn Research Center and Plum Brook Test Facility Kennedy Space Center Marshall Space Flight Center Stennis Space Center and White Sands Test Facility.) Some of the parameters reported are: Alternating current, direct current, dimensional, mass, force, torque, pressure and vacuum, safety, and thermodynamics parameters. Some centers reported other parameters.

Design and initial application of the extended aircraft interrogation and display system: Multiprocessing ground support equipment for digital flight systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glover, Richard D.

1987-01-01

A pipelined, multiprocessor, general-purpose ground support equipment for digital flight systems has been developed and placed in service at the NASA Ames Research Center's Dryden Flight Research Facility. The design is an outgrowth of the earlier aircraft interrogation and display system (AIDS) used in support of several research projects to provide engineering-units display of internal control system parameters during development and qualification testing activities. The new system, incorporating multiple 16-bit processors, is called extended AIDS (XAIDS) and is now supporting the X-29A forward-swept-wing aircraft project. This report describes the design and mechanization of XAIDS and shows the steps whereby a typical user may take advantage of its high throughput and flexible features.

Flight-determined engine exhaust characteristics of an F404 engine in an F-18 airplane

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ennix, Kimberly A.; Burcham, Frank W., Jr.; Webb, Lannie D.

1993-01-01

Personnel at the NASA Langley Research Center (NASA-Langley) and the NASA Dryden Flight Research Facility (NASA-Dryden) recently completed a joint acoustic flight test program. Several types of aircraft with high nozzle pressure ratio engines were flown to satisfy a twofold objective. First, assessments were made of subsonic climb-to-cruise noise from flights conducted at varying altitudes in a Mach 0.30 to 0.90 range. Second, using data from flights conducted at constant altitude in a Mach 0.30 to 0.95 range, engineers obtained a high quality noise database. This database was desired to validate the Aircraft Noise Prediction Program and other system noise prediction codes. NASA-Dryden personnel analyzed the engine data from several aircraft that were flown in the test program to determine the exhaust characteristics. The analysis of the exhaust characteristics from the F-18 aircraft are reported. An overview of the flight test planning, instrumentation, test procedures, data analysis, engine modeling codes, and results are presented.

Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Flight Dynamics Facility (FDF) calibration of the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) sensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hashmall, J.; Garrick, J.

1993-01-01

Flight Dynamics Facility (FDF) responsibilities for calibration of Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) sensors included alignment calibration of the fixed-head star trackers (FHST's) and the fine Sun sensor (FSS), determination of misalignments and scale factors for the inertial reference units (IRU's), determination of biases for the three-axis magnetometers (TAM's) and Earth sensor assemblies (ESA's), determination of gimbal misalignments of the Solar/Stellar Pointing Platform (SSPP), and field-of-view calibration for the FSS's mounted both on the Modular Attitude Control System (MACS) and on the SSPP. The calibrations, which used a combination of new and established algorithms, gave excellent results. Alignment calibration results markedly improved the accuracy of both ground and onboard Computer (OBC) attitude determination. SSPP calibration results allowed UARS to identify stars in the period immediately after yaw maneuvers, removing the delay required for the OBC to reacquire its fine pointing attitude mode. SSPP calibration considerably improved the pointing accuracy of the attached science instrument package. This paper presents a summary of the methods used and the results of all FDF UARS sensor calibration.

The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (sofia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gehrz, R. D.; Becklin, E. E.

2011-06-01

The joint U.S. and German Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is a 2.5- meter infrared airborne telescope in a Boeing 747-SP that began science flights in 2010. Flying in the stratosphere at altitudes as high as 45,000 feet, SOFIA can conduct photometric, spectroscopic, and imaging observations at wavelengths from 0.3 microns to 1.6 millimeters with an average transmission of greater than 80 percent. SOFIA is staged out of the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center aircraft operations facility at Palmdale, CA and the SOFIA Science Mission Operations Center (SSMOC) is located at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA. SOFIA's first-generation instrument complement includes high speed photometers, broadband imagers, moderate resolution spectrographs capable of resolving broad features due to dust and large molecules, and high resolution spectrometers suitable for kinematic studies of molecular and atomic gas lines at km/s resolution. About 100 eight to ten hour flights per year are expected by 2014, and the observatory will operate until the mid 2030's. We will review the status of the SOFIA facility, its initial complement of science instruments, and the opportunities for advanced instrumentation.

Spacelab

NASA Image and Video Library

1981-01-01

The primary purpose of the Spacelab-3 mission was to conduct materials science experiments in a stable low-gravity environment. In addition, the crew did research in life sciences, fluid mechanics, atmospheric science, and astronomy. Spacelab-3 was equipped with several new mini-labs, special facilities that would be used repeatedly on future flights. Two elaborate crystal growth furnaces, a life support and housing facility for small animals, and two types of apparatus for the study of fluids were evaluated on their inaugural flight. The instruments requiring direct exposure to space were mounted outside in the open payload bay of the Shuttle. Spacelab represented the merger of science and marned spaceflight. It opened remarkable opportunities to push the frontiers of knowledge beyond the limits of research on Earth. Scientists in space performed experiments in close collaboration with their colleagues on the ground. On the Spacelab-3 mission, managed by the Marshall Space Flight Center, this versatile laboratory entered routine operation service for the next two decades. Spacelab-3 (STS-51B mission) was launched aboard Space Shuttle Orbiter Challenger on April 29, 1985.

The development of an airborne information management system for flight test

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bever, Glenn A.

1992-01-01

An airborne information management system is being developed at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Facility. This system will improve the state of the art in management data acquisition on-board research aircraft. The design centers around highly distributable, high-speed microprocessors that allow data compression, digital filtering, and real-time analysis. This paper describes the areas of applicability, approach to developing the system, potential for trouble areas, and reasons for this development activity. System architecture (including the salient points of what makes it unique), design philosophy, and tradeoff issues are also discussed.

Noise measurements in a free-jet, flight simulation facility - Shear layer refraction and facility-to-flight corrections

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morfey, C. L.; Tester, B. J.

1976-01-01

The conversion of free-jet facility into equivalent flyover results is discussed. The essential problem is to 'calibrate out' the acoustic influence of the outer free-jet shear layer on the measurement, since this is absent in the flight case. Results are presented which illustrate the differences between current simplified models (vortex-sheet and geometric acoustics), and a more complete model based on the Lilley equation. Finally, the use of geometric acoustics for facility-to-flight data conversion is discussed.

Test pilots 1952 - Walker, Butchart, and Jones

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1952-01-01

This photo shows test pilots, (Left-Right) Joseph A. Walker, Stanley P. Butchart and Walter P. Jones, standing in front of the Douglas D-558-II Skystreak, in 1952. These three test pilots at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics' High-Speed Flight Research Station probably were discussing their flights in the aircraft. Joe flew research flights on the D-558-I #3 (14 flights, first on June 29, 1951) investigating buffeting, tail loads, and longitudinal stability. He flew the D-558-II #2 (3 flights, first on April 29, 1955) and recorded data on lateral stability and control. He also made pilot check-out flights in the D-558-II #3 (2 flights, first on May 7, 1954). For fifteen years Walker served as a pilot at the Edwards flight research facility (today known as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Dryden Flight Research Center) on research flights as well as chase missions for other pilots on NASA and Air Force research programs. On June 8, 1966, he was flying chase in NASA's F-104N for the Air Force's experimental bomber, North American XB-70A, when he was fatally injured in a mid-air collision between the planes. Stan flew the D-558-I #3 (12 flights, first on October 19, 1951) to determine the dynamic longitudinal stability characteristics and investigations of the lateral stability and control. He made one flight in the D-558-II #3 on June 26, 1953, as a pilot check-out flight. Butchart retired from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, California, on February 27, 1976, after a 25-year career in research aviation. Stan served as a research pilot, chief pilot, and director of flight operations. Walter P. Jones was a research pilot for NACA from the fall of 1950 to July 1952. He had been in the U.S. Air Force as a pilot before joining the Station. Jones flew the D-558-I #3 (5 flights, first on February 13, 1951) to study buffeting, tail loads and longitudinal stability. Jones made research flights on the D-558-II #3 ( 7 flights, first on July 20, 1951). These flights investigated pitch-up and evaluated outboard wing fences. Walt also made research flights in the Northrop X-4 (14 flights, first on March 26, 1952) and the Bell X-5 (8 flights, first on June 20, 1952). In July 1952, Walt left NACA's High-Speed Flight Research Station to join Northrop Corporation as a pilot. Returning from a test mission in a Northrop YF-89D Scorpion he was fatally injured on October 20, 1953, near Edwards Air Force Base.

VIEW OF FLIGHT CREW SYSTEMS, FLIGHT KITS FACILITY, ROOM NO. ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

VIEW OF FLIGHT CREW SYSTEMS, FLIGHT KITS FACILITY, ROOM NO. 1N12, FACING NORTH - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Vehicle Assembly Building, VAB Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

VIEW OF FLIGHT CREW SYSTEMS, FLIGHT KITS FACILITY, ROOM NO. ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

VIEW OF FLIGHT CREW SYSTEMS, FLIGHT KITS FACILITY, ROOM NO. 1N12, FACING SOUTH - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Vehicle Assembly Building, VAB Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

Assessment of programs in space biology and medicine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

Over the past 30 or more years, the National Research Council Space Studies Board and its various committees have published hundreds of recommendations concerning life sciences research. Several particularly noteworthy themes appear consistently: (1) Balance - the need for a well-balanced research program in terms of ground versus flight, basic versus clinical, and internal versus extramural; (2) Excellence - because of the extremely limited number of flight opportunities (as well as their associated relative costs), the need for absolute excellence in the research that is conducted, in terms of topic, protocol, and investigator, and (3) Facilities - the single most important facility for life sciences research in space, an on-board, variable force centrifuge. In this first assessment report, the Committee on Space Biology and Medicine emphasizes that these long-standing themes remain as essential today as when first articulated. On the brink of the twenty-first century, the nation is contemplating the goal of human space exploration; consequently, the themes bear repeating. Each is a critical component of what will be necessary to successfully achieve such a goal.

Development of a EUV Test Facility at the Marshall Space Flight Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

West, Edward; Pavelitz, Steve; Kobayashi, Ken; Robinson, Brian; Cirtain, Johnathan; Gaskin, Jessica; Winebarger, Amy

2011-01-01

This paper will describe a new EUV test facility that is being developed at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) to test EUV telescopes. Two flight programs, HiC - high resolution coronal imager (sounding rocket) and SUVI - Solar Ultraviolet Imager (GOES-R), set the requirements for this new facility. This paper will discuss those requirements, the EUV source characteristics, the wavelength resolution that is expected and the vacuum chambers (Stray Light Facility, Xray Calibration Facility and the EUV test chamber) where this facility will be used.

The deep space network, Volume 11

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

Deep Space Network progress in flight project support, Tracking and Data Acquisition research and technology, network engineering, hardware and software implementation, and operations are presented. Material is presented in each of the following categories: description of DSN; mission support; radio science; support research and technology; network engineering and implementation; and operations and facilities.

Recent Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) experience with on-orbit calibration of attitude sensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, W.; Hashmall, J.; Harman, R.

1992-01-01

The results of on-orbit calibration for several satellites by the flight Dynamics Facility (FDF) at GSFC are reviewed. The examples discussed include attitude calibrations for sensors, including fixed-head star trackers, fine sun sensors, three-axis magnetometers, and inertial reference units taken from recent experience with the Compton Gamma Ray observatory, the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite, and the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer calibration. The methods used and the results of calibration are discussed, as are the improvements attained from in-flight calibration.

Justification for, and design of, an economical programmable multiple flight simulator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kreifeldt, J. G.; Wittenber, J.; Macdonald, G.

1981-01-01

The considered research interests in air traffic control (ATC) studies revolve about the concept of distributed ATC management based on the assumption that the pilot has a cockpit display of traffic and navigation information (CDTI) via CRT graphics. The basic premise is that a CDTI equipped pilot can, in coordination with a controller, manage a part of his local traffic situation thereby improving important aspects of ATC performance. A modularly designed programmable flight simulator system is prototyped as a means of providing an economical facility of up to eight simulators to interface with a mainframe/graphics system for ATC experimentation, particularly CDTI-distributed management in which pilot-pilot interaction can have a determining effect on system performance. Need for a multiman simulator facility is predicted on results from an earlier three simulator facility.

An Overview of the Materials Science Research at the Marshall Space Flight Center Electrostatic Levitator Facility and Recent CDDF Efforts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

Containerless processing is an important tool for materials research. The freedom from a crucible allows processing of liquid materials in a metastable undercooled state, as well as allowing processing of high temperature and highly reactive melts. Electrostatic levitation (ESL) is a containerless method which provides a number of unique advantages, including the ability to process non-conducting materials, the ability to operate in ultra-high vacuum or at moderate gas pressure (approx. = 5 atm), and the decoupling of positioning force from sample heating. ESL also has the potential to reduce internal flow velocities below those possible with electromagnetic, acoustic, or aero-acoustic techniques. In electrostatic levitation, the acceleration of gravity (or residual acceleration in reduced gravity) is opposed by the action of an applied electric field on a charged sample. Microgravity allows electrostatic levitation to work even more effectively. The ESL facility at NASA s Marshall Space Flight Center is in use for materials research and thermophysical property measurement by a number of different internal and external investigators. Results from the recent CDDF studies on the high energy X-ray beamline at the Advanced Photon Source of Argonne National Laboratory will be presented. The Microgravity Research Program supports the facility.

Unique life sciences research facilities at NASA Ames Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mulenburg, G. M.; Vasques, M.; Caldwell, W. F.; Tucker, J.

1994-01-01

The Life Science Division at NASA's Ames Research Center has a suite of specialized facilities that enable scientists to study the effects of gravity on living systems. This paper describes some of these facilities and their use in research. Seven centrifuges, each with its own unique abilities, allow testing of a variety of parameters on test subjects ranging from single cells through hardware to humans. The Vestibular Research Facility allows the study of both centrifugation and linear acceleration on animals and humans. The Biocomputation Center uses computers for 3D reconstruction of physiological systems, and interactive research tools for virtual reality modeling. Psycophysiological, cardiovascular, exercise physiology, and biomechanical studies are conducted in the 12 bed Human Research Facility and samples are analyzed in the certified Central Clinical Laboratory and other laboratories at Ames. Human bedrest, water immersion and lower body negative pressure equipment are also available to study physiological changes associated with weightlessness. These and other weightlessness models are used in specialized laboratories for the study of basic physiological mechanisms, metabolism and cell biology. Visual-motor performance, perception, and adaptation are studied using ground-based models as well as short term weightlessness experiments (parabolic flights). The unique combination of Life Science research facilities, laboratories, and equipment at Ames Research Center are described in detail in relation to their research contributions.

NASA Launches Parachute Test Platform from Wallops

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-10-04

NASA tested a parachute platform during the flight of a Terrier-Black Brant IX suborbital sounding rocket on Oct. 4, from the agency’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The rocket carried the Advanced Supersonic Parachute Inflation Research Experiment (ASPIRE) from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. The mission will evaluate the performance of the ASPIRE payload, which is designed to test parachute systems in a low-density, supersonic environment.

Anderson works on the Nutrition Experiment during Expedition 15

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-06-25

ISS015-E-13648 (25 June 2007) --- Astronaut Clayton Anderson, Expedition 15 flight engineer, works with test samples in the Human Research Facility 2 (HRF-2) Refrigerated Centrifuge as a part of the Nutritional Status Assessment (Nutrition) experiment in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station. The results of the Nutrition experiment will be used to better understand the time course effects of space flight on human physiology.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, Bill Prosser (left) and Eric Madaras, NASA-Langley Research Center, and Jim McGee (right), The Boeing Company, Huntington Beach, Calif., conduct impulse tests on the right wing leading edge (WLE) of Space Shuttle Endeavour. The tests monitor how sound impulses propagate through the WLE area. The data collected will be analyzed to explore the possibility of adding new instrumentation to the wing that could automatically detect debris or micrometeroid impacts on the Shuttle while in flight. The study is part of the initiative ongoing at KSC and around the agency to return the orbiter fleet to flight status.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-10-27

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, Bill Prosser (left) and Eric Madaras, NASA-Langley Research Center, and Jim McGee (right), The Boeing Company, Huntington Beach, Calif., conduct impulse tests on the right wing leading edge (WLE) of Space Shuttle Endeavour. The tests monitor how sound impulses propagate through the WLE area. The data collected will be analyzed to explore the possibility of adding new instrumentation to the wing that could automatically detect debris or micrometeroid impacts on the Shuttle while in flight. The study is part of the initiative ongoing at KSC and around the agency to return the orbiter fleet to flight status.

X-Ray Astronomy Research at the Marshall Space Flight Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Austin, Robert A.

1999-01-01

For at least twenty years, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has played a major role in the development of X-ray astronomy in the United States. MSFC scientists and engineers are currently involved in a wide range of programs which will contribute to the growth of X-ray astronomy well into the next century. Areas of activity include calibration of X-ray astronomy instrumentation using Marshall's world-class X-ray Calibration Facility (XRCF), development of high-throughput, replicated X-ray optics, X-ray detector development, balloon-based X-ray astronomy, and analysis of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) and clusters of galaxies. Recent milestones include the successful calibration of NASA's premier X-ray Astronomy Satellite - AXAF (recently renamed Chandra), a balloon flight of a large area (1000 sq cm) micro-strip proportional counter, and work on a hard X-ray (30-100 keV) telescope called HERO, capable of high quality spectroscopy and imaging through the use of grazing incidence optics and an Imaging Gas Scintillation Proportional Counter (IGSPC). In my presentation, I will provide a general overview of our research and facilities. I will conclude with a more detailed discussion of our High Energy Replicated Optics (HERO) program and plans for long duration (>100 days) balloon flights which will take place in the near future.

Summary of the effects of engine throttle response on airplane formation-flying qualities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walsh, Kevin R.

1992-01-01

A flight evaluation as conducted to determine the effect of engine throttle response characteristics on precision formation-flying qualities. A variable electronic throttle control system was developed and flight-tested on a TF-104G airplane with a J79-11B engine at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Facility. Ten research flights were flown to evaluate the effects of throttle gain, time delay, and fuel control rate limiting on engine handling qualities during a demanding precision wing formation task. Handling quality effects of lag filters and lead compensation time delays were also evaluated. Data from pilot ratings and comments indicate that throttle control system time delays and rate limits cause significant degradations in handling qualities. Threshold values for satisfactory (level 1) and adequate (level 2) handling qualities of these key variables are presented.

Exobiology research on Space Station Freedom

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huntington, J. L.; Stratton, D. M.; Scattergood, T. W.

1995-01-01

The Gas-Grain Simulation Facility (GGSF) is a multidisciplinary experiment laboratory being developed by NASA at Ames Research Center for delivery to Space Station Freedom in 1998. This facility will employ the low-gravity environment of the Space Station to enable aerosol experiments of much longer duration than is possible in any ground-based laboratory. Studies of fractal aggregates that are impossible to sustain on Earth will also be enabled. Three research areas within exobiology that will benefit from the GGSF are described here. An analysis of the needs of this research and of other suggested experiments has produced a list of science requirements which the facility design must accommodate. A GGSF design concept developed in the first stage of flight hardware development to meet these requirements is also described.

Artist Concept of X-43A/Hyper-X Hypersonic Experimental Research Vehicle in Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

An artist's conception of the X-43A Hypersonic Experimental Vehicle, or 'Hyper-X' in flight. The X-43A was developed to flight test a dual-mode ramjet/scramjet propulsion system at speeds from Mach 7 up to Mach 10 (7 to 10 times the speed of sound, which varies with temperature and altitude). Hyper-X, the flight vehicle for which is designated as X-43A, is an experimental flight-research program seeking to demonstrate airframe-integrated, 'air-breathing' engine technologies that promise to increase payload capacity for future vehicles, including hypersonic aircraft (faster than Mach 5) and reusable space launchers. This multiyear program is currently underway at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The Hyper-X schedule calls for its first flight later this year (2000). Hyper-X is a joint program, with Dryden sharing responsibility with NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. Dryden's primary role is to fly three unpiloted X-43A research vehicles to validate engine technologies and hypersonic design tools as well as the hypersonic test facility at Langley. Langley manages the program and leads the technology development effort. The Hyper-X Program seeks to significantly expand the speed boundaries of air-breathing propulsion by being the first aircraft to demonstrate an airframe-integrated, scramjet-powered free flight. Scramjets (supersonic-combustion ramjets) are ramjet engines in which the airflow through the whole engine remains supersonic. Scramjet technology is challenging because only limited testing can be performed in ground facilities. Long duration, full-scale testing requires flight research. Scramjet engines are air-breathing, capturing their oxygen from the atmosphere. Current spacecraft, such as the Space Shuttle, are rocket powered, so they must carry both fuel and oxygen for propulsion. Scramjet technology-based vehicles need to carry only fuel. By eliminating the need to carry oxygen, future hypersonic vehicles will be able to carry heavier payloads. Another unique aspect of the X-43A vehicle is the airframe integration. The body of the vehicle itself forms critical elements of the engine. The forebody acts as part of the intake for airflow and the aft section serves as the nozzle. The X-43A vehicles were manufactured by Micro Craft, Inc., Tullahoma, Tennessee. Orbital Sciences Corporation, Chandler, Arizona, built the Pegasus rocket booster used to launch the X-43 vehicles. For the Dryden research flights, the Pegasus rocket booster and attached X-43 will be air launched by Dryden's B-52 'Mothership.' After release from the B-52, the booster will accelerate the X-43A vehicle to the established test conditions (Mach 7 to 10) at an altitude of approximately 100,000 feet where the X-43 will separate from the booster and fly under its own power and preprogrammed control.

Hyper-X Research Vehicle - Artist Concept in Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

An artist's conception of the X-43A Hypersonic Experimental Vehicle, or 'Hyper-X' in flight. The X-43A was developed to flight test a dual-mode ramjet/scramjet propulsion system at speeds from Mach 7 up to Mach 10 (7 to 10 times the speed of sound, which varies with temperature and altitude). Hyper-X, the flight vehicle for which is designated as X-43A, is an experimental flight-research program seeking to demonstrate airframe-integrated, 'air-breathing' engine technologies that promise to increase payload capacity for future vehicles, including hypersonic aircraft (faster than Mach 5) and reusable space launchers. This multiyear program is currently underway at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The Hyper-X schedule calls for its first flight later this year (2000). Hyper-X is a joint program, with Dryden sharing responsibility with NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. Dryden's primary role is to fly three unpiloted X-43A research vehicles to validate engine technologies and hypersonic design tools as well as the hypersonic test facility at Langley. Langley manages the program and leads the technology development effort. The Hyper-X Program seeks to significantly expand the speed boundaries of air-breathing propulsion by being the first aircraft to demonstrate an airframe-integrated, scramjet-powered free flight. Scramjets (supersonic-combustion ramjets) are ramjet engines in which the airflow through the whole engine remains supersonic. Scramjet technology is challenging because only limited testing can be performed in ground facilities. Long duration, full-scale testing requires flight research. Scramjet engines are air-breathing, capturing their oxygen from the atmosphere. Current spacecraft, such as the Space Shuttle, are rocket powered, so they must carry both fuel and oxygen for propulsion. Scramjet technology-based vehicles need to carry only fuel. By eliminating the need to carry oxygen, future hypersonic vehicles will be able to carry heavier payloads. Another unique aspect of the X-43A vehicle is the airframe integration. The body of the vehicle itself forms critical elements of the engine. The forebody acts as part of the intake for airflow and the aft section serves as the nozzle. The X-43A vehicles were manufactured by Micro Craft, Inc., Tullahoma, Tennessee. Orbital Sciences Corporation, Chandler, Arizona, built the Pegasus rocket booster used to launch the X-43 vehicles. For the Dryden research flights, the Pegasus rocket booster and attached X-43 will be air launched by Dryden's B-52 'Mothership.' After release from the B-52, the booster will accelerate the X-43A vehicle to the established test conditions (Mach 7 to 10) at an altitude of approximately 100,000 feet where the X-43 will separate from the booster and fly under its own power and preprogrammed control.

Overview Of The Scientific Balloon Activity in Sweden 2014-2016

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abrahamsson, Mattias; Lockowandt, Christian; Andersson, Kent

2016-07-01

SSC, formerly known as Swedish Space Corporation, is a Swedish state-owned company working in several different space related fields, including scientific stratospheric balloon launches. Esrange Space Centre (Esrange in short) located in the north of Sweden is the launch facility of SSC, where both sounding rocket launches and stratospheric balloon launches are conducted. At Esrange there are also facilities for satellite communication, including one of the largest civilian satellite data reception stations in the world. Stratospheric balloons have been launched from Esrange since 1974, when the first flights were performed together with the French space agency CNES. These balloon flights have normally flown eastward either only over Sweden or into Finland. Some flights have also had permission to fly into Russia, as far as the Ural Mountains. Normal flight times are from 4 to 12 hours. These eastward flights are conducted during the winter months (September to May). Long duration flights have been flown from Esrange since 2005, when NASA flew the BLAST payload from Sweden to north Canada. The prevailing westerly wind pattern is very advantageous for trans-Atlantic flights during summer (late May to late July). The long flight times of 4-5 days are very beneficial for astronomical payloads, such as telescopes that need long observation times. Circumpolar flights of more than two weeks are possible if Russian overflight permission exists. Typical scientific balloon payload fields include atmospheric research, including research on ozone depletion, astronomical and cosmological research, and research in technical fields such as aerodynamics. Since last COSPAR a number of interesting balloon flights have been performed from Esrange. In late 2014 parachute tests for the ExoMars programme was performed by drop-test from balloons. This was followed up on in the summer of 2015 with full end-to-end dynamic stability tests of Earth re-entry capsule shapes. Several balloon-borne UAV tests have been performed in 2015. A small high-altitude gliding UAV was tested in the spring, a large supersonic UAV was flown in the summer, and in the late autumn several tests of a small glider were done. A number of flights of a small Swedish science package have been made in 2015 and 2016, and four flights within the BEXUS student programme have also been performed. Seven scientific flights studying the electron losses from Earth's radiation belt were performed by US scientists in August 2015, with the longest flight lasting more than 36 hours. In summer 2016 there is a plan to make a re-flight of the PoGOLite payload, studying polarized X-rays. The latest results from this will be presented.

Microgravity

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-01-31

The Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF) is a modular, multi-user facility to accommodate microgravity science experiments on board Destiny, the U.S. Laboratory Module for the International Space Station (ISS). The FCF will be a permanet facility aboard the ISS, and will be capable of accommodating up to ten science investigations per year. It will support the NASA Science and Technology Research Plans for the International Space Station (ISS) which require sustained systematic research of the effects of reduced gravity in the areas of fluid physics and combustion science. From left to right are the Combustion Integrated Rack, the Shared Rack, and the Fluids Integrated Rack. The FCF is being developed by the Microgravity Science Division (MSD) at the NASA Glenn Research Center. (Photo Credit: NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center)

Precipitation and Hydrology Experiment Counter-Flow Spectrometer and Impactor Field Campaign Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Poellot, Michael

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility Aerial Facility (ARM AAF) counter-flow spectrometer and impactor (CSI) probe was flown on the University of North Dakota Cessna Citation research aircraft during the Integrated Precipitation and Hydrology Experiment (IPHEX). The field campaign took place during May and June of 2014 over North Carolina and its coastal waters as part of a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Global Precipitation Measurement validation campaign. The CSI was added to the Citation instrument suite to support the involvement of Jay Mace through the NASA Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) satellitemore » program and flights of the NASA ER-2 aircraft, which is a civilian version of the Air Force’s U2-S reconnaissance platform. The ACE program funded extra ER-2 flights to focus on clouds that are weakly precipitating, which are also of interest to the Atmospheric System Research program sponsored by DOE.« less

TESS Spacecraft Arrival

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-02-12

NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) container is pressure washed at the Multi-Payload Processing Facility at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Tess will be moved to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility to be processed and prepared for flight. TESS is scheduled to launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. TESS is the next step in NASA's search for planets outside our solar system, known as exoplanets. TESS is a NASA Astrophysics Explorer mission led and operated by MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Dr. George Ricker of MIT’s Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research serves as principal investigator for the mission. Additional partners include Orbital ATK, NASA’s Ames Research Center, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and the Space Telescope Science Institute. More than a dozen universities, research institutes and observatories worldwide are participants in the mission. NASA’s Launch Services Program is responsible for launch management.

Commerce Lab - An enabling facility and test bed for commercial flight opportunities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robertson, Jack; Atkins, Harry L.; Williams, John R.

1986-01-01

Commerce Lab is conceived as an adjunct to the National Space Transportation System (NSTS) by providing a focal point for commercial missions which could utilize existing NSTS carrier and resource capabilities for on-orbit experimentation in the microgravity sciences. In this context, the Commerce Lab provides an enabling facility and test bed for commercial flight opportunities. Commerce Lab program activities to date have focused on mission planning for private sector involvement in the space program to facilitate the commercial exploitation of the microgravity environment for materials processing research and development. It is expected that Commerce Lab will provide a logical transition between currently planned NSTS missions and future microgravity science and commercial R&D missions centered around the Space Station. The present study identifies candidate Commerce Lab flight experiments and their development status and projects a mission traffic model that can be used in commercial mission planning.

Spacelab

NASA Image and Video Library

1985-04-01

Activities inside the laboratory module during the Spacelab-3 mission are shown in this photograph. Left to right are astronauts Robert Overmyer, Commander of the mission; Don Lind, Mission Specialist; Lodewijk van den Berg, Payload Specialist; and William Thornton, Mission Specialist. The primary purpose of the Spacelab-3 mission was to conduct materials science experiments in a stable low-gravity environment. In addition, the crew did research in life sciences, fluid mechanics, atmospheric science, and astronomy. Spacelab-3 was equipped with several new minilabs, special facilities that would be used repeatedly on future flights. Two elaborate crystal growth furnaces, a life support and housing facility for small animals, and two types of apparatus for the study of fluids were evaluated on their inaugural flight. Spacelab-3 (STS-51B) was launched aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger on April 29, 1985. The Marshall Space Flight Center had managing responsibilities of the mission.

iss038e024791

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-01-02

ISS038-E-024791 (2 Jan. 2014) --- In the International Space Station's Kibo laboratory, NASA astronaut Rick Mastracchio, Expedition 38 flight engineer, performs troubleshooting on the Biorack centrifuge for NanoRacks, a facility that provides lower-cost microgravity research facilities for small payloads utilizing a standardized "plug-and-play" interface. Mastracchio checked the three settings of the centrifuge, which is designed to simulate the gravity of Earth, the moon and Mars.

Station report on the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) 1.2 meter telescope facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcgarry, Jan F.; Zagwodzki, Thomas W.; Abbott, Arnold; Degnan, John J.; Cheek, Jack W.; Chabot, Richard S.; Grolemund, David A.; Fitzgerald, Jim D.

1993-01-01

The 1.2 meter telescope system was built for the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in 1973-74 by the Kollmorgen Corporation as a highly accurate tracking telescope. The telescope is an azimuth-elevation mounted six mirror Coude system. The facility has been used for a wide range of experimentation including helioseismology, two color refractometry, lunar laser ranging, satellite laser ranging, visual tracking of rocket launches, and most recently satellite and aircraft streak camera work. The telescope is a multi-user facility housed in a two story dome with the telescope located on the second floor above the experimenter's area. Up to six experiments can be accommodated at a given time, with actual use of the telescope being determined by the location of the final Coude mirror. The telescope facility is currently one of the primary test sites for the Crustal Dynamics Network's new UNIX based telescope controller software, and is also the site of the joint Crustal Dynamics Project / Photonics Branch two color research into atmospheric refraction.

Advanced Spectroscopic and Thermal Imaging Instrumentation for Shock Tube and Ballistic Range Facilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grinstead, Jay H.; Wilder, Michael C.; Reda, Daniel C.; Cruden, Brett A.; Bogdanoff, David W.

2010-01-01

The Electric Arc Shock Tube (EAST) facility and Hypervelocity Free Flight Aerodynamic Facility (HFFAF, an aeroballistic range) at NASA Ames support basic research in aerothermodynamic phenomena of atmospheric entry, specifically shock layer radiation spectroscopy, convective and radiative heat transfer, and transition to turbulence. Innovative optical instrumentation has been developed and implemented to meet the challenges posed from obtaining such data in these impulse facilities. Spatially and spectrally resolved measurements of absolute radiance of a travelling shock wave in EAST are acquired using multiplexed, time-gated imaging spectrographs. Nearly complete spectral coverage from the vacuum ultraviolet to the near infrared is possible in a single experiment. Time-gated thermal imaging of ballistic range models in flight enables quantitative, global measurements of surface temperature. These images can be interpreted to determine convective heat transfer rates and reveal transition to turbulence due to isolated and distributed surface roughness at hypersonic velocities. The focus of this paper is a detailed description of the optical instrumentation currently in use in the EAST and HFFAF.

Voss with Pille TLD reader

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-06-26

ISS002-E-7814 (26 June 2001) --- James S. Voss, Expedition Two flight engineer, sets up the Human Research Facility's (HRF) Dosimetric Mapping (DOSMAP) Power Distribution Unit (PDU) in Destiny. The image was taken with a digital still camera.

Electrostatic Levitation: A Tool to Support Materials Research in Microgravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rogers, Jan; SanSoucie, Mike

2012-01-01

Containerless processing represents an important topic for materials research in microgravity. Levitated specimens are free from contact with a container, which permits studies of deeply undercooled melts, and high-temperature, highly reactive materials. Containerless processing provides data for studies of thermophysical properties, phase equilibria, metastable state formation, microstructure formation, undercooling, and nucleation. The European Space Agency (ESA) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) jointly developed an electromagnetic levitator facility (MSL-EML) for containerless materials processing in space. The electrostatic levitator (ESL) facility at the Marshall Space Flight Center provides support for the development of containerless processing studies for the ISS. Apparatus and techniques have been developed to use the ESL to provide data for phase diagram determination, creep resistance, emissivity, specific heat, density/thermal expansion, viscosity, surface tension and triggered nucleation of melts. The capabilities and results from selected ESL-based characterization studies performed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center will be presented.

EAARL topography: Dry Tortugas National Park

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brock, John C.; Wright, C. Wayne; Patterson, Matt; Nayegandhi, Amar; Patterson, Judd

2008-01-01

This lidar-derived submarine topography map was produced as a collaborative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Coastal and Marine Geology Program, National Park Service (NPS) South Florida/Caribbean Network Inventory and Monitoring Program, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Wallops Flight Facility. One objective of this research is to create techniques to survey coral reefs for the purposes of habitat mapping, ecological monitoring, change detection, ad event assessment (for example: bleaching, hurricanes, disease outbreaks). As part of this project, data from an innovative instrument under development at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility, the NASA Experimental Airborne Advanced Research Lidar (EAARL) are being used. This sensor has the potential to make significant contributions in this realm for measuring water depth and conducting cross-environment surveys. High spectral resolution, water-column correction, and low costs were found to be key factors in providing accurate and affordable imagery to managers of coastal tropical habitats.

KSC-05PD-0371

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. In the Space Station Processing Facility, the Human Research Facility-2 (HRF-2) science rack is attached to the Rack Insertion Device that will install it into the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello (at left) for flight on Space Shuttle Discoverys Return to Flight mission, STS-114. The HRF-2 will deliver additional biomedical instrumentation and research capability to the International Space Station. HRF-1, installed on the U.S. Lab since May 2001, contains an ultrasound unit and gas analyzer. Both racks provide structural, power, thermal, command and data handling, and communication and tracking interfaces between the HRF biomedical instrumentation and the U.S. Laboratory, Destiny. NASA Kennedy Space Center and their prime contractor responsible for ISS element processing, The Boeing Company, prepared the rack for installation. The HRF Project is managed by NASA Johnson Space Center and implemented through contract with Lockheed Martin, Houston, Texas.

KSC-05PD-0374

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. In the Space Station Processing Facility, a worker watches as the Rack Insertion Device slowly moves the Human Research Facility-2 (HRF-2) science rack into the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello for flight on Space Shuttle Discoverys Return to Flight mission, STS-114. The HRF-2 will deliver additional biomedical instrumentation and research capability to the International Space Station. HRF-1, installed on the U.S. Lab since May 2001, contains an ultrasound unit and gas analyzer. Both racks provide structural, power, thermal, command and data handling, and communication and tracking interfaces between the HRF biomedical instrumentation and the U.S. Laboratory, Destiny. NASA Kennedy Space Center and their prime contractor responsible for ISS element processing, The Boeing Company, prepared the rack for installation. The HRF Project is managed by NASA Johnson Space Center and implemented through contract with Lockheed Martin, Houston, Texas.

KSC-05PD-0370

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. In the Space Station Processing Facility, workers prepare to attach the Human Research Facility-2 (HRF-2) science rack onto the Rack Insertion Device. HRF-2 will be installed into the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello (at left) for flight on Space Shuttle Discoverys Return to Flight mission, STS-114. The HRF-2 will deliver additional biomedical instrumentation and research capability to the International Space Station. HRF-1, installed on the U.S. Lab since May 2001, contains an ultrasound unit and gas analyzer. Both racks provide structural, power, thermal, command and data handling, and communication and tracking interfaces between the HRF biomedical instrumentation and the U.S. Laboratory, Destiny. NASA Kennedy Space Center and their prime contractor responsible for ISS element processing, The Boeing Company, prepared the rack for installation. The HRF Project is managed by NASA Johnson Space Center and implemented through contract with Lockheed Martin, Houston, Texas.

KSC-05PD-0373

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. In the Space Station Processing Facility, a worker stands by as the Rack Insertion Device slowly moves the Human Research Facility-2 (HRF-2) science rack into the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello for flight on Space Shuttle Discoverys Return to Flight mission, STS-114. The HRF-2 will deliver additional biomedical instrumentation and research capability to the International Space Station. HRF-1, installed on the U.S. Lab since May 2001, contains an ultrasound unit and gas analyzer. Both racks provide structural, power, thermal, command and data handling, and communication and tracking interfaces between the HRF biomedical instrumentation and the U.S. Laboratory, Destiny. NASA Kennedy Space Center and their prime contractor responsible for ISS element processing, The Boeing Company, prepared the rack for installation. The HRF Project is managed by NASA Johnson Space Center and implemented through contract with Lockheed Martin, Houston, Texas.

EAARL submarine topography: Biscayne National Park

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brock, John C.; Wright, C. Wayne; Patterson, Matt; Nayegandhi, Amar; Patterson, Judd; Harris, Melanie S.; Mosher, Lance

2006-01-01

This lidar-derived submarine topography map was produced as a collaborative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Coastal and Marine Geology Program, National Park Service (NPS) South Florida/Caribbean Network Inventory and Monitoring Program, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Wallops Flight Facility. One objective of this research is to create techniques to survey coral reefs for the purposes of habitat mapping, ecological monitoring, change detection, and event assessment (for example: bleaching, hurricanes, disease outbreaks). As part of this project, data from an innovative instrument under development at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility, the NASA Experimental Airborne Advanced Research Lidar (EAARL) are being used. This sensor has the potential to make significant contributions in this realm for measuring water depth and conducting cross-environment surveys. High spectral resolution, water-column correction, and low costs were found to be key factors in providing accurate and affordable imagery to managers of coastal tropical habitats.

The NASA Glen Research Center's Hypersonic Tunnel Facility. Chapter 16

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Woike, Mark R.; Willis, Brian P.

2001-01-01

The NASA Glenn Research Center's Hypersonic Tunnel Facility (HTF) is a blow-down, freejet wind tunnel that provides true enthalpy flight conditions for Mach numbers of 5, 6, and 7. The Hypersonic Tunnel Facility is unique due to its large scale and use of non-vitiated (clean air) flow. A 3MW graphite core storage heater is used to heat the test medium of gaseous nitrogen to the high stagnation temperatures required to produce true enthalpy conditions. Gaseous oxygen is mixed into the heated test flow to generate the true air simulation. The freejet test section is 1.07m (42 in.) in diameter and 4.3m (14 ft) in length. The facility is well suited for the testing of large scale airbreathing propulsion systems. In this chapter, a brief history and detailed description of the facility are presented along with a discussion of the facility's application towards hypersonic airbreathing propulsion testing.

Recent results in the NASA research balloon program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, W. Vernon

1989-01-01

The NASA Balloon Program has progressed from a total hiatus in the fall of 1985 to an unprecedented flight success rate in the fall of 1988. Using heavy-lift balloons being regularly supplied by two manufacturers, the program has provided a timely response for investigations of Supernova 1987A from Australia, low energy cosmic ray investigations from Canada during periods of near-solar-minimum, and routine domestic turnaround flights for a variety of investigations. Recent re-evaluation of balloon flight-safety have resulted in severe constraints on flights launched from the Palestine, Texas facility. The future program must rely heavily on the use of remote launch sites to meet the growing requirements for more frequent and longer duration flights being planned for the next 3 - 5 years.

Electronics technician Bill Clark assembling a cannon plug with the help of Jim Lewis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

There is always something needed for a NASA aircraft before a research flight can take place. This photo shows William J. Clark working on one of those 'somethings' while Jimmie C. Lewis watches ready to help. Working on a research project is a challenge, for there is no set pattern to follow. From the drawings to the final product there are many people who contribute to that final product -- the flight. The electronic technicians in the Instrumentation Laboratory at NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility are no exception. Bill Clark is busy creating a cannon plug to be used on the CV-990. He is soldering wires in the appropriate order so the plug will transmit electrical currents correctly when installed in the airplane. Jim stands by to give help and support on the project.

NASA's Microgravity Science Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Salzman, Jack A.

1994-01-01

Since the late 1980s, the NASA Microgravity Science Program has implemented a systematic effort to expand microgravity research. In 1992, 114 new investigators were selected to enter the program and more US microgravity experiments were conducted in space than in all the years combined since Skylab (1973-74). The use of NASA Research Announcements (NRA's) to solicit research proposals has proven to be highly successful in building a strong base of high-quality peer-reviewed science in both the ground-based and flight experiment elements of the program. The ground-based part of the program provides facilities for low gravity experiments including drop towers and aircraft for making parabolic flights. Program policy is that investigations should not proceed to the flight phase until all ground-based investigative capabilities have been exhausted. In the space experiments program, the greatest increase in flight opportunities has been achieved through dedicated or primary payload Shuttle missions. These missions will continue to be augmented by both mid-deck and GAS-Can accommodated experiments. A US-Russian cooperative flight program envisioned for 1995-97 will provide opportunities for more microgravity research as well as technology demonstration and systems validation efforts important for preparing for experiment operations on the Space Station.

Buffet induced structural/flight-control system interaction of the X-29A aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Voracek, David F.; Clarke, Robert

1991-01-01

High angle-of-attack flight regime research is currently being conducted for modern fighter aircraft at the NASA Ames Research Center's Dryden Flight Research Facility. This flight regime provides enhanced maneuverability to fighter pilots in combat situations. Flight research data are being acquired to compare and validate advanced computational fluid dynamic solutions and wind-tunnel models. High angle-of-attack flight creates unique aerodynamic phenomena including wing rock and buffet on the airframe. These phenomena increase the level of excitation of the structural modes, especially on the vertical and horizontal stabilizers. With high gain digital flight-control systems, this structural response may result in an aeroservoelastic interaction. A structural interaction on the X-29A aircraft was observed during high angle-of-attack flight testing. The roll and yaw rate gyros sensed the aircraft's structural modes at 11, 13, and 16 Hz. The rate gyro output signals were then amplified through the flight-control laws and sent as commands to the flaperons and rudder. The flight data indicated that as the angle of attack increased, the amplitude of the buffet on the vertical stabilizer increased, which resulted in more excitation to the structural modes. The flight-control system sensors and command signals showed this increase in modal power at the structural frequencies up to a 30 degree angle-of-attack. Beyond a 30 degree angle-of-attack, the vertical stabilizer response, the feedback sensor amplitude, and control surface command signal amplitude remained relatively constant. Data are presented that show the increased modal power in the aircraft structural accelerometers, the feedback sensors, and the command signals as a function of angle of attack. This structural interaction is traced from the aerodynamic buffet to the flight-control surfaces.

Accomplishments in Bioastronautics Research Aboard International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Uri, John J.

2003-01-01

The seventh long-duration expedition crew is currently in residence aboard International Space Station (ISS), continuing a permanent human presence in space that began in October 2000. During that time, expedition crews have been operators and subjects for 16 Human Life Sciences investigations, to gain a better understanding of the effects of long-duration space flight on the crew members and of the environment in which they live. Investigations have been conducted to study the radiation environment in the station as well as during extravehicular activity (EVA); bone demineralization and muscle deconditioning; changes in neuromuscular reflexes, muscle forces and postflight mobility; causes and possible treatment of postflight orthostatic intolerance; risk of developing kidney stones; changes in pulmonary function caused by long-duration flight as well as EVA; crew and crew-ground interactions; and changes in immune function. The experiment mix has included some conducted in flight aboard ISS as well as several which collected data only pre- and postflight. The conduct of these investigations has been facilitated by the Human Research Facility (HRF). HRF Rack 1 became the first research rack on ISS when it was installed in the US laboratory module Destiny in March 2001. The rack provides a core set of experiment hardware to support investigations, as well as power, data and commanding capability, and stowage. The second HRF rack, to complement the first with additional hardware and stowage capability, will be launched once Shuttle flights resume. Future years will see additional capability to conduct human research on ISS as International Partner modules and facility racks are added to ISS . Crew availability, both as a subject count and time, will remain a major challenge to maximizing the science return from the bioastronautics research program.

Aircraft Fleet on the Tarmac at the Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory

NASA Image and Video Library

1946-04-21

This fleet of military aircraft was used in the 1940s for research at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory in Cleveland, Ohio. The NACA Lewis flight research program was established in March 1943 to augment the lab’s wartime research efforts. NACA Lewis possessed a host of wind tunnels, test stands, and other ground facilities designed to replicate flight conditions, but actual flight tests remained an integral research tool. The military loaned NACA Lewis 15 different aircraft during World War II and six others in the six months following the end of hostilities. During the war these aircraft supported three main efforts: the improved performance of reciprocating engines, better fuel additives and mixtures, and deicing systems. The wartime researchers used the types of aircraft which the studies were intended to improve. After the war the research aircraft served as test beds to investigate engines or systems that often had little to do with the research aircraft. During the war, NACA Lewis’ three pilots were supported by 16 flight engineers, 36 mechanics, and 10 instrumentation specialists. The visible aircraft, from left to right, are a Boeing B-29 Superfortress, a Martin B-26A Marauder, two Consolidated B-24 Liberators, a Cessna UC-78 Bobcat, and a Northrop P-61 Black Widow. Partially obscured are a North American P-51 Mustang, a Bell P-63 King Cobra, a North American AT-6 Texan, and a Lockheed RA-29 Hudson.

NASA Research Being Shared Through Live, Interactive Video Tours

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Petersen, Ruth A.; Zona, Kathleen A.

2001-01-01

On June 2, 2000, the NASA Glenn Research Center Learning Technologies Project (LTP) coordinated the first live remote videoconferencing broadcast from a Glenn facility. The historic event from Glenn's Icing Research Tunnel featured wind tunnel technicians and researchers performing an icing experiment, obtaining results, and discussing the relevance to everyday flight operations and safety. After a brief overview of its history, students were able to "walk through" the tunnel, stand in the control room, and observe a live icing experiment that demonstrated how ice would grow on an airplane wing in flight through an icing cloud. The tour was interactive, with a spirited exchange of questions and explanations between the students and presenters. The virtual tour of the oldest and largest refrigerated icing research tunnel in the world was the second of a series of videoconferencing connections with the AP Physics students at Bay Village High School, Bay Village, Ohio. The first connection, called Aircraft Safety and Icing Research, introduced the Tailplane Icing Program. In an effort to improve aircraft safety by reducing the number of in-flight icing events, Glenn's Icing Branch uses its icing research aircraft to conduct flight tests. The presenter engaged the students in discussions of basic aircraft flight mechanics and the function of the horizontal tailplane, as well as the effect of ice on airfoil (wing or tail) surfaces. A brief video of actual flight footage provided a view of the pilot's actions and reactions and of the horizon during tailplane icing conditions.

Crash Test of Three Cessna 172 Aircraft at NASA Langley Research Center's Landing and Impact Research Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Littell, Justin D.

2015-01-01

During the summer of 2015, three Cessna 172 aircraft were crash tested at the Landing and Impact Research Facility (LandIR) at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC). The three tests simulated three different crash scenarios. The first simulated a flare-to-stall emergency or hard landing onto a rigid surface such as a road or runway, the second simulated a controlled flight into terrain with a nose down pitch on the aircraft, and the third simulated a controlled flight into terrain with an attempt to unsuccessfully recover the aircraft immediately prior to impact, resulting in a tail strike condition. An on-board data acquisition system captured 64 channels of airframe acceleration, along with acceleration and load in two onboard Hybrid II 50th percentile Anthropomorphic Test Devices, representing the pilot and co-pilot. Each test contained different airframe loading conditions and results show large differences in airframe performance. This paper presents test methods used to conduct the crash tests and will summarize the airframe results from the test series.

Second Microgravity Fluid Physics Conference

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

The conference's purpose was to inform the fluid physics community of research opportunities in reduced-gravity fluid physics, present the status of the existing and planned reduced gravity fluid physics research programs, and inform participants of the upcoming NASA Research Announcement in this area. The plenary sessions provided an overview of the Microgravity Fluid Physics Program information on NASA's ground-based and space-based flight research facilities. An international forum offered participants an opportunity to hear from French, German, and Russian speakers about the microgravity research programs in their respective countries. Two keynote speakers provided broad technical overviews on multiphase flow and complex fluids research. Presenters briefed their peers on the scientific results of their ground-based and flight research. Fifty-eight of the sixty-two technical papers are included here.

Expedition Six Flight Engineer Donald R. Pettit is loading software on PC in U.S. Lab

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-12-06

ISS006-E-07133 (9 December 2002) --- Astronaut Donald R. Pettit, Expedition 6 NASA ISS science officer, works to set up Pulmonary Function in Flight (PuFF) hardware in preparation for a Human Research Facility (HRF) experiment in the Destiny laboratory on the International Space Station (ISS). Expedition 6 is the fourth and final expedition crew to perform the HRF/PuFF Experiment on the ISS.

Expedition Six Flight Engineer Donald R. Pettit is loading software on PC in U.S. Lab

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-12-06

ISS006-E-07134 (9 December 2002) --- Astronaut Donald R. Pettit, Expedition Six NASA ISS science officer, works to set up Pulmonary Function in Flight (PuFF) hardware in preparation for a Human Research Facility (HRF) experiment in the Destiny laboratory on the International Space Station (ISS). Expedition Six is the fourth and final expedition crew to perform the HRF/PuFF Experiment on the ISS.

Williams loads the HRF2 Refrigerated Centrifuge for the Nutrition Experiment during Expedition 15

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-06-01

ISS015-E-10554 (1 June 2007) --- Astronaut Sunita L. Williams, Expedition 15 flight engineer, loads test samples in the Human Research Facility 2 (HRF-2) Refrigerated Centrifuge as a part of the Nutritional Status Assessment (Nutrition) experiment in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station. The results of the Nutrition experiment will be used to better understand the time course effects of space flight on human physiology.

The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gehrz, Robert; Becklin, Eric; Young, Erick; Krabbe, Alfred; Marcum, Pamela; Roellig, Thomas

The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is a joint U.S./German Project to develop and operate a 2.5-meter infrared airborne telescope in a Boeing 747-SP that flies in the stratosphere at altitudes as high as 45,000 and is capable of observations from 0.3 microns to 1.6 mm with an average transmission greater than 80 percent. SOFIA will be staged out of the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center aircraft operations facility at Palmdale, CA and the SOFIA Science Mission Operations Center (SSMOC) will be located at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA. First science flights will begin in 2010, and the number of flights will ramp up annually with a flight rate of over 100 8 to 10 hour flights per year expected by 2014. The observatory is expected to operate until the mid 2030's. SOFIA will initially fly with eight focal plane instruments that include broadband imagers, moderate resolution spectrographs that will resolve broad features due to dust and large molecules, and high resolution spectrometers capable of studying the kinematics of molecular and atomic gas lines at km/s resolution. We describe the SOFIA facility and outline the opportunities for observations by the general scientific community and future instrumentation developments. The operational characteristics of the SOFIA first-generation instruments are summarized and we give several specific examples of the types of scientific studies to which these instruments are expected to make fundamental scientific contributions.

Advanced ballistic range technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yates, Leslie A.

1994-01-01

The research conducted supported two facilities at NASA Ames Research Center: the Hypervelocity Free-Flight Aerodynamic Facility and the 16-Inch Shock Tunnel. During the grant period, a computerized film-reading system was developed, and five- and six-degree-of-freedom parameter-identification routines were written and successfully implemented. Studies of flow separation were conducted, and methods to extract phase shift information from finite-fringe interferograms were developed. Methods for constructing optical images from Computational Fluid Dynamics solutions were also developed, and these methods were used for one-to-one comparisons of experiment and computations.

Department of the Navy Justification of Estimates for Fiscal Year 1983 Submitted to Congress February 1982. Research, Development, Test and Evaluation: Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Navy.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-02-01

Improvements to and Construction of Government -Owned Facilities Funded by RDT&E -------------------- 57 Section 8: Project Data for Construction at... Government -Owned Facilities Funded by RDT&E --------------------------. . Section 9: Flight Simulator Programs...653,427 936.167 29 63202N AVIONICS 2 3,314 3,745 3,622 10,342 U 407 26 632n3N A0V HELICOPTER DEV 2 4,577 4,790 U 27 63207N ENVIRONENTAL APPLICATIONS 2

X-43A Hypersonic Experimental Vehicle - Artist Concept in Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

An artist's conception of the X-43A Hypersonic Experimental Vehicle, or 'Hyper-X' in flight. The X-43A was developed to flight test a dual-mode ramjet/scramjet propulsion system at speeds from Mach 7 up to Mach 10 (7 to 10 times the speed of sound, which varies with temperature and altitude). Hyper-X, the flight vehicle for which is designated as X-43A, is an experimental flight-research program seeking to demonstrate airframe-integrated, 'air-breathing' engine technologies that promise to increase payload capacity for future vehicles, including hypersonic aircraft (faster than Mach 5) and reusable space launchers. This multiyear program is currently underway at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The Hyper-X schedule calls for its first flight later this year (2000). Hyper-X is a joint program, with Dryden sharing responsibility with NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. Dryden's primary role is to fly three unpiloted X-43A research vehicles to validate engine technologies and hypersonic design tools as well as the hypersonic test facility at Langley. Langley manages the program and leads the technology development effort. The Hyper-X Program seeks to significantly expand the speed boundaries of air-breathing propulsion by being the first aircraft to demonstrate an airframe-integrated, scramjet-powered free flight. Scramjets (supersonic-combustion ramjets) are ramjet engines in which the airflow through the whole engine remains supersonic. Scramjet technology is challenging because only limited testing can be performed in ground facilities. Long duration, full-scale testing requires flight research. Scramjet engines are air-breathing, capturing their oxygen from the atmosphere. Current spacecraft, such as the Space Shuttle, are rocket powered, so they must carry both fuel and oxygen for propulsion. Scramjet technology-based vehicles need to carry only fuel. By eliminating the need to carry oxygen, future hypersonic vehicles will be able to carry heavier payloads. Another unique aspect of the X-43A vehicle is the airframe integration. The body of the vehicle itself forms critical elements of the engine. The forebody acts as part of the intake for airflow and the aft section serves as the nozzle. The X-43A vehicles were manufactured by Micro Craft, Inc., Tullahoma, Tennessee. Orbital Sciences Corporation, Chandler, Arizona, built the Pegasus rocket booster used to launch the X-43 vehicles. For the Dryden research flights, the Pegasus rocket booster and attached X-43 will be air launched by Dryden's B-52 'Mothership.' After release from the B-52, the booster will accelerate the X-43A vehicle to the established test conditions (Mach 7 to 10) at an altitude of approximately 100,000 feet where the X-43 will separate from the booster and fly under its own power and preprogrammed control.

Robotic end-effector for rewaterproofing shuttle tiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manouchehri, Davoud; Hansen, Joseph M.; Wu, Cheng M.; Yamamoto, Brian S.; Graham, Todd

1992-11-01

This paper summarizes work by Rockwell International's Space Systems Division's Robotics Group at Downey, California. The work is part of a NASA-led team effort to automate Space Shuttle rewaterproofing in the Orbiter Processing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center and the ferry facility at the Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility. Rockwell's effort focuses on the rewaterproofing end-effector, whose function is to inject hazardous dimethylethyloxysilane into thousands of ceramic tiles on the underside of the orbiter after each flight. The paper has five sections. First, it presents background on the present manual process. Second, end-effector requirements are presented, including safety and interface control. Third, a design is presented for the five end-effector systems: positioning, delivery, containment, data management, and command and control. Fourth, end-effector testing and integrating to the total system are described. Lastly, future applications for this technology are discussed.

Hyper-X and Pegasus Launch Vehicle: A Three-Foot Model of the Hypersonic Experimental Research Vehic

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

A close-up view of the X-43A Hypersonic Experimental Research Vehicle, or Hyper-X, portion of a three-foot-long model of the vehicle/booster combination at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. Hyper-X, the flight vehicle for which is designated as X-43A, is an experimental flight-research program seeking to demonstrate airframe-integrated, 'air-breathing' engine technologies that promise to increase payload capacity for future vehicles, including hypersonic aircraft (faster than Mach 5) and reusable space launchers. This multiyear program is currently underway at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The Hyper-X schedule calls for its first flight later this year (2000). Hyper-X is a joint program, with Dryden sharing responsibility with NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. Dryden's primary role is to fly three unpiloted X-43A research vehicles to validate engine technologies and hypersonic design tools as well as the hypersonic test facility at Langley. Langley manages the program and leads the technology development effort. The Hyper-X Program seeks to significantly expand the speed boundaries of air-breathing propulsion by being the first aircraft to demonstrate an airframe-integrated, scramjet-powered free flight. Scramjets (supersonic-combustion ramjets) are ramjet engines in which the airflow through the whole engine remains supersonic. Scramjet technology is challenging because only limited testing can be performed in ground facilities. Long duration, full-scale testing requires flight research. Scramjet engines are air-breathing, capturing their oxygen from the atmosphere. Current spacecraft, such as the Space Shuttle, are rocket powered, so they must carry both fuel and oxygen for propulsion. Scramjet technology-based vehicles need to carry only fuel. By eliminating the need to carry oxygen, future hypersonic vehicles will be able to carry heavier payloads. Another unique aspect of the X-43A vehicle is the airframe integration. The body of the vehicle itself forms critical elements of the engine. The forebody acts as part of the intake for airflow and the aft section serves as the nozzle. The X-43A vehicles were manufactured by Micro Craft, Inc., Tullahoma, Tennessee. Orbital Sciences Corporation, Chandler, Arizona, built the Pegasus rocket booster used to launch the X-43 vehicles. For the Dryden research flights, the Pegasus rocket booster and attached X-43 will be air launched by Dryden's B-52 'Mothership.' After release from the B-52, the booster will accelerate the X-43A vehicle to the established test conditions (Mach 7 to 10) at an altitude of approximately 100,000 feet where the X-43 will separate from the booster and fly under its own power and preprogrammed control.

Hyper-X and Pegasus Launch Vehicle: A Three-Foot Model of the Hypersonic Experimental Research Vehic

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

The configuration of the X-43A Hypersonic Experimental Research Vehicle, or Hyper-X, attached to a Pegasus launch vehicle is displayed in this three-foot-long model at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. Hyper-X, the flight vehicle for which is designated as X-43A, is an experimental flight-research program seeking to demonstrate airframe-integrated, 'air-breathing' engine technologies that promise to increase payload capacity for future vehicles, including hypersonic aircraft (faster than Mach 5) and reusable space launchers. This multiyear program is currently underway at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The Hyper-X schedule calls for its first flight later this year (2000). Hyper-X is a joint program, with Dryden sharing responsibility with NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. Dryden's primary role is to fly three unpiloted X-43A research vehicles to validate engine technologies and hypersonic design tools as well as the hypersonic test facility at Langley. Langley manages the program and leads the technology development effort. The Hyper-X Program seeks to significantly expand the speed boundaries of air-breathing propulsion by being the first aircraft to demonstrate an airframe-integrated, scramjet-powered free flight. Scramjets (supersonic-combustion ramjets) are ramjet engines in which the airflow through the whole engine remains supersonic. Scramjet technology is challenging because only limited testing can be performed in ground facilities. Long duration, full-scale testing requires flight research. Scramjet engines are air-breathing, capturing their oxygen from the atmosphere. Current spacecraft, such as the Space Shuttle, are rocket powered, so they must carry both fuel and oxygen for propulsion. Scramjet technology-based vehicles need to carry only fuel. By eliminating the need to carry oxygen, future hypersonic vehicles will be able to carry heavier payloads. Another unique aspect of the X-43A vehicle is the airframe integration. The body of the vehicle itself forms critical elements of the engine. The forebody acts as part of the intake for airflow and the aft section serves as the nozzle. The X-43A vehicles were manufactured by Micro Craft, Inc., Tullahoma, Tennessee. Orbital Sciences Corporation, Chandler, Arizona, built the Pegasus rocket booster used to launch the X-43 vehicles. For the Dryden research flights, the Pegasus rocket booster and attached X-43 will be air launched by Dryden's B-52 'Mothership.' After release from the B-52, the booster will accelerate the X-43A vehicle to the established test conditions (Mach 7 to 10) at an altitude of approximately 100,000 feet where the X-43 will separate from the booster and fly under its own power and preprogrammed control.

Hyper-X and Pegasus Launch Vehicle: A Three-Foot Model of the Hypersonic Experimental Research Vehic

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

The configuration of the X-43A Hypersonic Experimental Research Vehicle, or Hyper-X, attached to a Pegasus launch vehicle is displayed in this side view of a three-foot-long model of the vehicle/booster combination at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. Hyper-X, the flight vehicle for which is designated as X-43A, is an experimental flight-research program seeking to demonstrate airframe-integrated, 'air-breathing' engine technologies that promise to increase payload capacity for future vehicles, including hypersonic aircraft (faster than Mach 5) and reusable space launchers. This multiyear program is currently underway at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The Hyper-X schedule calls for its first flight later this year (2000). Hyper-X is a joint program, with Dryden sharing responsibility with NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. Dryden's primary role is to fly three unpiloted X-43A research vehicles to validate engine technologies and hypersonic design tools as well as the hypersonic test facility at Langley. Langley manages the program and leads the technology development effort. The Hyper-X Program seeks to significantly expand the speed boundaries of air-breathing propulsion by being the first aircraft to demonstrate an airframe-integrated, scramjet-powered free flight. Scramjets (supersonic-combustion ramjets) are ramjet engines in which the airflow through the whole engine remains supersonic. Scramjet technology is challenging because only limited testing can be performed in ground facilities. Long duration, full-scale testing requires flight research. Scramjet engines are air-breathing, capturing their oxygen from the atmosphere. Current spacecraft, such as the Space Shuttle, are rocket powered, so they must carry both fuel and oxygen for propulsion. Scramjet technology-based vehicles need to carry only fuel. By eliminating the need to carry oxygen, future hypersonic vehicles will be able to carry heavier payloads. Another unique aspect of the X-43A vehicle is the airframe integration. The body of the vehicle itself forms critical elements of the engine. The forebody acts as part of the intake for airflow and the aft section serves as the nozzle. The X-43A vehicles were manufactured by Micro Craft, Inc., Tullahoma, Tennessee. Orbital Sciences Corporation, Chandler, Arizona, built the Pegasus rocket booster used to launch the X-43 vehicles. For the Dryden research flights, the Pegasus rocket booster and attached X-43 will be air launched by Dryden's B-52 'Mothership.' After release from the B-52, the booster will accelerate the X-43A vehicle to the established test conditions (Mach 7 to 10) at an altitude of approximately 100,000 feet where the X-43 will separate from the booster and fly under its own power and preprogrammed control.

Hyper-X Research Vehicle - Artist Concept in Flight with Scramjet Engine Firing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

This is an artist's depiction of a Hyper-X research vehicle under scramjet power in free-flight following separation from its booster rocket. The X-43A was developed to flight test a dual-mode ramjet/scramjet propulsion system at speeds from Mach 7 up to Mach 10 (7 to 10 times the speed of sound, which varies with temperature and altitude). Hyper-X, the flight vehicle for which is designated as X-43A, is an experimental flight-research program seeking to demonstrate airframe-integrated, 'air-breathing' engine technologies that promise to increase payload capacity for future vehicles, including hypersonic aircraft (faster than Mach 5) and reusable space launchers. This multiyear program is currently underway at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The Hyper-X schedule calls for its first flight later this year (2000). Hyper-X is a joint program, with Dryden sharing responsibility with NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. Dryden's primary role is to fly three unpiloted X-43A research vehicles to validate engine technologies and hypersonic design tools as well as the hypersonic test facility at Langley. Langley manages the program and leads the technology development effort. The Hyper-X Program seeks to significantly expand the speed boundaries of air-breathing propulsion by being the first aircraft to demonstrate an airframe-integrated, scramjet-powered free flight. Scramjets (supersonic-combustion ramjets) are ramjet engines in which the airflow through the whole engine remains supersonic. Scramjet technology is challenging because only limited testing can be performed in ground facilities. Long duration, full-scale testing requires flight research. Scramjet engines are air-breathing, capturing their oxygen from the atmosphere. Current spacecraft, such as the Space Shuttle, are rocket powered, so they must carry both fuel and oxygen for propulsion. Scramjet technology-based vehicles need to carry only fuel. By eliminating the need to carry oxygen, future hypersonic vehicles will be able to carry heavier payloads. Another unique aspect of the X-43A vehicle is the airframe integration. The body of the vehicle itself forms critical elements of the engine. The forebody acts as part of the intake for airflow and the aft section serves as the nozzle. The X-43A vehicles were manufactured by Micro Craft, Inc., Tullahoma, Tennessee. Orbital Sciences Corporation, Chandler, Arizona, built the Pegasus rocket booster used to launch the X-43 vehicles. For the Dryden research flights, the Pegasus rocket booster and attached X-43 will be air launched by Dryden's B-52 'Mothership.' After release from the B-52, the booster will accelerate the X-43A vehicle to the established test conditions (Mach 7 to 10) at an altitude of approximately 100,000 feet where the X-43 will separate from the booster and fly under its own power and preprogrammed control.

Earth Science Microwave Remote Sensing at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kim, Edward; Busalacchi, Antonio J. (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

The Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) was established as NASA's first space flight center in 1959. Its 12,000 personnel are active in the Earth and space sciences, astronomy, space physics, tracking and communications. GSFC's mission is to expand our knowledge of the Earth and its environment, the solar system, and the universe through observations from space. The main Goddard campus is located in Greenbelt, Maryland, USA, just north of Washington, D.C. The Wallops Flight Facility (operational since 1945), located on the Atlantic coast of Virginia was consolidated with the Goddard Space Flight Center in 1982. Wallops is now NASA's principal facility for management and implementation of suborbital research programs, and supports a wide variety of airborne science missions as well. As the lead Center for NASA's Earth Science Enterprise (ESE)--a long-term, coordinated research effort to study the Earth as a global environmental system--GSFC scientists and engineers are involved in a wide range of Earth Science remote sensing activities. Their activities range from basic geoscience research to the development of instruments and technology for space missions, as well as the associated Calibration/Validation (Cal/Val) work. The shear breadth of work in these areas precludes an exhaustive description here. Rather, this article presents selected brief overviews of microwave-related Earth Science applications and the ground-based, airborne, and space instruments that are in service, under development, or otherwise significantly involving GSFC. Likewise, contributing authors are acknowledged for each section, but the results and projects they describe represent the cumulative efforts of many persons at GSFC as well as at collaborating institutions. For further information, readers are encouraged to consult the listed websites and references.

The implementation and operation of a variable-response electronic throttle control system for a TF-104G aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Neal, Bradford; Sengupta, Upal

1989-01-01

During some flight programs, researchers have encountered problems in the throttle response characteristics of high-performance aircraft. To study and to help solve these problems, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Ames Research Center's Dryden Flight Research Facility (Ames-Dryden) conducted a study using a TF-104G airplane modified with a variable-response electronic throttle control system. Ames-Dryden investigated the effects of different variables on engine response and handling qualities. The system provided transport delay, lead and lag filters, second-order lags, command rate and position limits, and variable gain between the pilot's throttle command and the engine fuel controller. These variables could be tested individually or in combination. Ten research flights were flown to gather data on engine response and to obtain pilot ratings of the various system configurations. The results should provide design criteria for engine-response characteristics. The variable-response throttle components and how they were installed in the TF-104G aircraft are described. How the variable-response throttle was used in flight and some of the results of using this system are discussed.

Selected results of the F-15 propulsion interactions program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Webb, L. D.; Nugent, J.

1982-01-01

A better understanding of propulsion system/airframe flow interactions could aid in the reduction of aircraft drag. For this purpose, NASA and the United States Air Force have conducted a series of wind-tunnel and flight tests on the F-15 airplane. This paper presents a correlation of flight test data from tests conducted at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Facility of the Ames Research Center, with data obtained from wind-tunnel tests. Flights were made at stabilized Mach numbers around 0.6, 0.9, 1.2, and 1.5 with accelerations up to near Mach number 2. Wind-tunnel tests used a 7.5 percent-scale F-15 inlet/airframe model. Flight and wind-tunnel pressure coefficients showed good agreement in most cases. Correlation of interaction effects caused by changes in cowl angle, angle-of-attack, and Mach number are presented. For the afterbody region, the pressure coefficients on the nozzle surfaces were influenced by boattail angles and Mach number. Boundary-layer thickness decreased as angle of attack increased above 4 deg.

Post Flight Analysis Of SHEFEX I: Shock Tunnel Testing And Related CFD Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schramm, Jan Martinez; Barth, Tarik; Wagner, Alexander; Hannemann, Klaus

2011-05-01

The SHarp Edge Flight EXperiment (SHEFEX) program of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) is primarily focused on the investigation of the potential to utilise improved shapes for space vehicles by considering sharp edges and facetted surfaces. One goal is to set up a sky based test facility to gain knowledge of the physics of hypersonic flow, complemented by numerical analysis and ground based testing. Further, the series of SHEFEX flight experiments is an excellent test bed for new technological concepts and flight instrumentation, and it is a source of motivation for young scientist and engineers providing an excellent school for future space-program engineers and managers. After the successful first SHEFEX flight in October 2005, a second flight is scheduled for September 2011 and additional flights are planned for 2015 ff. With the SHEFEX-I flight and the subsequent numerical and experimental post flight analysis, DLR could for the first time close the loop between the three major disciplines of aerothermodynamic research namely CFD, ground based testing and flight.

Teaching healthcare marketing via community research: the LifeFlight project.

PubMed

Cellucci, Leigh W

2005-01-01

Undergraduate students in Healthcare Administration programs may benefit from cooperative learning strategies such as participation in community research. Collaborating with local healthcare facilities on class projects also encourages more active engagement between the academic and practice communities. This purpose of this paper is to briefly describe one collaborative venture undertakenby undergraduates in a Marketing for Healthcare Organizations class and a LifeFlight program at a local hospital. The students carried out a survey of members in the program, conducted a SWOT analysis, and made relevant recommendations. Student evaluations of this experience were positive, as was the hospital's assessment.

X-29 Research Pilot Rogers Smith

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1988-01-01

Rogers Smith, a NASA research pilot, is seen here at the cockpit of the X-29 forward-swept-wing technology demonstrator at NASA's Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility (later the Dryden Flight Research Center), Edwards, California, in 1988. The X-29 explored the use of advanced composites in aircraft construction; variable camber wing surfaces; the unique forward-swept-wing and its thin supercritical airfoil; strake flaps; and a computerized fly-by-wire flight control system that overcame the aircraft's instability. Grumman Aircraft Corporation built two X-29s. They were flight tested at Dryden from 1984 to 1992 in a joint NASA, DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) and U.S. Air Force program. Two X-29 aircraft, featuring one of the most unusual designs in aviation history, flew at the Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility (now the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California) from 1984 to 1992. The fighter-sized X-29 technology demonstrators explored several concepts and technologies including: the use of advanced composites in aircraft construction; variable-camber wing surfaces; a unique forward- swept wing and its thin supercritical airfoil; strakes; close-coupled canards; and a computerized fly-by-wire flight control system used to maintain control of the otherwise unstable aircraft. Research results showed that the configuration of forward-swept wings, coupled with movable canards, gave pilots excellent control response at angles of attack of up to 45 degrees. During its flight history, the X-29 aircraft flew 422 research missions and a total of 436 missions. Sixty of the research flights were part of the X-29 follow-on 'vortex control' phase. The forward-swept wing of the X-29 resulted in reverse airflow, toward the fuselage rather than away from it, as occurs on the usual aft-swept wing. Consequently, on the forward-swept wing, the ailerons remained unstalled at high angles of attack. This provided better airflow over the ailerons and prevented stalling (loss of lift) at high angles of attack. Introduction of composite materials in the 1970s opened a new field of aircraft construction. It also made possible the construction of the X-29's thin supercritical wing. State-of-the-art composites allowed aeroelastic tailoring which, in turn, allowed the wing some bending but limited twisting and eliminated structural divergence within the flight envelope (i.e. deformation of the wing or the wing breaking off in flight). Additionally, composite materials allowed the wing to be sufficiently rigid for safe flight without adding an unacceptable weight penalty. The X-29 project consisted of two phases plus the follow-on vortex-control phase. Phase 1 demonstrated that the forward sweep of the X-29 wings kept the wing tips unstalled at the moderate angles of attack flown in that phase (a maximum of 21 degrees). Phase I also demonstrated that the aeroelastic tailored wing prevented structural divergence of the wing within the flight envelope, and that the control laws and control-surface effectiveness were adequate to provide artificial stability for an otherwise unstable aircraft. Phase 1 further demonstrated that the X-29 configuration could fly safely and reliably, even in tight turns. During Phase 2 of the project, the X-29, flying at an angle of attack of up to 67 degrees, demonstrated much better control and maneuvering qualities than computational methods and simulation models had predicted . During 120 research flights in this phase, NASA, Air Force, and Grumman project pilots reported the X-29 aircraft had excellent control response to an angle of attack of 45 degrees and still had limited controllability at a 67-degree angle of attack. This controllability at high angles of attack can be attributed to the aircraft's unique forward-swept wing- canard design. The NASA/Air Force-designed high-gain flight control laws also contributed to the good flying qualities. During the Air Force-initiated vortex-control phase, the X-29 successfully demonstrated vortex flow control (VFC). This VFC was more effective than expected in generating yaw forces, especially in high angles of attack where the rudder is less effective. VFC was less effective in providing control when sideslip (wind pushing on the side of the aircraft) was present, and it did little to decrease rocking oscillation of the aircraft. The X-29 vehicle was a single-engine aircraft, 48.1 feet long with a wing span of 27.2 feet. Each aircraft was powered by a General Electric F404-GE-400 engine producing 16,000 pounds of thrust. The program was a joint effort of the Department of Defense's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the U.S. Air Force, the Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility, the Air Force Flight Test Center, and the Grumman Corporation. The program was managed by the Air Force's Wright Laboratory, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

IRVE-3 Post-Flight Reconstruction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Olds, Aaron D.; Beck, Roger; Bose, David; White, Joseph; Edquist, Karl; Hollis, Brian; Lindell, Michael; Cheatwood, F. N.; Gsell, Valerie; Bowden, Ernest

2013-01-01

The Inflatable Re-entry Vehicle Experiment 3 (IRVE-3) was conducted from the NASA Wallops Flight Facility on July 23, 2012. Launched on a Black Brant XI sounding rocket, the IRVE-3 research vehicle achieved an apogee of 469 km, deployed and inflated a Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD), re-entered the Earth's atmosphere at Mach 10 and achieved a peak deceleration of 20 g's before descending to splashdown roughly 20 minutes after launch. This paper presents the filtering methodology and results associated with the development of the Best Estimated Trajectory of the IRVE-3 flight test. The reconstructed trajectory is compared against project requirements and pre-flight predictions of entry state, aerodynamics, HIAD flexibility, and attitude control system performance.

Origin of Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC)

NASA Image and Video Library

1960-07-01

The Marshall Space Flight Center was activated on July 1, 1960 as a part of NASA, which had been established on October 1, 1958 by Congressional passage of the National Aeronautics and Space Act. The nucleus of NASA was the Advisory Committee for Aeronautics later named the National Advisory Committee for Aeronauts (NACA). The NACA was founded in 1915 to study the problems of flight and to recommend practical solutions to basic aircraft design and construction problems. NACA's wind turnels and other research facilities made NACA technical reports the basis for aviation progress for more than 40 years.

The gravitational plant physiology facility-Description of equipment developed for biological research in spacelab

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heathcote, D. G.; Chapman, D. K.; Brown, A. H.; Lewis, R. F.

1994-01-01

In January 1992, the NASA Suttle mission STS 42 carried a facility designed to perform experiments on plant gravi- and photo-tropic responses. This equipment, the Gravitational Plant Physiology Facility (GPPF) was made up of a number of interconnected units mounted within a Spacelab double rack. The details of these units and the plant growth containers designed for use in GPPF are described. The equipment functioned well during the mission and returned a substantial body of time-lapse video data on plant responses to tropistic stimuli under conditions of orbital microgravity. GPPF is maintained by NASA Ames Research Center, and is flight qualifiable for future spacelab missions.

Facilities for animal research in space with special reference to Space Station Freedom

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bonting, Sjoerd L.; Kishiyama, Jenny S.; Arno, Roger D.

1990-01-01

The facilities being planned for animal research on Space Station Freedom are considered in the context of the development of animal habitats from early ballistic and orbital flights to long-term missions aimed at more detailed scientific studies of the effects of space conditions on the vertebrate organism. Animal habitats are becoming more elaborate, requiring systems for environmental control, waste management, physiological monitoring, as well as ancillary facilities such as a 1-G control centrifuge and a glovebox. Habitats in use or to be used in various types of manned and unmanned spacecraft, and particularly those planned for Space Station Freedom, are described. The characteristics of the habitats are compared with each other and with current standards for animal holding facilities on the ground.

Spacelab

NASA Image and Video Library

1985-06-01

Spacelab-3 launched aboard STS-51B, with the major science objective being to perform engineering tests on two new facilities: the rodent animal holding facility and the primate animal holding facility. In addition, scientists observed the animals to obtain first hand knowledge of the effects of launch and reentry stresses and behavior. The need for suitable animal housing to support research in space led to the development of the Research Animal Holding Facility at the Ames Research Center. Scientists often study animals to find clues to human physiology and behavior. Rats, insects, and microorganisms had already been studied aboard the Shuttle on previous missions. On Spacelab-3, scientists had a chance to observe a large number of animals living in space in a specially designed and independently controlled housing facility. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) had management responsibility for the Spacelab-3 mission. This photograph depicts activities during the mission at the Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at MSFC.

Spacelab

NASA Image and Video Library

1985-05-01

Spacelab-3 launched aboard STS-51B, with the major science objective being to perform engineering tests on two new facilities: the rodent animal holding facility and the primate animal holding facility. In addition, scientists observed the animals to obtain first hand knowledge of the effects of launch and reentry stresses and behavior. The need for suitable animal housing to support research in space led to the development of the Research Animal Holding Facility at the Ames Research Center. Scientists often study animals to find clues to human physiology and behavior. Rats, insects, and microorganisms had already been studied aboard the Shuttle on previous missions. On Spacelab-3, scientists had a chance to observe a large number of animals living in space in a specially designed and independently controlled housing facility. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) had management responsibility for the Spacelab 3 mission. This photograph depicts activities during the mission at the Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at MSFC.

Spacelab

NASA Image and Video Library

1985-05-01

Spacelab-3 launched aboard STS-51B, with the major science objective being to perform engineering tests on two new facilities: the rodent animal holding facility and the primate animal holding facility. In addition, scientists observed the animals to obtain first hand knowledge of the effects of launch and reentry stresses and behavior. The need for suitable animal housing to support research in space led to the development of the Research Animal Holding Facility at the Ames Research Center. Scientists often study animals to find clues to human physiology and behavior. Rats, insects, and microorganisms had already been studied aboard the Shuttle on previous missions. On Spacelab-3, scientists had a chance to observe a large number of animals living in space in a specially designed and independently controlled housing facility. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) had management responsibility for the Spacelab-3 mission. This photograph depicts activities during the mission at the Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at MSFC.

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

1985-06-01

Spacelab-3 launched aboard STS-51B, with the major science objective being to perform engineering tests on two new facilities: the rodent animal holding facility and the primate animal holding facility. In addition, scientists observed the animals to obtain first hand knowledge of the effects of launch and reentry stresses and behavior. The need for suitable animal housing to support research in space led to the development of the Research Animal Holding Facility at the Ames Research Center. Scientists often study animals to find clues to human physiology and behavior. Rats, insects, and microorganisms had already been studied aboard the Shuttle on previous missions. On Spacelab-3, scientists had a chance to observe a large number of animals living in space in a specially designed and independently controlled housing facility. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) had management responsibility for the Spacelab-3 mission. This photograph depicts activities during the mission at the Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at MSFC.

Mathematical analysis study for radar data processing and enhancement. Part 1: Radar data analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

James, R.; Brownlow, J. D.

1985-01-01

A study is performed under NASA contract to evaluate data from an AN/FPS-16 radar installed for support of flight programs at Dryden Flight Research Facility of NASA Ames Research Center. The purpose of this study is to provide information necessary for improving post-flight data reduction and knowledge of accuracy of derived radar quantities. Tracking data from six flights are analyzed. Noise and bias errors in raw tracking data are determined for each of the flights. A discussion of an altiude bias error during all of the tracking missions is included. This bias error is defined by utilizing pressure altitude measurements made during survey flights. Four separate filtering methods, representative of the most widely used optimal estimation techniques for enhancement of radar tracking data, are analyzed for suitability in processing both real-time and post-mission data. Additional information regarding the radar and its measurements, including typical noise and bias errors in the range and angle measurements, is also presented. This is in two parts. This is part 1, an analysis of radar data.

Mathematical analysis study for radar data processing and enchancement. Part 2: Modeling of propagation path errors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

James, R.; Brownlow, J. D.

1985-01-01

A study is performed under NASA contract to evaluate data from an AN/FPS-16 radar installed for support of flight programs at Dryden Flight Research Facility of NASA Ames Research Center. The purpose of this study is to provide information necessary for improving post-flight data reduction and knowledge of accuracy of derived radar quantities. Tracking data from six flights are analyzed. Noise and bias errors in raw tracking data are determined for each of the flights. A discussion of an altitude bias error during all of the tracking missions is included. This bias error is defined by utilizing pressure altitude measurements made during survey flights. Four separate filtering methods, representative of the most widely used optimal estimation techniques for enhancement of radar tracking data, are analyzed for suitability in processing both real-time and post-mission data. Additional information regarding the radar and its measurements, including typical noise and bias errors in the range and angle measurements, is also presented. This report is in two parts. This is part 2, a discussion of the modeling of propagation path errors.

Measured and predicted pressure distributions on the AFTI/F-111 mission adaptive wing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Webb, Lannie D.; Mccain, William E.; Rose, Lucinda A.

1988-01-01

Flight tests have been conducted using an F-111 aircraft modified with a mission adaptive wing (MAW). The MAW has variable-camber leading and trailing edge surfaces that can change the wing camber in flight, while preserving smooth upper surface contours. This paper contains wing surface pressure measurements obtained during flight tests at Dryden Flight Research Facility of NASA Ames Research Center. Upper and lower surface steady pressure distributions were measured along four streamwise rows of static pressure orifices on the right wing for a leading-edge sweep angle of 26 deg. The airplane, wing, instrumentation, and test conditions are discussed. Steady pressure results are presented for selected wing camber deflections flown at subsonic Mach numbers up to 0.90 and an angle-of-attack range of 5 to 12 deg. The Reynolds number was 26 million, based on the mean aerodynamic chord. The MAW flight data are compared to MAW wind tunnel data, transonic aircraft technology (TACT) flight data, and predicted pressure distributions. The results provide a unique database for a smooth, variable-camber, advanced supercritical wing.

Flight test experience and controlled impact of a remotely piloted jet transport aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horton, Timothy W.; Kempel, Robert W.

1988-01-01

The Dryden Flight Research Center Facility of NASA Ames Research Center (Ames-Dryden) and the FAA conducted the controlled impact demonstration (CID) program using a large, four-engine, remotely piloted jet transport airplane. Closed-loop primary flight was controlled through the existing onboard PB-20D autopilot which had been modified for the CID program. Uplink commands were sent from a ground-based cockpit and digital computer in conjunction with an up-down telemetry link. These uplink commands were received aboard the airplane and transferred through uplink interface systems to the modified PB-20D autopilot. Both proportional and discrete commands were produced by the ground system. Prior to flight tests, extensive simulation was conducted during the development of ground-based digital control laws. The control laws included primary control, secondary control, and racetrack and final approach guidance. Extensive ground checks were performed on all remotely piloted systems; however, piloted flight tests were the primary method and validation of control law concepts developed from simulation. The design, development, and flight testing of control laws and systems required to accomplish the remotely piloted mission are discussed.

Status of the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gehrz, R. D.; Becklin, E. E.; de Buizer, J.; Herter, T.; Keller, L. D.; Krabbe, A.; Marcum, P. M.; Roellig, T. L.; Sandell, G. H. L.; Temi, P.; Vacca, W. D.; Young, E. T.; Zinnecker, H.

2011-09-01

The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), a joint US/German project, is a 2.5-m infrared airborne telescope carried by a Boeing 747-SP that flies in the stratosphere at altitudes as high as 45,000 ft (13.72 km). This facility is capable of observing from 0.3 μm to 1.6 mm with an average transmission greater than 80% averaged over all wavelengths. SOFIA will be staged out of the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center aircraft operations facility at Palmdale, CA. The SOFIA Science Mission Operations (SMO) will be located at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA. First science flights began in 2010 and a full operations schedule of up to one hundred 8 to 10 hour-long flights per year will be reached by 2014. The observatory is expected to operate until the mid-2030s. SOFIA's initial complement of seven focal plane instruments includes broadband imagers, moderate-resolution spectrographs that will resolve broad features due to dust and large molecules, and high-resolution spectrometers capable of studying the kinematics of atomic and molecular gas at sub-km/s resolution. We describe the SOFIA facility and outline the opportunities for observations by the general scientific community and for future instrumentation development. The operational characteristics of the SOFIA first-generation instruments are summarized. The status of the flight test program is discussed and we show First Light images obtained at wavelengths from 5.4 to 37 μm with the FORCAST imaging camera. Additional information about SOFIA is available at http://www.sofia.usra.edu and http://www.sofia.usra.edu/Science/docs/SofiaScienceVision051809-1.pdf.

Hyper-X Research Vehicle - Artist Concept Mounted on Pegasus Rocket Attached to B-52 Launch Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

This artist's concept depicts the Hyper-X research vehicle riding on a booster rocket prior to being launched by the Dryden Flight Research Center's B-52 at about 40,000 feet. The X-43A was developed to flight test a dual-mode ramjet/scramjet propulsion system at speeds from Mach 7 up to Mach 10 (7 to 10 times the speed of sound, which varies with temperature and altitude). Hyper-X, the flight vehicle for which is designated as X-43A, is an experimental flight-research program seeking to demonstrate airframe-integrated, 'air-breathing' engine technologies that promise to increase payload capacity for future vehicles, including hypersonic aircraft (faster than Mach 5) and reusable space launchers. This multiyear program is currently underway at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The Hyper-X schedule calls for its first flight later this year (2000). Hyper-X is a joint program, with Dryden sharing responsibility with NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. Dryden's primary role is to fly three unpiloted X-43A research vehicles to validate engine technologies and hypersonic design tools as well as the hypersonic test facility at Langley. Langley manages the program and leads the technology development effort. The Hyper-X Program seeks to significantly expand the speed boundaries of air-breathing propulsion by being the first aircraft to demonstrate an airframe-integrated, scramjet-powered free flight. Scramjets (supersonic-combustion ramjets) are ramjet engines in which the airflow through the whole engine remains supersonic. Scramjet technology is challenging because only limited testing can be performed in ground facilities. Long duration, full-scale testing requires flight research. Scramjet engines are air-breathing, capturing their oxygen from the atmosphere. Current spacecraft, such as the Space Shuttle, are rocket powered, so they must carry both fuel and oxygen for propulsion. Scramjet technology-based vehicles need to carry only fuel. By eliminating the need to carry oxygen, future hypersonic vehicles will be able to carry heavier payloads. Another unique aspect of the X-43A vehicle is the airframe integration. The body of the vehicle itself forms critical elements of the engine. The forebody acts as part of the intake for airflow and the aft section serves as the nozzle. The X-43A vehicles were manufactured by Micro Craft, Inc., Tullahoma, Tennessee. Orbital Sciences Corporation, Chandler, Arizona, built the Pegasus rocket booster used to launch the X-43 vehicles. For the Dryden research flights, the Pegasus rocket booster and attached X-43 will be air launched by Dryden's B-52 'Mothership.' After release from the B-52, the booster will accelerate the X-43A vehicle to the established test conditions (Mach 7 to 10) at an altitude of approximately 100,000 feet where the X-43 will separate from the booster and fly under its own power and preprogrammed control.

X-43A Vehicle During Ground Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

The X-43A Hypersonic Experimental Vehicle, or 'Hyper-X' is seen here undergoing ground testing at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The X-43A was developed to research a dual-mode ramjet/scramjet propulsion system at speeds from Mach 7 up to Mach 10 (7 to 10 times the speed of sound, which varies with temperature and altitude). Hyper-X, the flight vehicle for which is designated as X-43A, is an experimental flight-research program seeking to demonstrate airframe-integrated, 'air-breathing' engine technologies that promise to increase payload capacity for future vehicles, including hypersonic aircraft (faster than Mach 5) and reusable space launchers. This multiyear program is currently underway at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The Hyper-X schedule calls for its first flight later this year (2000). Hyper-X is a joint program, with Dryden sharing responsibility with NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. Dryden's primary role is to fly three unpiloted X-43A research vehicles to validate engine technologies and hypersonic design tools as well as the hypersonic test facility at Langley. Langley manages the program and leads the technology development effort. The Hyper-X Program seeks to significantly expand the speed boundaries of air-breathing propulsion by being the first aircraft to demonstrate an airframe-integrated, scramjet-powered free flight. Scramjets (supersonic-combustion ramjets) are ramjet engines in which the airflow through the whole engine remains supersonic. Scramjet technology is challenging because only limited testing can be performed in ground facilities. Long duration, full-scale testing requires flight research. Scramjet engines are air-breathing, capturing their oxygen from the atmosphere. Current spacecraft, such as the Space Shuttle, are rocket powered, so they must carry both fuel and oxygen for propulsion. Scramjet technology-based vehicles need to carry only fuel. By eliminating the need to carry oxygen, future hypersonic vehicles will be able to carry heavier payloads. Another unique aspect of the X-43A vehicle is the airframe integration. The body of the vehicle itself forms critical elements of the engine. The forebody acts as part of the intake for airflow and the aft section serves as the nozzle. The X-43A vehicles were manufactured by Micro Craft, Inc., Tullahoma, Tennessee. Orbital Sciences Corporation, Chandler, Arizona, built the Pegasus rocket booster used to launch the X-43 vehicles. For the Dryden research flights, the Pegasus rocket booster and attached X-43 will be air launched by Dryden's B-52 'Mothership.' After release from the B-52, the booster will accelerate the X-43A vehicle to the established test conditions (Mach 7 to 10) at an altitude of approximately 100,000 feet where the X-43 will separate from the booster and fly under its own power and preprogrammed control.

Evaluation of XV-15 tilt rotor aircraft for flying qualities research application

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Radford, R. C.; Schelhorn, A. E.; Siracuse, R. J.; Till, R. D.; Wasserman, R.

1976-01-01

The results of a design review study and evaluation of the XV-15 Tilt Rotor Research Aircraft for flying qualities research application are presented. The objectives of the program were to determine the capability of the XV-15 aircraft and the V/STOLAND system as a safe, inflight facility to provide meaningful research data on flying qualities, flight control systems, and information display systems.

Early Flight Fission Test Facilities (EFF-TF) and Concepts That Support Near-Term Space Fission Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

VanDyke, Melissa; Houts, Mike; Godfroy, Thomas; Martin, James

2003-01-01

Fission technology can enable rapid, affordable access to any point in the solar system. If fusion propulsion systems are to be developed to their full potential; however, near-term customers must be identified and initial fission systems successfully developed, launched, and utilized. Successful utilization will most likely occur if frequent, significant hardware-based milestones can be achieved throughout the program. If the system is designed to operate within established radiation damage and fuel burn up limits while simultaneously being designed to allow close simulation of heat from fission using resistance heaters, high confidence in fission system pe$ormance and lifetime can be attained through non-nuclear testing. Through demonstration of systems concepts (designed by DOE National Laboratories) in relevant environments, this philosophy has been demonstrated through hardware testing in the Early Flight Fission Test Facilities (EFF-TF) at the Marshall Space Flight Center. The EFF-TF is designed to enable very realistic non-nuclear testing of space fission systems. Ongoing research at the EFF-TF is geared towards facilitating research, development, system integration, and system utilization via cooperative efforts with DOE labs, industry, universities, and other NASA centers.

Lewis Wooten in the MSFC Payload Operations Integration facility.

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-04-13

LEWIS WOOTEN, NEW DIRECTOR OF THE MISSION OPERATIONS LABORATORY AT NASA'S MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER IN HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA, MANAGES OPERATIONS IN THE PAYLOAD OPERATIONS INTEGRATION CENTER-THE COMMAND POST FOR ALL SCIENCE AND RESEARCH ACTIVITIES ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

Helms with computers at HRF rack in Destiny module

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-05-18

ISS002-E-6288 (18 May 2001) --- Susan J. Helms, Expedition Two flight engineer, works with three laptop computers at the Human Research Facility (HRF) in the U.S. Laboratory. The image was taken with a digital still camera.

Helms with computers at HRF rack in Destiny module

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-05-18

ISS002-E-6294 (18 May 2001) --- Susan J. Helms, Expedition Two flight engineer, works with three laptop computers at the Human Research Facility (HRF) in the U.S. Laboratory. The image was taken with a digital still camera.

Shuttle Laser Technology Experiment Facility (LTEF)-to-airplane lasercom experiment: Airplane considerations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kalil, Ford

1990-01-01

NASA is considering the use of various airplanes for a Shuttle Laser Technology Experiment Facility (LTEF)-to-Airplane laser communications experiment. As supporting documentation, pertinent technical details are included about the potential use of airplanes located at Ames Research Center and Wallops Flight Facility. The effects and application of orbital mechanics considerations are also presented, including slant range, azimuth, elevation, and time. The pros and cons of an airplane equipped with a side port with a bubble window versus a top port with a dome are discussed.

The Application of Advanced Cultivation Techniques in the Long Term Maintenance of Space Flight Plant Biological Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heyenga, A. G.

2003-01-01

The development of the International Space Station (ISS) presents extensive opportunities for the implementation of long duration space life sciences studies. Continued attention has been placed in the development of plant growth chamber facilities capable of supporting the cultivation of plants in space flight microgravity conditions. The success of these facilities is largely dependent on their capacity to support the various growth requirements of test plant species. The cultivation requirements for higher plant species are generally complex, requiring specific levels of illumination, temperature, humidity, water, nutrients, and gas composition in order to achieve normal physiological growth and development. The supply of water, nutrients, and oxygen to the plant root system is a factor, which has proven to be particularly challenging in a microgravity space flight environment. The resolution of this issue is particularly important for the more intensive crop cultivation of plants envisaged in Nasa's advanced life support initiative. BioServe Space Technologies is a NASA, Research Partnership Center (RPC) at the University of Colorado, Boulder. BioServe has designed and operated various space flight plant habitat systems, and placed specific emphasis on the development and enhanced performance of subsystem components such as water and nutrient delivery, illumination, gas exchange and atmosphere control, temperature and humidity control. The further development and application of these subsystems to next generation habitats is of significant benefit and contribution towards the development of both the Space Plant biology and the Advanced Life Support Programs. The cooperative agreement between NASA Ames Research center and BioServe was established to support the further implementation of advanced cultivation techniques and protocols to plant habitat systems being coordinated at NASA Ames Research Center. Emphasis was placed on the implementation of passive-based water and nutrient support systems and techniques, which can be used to minimize demands on power, mass, and operational complexity in space flight studies. This effort has direct application to the development of next-generation space flight plant chambers such as the Plant Research Unit (PRU). Work was also directed at the development of in-flight plant preservation techniques and protocols consistent with the interest in applying recent developments in gene chip micro array technologies. Cultivation technologies and protocols were evaluated in a 55 day space flight plant growth study, conducted on the ISS, mission 9A (10/7/02 - 12/7/02).

Investigation of the effects of bandwidth and time delay on helicopter roll-axis handling qualities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pausder, Heinz-Juergen; Blanken, Chris L.

1992-01-01

Several years of cooperative research conducted under the U.S./German Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in helicopter flight control has recently resulted in a successful handling qualities study. The focus of this cooperative research has been the effects on handling qualities due to time delays in combination with a high bandwidth vehicle. The jointly performed study included the use of U.S. ground-based simulation and German in-flight simulation facilities. The NASA-Ames Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS) was used to develop a high bandwidth slalom tracking task which took into consideration the constraints of the facilities. The VMS was also used to define a range of the test parameters and to perform initial handling qualities evaluations. The flight tests were conducted using DLR's variable-stability BO 105 S3 Advanced Technology Testing Helicopter System (ATTHeS). Configurations included a rate command and an attitude command response system with added time delays up to 160 milliseconds over the baseline and bandwidth values between 1.5 and 4.5 rad/sec. Sixty-six evaluations were performed in about 25 hr of flight time during 10 days of testing. The results indicate a need to more tightly constrain the allowable roll axis phase delay for the Level 1 and Level 2 requirements in the U.S. Army's specification for helicopter handling qualities, ADS-33C.

Investigation of the effects of bandwidth and time delay on helicopter roll-axis handling qualities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pausder, Heinz-Juergen; Blanken, Chris L.

1993-01-01

Several years of cooperative research conducted under the U.S./German Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in helicopter flight control has recently resulted in a successful handling qualities study. The focus of this cooperative research has been the effects on handling qualities due to time delays in combination with a high bandwidth vehicle. The jointly performed study included the use of U.S. ground-based simulation and German in-flight simulation facilities. The NASA-Ames Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS) was used to develop a high bandwidth slalom tracking task which took into consideration the constraints of the facilities. The VMS was also used to define a range of the test parameters and to perform initial handling qualities evaluations. The flight tests were conducted using DLR's variable-stability BO 105 S3 Advanced Technology Testing Helicopter System (ATTHeS). Configurations included a rate command and an attitude command response system with added time delays up to 160 milliseconds over the baseline and bandwidth values between 1.5 and 4.5 rad/sec. Sixty-six evaluations were performed in about 25 hours of flight time during ten days of testing. The results indicate a need to more tightly constrain the allowable roll axis phase delay for the Level 1 and Level 2 requirements in the U.S. Army's specification for helicopter handling qualities, ADS-33C.

Analysis procedures and subjective flight results of a simulator validation and cue fidelity experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carr, Peter C.; Mckissick, Burnell T.

1988-01-01

A joint experiment to investigate simulator validation and cue fidelity was conducted by the Dryden Flight Research Facility of NASA Ames Research Center (Ames-Dryden) and NASA Langley Research Center. The primary objective was to validate the use of a closed-loop pilot-vehicle mathematical model as an analytical tool for optimizing the tradeoff between simulator fidelity requirements and simulator cost. The validation process includes comparing model predictions with simulation and flight test results to evaluate various hypotheses for differences in motion and visual cues and information transfer. A group of five pilots flew air-to-air tracking maneuvers in the Langley differential maneuvering simulator and visual motion simulator and in an F-14 aircraft at Ames-Dryden. The simulators used motion and visual cueing devices including a g-seat, a helmet loader, wide field-of-view horizon, and a motion base platform.

Analysis of Wallops Flight Test Data Through an Automated COTS System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blackstock, Dexter Lee; Theobalds, Andre B.

2005-01-01

During the summer of 2004 NASA Langley Research Center flight tested a Synthetic Vision System (SVS) at the Reno/Tahoe International Airport (RNO) and the Wallops Flight Facility (WAL). The SVS included a Runway Incursion Prevention System (RIPS) to improve pilot situational awareness while operating near and on the airport surface. The flight tests consisted of air and ground operations to evaluate and validate the performance of the system. This paper describes the flight test and emphasizes how positioning data was collected, post processed and analyzed through the use of a COTS-derived software system. The system that was developed to analyze the data was constructed within the MATLAB(TM) environment. The software was modified to read the data, perform several if-then scenarios and produce the relevant graphs, figures and tables.

High Reynolds number research - 1980

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mckinney, L. W. (Editor); Baals, D. D. (Editor)

1981-01-01

The fundamental aerodynamic questions for which high Reynolds number experimental capability is required were examined. Potential experiments which maximize the research returns from the use of the National Transonic Facility (NTF) were outlined. Calibration plans were reviewed and the following topics were discussed: fluid dynamics; high lit; configuration aerodynamics; aeroelasticity and unsteady aerodynamics; wind tunnel/flight correlation; space vehicles; and theoretical aerodynamics

X-ray Crystallography Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

Edward Snell, a National Research Council research fellow at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), prepares a protein crystal for analysis by x-ray crystallography as part of NASA's structural biology program. The small, individual crystals are bombarded with x-rays to produce diffraction patterns, a map of the intensity of the x-rays as they reflect through the crystal.

The X-43A hypersonic research aircraft and its modified Pegasus® booster rocket mounted to NASA's NB-52B carrier aircraft at the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-03-13

The first of three X-43A hypersonic research aircraft and its modified Pegasus® booster rocket recently underwent combined systems testing while mounted to NASA's NB-52B carrier aircraft at the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The combined systems test was one of the last major milestones in the Hyper-X research program before the first X-43A flight. One of the major goals of the Hyper-X program is flight validation of airframe-integrated, air-breathing propulsion system, which so far have only been tested in ground facilities, such as wind tunnels. The X-43A flights will be the first actual flight tests of an aircraft powered by a revolutionary supersonic-combustion ramjet ("scramjet") engine capable of operating at hypersonic speeds above Mach 5 (five times the speed of sound). The X-43A design uses the underbody of the aircraft to form critical elements of the engine. The forebody shape helps compress the intake airflow, while the aft section acts as a nozzle to direct thrust. The 12-foot, unpiloted research vehicle was developed and built by MicroCraft Inc., Tullahoma, Tenn., under NASA contract. The booster, built by Orbital Sciences Corp., Dulles, Va., will accelerate the X-43A after the X-43A/booster "stack" is air-launched from NASA's venerable NB-52 mothership. The X-43A will separate from the rocket at a predetermined altitude and speed and fly a pre-programmed trajectory, conducting aerodynamic and propulsion experiments until it descends into the Pacific Ocean. Three research flights are planned, two at Mach 7 and one at Mach 10.

A unique high heat flux facility for testing hypersonic engine components

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Melis, Matthew E.; Gladden, Herbert J.

1990-01-01

This paper describes the Hot Gas Facility, a unique, reliable, and cost-effective high-heat-flux facility for testing hypersonic engine components developed at the NASA Lewis Research Center. The Hot Gas Facility is capable of providing heat fluxes ranging from 200 Btu/sq ft per sec on flat surfaces up to 8000 Btu/sq ft per sec at a leading edge stagnation point. The usefulness of the Hot Gas Facility for the NASP community was demonstrated by testing hydrogen-cooled structures over a range of temperatures and pressures. Ranges of the Reynolds numbers, Prandtl numbers, enthalpy, and heat fluxes similar to those expected during hypersonic flights were achieved.

NASA Ames aerospace systems directorate research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Albers, James A.

1991-01-01

The Aerospace Systems Directorate is one of four research directorates at the NASA Ames Research Center. The Directorate conducts research and technology development for advanced aircraft and aircraft systems in intelligent computational systems and human-machine systems for aeronautics and space. The Directorate manages research and aircraft technology development projects, and operates and maintains major wind tunnels and flight simulation facilities. The Aerospace Systems Directorate's research and technology as it relates to NASA agency goals and specific strategic thrusts are discussed.

The NASA Microgravity Fluid Physics Program: Research Plans for the ISS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kohl, Fred J.; Singh, Bhim S.; Shaw, Nancy J.; Chiaramonte, Francis P.

2003-01-01

Building on over four decades of research and technology development related to the behavior of fluids in low gravity environments, the current NASA Microgravity Fluid Physics Program continues the quest for knowledge to further understand and design better fluids systems for use on earth and in space. NASA's Biological and Physical Research Enterprise seeks to exploit the space environment to conduct research supporting human exploration of space (strategic research), research of intrinsic scientific importance and impact (fundamental research), and commercial research. The strategic research thrust will build the vital knowledge base needed to enable NASA's mission to explore the Universe and search for life. There are currently five major research areas in the Microgravity Fluid Physics Program: complex fluids, niultiphase flows and phase change, interfacial phenomena, biofluid mechanics, and dynamics and instabilities. Numerous investigations into these areas are being conducted in both ground-based laboratories and facilities and in the flight experiments program. Most of the future NASA- sponsored flight experiments in microgravity fluid physics and transport phenomena will be carried out on the International Space Station (ISS) in the Fluids Integrated Rack (FIR), in the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG), in EXPRESS racks, and in other facilities provided by international partners. This paper presents an overview of the near- and long-term visions for NASA's Microgravity Fluid Physics Research Program and brief descriptions of hardware systems planned to enable this research.

Engine Propeller Research Building at the Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory

NASA Image and Video Library

1955-02-21

The Engine Propeller Research Building, referred to as the Prop House, emits steam from its acoustic silencers at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory. In 1942 the Prop House became the first completed test facility at the new NACA laboratory in Cleveland, Ohio. It contained four test cells designed to study large reciprocating engines. After World War II, the facility was modified to study turbojet engines. Two of the test cells were divided into smaller test chambers, resulting in a total of six engine stands. During this period the NACA Lewis Materials and Thermodynamics Division used four of the test cells to investigate jet engines constructed with alloys and other high temperature materials. The researchers operated the engines at higher temperatures to study stress, fatigue, rupture, and thermal shock. The Compressor and Turbine Division utilized another test cell to study a NACA-designed compressor installed on a full-scale engine. This design sought to increase engine thrust by increasing its airflow capacity. The higher stage pressure ratio resulted in a reduction of the number of required compressor stages. The last test cell was used at the time by the Engine Research Division to study the effect of high inlet densities on a jet engine. Within a couple years of this photograph the Prop House was significantly altered again. By 1960 the facility was renamed the Electric Propulsion Research Building to better describe its new role in electric propulsion.

Shock Tube and Ballistic Range Facilities at NASA Ames Research Center

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-04-01

in gun performance and launching techniques enabled Mach numbers over 10 to be realized at flight-relevant Reynolds numbers. Although the SSFF...contoured nozzle produced an accelerating supersonic flow with a concomitant exponential decay in density. A two-stage light gas gun fired models upstream...km/s, or Mach 50. Such extreme conditions could not be met by a counterflow facility consisting of the highest performance light gas gun and a

SpaceX Crew Dragon Ship

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-05-20

The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft is in the anechoic chamber for electromagnetic interference testing on May 20, 2018, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Crew Dragon will be shipped to the agency's Plum Brook Station test facility at Glenn Research City in Cleveland, Ohio, for testing in the Reverberant Acoustic Test Facility, the world's most powerful acoustic test chamber. Crew Dragon is being prepared for its first uncrewed test flight, targeted for August 2018.

The deep space network, volume 19

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1974-01-01

The progress is reported in the DSN for Nov. and Dec. 1973. Research is described for the following areas: functions and facilities, mission support for flight projects, tracking and ground-based navigation, spacecraft/ground communication, network control and operations technology, and deep space stations.

In-flight investigation of a rotating cylinder-based structural excitation system for flutter testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vernon, Lura

1993-01-01

A research excitation system was test flown at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Facility on the two-seat F-16XL aircraft. The excitation system is a wingtip-mounted vane with a rotating slotted cylinder at the trailing edge. As the cylinder rotates during flight, the flow is alternately deflected upward and downward through the slot, resulting in a periodic lift force at twice the cylinder's rotational frequency. Flight testing was conducted to determine the excitation system's effectiveness in the subsonic, transonic, and supersonic flight regimes. Primary research objectives were to determine the system's ability to develop adequate force levels to excite the aircraft's structure and to determine the frequency range over which the system could excite structural modes of the aircraft. In addition, studies were conducted to determine optimal excitation parameters, such as sweep duration, sweep type, and energy levels. The results from the exciter were compared with results from atmospheric turbulence excitation at the same flight conditions. The comparison indicated that the vane with a rotating slotted cylinder provides superior results. The results from the forced excitation were of higher quality and had less variation than the results from atmospheric turbulence. The forced excitation data also invariably yielded higher structural damping values than those from the atmospheric turbulence data.

Advanced Hypervelocity Aerophysics Facility Workshop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Witcofski, Robert D. (Compiler); Scallion, William I. (Compiler)

1989-01-01

The primary objective of the workshop was to obtain a critical assessment of a concept for a large, advanced hypervelocity ballistic range test facility powered by an electromagnetic launcher, which was proposed by the Langley Research Center. It was concluded that the subject large-scale facility was feasible and would provide the required ground-based capability for performing tests at entry flight conditions (velocity and density) on large, complex, instrumented models. It was also concluded that advances in remote measurement techniques and particularly onboard model instrumentation, light-weight model construction techniques, and model electromagnetic launcher (EML) systems must be made before any commitment for the construction of such a facility can be made.

Aircrew perceived stress: examining crew performance, crew position and captains personality.

PubMed

Bowles, S; Ursin, H; Picano, J

2000-11-01

This study was conducted at NASA Ames Research Center as a part of a larger research project assessing the impact of captain's personality on crew performance and perceived stress in 24 air transport crews (5). Three different personality types for captains were classified based on a previous cluster analysis (3). Crews were comprised of three crewmembers: captain, first officer, and second officer/flight engineer. A total of 72 pilots completed a 1.5-d full-mission simulation of airline operations including emergency situations in the Ames Manned Vehicle System Research Facility B-727 simulator. Crewmembers were tested for perceived stress on four dimensions of the NASA Task Load Index after each of five flight legs. Crews were divided into three groups based on rankings from combined error and rating scores. High performance crews (who committed the least errors in flight) reported experiencing less stress in simulated flight than either low or medium crews. When comparing crew positions for perceived stress over all the simulated flights no significant differences were found. However, the crews led by the "Right Stuff" (e.g., active, warm, confident, competitive, and preferring excellence and challenges) personality type captains typically reported less stress than crewmembers led by other personality types.

Crafting Flight: Aircraft Pioneers and the Contributions of the Men and Women of NASA Langley Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schultz, James

2003-01-01

While this is a self-contained history of NASA Langley Research Center's contributions to flight, many other organizations around the country played a vital role in the work described in this book.When you pass through the front gates of NASA Langley Research Center you are entering an extraordinary place. You could easily miss that fact, however. A few years cross-state bicycle tour passed through the Center. As interesting as looping around Center was, the riders observed that nothing about the vaguely industrial site fit the conventional stereotypes of what high tech looks like. NASA Langley does not fit many stereotypes. It takes a close examination to discover the many ways it has contributed to development of flight. As part of the national celebrations commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers first flight, James Schultz, an experienced journalist with a gift for translating the language of engineers and scientists into prose that nonspecialists can comprehend, has revised and expanded Winds of Change , his wonderful guide to the Center. This revised book, Crafting Flight , invites you inside. You will read about one of the Nation s oldest research and development facilities, a place of imagination and ingenuity.

Hardware Progress Made in the Early Flight Fission Test Facilities (EFF-TF) To Support Near-Term Space Fission Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van Dyke, Melissa; Martin, James

2005-02-01

The NASA Marshall Space Flight Center's Early Flight Fission Test Facility (EFF-TF), provides a facility to experimentally evaluate nuclear reactor related thermal hydraulic issues through the use of non-nuclear testing. This facility provides a cost effective method to evaluate concepts/designs and support mitigation of developmental risk. Electrical resistance thermal simulators can be used to closely mimic the heat deposition of the fission process, providing axial and radial profiles. A number of experimental and design programs were underway in 2004 which include the following. Initial evaluation of the Department of Energy Los Alamos National Laboratory 19 module stainless steel/sodium heat pipe reactor with integral gas heat exchanger was operated at up to 17.5 kW of input power at core temperatures of 1000 K. A stainless steel sodium heat pipe module was placed through repeated freeze/thaw cyclic testing accumulating over 200 restarts to a temperature of 1000 K. Additionally, the design of a 37- pin stainless steel pumped sodium/potassium (NaK) loop was finalized and components procured. Ongoing testing at the EFF-TF is geared towards facilitating both research and development necessary to support future decisions regarding potential use of space nuclear systems for space exploration. All efforts are coordinated with DOE laboratories, industry, universities, and other NASA centers. This paper describes some of the 2004 efforts.

The development of a Space Shuttle Research Animal Holding Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jagow, R. B.

1980-01-01

The ability to maintain the well being of experiment animals is of primary importance to the successful attainment of life sciences flight experiment goals. To assist scientists in the conduct of life sciences flight experiments, a highly versatile Research Animal Holding Facility (RAHF) is being developed for use on Space Shuttle/Spacelab missions. This paper describes the design of the RAHF system, which in addition to providing general housing for various animal species, approximating the environment found in ground based facilities, is designed to minimize disturbances of the specimens by vehicle and mission operations. Life-sustaining capabilities such as metabolic support and environmental control are provided. RAHF is reusable and is a modular concept to accommodate animals of different sizes. The basic RAHF system will accommodate a combination of 24 500-g rats or 144 mice or a mixed number of rats and mice. An alternative design accommodates four squirrel monkeys. The entire RAHF system is housed in a single ESA rack. The animal cages are in drawers which are removable for easy access to the animals. Each cage contains a waste management system, a feeding system and a watering system all of which will operate in zero or one gravity.

Flight Test Results of an Angle of Attack and Angle of Sideslip Calibration Method Using Output-Error Optimization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Siu, Marie-Michele; Martos, Borja; Foster, John V.

2013-01-01

As part of a joint partnership between the NASA Aviation Safety Program (AvSP) and the University of Tennessee Space Institute (UTSI), research on advanced air data calibration methods has been in progress. This research was initiated to expand a novel pitot-static calibration method that was developed to allow rapid in-flight calibration for the NASA Airborne Subscale Transport Aircraft Research (AirSTAR) facility. This approach uses Global Positioning System (GPS) technology coupled with modern system identification methods that rapidly computes optimal pressure error models over a range of airspeed with defined confidence bounds. Subscale flight tests demonstrated small 2-s error bounds with significant reduction in test time compared to other methods. Recent UTSI full scale flight tests have shown airspeed calibrations with the same accuracy or better as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) accepted GPS 'four-leg' method in a smaller test area and in less time. The current research was motivated by the desire to extend this method for inflight calibration of angle of attack (AOA) and angle of sideslip (AOS) flow vanes. An instrumented Piper Saratoga research aircraft from the UTSI was used to collect the flight test data and evaluate flight test maneuvers. Results showed that the output-error approach produces good results for flow vane calibration. In addition, maneuvers for pitot-static and flow vane calibration can be integrated to enable simultaneous and efficient testing of each system.

Investigation and Development of Control Laws for the NASA Langley Research Center Cockpit Motion Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coon, Craig R.; Cardullo, Frank M.; Zaychik, Kirill B.

2014-01-01

The ability to develop highly advanced simulators is a critical need that has the ability to significantly impact the aerospace industry. The aerospace industry is advancing at an ever increasing pace and flight simulators must match this development with ever increasing urgency. In order to address both current problems and potential advancements with flight simulator techniques, several aspects of current control law technology of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Langley Research Center's Cockpit Motion Facility (CMF) motion base simulator were examined. Preliminary investigation of linear models based upon hardware data were examined to ensure that the most accurate models are used. This research identified both system improvements in the bandwidth and more reliable linear models. Advancements in the compensator design were developed and verified through multiple techniques. The position error rate feedback, the acceleration feedback and the force feedback were all analyzed in the heave direction using the nonlinear model of the hardware. Improvements were made using the position error rate feedback technique. The acceleration feedback compensator also provided noteworthy improvement, while attempts at implementing a force feedback compensator proved unsuccessful.

Status of the national transonic facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mckinney, L. W.; Gloss, B. B.

1982-01-01

The National Transonic Facility at NASA Langley Research Center, scheduled for completion in July, 1982, is described with emphasis on model and instrumentation activities, calibration plans and some initial research plans. Performance capabilities include a Mach number range of 0.2-1.2, a pressure range of 1-9 atmospheres, and a temperature range of 77-350 K, which will produce a maximum Reynolds number of 120 million at a Mach number of 1.0, based on a 0.25 m chord. A comprehensive tunnel calibration program is planned, which will cover basic tunnel calibration, data qualities, and data comparisons with other facilites and flights.

NASA tire/runway friction projects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yager, Thomas J.

1995-01-01

The paper reviews several aspects of NASA Langley Research Center's tire/runway friction evaluations directed towards improving the safety and economy of aircraft ground operations. The facilities and test equipment used in implementing different aircraft tire friction studies and other related aircraft ground performance investigations are described together with recent workshop activities at NASA Wallops Flight Facility. An overview of the pending Joint NASA/Transport Canada/FM Winter Runway Friction Program is given. Other NASA ongoing studies and on-site field tests are discussed including tire wear performance and new surface treatments. The paper concludes with a description of future research plans.

Application of Artificial Intelligence Techniques in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bauer, Frank H. (Technical Monitor); Dufrene, Warren R., Jr.

2003-01-01

This paper describes the development of an application of Artificial Intelligence for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) control. The project was done as part of the requirements for a class in Artificial Intelligence (AI) at Nova southeastern University and as an adjunct to a project at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Flight Facility for a resilient, robust, and intelligent UAV flight control system. A method is outlined which allows a base level application for applying an AI method, Fuzzy Logic, to aspects of Control Logic for UAV flight. One element of UAV flight, automated altitude hold, has been implemented and preliminary results displayed. A low cost approach was taken using freeware, gnu, software, and demo programs. The focus of this research has been to outline some of the AI techniques used for UAV flight control and discuss some of the tools used to apply AI techniques. The intent is to succeed with the implementation of applying AI techniques to actually control different aspects of the flight of an UAV.

Fact Sheet: Range Complex

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cornelson, C.; Fretter, E.

2004-01-01

NASA Ames has a long tradition in leadership with the use of ballistic ranges and shock tubes for the purpose of studying the physics and phenomena associated with hypervelocity flight. Cutting-edge areas of research run the gamut from aerodynamics, to impact physics, to flow-field structure and chemistry. This legacy of testing began in the NACA era of the 1940's with the Supersonic Free Flight Tunnel, and evolved dramatically up through the late 1950s with the pioneering work in the Ames Hypersonic Ballistic Range. The tradition continued in the mid-60s with the commissioning of the three newest facilities: the Ames Vertical Gun Range (AVGR) in 1964, the Hypervelocity Free Flight Facility (HFFF) in 1965 and the Electric Arc Shock Tube (EAST) in 1966. Today the Range Complex continues to provide unique and critical testing in support of the Nation's programs for planetary geology and geophysics; exobiology; solar system origins; earth atmospheric entry, planetary entry, and aerobraking vehicles; and various configurations for supersonic and hypersonic aircraft.

Engine Installation Effects of Four Civil Transport Airplanes: Wallops Flight Facility Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fleming, Gregg G.; Senzig, David A.; McCurdy, David A.; Roof, Christopher J.; Rapoza, Amanda S.

2003-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Langley Research Center (LaRC), the Environmental Measurement and Modeling Division of the United States Department of Transportation s John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe), and several other organizations (see Appendix A for a complete list of participating organizations and individuals) conducted a noise measurement study at NASA s Wallops Flight Facility (Wallops) near Chincoteague, Virginia during September 2000. This test was intended to determine engine installation effects on four civil transport airplanes: a Boeing 767-400, a McDonnell-Douglas DC9, a Dassault Falcon 2000, and a Beechcraft King Air. Wallops was chosen for this study because of the relatively low ambient noise of the site and the degree of control over airplane operating procedures enabled by operating over a runway closed to other uses during the test period. Measurements were conducted using a twenty microphone U-shaped array oriented perpendicular to the flight path; microphones were mounted such that ground effects were minimized and low elevation angles were observed.

Piloted evaluation of an integrated propulsion and flight control simulator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bright, Michelle M.; Simon, Donald L.

1992-01-01

This paper describes a piloted evaluation of the integrated flight and propulsion control simulator at NASA Lewis Research Center. The purpose of this evaluation is to demonstrate the suitability and effectiveness of this fixed based simulator for advanced integrated propulsion and airframe control design. The evaluation will cover control effector gains and deadbands, control effectiveness and control authority, and heads up display functionality. For this evaluation the flight simulator is configured for transition flight using an advanced Short Take-Off and vertical Landing fighter aircraft model, a simplified high-bypass turbofan engine model, fighter cockpit, displays, and pilot effectors. The paper describes the piloted tasks used for rating displays and control effector gains. Pilot comments and simulation results confirm that the display symbology and control gains are very adequate for the transition flight task. Additionally, it is demonstrated that this small-scale, fixed base flight simulator facility can adequately perform a real time, piloted control evaluation.

Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) Seed Planting

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-05-09

Inside a laboratory in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, research scientists prepare the science carrier, or base, of the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) for planting of Arabidopsis seeds, commonly known as thale cress, on Wednesday, May 9. The APH base will be delivered to the International Space Station aboard Orbital ATK's Cygnus spacecraft on the company's ninth Commercial Resupply Services mission for NASA. The APH is the largest plant chamber built for the agency. It is a fully automated plant growth facility that is being used to conduct bioscience research on the space station. Cygnus will launch on Orbital ATK's Antares rocket from Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia. Launch is targeted for May 20, 2018.

Thermoluminescent dosimetry for LDEF experiment M0006

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chang, J. Y.; Giangano, D.; Kantorcik, T.; Stauber, M.; Snead, L.

1992-01-01

Experiment M0006 on the Long Duration Exposure Facility had as its objective the investigation of space radiation effects on various electronic and optical components, as well as on seed germination. The Grumman Corporate Research Center provided the radiation dosimetric measurements for M0006, comprising the preparation of thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD) and the subsequent measurement and analysis of flight exposed and control samples. In addition, various laboratory exposures of TLD's with gamma rays and protons were performed to obtain a better understanding of the flight exposures.

Microgravity

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-01-31

The optical bench for the Fluid Integrated Rack section of the Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF) is shown in its operational configuration. The FCF will be installed, in phases, in the Destiny, the U.S. Laboratory Module of the International Space Station (ISS), and will accommodate multiple users for a range of investigations. This is an engineering mockup; the flight hardware is subject to change as designs are refined. The FCF is being developed by the Microgravity Science Division (MSD) at the NASA Glenn Research Center. (Photo credit: NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center)

Microgravity

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-01-31

The optical bench for the Fluids Integrated Rack section of the Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF) is shown extracted for servicing. The FCF will be installed, in phases, in the Destiny, the U.S. Laboratory Module of the International Space Station (ISS), and will accommodate multiple users for a range of investigations. This is an engineering mockup; the flight hardware is subject to change as designs are refined. The FCF is being developed by the Microgravity Science Division (MSD) at the NASA Glenn Research Center. (Photo credit: NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center)

Microgravity

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-01-31

The combustion chamber for the Combustion Integrated Rack section of the Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF) is shown extracted for servicing. The FCF will be installed, in phases, in the Destiny, the U.S. Laboratory Module of the International Space Station (ISS), and will accommodate multiple users for a range of investigations. This is an engineering mockup; the flight hardware is subject to change as designs are refined. The FCF is being developed by the Microgravity Science Division (MSD) at the NASA Glenn Research Center. (Photo credit: NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center)

Microgravity

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-01-31

The combustion chamber for the Combustion Integrated Rack section of the Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF) is shown in its operational configuration. The FCF will be installed, in phases, in the Destiny, the U.S. Laboratory Module of the International Space Station (ISS), and will accommodate multiple users for a range of investigations. This is an engineering mockup; the flight hardware is subject to change as designs are refined. The FCF is being developed by the Microgravity Science Division (MSD) at the NASA Glenn Research Center. (Photo credit: NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center)

IUS/TUG orbital operations and mission support study. Volume 4: Project planning data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1975-01-01

Planning data are presented for the development phases of interim upper stage (IUS) and tug systems. Major project planning requirements, major event schedules, milestones, system development and operations process networks, and relevant support research and technology requirements are included. Topics discussed include: IUS flight software; tug flight software; IUS/tug ground control center facilities, personnel, data systems, software, and equipment; IUS mission events; tug mission events; tug/spacecraft rendezvous and docking; tug/orbiter operations interface, and IUS/orbiter operations interface.

KSC-02pd1093

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-06-29

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Space Shuttle Endeavour lands on runway 15 at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility at 10:58 a.m. EDT atop a modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. The cross-country ferry flight became necessary when three days of unfavorable weather conditions at KSC forced Endeavour to land on runway 22 at Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., on June 19 following mission STS-111. Processing of Endeavour will now begin for the launch of mission STS-113 targeted for October 2002

KSC-02pd1094

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-06-29

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Space Shuttle Endeavour lands on runway 15 at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility at 10:58 a.m. EDT atop a modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. The cross-country ferry flight became necessary when three days of unfavorable weather conditions at KSC forced Endeavour to land on runway 22 at Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., on June 19 following mission STS-111. Processing of Endeavour will now begin for the launch of mission STS-113 targeted for October 2002

Endeavour Impulse Tests

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-10-27

In the Orbiter Processing Facility, Eric Madaras, NASA-Langley Research Center, conducts impulse tests on the right wing leading edge (WLE) of Space Shuttle Endeavour. The tests monitor how sound impulses propagate through the WLE area. The data collected will be analyzed to explore the possibility of adding new instrumentation to the wing that could automatically detect debris or micrometeroid impacts on the Shuttle while in flight. The study is part of the initiative ongoing at KSC and around the agency to return the orbiter fleet to flight status.

Flight and wind-tunnel calibrations of a flush airdata sensor at high angles of attack and sideslip and at supersonic Mach numbers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moes, Timothy R.; Whitmore, Stephen A.; Jordan, Frank L., Jr.

1993-01-01

A nonintrusive airdata-sensing system was calibrated in flight and wind-tunnel experiments to an angle of attack of 70 deg and to angles of sideslip of +/- 15 deg. Flight-calibration data have also been obtained to Mach 1.2. The sensor, known as the flush airdata sensor, was installed on the nosecap of an F-18 aircraft for flight tests and on a full-scale F-18 forebody for wind-tunnel tests. Flight tests occurred at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, California, using the F-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle. Wind-tunnel tests were conducted in the 30- by 60-ft wind tunnel at the NASA LaRC, Hampton, Virginia. The sensor consisted of 23 flush-mounted pressure ports arranged in concentric circles and located within 1.75 in. of the tip of the nosecap. An overdetermined mathematical model was used to relate the pressure measurements to the local airdata quantities. The mathematical model was based on potential flow over a sphere and was empirically adjusted based on flight and wind-tunnel data. For quasi-steady maneuvering, the mathematical model worked well throughout the subsonic, transonic, and low supersonic flight regimes. The model also worked well throughout the angle-of-attack and sideslip regions studied.

Flight and wind-tunnel calibrations of a flush airdata sensor at high angles of attack and sideslip and at supersonic Mach numbers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moes, Timothy R.; Whitmore, Stephen A.; Jordan, Frank L., Jr.

1993-01-01

A nonintrusive airdata-sensing system was calibrated in flight and wind-tunnel experiments to an angle of attack of 70 deg and to angles of sideslip of +/- 15 deg. Flight-calibration data have also been obtained to Mach 1.2. The sensor, known as the flush airdata sensor, was installed on the nosecap of an F-18 aircraft for flight tests and on a full-scale F-18 forebody for wind-tunnel tests. Flight tests occurred at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, California, using the F-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle. Wind-tunnel tests were conducted in the 30- by 60-ft wind tunnel at the NASA LaRC, Hampton, Virginia. The sensor consisted of 23 flush-mounted pressure ports arranged in concentric circles and located within 1.75 in. of the tip of the nosecap. An overdetermined mathematical model was used to relate the pressure measurements to the local airdata quantities. The mathematical model was based on potential flow over a sphere and was empirically adjusted based on flight and wind-tunnel data. For quasi-steady maneuvering, the mathematical model worked well throughout the subsonic, transonic, and low supersonic flight regimes. The model also worked well throughout the angles-of-attack and -sideslip regions studied.

Science and Supplies Launched to Space Station on This Week @NASA – November 17, 2017

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-11-17

An Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo spacecraft arrived at the International Space Station on Nov. 14, carrying about 7,400 pounds of supplies, and science and research materials. The Cygnus – named after late NASA astronaut Eugene Cernan – was launched two days earlier from our Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Cygnus also carried several small satellites designed to conduct technology demonstrations of laser communication, research on the effects of microgravity on bacterial antibiotic resistance, and a variety of other studies. Also, Dream Chaser Free Flight Test, Mars 2020 Supersonic Parachute Test, and New “Gravity Assist” Podcast Debuts!

Description of a dual fail operational redundant strapdown inertial measurement unit for integrated avionics systems research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bryant, W. H.; Morrell, F. R.

1981-01-01

An experimental redundant strapdown inertial measurement unit (RSDIMU) is developed as a link to satisfy safety and reliability considerations in the integrated avionics concept. The unit includes four two degree-of-freedom tuned rotor gyros, and four accelerometers in a skewed and separable semioctahedral array. These sensors are coupled to four microprocessors which compensate sensor errors. These microprocessors are interfaced with two flight computers which process failure detection, isolation, redundancy management, and general flight control/navigation algorithms. Since the RSDIMU is a developmental unit, it is imperative that the flight computers provide special visibility and facility in algorithm modification.

The development and evaluation of airborne in situ N2O and CH4 sampling using a Quantum Cascade Laser Absorption Spectrometer (QCLAS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pitt, Joseph; Le Breton, Michael; Allen, Grant; Percival, Carl; Gallagher, Martin; Bauguitte, Stephane; O'Shea, Sebastian; Muller, Jennifer; Zahniser, Mark; Pyle, John; Palmer, Paul

2016-04-01

Spectroscopic measurements of atmospheric N2O and CH4 mole fractions were made on board the FAAM (Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements) large Atmospheric Research Aircraft. We evaluate the performance of the mid-IR continuous wave Aerodyne Research Inc. Quantum Cascade Laser Absorption Spectrometer (QCLAS) employed over 17 flights conducted during summer 2014. Two different methods of correcting for the influence of water vapour on the spectroscopic retrievals are compared and evaluated. Test flight data demonstrating the sensitivity of the instrument to changes in cabin pressure is presented, and a new in-flight calibration procedure to account for this issue is described and assessed. Total 1σ uncertainties of 1.81 ppb for CH4 and 0.35 ppb for N2O are derived. We report a mean difference in 1 Hz CH4 mole fraction of 2.05 ppb (1σ = 5.85 ppb) between in-flight measurements made using the QCLAS and simultaneous measurements using a previously characterised Los Gatos Research Fast Greenhouse Gas Analyser (FGGA).

The development and evaluation of airborne in situ N2O and CH4 sampling using a Quantum Cascade Laser Absorption Spectrometer (QCLAS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pitt, J. R.; Le Breton, M. R.; Allen, G.; Percival, C.; Gallagher, M. W.; Bauguitte, S.; O'Shea, S.; Muller, J.; Zahniser, M. S.; Pyle, J. A.; Palmer, P. I.

2015-12-01

Spectroscopic measurements of atmospheric N2O and CH4 mole fractions were made on board the FAAM (Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements) large Atmospheric Research Aircraft. We evaluate the performance of the mid-IR continuous wave Aerodyne Research Inc. Quantum Cascade Laser Absorption Spectrometer (QCLAS) employed over 17 flights conducted during summer 2014. Two different methods of correcting for the influence of water vapour on the spectroscopic retrievals are compared and evaluated. Test flight data demonstrating the sensitivity of the instrument to changes in cabin pressure is presented, and a new in-flight calibration procedure to account for this issue is described and assessed. Total 1σ uncertainties of 1.81 ppb for CH4 and 0.35 ppb for N2O are derived. We report a mean difference in 1 Hz CH4 mole fraction of 2.05 ppb (1σ = 5.85 ppb) between in-flight measurements made using the QCLAS and simultaneous measurements using a previously characterised Los Gatos Research Fast Greenhouse Gas Analyser (FGGA).

Entry, Descent, and Landing Aerothermodynamics: NASA Langley Experimental Capabilities and Contributions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hollis, Brian R.; Berger, Karen T.; Berry, Scott A.; Bruckmann, Gregory J.; Buck, Gregory M.; DiFulvio, Michael; Horvath, Thomas J.; Liechty, Derek S.; Merski, N. Ronald; Murphy, Kelly J.;

Altitude Test Cell in the Four Burner Area

NASA Image and Video Library

1947-10-21

One of the two altitude simulating-test chambers in Engine Research Building at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory. The two chambers were collectively referred to as the Four Burner Area. NACA Lewis’ Altitude Wind Tunnel was the nation’s first major facility used for testing full-scale engines in conditions that realistically simulated actual flight. The wind tunnel was such a success in the mid-1940s that there was a backlog of engines waiting to be tested. The Four Burner chambers were quickly built in 1946 and 1947 to ease the Altitude Wind Tunnel’s congested schedule. The Four Burner Area was located in the southwest wing of the massive Engine Research Building, across the road from the Altitude Wind Tunnel. The two chambers were 10 feet in diameter and 60 feet long. The refrigeration equipment produced the temperatures and the exhauster equipment created the low pressures present at altitudes up to 60,000 feet. In 1947 the Rolls Royce Nene was the first engine tested in the new facility. The mechanic in this photograph is installing a General Electric J-35 engine. Over the next ten years, a variety of studies were conducted using the General Electric J-47 and Wright Aeronautical J-65 turbojets. The two test cells were occasionally used for rocket engines between 1957 and 1959, but other facilities were better suited to the rocket engine testing. The Four Burner Area was shutdown in 1959. After years of inactivity, the facility was removed from the Engine Research Building in late 1973 in order to create the High Temperature and Pressure Combustor Test Facility.

The deep space network

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1974-01-01

The progress is reported of Deep Space Network (DSN) research in the following areas: (1) flight project support, (2) spacecraft/ground communications, (3) station control and operations technology, (4) network control and processing, and (5) deep space stations. A description of the DSN functions and facilities is included.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the Florida Commission on the Status of Women held June 7 at the Debus Conference Facility, astronaut Pamela Melroy speaks to attendees. Melroy has served as pilot on two Shuttle flights (STS-92 in 2000 and STS-112 in 2002), and has logged more than 562 hours in space. The commission, through coordinating, researching, communicating, and encouraging legislation, is dedicated to empowering women from all walks of life in achieving their fullest potential, to eliminating barriers to that achievement, and to recognizing women’s accomplishments.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-06-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the Florida Commission on the Status of Women held June 7 at the Debus Conference Facility, astronaut Pamela Melroy speaks to attendees. Melroy has served as pilot on two Shuttle flights (STS-92 in 2000 and STS-112 in 2002), and has logged more than 562 hours in space. The commission, through coordinating, researching, communicating, and encouraging legislation, is dedicated to empowering women from all walks of life in achieving their fullest potential, to eliminating barriers to that achievement, and to recognizing women’s accomplishments.

EAARL Topography-Padre Island National Seashore

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brock, John C.; Wright, C. Wayne; Nayegandhi, Amar; Patterson, Matt; Wilson, Iris; Travers, Laurinda J.

2007-01-01

This Web site contains 116 Lidar-derived bare earth topography maps and GIS files for Padre Island National Seashore-Texas. These Lidar-derived topography maps were produced as a collaborative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Florida Integrated Science Center (FISC) St. Petersburg, Florida, the National Park Service (NPS) Gulf Coast Network, Inventory and Monitoring Program, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Wallops Flight Facility. One objective of this research is to create techniques to survey coral reefs and barrier islands for the purposes of geomorphic change studies, habitat mapping, ecological monitoring, change detection, and event assessment. As part of this project, data from an innovative instrument under development at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility, the NASA Experimental Airborne Advanced Research Lidar (EAARL) are being used. This sensor has the potential to make significant contributions in this realm for measuring subaerial and submarine topography wthin cross-environment surveys. High spectral resolution, water-column correction, and low costs were found to be key factors in providing accurate and affordable imagery to costal resource managers.

EAARL Topography-Colonial National Historical Park

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brock, John C.; Wright, C. Wayne; Nayegandhi, Amar; Stevens, Sara; Travers, Laurinda J.

2008-01-01

These Lidar-derived topography maps were produced as a collaborative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Florida Integrated Science Center (FISC) St. Petersburg, the National Park Service (NPS) Inventory and Monitoring Program, Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Wallops Flight Facility. One objective of this research is to create techniques to survey coral reefs, barrier islands, and various nearshore coastal environments for the purposes of geomorphic change studies, habitat mapping, ecological monitoring, change detection, and event assessment. As part of this project, data from an innovative instrument under development at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility, the NASA Experimental Airborne Advanced Research Lidar (EAARL) are being used. This sensor has the potential to make significant contributions in this realm for measuring subaerial and submarine topography wthin cross-environment surveys. High spectral resolution, water-column correction, and low costs were found to be key factors in providing accurate and affordable imagery to coastal resource managers.

Microgravity

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-09-30

Dr. Jan Rogers (left) and Larry Savage (foreground) of the Science Directorate at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) are joined by Dr. Richard Weber (center) and April Hixon of Containerless Research Inc. of Evanston, Ill., in conducting an experiment run of the Electrostatic Levitator (ESL) using insulating materials. Materials researchers use unique capabilities of the facility to levitate and study the properties of various materials important in manufacturing processes.