Evolution of Training in NASA's Mission Operations Directorate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hutt, Jason

2012-01-01

NASA s Mission Operations Directorate provides all the mission planning, training, and operations support for NASA's human spaceflight missions including the International Space Station (ISS) and its fleet of supporting vehicles. MOD also develops and maintains the facilities necessary to conduct training and operations for those missions including the Mission Control Center, Space Station Training Facility, Space Vehicle Mockup Facility, and Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory. MOD's overarching approach to human spaceflight training is to "train like you fly." This approach means not only trying to replicate the operational environment in training but also to approach training with the same mindset as real operations. When in training, this means using the same approach for executing operations, responding to off-nominal situations, and conducting yourself in the operations environment in the same manner as you would for the real vehicle.

NASA International Environmental Partnerships

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lewis, Pattie; Valek, Susan

2010-01-01

For nearly five decades, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been preeminent in space exploration. NASA has landed Americans on the moon, robotic rovers on Mars, and led cooperative scientific endeavors among nations aboard the International Space Station. But as Earth's population increases, the environment is subject to increasing challenges and requires more efficient use of resources. International partnerships give NASA the opportunity to share its scientific and engineering expertise. They also enable NASA to stay aware of continually changing international environmental regulations and global markets for materials that NASA uses to accomplish its mission. Through international partnerships, NASA and this nation have taken the opportunity to look globally for solutions to challenges we face here on Earth. Working with other nations provides NASA with collaborative opportunities with the global science/engineering community to explore ways in which to protect our natural resources, conserve energy, reduce the use of hazardous materials in space and earthly applications, and reduce greenhouse gases that potentially affect all of Earth's inhabitants. NASA is working with an ever-expanding list of international partners including the European Union, the European Space Agency and, especially, the nation of Portugal. Our common goal is to foster a sustainable future in which partners continue to explore the universe while protecting our home planet's resources for future generations. This brochure highlights past, current, and future initiatives in several important areas of international collaboration that can bring environmental, economic, and other benefits to NASA and the wider international space community.

A review of NASA-sponsored technology assessment projects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mascy, A. C.; Alexander, A. D., III; Wood, R. D.

1978-01-01

Recent technology assessment studies sponsored by NASA are reviewed, and a summary of the technical results as well as a critique of the methodologies are presented. The reviews include Assessment of Lighter-Than-Air Technology, Technology Assessment of Portable Energy RDT&P, Technology Assessment of Future Intercity Passenger Transportation Systems, and Technology Assessment of Space Disposal of Radioactive Nuclear Waste. The use of workshops has been introduced as a unique element of some of these assessments. Also included in this report is a brief synopsis of a method of quantifying opinions obtained through such group interactions. Representative of the current technology assessments, these studies cover a broad range of socio-political factors and issues in greater depth than previously considered in NASA sponsored studies. In addition to the lessons learned through the conduct of these studies, a few suggestions for improving the effectiveness of future technology assessments are provided.

Electromechanical Power for NASA Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Manzo, Michelle A.

2005-01-01

NASA has a wide range of missions that require electrochemical power sources. These needs are met with a variety of options that include primary and secondary cells and batteries, fuel cells, and regenerative fuel cells. This presentation wil cover an overview of NASA missions and requirements for electrochemical power sources and investigate the synergy and diversity that exist between NASA's requirements and those for military tactical power sources. Current development programs at GRC and other NASA centers, aimed at meeting NASA's future requirements will also be discussed.

A Summary of NASA Architecture Studies Utilizing Fission Surface Power Technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mason, Lee S.; Poston, David I.

2011-01-01

Beginning with the Exploration Systems Architecture Study in 2005, NASA has conducted various mission architecture studies to evaluate implementation options for the U.S. Space Policy. Several of the studies examined the use of Fission Surface Power (FSP) systems for human missions to the lunar and Martian surface. This paper summarizes the FSP concepts developed under four different NASA-sponsored architecture studies: Lunar Architecture Team, Mars Architecture Team, Lunar Surface Systems/Constellation Architecture Team, and International Architecture Working Group-Power Function Team.

NASA's Analog Missions: Driving Exploration Through Innovative Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reagan, Marcum L.; Janoiko, Barbara A.; Parker, Michele L.; Johnson, James E.; Chappell, Steven P.; Abercromby, Andrew F.

2012-01-01

Human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit (LEO) will require a unique collection of advanced, innovative technologies and the precise execution of complex and challenging operational concepts. One tool we in the Analog Missions Project at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) utilize to validate exploration system architecture concepts and conduct technology demonstrations, while gaining a deeper understanding of system-wide technical and operational challenges, is our analog missions. Analog missions are multi-disciplinary activities that test multiple features of future spaceflight missions in an integrated fashion to gain a deeper understanding of system-level interactions and integrated operations. These missions frequently occur in remote and extreme environments that are representative in one or more ways to that of future spaceflight destinations. They allow us to test robotics, vehicle prototypes, habitats, communications systems, in-situ resource utilization, and human performance as it relates to these technologies. And they allow us to validate architectural concepts, conduct technology demonstrations, and gain a deeper understanding of system-wide technical and operational challenges needed to support crewed missions beyond LEO. As NASA develops a capability driven architecture for transporting crew to a variety of space environments, including the moon, near-Earth asteroids (NEA), Mars, and other destinations, it will use its analog missions to gather requirements and develop the technologies that are necessary to ensure successful human exploration beyond LEO. Currently, there are four analog mission platforms: Research and Technology Studies (RATS), NASA s Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO), In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU), and International Space Station (ISS) Test bed for Analog Research (ISTAR).

Electrochemical Energy Storage and Power Sources for NASA Exploration Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baldwin, Richard S.

2007-01-01

An overview of NASA s electrochemical energy storage programs for NASA Exploration missions is being presented at the 10th Electrochemical Power Sources R&D Symposium, which is being held in Williamsburg, VA on August 20-23, 2007. This public domain venue, which is sponsored by the U.S. Navy and held every two years, serves as a forum for the dissemination of research and development results related to electrochemical energy storage technology programs that are currently being supported and managed within governmental agencies. Technology areas of primary interest include batteries, fuel cells, and both overview and focused presentations on such are given by both governmental and contractual researchers. The forum also provides an opportunity to assess technology areas of mutual interest with respect to establishing collaborative and/or complementary programmatic interactions.

2010 NASA Exploration Systems Mission Directorate: Lunabotics Mining Competition Systems Engineering Paper

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2010-01-01

A fast growing approach in determining the best design concept for a problem is to hold a competition in which the rules are based on requirements similar to the actual problem. By going public with such competitions, sponsoring entities receive some of the most innovative engineering solutions in a fraction of the time and cost it would have taken to develop such concepts internally. Space exploration is a large benefactor of such design competitions as seen by the results of X-Prize Foundation and NASA lunar excavation competitions [1]. The results of NASA's past lunar excavator challenges has led to the need for an effective means of collecting lunar regolith in the absence of human beings. The 2010 Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) Lunar Excavation Challenge was created "to engage and retain students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or STEM, in a competitive environment that may result in innovative ideas and solutions, which could be applied to actual lunar excavation for NASA." [2]. The ESMD Challenge calls for "teams to use telerobotics or autonomous operations to excavate at least 10kg of lunar regolith simulant in a 15 minute time limit" [2]. The Systems Engineering approach was used in accordance with Auburn University's mechanical engineering senior design course (MECH 4240-50) to develop a telerobotic lunar excavator, seen in Fig. 1, that fulfilled requirements imposed by the NASA ESMD Competition Rules. The goal of the senior design project was to have a validated lunar excavator that would be used in the NASA ESMD lunar excavation challenge.

NASA's Suborbital Missions Teach Engineering and Technology: Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Flight Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Winterton, Joyce L.

2016-01-01

A 50 minute-workshop based on NASA publicly available information will be conducted at the International Technology and Engineering Educator Association annual conference. Attendees will include middle and high school teachers and university teacher educators. Engineering and technology are essential to NASA's suborbital missions including sounding rockets, scientific balloon and airborne science. The attendees will learn how to include NASA information on these missions in their teaching.

NASA's OCA Mirroring System: An Application of Multiagent Systems in Mission Control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sierhuis, Maarten; Clancey, William J.; vanHoof, Ron J. J.; Seah, Chin H.; Scott, Michael S.; Nado, Robert A.; Blumenberg, Susan F.; Shafto, Michael G.; Anderson, Brian L.; Bruins, Anthony C.;

The NASA Commercial Crew Program (CCP) Mission Assurance Process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Canfield, Amy

2016-01-01

In 2010, NASA established the Commercial Crew Program in order to provide human access to the International Space Station and low earth orbit via the commercial (non-governmental) sector. A particular challenge to NASA has been how to determine the commercial providers transportation system complies with Programmatic safety requirements. The process used in this determination is the Safety Technical Review Board which reviews and approves provider submitted Hazard Reports. One significant product of the review is a set of hazard control verifications. In past NASA programs, 100 percent of these safety critical verifications were typically confirmed by NASA. The traditional Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA) model does not support the nature of the Commercial Crew Program. To that end, NASA SMA is implementing a Risk Based Assurance (RBA) process to determine which hazard control verifications require NASA authentication. Additionally, a Shared Assurance Model is also being developed to efficiently use the available resources to execute the verifications. This paper will describe the evolution of the CCP Mission Assurance process from the beginning of the Program to its current incarnation. Topics to be covered include a short history of the CCP; the development of the Programmatic mission assurance requirements; the current safety review process; a description of the RBA process and its products and ending with a description of the Shared Assurance Model.

A Summary of NASA Architecture Studies Utilizing Fission Surface Power Technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mason, Lee; Poston, Dave

2010-01-01

Beginning with the Exploration Systems Architecture Study in 2005, NASA has conducted various mission architecture studies to evaluate implementation options for the U.S. Space Policy (formerly the Vision for Space Exploration). Several of the studies examined the use of Fission Surface Power (FSP) systems for human missions to the lunar and Martian surface. This paper summarizes the FSP concepts developed under four different NASA-sponsored architecture studies: Lunar Architecture Team, Mars Architecture Team, Lunar Surface Systems/Constellation Architecture team, and International Architecture Working Group-Power Function team. The results include a summary of FSP design characteristics, a compilation of mission-compatible FSP configuration options, and an FSP concept-of-operations that is consistent with the overall mission objectives.

NASA's small planetary mission plan released

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, Richard M.

A ten-page report just submitted to Congress outlines a new strategy for NASA planetary programs emphasizing small missions. If implemented, this plan would represent a shift away from large “flagship” missions that have characterized many programs of NASA's Solar System Exploration Division.There are a number of reasons for this shift in strategy. The current NASA appropriations bill requires “a plan to stimulate and develop small planetary or other space science projects, emphasizing those which could be accomplished by the academic or research communities.” Budgetary realities make it more difficult to fly large missions. There is also concern about a “significant gap” in data from planetary missions between 1998 and 2004.

High-Power Hall Propulsion Development at NASA Glenn Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kamhawi, Hani; Manzella, David H.; Smith, Timothy D.; Schmidt, George R.

2014-01-01

The NASA Office of the Chief Technologist Game Changing Division is sponsoring the development and testing of enabling technologies to achieve efficient and reliable human space exploration. High-power solar electric propulsion has been proposed by NASA's Human Exploration Framework Team as an option to achieve these ambitious missions to near Earth objects. NASA Glenn Research Center (NASA Glenn) is leading the development of mission concepts for a solar electric propulsion Technical Demonstration Mission. The mission concepts are highlighted in this paper but are detailed in a companion paper. There are also multiple projects that are developing technologies to support a demonstration mission and are also extensible to NASA's goals of human space exploration. Specifically, the In-Space Propulsion technology development project at NASA Glenn has a number of tasks related to high-power Hall thrusters including performance evaluation of existing Hall thrusters; performing detailed internal discharge chamber, near-field, and far-field plasma measurements; performing detailed physics-based modeling with the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Hall2De code; performing thermal and structural modeling; and developing high-power efficient discharge modules for power processing. This paper summarizes the various technology development tasks and progress made to date

NASA's Asteroid Redirect Mission: Overview and Status

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abell, Paul; Gates, Michele; Johnson, Lindley; Chodas, Paul; Brophy, John; Mazanek, Dan; Muirhead, Brian

mission will utilize an enhanced NEA observation campaign that will detect, track, and characterize both spacecraft mission targets and potentially hazardous asteroids that may threaten Earth in the future. Potential secondary objectives for ARM include planetary defense demonstrations at the NEA, conducting planetary science (both during the robotic and crewed mission segments), and encouraging commercial and international partnership opportunities. References [1] J. Brophy et al., “Asteroid Retrieval Feasibility Study,” Keck Institute for Space Studies Report, April 2012. [2] N. Strange et al., “Overview of Mission Design for NASA Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission Concept,” presented at the 33rd International Electric Propulsion Conference, The George Washington University, Washington, D.C., October 2013. [3] B. Muirhead, J. Brophy “Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission Feasibility Study,” presented at IEEE Aerospace Conference, Big Sky, Montana, March 2014. [4] Mazenek et al., “Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission: Alternate Concept Overview”, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Space 2014 Conference, San Diego, California, August 2014.

Global Precipitation Measurement Mission Products and Services at the NASA GES DISC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, Z.; Ostrenga, D.; Vollmer, B.; Deshong, B.; MacRitchie, K.; Greene, M.; Kempler, S.

2017-01-01

This article describes NASA/JAXA Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission products and services at the NASA Goddard Earth Sciences (GES) Data and Information Services Center (DISC). Built on the success of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), the next-generation GPM mission consists of new precipitation measurement instruments and a constellation of international research and operational satellites to provide improved measurements of precipitation globally. To facilitate data access, research, applications, and scientific discovery, the GES DISC has developed a variety of data services for GPM. This article is intended to guide users in choosing GPM datasets and services at the GES DISC.

High-Power Hall Propulsion Development at NASA Glenn Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kamhawi, Hani; Manzella, David H.; Smith, Timothy D.; Schmidt, George R.

2012-01-01

The NASA Office of the Chief Technologist Game Changing Division is sponsoring the development and testing of enabling technologies to achieve efficient and reliable human space exploration. High-power solar electric propulsion has been proposed by NASA's Human Exploration Framework Team as an option to achieve these ambitious missions to near Earth objects. NASA Glenn Research Center is leading the development of mission concepts for a solar electric propulsion Technical Demonstration Mission. The mission concepts are highlighted in this paper but are detailed in a companion paper. There are also multiple projects that are developing technologies to support a demonstration mission and are also extensible to NASA's goals of human space exploration. Specifically, the In-Space Propulsion technology development project at the NASA Glenn has a number of tasks related to high-power Hall thrusters including performance evaluation of existing Hall thrusters; performing detailed internal discharge chamber, near-field, and far-field plasma measurements; performing detailed physics-based modeling with the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Hall2De code; performing thermal and structural modeling; and developing high-power efficient discharge modules for power processing. This paper summarizes the various technology development tasks and progress made to date.

New NASA Mission to Reveal Moon Internal Structure and Evolution Artist Concept

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-12-11

The Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory, or GRAIL, mission will fly twin spacecraft in tandem orbits around the moon to measure its gravity field in unprecedented detail. GRAIL is a part of NASA Discovery Program.

NASA Technology Demonstrations Missions Program Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Turner, Susan

2011-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Fiscal Year 2010 (FY10) budget introduced a new strategic plan that placed renewed emphasis on advanced missions beyond Earth orbit. This supports NASA s 2011 strategic goal to create innovative new space technologies for our exploration, science, and economic future. As a result of this focus on undertaking many and more complex missions, NASA placed its attention on a greater investment in technology development, and this shift resulted in the establishment of the Technology Demonstrations Missions (TDM) Program. The TDM Program, within the newly formed NASA Office of the Chief Technologist, supports NASA s grand challenges by providing a steady cadence of advanced space technology demonstrations (Figure 1), allowing the infusion of flexible path capabilities for future exploration. The TDM Program's goal is to mature crosscutting capabilities to flight readiness in support of multiple future space missions, including flight test projects where demonstration is needed before the capability can transition to direct mission The TDM Program has several unique criteria that set it apart from other NASA program offices. For instance, the TDM Office matures a small number of technologies that are of benefit to multiple customers to flight technology readiness level (TRL) 6 through relevant environment testing on a 3-year development schedule. These technologies must be crosscutting, which is defined as technology with potential to benefit multiple mission directorates, other government agencies, or the aerospace industry, and they must capture significant public interest and awareness. These projects will rely heavily on industry partner collaboration, and funding is capped for all elements of the flight test demonstration including planning, hardware development, software development, launch costs, ground operations, and post-test assessments. In order to inspire collaboration across government and industry

NASA planetary data: applying planetary satellite remote sensing data in the classroom

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liggett, P.; Dobinson, E.; Sword, B.; Hughes, D.; Martin, M.; Martin, D.

2002-01-01

NASA supports several data archiving and distribution mechanisms that provide a means whereby scientists can participate in education and outreach through the use of technology for data and information dissemination. The Planetary Data System (PDS) is sponsored by NASA's Office of Space Science. Its purpose is to ensure the long-term usability of NASA data and to stimulate advanced research. In addition, the NASA Regional Planetary Image Facility (RPIF), an international system of planetary image libraries, maintains photographic and digital data as well as mission documentation and cartographic data.

An Overview of NASA's Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) Concept

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abell, P. A.; Mazanek, D. D.; Reeves, D. M.; Chodas, P. W.; Gates, M. M.; Johnson, L. N.; Ticker, R. L.

2016-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is developing the Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) as a capability demonstration for future human exploration, including use of high-power solar electric propulsion, which allows for the efficient movement of large masses through deep space. The ARM will also demonstrate the capability to conduct proximity operations with natural space objects and crewed operations beyond the security of quick Earth return. The Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission (ARRM), currently in formulation, will visit a large near-Earth asteroid (NEA), collect a multi-ton boulder from its surface, conduct a demonstration of a slow push planetary defense technique, and redirect the multi-ton boulder into a stable orbit around the Moon. Once returned to cislunar space in the mid-2020s, astronauts aboard an Orion spacecraft will dock with the robotic vehicle to explore the boulder and return samples to Earth. The ARM is part of NASA's plan to advance technologies, capabilities, and spaceflight experience needed for a human mission to the Martian system in the 2030s. The ARM and subsequent availability of the asteroidal material in cis-lunar space, provide significant opportunities to advance our knowledge of small bodies in the synergistic areas of science, planetary defense, and in-situ resource utilization (ISRU). NASA established the Formulation Assessment and Support Team (FAST), comprised of scientists, engineers, and technologists, which supported ARRM mission requirements formulation, answered specific questions concerning potential target asteroid physical properties, and produced a publically available report. The ARM Investigation Team is being organized to support ARM implementation and execution. NASA is also open to collaboration with its international partners and welcomes further discussions. An overview of the ARM robotic and crewed segments, including mission requirements, NEA targets, and mission operations, and a discussion

Using Existing NASA Satellites as Orbiting Testbeds to Accelerate Technology Infusion into Future Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mandl, Daniel; Ly, Vuong; Frye, Stuart

2006-01-01

One of the shared problems for new space mission developers is that it is extremely difficult to infuse new technology into new missions unless that technology has been flight validated. Therefore, the issue is that new technology is required to fly on a successful mission for flight validation. We have been experimenting with new technology on existing satellites by retrofitting primarily the flight software while the missions are on-orbit to experiment with new operations concepts. Experiments have been using Earth Observing 1 (EO-1), which is part of the New Millennium Program at NASA. EO-1 finished its prime mission one year after its launch on November 21,2000. From November 21,2001 until the present, EO-1 has been used in parallel with additional science data gathering to test out various sensor web concepts. Similarly, the Cosmic Hot Interstellar Plasma Spectrometer (CHIPS) satellite was also a one year mission flown by the University of Berkeley, sponsored by NASA and whose prime mission ended August 30,2005. Presently, CHIPS is being used to experiment with a seamless space to ground interface by installing Core Flight System (cFS), a "plug-and-play" architecture developed by the Flight Software Branch at NASA/GSFC on top of the existing space-to-ground Internet Protocol (IP) interface that CHIPS implemented. For example, one targeted experiment is to connect CHIPS to a rover via this interface and the Internet, and trigger autonomous actions on CHIPS, the rover or both. Thus far, having satellites to experiment with new concepts has turned out to be an inexpensive way to infuse new technology for future missions. Relevant experiences thus far and future plans will be discussed in this presentation.

EPO in NASA's Science Mission Directorate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krishnamurthi, A.; Cooper, L. P.

2005-05-01

The Science Mission Directorate (SMD) at NASA believes very strongly in education and public outreach (EPO) and has embedded such programs within its missions. There are also some funding opportunities that are available outside the mission context. We will provide an overview of the various funding opportunities available through the SMD at NASA to carry out EPO programs. We will introduce speakers who have won such EPO awards and they will discuss their experience with writing the proposals and carrying out their projects.

Technology Readiness Level Assessment Process as Applied to NASA Earth Science Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leete, Stephen J.; Romero, Raul A.; Dempsey, James A.; Carey, John P.; Cline, Helmut P.; Lively, Carey F.

2015-01-01

Technology assessments of fourteen science instruments were conducted within NASA using the NASA Technology Readiness Level (TRL) Metric. The instruments were part of three NASA Earth Science Decadal Survey missions in pre-formulation. The Earth Systematic Missions Program (ESMP) Systems Engineering Working Group (SEWG), composed of members of three NASA Centers, provided a newly modified electronic workbook to be completed, with instructions. Each instrument development team performed an internal assessment of its technology status, prepared an overview of its instrument, and completed the workbook with the results of its assessment. A team from the ESMP SEWG met with each instrument team and provided feedback. The instrument teams then reported through the Program Scientist for their respective missions to NASA's Earth Science Division (ESD) on technology readiness, taking the SEWG input into account. The instruments were found to have a range of TRL from 4 to 7. Lessons Learned are presented; however, due to the competition-sensitive nature of the assessments, the results for specific missions are not presented. The assessments were generally successful, and produced useful results for the agency. The SEWG team identified a number of potential improvements to the process. Particular focus was on ensuring traceability to guiding NASA documents, including the NASA Systems Engineering Handbook. The TRL Workbook has been substantially modified, and the revised workbook is described.

NASA Cassini Mission Prepares for “Grand Finale” on This Week @NASA – April 7, 2017

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-04-07

NASA held a news conference April 4 at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, with participation from NASA headquarters, to preview the final phase of the Cassini spacecraft’s mission to Saturn. On April 26, Cassini will begin its “Grand Finale” – a series of deep dives between the planet and its rings. No other mission has ever explored this unique region that is so close to the planet. Cassini will make 22 orbits that swoop between the rings and the planet before ending its 20-year mission on Sept. 15, with a final plunge into Saturn. The mission team hopes to gain powerful insights into the planet's internal structure and the origins of the rings, obtain the first-ever sampling of Saturn's atmosphere and particles coming from the main rings, and capture the closest-ever views of Saturn's clouds and inner rings. Also, Next Space Station Crew Travels to Launch Site, New Target Launch Date for Orbital ATK Mission to ISS, Lightfoot Visits Industry Partners, Human Exploration Rover Challenge, and John Glenn Interred at Arlington National Cemetery.

NASA Laboratory Analysis for Manned Exploration Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krihak, Michael (Editor); Shaw, Tianna

2014-01-01

The Exploration Laboratory Analysis (ELA) project supports the Exploration Medical Capability Element under the NASA Human Research Program. ELA instrumentation is identified as an essential capability for future exploration missions to diagnose and treat evidence-based medical conditions. However, mission architecture limits the medical equipment, consumables, and procedures that will be available to treat medical conditions during human exploration missions. Allocated resources such as mass, power, volume, and crew time must be used efficiently to optimize the delivery of in-flight medical care. Although commercial instruments can provide the blood and urine based measurements required for exploration missions, these commercial-off-the-shelf devices are prohibitive for deployment in the space environment. The objective of the ELA project is to close the technology gap of current minimally invasive laboratory capabilities and analytical measurements in a manner that the mission architecture constraints impose on exploration missions. Besides micro gravity and radiation tolerances, other principal issues that generally fail to meet NASA requirements include excessive mass, volume, power and consumables, and nominal reagent shelf-life. Though manned exploration missions will not occur for nearly a decade, NASA has already taken strides towards meeting the development of ELA medical diagnostics by developing mission requirements and concepts of operations that are coupled with strategic investments and partnerships towards meeting these challenges. This paper focuses on the remote environment, its challenges, biomedical diagnostics requirements and candidate technologies that may lead to successful blood/urine chemistry and biomolecular measurements in future space exploration missions. SUMMARY The NASA Exploration Laboratory Analysis project seeks to develop capability to diagnose anticipated space exploration medical conditions on future manned missions. To achieve

Technology Development for NASA Mars Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hayati, Samad

2005-01-01

A viewgraph presentation on technology development for NASA Mars Missions is shown. The topics include: 1) Mars mission roadmaps; 2) Focus and Base Technology programs; 3) Technology Infusion; and 4) Feed Forward to Future Missions.

Testing of NASA LaRC Materials under MISSE 6 and MISSE 7 Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prasad, Narasimha S.

2009-01-01

The objective of the Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) is to study the performance of novel materials when subjected to the synergistic effects of the harsh space environment for several months. MISSE missions provide an opportunity for developing space qualifiable materials. Two lasers and a few optical components from NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) were included in the MISSE 6 mission for long term exposure. MISSE 6 items were characterized and packed inside a ruggedized Passive Experiment Container (PEC) that resembles a suitcase. The PEC was tested for survivability due to launch conditions. MISSE 6 was transported to the international Space Station (ISS) via STS 123 on March 11. 2008. The astronauts successfully attached the PEC to external handrails of the ISS and opened the PEC for long term exposure to the space environment. The current plan is to bring the MISSE 6 PEC back to the Earth via STS 128 mission scheduled for launch in August 2009. Currently, preparations for launching the MISSE 7 mission are progressing. Laser and lidar components assembled on a flight-worthy platform are included from NASA LaRC. MISSE 7 launch is scheduled to be launched on STS 129 mission. This paper will briefly review recent efforts on MISSE 6 and MISSE 7 missions at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC).

Evaluation of COTS SiGe, SOI, and Mixed Signal Electronic Parts for Extreme Temperature Use in NASA Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Patterson, Richard L.; Hammoud, Ahmad

2010-01-01

The NASA Electronic Parts and Packaging (NEPP) Program sponsors a task at the NASA Glenn Research Center titled "Reliability of SiGe, SOI, and Advanced Mixed Signal Devices for Cryogenic Space Missions." In this task COTS parts and flight-like are evaluated by determining their performance under extreme temperatures and thermal cycling. The results from the evaluations are published on the NEPP website and at professional conferences in order to disseminate information to mission planners and system designers. This presentation discusses the task and the 2010 highlights and technical results. Topics include extreme temperature operation of SiGe and SOI devices, all-silicon oscillators, a floating gate voltage reference, a MEMS oscillator, extreme temperature resistors and capacitors, and a high temperature silicon operational amplifier.

Advancing Autonomous Operations Technologies for NASA Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cruzen, Craig; Thompson, Jerry Todd

2013-01-01

This paper discusses the importance of implementing advanced autonomous technologies supporting operations of future NASA missions. The ability for crewed, uncrewed and even ground support systems to be capable of mission support without external interaction or control has become essential as space exploration moves further out into the solar system. The push to develop and utilize autonomous technologies for NASA mission operations stems in part from the need to reduce operations cost while improving and increasing capability and safety. This paper will provide examples of autonomous technologies currently in use at NASA and will identify opportunities to advance existing autonomous technologies that will enhance mission success by reducing operations cost, ameliorating inefficiencies, and mitigating catastrophic anomalies.

Advancing Autonomous Operations Technologies for NASA Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cruzen, Craig; Thompson, Jerry T.

2013-01-01

This paper discusses the importance of implementing advanced autonomous technologies supporting operations of future NASA missions. The ability for crewed, uncrewed and even ground support systems to be capable of mission support without external interaction or control has become essential as space exploration moves further out into the solar system. The push to develop and utilize autonomous technologies for NASA mission operations stems in part from the need to reduce cost while improving and increasing capability and safety. This paper will provide examples of autonomous technologies currently in use at NASA and will identify opportunities to advance existing autonomous technologies that will enhance mission success by reducing cost, ameliorating inefficiencies, and mitigating catastrophic anomalies

Integrated Network Architecture for NASA's Orion Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bhasin, Kul B.; Hayden, Jeffrey L.; Sartwell, Thomas; Miller, Ronald A.; Hudiburg, John J.

2008-01-01

NASA is planning a series of short and long duration human and robotic missions to explore the Moon and then Mars. The series of missions will begin with a new crew exploration vehicle (called Orion) that will initially provide crew exchange and cargo supply support to the International Space Station (ISS) and then become a human conveyance for travel to the Moon. The Orion vehicle will be mounted atop the Ares I launch vehicle for a series of pre-launch tests and then launched and inserted into low Earth orbit (LEO) for crew exchange missions to the ISS. The Orion and Ares I comprise the initial vehicles in the Constellation system of systems that later includes Ares V, Earth departure stage, lunar lander, and other lunar surface systems for the lunar exploration missions. These key systems will enable the lunar surface exploration missions to be initiated in 2018. The complexity of the Constellation system of systems and missions will require a communication and navigation infrastructure to provide low and high rate forward and return communication services, tracking services, and ground network services. The infrastructure must provide robust, reliable, safe, sustainable, and autonomous operations at minimum cost while maximizing the exploration capabilities and science return. The infrastructure will be based on a network of networks architecture that will integrate NASA legacy communication, modified elements, and navigation systems. New networks will be added to extend communication, navigation, and timing services for the Moon missions. Internet protocol (IP) and network management systems within the networks will enable interoperability throughout the Constellation system of systems. An integrated network architecture has developed based on the emerging Constellation requirements for Orion missions. The architecture, as presented in this paper, addresses the early Orion missions to the ISS with communication, navigation, and network services over five

NASA's New Horizons Pluto Mission: Continuing Voyager's Legacy o

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-08-25

Dr. Alan Stern, Principal Investigator on NASA's New Horizons Mission, left, delivers closing remarks following a panel discussion at the "NASA's New Horizons Pluto Mission: Continuing Voyager's Legacy of Exploration" event on Monday, August, 25, 2014, in the James E. Webb Auditorium at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. The panelists gave their accounts of Voyager's encounter with Neptune and discussed their current assignments on NASA's New Horizons mission to Pluto. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

NASA's New Horizons Pluto Mission: Continuing Voyager's Legacy o

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-08-25

Dr. Alan Stern, Principal Investigator on NASA's New Horizons Mission, delivers closing remarks following a panel discussion at the "NASA's New Horizons Pluto Mission: Continuing Voyager's Legacy of Exploration" event on Monday, August, 25, 2014, in the James E. Webb Auditorium at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. The panelists gave their accounts of Voyager's encounter with Neptune and discussed their current assignments on NASA's New Horizons mission to Pluto. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

The NASA probe-class mission concept, CETUS (Cosmic Evolution Through Ultraviolet Spectroscopy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heap, Sara; Danchi, William; Burge, James; Dodson, Kelly; Hull, Anthony; Kendrick, Steven; McCandliss, Stephan; Mehle, Gregory; Purves, Lloyd; Sheikh, David; Valente, Martin; Woodruff, Robert A.

2017-09-01

We report on the early phases of a NASA-sponsored study of CETUS (Cosmic Evolution Through Ultraviolet Spectroscopy), a Probe-class mission concept. By definition, the full lifecycle cost of a Probe mission is greater than 400M (i.e. Explorer missions) and less than 1.00B ("Flagship" missions). The animating idea behind our study is that CETUS can help answer fundamental questions about galaxy evolution by carrying out a massive UV imaging and spectroscopic survey of galaxies and combining its findings with data obtained by other survey telescopes of the 2020's. The CETUS mission concept comprises a 1.5-m wide-field telescope and three scientific instruments: a near-UV multi-object slit spectrograph with a micro-shutter array as the slit device; a near-UV and far-UV camera with angular resolution of 0.42" (near-UV) or 0.55" (far-UV); and a near-UV or far-UV single-object spectrograph aimed at providing access to the UV after Hubble is gone. We describe the scientific rationale for CETUS and the telescope and instruments in their early design phase.

A NASA Strategy for Leveraging Emerging Launch Vehicles for Routine, Small Payload Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Underwood, Bruce E.

2005-01-01

Orbital flight opportunities for small payloads have always been few and far between, and then on February 1, 2002, the situation got worse. In the wake of the loss of the Columbia during STS- 107, changing NASA missions and priorities led to the termination of the Shuttle Small Payloads Projects, including Get-Away Special, Hitcbker, and Space Experiment Module. In spite of the limited opportunities, long queue, and restrictions associated with flying experiments on a man-rated transportation system; the carriers provided a sustained, high quality experiment services for education, science, and technology payloads, and was one of the few games in town. Attempts to establish routine opportunities aboard existing ELVs have been unsuccessful, as the cost-per-pound on small ELVs and conflicts with primary spacecraft on larger vehicles have proven prohibitive. Ths has led to a backlog of existing NASA-sponsored payloads and no prospects or plans for fbture opportunities within the NASA community. The prospects for breaking out of this paradigm appear promising as a result of NASA s partnership with DARPA in pursuit of low-cost, responsive small ELVs under the Falcon Program. Through this partnership several new small ELVs, providing 1000 lbs. to LEO will be demonstrated in less than two years that promise costs that are reasonable enough that NASA, DoD, and other sponsors can once again invest in small payload opportunities. Within NASA, planning has already begun. NASA will be populating one or more of the Falcon demonstration flights with small payloads that are already under development. To accommodate these experiments, Goddard s Wallops Flight Facility has been tasked to develop a multi-payload ejector (MPE) to accommodate the needs of these payloads. The MPE capabilities and design is described in detail in a separately submitted abstract. Beyond use of the demonstration flights however, Goddard has already begun developing strategies to leverage these new ELVs

NASA Exercise Physiology and Countermeasures Project Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Loerch, Linda; Ploutz-Snyder, Lori

2009-01-01

Efficient exercise countermeasures are necessary to offset or minimize spaceflight-induced deconditioning and to maximize crew performance of mission tasks. These countermeasure protocols should use the fewest crew and vehicle resources. NASA s Exercise Physiology and Countermeasures (ExPC) Project works to identify, collect, interpret, and summarize evidence that results in effective exercise countermeasure protocols which protect crew health and performance during International Space Station (ISS) and future exploration-class missions. The ExPC and NASA s Human Research Program are sponsoring multiple studies to evaluate and improve the efficacy of spaceflight exercise countermeasures. First, the Project will measure maximal aerobic capacity (VO2max) during cycle ergometry before, during, and after ISS missions. Second, the Project is sponsoring an evaluation of a new prototype harness that offers improved comfort and increased loading during treadmill operations. Third, the Functional Tasks Test protocol will map performance of anticipated lunar mission tasks with physiologic systems before and after short and long-duration spaceflight, to target system contributions and the tailoring of exercise protocols to maximize performance. In addition to these studies that are actively enrolling crewmember participants, the ExPC is planning new studies that include an evaluation of a higher-intensity/lower-volume exercise countermeasure protocol aboard the ISS using the Advanced Resistive Exercise Device and second-generation treadmill, studies that evaluate bone loading during spaceflight exercise, and ground-based studies that focus on fitness for duty standards required to complete lunar mission tasks and for which exercise protocols need to protect. Summaries of these current and future studies and strategies will be provided to international colleagues for knowledge sharing and possible collaboration.

Current Status of the International Lunar Network (ILN) Anchor Nodes Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cohen, Barbara; Bassler, J.; Harris, D.; Morse, B.; Reed, C.; Kirby, K.; Eng, D.

2009-09-01

NASA's Science Mission Directorate's (SMD) International Lunar Network Anchor Nodes Mission continues its concept development and is scheduled to complete the first formal milestone gate of a Mission Concept Review (MCR) in late 2009. The mission will establish two-four nodes of the International Lunar Network (ILN), a network of lunar geophysical stations envisioned to be emplaced by the many nations collaborating on this joint endeavor. This mission will operate over six years or more and make significant progress in satisfying many of the National Research Council's lunar science objectives, while strategically contributing to the U.S. Vision for Space Exploration Policy's objective for a robust robotic lunar program. This paper will provide a status report on the ILN Anchor Nodes mission and overview of the concept to date, which is being implemented jointly by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.

NASA's Space Launch System: An Enabling Capability for International Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Creech, Stephen D.; May, Todd A.; Robinson, Kimberly F.

2014-01-01

As the program moves out of the formulation phase and into implementation, work is well underway on NASA's new Space Launch System, the world's most powerful launch vehicle, which will enable a new era of human exploration of deep space. As assembly and testing of the rocket is taking place at numerous sites around the United States, mission planners within NASA and at the agency's international partners continue to evaluate utilization opportunities for this ground-breaking capability. Developed with the goals of safety, affordability, and sustainability in mind, the SLS rocket will launch the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV), equipment, supplies, and major science missions for exploration and discovery. NASA is developing this new capability in an austere economic climate, a fact which has inspired the SLS team to find innovative solutions to the challenges of designing, developing, fielding, and operating the largest rocket in history, via a path that will deliver an initial 70 metric ton (t) capability in December 2017 and then continuing through an incremental evolutionary strategy to reach a full capability greater than 130 t. SLS will be enabling for the first missions of human exploration beyond low Earth in almost half a century, and from its first crewed flight will be able to carry humans farther into space than they have ever voyaged before. In planning for the future of exploration, the International Space Exploration Coordination Group, representing 12 of the world's space agencies, has created the Global Exploration Roadmap, which outlines paths toward a human landing on Mars, beginning with capability-demonstrating missions to the Moon or an asteroid. The Roadmap and corresponding NASA research outline the requirements for reference missions for these destinations. SLS will offer a robust way to transport international crews and the air, water, food, and equipment they would need for such missions.

Component Verification and Certification in NASA Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Giannakopoulou, Dimitra; Penix, John; Norvig, Peter (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Software development for NASA missions is a particularly challenging task. Missions are extremely ambitious scientifically, have very strict time frames, and must be accomplished with a maximum degree of reliability. Verification technologies must therefore be pushed far beyond their current capabilities. Moreover, reuse and adaptation of software architectures and components must be incorporated in software development within and across missions. This paper discusses NASA applications that we are currently investigating from these perspectives.

Exploring Cognition Using Software Defined Radios for NASA Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mortensen, Dale J.; Reinhart, Richard C.

2016-01-01

NASA missions typically operate using a communication infrastructure that requires significant schedule planning with limited flexibility when the needs of the mission change. Parameters such as modulation, coding scheme, frequency, and data rate are fixed for the life of the mission. This is due to antiquated hardware and software for both the space and ground assets and a very complex set of mission profiles. Automated techniques in place by commercial telecommunication companies are being explored by NASA to determine their usability by NASA to reduce cost and increase science return. Adding cognition the ability to learn from past decisions and adjust behavior is also being investigated. Software Defined Radios are an ideal way to implement cognitive concepts. Cognition can be considered in many different aspects of the communication system. Radio functions, such as frequency, modulation, data rate, coding and filters can be adjusted based on measurements of signal degradation. Data delivery mechanisms and route changes based on past successes and failures can be made to more efficiently deliver the data to the end user. Automated antenna pointing can be added to improve gain, coverage, or adjust the target. Scheduling improvements and automation to reduce the dependence on humans provide more flexible capabilities. The Cognitive Communications project, funded by the Space Communication and Navigation Program, is exploring these concepts and using the SCaN Testbed on board the International Space Station to implement them as they evolve. The SCaN Testbed contains three Software Defined Radios and a flight computer. These four computing platforms, along with a tracking antenna system and the supporting ground infrastructure, will be used to implement various concepts in a system similar to those used by missions. Multiple universities and SBIR companies are supporting this investigation. This paper will describe the cognitive system ideas under consideration and

NASA's Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abell, Paul; Mazanek, Dan; Reeves, David; Naasz, Bo; Cichy, Benjamin

2015-11-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is developing a robotic mission to visit a large near-Earth asteroid (NEA), collect a multi-ton boulder from its surface, and redirect it into a stable orbit around the Moon. Once returned to cislunar space in the mid-2020s, astronauts will explore the boulder and return to Earth with samples. This Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) is part of NASA’s plan to advance the technologies, capabilities, and spaceflight experience needed for a human mission to the Martian system in the 2030s. Subsequent human and robotic missions to the asteroidal material would also be facilitated by its return to cislunar space. Although ARM is primarily a capability demonstration mission (i.e., technologies and associated operations), there exist significant opportunities to advance our knowledge of small bodies in the synergistic areas of science, planetary defense, asteroidal resources and in-situ resource utilization (ISRU), and capability and technology demonstrations. In order to maximize the knowledge return from the mission, NASA is organizing an ARM Investigation Team, which is being preceded by the Formulation Assessment and Support Team. These teams will be comprised of scientists, technologists, and other qualified and interested individuals to help plan the implementation and execution of ARM. An overview of robotic and crewed segments of ARM, including the mission requirements, NEA targets, and mission operations, will be provided along with a discussion of the potential opportunities associated with the mission.

NASA's Gravitational-Wave Mission Concept Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stebbins, Robin

2012-01-01

With the conclusion of the NASA/ESA partnership on the Laser interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) Project, NASA initiated a study to explore mission concepts that will accomplish some or all of the LISA science objectives at lower cost. The Gravitational-Wave Mission Concept Study consists of a public Request for Information (RFI), a Core Team of NASA engineers and scientists, a Community Science Team, a Science Task Force, and an open workshop. The RFI yielded 12 mission concepts, 3 instrument concepts and 2 technologies. The responses ranged from concepts that eliminated the drag-free test mass of LISA to concepts that replace the test mass with an atom interferometer. The Core Team reviewed the noise budgets and sensitivity curves, the payload and spacecraft designs and requirements, orbits and trajectories and technical readiness and risk. The Science Task Force assessed the science performance. Three mission concepts have been studied by Team-X, JPL's concurrent design facility, to refine the conceptual design, evaluate key performance parameters, assess risk and estimate cost and schedule. The status of the Study are reported.

NASA's Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abell, P. A.; Mazanek, D. D.; Reeves, D. M.; Chodas, P. W.; Gates, M. M.; Johnson, L. N.; Ticker, R. L.

2017-01-01

Mission Description and Objectives: NASA's Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) consists of two mission segments: 1) the Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission (ARRM), a robotic mission to visit a large (greater than approximately 100 meters diameter) near-Earth asteroid (NEA), collect a multi-ton boulder from its surface along with regolith samples, and return the asteroidal material to a stable orbit around the Moon; and 2) the Asteroid Redirect Crewed Mission (ARCM), in which astronauts will explore and investigate the boulder and return to Earth with samples. The ARRM is currently planned to launch at the end of 2021 and the ARCM is scheduled for late 2026.

Psychological Selection of NASA Astronauts for International Space Station Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Galarza, Laura

1999-01-01

During the upcoming manned International Space Station (ISS) missions, astronauts will encounter the unique conditions of living and working with a multicultural crew in a confined and isolated space environment. The environmental, social, and mission-related challenges of these missions will require crewmembers to emphasize effective teamwork, leadership, group living and self-management to maintain the morale and productivity of the crew. The need for crew members to possess and display skills and behaviors needed for successful adaptability to ISS missions led us to upgrade the tools and procedures we use for astronaut selection. The upgraded tools include personality and biographical data measures. Content and construct-related validation techniques were used to link upgraded selection tools to critical skills needed for ISS missions. The results of these validation efforts showed that various personality and biographical data variables are related to expert and interview ratings of critical ISS skills. Upgraded and planned selection tools better address the critical skills, demands, and working conditions of ISS missions and facilitate the selection of astronauts who will more easily cope and adapt to ISS flights.

Strategic Research to Enable NASA's Exploration Missions Conference

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nahra, Henry (Compiler)

2004-01-01

Abstracts are presented from a conference sponsored by the NASA Office of Biological and Physical Research and hosted by NASA Glenn Research Center and the National Center for Microgravity Research on Fluids and Combustion, held in Cleveland, Ohio, June 22-23, 2004. Topics pertained to the behavior of processes and materials in microgravity as well as physiological-biological studies and microgravity effects.

NASA Facts, The Viking Mission.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, DC. Educational Programs Div.

Presented is one of a series of publications of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) facts about the exploration of Mars. The Viking mission to Mars, consisting of two unmanned NASA spacecraft launched in August and September, 1975, is described. A description of the spacecraft and their paths is given. A diagram identifying the…

Mission Advantages of NEXT: Nasa's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oleson, Steven; Gefert, Leon; Benson, Scott; Patterson, Michael; Noca, Muriel; Sims, Jon

2002-01-01

With the demonstration of the NSTAR propulsion system on the Deep Space One mission, the range of the Discovery class of NASA missions can now be expanded. NSTAR lacks, however, sufficient performance for many of the more challenging Office of Space Science (OSS) missions. Recent studies have shown that NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT) ion propulsion system is the best choice for many exciting potential OSS missions including outer planet exploration and inner solar system sample returns. The NEXT system provides the higher power, higher specific impulse, and higher throughput required by these science missions.

NASA's New Discovery Missions

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-01-04

On Jan. 4, 2017 NASA announced the selection of two missions to explore previously unexplored asteroids. The first mission, called Lucy, will study asteroids, known as Trojan asteroids, trapped by Jupiter’s gravity. The Psyche mission will explore a very large and rare object in the solar system’s asteroid belt that’s made of metal, and scientists believe might be the exposed core of a planet that lost its rocky outer layers from a series of violent collisions. Lucy is targeted for launch in 2021 and Psyche in 2023. Both missions have the potential to open new windows on one of the earliest eras in the history of our solar system – a time less than 10 million years after the birth of our sun.

NASA Expands BEAM’s Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-05

The mission of the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) on the International Space Station has been, well, expanded. After more than a year and a half on orbit providing performance data on expandable habitat technologies, NASA and Bigelow Aerospace have reached agreement to extend the life of the privately-owned module. For a minimum of three more years, BEAM will be a more operational element of the station used in crew activities and on board storage, allowing time to gather more data on the technology’s structural integrity, thermal stability, and resistance to space debris, radiation and microbial growth. _______________________________________ FOLLOW THE SPACE STATION! Twitter: https://twitter.com/Space_Station Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ISS Instagram: https://instagram.com/iss/

The Economics of NASA Mission Cost Reserves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitley, Sally; Shinn, Stephen

2012-01-01

Increases in NASA mission costs have led to analysis of the causes and magnitude of historical mission overruns as well as mitigation and prevention attempts. This paper hypothesizes that one cause is that the availability of reserves may reduce incentives to control costs. We draw a comparison to the insurance concept of moral hazard, and we use actuarial techniques to better understand the increase in mission costs due to the availability of reserves. NASA's CADRe database provided the data against which we tested our hypothesis and discovered that there is correlation between the amount of available reserves and project overruns, particularly for mission hardware cost increases. We address the question of how to prevent reserves from increasing mission spending without increasing cost risk to projects.

Joint NASA-ESA Outer Planet Mission study overview

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lebreton, J.-P.; Niebur, C.; Cutts, J.; Falkner, P.; Greeley, R.; Lunine, J.; Blanc, M.; Coustenis, A.; Pappalardo, R.; Matson, D.; Clark, K.; Reh, K.; Stankov, A.; Erd, C.; Beauchamp, P.

2009-04-01

In 2008, ESA and NASA performed joint studies of two highly capable scientific missions to the outer planets: the Europa Jupiter System Mission (EJSM) and the Titan Saturn System Mission (TSSM). Joint Science Definition Teams (JSDTs) were formed with U.S. and European membership to guide study activities that were conducted collaboratively by engineering teams working on both sides of the Atlantic. EJSM comprises the Jupiter Europa Orbiter (JEO) that would be provided by NASA and the Jupiter Ganymede Orbiter (JGO) that would be provided by ESA. Both spacecraft would be launched independently in 2020, and arrive 6 years later for a 3-4 year mission within the Jupiter System. Both orbiters would explore Jupiter's system on trajectories that include flybys of Io (JEO only), Europa (JEO only), Ganymede and Callisto. The operation of JEO would culminate in orbit around Europa while that of JGO would culminate in orbit around Ganymede. Synergistic and coordinated observations would be planned. The Titan Saturn System Mission (TSSM) comprises a Titan Orbiter provided by NASA that would carry two Titan in situ elements provided by ESA: the montgolfière and the lake lander. The mission would launch in 2020 and arrive 9 years later for a 4-year duration in the Saturn system. Following delivery of the ESA in situ elements to Titan, the Titan Orbiter would explore the Saturn system via a 2-year tour that includes Enceladus and Titan flybys. The montgolfière would last at least 6-12 months at Titan and the lake lander 8-10 hours. Following the Saturn system tour, the Titan Orbiter would culminate in a ~2-year orbit around Titan. Synergistic and coordinated observations would be planned between the orbiter and in situ elements. The ESA contribution to this joint endeavor will be implemented as the first Cosmic Vision Large-class (L1) mission; the NASA contribution will be implemented as the Outer Planet Flagship Mission. The contribution to each mission is being reviewed and

NASA Sample Return Missions: Recovery Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pace, L. F.; Cannon, R. E.

2017-01-01

The Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR), southwest of Salt Lake City, Utah, is the site of all NASA unmanned sample return missions. To date these missions include the Genesis solar wind samples (2004) and Stardust cometary and interstellar dust samples (2006). NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Mission will return its first asteroid sample at UTTR in 2023.

NASA's New Horizons Pluto Mission: Continuing Voyager's Legacy o

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-08-25

Dr. Bonnie Buratti, senior scientist at NASA's Jet Propultion Laboratory, speaks during a panel discussion at the "NASA's New Horizons Pluto Mission: Continuing Voyager's Legacy of Exploration" event on Monday, August, 25, 2014, in the James E. Webb Auditorium at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. The panelists gave their accounts of Voyager's encounter with Neptune and discussed their current assignments on NASA's New Horizons mission to Pluto. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

NASA SSA for Robotic Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Newman, Lauri K.

2009-01-01

This viewgraph presentation reviews NASA's Space Situational Awareness (SSA) activities as preparation for robotic missions and Goddard's role in this work. The presentation includes the preparations that Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has made to provide consolidated space systems protection indluding consolidating GSFC support for Orbit Debris analysis, conjunction assessment and collision avoidance, commercial and foreign support, and protection of GSFC managed missions.

NASA's International Lunar Network Anchor Nodes and Robotic Lunar Lander Project Update

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morse, Brian J.; Reed, Cheryl L. B.; Kirby, Karen W.; Cohen, Barbara A.; Bassler, Julie A.; Harris, Danny W.; Chavers, D. Gregory

2010-01-01

In early 2008, NASA established the Lunar Quest Program, a new lunar science research program within NASA s Science Mission Directorate. The program included the establishment of the anchor nodes of the International Lunar Network (ILN), a network of lunar science stations envisioned to be emplaced by multiple nations. This paper describes the current status of the ILN Anchor Nodes mission development and the lander risk-reduction design and test activities implemented jointly by NASA s Marshall Space Flight Center and The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. The lunar lander concepts developed by this team are applicable to multiple science missions, and this paper will describe a mission combining the functionality of an ILN node with an investigation of lunar polar volatiles.

Recent Applications of Space Weather Research to NASA Space Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Willis, Emily M.; Howard, James W., Jr.; Miller, J. Scott; Minow, Joseph I.; NeergardParker, L.; Suggs, Robert M.

2013-01-01

Marshall Space Flight Center s Space Environments Team is committed to applying the latest research in space weather to NASA programs. We analyze data from an extensive set of space weather satellites in order to define the space environments for some of NASA s highest profile programs. Our goal is to ensure that spacecraft are designed to be successful in all environments encountered during their missions. We also collaborate with universities, industry, and other federal agencies to provide analysis of anomalies and operational impacts to current missions. This presentation is a summary of some of our most recent applications of space weather data, including the definition of the space environments for the initial phases of the Space Launch System (SLS), acquisition of International Space Station (ISS) frame potential variations during geomagnetic storms, and Nascap-2K charging analyses.

Developing a Fault Management Guidebook for Nasa's Deep Space Robotic Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fesq, Lorraine M.; Jacome, Raquel Weitl

2015-01-01

NASA designs and builds systems that achieve incredibly ambitious goals, as evidenced by the Curiosity rover traversing on Mars, the highly complex International Space Station orbiting our Earth, and the compelling plans for capturing, retrieving and redirecting an asteroid into a lunar orbit to create a nearby a target to be investigated by astronauts. In order to accomplish these feats, the missions must be imbued with sufficient knowledge and capability not only to realize the goals, but also to identify and respond to off-nominal conditions. Fault Management (FM) is the discipline of establishing how a system will respond to preserve its ability to function even in the presence of faults. In 2012, NASA released a draft FM Handbook in an attempt to coalesce the field by establishing a unified terminology and a common process for designing FM mechanisms. However, FM approaches are very diverse across NASA, especially between the different mission types such as Earth orbiters, launch vehicles, deep space robotic vehicles and human spaceflight missions, and the authors were challenged to capture and represent all of these views. The authors recognized that a necessary precursor step is for each sub-community to codify its FM policies, practices and approaches in individual, focused guidebooks. Then, the sub-communities can look across NASA to better understand the different ways off-nominal conditions are addressed, and to seek commonality or at least an understanding of the multitude of FM approaches. This paper describes the development of the "Deep Space Robotic Fault Management Guidebook," which is intended to be the first of NASA's FM guidebooks. Its purpose is to be a field-guide for FM practitioners working on deep space robotic missions, as well as a planning tool for project managers. Publication of this Deep Space Robotic FM Guidebook is expected in early 2015. The guidebook will be posted on NASA's Engineering Network on the FM Community of Practice

NASA's Near Earth Asteroid Scout Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Les; McNutt, Leslie; Castillo-Rogez, Julie

2017-01-01

NASA is developing solar sail propulsion for a near-term Near Earth Asteroid (NEA) reconnaissance mission and laying the groundwork for their future use in deep space science and exploration missions. The NEA Scout mission, funded by NASA's Advanced Exploration Systems Program and managed by NASA MSFC, will use the sail as primary propulsion allowing it to survey and image one or more NEA's of interest for possible future human exploration. NEA Scout uses a 6U cubesat (to be provided by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory), an 86 m2 solar sail and will weigh less than 14 kilograms. The solar sail for NEA Scout will be based on the technology developed and flown by the NASA NanoSail-D and The Planetary Society's Lightsail-A. Four 7 m stainless steel booms wrapped on two spools (two overlapping booms per spool) will be motor deployed and pull the sail from its stowed volume. The sail material is an aluminized polyimide approximately 3 microns thick. NEA Scout will launch on the Space Launch System (SLS) first mission in 2018 and deploy from the SLS after the Orion spacecraft is separated from the SLS upper stage. The NEA Scout spacecraft will stabilize its orientation after ejection using an onboard cold-gas thruster system. The same system provides the vehicle Delta-V sufficient for a lunar flyby. After its first encounter with the moon, the 86 m2 sail will deploy, and the sail characterization phase will begin. A mechanical Active Mass Translation (AMT) system, combined with the remaining ACS propellant, will be used for sail momentum management. Once the system is checked out, the spacecraft will perform a series of lunar flybys until it achieves optimum departure trajectory to the target asteroid. The spacecraft will then begin its two year-long cruise. About one month before the asteroid flyby, NEA Scout will pause to search for the target and start its approach phase using a combination of radio tracking and optical navigation. The solar sail will provide

Solar Power for Future NASA Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bailey, Sheila G.; Landis, Geoffrey A.

2014-01-01

An overview of NASA missions and technology development efforts are discussed. Future spacecraft will need higher power, higher voltage, and much lower cost solar arrays to enable a variety of missions. One application driving development of these future arrays is solar electric propulsion.

NASA Planetary Science Summer School: Preparing the Next Generation of Planetary Mission Leaders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lowes, L. L.; Budney, C. J.; Sohus, A.; Wheeler, T.; Urban, A.; NASA Planetary Science Summer School Team

2011-12-01

Sponsored by NASA's Planetary Science Division, and managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Planetary Science Summer School prepares the next generation of engineers and scientists to participate in future solar system exploration missions. Participants learn the mission life cycle, roles of scientists and engineers in a mission environment, mission design interconnectedness and trade-offs, and the importance of teamwork. For this professional development opportunity, applicants are sought who have a strong interest and experience in careers in planetary exploration, and who are science and engineering post-docs, recent PhDs, and doctoral students, and faculty teaching such students. Disciplines include planetary science, geoscience, geophysics, environmental science, aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, and materials science. Participants are selected through a competitive review process, with selections based on the strength of the application and advisor's recommendation letter. Under the mentorship of a lead engineer (Dr. Charles Budney), students select, design, and develop a mission concept in response to the NASA New Frontiers Announcement of Opportunity. They develop their mission in the JPL Advanced Projects Design Team (Team X) environment, which is a cross-functional multidisciplinary team of professional engineers that utilizes concurrent engineering methodologies to complete rapid design, analysis and evaluation of mission concept designs. About 36 students participate each year, divided into two summer sessions. In advance of an intensive week-long session in the Project Design Center at JPL, students select the mission and science goals during a series of six weekly WebEx/telecons, and develop a preliminary suite of instrumentation and a science traceability matrix. Students assume both a science team and a mission development role with JPL Team X mentors. Once at JPL, students participate in a series of Team X project design sessions

Mission Planning and Scheduling System for NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garcia, Gonzalo; Barnoy, Assaf; Beech, Theresa; Saylor, Rick; Cosgrove, Jennifer Sager; Ritter, Sheila

2009-01-01

In the framework of NASA's return to the Moon efforts, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is the first step. It is an unmanned mission to create a comprehensive atlas of the Moon's features and resources necessary to design and build a lunar outpost. LRO is scheduled for launch in April, 2009. LRO carries a payload comprised of six instruments and one technology demonstration. In addition to its scientific mission LRO will use new technologies, systems and flight operations concepts to reduce risk and increase productivity of future missions. As part of the effort to achieve robust and efficient operations, the LRO Mission Operations Team (MOT) will use its Mission Planning System (MPS) to manage the operational activities of the mission during the Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI) and operational phases of the mission. The MPS, based on GMV's flexplan tool and developed for NASA with Honeywell Technology Solutions (prime contractor), will receive activity and slew maneuver requests from multiple science operations centers (SOC), as well as from the spacecraft engineers. flexplan will apply scheduling rules to all the requests received and will generate conflict free command schedules in the form of daily stored command loads for the orbiter and a set of daily pass scripts that help automate nominal real-time operations.

NASA Earth Day 2014

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-04-22

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden poses for a quick selfie with students who attended the NASA sponsored Earth Day event April 22, 2014 at Union Station in Washington, DC. NASA announced the "Global Selfie" event as part of its "Earth Right Now" campaign, celebrating the launch of five Earth-observing missions in 2014. All selfies posted to social media with the hashtag "GlobalSelfie" will be included in a mosaic image of Earth. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

PADME (Phobos And Deimos & Mars Environment): A Proposed NASA Discovery Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Pascal

2014-11-01

Ever the since their discovery in 1877 by American astronomer Asaph Hall, the two moons of Mars, Phobos and Deimos, have been enigmas. Spacecraft missions have revealed irregular-shaped small bodies with different densities, morphologies, and evolutionary histories. Spectral data suggest that they might be akin to D-type asteroids, although compositional interpretations of the spectra are ambiguous. The origin of Phobos and Deimos remains unknown. There are three prevailing hypotheses for their origin: 1) They are captured asteroids, possibly primitive D-type bodies from the outer main belt or beyond; 2) They are reaccreted impact ejecta from Mars; 3) They are remnants of Mars’s formation. Each one of these hypotheses has radically different and important implications regarding the evolution of the solar system, and/or the formation and evolution of planets and satellites, including the delivery of water and organics to the inner solar system. The Phobos And Deimos & Mars Environment (PADME) mission is a proposed NASA Discovery mission that will test these hypotheses, by investigating simultaneously the internal structure of Phobos and Deimos, and the composition and dynamics of their surface and near-surface materials. PADME would launch in 2020 and reach Mars orbit in early 2021. PADME would then begin a series of slow and increasingly close flybys of Phobos first, then of Deimos. PADME would use the proven LADEE spacecraft and mature instrument systems to enable a low-cost and low risk approach to carrying out its investigation. In addition to achieving its scientific objectives, PADME would fill strategic knowledge gaps identified by NASA’s SBAG and HEOMD for planning future, more ambitious robotic landed or sample return missions to Phobos and/or Deimos, and eventual human missions to Mars Orbit. PADME would be built, managed, and operated by NASA Ames Research Center. Partners include the SETI Institute, NASA JPL, NASA GSFC, NASA JSC, NASA KSC, LASP

Stennis hosts NASA Night in Oxford

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2010-01-01

A young visitor to the Powerhouse Community Arts and Cultural Center in Oxford, Miss., enjoys a balloon rocket transportation activity during a NASA Night in the Neighborhood on March 29. NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis visited the center with a variety of space-related displays and educational activities. Events targeted for children included moon phasers and build-your-own rocket transportation exercises, as well as an astronaut ice cream tasting station. Visitors also were able to take photos in the astronaut suit display. Displays focused on the 40th anniversaries of the Apollo 11 and Apollo 13 lunar missions, the International Space Station, and various aspects of Stennis work. The event was sponsored by the NASA Office of External Affairs and Education at Stennis.

Kepler's Third Law and NASA's "Kepler Mission"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gould, Alan; Komatsu, Toshi; DeVore, Edna; Harman, Pamela; Koch, David

2015-01-01

NASA's "Kepler Mission" has been wildly successful in discovering exoplanets. This paper summarizes the mission goals, briefly explains the transit method of finding exoplanets and design of the mission, provides some key findings, and describes useful education materials available at the "Kepler" website.

NASA's Gravitational - Wave Mission Concept Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stebbins, Robin; Jennrich, Oliver; McNamara, Paul

2012-01-01

With the conclusion of the NASA/ESA partnership on the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) Project, NASA initiated a study to explore mission concepts that will accomplish some or all of the LISA science objectives at lower cost. The Gravitational-Wave Mission Concept Study consisted of a public Request for Information (RFI), a Core Team of NASA engineers and scientists, a Community Science Team, a Science Task Force, and an open workshop. The RFI yielded were 12 mission concepts, 3 instrument concepts and 2 technologies. The responses ranged from concepts that eliminated the drag-free test mass of LISA to concepts that replace the test mass with an atom interferometer. The Core Team reviewed the noise budgets and sensitivity curves, the payload and spacecraft designs and requirements, orbits and trajectories and technical readiness and risk. The Science Task Force assessed the science performance by calculating the horizons. the detection rates and the accuracy of astrophysical parameter estimation for massive black hole mergers, stellar-mass compact objects inspiraling into central engines. and close compact binary systems. Three mission concepts have been studied by Team-X, JPL's concurrent design facility. to define a conceptual design evaluate kt,y performance parameters. assess risk and estimate cost and schedule. The Study results are summarized.

NASA's BARREL Mission in Sweden

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

Four reindeer walk past the BARREL payload on the launch pad at Esrange Space Center near Kiruna, Sweden. The BARREL team is at Esrange Space Center launching a series of six scientific payloads on miniature scientific balloons. The NASA-funded BARREL – which stands for Balloon Array for Radiation-belt Relativistic Electron Losses – primarily measures X-rays in Earth’s atmosphere near the North and South Poles. These X-rays are produced by electrons raining down into the atmosphere from two giant swaths of radiation that surround Earth, called the Van Allen belts. Learning about the radiation near Earth helps us to better protect our satellites. Several of the BARREL balloons also carry instruments built by undergraduate students to measure the total electron content of Earth’s ionosphere, as well as the low-frequency electromagnetic waves that help to scatter electrons into Earth’s atmosphere. Though about 90 feet in diameter, the BARREL balloons are much smaller than standard football stadium-sized scientific balloons. This is the fourth campaign for the BARREL mission. BARREL is led by Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. The undergraduate student instrument team is led by the University of Houston and funded by the Undergraduate Student Instrument Project out of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. For more information on NASA’s scientific balloon program, visit: www.nasa.gov/scientificballoons. Image credit: NASA/University of Houston/Samar Mathur 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

NASA's BARREL Mission in Sweden

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

A member of the BARREL team prepares a payload for launch from Esrange Space Center on Aug. 29, 2016. Throughout August 2016, the BARREL team was at Esrange Space Center near Kiruna, Sweden, launching a series of six scientific payloads on miniature scientific balloons. The NASA-funded BARREL – which stands for Balloon Array for Radiation-belt Relativistic Electron Losses – primarily measures X-rays in Earth’s atmosphere near the North and South Poles. These X-rays are produced by electrons raining down into the atmosphere from two giant swaths of radiation that surround Earth, called the Van Allen belts. Learning about the radiation near Earth helps us to better protect our satellites. Several of the BARREL balloons also carried instruments built by undergraduate students to measure the total electron content of Earth’s ionosphere, as well as the low-frequency electromagnetic waves that help to scatter electrons into Earth’s atmosphere. Though about 90 feet in diameter, the BARREL balloons are much smaller than standard football stadium-sized scientific balloons. This is the fourth campaign for the BARREL mission. BARREL is led by Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. The undergraduate student instrument team is led by the University of Houston and funded by the Undergraduate Student Instrument Project out of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. For more information on NASA’s scientific balloon program, visit: www.nasa.gov/scientificballoons. Credit: NASA/Dartmouth/Alexa Halford 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

NASA's BARREL Mission in Sweden

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

The fourth BARREL balloon of this campaign sits on the launch pad shortly before it launched on Aug. 21, 2016. The BARREL team is at Esrange Space Center near Kiruna, Sweden, launching a series of six scientific payloads on miniature scientific balloons. The NASA-funded BARREL – which stands for Balloon Array for Radiation-belt Relativistic Electron Losses – primarily measures X-rays in Earth’s atmosphere near the North and South Poles. These X-rays are produced by electrons raining down into the atmosphere from two giant swaths of radiation that surround Earth, called the Van Allen belts. Learning about the radiation near Earth helps us to better protect our satellites. Several of the BARREL balloons also carry instruments built by undergraduate students to measure the total electron content of Earth’s ionosphere, as well as the low-frequency electromagnetic waves that help to scatter electrons into Earth’s atmosphere. Though about 90 feet in diameter, the BARREL balloons are much smaller than standard football stadium-sized scientific balloons. This is the fourth campaign for the BARREL mission. BARREL is led by Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. The undergraduate student instrument team is led by the University of Houston and funded by the Undergraduate Student Instrument Project out of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. For more information on NASA’s scientific balloon program, visit: www.nasa.gov/scientificballoons. Credit: NASA/University of Houston/Michael Greer 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

NASA's BARREL Mission in Sweden

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

The third BARREL balloon floats towards the stratosphere on Aug. 21, 2016. This payload flew for nearly 30 hours, measuring X-rays in Earth’s atmosphere. The BARREL team is at Esrange Space Center near Kiruna, Sweden, launching a series of six scientific payloads on miniature scientific balloons. The NASA-funded BARREL – which stands for Balloon Array for Radiation-belt Relativistic Electron Losses – primarily measures X-rays in Earth’s atmosphere near the North and South Poles. These X-rays are produced by electrons raining down into the atmosphere from two giant swaths of radiation that surround Earth, called the Van Allen belts. Learning about the radiation near Earth helps us to better protect our satellites. Several of the BARREL balloons also carry instruments built by undergraduate students to measure the total electron content of Earth’s ionosphere, as well as the low-frequency electromagnetic waves that help to scatter electrons into Earth’s atmosphere. Though about 90 feet in diameter, the BARREL balloons are much smaller than standard football stadium-sized scientific balloons. This is the fourth campaign for the BARREL mission. BARREL is led by Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. The undergraduate student instrument team is led by the University of Houston and funded by the Undergraduate Student Instrument Project out of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. For more information on NASA’s scientific balloon program, visit: www.nasa.gov/scientificballoons. Credit: NASA/University of Houston/Michael Greer 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

NASA's BARREL Mission in Sweden

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

A BARREL payload sits on the launch pad at Esrange Space Center near Kiruna, Sweden. The BARREL team is at Esrange Space Center launching a series of six scientific payloads on miniature scientific balloons. The NASA-funded BARREL – which stands for Balloon Array for Radiation-belt Relativistic Electron Losses – primarily measures X-rays in Earth’s atmosphere near the North and South Poles. These X-rays are produced by electrons raining down into the atmosphere from two giant swaths of radiation that surround Earth, called the Van Allen belts. Learning about the radiation near Earth helps us to better protect our satellites. Several of the BARREL balloons also carry instruments built by undergraduate students to measure the total electron content of Earth’s ionosphere, as well as the low-frequency electromagnetic waves that help to scatter electrons into Earth’s atmosphere. Though about 90 feet in diameter, the BARREL balloons are much smaller than standard football stadium-sized scientific balloons. This is the fourth campaign for the BARREL mission. BARREL is led by Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. The undergraduate student instrument team is led by the University of Houston and funded by the Undergraduate Student Instrument Project out of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. For more information on NASA’s scientific balloon program, visit: www.nasa.gov/scientificballoons. Image credit: NASA/University of Houston/Edgar Bering 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

NASA's BARREL Mission in Sweden

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

A BARREL team member recovers the second payload after it landed. The BARREL team is at Esrange Space Center near Kiruna, Sweden, launching a series of six scientific payloads on miniature scientific balloons. The NASA-funded BARREL – which stands for Balloon Array for Radiation-belt Relativistic Electron Losses – primarily measures X-rays in Earth’s atmosphere near the North and South Poles. These X-rays are produced by electrons raining down into the atmosphere from two giant swaths of radiation that surround Earth, called the Van Allen belts. Learning about the radiation near Earth helps us to better protect our satellites. Several of the BARREL balloons also carry instruments built by undergraduate students to measure the total electron content of Earth’s ionosphere, as well as the low-frequency electromagnetic waves that help to scatter electrons into Earth’s atmosphere. Though about 90 feet in diameter, the BARREL balloons are much smaller than standard football stadium-sized scientific balloons. This is the fourth campaign for the BARREL mission. BARREL is led by Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. The undergraduate student instrument team is led by the University of Houston and funded by the Undergraduate Student Instrument Project out of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. For more information on NASA’s scientific balloon program, visit: www.nasa.gov/scientificballoons. Image credit: NASA/Montana State University/Arlo Johnson 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

NASA's BARREL Mission in Sweden

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

Prior to launch, the BARREL team works on the payload from the launch pad at Esrange Space Center near Kiruna, Sweden. The BARREL team is at Esrange Space Center launching a series of six scientific payloads on miniature scientific balloons. The NASA-funded BARREL – which stands for Balloon Array for Radiation-belt Relativistic Electron Losses – primarily measures X-rays in Earth’s atmosphere near the North and South Poles. These X-rays are produced by electrons raining down into the atmosphere from two giant swaths of radiation that surround Earth, called the Van Allen belts. Learning about the radiation near Earth helps us to better protect our satellites. Several of the BARREL balloons also carry instruments built by undergraduate students to measure the total electron content of Earth’s ionosphere, as well as the low-frequency electromagnetic waves that help to scatter electrons into Earth’s atmosphere. Though about 90 feet in diameter, the BARREL balloons are much smaller than standard football stadium-sized scientific balloons. This is the fourth campaign for the BARREL mission. BARREL is led by Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. The undergraduate student instrument team is led by the University of Houston and funded by the Undergraduate Student Instrument Project out of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. For more information on NASA’s scientific balloon program, visit: www.nasa.gov/scientificballoons. Image credit: NASA/Dartmouth/Robyn Millan 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

NASA's BARREL Mission in Sweden

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

The BARREL team prepares to launch their third payload from Esrange Space Center near Kiruna, Sweden, on Aug. 21, 2016. The BARREL team is at Esrange Space Center launching a series of six scientific payloads on miniature scientific balloons. The NASA-funded BARREL – which stands for Balloon Array for Radiation-belt Relativistic Electron Losses – primarily measures X-rays in Earth’s atmosphere near the North and South Poles. These X-rays are produced by electrons raining down into the atmosphere from two giant swaths of radiation that surround Earth, called the Van Allen belts. Learning about the radiation near Earth helps us to better protect our satellites. Several of the BARREL balloons also carry instruments built by undergraduate students to measure the total electron content of Earth’s ionosphere, as well as the low-frequency electromagnetic waves that help to scatter electrons into Earth’s atmosphere. Though about 90 feet in diameter, the BARREL balloons are much smaller than standard football stadium-sized scientific balloons. This is the fourth campaign for the BARREL mission. BARREL is led by Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. The undergraduate student instrument team is led by the University of Houston and funded by the Undergraduate Student Instrument Project out of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. For more information on NASA’s scientific balloon program, visit: www.nasa.gov/scientificballoons. Credit: NASA/University of Houston/Michael Greer 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

NASA's BARREL Mission in Sweden

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

A BARREL team member watches as one of their payloads launches from Esrange Space Center on Aug. 29, 2016. Throughout August 2016, the BARREL team was at Esrange Space Center near Kiruna, Sweden, launching a series of six scientific payloads on miniature scientific balloons. The NASA-funded BARREL – which stands for Balloon Array for Radiation-belt Relativistic Electron Losses – primarily measures X-rays in Earth’s atmosphere near the North and South Poles. These X-rays are produced by electrons raining down into the atmosphere from two giant swaths of radiation that surround Earth, called the Van Allen belts. Learning about the radiation near Earth helps us to better protect our satellites. Several of the BARREL balloons also carried instruments built by undergraduate students to measure the total electron content of Earth’s ionosphere, as well as the low-frequency electromagnetic waves that help to scatter electrons into Earth’s atmosphere. Though about 90 feet in diameter, the BARREL balloons are much smaller than standard football stadium-sized scientific balloons. This is the fourth campaign for the BARREL mission. BARREL is led by Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. The undergraduate student instrument team is led by the University of Houston and funded by the Undergraduate Student Instrument Project out of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. For more information on NASA’s scientific balloon program, visit: www.nasa.gov/scientificballoons. Credit: NASA/Dartmouth/Alexa Halford 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

NASA's BARREL Mission in Sweden

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

A BARREL balloon inflates on the launch pad at Esrange Space Center on Aug. 29, 2016. Throughout August 2016, the BARREL team was at Esrange Space Center near Kiruna, Sweden, launching a series of six scientific payloads on miniature scientific balloons. The NASA-funded BARREL – which stands for Balloon Array for Radiation-belt Relativistic Electron Losses – primarily measures X-rays in Earth’s atmosphere near the North and South Poles. These X-rays are produced by electrons raining down into the atmosphere from two giant swaths of radiation that surround Earth, called the Van Allen belts. Learning about the radiation near Earth helps us to better protect our satellites. Several of the BARREL balloons also carried instruments built by undergraduate students to measure the total electron content of Earth’s ionosphere, as well as the low-frequency electromagnetic waves that help to scatter electrons into Earth’s atmosphere. Though about 90 feet in diameter, the BARREL balloons are much smaller than standard football stadium-sized scientific balloons. This is the fourth campaign for the BARREL mission. BARREL is led by Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. The undergraduate student instrument team is led by the University of Houston and funded by the Undergraduate Student Instrument Project out of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. For more information on NASA’s scientific balloon program, visit: www.nasa.gov/scientificballoons. Credit: NASA/Dartmouth/Alexa Halford 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

NASA's BARREL Mission in Sweden

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

The first BARREL balloon is inflated just before its launch on Aug. 13, 2016, from Esrange Space Center near Kiruna, Sweden. The BARREL team is at Esrange Space Center launching a series of six scientific payloads on miniature scientific balloons. The NASA-funded BARREL – which stands for Balloon Array for Radiation-belt Relativistic Electron Losses – primarily measures X-rays in Earth’s atmosphere near the North and South Poles. These X-rays are produced by electrons raining down into the atmosphere from two giant swaths of radiation that surround Earth, called the Van Allen belts. Learning about the radiation near Earth helps us to better protect our satellites. Several of the BARREL balloons also carry instruments built by undergraduate students to measure the total electron content of Earth’s ionosphere, as well as the low-frequency electromagnetic waves that help to scatter electrons into Earth’s atmosphere. Though about 90 feet in diameter, the BARREL balloons are much smaller than standard football stadium-sized scientific balloons. This is the fourth campaign for the BARREL mission. BARREL is led by Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. The undergraduate student instrument team is led by the University of Houston and funded by the Undergraduate Student Instrument Project out of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. For more information on NASA’s scientific balloon program, visit: www.nasa.gov/scientificballoons. Image credit: NASA/University of Houston/Edgar Bering 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

NASA's BARREL Mission in Sweden

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

The BARREL team inflates the balloon to launch their fifth scientific payload from Esrange Space Center near Kiruna, Sweden, on Aug. 24, 2016. The BARREL team is at Esrange Space Center launching a series of six scientific payloads on miniature scientific balloons. The NASA-funded BARREL – which stands for Balloon Array for Radiation-belt Relativistic Electron Losses – primarily measures X-rays in Earth’s atmosphere near the North and South Poles. These X-rays are produced by electrons raining down into the atmosphere from two giant swaths of radiation that surround Earth, called the Van Allen belts. Learning about the radiation near Earth helps us to better protect our satellites. Several of the BARREL balloons also carry instruments built by undergraduate students to measure the total electron content of Earth’s ionosphere, as well as the low-frequency electromagnetic waves that help to scatter electrons into Earth’s atmosphere. Though about 90 feet in diameter, the BARREL balloons are much smaller than standard football stadium-sized scientific balloons. This is the fourth campaign for the BARREL mission. BARREL is led by Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. The undergraduate student instrument team is led by the University of Houston and funded by the Undergraduate Student Instrument Project out of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. For more information on NASA’s scientific balloon program, visit: www.nasa.gov/scientificballoons. Credit: NASA/University of Houston/Michael Greer 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

NASA's BARREL Mission in Sweden

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

A BARREL payload sits on the launch pad at Esrange Space Center near Kiruna, Sweden. The BARREL team is at Esrange Space Center launching a series of six scientific payloads on miniature scientific balloons. The NASA-funded BARREL – which stands for Balloon Array for Radiation-belt Relativistic Electron Losses – primarily measures X-rays in Earth’s atmosphere near the North and South Poles. These X-rays are produced by electrons raining down into the atmosphere from two giant swaths of radiation that surround Earth, called the Van Allen belts. Learning about the radiation near Earth helps us to better protect our satellites. Several of the BARREL balloons also carry instruments built by undergraduate students to measure the total electron content of Earth’s ionosphere, as well as the low-frequency electromagnetic waves that help to scatter electrons into Earth’s atmosphere. Though about 90 feet in diameter, the BARREL balloons are much smaller than standard football stadium-sized scientific balloons. This is the fourth campaign for the BARREL mission. BARREL is led by Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. The undergraduate student instrument team is led by the University of Houston and funded by the Undergraduate Student Instrument Project out of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. For more information on NASA’s scientific balloon program, visit: www.nasa.gov/scientificballoons. Image credit: NASA/Dartmouth/Robyn Millan 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

NASA Laboratory Analysis for Manned Exploration Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krihak, Michael K.; Shaw, Tianna E.

2014-01-01

The Exploration Laboratory Analysis (ELA) project supports the Exploration Medical Capability Element under the NASA Human Research Program. ELA instrumentation is identified as an essential capability for future exploration missions to diagnose and treat evidence-based medical conditions. However, mission architecture limits the medical equipment, consumables, and procedures that will be available to treat medical conditions during human exploration missions. Allocated resources such as mass, power, volume, and crew time must be used efficiently to optimize the delivery of in-flight medical care. Although commercial instruments can provide the blood and urine based measurements required for exploration missions, these commercial-off-the-shelf devices are prohibitive for deployment in the space environment. The objective of the ELA project is to close the technology gap of current minimally invasive laboratory capabilities and analytical measurements in a manner that the mission architecture constraints impose on exploration missions. Besides micro gravity and radiation tolerances, other principal issues that generally fail to meet NASA requirements include excessive mass, volume, power and consumables, and nominal reagent shelf-life. Though manned exploration missions will not occur for nearly a decade, NASA has already taken strides towards meeting the development of ELA medical diagnostics by developing mission requirements and concepts of operations that are coupled with strategic investments and partnerships towards meeting these challenges. This paper focuses on the remote environment, its challenges, biomedical diagnostics requirements and candidate technologies that may lead to successful blood-urine chemistry and biomolecular measurements in future space exploration missions.

Low Cost Missions Operations on NASA Deep Space Missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barnes, R. J.; Kusnierkiewicz, D. J.; Bowman, A.; Harvey, R.; Ossing, D.; Eichstedt, J.

2014-12-01

The ability to lower mission operations costs on any long duration mission depends on a number of factors; the opportunities for science, the flight trajectory, and the cruise phase environment, among others. Many deep space missions employ long cruises to their final destination with minimal science activities along the way; others may perform science observations on a near-continuous basis. This paper discusses approaches employed by two NASA missions implemented by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL) to minimize mission operations costs without compromising mission success: the New Horizons mission to Pluto, and the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatories (STEREO). The New Horizons spacecraft launched in January 2006 for an encounter with the Pluto system.The spacecraft trajectory required no deterministic on-board delta-V, and so the mission ops team then settled in for the rest of its 9.5-year cruise. The spacecraft has spent much of its cruise phase in a "hibernation" mode, which has enabled the spacecraft to be maintained with a small operations team, and minimized the contact time required from the NASA Deep Space Network. The STEREO mission is comprised of two three-axis stabilized sun-staring spacecraft in heliocentric orbit at a distance of 1 AU from the sun. The spacecraft were launched in October 2006. The STEREO instruments operate in a "decoupled" mode from the spacecraft, and from each other. Since STEREO operations are largely routine, unattended ground station contact operations were implemented early in the mission. Commands flow from the MOC to be uplinked, and the data recorded on-board is downlinked and relayed back to the MOC. Tools run in the MOC to assess the health and performance of ground system components. Alerts are generated and personnel are notified of any problems. Spacecraft telemetry is similarly monitored and alarmed, thus ensuring safe, reliable, low cost operations.

NASA's Decadal Planning Team Mars Mission Analysis Summary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drake, Bret G.

2007-02-01

In June 1999 the NASA Administrator chartered an internal NASA task force, termed the Decadal Planning Team, to create new integrated vision and strategy for space exploration. The efforts of the Decadal Planning Team evolved into the Agency-wide team known as the NASA Exploration Team (NEXT). This team was also instructed to identify technology roadmaps to enable the science-driven exploration vision, established a cross-Enterprise, cross-Center systems engineering team with emphasis focused on revolutionary not evolutionary approaches. The strategy of the DPT and NEXT teams was to "Go Anywhere, Anytime" by conquering key exploration hurdles of space transportation, crew health and safety, human/robotic partnerships, affordable abundant power, and advanced space systems performance. Early emphasis was placed on revolutionary exploration concepts such as rail gun and electromagnetic launchers, propellant depots, retrograde trajectories, nano structures, and gas core nuclear rockets to name a few. Many of these revolutionary concepts turned out to be either not feasible for human exploration missions or well beyond expected technology readiness for near-term implementation. During the DPT and NEXT study cycles, several architectures were analyzed including missions to the Earth-Sun Libration Point (L2), the Earth-Moon Gateway and L1, the lunar surface, Mars (both short and long stays), one-year round trip Mars, and near-Earth asteroids. Common emphasis of these studies included utilization of the Earth-Moon Libration Point (L1) as a staging point for exploration activities, current (Shuttle) and near-term launch capabilities (EELV), advanced propulsion, and robust space power. Although there was much emphasis placed on utilization of existing launch capabilities, the team concluded that missions in near-Earth space are only marginally feasible and human missions to Mars were not feasible without a heavy lift launch capability. In addition, the team concluded that

NASA's Decadal Planning Team Mars Mission Analysis Summary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Drake, Bret G. (Editor)

2007-01-01

In June 1999 the NASA Administrator chartered an internal NASA task force, termed the Decadal Planning Team, to create new integrated vision and strategy for space exploration. The efforts of the Decadal Planning Team evolved into the Agency-wide team known as the NASA Exploration Team (NEXT). This team was also instructed to identify technology roadmaps to enable the science-driven exploration vision, established a cross-Enterprise, cross-Center systems engineering team with emphasis focused on revolutionary not evolutionary approaches. The strategy of the DPT and NEXT teams was to "Go Anywhere, Anytime" by conquering key exploration hurdles of space transportation, crew health and safety, human/robotic partnerships, affordable abundant power, and advanced space systems performance. Early emphasis was placed on revolutionary exploration concepts such as rail gun and electromagnetic launchers, propellant depots, retrograde trajectories, nano structures, and gas core nuclear rockets to name a few. Many of these revolutionary concepts turned out to be either not feasible for human exploration missions or well beyond expected technology readiness for near-term implementation. During the DPT and NEXT study cycles, several architectures were analyzed including missions to the Earth-Sun Libration Point (L2), the Earth-Moon Gateway and L1, the lunar surface, Mars (both short and long stays), one-year round trip Mars, and near-Earth asteroids. Common emphasis of these studies included utilization of the Earth-Moon Libration Point (L1) as a staging point for exploration activities, current (Shuttle) and near-term launch capabilities (EELV), advanced propulsion, and robust space power. Although there was much emphasis placed on utilization of existing launch capabilities, the team concluded that missions in near-Earth space are only marginally feasible and human missions to Mars were not feasible without a heavy lift launch capability. In addition, the team concluded that

Xenon Acquisition Strategies for High-Power Electric Propulsion NASA Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Herman, Daniel A.; Unfried, Kenneth G.

2015-01-01

Solar electric propulsion (SEP) has been used for station-keeping of geostationary communications satellites since the 1980s. Solar electric propulsion has also benefitted from success on NASA Science Missions such as Deep Space One and Dawn. The xenon propellant loads for these applications have been in the 100s of kilograms range. Recent studies performed for NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD) have demonstrated that SEP is critically enabling for both near-term and future exploration architectures. The high payoff for both human and science exploration missions and technology investment from NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) are providing the necessary convergence and impetus for a 30-kilowatt-class SEP mission. Multiple 30-50- kilowatt Solar Electric Propulsion Technology Demonstration Mission (SEP TDM) concepts have been developed based on the maturing electric propulsion and solar array technologies by STMD with recent efforts focusing on an Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission (ARRM). Xenon is the optimal propellant for the existing state-of-the-art electric propulsion systems considering efficiency, storability, and contamination potential. NASA mission concepts developed and those proposed by contracted efforts for the 30-kilowatt-class demonstration have a range of xenon propellant loads from 100s of kilograms up to 10,000 kilograms. This paper examines the status of the xenon industry worldwide, including historical xenon supply and pricing. The paper will provide updated information on the xenon market relative to previous papers that discussed xenon production relative to NASA mission needs. The paper will discuss the various approaches for acquiring on the order of 10 metric tons of xenon propellant to support potential near-term NASA missions. Finally, the paper will discuss acquisitions strategies for larger NASA missions requiring 100s of metric tons of xenon will be discussed.

NASA's New Horizons Pluto Mission: Continuing Voyager's Legacy o

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-08-25

Dr. David H. Grinspoon, senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute, speaks about working on NASA's Voyager team while serving as moderator for a panel discussion at the "NASA's New Horizons Pluto Mission: Continuing Voyager's Legacy of Exploration" event on Monday, August, 25, 2014, in the James E. Webb Auditorium at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. The panelists gave their accounts of Voyager's encounter with Neptune and discussed their current assignments on NASA's New Horizons mission to Pluto. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Parachute Testing for NASA InSight Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-05-27

This parachute testing for NASA's InSight mission to Mars was conducted inside the world's largest wind tunnel, at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, in February 2015. The wind tunnel is 80 feet (24 meters) tall and 120 feet (37 meters) wide. It is part of the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex, operated by the Arnold Engineering Development Center of the U.S. Air Force. Note: After thorough examination, NASA managers have decided to suspend the planned March 2016 launch of the Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) mission. The decision follows unsuccessful attempts to repair a leak in a section of the prime instrument in the science payload. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19405

NASA's New Horizons Pluto Mission: Continuing Voyager's Legacy o

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-08-25

Dr. John Spencer, senior scientist at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado, speaks during a panel discussion at the "NASA's New Horizons Pluto Mission: Continuing Voyager's Legacy of Exploration" event on Monday, August, 25, 2014, in the James E. Webb Auditorium at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. The panelists gave their accounts of Voyager's encounter with Neptune and discussed their current assignments on NASA's New Horizons mission to Pluto. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

NASA's New Horizons Pluto Mission: Continuing Voyager's Legacy o

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-08-25

Dr. Fran Bagenal, senior scientist at the University of Colorado, speaks during a panel discussion at the "NASA's New Horizons Pluto Mission: Continuing Voyager's Legacy of Exploration" event on Monday, August, 25, 2014, in the James E. Webb Auditorium at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. The panelists gave their accounts of Voyager's encounter with Neptune and discussed their current assignments on NASA's New Horizons mission to Pluto. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

NASA's New Horizons Pluto Mission: Continuing Voyager's Legacy o

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-08-25

Dr. Fran Bagenal, senior scientist at the University of Colorado, far right, speaks during a panel discussion at the "NASA's New Horizons Pluto Mission: Continuing Voyager's Legacy of Exploration" event on Monday, August, 25, 2014, in the James E. Webb Auditorium at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. The panelists gave their accounts of Voyager's encounter with Neptune and discussed their current assignments on NASA's New Horizons mission to Pluto. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

NASA's Asteroid Redirect Mission: The Boulder Capture Option

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abell, Paul A.; Nuth, J.; Mazanek, D.; Merrill, R.; Reeves, D.; Naasz, B.

2014-01-01

NASA is examining two options for the Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM), which will return asteroid material to a Lunar Distant Retrograde Orbit (LDRO) using a robotic solar-electric-propulsion spacecraft, called the Asteroid Redirect Vehicle (ARV). Once the ARV places the asteroid material into the LDRO, a piloted mission will rendezvous and dock with the ARV. After docking, astronauts will conduct two extravehicular activities (EVAs) to inspect and sample the asteroid material before returning to Earth. One option involves capturing an entire small (approximately 4-10 m diameter) near-Earth asteroid (NEA) inside a large inflatable bag. However, NASA is examining another option that entails retrieving a boulder (approximately 1-5 m) via robotic manipulators from the surface of a larger (approximately 100+ m) pre-characterized NEA. This option can leverage robotic mission data to help ensure success by targeting previously (or soon to be) well-characterized NEAs. For example, the data from the Hayabusa mission has been utilized to develop detailed mission designs that assess options and risks associated with proximity and surface operations. Hayabusa's target NEA, Itokawa, has been identified as a valid target and is known to possess hundreds of appropriately sized boulders on its surface. Further robotic characterization of additional NEAs (e.g., Bennu and 1999 JU3) by NASA's OSIRIS REx and JAXA's Hayabusa 2 missions is planned to begin in 2018. The boulder option is an extremely large sample-return mission with the prospect of bringing back many tons of well-characterized asteroid material to the Earth-Moon system. The candidate boulder from the target NEA can be selected based on inputs from the world-wide science community, ensuring that the most scientifically interesting boulder be returned for subsequent sampling. This boulder option for NASA's ARM can leverage knowledge of previously characterized NEAs from prior robotic missions, which provides more

Global Reach: A View of International Cooperation in NASA's Earth Science Enterprise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

Improving life on Earth and understanding and protecting our home planet are foremost in the Vision and Mission of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). NASA's Earth Science Enterprise end eavors to use the unique vantage point of space to study the Earth sy stem and improve the prediction of Earth system change. NASA and its international partners study Earth's land, atmosphere, ice, oceans, a nd biota and seek to provide objective scientific knowledge to decisi onmakers and scientists worldwide. This book describes NASA's extensi ve cooperation with its international partners.

NASA's New Horizons Pluto Mission: Continuing Voyager's Legacy o

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-08-25

Dr. John Spencer, senior scientist at the Southwest Research Institute, answers a question from the audience during a panel discussion at the "NASA's New Horizons Pluto Mission: Continuing Voyager's Legacy of Exploration" event on Monday, August, 25, 2014, in the James E. Webb Auditorium at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. The panelists gave their accounts of Voyager's encounter with Neptune and discussed their current assignments on NASA's New Horizons mission to Pluto. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

National security and national competitiveness: Open source solutions; NASA requirements and capabilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cotter, Gladys A.

1993-01-01

Foreign competitors are challenging the world leadership of the U.S. aerospace industry, and increasingly tight budgets everywhere make international cooperation in aerospace science necessary. The NASA STI Program has as part of its mission to support NASA R&D, and to that end has developed a knowledge base of aerospace-related information known as the NASA Aerospace Database. The NASA STI Program is already involved in international cooperation with NATO/AGARD/TIP, CENDI, ICSU/ICSTI, and the U.S. Japan Committee on STI. With the new more open political climate, the perceived dearth of foreign information in the NASA Aerospace Database, and the development of the ESA database and DELURA, the German databases, the NASA STI Program is responding by sponsoring workshops on foreign acquisitions and by increasing its cooperation with international partners and with other U.S. agencies. The STI Program looks to the future of improved database access through networking and a GUI; new media; optical disk, video, and full text; and a Technology Focus Group that will keep the NASA STI Program current with technology.

The Value of Participating Scientists on NASA Planetary Missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prockter, Louise; Aye, Klaus-Michael; Baines, Kevin; Bland, Michael T.; Blewett, David T.; Brandt, Pontus; Diniega, Serina; Feaga, Lori M.; Johnson, Jeffrey R.; Y McSween, Harry; Neal, Clive; Paty, Carol S.; Rathbun, Julie A.; Schmidt, Britney E.

2016-10-01

NASA has a long history of supporting Participating Scientists on its planetary missions. On behalf of the NASA Planetary Assessment/Analysis Groups (OPAG, MEPAG, VEXAG, SBAG, LEAG and CAPTEM), we are conducting a study about the value of Participating Scientist programs on NASA planetary missions, and how the usefulness of such programs might be maximized.Inputs were gathered via a community survey, which asked for opinions about the value generated by the Participating Scientist programs (we included Guest Investigators and Interdisciplinary Scientists as part of this designation), and for the experiences of those who've held such positions. Perceptions about Participating Scientist programs were sought from the entire community, regardless of whether someone had served as a Participating Scientist or not. This survey was distributed via the Planetary Exploration Newsletter, the Planetary News Digest, the DPS weekly mailing, and the mailing lists for each of the Assessment/Analysis Groups. At the time of abstract submission, over 185 community members have responded, giving input on more than 20 missions flown over three decades. Early results indicate that the majority of respondents feel that Participating Scientist programs represent significant added value for NASA planetary missions, increasing the science return and enhancing mission team diversity in a number of ways. A second survey was prepared for input from mission leaders such as Principal Investigators and Project Scientists.Full results of this survey will be presented, along with recommendations for how NASA may wish to enhance Participating Scientist opportunities into its future missions. The output of the study will be a white paper, which will be delivered to NASA and made available to the science community and other interested groups.

Challenges of Developing New Classes of NASA Self-Managing Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hinchey, M. G.; Rash, J. I.; Truszkowski, W. F.; Rouff, C. A.; Sterritt, R.

2005-01-01

NASA is proposing increasingly complex missions that will require a high degree of autonomy and autonomicity. These missions pose hereto unforeseen problems and raise issues that have not been well-addressed by the community. Assuring success of such missions will require new software development techniques and tools. This paper discusses some of the challenges that NASA and the rest of the software development community are facing in developing these ever-increasingly complex systems. We give an overview of a proposed NASA mission as well as techniques and tools that are being developed to address autonomic management and the complexity issues inherent in these missions.

NASA Celebrates 40 Years of the Voyager Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-09-05

NASA celebrates 40 years of the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft -- humanity's farthest and longest-lived mission -- on Tuesday, Sept. 5. The Voyagers’ original mission was to explore Jupiter and Saturn. Although the twin spacecraft are now far beyond the planets in the solar system, NASA continues to communicate with them daily as they explore the frontier where interstellar space begins.

Meeting NASA's Mission Through Commercial Partnerships

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nall, Mark

2003-01-01

This paper examines novel approaches to furthering NASA's missions through the use of commercial partnerships. The exploration of space ha proven to be a costly endeavor requiring the development of new technologies at significant expense. One of the prime factors holding bac the robust development of space is insufficient investment in the technologies necessary to make it a reality. The key to success in bringin needed space development technologies to maturation lies in bringing technology investors together from government, industry and academia. aggressive road map for developing space will require a diverse set of interest to industry or other government agencies. By having each invest( contributing to the part of the technology development of interest to them development of space systems can be put together at a cost far below wl would be required to develop for a stand-alone effort. The NASA Space Partnership Division has been employing this technique to leverage a 30 million dollar NASA investment into at 100 million dollar advanced technology development effort focused on meeting NASA's mission needs.

NASA's New Horizons Pluto Mission: Continuing Voyager's Legacy o

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-08-25

Dr. John Spencer, senior scientist at the Southwest Research Institute, left, Dr. Jeffrey Moore, senior scientist at NASA Ames Researh Center, center, and Dr. David H. Grinspoon, senior scientist at the Plentary Science Institute, left, are seen during a panel discussion at the "NASA's New Horizons Pluto Mission: Continuing Voyager's Legacy of Exploration" event on Monday, August, 25, 2014, in the James E. Webb Auditorium at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. The panelists gave their accounts of Voyager's encounter with Neptune and discussed their current assignments on NASA's New Horizons mission to Pluto. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

NASA's BARREL Mission in Sweden

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

The faint green glow of aurora can be seen above the clouds at Esrange Space Center in this photo from Aug. 23, 2016. Auroras are created by energetic electrons, which rain down from Earth’s magnetic bubble and interact with particles in the upper atmosphere to create glowing lights that stretch across the sky. The BARREL team is at Esrange Space Center near Kiruna, Sweden, launching a series of six scientific payloads on miniature scientific balloons. The NASA-funded BARREL – which stands for Balloon Array for Radiation-belt Relativistic Electron Losses – primarily measures X-rays in Earth’s atmosphere near the North and South Poles. These X-rays are produced by electrons raining down into the atmosphere from two giant swaths of radiation that surround Earth, called the Van Allen belts. Learning about the radiation near Earth helps us to better protect our satellites. Several of the BARREL balloons also carry instruments built by undergraduate students to measure the total electron content of Earth’s ionosphere, as well as the low-frequency electromagnetic waves that help to scatter electrons into Earth’s atmosphere. Though about 90 feet in diameter, the BARREL balloons are much smaller than standard football stadium-sized scientific balloons. This is the fourth campaign for the BARREL mission. BARREL is led by Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. The undergraduate student instrument team is led by the University of Houston and funded by the Undergraduate Student Instrument Project out of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. For more information on NASA’s scientific balloon program, visit: www.nasa.gov/scientificballoons. Credit: NASA/University of Houston/Michael Greer 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

Halfway point of the one year mission on This Week @NASA – September 18, 2015

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-09-18

Sept. 15 marked the halfway point in the yearlong mission on the International Space Station with NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko. An event the day before at the National Press Club in Washington included a discussion about the biomedical research conducted on the station, to help formulate future human missions to Mars. Kelly participated from the space station. His identical twin, retired NASA astronaut Mark Kelly, and NASA astronaut Terry Virts, who served as commander of Expedition 43, participated from the press club. Also, I spy the space station: Live!, Expedition 43 post-flight visit, Key milestone for Orion spacecraft, Global ocean on Enceladus, Connecting space to village and more!

NASA's Planetary Science Summer School: Training Future Mission Leaders in a Concurrent Engineering Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitchell, K. L.; Lowes, L. L.; Budney, C. J.; Sohus, A.

2014-12-01

NASA's Planetary Science Summer School (PSSS) is an intensive program for postdocs and advanced graduate students in science and engineering fields with a keen interest in planetary exploration. The goal is to train the next generation of planetary science mission leaders in a hands-on environment involving a wide range of engineers and scientists. It was established in 1989, and has undergone several incarnations. Initially a series of seminars, it became a more formal mission design experience in 1999. Admission is competitive, with participants given financial support. The competitively selected trainees develop an early mission concept study in teams of 15-17, responsive to a typical NASA Science Mission Directorate Announcement of Opportunity. They select the mission concept from options presented by the course sponsors, based on high-priority missions as defined by the Decadal Survey, prepare a presentation for a proposal authorization review, present it to a senior review board and receive critical feedback. Each participant assumes multiple roles, on science, instrument and project teams. They develop an understanding of top-level science requirements and instrument priorities in advance through a series of reading assignments and webinars help trainees. Then, during the five day session at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, they work closely with concurrent engineers including JPL's Advanced Projects Design Team ("Team X"), a cross-functional multidisciplinary team of engineers that utilizes concurrent engineering methodologies to complete rapid design, analysis and evaluation of mission concept designs. All are mentored and assisted directly by Team X members and course tutors in their assigned project roles. There is a strong emphasis on making difficult trades, simulating a real mission design process as accurately as possible. The process is intense and at times dramatic, with fast-paced design sessions and late evening study sessions. A survey of PSSS alumni

Mission Design for NASA's Inner Heliospheric Sentinels and ESA's Solar Orbiter Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Downing, John; Folta, David; Marr, Greg; Rodriquez-Canabal, Jose; Conde, Rich; Guo, Yanping; Kelley, Jeff; Kirby, Karen

2007-01-01

This paper will document the mission design and mission analysis performed for NASA's Inner Heliospheric Sentinels (IHS) and ESA's Solar Orbiter (SolO) missions, which were conceived to be launched on separate expendable launch vehicles. This paper will also document recent efforts to analyze the possibility of launching the Inner Heliospheric Sentinels and Solar Orbiter missions using a single expendable launch vehicle, nominally an Atlas V 551.

Overview of NASA GRCs Green Propellant Infusion Mission Thruster Testing and Plume Diagnostics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Deans, Matthew C.; Reed, Brian D.; Yim, John T.; Arrington, Lynn A.; Williams, George J.; Kojima, Jun J.; McLean, Christopher H.

2014-01-01

The Green Propellant Infusion Mission (GPIM) is sponsored by NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) Technology Demonstration Mission (TDM) office. The goal of GPIM is to advance the technology readiness level of a green propulsion system, specifically, one using the monopropellant, AF-M315E, by demonstrating ground handling, spacecraft processing, and on-orbit operations. One of the risks identified for GPIM is potential contamination of sensitive spacecraft surfaces from the effluents in the plumes of AF-M315E thrusters. NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) is conducting activities to characterize the effects of AF-M315E plume impingement and deposition. GRC has established individual plume models of the 22-N and 1-N thrusters that will be used on the GPIM spacecraft. The models describe the pressure, temperature, density, Mach number, and species concentration of the AF-M315E thruster exhaust plumes. The models are being used to assess the impingement effects of the AF-M315E thrusters on the GPIM spacecraft. The model simulations will be correlated with plume measurement data from Laboratory and Engineering Model 22-N, AF-M315E thrusters. The thrusters will be tested in a small rocket, altitude facility at NASA GRC. The GRC thruster testing will be conducted at duty cycles representatives of the planned GPIM maneuvers. A suite of laser-based diagnostics, including Raman spectroscopy, Rayleigh spectroscopy, Schlieren imaging, and physical probes will be used to acquire plume measurements of AFM315E thrusters. Plume data will include temperature, velocity, relative density, and species concentration. The plume measurement data will be compared to the corresponding simulations of the plume model. The GRC effort will establish a data set of AF-M315E plume measurements and a plume model that can be used for future AF-M315E applications.

Development of a NASA 2018 Mars Landed Mission Concept

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, M. G.; Salvo, C. G.; Abilleira, F.; Sengstacken, A. J.; Allwood, A. G.; Backes, P. G.; Lindemann, R. A.; Jordan, J. F.

2010-01-01

Fundamental to NASA's Mars Exploration Program (MEP) is an ongoing development of an integrated and coordinated set of possible future candidate missions that meet fundamental science and programmatic objectives of NASA and the Mars scientific community. In the current planning horizon of the NASA MEP, a landed mobile surface exploration mission launching in the 2018 Mars launch opportunity exists as a candidate project to meet MEP in situ science and exploration objectives. This paper describes the proposed mission science objectives and the mission implementation concept developed for the 2018 opportunity. As currently envisioned, this mission concept seeks to explore a yet-to-be-selected site with high preservation potential for physical and chemical biosignatures, evaluate paleoenvironmental conditions, characterize the potential for preservation of biosignatures, and access multiple sequences of geological units in a search for evidence of past life and/or prebiotic chemistry at a site on Mars.

High Output Maximum Efficiency Resonator (HOMER) Laser for NASA's Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) Lidar Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stysley, Paul; Coyle, Barry; Clarke, Greg; Poulios, Demetrios; Kay, Richard

2015-01-01

The Global Ecosystems Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) is a planned mission sending a LIDAR instrument to the International Space Station that will employ three NASA laser transmitters. This instrument will produce parallel tracks on the Earth's surface that will provide global 3D vegetation canopy measurements. To meet the mission goals a total of 5 High Output Maximum Efficiency Resonator lasers will to be built (1 ETU + 3 Flight + 1 spare) in-house at NASA-GSFC. This presentation will summarize the HOMER design, the testing the design has completed in the past, and the plans to successfully build the units needed for the GEDI mission.

Future Opportunities for Dynamic Power Systems for NASA Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shaltens, Richard K.

2007-01-01

Dynamic power systems have the potential to be used in Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS) and Fission Surface Power Systems (FSPS) to provide high efficiency, reliable and long life power generation for future NASA applications and missions. Dynamic power systems have been developed by NASA over the decades, but none have ever operated in space. Advanced Stirling convertors are currently being developed at the NASA Glenn Research Center. These systems have demonstrated high efficiencies to enable high system specific power (>8 W(sub e)/kg) for 100 W(sub e) class Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generators (ASRG). The ASRG could enable significant extended and expanded operation on the Mars surface and on long-life deep space missions. In addition, advanced high power Stirling convertors (>150 W(sub e)/kg), for use with surface fission power systems, could provide power ranging from 30 to 50 kWe, and would be enabling for both lunar and Mars exploration. This paper will discuss the status of various energy conversion options currently under development by NASA Glenn for the Radioisotope Power System Program for NASA s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) and the Prometheus Program for the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD).

Human-in-the-Loop Operations over Time Delay: NASA Analog Missions Lessons Learned

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rader, Steven N.; Reagan, Marcum L.; Janoiko, Barbara; Johnson, James E.

2013-01-01

Teams at NASA have conducted studies of time-delayed communications as it effects human exploration. In October 2012, the Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) Analog Missions project conducted a Technical Interchange Meeting (TIM) with the primary stakeholders to share information and experiences of studying time delay, to build a coherent picture of how studies are covering the problem domain, and to determine possible forward plans (including how to best communicate study results and lessons learned, how to inform future studies and mission plans, and how to drive potential development efforts). This initial meeting s participants included personnel from multiple NASA centers (HQ, JSC, KSC, ARC, and JPL), academia, and ESA. It included all of the known studies, analog missions, and tests of time delayed communications dating back to the Apollo missions including NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO), Desert Research and Technology Studies (DRATS/RATS), International Space Station Test-bed for Analog Research (ISTAR), Pavilion Lake Research Project (PLRP), Mars 520, JPL Mars Orbiters/Rovers, Advanced Mission Operations (AMO), Devon Island analog missions, and Apollo experiences. Additionally, the meeting attempted to capture all of the various functional perspectives via presentations by disciplines including mission operations (flight director and mission planning), communications, crew, Capcom, Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA), Behavioral Health and Performance (BHP), Medical/Surgeon, Science, Education and Public Outreach (EPO), and data management. The paper summarizes the descriptions and results from each of the activities discussed at the TIM and includes several recommendations captured in the meeting for dealing with time delay in human exploration along with recommendations for future development and studies to address this issue.

The Evolution of the NASA Commercial Crew Program Mission Assurance Process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Canfield, Amy C.

2016-01-01

In 2010, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) established the Commercial Crew Program (CCP) in order to provide human access to the International Space Station and low Earth orbit via the commercial (non-governmental) sector. A particular challenge to NASA has been how to determine that the Commercial Provider's transportation system complies with programmatic safety requirements. The process used in this determination is the Safety Technical Review Board which reviews and approves provider submitted hazard reports. One significant product of the review is a set of hazard control verifications. In past NASA programs, 100% of these safety critical verifications were typically confirmed by NASA. The traditional Safety and Mission Assurance (S&MA) model does not support the nature of the CCP. To that end, NASA S&MA is implementing a Risk Based Assurance process to determine which hazard control verifications require NASA authentication. Additionally, a Shared Assurance Model is also being developed to efficiently use the available resources to execute the verifications.

NASA Planetary Science Summer School: Preparing the Next Generation of Planetary Mission Leaders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Budney, C. J.; Lowes, L. L.; Sohus, A.; Wheeler, T.; Wessen, A.; Scalice, D.

2010-12-01

Sponsored by NASA’s Planetary Science Division, and managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Planetary Science Summer School prepares the next generation of engineers and scientists to participate in future solar system exploration missions. Participants learn the mission life cycle, roles of scientists and engineers in a mission environment, mission design interconnectedness and trade-offs, and the importance of teamwork. For this professional development opportunity, applicants are sought who have a strong interest and experience in careers in planetary exploration, and who are science and engineering post-docs, recent PhDs, and doctoral students, and faculty teaching such students. Disciplines include planetary science, geoscience, geophysics, environmental science, aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, and materials science. Participants are selected through a competitive review process, with selections based on the strength of the application and advisor’s recommendation letter. Under the mentorship of a lead engineer (Dr. Charles Budney), students select, design, and develop a mission concept in response to the NASA New Frontiers Announcement of Opportunity. They develop their mission in the JPL Advanced Projects Design Team (Team X) environment, which is a cross-functional multidisciplinary team of professional engineers that utilizes concurrent engineering methodologies to complete rapid design, analysis and evaluation of mission concept designs. About 36 students participate each year, divided into two summer sessions. In advance of an intensive week-long session in the Project Design Center at JPL, students select the mission and science goals during a series of six weekly WebEx/telecons, and develop a preliminary suite of instrumentation and a science traceability matrix. Students assume both a science team and a mission development role with JPL Team X mentors. Once at JPL, students participate in a series of Team X project design

Crew Transportation System Design Reference Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mango, Edward J.

2015-01-01

Contains summaries of potential design reference mission goals for systems to transport humans to andfrom low Earth orbit (LEO) for the Commercial Crew Program. The purpose of this document is to describe Design Reference Missions (DRMs) representative of the end-to-end Crew Transportation System (CTS) framework envisioned to successfully execute commercial crew transportation to orbital destinations. The initial CTS architecture will likely be optimized to support NASA crew and NASA-sponsored crew rotation missions to the ISS, but consideration may be given in this design phase to allow for modifications in order to accomplish other commercial missions in the future. With the exception of NASA’s mission to the ISS, the remaining commercial DRMs are notional. Any decision to design or scar the CTS for these additional non-NASA missions is completely up to the Commercial Provider. As NASA’s mission needs evolve over time, this document will be periodically updated to reflect those needs.

Overview of the Mission Design Reference Trajectory for NASA's Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcguire, Melissa L.; Strange, Nathan J.; Burke, Laura M.; McCarty, Steven L.; Lantoine, Gregory B.; Qu, Min; Shen, Haijun; Smith, David A.; Vavrina, Matthew A.

2017-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) recently cancelled Asteroid Redirect Mission was proposed to rendezvous with and characterize a 100 m plus class near-Earth asteroid and provide the capability to capture and retrieve a boulder off of the surface of the asteroid and bring the asteroidal material back to cislunar space. Leveraging the best of NASA's science, technology, and human exploration efforts, this mission was originally conceived to support observation campaigns, advanced solar electric propulsion, and NASA's Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket and Orion crew vehicle. The asteroid characterization and capture portion of ARM was referred to as the Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission (ARRM) and was focused on the robotic capture and then redirection of an asteroidal boulder mass from the reference target, asteroid 2008 EV5, into an orbit near the Moon, referred to as a Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit where astronauts would visit and study it. The purpose of this paper is to document the final reference trajectory of ARRM and the challenges and unique methods employed in the trajectory design of the mission.

NASA - Beyond Boundaries

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McMillan, Courtenay

2016-01-01

NASA is able to achieve human spaceflight goals in partnership with international and commercial teams by establishing common goals and building connections. Presentation includes photographs from NASA missions - on orbit, in Mission Control, and at other NASA facilities.

Student experimenter and sponsor display SE83-9 "Chix in Space" incubator

NASA Image and Video Library

1988-08-13

S88-44514 (13 Aug 1988) --- Student experimenter John C. Vellinger, left, explains components of an incubator used in his experiment to be carried onboard the Discovery for NASA's STS-29 mission next year. Mark S. Deusser, representing the sponsoring organization, holds up the incubator for inspection by members of the STS-29 crew who will monitor in-space operation of the experiment, titled "Chicken Embryo Development in Space." Astronaut Robert C. Springer is partially visible in lower right foreground. The student's sponsor is Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Global Hawk Aircraft Lands at NASA Wallops for Hurricane Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

The first of two NASA Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles supporting the Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel (HS3) mission landed at 7:39 a.m. today, Aug. 14, 2013, at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Va. During August and September, NASA will fly the two Global Hawks over the Atlantic Ocean to study tropical storms and the processes that underlie hurricane formation and intensification. The aircraft are equipped with instruments to survey the overall environment of the storms and peer into the inner core of hurricanes to study their structure and processes. For more information, visit: www.nasa.gov/HS3. Photo Credit: NASA Wallops Keith Koehler NASA Wallops Flight Facility 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 Multifaceted Approach to Modernizing NASA's Advanced Multi-Mission Operations System (AMMOS) System Architecture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Estefan, Jeff A.; Giovannoni, Brian J.

2014-01-01

The Advanced Multi-Mission Operations Systems (AMMOS) is NASA's premier space mission operations product line offering for use in deep-space robotic and astrophysics missions. The general approach to AMMOS modernization over the course of its 29-year history exemplifies a continual, evolutionary approach with periods of sponsor investment peaks and valleys in between. Today, the Multimission Ground Systems and Services (MGSS) office-the program office that manages the AMMOS for NASA-actively pursues modernization initiatives and continues to evolve the AMMOS by incorporating enhanced capabilities and newer technologies into its end-user tool and service offerings. Despite the myriad of modernization investments that have been made over the evolutionary course of the AMMOS, pain points remain. These pain points, based on interviews with numerous flight project mission operations personnel, can be classified principally into two major categories: 1) information-related issues, and 2) process-related issues. By information-related issues, we mean pain points associated with the management and flow of MOS data across the various system interfaces. By process-related issues, we mean pain points associated with the MOS activities performed by mission operators (i.e., humans) and supporting software infrastructure used in support of those activities. In this paper, three foundational concepts-Timeline, Closed Loop Control, and Separation of Concerns-collectively form the basis for expressing a set of core architectural tenets that provides a multifaceted approach to AMMOS system architecture modernization intended to address the information- and process-related issues. Each of these architectural tenets will be further explored in this paper. Ultimately, we envision the application of these core tenets resulting in a unified vision of a future-state architecture for the AMMOS-one that is intended to result in a highly adaptable, highly efficient, and highly cost

The NASA Decadal Survey Aerosol, Cloud, Ecosystems Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McClain, Charles R.; Bontempi, Paula; Maring, Hal

2011-01-01

In 2007, the National Academy of Sciences delivered a Decadal Survey (Earth Science and Applications from Space: National Imperatives for the Next Decade and Beyond) for NASA, NOAA, and USGS, which is a prioritization of future satellite Earth observations. The recommendations included 15 missions (13 for NASA, two for NOAA), which were prioritized into three groups or tiers. One of the second tier missions is the Aerosol, Cloud, (ocean) Ecosystems (ACE) mission, which focuses on climate forcing, cloud and aerosol properties and interactions, and ocean ecology, carbon cycle science, and fluxes. The baseline instruments recommended for ACE are a cloud radar, an aerosol/cloud lidar, an aerosol/cloud polarimeter, and an ocean radiometer. The instrumental heritage for these measurements are derived from the Cloudsat, CALIPSO, Glory, SeaWiFS and Aqua (MODIS) missions. In 2008, NASA HQ, lead by Hal Maring and Paula Bontempi, organized an interdisciplinary science working group to help formulate the ACE mission by refining the science objectives and approaches, identifying measurement (satellite and field) and mission (e.g., orbit, data processing) requirements, technology requirements, and mission costs. Originally, the disciplines included the cloud, aerosol, and ocean biogeochemistry communities. Subsequently, an ocean-aerosol interaction science working group was formed to ensure the mission addresses the broadest range of science questions possible given the baseline measurements, The ACE mission is a unique opportunity for ocean scientists to work closely with the aerosol and cloud communities. The science working groups are collaborating on science objectives and are defining joint field studies and modeling activities. The presentation will outline the present status of the ACE mission, the science questions each discipline has defined, the measurement requirements identified to date, the current ACE schedule, and future opportunities for broader community

Space mechanisms needs for future NASA long duration space missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fusaro, Robert L.

1991-01-01

Future NASA long duration missions will require high performance, reliable, long lived mechanical moving systems. In order to develop these systems, high technology components, such as bearings, gears, seals, lubricants, etc., will need to be utilized. There has been concern in the NASA community that the current technology level in these mechanical component/tribology areas may not be adequate to meet the goals of long duration NASA mission such as Space Exploration Initiative (SEI). To resolve this concern, NASA-Lewis sent a questionnaire to government and industry workers (who have been involved in space mechanism research, design, and implementation) to ask their opinion if the current space mechanisms technology (mechanical components/tribology) is adequate to meet future NASA Mission needs and goals. In addition, a working group consisting of members from each NASA Center, DoD, and DOE was established to study the technology status. The results of the survey and conclusions of the working group are summarized.

Status of the NASA Robotic Mission Conjunction Assessment Effort

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Newman, Lauri Kraft

2007-01-01

This viewgraph presentation discusses NASA's processes and tools used to mitigate threats to NASA's robotic assets. The topics include: 1) Background; 2) Goddard Stakeholders and Mission Support; 3) ESC and TDRS Mission Descriptions; 4) TDRS Conjunction Assessment Process; 5) ESMO Conjunction Assessment Process; 6) Recent Operations Experiences; 7) Statistics Collected for ESC Regime; and 8) Current and Future Analysis Items.

Recent Development Activities and Future Mission Applications of NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Patterson, Michael J.; Pencil, Eric J.

2014-01-01

NASAs Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT) project is developing next generation ion propulsion technologies to enhance the performance and lower the costs of future NASA space science missions. This is being accomplished by producing Engineering Model (EM) and Prototype Model (PM) components, validating these via qualification-level and integrated system testing, and preparing the transition of NEXT technologies to flight system development. This presentation is a follow-up to the NEXT project overviews presented in 2009-2010. It reviews the status of the NEXT project, presents the current system performance characteristics, and describes planned activities in continuing the transition of NEXT technology to a first flight. In 2013 a voluntary decision was made to terminate the long duration test of the NEXT thruster, given the thruster design has exceeded all expectations by accumulating over 50,000 hours of operation to demonstrate around 900 kg of xenon throughput. Besides its promise for upcoming NASA science missions, NEXT has excellent potential for future commercial and international spacecraft applications.

Guidelines for NASA Missions to Engage the User Community as a Part of the Mission Life Cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Escobar, V. M.; Friedl, L.; Bonniksen, C. K.

2017-12-01

NASA continues to improve the Earth Science Directorate in the areas of thematic integration, stakeholder feedback and Project Applications Program tailoring for missions to transfer knowledge between scientists and projects. The integration of application themes and the implementation of application science activities in flight projects have evolved to formally include user feedback and stakeholder integration. NASA's new Flight Applied Science Program Guidelines are designed to bridge NASA Earth Science Directorates in Flight, Applied Sciences and Research and Development by agreeing to integrate the user community into mission life cycles. Thus science development and science applications will guide all new instruments launched by NASAs ESD. The continued integration with the user community has enabled socio-economic considerations into NASA Earth Science projects to advance significantly. Making users a natural part of mission science leverages future socio-economic impact research and provides a platform for innovative and more actionable product to be used in decision support systems by society. This presentation will give an overview of the new NASA Guidelines and provide samples that demonstrate how the user community can be a part of NASA mission designs.

The europa initiative for esa's cosmic vision: a potential european contribution to nasa's Europa mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blanc, Michel; Jones, Geraint H.; Prieto-Ballesteros, Olga; Sterken, Veerle J.

2016-04-01

The assessment of the habitability of Jupiter's icy moons is considered of high priority in the roadmaps of the main space agencies, including the decadal survey and esa's cosmic vision plan. the voyager and galileo missions indicated that europa and ganymede may meet the requirements of habitability, including deep liquid aqueous reservoirs in their interiors. indeed, they constitute different end-terms of ocean worlds, which deserve further characterization in the next decade. esa and nasa are now both planning to explore these ice moons through exciting and ambitious missions. esa selected in 2012 the juice mission mainly focused on ganymede and the jupiter system, while nasa is currently studying and implementing the europa mission. in 2015, nasa invited esa to provide a junior spacecraft to be carried on board its europa mission, opening a collaboration scheme similar to the very successful cassini-huygens approach. in order to define the best contribution that can be made to nasa's europa mission, a europa initiative has emerged in europe. its objective is to elaborate a community-based strategy for the proposition of the best possible esa contribution(s) to nasa's europa mission, as a candidate for the upcoming selection of esa's 5th medium-class mission . the science returns of the different potential contributions are analysed by six international working groups covering complementary science themes: a) magnetospheric interactions; b) exosphere, including neutrals, dust and plumes; c) geochemistry; d) geology, including expressions of exchanges between layers; e) geophysics, including characterization of liquid water distribution; f) astrobiology. each group is considering different spacecraft options in the contexts of their main scientific merits and limitations, their technical feasibility, and of their interest for the development of esa-nasa collaborations. there are five options under consideration: (1) an augmented payload to the europa mission main

Satellite Servicing in Mission Design Studies at the NASA GSFC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leete, Stephen J.

2003-01-01

Several NASA missions in various stages of development have undergone one-week studies in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Integrated Mission Design Center (IMDC), mostly in preparation for proposals. The possible role of satellite servicing has been investigated for several of these missions, applying the lessons learned from Hubble Space Telescope (HST) servicing, taking into account the current state of the art, projecting into the future, and implementing NASA long-range plans, and is presented here. The general benefits and costs of injecting satellite servicing are detailed, including components such as mission timeline, mass, fuel, spacecraft design, risk abatement, life extension, and improved performance. The approach taken in addressing satellite servicing during IMDC studies is presented.

NASA's asteroid redirect mission: Robotic boulder capture option

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abell, P.; Nuth, J.; Mazanek, D.; Merrill, R.; Reeves, D.; Naasz, B.

2014-07-01

NASA is examining two options for the Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM), which will return asteroid material to a Lunar Distant Retrograde Orbit (LDRO) using a robotic solar-electric-propulsion spacecraft, called the Asteroid Redirect Vehicle (ARV). Once the ARV places the asteroid material into the LDRO, a piloted mission will rendezvous and dock with the ARV. After docking, astronauts will conduct two extravehicular activities (EVAs) to inspect and sample the asteroid material before returning to Earth. One option involves capturing an entire small (˜4--10 m diameter) near-Earth asteroid (NEA) inside a large inflatable bag. However, NASA is also examining another option that entails retrieving a boulder (˜1--5 m) via robotic manipulators from the surface of a larger (˜100+ m) pre-characterized NEA. The Robotic Boulder Capture (RBC) option can leverage robotic mission data to help ensure success by targeting previously (or soon to be) well-characterized NEAs. For example, the data from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) Hayabusa mission has been utilized to develop detailed mission designs that assess options and risks associated with proximity and surface operations. Hayabusa's target NEA, Itokawa, has been identified as a valid target and is known to possess hundreds of appropriately sized boulders on its surface. Further robotic characterization of additional NEAs (e.g., Bennu and 1999 JU_3) by NASA's OSIRIS REx and JAXA's Hayabusa 2 missions is planned to begin in 2018. This ARM option reduces mission risk and provides increased benefits for science, human exploration, resource utilization, and planetary defense.

Coordinated Analysis 101: A Joint Training Session Sponsored by LPI and ARES/JSC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Draper, D. S.; Treiman, A. H.

2017-01-01

The Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) and the Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) Division, part of the Exploration Integration and Science Directorate at NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC), co-sponsored a training session in November 2016 for four early-career scientists in the techniques of coordinated analysis. Coordinated analysis refers to the approach of systematically performing high-resolution and -precision analytical studies on astromaterials, particularly the very small particles typical of recent and near-future sample return missions such as Stardust, Hayabusa, Hayabusa2, and OSIRIS-REx. A series of successive analytical steps is chosen to be performed on the same particle, as opposed to separate subsections of a sample, in such a way that the initial steps do not compromise the results from later steps in the sequence. The data from the entire series can then be integrated for these individual specimens, revealing important in-sights obtainable no other way. ARES/JSC scientists have played a leading role in the development and application of this approach for many years. Because the coming years will bring new sample collections from these and other planned NASA and international exploration missions, it is timely to begin disseminating specialized techniques for the study of small and precious astromaterial samples. As part of the Cooperative Agreement between NASA and the LPI, this training workshop was intended as the first in a series of similar training exercises that the two organizations will jointly sponsor in the coming years. These workshops will span the range of analytical capabilities and sample types available at ARES/JSC in the Astromaterials Research and Astro-materials Acquisition and Curation Offices. Here we summarize the activities and participants in this initial training.

Contested Ground: The Historical Debate Over NASA's Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kay, W. D.

2000-01-01

This book manuscript studies in depth the development and maturation of the NASA mission from the inception of the organization until the present. This study is involved in a wide divergence of questions over roles and missions: the agency's R&D/operational activities, the decentralized/centralized approaches to management, the debate over methods of conducting business. A fundamental part of this work involves the analysis of not only how NASA has defined its role but how senior government leaders, the Congress, and society at large have viewed this matter. It is be especially useful in tracing the evolution of mission ideas in the space agency and, therefore, of great use to officials wrestling with this perennial issue.

Prostate tumor grown in NASA Bioreactor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

This prostate cancer construct was grown during NASA-sponsored bioreactor studies on Earth. Cells are attached to a biodegradable plastic lattice that gives them a head start in growth. Prostate tumor cells are to be grown in a NASA-sponsored Bioreactor experiment aboard the STS-107 Research-1 mission in 2002. Dr. Leland Chung of the University of Virginia is the principal investigator. The NASA Bioreactor provides a low turbulence culture environment which promotes the formation of large, three-dimensional cell clusters. Due to their high level of cellular organization and specialization, samples constructed in the bioreactor more closely resemble the original tumor or tissue found in the body. The Bioreactor is rotated to provide gentle mixing of fresh and spent nutrient without inducing shear forces that would damage the cells. The work is sponsored by NASA's Office of Biological and Physical Research. The bioreactor is managed by the Biotechnology Cell Science Program at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC). NASA-sponsored bioreactor research has been instrumental in helping scientists to better understand normal and cancerous tissue development. In cooperation with the medical community, the bioreactor design is being used to prepare better models of human colon, prostate, breast and ovarian tumors. Cartilage, bone marrow, heart muscle, skeletal muscle, pancreatic islet cells, liver and kidney are just a few of the normal tissues being cultured in rotating bioreactors by investigators. Credit: NASA and the University of Virginia.

Predicting Mission Success in Small Satellite Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Saunders, Mark; Richie, Wayne; Rogers, John; Moore, Arlene

1992-01-01

In our global society with its increasing international competition and tighter financial resources, governments, commercial entities and other organizations are becoming critically aware of the need to ensure that space missions can be achieved on time and within budget. This has become particularly true for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Office of Space Science (OSS) which has developed their Discovery and Explorer programs to meet this need. As technologies advance, space missions are becoming smaller and more capable than their predecessors. The ability to predict the mission success of these small satellite missions is critical to the continued achievement of NASA science mission objectives. The NASA Office of Space Science, in cooperation with the NASA Langley Research Center, has implemented a process to predict the likely success of missions proposed to its Discovery and Explorer Programs. This process is becoming the basis for predicting mission success in many other NASA programs as well. This paper describes the process, methodology, tools and synthesis techniques used to predict mission success for this class of mission.

Predicting Mission Success in Small Satellite Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Saunders, Mark; Richie, R. Wayne; Moore, Arlene; Rogers, John

1999-01-01

In our global society with its increasing international competition and tighter financial resources, governments, commercial entities and other organizations are becoming critically aware of the need to ensure that space missions can be achieved on time and within budget. This has become particularly true for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Office of Space Science (OSS) which has developed their Discovery and Explorer programs to meet this need. As technologies advance, space missions are becoming smaller and more capable than their predecessors. The ability to predict the mission success of these small satellite missions is critical to the continued achievement of NASA science mission objectives. The NASA Office of Space Science, in cooperation with the NASA Langley Research Center, has implemented a process to predict the likely success of missions proposed to its Discovery and Explorer Programs. This process is becoming the basis for predicting mission success in many other NASA programs as well. This paper describes the process, methodology, tools and synthesis techniques used to predict mission success for this class of mission.

Science Data Center concepts for moderate-sized NASA missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Price, R.; Han, D.; Pedelty, J.

1991-01-01

The paper describes the approaches taken by the NASA Science Data Operations Center to the concepts for two future NASA moderate-sized missions, the Orbiting Solar Laboratory (OSL) and the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM). The OSL space science mission will be a free-flying spacecraft with a complement of science instruments, placed in a high-inclination, sun synchronous orbit to allow continuous study of the sun for extended periods. The TRMM is planned to be a free-flying satellite for measuring tropical rainfall and its variations. Both missions will produce 'standard' data products for the benefit of their communities, and both depend upon their own scientific community to provide algorithms for generating the standard data products.

An inside look at NASA planetology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dwornik, S. E.

1976-01-01

Staffing, financing and budget controls, and research grant allocations of NASA are reviewed with emphasis on NASA-supported research in planetary geological sciences: studies of the composition, structure, and history of solar system planets. Programs, techniques, and research grants for studies of Mars photographs acquired through Mariner 6-10 flights are discussed at length, and particularly the handling of computer-enhanced photographic data. Scheduled future NASA-sponsored planet exploration missions (to Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus) are mentioned.

Superconductor Semiconductor Research for NASA's Submillimeter Wavelength Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crowe, Thomas W.

1997-01-01

Wideband, coherent submillimeter wavelength detectors of the highest sensitivity are essential for the success of NASA's future radio astronomical and atmospheric space missions. The critical receiver components which need to be developed are ultra- wideband mixers and suitable local oscillator sources. This research is focused on two topics, (1) the development of reliable varactor diodes that will generate the required output power for NASA missions in the frequency range from 300 GHZ through 2.5 THz, and (2) the development of wideband superconductive mixer elements for the same frequency range.

Cooperative Research Projects in the Microgravity Combustion Science Programs Sponsored by NASA and NEDO

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ross, Howard (Compiler)

2000-01-01

This document contains the results of a collection of selected cooperative research projects between principal investigators in the microgravity combustion science programs, sponsored by NASA and NEDO. Cooperation involved the use of drop towers in Japan and the United States, and the sharing of subsequent research data and findings. The topical areas include: (1) Interacting droplet arrays, (2) high pressure binary fuel sprays, (3) sooting droplet combustion, (4) flammability limits and dynamics of spherical, premixed gaseous flames and, (5) ignition and transition of flame spread across thin solid fuel samples. All of the investigators view this collaboration as a success. Novel flame behaviors were found and later published in archival journals. In some cases the experiments provided verification of the design and behavior in subsequent experiments performed on the Space Shuttle. In other cases, the experiments provided guidance to experiments that are expected to be performed on the International Space Station.

NASA's DC-8 flying laboratory takes off from Juan Santamaria International Airport in San Jose, Costa Rica, on NASA's AirSAR 2004 campaign

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-03-03

NASA's DC-8 flying laboratory takes off from Juan Santamaria International Airport in San Jose, Costa Rica, on NASA's AirSAR 2004 campaign. AirSAR 2004 is a three-week expedition by an international team of scientists that will use an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR), in a mission ranging from the tropical rain forests of Central America to frigid Antarctica.

Amateur Radio On The International Space Station (ARISS) - The First Educational Outreach Program On ISS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Conley, Carolynn Lee; Bauer, Frank H.; Brown, Deborah A.; White, Rosalie

2002-01-01

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) represents the first educational outreach program that is flying on the International Space Station (ISS). The astronauts and cosmonauts will work hard on the International Space Station, but they plan to take some time off for educational activities with schools. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration s (NASA s) Education Division is a major supporter and sponsor of this student outreach activity on the ISS. This meets NASA s educational mission objective: To inspire the next generation of explorers.. .as only NASA can. The amateur radio community is helping to enrich the experience of those visiting and living on the station as well as the students on Earth. Through ARISS sponsored hardware and activities, students on Earth get a first-hand feel of what it is like to live and work in space. This paper will discuss the educational outreach accomplishments of ARISS, the school contact process, the ARISS international cooperation and volunteers, and ISS Ham radio plans for the future.

Deep Space Mission Applications for NEXT: NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oh, David; Benson, Scott; Witzberger, Kevin; Cupples, Michael

2004-01-01

NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT) is designed to address a need for advanced ion propulsion systems on certain future NASA deep space missions. This paper surveys seven potential missions that have been identified as being able to take advantage of the unique capabilities of NEXT. Two conceptual missions to Titan and Neptune are analyzed, and it is shown that ion thrusters could decrease launch mass and shorten trip time, to Titan compared to chemical propulsion. A potential Mars Sample return mission is described, and compassion made between a chemical mission and a NEXT based mission. Four possible near term applications to New Frontiers and Discovery class missions are described, and comparisons are made to chemical systems or existing NSTAR ion propulsion system performance. The results show that NEXT has potential performance and cost benefits for missions in the Discovery, New Frontiers, and larger mission classes.

Hall Thruster Technology for NASA Science Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Manzella, David; Oh, David; Aadland, Randall

2005-01-01

The performance of a prototype Hall thruster designed for Discovery-class NASA science mission applications was evaluated at input powers ranging from 0.2 to 2.9 kilowatts. These data were used to construct a throttle profile for a projected Hall thruster system based on this prototype thruster. The suitability of such a Hall thruster system to perform robotic exploration missions was evaluated through the analysis of a near Earth asteroid sample return mission. This analysis demonstrated that a propulsion system based on the prototype Hall thruster offers mission benefits compared to a propulsion system based on an existing ion thruster.

The Role of Synthetic Biology in NASA's Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rothschild, Lynn J.

2016-01-01

The time has come to for NASA to exploit synthetic biology in pursuit of its missions, including aeronautics, earth science, astrobiology and most notably, human exploration. Conversely, NASA advances the fundamental technology of synthetic biology as no one else can because of its unique expertise in the origin of life and life in extreme environments, including the potential for alternate life forms. This enables unique, creative "game changing" advances. NASA's requirement for minimizing upmass in flight will also drive the field toward miniaturization and automation. These drivers will greatly increase the utility of synthetic biology solutions for military, health in remote areas and commercial purposes. To this end, we have begun a program at NASA to explore the use of synthetic biology in NASA's missions, particular space exploration. As part of this program, we began hosting an iGEM team of undergraduates drawn from Brown and Stanford Universities to conduct synthetic biology research at NASA Ames Research Center. The 2011 team (http://2011.igem.org/Team:Brown-Stanford) produced an award-winning project on using synthetic biology as a basis for a human Mars settlement.

NASA flight controllers - Meeting cultural and leadership challenges on the critical path to mission success

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clement, James L., Jr.; Ritsher, Jennifer Boyd

2006-01-01

As part of its preparation for missions to the Moon and Mars, NASA has identified high priority critical path roadmap (CPR) questions, two of which focus on the performance of mission control personnel. NASA flight controllers have always worked in an incredibly demanding setting, but the International Space Station poses even more challenges than prior missions. We surveyed 14 senior ISS flight controllers and a contrasting sample of 12 more junior controllers about the management and cultural challenges they face and the most effective strategies for addressing them. There was substantial consensus among participants on some issues, such as the importance of building a personal relationship with Russian colleagues. Responses from junior and senior controllers differed in some areas, such as training. We frame the results in terms of two CPR questions. We aim to use our results to improve flight controller training.

Xenon Acquisition Strategies for High-Power Electric Propulsion NASA Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Herman, Daniel A.; Unfried, Kenneth G.

2015-01-01

The benefits of high-power solar electric propulsion (SEP) for both NASA's human and science exploration missions combined with the technology investment from the Space Technology Mission Directorate have enabled the development of a 50kW-class SEP mission. NASA mission concepts developed, including the Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission, and those proposed by contracted efforts for the 30kW-class demonstration have a range of xenon propellant loads from 100's of kg up to 10,000 kg. A xenon propellant load of 10 metric tons represents greater than 10% of the global annual production rate of xenon. A single procurement of this size with short-term delivery can disrupt the xenon market, driving up pricing, making the propellant costs for the mission prohibitive. This paper examines the status of the xenon industry worldwide, including historical xenon supply and pricing. The paper discusses approaches for acquiring on the order of 10 MT of xenon propellant considering realistic programmatic constraints to support potential near-term NASA missions. Finally, the paper will discuss acquisitions strategies for mission campaigns utilizing multiple high-power solar electric propulsion vehicles requiring 100's of metric tons of xenon over an extended period of time where a longer term acquisition approach could be implemented.

STS-85 Mission Specialist Robinson prepares to enter Discovery

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

STS-85 Mission Specialist Stephen K. Robinson prepares to enter the Space Shuttle orbiter Discovery at Launch Complex 39A just prior to launch, scheduled for 10:41 a.m. EDT. The primary payload on this mission is the Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes for the Atmosphere-Shuttle Pallet Satellite-2 (CRISTA-SPAS-2) free-flyer. The CRISTA-SPAS-2 will be deployed on flight day 1 to study trace gases in the Earths atmosphere as a part of NASAs Mission to Planet Earth program. Also aboard the free-flying research platform will be the Middle Atmosphere High Resolution Spectrograph Instrument (MAHRSI). Other payloads on the 11-day mission include the Manipulator Flight Demonstration (MFD), a Japanese Space Agency-sponsored experiment. Also in Discoverys payload bay are the Technology Applications and Science-1 (TAS-1) and International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker-2 (IEH-2) experiments.

NASA's Space Launch System: A Heavy-Lift Platform for Entirely New Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Creech, Stephen A.

2012-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration s (NASA's) Space Launch System (SLS) will contribute a new capability for human space flight and scientific missions beyond low-Earth orbit. The SLS Program, managed at NASA s Marshall Space Fight Center, will develop the heavy-lift vehicle that will launch the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV), equipment, supplies, and major science missions. Orion will carry crews to space, provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel, and provide safe reentry from deep-space return velocities. Supporting Orion s first autonomous flight to lunar orbit and back in 2017 and its first crewed flight in 2021, the SLS ultimately offers a flexible platform for both human and scientific exploration. The SLS plan leverages legacy infrastructure and hardware in NASA s inventory, as well as continues with advanced propulsion technologies now in development, to deliver an initial 70 metric ton (t) lift capability in 2017, evolving to a 130-t capability after 2021, using a block upgrade approach. This paper will give an overview of the SLS design and management approach against a backdrop of the missions it will support. It will detail the plan to deliver the initial SLS capability to the launch pad in the near term, as well as summarize the innovative approaches the SLS team is applying to deliver a safe, affordable, and sustainable long-range capability for entirely new missions opening a new realm of knowledge and a world of possibilities for multiple partners. Design reference missions that the SLS is being planned to support include asteroids, Lagrange Points, and Mars, among others. The Agency is developing its mission manifest in parallel with the development of a heavy-lift flagship that will dramatically increase total lift and volume capacity beyond current launch vehicle options, reduce trip times, and provide a robust platform for conducting new missions destined to rewrite textbooks with the

Portable Diagnostics Technology Assessment for Space Missions. Part 1; General Technology Capabilities for NASA Exploration Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nelson, Emily S.; Chait, Arnon

2010-01-01

The changes in the scope of NASA s mission in the coming decade are profound and demand nimble, yet insightful, responses. On-board clinical and environmental diagnostics must be available for both mid-term lunar and long-term Mars exploration missions in an environment marked by scarce resources. Miniaturization has become an obvious focus. Despite solid achievements in lab-based devices, broad-based, robust tools for application in the field are not yet on the market. The confluence of rapid, wide-ranging technology evolution and internal planning needs are the impetus behind this work. This report presents an analytical tool for the ongoing evaluation of promising technology platforms based on mission- and application-specific attributes. It is not meant to assess specific devices, but rather to provide objective guidelines for a rational down-select of general categories of technology platforms. In this study, we have employed our expertise in the microgravity operation of fluidic devices, laboratory diagnostics for space applications, and terrestrial research in biochip development. A rating of the current state of technology development is presented using the present tool. Two mission scenarios are also investigated: a 30-day lunar mission using proven, tested technology in 5 years; and a 2- to 3-year mission to Mars in 10 to 15 years.

NASA Missions Monitor a Waking Black Hole

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-06-30

On June 15, NASA's Swift caught the onset of a rare X-ray outburst from a stellar-mass black hole in the binary system V404 Cygni. Astronomers around the world are watching the event. In this system, a stream of gas from a star much like the sun flows toward a 10 solar mass black hole. Instead of spiraling toward the black hole, the gas accumulates in an accretion disk around it. Every couple of decades, the disk switches into a state that sends the gas rushing inward, starting a new outburst. Read more: www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/nasa-missions-monitor-a-waki... Credits: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Download this video in HD formats from NASA Goddard's Scientific Visualization Studio svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/details.cgi?aid=11110

Overview of Mission Design for NASA Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission Concept

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Strange, Nathan; Landau, Damon; McElrath, Timothy; Lantoine, Gregory; Lam, Try; McGuire, Melissa; Burke, Laura; Martini, Michael; Dankanich, John

2013-01-01

Part of NASA's new asteroid initiative would be a robotic mission to capture a roughly four to ten meter asteroid and redirect its orbit to place it in translunar space. Once in a stable storage orbit at the Moon, astronauts would then visit the asteroid for science investigations, to test in space resource extraction, and to develop experience with human deep space missions. This paper discusses the mission design techniques that would enable the redirection of a 100-1000 metric ton asteroid into lunar orbit with a 40-50 kW Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) system.

NASA Post-Columbia Safety & Mission Assurance, Review and Assessment Initiatives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Newman, J. Steven; Wander, Stephen M.; Vecellio, Don; Miller, Andrew J.

2005-12-01

On February 1, 2003, NASA again experienced a tragic accident as the Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart upon reentry, resulting in the loss of seven astronauts. Several of the findings and observations of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board addressed the need to strengthen the safety and mission assurance function at NASA. This paper highlights key steps undertaken by the NASA Office of Safety and Mission Assurance (OSMA) to establish a stronger and more- robust safety and mission assurance function for NASA programs, projects, facilities and operations. This paper provides an overview of the interlocking OSMA Review and Assessment Division (RAD) institutional and programmatic processes designed to 1) educate, inform, and prepare for audits, 2) verify requirements flow-down, 3) verify process capability, 4) verify compliance with requirements, 5) support risk management decision making, 6) facilitate secure web- based collaboration, and 7) foster continual improvement and the use of lessons learned.

Assessing the Benefits of NASA Category 3, Low Cost Class C/D Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bitten, Robert E.; Shinn, Steven A.; Mahr, Eric M.

2013-01-01

Category 3, Class C/D missions have the benefit of delivering worthwhile science at minimal cost which is increasingly important in NASA's constrained budget environment. Although higher cost Category 1 and 2 missions are necessary to achieve NASA's science objectives, Category 3 missions are shown to be an effective way to provide significant science return at a low cost. Category 3 missions, however, are often reviewed the same as the more risk averse Category 1 and 2 missions. Acknowledging that reviews are not the only aspect of a total engineering effort, reviews are still a significant concern for NASA programs. This can unnecessarily increase the cost and schedule of Category 3 missions. This paper quantifies the benefit and performance of Category 3 missions by looking at the cost vs. capability relative to Category 1 and 2 missions. Lessons learned from successful organizations that develop low cost Category 3, Class C/D missions are also investigated to help provide the basis for suggestions to streamline the review of NASA Category 3 missions.

NASA Centers and Universities Collaborate Through Smallsat Technology Partnerships

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cockrell, James

2018-01-01

The Small Spacecraft Technology (SST) Program within the NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate is chartered develop and demonstrate the capabilities that enable small spacecraft to achieve science and exploration missions in "unique" and "more affordable" ways. Specifically, the SST program seeks to enable new mission architectures through the use of small spacecraft, to expand the reach of small spacecraft to new destinations, and to make possible the augmentation existing assets and future missions with supporting small spacecraft. The SST program sponsors smallsat technology development partnerships between universities and NASA Centers in order to engage the unique talents and fresh perspectives of the university community and to share NASA experience and expertise in relevant university projects to develop new technologies and capabilities for small spacecraft. These partnerships also engage NASA personnel in the rapid, agile and cost-conscious small spacecraft approaches that have evolved in the university community, as well as increase support to university efforts and foster a new generation of innovators for NASA and the nation.

David Bushman at the Mission Manager's console onboard NASA's DC-8 during the AirSAR 2004 campaign

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-03-03

David Bushman at the Mission Manager's console onboard NASA's DC-8 during the AirSAR 2004 campaign. AirSAR 2004 is a three-week expedition by an international team of scientists that will use an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR), in a mission ranging from the tropical rain forests of Central America to frigid Antarctica.

The Economics of NASA Mission Cost Reserves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitley, Sally; Shinn, Stephen

2012-01-01

Increases in NASA mission costs are well-noted but not well-understood, and there is little evidence that they are decreasing in frequency or amount over time. The need to control spending has led to analysis of the causes and magnitude of historical mission overruns, and many program control efforts are being implemented to attempt to prevent or mitigate the problem (NPR 7120). However, cost overruns have not abated, and while some direct causes of increased spending may be obvious (requirements creep, launch delays, directed changes, etc.), the underlying impetus to spend past the original budget may be more subtle. Gaining better insight into the causes of cost overruns will help NASA and its contracting organizations to avoid .them. This paper hypothesizes that one cause of NASA mission cost overruns is that the availability of reserves gives project team members an incentive to make decisions and behave in ways that increase costs. We theorize that the presence of reserves is a contributing factor to cost overruns because it causes organizations to use their funds less efficiently or to control spending less effectively. We draw a comparison to the insurance industry concept of moral hazard, the phenomenon that the presence of insurance causes insureds to have more frequent and higher insurance losses, and we attempt to apply actuarial techniques to quantifY the increase in the expected cost of a mission due to the availability of reserves. We create a theoretical model of reserve spending motivation by defining a variable ReserveSpending as a function of total reserves. This function has a positive slope; for every dollar of reserves available, there is a positive probability of spending it. Finally, the function should be concave down; the probability of spending each incremental dollar of reserves decreases progressively. We test the model against available NASA CADRe data by examining missions with reserve dollars initially available and testing whether

Reuse of Software Assets for the NASA Earth Science Decadal Survey Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mattmann, Chris A.; Downs, Robert R.; Marshall, James J.; Most, Neal F.; Samadi, Shahin

2010-01-01

Software assets from existing Earth science missions can be reused for the new decadal survey missions that are being planned by NASA in response to the 2007 Earth Science National Research Council (NRC) Study. The new missions will require the development of software to curate, process, and disseminate the data to science users of interest and to the broader NASA mission community. In this paper, we discuss new tools and a blossoming community that are being developed by the Earth Science Data System (ESDS) Software Reuse Working Group (SRWG) to improve capabilities for reusing NASA software assets.

NASA's In-Space Propulsion Technology Project's Products for Near-term Mission Applicability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dankanich, John

2009-01-01

The In-Space Propulsion Technology (ISPT) project, funded by NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD), is continuing to invest in propulsion technologies that will enable or enhance NASA robotic science missions. The primary investments and products currently available for technology infusion include NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT) and the Advanced Materials Bipropellant Rocket (AMBR) engine. These products will reach TRL 6 in 2008 and are available for the current and all future mission opportunities. Development status, near-term mission benefits, applicability, and availability of in-space propulsion technologies in the areas of electric propulsion, advanced chemical thrusters, and aerocapture are presented.

Mission Applications Support at NASA: The Proposal Surface Water and Ocean Topography Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Srinivasan, Margaret; Peterson, Craig; Callahan, Phil

2013-09-01

The NASA Applied Sciences Program is actively supporting an agency-wide effort to formalize a mission-level data applications approach. The program goal is to engage early-phase NASA Earth satellite mission project teams with applied science representation in the flight mission planning process. The end objective is to "to engage applications-oriented users and organizations early in the satellite mission lifecycle to enable them to envision possible applications and integrate end-user needs into satellite mission planning as a way to increase the benefits to the nation."Two mission applications representatives have been selected for each early phase Tier 2 mission, including the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission concept. These representatives are tasked with identifying and organizing the applications communities and developing and promoting a process for the mission to optimize the reach of existing applications efforts in order to enhance the applications value of the missions. An early project-level awareness of mission planning decisions that may increase or decrease the utility of data products to diverse user and potential user communities (communities of practice and communities of potential, respectively) has high value and potential return to the mission and to the users.Successful strategies to enhance science and practical applications of projected SWOT data streams will require engaging with and facilitating between representatives in the science, societal applications, and mission planning communities.Some of the elements of this program include:• Identify early adopters of data products• Coordinate applications team, including;Project Scientist, Payload Scientist, ProjectManager, data processing lead• Describe mission and products sufficiently inearly stage of development to effectively incorporate all potential usersProducts and activities resulting from this effort will include (but are not limited to); workshops, workshop

Current Level of Mission Control Automation at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maks, Lori; Breed, Julie; Rackley, Michael; Powers, Edward I. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

NASA is particularly concerned with reducing mission operations costs through increased automation. This paper examines the operations procedures within NASA Mission Control Centers in order to uncover the level of automation that currently exists within them. Based on an assessment of mission operations procedures within three representative control centers, this paper recommends specific areas where there is potential for mission cost reduction through increased automation.

NASA Mission Operations Directorate Preparations for the COTS Visiting Vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shull, Sarah A.; Peek, Kenneth E.

2011-01-01

With the retirement of the Space Shuttle looming, a series of new spacecraft is under development to assist in providing for the growing logistical needs of the International Space Station (ISS). Two of these vehicles are being built under a NASA initiative known as the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program. These visiting vehicles ; Space X s Dragon and Orbital Science Corporation s Cygnus , are to be domestically produced in the United States and designed to add to the capabilities of the Russian Progress and Soyuz workhorses, the European Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) and the Japanese H-2 Transfer Vehicle (HTV). Most of what is known about the COTS program has focused on the work of Orbital and SpaceX in designing, building, and testing their respective launch and cargo vehicles. However, there is also a team within the Mission Operations Directorate (MOD) at NASA s Johnson Space Center working with their operational counterparts in these companies to provide operational safety oversight and mission assurance via the development of operational scenarios and products needed for these missions. Ensuring that the operational aspect is addressed for the initial demonstration flights of these vehicles is the topic of this paper. Integrating Dragon and Cygnus into the ISS operational environment has posed a unique challenge to NASA and their partner companies. This is due in part to the short time span of the COTS program, as measured from initial contract award until first launch, as well as other factors that will be explored in the text. Operational scenarios and products developed for each COTS vehicle will be discussed based on the following categories: timelines, on-orbit checkout, ground documentation, crew procedures, software updates and training materials. Also addressed is an outline of the commonalities associated with the operations for each vehicle. It is the intent of the authors to provide their audience with a better

The Collaborative Information Portal and NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mak, Ronald; Walton, Joan

2005-01-01

The Collaborative Information Portal was enterprise software developed jointly by the NASA Ames Research Center and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Mars Exploration Rover mission. Mission managers, engineers, scientists, and researchers used this Internet application to view current staffing and event schedules, download data and image files generated by the rovers, receive broadcast messages, and get accurate times in various Mars and Earth time zones. This article describes the features, architecture, and implementation of this software, and concludes with lessons we learned from its deployment and a look towards future missions.

NASA Dryden Mission Manager Walter Klein poses with school children that visited the airport during AirSAR 2004

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-03-08

NASA Dryden Mission Manager Walter Klein poses with school children that visited the airport during AirSAR 2004. In spanish, he explained to them the mission of the DC-8 AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerican campaign in Costa Rica. AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerica is a three-week expedition by an international team of scientists that uses an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR) which is located onboard NASA's DC-8 airborne laboratory. Scientists from many parts of the world including NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory are combining ground research done in several areas in Central America with NASA's AirSAR technology to improve and expand on the quality of research they are able to conduct. The radar, developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, can penetrate clouds and also collect data at night. Its high-resolution sensors operate at multiple wavelengths and modes, allowing AirSAR to see beneath treetops, through thin sand, and dry snow pack. AirSAR's 2004 campaign is a collaboration of many U.S. and Central American institutions and scientists, including NASA; the National Science Foundation; the Smithsonian Institution; National Geographic; Conservation International; the Organization of Tropical Studies; the Central American Commission for Environment and Development; and the Inter-American Development Bank.

NASA Missions Enabled by Space Nuclear Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scott, John H.; Schmidt, George R.

2009-01-01

This viewgraph presentation reviews NASA Space Missions that are enabled by Space Nuclear Systems. The topics include: 1) Space Nuclear System Applications; 2) Trade Space for Electric Power Systems; 3) Power Generation Specific Energy Trade Space; 4) Radioisotope Power Generation; 5) Radioisotope Missions; 6) Fission Power Generation; 7) Solar Powered Lunar Outpost; 8) Fission Powered Lunar Outpost; 9) Fission Electric Power Generation; and 10) Fission Nuclear Thermal Propulsion.

Global Precipitation Measurement mission data released on This Week @NASA - September 5, 2014

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-09-05

Precipitation information from the first six months of the Global Precipitation Measurement Core Observatory mission now is fully available to the public. Launched from Japan in February, the joint NASA and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency mission works with international partner satellites to produce precise and standardized data sets on worldwide rainfall, snowfall and other precipitation. The data can be used to improve forecasts of extreme weather events like floods and help decision makers worldwide better manage water resources. Also, Earthquake data from the air, Next ISS crew trains, Talking STEM with students and OSIRIS-REx time capsule!

Designing astrophysics missions for NASA's Space Launch System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stahl, H. Philip; Hopkins, Randall C.; Schnell, Andrew; Smith, David Alan; Jackman, Angela; Warfield, Keith R.

2016-10-01

Large space telescope missions have always been limited by their launch vehicle's mass and volume capacities. The Hubble Space Telescope was specifically designed to fit inside the Space Shuttle and the James Webb Space Telescope was specifically designed to fit inside an Ariane 5. Astrophysicists desire even larger space telescopes. NASA's "Enduring Quests Daring Visions" report calls for an 8- to 16-m Large UV-Optical-IR (LUVOIR) Surveyor mission to enable ultrahigh-contrast spectroscopy and coronagraphy. Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy's "From Cosmic Birth to Living Earth" report calls for a 12-m class High-Definition Space Telescope to pursue transformational scientific discoveries. NASA's "Planning for the 2020 Decadal Survey" calls for a Habitable Exoplanet Imaging (HabEx) and an LUVOIR as well as Far-IR and an X-ray Surveyor missions. Packaging larger space telescopes into existing launch vehicles is a significant engineering complexity challenge that drives cost and risk. NASA's planned Space Launch System (SLS), with its 8- or 10-m diameter fairings and ability to deliver 35 to 45 mt of payload to Sun-Earth-Lagrange-2, mitigates this challenge by fundamentally changing the design paradigm for large space telescopes. This paper introduces the mass and volume capacities of the planned SLS, provides a simple mass allocation recipe for designing large space telescope missions to this capacity, and gives three specific mission concept implementation examples: a 4-m monolithic off-axis telescope, an 8-m monolithic on-axis telescope, and a 12-m segmented on-axis telescope.

NASA's RPS Design Reference Mission Set for Solar System Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Balint, Tibor S.

2007-01-01

NASA's 2006 Solar System Exploration (SSE) Strategic Roadmap identified a set of proposed large Flagship, medium New Frontiers and small Discovery class missions, addressing key exploration objectives. These objectives respond to the recommendations by the National Research Council (NRC), reported in the SSE Decadal Survey. The SSE Roadmap is down-selected from an over-subscribed set of missions, called the SSE Design Reference Mission (DRM) set. Missions in the Flagship and New Frontiers classes can consider Radioisotope Power Systems (RPSs), while small Discovery class missions are not permitted to use them, due to cost constraints. In line with the SSE DRM set and the SSE Roadmap missions, the RPS DRM set represents a set of missions, which can be enabled or enhanced by RPS technologies. At present, NASA has proposed the development of two new types of RPSs. These are the Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG), with static power conversion; and the Stirling Radioisotope Generator (SRG), with dynamic conversion. Advanced RPSs, under consideration for possible development, aim to increase specific power levels. In effect, this would either increase electric power generation for the same amount of fuel, or reduce fuel requirements for the same power output, compared to the proposed MMRTG or SRG. Operating environments could also influence the design, such that an RPS on the proposed Titan Explorer would use smaller fins to minimize heat rejection in the extreme cold environment; while the Venus Mobile Explorer long-lived in-situ mission would require the development of a new RPS, in order to tolerate the extreme hot environment, and to simultaneously provide active cooling to the payload and other electric components. This paper discusses NASA's SSE RPS DRM set, in line with the SSE DRM set. It gives a qualitative assessment regarding the impact of various RPS technology and configuration options on potential mission architectures, which could

NASA's Celebration of the International Year of Astronomy 2009

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasan, Hashima; Smith, D.

2010-01-01

NASA celebrated the International Year of Astronomy (IYA) 2009 by developing a rich and vibrant educational and public outreach program that increased the exposure of the public and students to NASA discoveries reaching audiences far and wide. We kicked off the event at the American Astronomical Society meeting in January 2009, with a sneak preview of the multiwavelength image of M101, taken by the three NASA Great Observatories, Hubble Space Telescope, Chandra X-Ray Observatory, and Spitzer Space Telescope. There was a steady stream of visitors at the NASA booth at the Opening Ceremony in Paris. Since then NASA programs have touched the hearts and souls of the young and old both in the U.S. and internationally. NASA IYA programs in the form of teacher workshops, student contests, exhibits in libraries, museums, planetaria and non traditional venues such as airports and music festivals, podcasts and vodcasts have reached a wide audience. The NASA IYA Student Ambassadors engaged undergraduate and graduate students throughout the U.S. in outreach programs they created to spread NASA astronomy to their local communities. The year 2009 saw the launch of several space astronomy, heliophysics and planetary science missions. NASA developed IYA programs associated which each launch, to capitalize on the associated interest generated in the public. Some examples of the impact of these programs and building on their success beyond 2009 will be discussed in this talk. All NASA programs can be accessed via the website http://astronomy2009.nasa.gov/.

International Observe the Moon Night: Eight Years of Engaging Scientists, Educators, and Citizen Enthusiasts in NASA Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buxner, Sanlyn; Jones, Andrea; Bleacher, Lora; Wasser, Molly; Day, Brian; Bakerman, Maya; Shaner, Andrew; Joseph, Emily; International Observe the Moon Night Coordinating Committee

2018-01-01

International Observe the Moon Night (InOMN) is an annual worldwide event, held in the fall, that celebrates lunar and planetary science and exploration. InOMN is sponsored by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) in collaboration with NASA’s Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI), the NASA’s Heliophysics Education Consortium, CosmoQuest, Night Sky Network, and Science Festival Alliance. Other key partners include the NASA Museum Alliance, Night Sky Network, and NASA Solar System Ambassadors.In 2017 InOMN will be held on October 28th, and will engage thousands of people across the globe to observe and learn about the Moon and its connection to planetary science. This year, we have partnered with the NASA Science Mission Directorate total solar eclipse team to highlight InOMN as an opportunity to harness and sustain the interest and momentum in space science and observation following the August 21st eclipse. Since 2010, over 3,800 InOMN events have been registered engaging over 550,000 visitors worldwide. Most InOMN events are held in the United States, with strong representation from many other countries. We will present current results from the 2017 InOMN evaluation.Through InOMN, we annually provide resources such as event-specific Moon maps, presentations, advertising materials, and certificates of participation. Additionally, InOMN highlights partner resources such as online interfaces including Moon Trek (https://moontrek.jpl.nasa.gov) and CosmoQuest (https://cosmoquest.org/x/) to provide further opportunities to engage with NASA science.Learn more about InOMN at http://observethemoonnight.org.

Engineering Feasibility and Trade Studies for the NASA/VSGC MicroMaps Space Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abdelkhalik, Ossama O.; Nairouz, Bassem; Weaver, Timothy; Newman, Brett

2003-01-01

Knowledge of airborne CO concentrations is critical for accurate scientific prediction of global scale atmospheric behavior. MicroMaps is an existing NASA owned gas filter radiometer instrument designed for space-based measurement of atmospheric CO vertical profiles. Due to programmatic changes, the instrument does not have access to the space environment and is in storage. MicroMaps hardware has significant potential for filling a critical scientific need, thus motivating concept studies for new and innovative scientific spaceflight missions that would leverage the MicroMaps heritage and investment, and contribute to new CO distribution data. This report describes engineering feasibility and trade studies for the NASA/VSGC MicroMaps Space Mission. Conceptual studies encompass: 1) overall mission analysis and synthesis methodology, 2) major subsystem studies and detailed requirements development for an orbital platform option consisting of a small, single purpose spacecraft, 3) assessment of orbital platform option consisting of the International Space Station, and 4) survey of potential launch opportunities for gaining assess to orbit. Investigations are of a preliminary first-order nature. Results and recommendations from these activities are envisioned to support future MicroMaps Mission design decisions regarding program down select options leading to more advanced and mature phases.

Parting Moon Shots from NASAs GRAIL Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-01-10

Video of the moon taken by the NASA GRAIL mission's MoonKam (Moon Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students) camera aboard the Ebb spacecraft on Dec. 14, 2012. Features forward-facing and rear-facing views.

NASA International Year of Astronomy 2009 Programs: Impacts and Future Plans (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasan, H.; Smith, D.; Stockman, S. A.

2009-12-01

The opportunity offered by the International Year of Astronomy (IYA) 2009 to increase the exposure of the public and students to NASA discoveries in astronomy resulted in several innovative programs which have reached audiences far and wide. Some examples of the impact of these programs and building on the success of these programs beyond 2009 will be discussed in this talk. The spectacular success of the traveling exhibit of NASA images to public libraries around the country prompted NASA to extend it to include more libraries. As a part of the IYA Cornerstone project From Earth To The Universe, NASA images were displayed at non-traditional sites such as airports, parks, and music festivals, exposing them to an audience which would otherwise have been unaware of them. The NASA IYA Student Ambassadors engaged undergraduate and graduate students throughout the U.S. in outreach programs they created to spread NASA astronomy to their local communities. NASA’s Afterschool Universe provided IYA training to community-based organizations, while pre-launch teacher workshops associated with the Kepler and WISE missions were designed to engage educators in the science of these missions. IYA activities have been associated with several missions launched this year. These include the Hubble Servicing Mission 4, Kepler, Herschel/Planck, LCROSS. NASA’sIYA website and Go Observe! feature remain popular. The associated IYA Discovery Guides and Observing with NASA MicroObservatory activities have guided the public and students to perform their own observations of the night sky and to interpret them. NASA intends to work with its Science Education and Public Outreach Forums (SEPOF) to develop a strategy to take forward the best of its IYA2009 plans forward so as to build on the momentum generated by IYA2009 and continue to keep the public and students engaged in the scientific exploration of the universe.

The NASA ISS-RapidScat Mission (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodriguez, E.

2013-12-01

After NASA's QuikSCAT satellite stopped spinning on November 2009, an observational gap opened in the international ocean surface winds constellation of observing satellites that also includes EUMETSAT's ASCAT and ISRO's OSCAT. While QuikSCAT continues to provide calibration data to the ISRO OSCAT on OceanSat-2 scatterometer, these data are sorely limited due to the satellite's hampered capabilities. Recognizing this gap, NASA has put together in a matter of a few months the ISS-RapidScat mission, which is a partnership between JPL, the ISS, ESA, KSC, and SpaceX. This mission, expected to launch in spring of 2014, is a very low-cost mission, enabled by the creative use of spare parts and a very rapid development process that nevertheless has great benefit to the science and operational weather and marine support communities. Since it uses the QuikSCAT engineering model, the RapidScat data will be quite similar to QuikSAT's in terms of data quality and spatial resolution, although modest gains in the latter are foreseen. However, due to the lower orbit and inclination, the RapidScat swath will be approximately a factor of two smaller than QuikSCAT's, and its geographic coverage will be limited to latitudes smaller than about 55 deg. Nevertheless, the unique sampling capabilities of the ISS non-sun-synchronous orbit opens up new science applications not available for typical sun-synchronous scatterometers. Foremost among these, is the ability to provide many more data that are collocated in space and time with each of the satellites in the international scatterometer constellation. Sun-synchronous satellites typically see each other with a suitably small temporal separation at high latitudes, and therefore, cross-calibration is limited in terms of the conditions that occur. RapidScat's orbit enables coincident wind observations in nearly every orbit, with a global geographical distribution, which will enable the determination of the global patterns of wind biases

NASA Cribs: Human Exploration Research Analog

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-07-20

Follow along as interns at NASA’s Johnson Space Center show you around the Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA), a mission simulation environment located onsite at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. HERA is a unique three-story habitat designed to serve as an analog for isolation, confinement, and remote conditions in exploration scenarios. This video gives a tour of where crew members live, work, sleep, and eat during the analog missions. Find out more about HERA mission activities: https://www.nasa.gov/analogs/hera Find out how to be a HERA crew member: https://www.nasa.gov/analogs/hera/want-to-participate For more on NASA internships: https://intern.nasa.gov/ For Johnson Space Center specific internships: https://pathways.jsc.nasa.gov/ https://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/education/interns/index.html HD download link: https://archive.org/details/jsc2017m000730_NASA-Cribs-Human-Exploration-Research-Analog --------------------------------- FOLLOW JOHNSON SPACE CENTER INTERNS! Facebook: @NASA.JSC.Students https://www.facebook.com/NASA.JSC.Students/ Instagram: @nasajscstudents https://www.instagram.com/nasajscstudents/ Twitter: @NASAJSCStudents https://twitter.com/nasajscstudents

NASA's University Program: Active projects, fiscal year 1981

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1981-01-01

Active university R and D activities funded by NASA which contribute to mission needs are documented. Technical rather than fiscal information is emphasized. A classification of government sponsored research is included. A cross index providing access to the project description is also included.

Recent Electric Propulsion Development Activities for NASA Science Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pencil, Eric J.

2009-01-01

(The primary source of electric propulsion development throughout NASA is managed by the In-Space Propulsion Technology Project at the NASA Glenn Research Center for the Science Mission Directorate. The objective of the Electric Propulsion project area is to develop near-term electric propulsion technology to enhance or enable science missions while minimizing risk and cost to the end user. Major hardware tasks include developing NASA s Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT), developing a long-life High Voltage Hall Accelerator (HIVHAC), developing an advanced feed system, and developing cross-platform components. The objective of the NEXT task is to advance next generation ion propulsion technology readiness. The baseline NEXT system consists of a high-performance, 7-kW ion thruster; a high-efficiency, 7-kW power processor unit (PPU); a highly flexible advanced xenon propellant management system (PMS); a lightweight engine gimbal; and key elements of a digital control interface unit (DCIU) including software algorithms. This design approach was selected to provide future NASA science missions with the greatest value in mission performance benefit at a low total development cost. The objective of the HIVHAC task is to advance the Hall thruster technology readiness for science mission applications. The task seeks to increase specific impulse, throttle-ability and lifetime to make Hall propulsion systems applicable to deep space science missions. The primary application focus for the resulting Hall propulsion system would be cost-capped missions, such as competitively selected, Discovery-class missions. The objective of the advanced xenon feed system task is to demonstrate novel manufacturing techniques that will significantly reduce mass, volume, and footprint size of xenon feed systems over conventional feed systems. This task has focused on the development of a flow control module, which consists of a three-channel flow system based on a piezo-electrically actuated

Role of Lidar Technology in Future NASA Space Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Amzajerdian, Farzin

2008-01-01

The past success of lidar instruments in space combined with potentials of laser remote sensing techniques in improving measurements traditionally performed by other instrument technologies and in enabling new measurements have expanded the role of lidar technology in future NASA missions. Compared with passive optical and active radar/microwave instruments, lidar systems produce substantially more accurate and precise data without reliance on natural light sources and with much greater spatial resolution. NASA pursues lidar technology not only as science instruments, providing atmospherics and surface topography data of Earth and other solar system bodies, but also as viable guidance and navigation sensors for space vehicles. This paper summarizes the current NASA lidar missions and describes the lidar systems being considered for deployment in space in the near future.

The NASA planetary biology internship experience

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hinkle, G.; Margulis, L.

1991-01-01

By providing students from around the world with the opportunity to work with established scientists in the fields of biogeochemistry, remote sensing, and origins of life, among others, the NASA Planetary Biology Internship (PBI) Program has successfully launched many scientific careers. Each year approximately ten interns participate in research related to planetary biology at NASA Centers, NASA-sponsored research in university laboratories, and private institutions. The PBI program also sponsors three students every year in both the Microbiology and Marine Ecology summer courses at the Marine Biological Laboratory. Other information about the PBI Program is presented including application procedure.

Workmanship Challenges for NASA Mission Hardware

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Plante, Jeannette

2010-01-01

This slide presentation reviews several challenges in workmanship for NASA mission hardware development. Several standards for NASA workmanship exist, that are required for all programs, projects, contracts and subcontracts. These Standards contain our best known methods for avoiding past assembly problems and defects. These best practices may not be available if suppliers are used who are not compliant with them. Compliance includes having certified operators and inspectors. Some examples of problems that have occured from the lack of requirements flow-down to contractors are reviewed. The presentation contains a detailed example of the challenge in regards to The Packaging "Design" Dilemma.

International Observe the Moon Night: A Worldwide Public Observing Event that Annually Engages Scientists, Educators, and Citizen Enthusiasts in NASA Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buxner, S.; Jones, A. P.; Bleacher, L.; Wasser, M. L.; Day, B. H.; Shaner, A. J.; Bakerman, M. N.; Joseph, E.

2017-12-01

International Observe the Moon Night (InOMN) is an annual worldwide event, held in the fall, that celebrates lunar and planetary science and exploration. InOMN is sponsored by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) in collaboration with NASA's Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI), the NASA's Heliophysics Education Consortium, CosmoQuest, Night Sky Network, and Science Festival Alliance. Other key partners include the NASA Museum Alliance, Night Sky Network, and NASA Solar System Ambassadors. In 2017, InOMN will bring together thousands of people across the globe to observe and learn about the Moon and its connection to planetary science. We are partnering with the NASA Science Mission Directorate total solar eclipse team to highlight InOMN as an opportunity to harness and sustain the interest and momentum in space science and observation following the August 21st eclipse. This is part of a new partnership with the Sun-Earth Day team, through the Heliophysics Education Consortium, to better connect the two largest NASA-sponsored public engagement events, increase participation in both events, and share best practices in implementation and evaluation between the teams. Over 3,800 InOMN events have been registered between 2010 and 2016, engaging over 550,000 visitors worldwide. Most InOMN events are held in the United States, with strong representation from many other countries. InOMN events are evaluated to determine the value of the events and to allow us to improve the experience for event hosts and visitors. Our results show that InOMN events are hosted by scientists, educators, and citizen enthusiasts around the world who leverage InOMN to bring communities together, get visitors excited and learn about the Moon - and beyond, and share resources to extend engagement in lunar and planetary science and observation. Through InOMN, we annually provide resources such as event-specific Moon maps, presentations, advertising materials, and

NASA's Space Launch System: A Heavy-Lift Platform for Entirely New Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Creech, Stephen D.

2012-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Space Launch System (SLS) will contribute a new capability for human space flight and scientific missions beyond low-Earth orbit (LEO). The SLS Program, managed at NASA s Marshall Space Flight Center, will develop the heavy-lift vehicle that will launch the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV), equipment, supplies, and major science missions for exploration and discovery. Orion will carry crews to space, provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel, and provide safe reentry from deep-space return velocities. Supporting Orion s first autonomous flight to lunar orbit and back in 2017 and its first crewed flight in 2021, the SLS ultimately offers a flexible platform for both human and scientific exploration. The SLS plan leverages legacy infrastructure and hardware in NASA s inventory, as well as continues with advanced technologies now in development, to deliver an initial 70 metric ton (t) lift capability in 2017, evolving to a 130-t capability, using a block upgrade approach. This paper will give an overview of the SLS design and management approach against a backdrop of the missions it will support. It will detail the plan to deliver the initial SLS capability to the launch pad in the near term, as well as summarize the innovative approaches the SLS team is applying to deliver a safe, affordable, and sustainable long-range capability for entirely new missions-opening a new realm of knowledge and a world of possibilities for multiple partners. Design reference missions that the SLS is being planned to support include Mars, Jupiter, Lagrange Points, and near-Earth asteroids (NEAs), among others. The Agency is developing its mission manifest in parallel with the development of a heavy-lift flagship that will dramatically increase total lift and volume capacity beyond current launch vehicle options, reduce trip times, and provide a robust platform for conducting new missions

Solar Electric Propulsion for Future NASA Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Landis, Geoffrey A.; Oleson, Steven R.; Mercer, Carolyn R.

2015-01-01

Use of high-power solar arrays, at power levels ranging from approximately 500 KW to several megawatts, has been proposed for a solar-electric propulsion (SEP) demonstration mission, using a photovoltaic array to provide energy to a high-power xenon-fueled engine. One of the proposed applications of the high-power SEP technology is a mission to rendezvous with an asteroid and move it into lunar orbit for human exploration, the Asteroid Retrieval mission. The Solar Electric Propulsion project is dedicated to developing critical technologies to enable trips to further away destinations such as Mars or asteroids. NASA needs to reduce the cost of these ambitious exploration missions. High power and high efficiency SEP systems will require much less propellant to meet those requirements.

NASA's New Astronauts to Conduct Research Off the Earth , For the Earth and Deep Space Missions

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-06-07

After receiving a record-breaking number of applications to join an exciting future of space exploration, NASA has selected its largest astronaut class since 2000. Rising to the top of more than 18,300 applicants, NASA chose 12 women and men as the agency’s new astronaut candidates. Vice President Mike Pence joined Acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot, Johnson Space Center Director Ellen Ochoa, and Flight Operations Director Brian Kelly to welcome the new astronaut candidates during an event June 7 at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The astronaut candidates will return to Johnson in August to begin two years of training. Then they could be assigned to any of a variety of missions: performing research on the International Space Station, launching from American soil on spacecraft built by commercial companies, and departing for deep space missions on NASA’s new Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rocket.

Antenna Technologies for Future NASA Exploration Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miranda, Felix A.

2006-01-01

NASA s plans for the manned exploration of the moon and Mars will rely heavily on the development of a reliable communications infrastructure on the surface and back to Earth. Future missions will thus focus not only on gathering scientific data, but also on the formation of the communications network. In either case, unique requirements become imposed on the antenna technologies necessary to accomplish these tasks. For example, surface activity applications such as robotic rovers, human extravehicular activities (EVA), and probes will require small size, lightweight, low power, multi-functionality, and robustness for the antenna elements being considered. Trunk-line communications to a centralized habitat on the surface and back to Earth (e.g., surface relays, satellites, landers) will necessitate wide-area coverage, high gain, low mass, deployable antennas. Likewise, the plethora of low to high data rate services desired to guarantee the safety and quality of mission data for robotic and human exploration will place additional demands on the technology. Over the past year, NASA Glenn Research Center has been heavily involved in the development of candidate antenna technologies with the potential for meeting these strict requirements. This technology ranges from electrically small antennas to phased array and large inflatable structures. A summary of this overall effort is provided, with particular attention being paid to small antenna designs and applications. A discussion of the Agency-wide activities of the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) in forthcoming NASA missions, as they pertain to the communications architecture for the lunar and Martian networks is performed, with an emphasis on the desirable qualities of potential antenna element designs for envisioned communications assets. Identified frequency allocations for the lunar and Martian surfaces, as well as asset-specific data services will be described to develop a foundation for viable

The NASA Microgravity Fluid Physics Program: Knowledge for Use on Earth and Future Space Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kohl, Fred J.; Singh, Bhim S.; Alexander, J. Iwan; Shaw, Nancy J.; Hill, Myron E.; Gati, Frank G.

2002-01-01

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. The purpose of the Fluid Physics Program is to support the goals of NASA's Biological and Physical Research Enterprise which seeks to exploit the space environment to conduct research and to develop commercial opportunities, while building the vital knowledge base needed to enable efficient and effective systems for protecting and sustaining humans during extended space flights. There are currently five major research areas in the Microgravity Fluid Physics Program: complex fluids, multiphase 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 fluid physics and transport phenomena studies will be carried out on the International Space Station in the Fluids Integrated Rack, in the Microgravity Science Glovebox, in EXPRESS racks, and in other facilities provided by international partners. This paper will present 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 achieve this research.

Acquisition and Analysis of NASA Ames Sunphotometer Measurements during SAGE III Validation Campaigns and other Tropospheric and Stratospheric Research Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Livingston, John M.

2004-01-01

NASA Cooperative Agreement NCC2-1251 provided funding from April 2001 through December 2003 for Mr. John Livingston of SRI International to collaborate with NASA Ames Research Center scientists and engineers in the acquisition and analysis of airborne sunphotometer measurements during various atmospheric field studies. Mr. Livingston participated in instrument calibrations at Mauna Loa Observatory, pre-mission hardware and software preparations, acquisition and analysis of sunphotometer measurements during the missions, and post-mission analysis of data and reporting of scientific findings. The atmospheric field missions included the spring 2001 Intensive of the Asian Pacific Regional Aerosol Characterization Experiment (ACE-Asia), the Asian Dust Above Monterey-2003 (ADAM-2003) experiment, and the winter 2003 Second SAGE III Ozone Loss and Validation Experiment (SOLVE II).

Potential large missions enabled by NASA's space launch system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stahl, H. Philip; Hopkins, Randall C.; Schnell, Andrew; Smith, David A.; Jackman, Angela; Warfield, Keith R.

2016-07-01

Large space telescope missions have always been limited by their launch vehicle's mass and volume capacities. The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) was specifically designed to fit inside the Space Shuttle and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is specifically designed to fit inside an Ariane 5. Astrophysicists desire even larger space telescopes. NASA's "Enduring Quests Daring Visions" report calls for an 8- to 16-m Large UV-Optical-IR (LUVOIR) Surveyor mission to enable ultra-high-contrast spectroscopy and coronagraphy. AURA's "From Cosmic Birth to Living Earth" report calls for a 12-m class High-Definition Space Telescope to pursue transformational scientific discoveries. NASA's "Planning for the 2020 Decadal Survey" calls for a Habitable Exoplanet Imaging (HabEx) and a LUVOIR as well as Far-IR and an X-Ray Surveyor missions. Packaging larger space telescopes into existing launch vehicles is a significant engineering complexity challenge that drives cost and risk. NASA's planned Space Launch System (SLS), with its 8 or 10-m diameter fairings and ability to deliver 35 to 45-mt of payload to Sun-Earth-Lagrange-2, mitigates this challenge by fundamentally changing the design paradigm for large space telescopes. This paper reviews the mass and volume capacities of the planned SLS, discusses potential implications of these capacities for designing large space telescope missions, and gives three specific mission concept implementation examples: a 4-m monolithic off-axis telescope, an 8-m monolithic on-axis telescope and a 12-m segmented on-axis telescope.

Technology Needs for the Next Generation of NASA Science Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, David J.

2013-01-01

In-Space propulsion technologies relevant to Mars presentation is for the 14.03 Emerging Technologies for Mars Exploration panel. The talk will address propulsion technology needs for future Mars science missions, and will address electric propulsion, Earth entry vehicles, light weight propellant tanks, and the Mars ascent vehicle. The second panel presentation is Technology Needs for the Next Generation of NASA Science Missions. This talk is for 14.02 Technology Needs for the Next Generation of NASA Science Missions panel. The talk will summarize the technology needs identified in the NAC's Planetary Science Decadal Survey, and will set the stage for the talks for the 4 other panelist.

Developing Software for NASA Missions in the New Millennia

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Truszkowski, Walt; Rash, James; Rouff, Christopher; Hinchey, Mike

2004-01-01

NASA is working on new mission concepts for exploration of the solar system. The concepts for these missions include swarms of hundreds of cooperating intelligent spacecraft which will be able to work in teams and gather more data than current single spacecraft missions. These spacecraft will not only have to operate independently for long periods of time on their own and in teams, but will also need to have autonomic properties of self healing, self configuring, self optimizing and self protecting for them to survive in the harsh space environment. Software for these types of missions has never been developed before and represents some of the challenges of software development in the new millennia. The Autonomous Nano Technology Swarm (ANTS) mission is an example of one of the swarm missions NASA is considering. The ANTS mission will use a swarm of one thousand pico-spacecraft that weigh less than five pounds. Using an insect colony analog, ANTS will explore the asteroid belt and catalog the mass, density, morphology, and chemical composition of the asteroids. Due to the size of the spacecraft, each will only carry a single miniaturized science instrument which will require them to cooperate in searching for asteroids that are of scientific interest. This article also discusses the ANTS mission, the properties the spacecraft will need and how that will effect future software development.

Education and Public Outreach and Engagement at NASA's Analog Missions in 2012

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Watkins, Wendy L.; Janoiko, Barbara A.; Mahoney, Erin; Hermann, Nicole B.

2013-01-01

Analog missions are integrated, multi-disciplinary activities that test key features of future human space exploration missions in an integrated fashion to gain a deeper understanding of system-level interactions and operations early in conceptual development. These tests often are conducted in remote and extreme environments that are representative in one or more ways to that of future spaceflight destinations. They may also be conducted at NASA facilities, using advanced modeling and human-in-the-loop scenarios. As NASA develops a capability driven framework to transport crew to a variety of space environments, it will use analog missions to gather requirements and develop the technologies necessary to ensure successful exploration beyond low Earth orbit. NASA s Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) Division conducts these high-fidelity integrated tests, including the coordination and execution of a robust education and public outreach (EPO) and engagement program for each mission. Conducting these mission scenarios in unique environments not only provides an opportunity to test the EPO concepts for the particular future-mission scenario, such as the best methods for conducting events with a communication time delay, but it also provides an avenue to deliver NASA s human space exploration key messages. These analogs are extremely exciting to students and the public, and they are performed in such a way that the public can feel like part of the mission. They also provide an opportunity for crew members to obtain training in education and public outreach activities similar to what they would perform in space. The analog EPO team is responsible for the coordination and execution of the events, the overall social media component for each mission, and public affairs events such as media visits and interviews. They also create new and exciting ways to engage the public, manage and create website content, coordinate video footage for missions, and coordinate and integrate

NASA Electronic Parts and Packaging (NEPP) - A NASA Office of Safety and Mission Assurance (OSMA) Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Label, Kenneth A.

2017-01-01

NEPP Mission Statement: Provide NASA's leadership for developing and maintaining guidance for the screening, qualification, test, and reliable usage of electrical, electronic, and electromechanical (EEE) parts by NASA, in collaboration with other government Agencies and industry.

Fission Power System Technology for NASA Exploration Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mason, Lee; Houts, Michael

2011-01-01

Under the NASA Exploration Technology Development Program, and in partnership with the Department of Energy (DOE), NASA is conducting a project to mature Fission Power System (FPS) technology. A primary project goal is to develop viable system options to support future NASA mission needs for nuclear power. The main FPS project objectives are as follows: 1) Develop FPS concepts that meet expected NASA mission power requirements at reasonable cost with added benefits over other options. 2) Establish a hardware-based technical foundation for FPS design concepts and reduce overall development risk. 3) Reduce the cost uncertainties for FPS and establish greater credibility for flight system cost estimates. 4) Generate the key products to allow NASA decisionmakers to consider FPS as a preferred option for flight development. In order to achieve these goals, the FPS project has two main thrusts: concept definition and risk reduction. Under concept definition, NASA and DOE are performing trade studies, defining requirements, developing analytical tools, and formulating system concepts. A typical FPS consists of the reactor, shield, power conversion, heat rejection, and power management and distribution (PMAD). Studies are performed to identify the desired design parameters for each subsystem that allow the system to meet the requirements with reasonable cost and development risk. Risk reduction provides the means to evaluate technologies in a laboratory test environment. Non-nuclear hardware prototypes are built and tested to verify performance expectations, gain operating experience, and resolve design uncertainties.

Overview of the NASA soil moisture active/passive mission

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) Mission is currently in design Phase C and scheduled for launch in October 2014. Its mission concept is based on combined L-band radar and radiometry measurements obtained from a shared, rotating 6-meter antennae. These measurements will be used to retrie...

Fuel Cell Research and Development for Future NASA Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Manzo, Michelle A.; Hoberecht, Mark; Loyselle, Patricia; Burke, Kenneth; Bents, David; Farmer, Serene; Kohout, Lisa

2006-01-01

NASA has been using fuel cell systems since the early days of space flight. Polymer Exchange Membrane Fuel cells provided the primary power for the Gemini and Apollo missions and more recently, alkaline fuel cells serve as the primary power source for the Space Shuttle. NASA's current investments in fuel cell technology support both Exploration and Aeronautics programs. This presentation provides an overview of NASA's fuel cell development programs.

NASA IYA Programs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasan, Hashima; Smith, D.

2009-05-01

NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD) launched a variety of programs to celebrate the International Year of Astronomy (IYA) 2009. A few examples will be presented to demonstrate how the exciting science generated by NASA's missions in astrophysics, planetary science and heliophysics has been given an IYA2009 flavor and made available to students, educators and the public worldwide. NASA participated in the official kickoff of US IYA activities by giving a sneak preview of a multi-wavelength image of M101, and of other images from NASA's space science missions that are now traveling to 40 public libraries around the country. NASA IYA Student Ambassadors represented the USA at the international Opening Ceremony in Paris, and have made strides in connecting with local communities throughout the USA. NASA's Object of the Month activities have generated great interest in the public through IYA Discovery Guides. Images from NASA's Great Observatories are included in the From Earth to the Universe (FETTU) exhibition, which was inaugurated both in the US and internationally. The Hubble Space Telescope Project had a tremendous response to its 100 Days of Astronomy "You Decide” competition. NASA's IYA programs have started a journey into the world of astronomy by the uninitiated and cultivated the continuation of a quest by those already enraptured by the wonders of the sky.

NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations: Science Operations Development for Human Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bell, Mary S.

2014-01-01

The purpose of NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) mission 16 in 2012 was to evaluate and compare the performance of a defined series of representative near-Earth asteroid (NEA) extravehicular activity (EVA) tasks under different conditions and combinations of work systems, constraints, and assumptions considered for future human NEA exploration missions. NEEMO 16 followed NASA's 2011 Desert Research and Technology Studies (D-RATS), the primary focus of which was understanding the implications of communication latency, crew size, and work system combinations with respect to scientific data quality, data management, crew workload, and crew/mission control interactions. The 1-g environment precluded meaningful evaluation of NEA EVA translation, worksite stabilization, sampling, or instrument deployment techniques. Thus, NEEMO missions were designed to provide an opportunity to perform a preliminary evaluation of these important factors for each of the conditions being considered. NEEMO 15 also took place in 2011 and provided a first look at many of the factors, but the mission was cut short due to a hurricane threat before all objectives were completed. ARES Directorate (KX) personnel consulted with JSC engineers to ensure that high-fidelity planetary science protocols were incorporated into NEEMO mission architectures. ARES has been collaborating with NEEMO mission planners since NEEMO 9 in 2006, successively building upon previous developments to refine science operations concepts within engineering constraints; it is expected to continue the collaboration as NASA's human exploration mission plans evolve.

Heat Shield Construction for NASA InSight Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-05-27

In this February 2015 scene from a clean room at Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, specialists are building the heat shield to protect NASA's InSight spacecraft when it is speeding through the Martian atmosphere. Note: After thorough examination, NASA managers have decided to suspend the planned March 2016 launch of the Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) mission. The decision follows unsuccessful attempts to repair a leak in a section of the prime instrument in the science payload. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19404

Electrical Power System Architectures for In-House NASA/GSFC Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yun, Diane D.

2006-01-01

This power point presentation reviews the electrical power system (EPS) architecture used for a few NASA GSFC's missions both current and planned. Included in the presentation are reviews of electric power systems for the Space Technology 5 (ST5) mission, the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Mission, and the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). There is a slide that compares the three missions' electrical supply systems.

DYNAMIC: A Decadal Survey and NASA Roadmap Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paxton, L. J.; Oberheide, J.

2016-12-01

In this talk we will review the DYNAMIC mission science and implementation plans. DYNAMIC is baselined as a two satellite mission to delineate the dynamical behavior and structure of the ionosphere, thermosphere and mesosphere system. DYNAMIC was considered the top priority in the Decadal Survey upper atmosphere missions by the AIMI panel. The NASA Heliophysics Roadmap recommended that consideration be given to flying DYNAMIC as the STP 5 (next STP mission) rather than IMAP given the time-lag between the Decadal Survey recommendations and the flight of the STP 5 mission. It certainly seems as though STP 5 will be the IMAP mission. In that case what is the status of DYNAMIC? DYNAMIC could be STP 6 or some portion of the DYNAMIC mission could be executed as the next MidEx mission. In this talk we discuss the DYNAMIC science questions and goals and how they might be addressed. We note that DYNAMIC is not a mission just for the space community. DYNAMIC will enable new groundbased investigations and provide a global context for the long and rich history of groundbased observations of the dynamical state of the ITM system. Issues include: How and to what extent do waves and tides in the lower atmosphere contribute to the variability and mean state of the IT system? [Mission driver: Must have two spacecraft separated in local solar time in near polar orbits] How does the AIM system respond to outside forcing? [Mission Driver: Must measure high latitude inputs] How do neutral-plasma interactions produce neutral and ionospheric density changes over regional and global scales? [Mission Driver: Must measure all major species (O, N2, O2, H, He) and their ions] What part of the IT response occurs in the form of aurorally generated waves? [Mission Driver: Must measure small and mesoscale phenomena at high latitudes] What is the relative importance of thermal expansion, upwelling and advection in defining total mass density changes? [Mission Driver: Must determine the mid

In-Space Propulsion Technology Products for NASA's Future Science and Exploration Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, David J.; Pencil, Eric; Peterson, Todd; Dankanich, John; Munk, Michelle M.

2011-01-01

Since 2001, the In-Space Propulsion Technology (ISPT) project has been developing and delivering in-space propulsion technologies that will enable or enhance NASA robotic science missions. These in-space propulsion technologies are applicable, and potentially enabling, for future NASA flagship and sample return missions currently being considered, as well as having broad applicability to future competed mission solicitations. The high-temperature Advanced Material Bipropellant Rocket (AMBR) engine providing higher performance for lower cost was completed in 2009. Two other ISPT technologies are nearing completion of their technology development phase: 1) NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT) ion propulsion system, a 0.6-7 kW throttle-able gridded ion system; and 2) Aerocapture technology development with investments in a family of thermal protection system (TPS) materials and structures; guidance, navigation, and control (GN&C) models of blunt-body rigid aeroshells; aerothermal effect models: and atmospheric models for Earth, Titan, Mars and Venus. This paper provides status of the technology development, applicability, and availability of in-space propulsion technologies that have recently completed their technology development and will be ready for infusion into NASA s Discovery, New Frontiers, Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Flagship, and Exploration technology demonstration missions

An Update on the Status of the Supply of Plutonium-238 for Future NASA Missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wham, R. M.

2016-12-01

For more than five decades, Radioisotope Power Systems (RPSs) have enabled space missions to operate in locations where the Sun's intensity is too weak, obscured, or otherwise inadequate for solar power or other conventional power‒generation technologies. The natural decay heat (0.57 W/g) from the radioisotope, plutonium-238 (238Pu), provides the thermal energy source used by an RPS to generate electricity for operation of instrumentation, as well as heat to keep key subsystems warm for missions such as Voyagers 1 and 2, the Cassini mission to Saturn, the New Horizons flyby of Pluto, and the Mars Curiosity rover which were sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Plutonium-238 is produced by irradiation of neptunium-237 in a nuclear reactor a relatively high neutron flux. The United States has not produced new quantities of 238Pu since the early 1990s. RPS‒powered missions have continued since then using existing 238Pu inventory managed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), including material purchased from Russia. A new domestic supply is needed to ensure the continued availability of RPSs for future NASA missions. NASA and DOE are currently executing a project to reestablish a 238Pu supply capability using its existing facilities and reactors, which are much smaller than the large-scale production reactors and processing canyon equipment used previously. The project is led by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Target rods, containing NpO2, will be fabricated at ORNL and irradiated in the ORNL High Flux Isotope Reactor and the Advanced Test Reactor at Idaho National Laboratory. Irradiated targets will be processed in chemical separations at the ORNL Radiochemical Engineering Center to recover the plutonium product and unconverted neptunium for recycle. The 238PuO2 product will be shipped to Los Alamos National Laboratory for fabrication of heat source pellets. Key activities, such as transport of the neptunium to ORNL

Call for NASA Mission Supporting Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Binzel, Richard P.

2018-04-01

Lightcurve observations are requested to support NASA missions planned for launch to study main-belt and Trojan asteroids. In some cases, the rotations of the target asteroids are unknown. In other cases, the periods are well established and ongoing measurements will deliver the precision needed to deduce the rotation phase at the time of encounter more than a decade away.

High-Power Solar Electric Propulsion for Future NASA Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Manzella, David; Hack, Kurt

2014-01-01

NASA has sought to utilize high-power solar electric propulsion as means of improving the affordability of in-space transportation for almost 50 years. Early efforts focused on 25 to 50 kilowatt systems that could be used with the Space Shuttle, while later efforts focused on systems nearly an order of magnitude higher power that could be used with heavy lift launch vehicles. These efforts never left the concept development phase in part because the technology required was not sufficiently mature. Since 2012 the NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate has had a coordinated plan to mature the requisite solar array and electric propulsion technology needed to implement a 30 to 50 kilowatt solar electric propulsion technology demonstration mission. Multiple solar electric propulsion technology demonstration mission concepts have been developed based on these maturing technologies with recent efforts focusing on an Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission. If implemented, the Asteroid Redirect Vehicle will form the basis for a capability that can be cost-effectively evolved over time to provide solar electric propulsion transportation for a range of follow-on mission applications at power levels in excess of 100 kilowatts.

The NASA In-Space Propulsion Technology Project, Products, and Mission Applicability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, David J.; Pencil, Eric; Liou, Larry; Dankanich, John; Munk, Michelle M.; Kremic, Tibor

2009-01-01

The In-Space Propulsion Technology (ISPT) Project, funded by NASA s Science Mission Directorate (SMD), is continuing to invest in propulsion technologies that will enable or enhance NASA robotic science missions. This overview provides development status, near-term mission benefits, applicability, and availability of in-space propulsion technologies in the areas of aerocapture, electric propulsion, advanced chemical thrusters, and systems analysis tools. Aerocapture investments improved: guidance, navigation, and control models of blunt-body rigid aeroshells; atmospheric models for Earth, Titan, Mars, and Venus; and models for aerothermal effects. Investments in electric propulsion technologies focused on completing NASA s Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT) ion propulsion system, a 0.6 to 7 kW throttle-able gridded ion system. The project is also concluding its High Voltage Hall Accelerator (HiVHAC) mid-term product specifically designed for a low-cost electric propulsion option. The primary chemical propulsion investment is on the high-temperature Advanced Material Bipropellant Rocket (AMBR) engine providing higher performance for lower cost. The project is also delivering products to assist technology infusion and quantify mission applicability and benefits through mission analysis and tools. In-space propulsion technologies are applicable, and potentially enabling for flagship destinations currently under evaluation, as well as having broad applicability to future Discovery and New Frontiers mission solicitations.

Kepler Mission Website: Portal to the International Year of Astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harman, Pamela; DeVore, E.; Gould, A.; Koch, D.

2008-05-01

The 400th anniversary of Galileo's telescope is an opportunity to turn the public's eyes skyward and to the universe beyond the solar system. The Kepler Mission, launching in 2009, the International Year of Astronomy (IYA) will is specifically designed to survey our region of the Milky Way galaxy to detect and characterize hundreds of Earth-size and smaller planets in or near the habitable zone, using the transit method of detection. The habitable zone encompasses the distances from a star where liquid water can exist on a planet's surface. Results from this mission will allow us to place our solar system within the continuum of planetary systems in the Galaxy. The Kepler Mission is a NASA Discovery Program Mission. The Kepler Mission website http://www.kepler.arc.nasa.gov/ offers classroom activity lesson plans Detecting Planet Transits, The Human Orrery, and Morning Star and Evening Star. The activities are suitable for the informal science education realm. The spacecraft paper model and LEGO model orrerey can be used in the classroom by teachers or at home by families. The mission simulation and animation, as well as lessons and models highlight the science concepts critical to employing the transit method of detection, Kepler's Laws. The Send Your Name to Space on Kepler Spacecraft provides a certificate of participation for all individuals that submit there name to be listed on a DVD placed on the spacecraft. This poster will provide details on each of the items described.

Grand Challenge Problems in Real-Time Mission Control Systems for NASA's 21st Century Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pfarr, Barbara B.; Donohue, John T.; Hughes, Peter M.

1999-01-01

Space missions of the 21st Century will be characterized by constellations of distributed spacecraft, miniaturized sensors and satellites, increased levels of automation, intelligent onboard processing, and mission autonomy. Programmatically, these missions will be noted for dramatically decreased budgets and mission development lifecycles. Current progress towards flexible, scaleable, low-cost, reusable mission control systems must accelerate given the current mission deployment schedule, and new technology will need to be infused to achieve desired levels of autonomy and processing capability. This paper will discuss current and future missions being managed at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. It will describe the current state of mission control systems and the problems they need to overcome to support the missions of the 21st Century.

NASA Sponsors Antelope Valley’s Inaugural FIRST Robotics Competition

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-06-18

The Antelope Valley hosted its inaugural FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) on April 6-7, 2018, in the gymnasium of Eastside High School in Lancaster, California. The regional competition “Aerospace Valley Regional” serves as a championship-qualifying robotics competition and is sponsored by NASA, Lockheed, Northrup, Boeing and several other local organizations. An estimated 500 to 700 high-school students on 35 teams from around the world, competed in the regional’s 2018 season challenge, “FIRST POWER UP.” The "FIRST POWER UP" game pairs two alliances of video game characters with their human operators as they work to defeat a "boss" to escape an arcade game where they are trapped inside. Each match begins with a 15-second autonomous period in which robots operate only on pre-programmed instructions. During this period, robots work to earn points according to the game's rules. During the remaining two minutes and 15 seconds, student drivers’ control robots to earn points.

NASA's Discovery Mission to (16) Psyche: Visiting a Metal World

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elkins-Tanton, L. T.; Bell, J. F., III

2017-09-01

The Psyche mission is one of NASA's most recent Discovery mission selections. It is designed to explore the large metallic Main Belt asteroid (16) Psyche and test the hypothesis that it is the exposed core of an ancient differentiated planetesimal.

Operationalizing the 21st Century Learning Skills Framework for the NASA Mission to Mars Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Burgess; Research, MSI; Evaluation Team; Interactive Videoconferences Teamlt/p>, MSI

2013-06-01

Internal evaluators working with the NASA Mission to Mars program, an out-of-school collaborative videoconferencing program at the Museum of Science and Industry Chicago (MSI), developed an observation protocol to collect evidence about the collaborative learning opportunities offered by the program’s unique technology. Details about the protocol’s development are discussed, along with results of the pilot observations of the program.

Precipitation Education: Connecting Students and Teachers with the Science of NASA's GPM Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weaver, K. L. K.

2015-12-01

for the comic book reflects the international and cross-cultural aspect of the GPM as a joint mission between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. A limited run print version of the initial comic book is planned for Fall 2015, with an online version and supplemental resources such as a teacher guide available on the GPM education website.

What's Up? Look Up and Discover the Universe Using NASA Missions and the Night Sky to Inspire the Public

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, J. H.

2008-12-01

NASA's monthly What's Up video podcasts connect night sky observations with NASA mission milestones. During 2009, each month's podcast will highlight NASA's IYA topic and celestial target. With a news you can use formula, each two-minute podcast connects an easy to see celestial target with an important NASA mission, instrument or discovery. The podcasts, plus supporting star charts, hands-on activities, standards-based educational lessons and mission links can be used by museums, planetariums, astronomy clubs, civic and youth groups, as well as by teachers, students, and the general public. They can be translated into other languages, too. Saturn Observation Night - March 8-28, 2009, weather permitting. Saturn Observation Night 2009 is centered near Saturn Opposition, when the Sun and Saturn are on opposite sides of the Earth, and Saturn is easy to see in the evening sky. All IYA participants, in all countries around the world, will be encouraged to take their telescopes out and share the planet Saturn with their communities and share images and stories with others. NASA's Cassini Equinox Mission, the 2-year extended mission of the Cassini Huygens Mission to Saturn and Titan has a 400 member strong volunteer network called the Saturn Observation Campaign. These astronomy enthusiast volunteers in 54 countries have conducted a Saturn Observation Night event the past 2 years, and it succeeded by building an international community all sharing a view of our solar system's jewel, Saturn. This celebration has been successfully conducted in hundreds of locations all over the world, from Australia to Vietnam, from South Africa to Slovenia, and from Arkansas to Washington.

Toward Baseline Software Anomalies in NASA Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Layman, Lucas; Zelkowitz, Marvin; Basili, Victor; Nikora, Allen P.

2012-01-01

In this fast abstract, we provide preliminary findings an analysis of 14,500 spacecraft anomalies from unmanned NASA missions. We provide some baselines for the distributions of software vs. non-software anomalies in spaceflight systems, the risk ratings of software anomalies, and the corrective actions associated with software anomalies.

48 CFR 970.3501-1 - Sponsoring agreements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Sponsoring agreements. 970... Sponsoring agreements. (a) The contract award document constitutes the sponsoring agreement between the... the purpose and mission of the FFRDC. (c) Other elements of the sponsoring agreement which shall be...

48 CFR 970.3501-1 - Sponsoring agreements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Sponsoring agreements. 970... Sponsoring agreements. (a) The contract award document constitutes the sponsoring agreement between the... the purpose and mission of the FFRDC. (c) Other elements of the sponsoring agreement which shall be...

48 CFR 970.3501-1 - Sponsoring agreements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Sponsoring agreements. 970... Sponsoring agreements. (a) The contract award document constitutes the sponsoring agreement between the... the purpose and mission of the FFRDC. (c) Other elements of the sponsoring agreement which shall be...

Ikhana: A NASA UAS Supporting Long Duration Earth Science Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cobleigh, Brent R.

2007-01-01

The NASA Ikhana unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is a General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (San Diego, California) MQ-9 Predator-B modified to support the conduct of Earth science missions for the NASA Science Mission Directorate and, through partnerships, other government agencies and universities. It can carry over 2000 lb of experiment payloads in the avionics bay and external pods and is capable of mission durations in excess of 24 hours at altitudes above 40,000 ft. The aircraft is remotely piloted from a mobile ground control station (GCS) that is designed to be deployable by air, land, or sea. On-board support capabilities include an instrumentation system and an Airborne Research Test System (ARTS). The Ikhana project will complete GCS development, science support systems integration, external pod integration and flight clearance, and operations crew training in early 2007. A large-area remote sensing mission is currently scheduled for Summer 2007.

Thermal Protection Materials Technology for NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Valentine, Peter G.; Lawerence, Timtohy W.; Gubert, Michael K.; Flynn, Kevin C.; Milos, Frank S.; Kiser, James D.; Ohlhorst, Craig W.; Koenig, John R.

2005-01-01

To fulfill the President s Vision for Space Exploration - successful human and robotic missions between the Earth and other solar system bodies in order to explore their atmospheres and surfaces - NASA must reduce trip time, cost, and vehicle weight so that payload and scientific experiment capabilities are maximized. As a collaboration among NASA Centers, this project will generate products that will enable greater fidelity in mission/vehicle design trade studies, support risk reduction for material selections, assist in optimization of vehicle weights, and provide the material and process templates for development of human-rated qualification and certification Thermal Protection System (TPS) plans. Missions performing aerocapture, aerobraking, or direct aeroentry rely on technologies that reduce vehicle weight by minimizing the need for propellant. These missions use the destination planet s atmosphere to slow the spacecraft. Such mission profiles induce heating environments on the spacecraft that demand thermal protection heatshields. This program offers NASA essential advanced thermal management technologies needed to develop new lightweight nonmetallic TPS materials for critical thermal protection heatshields for future spacecraft. Discussion of this new program (a December 2004 new start) will include both initial progress made and a presentation of the work to be preformed over the four-year life of the program. Additionally, the relevant missions and environments expected for Exploration Systems vehicles will be presented, along with discussion of the candidate materials to be considered and of the types of testing to be performed (material property tests, space environmental effects tests, and Earth and Mars gases arc jet tests).

NASA reports

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Obrien, John E.; Fisk, Lennard A.; Aldrich, Arnold A.; Utsman, Thomas E.; Griffin, Michael D.; Cohen, Aaron

1992-01-01

Activities and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) programs, both ongoing and planned, are described by NASA administrative personnel from the offices of Space Science and Applications, Space Systems Development, Space Flight, Exploration, and from the Johnson Space Center. NASA's multi-year strategic plan, called Vision 21, is also discussed. It proposes to use the unique perspective of space to better understand Earth. Among the NASA programs mentioned are the Magellan to Venus and Galileo to Jupiter spacecraft, the Cosmic Background Explorer, Pegsat (the first Pegasus payload), Hubble, the Joint U.S./German ROSAT X-ray Mission, Ulysses to Jupiter and over the sun, the Astro-Spacelab Mission, and the Gamma Ray Observatory. Copies of viewgraphs that illustrate some of these missions, and others, are provided. Also discussed were life science research plans, economic factors as they relate to space missions, and the outlook for international cooperation.

NASA reports

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Obrien, John E.; Fisk, Lennard A.; Aldrich, Arnold A.; Utsman, Thomas E.; Griffin, Michael D.; Cohen, Aaron

Activities and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) programs, both ongoing and planned, are described by NASA administrative personnel from the offices of Space Science and Applications, Space Systems Development, Space Flight, Exploration, and from the Johnson Space Center. NASA's multi-year strategic plan, called Vision 21, is also discussed. It proposes to use the unique perspective of space to better understand Earth. Among the NASA programs mentioned are the Magellan to Venus and Galileo to Jupiter spacecraft, the Cosmic Background Explorer, Pegsat (the first Pegasus payload), Hubble, the Joint U.S./German ROSAT X-ray Mission, Ulysses to Jupiter and over the sun, the Astro-Spacelab Mission, and the Gamma Ray Observatory. Copies of viewgraphs that illustrate some of these missions, and others, are provided. Also discussed were life science research plans, economic factors as they relate to space missions, and the outlook for international cooperation.

Advanced Methodologies for NASA Science Missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hurlburt, N. E.; Feigelson, E.; Mentzel, C.

2017-12-01

Most of NASA's commitment to computational space science involves the organization and processing of Big Data from space-based satellites, and the calculations of advanced physical models based on these datasets. But considerable thought is also needed on what computations are needed. The science questions addressed by space data are so diverse and complex that traditional analysis procedures are often inadequate. The knowledge and skills of the statistician, applied mathematician, and algorithmic computer scientist must be incorporated into programs that currently emphasize engineering and physical science. NASA's culture and administrative mechanisms take full cognizance that major advances in space science are driven by improvements in instrumentation. But it is less well recognized that new instruments and science questions give rise to new challenges in the treatment of satellite data after it is telemetered to the ground. These issues might be divided into two stages: data reduction through software pipelines developed within NASA mission centers; and science analysis that is performed by hundreds of space scientists dispersed through NASA, U.S. universities, and abroad. Both stages benefit from the latest statistical and computational methods; in some cases, the science result is completely inaccessible using traditional procedures. This paper will review the current state of NASA and present example applications using modern methodologies.

NICER Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

This video previews the Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER). NICER is an Astrophysics Mission of Opportunity within NASA’s Explorer program, which provides frequent flight opportunities for world-class scientific investigations from space utilizing innovative, streamlined and efficient management approaches within the heliophysics and astrophysics science areas. NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate supports the SEXTANT component of the mission, demonstrating pulsar-based spacecraft navigation. NICER is an upcoming International Space Station payload scheduled to launch in June 2017. Learn more about the mission at nasa.gov/nicer 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

NASA's Swift Mission Observes Mega Flares from a Mini Star

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

Caption: DG CVn, a binary consisting of two red dwarf stars shown here in an artist's rendering, unleashed a series of powerful flares seen by NASA's Swift. At its peak, the initial flare was brighter in X-rays than the combined light from both stars at all wavelengths under typical conditions. Image Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/S. Wiessinger ----- On April 23, NASA's Swift satellite detected the strongest, hottest, and longest-lasting sequence of stellar flares ever seen from a nearby red dwarf star. The initial blast from this record-setting series of explosions was as much as 10,000 times more powerful than the largest solar flare ever recorded. Read more: 1.usa.gov/1poKiJ5 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 Management Model for International Participation in Space Exploration Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

George, Patrick J.; Pease, Gary M.; Tyburski, Timothy E.

2005-01-01

This paper proposes an engineering management model for NASA's future space exploration missions based on past experiences working with the International Partners of the International Space Station. The authors have over 25 years of combined experience working with the European Space Agency, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Canadian Space Agency, Italian Space Agency, Russian Space Agency, and their respective contractors in the design, manufacturing, verification, and integration of their elements electric power system into the United States on-orbit segment. The perspective presented is one from a specific sub-system integration role and is offered so that the lessons learned from solving issues of technical and cultural nature may be taken into account during the formulation of international partnerships. Descriptions of the types of unique problems encountered relative to interactions between international partnerships are reviewed. Solutions to the problems are offered, taking into consideration the technical implications. Through the process of investigating each solution, the important and significant issues associated with working with international engineers and managers are outlined. Potential solutions are then characterized by proposing a set of specific methodologies to jointly develop spacecraft configurations that benefits all international participants, maximizes mission success and vehicle interoperability while minimizing cost.

Aerospace Communications Technologies in Support of NASA Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miranda, Felix A.

2016-01-01

NASA is endeavoring in expanding communications capabilities to enable and enhance robotic and human exploration of space and to advance aero communications here on Earth. This presentation will discuss some of the research and technology development work being performed at the NASA Glenn Research Center in aerospace communications in support of NASAs mission. An overview of the work conducted in-house and in collaboration with academia, industry, and other government agencies (OGA) to advance radio frequency (RF) and optical communications technologies in the areas of antennas, ultra-sensitive receivers, power amplifiers, among others, will be presented. In addition, the role of these and other related RF and optical communications technologies in enabling the NASA next generation aerospace communications architecture will be also discussed.

Air Breathing Propulsion Controls and Diagnostics Research at NASA Glenn Under NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Programs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garg, Sanjay

2014-01-01

The Intelligent Control and Autonomy Branch (ICA) at NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Glenn Research Center (GRC) in Cleveland, Ohio, is leading and participating in various projects in partnership with other organizations within GRC and across NASA, the U.S. aerospace industry, and academia to develop advanced controls and health management technologies that will help meet the goals of the NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) Programs. These efforts are primarily under the various projects under the Fundamental Aeronautics Program (FAP) and the Aviation Safety Program (ASP). The ICA Branch is focused on advancing the state-of-the-art of aero-engine control and diagnostics technologies to help improve aviation safety, increase efficiency, and enable operation with reduced emissions. This paper describes the various ICA research efforts under the NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Programs with a summary of motivation, background, technical approach, and recent accomplishments for each of the research tasks.

Air Breathing Propulsion Controls and Diagnostics Research at NASA Glenn Under NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Programs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garg, Sanjay

2015-01-01

The Intelligent Control and Autonomy Branch (ICA) at NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Glenn Research Center (GRC) in Cleveland, Ohio, is leading and participating in various projects in partnership with other organizations within GRC and across NASA, the U.S. aerospace industry, and academia to develop advanced controls and health management technologies that will help meet the goals of the NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) Programs. These efforts are primarily under the various projects under the Advanced Air Vehicles Program (AAVP), Airspace Operations and Safety Program (AOSP) and Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Program (TAC). The ICA Branch is focused on advancing the state-of-the-art of aero-engine control and diagnostics technologies to help improve aviation safety, increase efficiency, and enable operation with reduced emissions. This paper describes the various ICA research efforts under the NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Programs with a summary of motivation, background, technical approach, and recent accomplishments for each of the research tasks.

Next Generation System and Software Architectures: Challenges from Future NASA Exploration Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sterritt, Roy; Rouff, Christopher A.; Hinchey, Michael G.; Rash, James L.; Truszkowski, Walt

2006-01-01

The four key objective properties of a system that are required of it in order for it to qualify as "autonomic" are now well-accepted-self-configuring, self-healing, self-protecting, and self-optimizing- together with the attribute properties-viz. self-aware, environment-aware, self-monitoring and self- adjusting. This paper describes the need for next generation system software architectures, where components are agents, rather than objects masquerading as agents, and where support is provided for self-* properties (both existing self-chop and emerging self-* properties). These are discussed as exhibited in NASA missions, and in particular with reference to a NASA concept mission, ANTS, which is illustrative of future NASA exploration missions based on the technology of intelligent swarms.

January, 2018 Mission Success is in Our Hands.

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-01-18

Vernon "Bill" Wessel, former associate director of NASA's Glenn Research Center from 2006-2011, addresses team members at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center Jan. 19 as part of the "Mission Success in in Our Hands" Shared Experiences forum. Wessel, currently senior vice president of Ares Corp. and deputy of the Huntsville-based company's Space & Defense Division, spoke about his 30-year NASA career and the importance of workplace safety. "Keep in your head every day and in every way that safety is number one," he said. "When you meet people, ask them, 'How are you doing today? How's the job? How are you staying safe?' These are the things that are important." The bimonthly Shared Experiences forum, a Marshall safety initiative to promote and strengthen mission assurance and flight safety, is sponsored by NASA partner Jacobs Engineering of Huntsville.

Bringing Space Science to the Undergraduate Classroom: NASA's USIP Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vassiliadis, D.; Christian, J. A.; Keesee, A. M.; Spencer, E. A.; Gross, J.; Lusk, G. D.

2015-12-01

As part of its participation in NASA's Undergraduate Student Instrument Project (USIP), a team of engineering and physics students at West Virginia University (WVU) built a series of sounding rocket and balloon missions. The first rocket and balloon missions were flown near-simultaneously in a campaign on June 26, 2014 (image). The second sounding rocket mission is scheduled for October 5, 2015. Students took a course on space science in spring 2014, and followup courses in physics and aerospace engineering departments have been developed since then. Guest payloads were flown from students affiliated with WV Wesleyan College, NASA's IV&V Facility, and the University of South Alabama. Students specialized in electrical and aerospace engineering, and space physics topics. They interacted regularly with NASA engineers, presented at telecons, and prepared reports. A number of students decided to pursue internships and/or jobs related to space science and technology. Outreach to the campus and broader community included demos and flight projects. The physics payload includes plasma density and temperature measurements using a Langmuir and a triple probe; plasma frequency measurements using a radio sounder (WVU) and an impedance probe (U.S.A); and a magnetometer (WVWC). The aerospace payload includes an IMU swarm, a GPS experiment (with TEC capability); a cubesat communications module (NASA IV&V), and basic flight dynamics. Acknowledgments: staff members at NASA Wallops Flight Facility, and at the Orbital-ATK Rocket Center, WV.

Photovoltaic cell and array technology development for future unique NASA missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bailey, S.; Curtis, H.; Piszczor, M.; Surampudi, R.; Hamilton, T.; Rapp, D.; Stella, P.; Mardesich, N.; Mondt, J.; Bunker, R.;

Potential Large Decadal Missions Enabled by Nasas Space Launch System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stahl, H. Philip; Hopkins, Randall C.; Schnell, Andrew; Smith, David Alan; Jackman, Angela; Warfield, Keith R.

2016-01-01

Large space telescope missions have always been limited by their launch vehicle's mass and volume capacities. The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) was specifically designed to fit inside the Space Shuttle and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is specifically designed to fit inside an Ariane 5. Astrophysicists desire even larger space telescopes. NASA's "Enduring Quests Daring Visions" report calls for an 8- to 16-m Large UV-Optical-IR (LUVOIR) Surveyor mission to enable ultra-high-contrast spectroscopy and coronagraphy. AURA's "From Cosmic Birth to Living Earth" report calls for a 12-m class High-Definition Space Telescope to pursue transformational scientific discoveries. NASA's "Planning for the 2020 Decadal Survey" calls for a Habitable Exoplanet Imaging (HabEx) and a LUVOIR as well as Far-IR and an X-Ray Surveyor missions. Packaging larger space telescopes into existing launch vehicles is a significant engineering complexity challenge that drives cost and risk. NASA's planned Space Launch System (SLS), with its 8 or 10-m diameter fairings and ability to deliver 35 to 45-mt of payload to Sun-Earth-Lagrange-2, mitigates this challenge by fundamentally changing the design paradigm for large space telescopes. This paper reviews the mass and volume capacities of the planned SLS, discusses potential implications of these capacities for designing large space telescope missions, and gives three specific mission concept implementation examples: a 4-m monolithic off-axis telescope, an 8-m monolithic on-axis telescope and a 12-m segmented on-axis telescope.

Near Earth Asteroid Scout: NASA's Solar Sail Mission to a NEA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Les; Lockett, Tiffany

2017-01-01

NASA is developing a solar sail propulsion system for use on the Near Earth Asteroid (NEA) Scout reconnaissance mission and laying the groundwork for their use in future deep space science and exploration missions. Solar sails use sunlight to propel vehicles through space by reflecting solar photons from a large, mirror-like sail made of a lightweight, highly reflective material. This continuous photon pressure provides propellantless thrust, allowing for very high Delta V maneuvers on long-duration, deep space exploration. Since reflected light produces thrust, solar sails require no onboard propellant. The Near Earth Asteroid (NEA) Scout mission, funded by NASA's Advanced Exploration Systems Program and managed by NASA MSFC, will use the sail as primary propulsion allowing it to survey and image Asteroid 1991VG and, potentially, other NEA's of interest for possible future human exploration. NEA Scout uses a 6U cubesat (to be provided by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory), an 86 m(exp. 2) solar sail and will weigh less than 12 kilograms. NEA Scout will be launched on the first flight of the Space Launch System in 2018. The solar sail for NEA Scout will be based on the technology developed and flown by the NASA NanoSail-D and The Planetary Society's Lightsail-A. Four approximately 7 m stainless steel booms wrapped on two spools (two overlapping booms per spool) will be motor deployed and pull the sail from its stowed volume. The sail material is an aluminized polyimide approximately 2.5 microns thick. As the technology matures, solar sails will increasingly be used to enable science and exploration missions that are currently impossible or prohibitively expensive using traditional chemical and electric propulsion systems. This paper will summarize the status of the NEA Scout mission and solar sail technology in general.

Proceedings of the NASA Laboratory Astrophysics Workshop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Salama, Farid (Editor)

2002-01-01

This document is the proceedings of the NASA Laboratory Astrophysics Workshop, convened May 1-3, 2002 at NASA's Ames Research Center. Sponsored by the NASA Office of Space Science (OSS), this programmatic workshop is held periodically by NASA to discuss the current state of knowledge in the interdisciplinary field of laboratory astrophysics and to identify the science priorities (needs) in support of NASA's space missions. An important goal of the Workshop is to provide input to OSS in the form of a white paper for incorporation in its strategic planning. This report comprises a record of the complete proceedings of the Workshop and the Laboratory Astrophysics White Paper drafted at the Workshop.

NASA's Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter Missions: Discovering the Secrets of our Star

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zurbuchen, T.

2017-12-01

This session will explore the importance of the Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter missions to NASA Science, and the preparations for discoveries from these missions. NASA's Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter Missions have complementary missions and will provide unique and unprecedented contributions to heliophysics and astrophysics overall. These inner heliospheric missions will also be part of the Heliophysics System Observatory which includes an increasing amount of innovative new technology and architectures to address science and data in an integrated fashion and advance models through assimilation and system-level tests. During this talk, we will briefly explore how NASA Heliophysics research efforts not only increase our understanding and predictive capability of space weather phenomena, but also provide key insights on fundamental processes important throughout the universe.

Control-Structure-Interaction (CSI) technologies and trends to future NASA missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

Control-structure-interaction (CSI) issues which are relevant for future NASA missions are reviewed. This goal was achieved by: (1) reviewing large space structures (LSS) technologies to provide a background and survey of the current state of the art (SOA); (2) analytically studying a focus mission to identify opportunities where CSI technology may be applied to enhance or enable future NASA spacecraft; and (3) expanding a portion of the focus mission, the large antenna, to provide in-depth trade studies, scaling laws, and methodologies which may be applied to other NASA missions. Several sections are presented. Section 1 defines CSI issues and presents an overview of the relevant modeling and control issues for LLS. Section 2 presents the results of the three phases of the CSI study. Section 2.1 gives the results of a CSI study conducted with the Geostationary Platform (Geoplat) as the focus mission. Section 2.2 contains an overview of the CSI control design methodology available in the technical community. Included is a survey of the CSI ground-based experiments which were conducted to verify theoretical performance predictions. Section 2.3 presents and demonstrates a new CSI scaling law methodology for assessing potential CSI with large antenna systems.

Prototype of NASA's Global Precipitation Measurement Mission Ground Validation System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schwaller, M. R.; Morris, K. R.; Petersen, W. A.

2007-01-01

NASA is developing a Ground Validation System (GVS) as one of its contributions to the Global Precipitation Mission (GPM). The GPM GVS provides an independent means for evaluation, diagnosis, and ultimately improvement of GPM spaceborne measurements and precipitation products. NASA's GPM GVS consists of three elements: field campaigns/physical validation, direct network validation, and modeling and simulation. The GVS prototype of direct network validation compares Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite-borne radar data to similar measurements from the U.S. national network of operational weather radars. A prototype field campaign has also been conducted; modeling and simulation prototypes are under consideration.

Mission to Mars: Connecting Diverse Student Groups with NASA Experts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Polsgrove, Tara; Jones, David; Sadowski-Fugitt, Leslie; Kowrach, Nicole

2012-01-01

The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago has formulated an innovative approach to inspiring the next generation to pursue STEM education. Middle school students in Chicago and at nearby Challenger Learning Centers work in teams to design a mission to Mars. Each mission includes real time access to NASA experts through partnerships with Marshall Space Flight Center, Johnson Space Center, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Interactive videoconferencing connects students at the museum with students at a Challenger Learning Center and with NASA experts. This paper describes the approach, the results from the program s first year, and future opportunities for nationwide expansion.

Predictive Modeling for NASA Entry, Descent and Landing Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wright, Michael

2016-01-01

Entry, Descent and Landing (EDL) Modeling and Simulation (MS) is an enabling capability for complex NASA entry missions such as MSL and Orion. MS is used in every mission phase to define mission concepts, select appropriate architectures, design EDL systems, quantify margin and risk, ensure correct system operation, and analyze data returned from the entry. In an environment where it is impossible to fully test EDL concepts on the ground prior to use, accurate MS capability is required to extrapolate ground test results to expected flight performance.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - From left, Barry Perlman, Pembroke Pines Charter Middle School in Florida; Valerie Cassanto, Instrumentation Technology Associates, Inc.; and Dr. Dennis Morrison, NASA Johnson Space Center, process one of the experiments carried on mission STS-107. Several experiments were found during the search for Columbia debris. Included in the Commercial ITA Biomedical Experiments payload on mission STS-107 are urokinase cancer research, microencapsulation of drugs, the Growth of Bacterial Biofilm on Surfaces during Spaceflight (GOBBSS), and tin crystal formation. The latter was sponsored by the Pembroke Pines Charter Middle School.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-05-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - From left, Barry Perlman, Pembroke Pines Charter Middle School in Florida; Valerie Cassanto, Instrumentation Technology Associates, Inc.; and Dr. Dennis Morrison, NASA Johnson Space Center, process one of the experiments carried on mission STS-107. Several experiments were found during the search for Columbia debris. Included in the Commercial ITA Biomedical Experiments payload on mission STS-107 are urokinase cancer research, microencapsulation of drugs, the Growth of Bacterial Biofilm on Surfaces during Spaceflight (GOBBSS), and tin crystal formation. The latter was sponsored by the Pembroke Pines Charter Middle School.

NASA Galaxy Mission Celebrates Sixth Anniversary

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-04-28

NASA Galaxy Evolution Explorer Mission celebrates its sixth anniversary studying galaxies beyond our Milky Way through its sensitive ultraviolet telescope, the only such far-ultraviolet detector in space. The mission studies the shape, brightness, size and distance of distant galaxies across 10 billion years of cosmic history, giving scientists a wealth of data to help us better understand the origins of the universe. One such object is pictured here, the galaxy NGC598, more commonly known as M33. The image shows a map of the recent star formation history of M33. The bright blue and white areas are where star formation has been extremely active over the past few million years. The patches of yellow and gold are regions where star formation was more active 100 million years ago. In addition, the ultraviolet image shows the most massive young stars in M33. These stars burn their large supply of hydrogen fuel quickly, burning hot and bright while emitting most of their energy at ultraviolet wavelengths. Compared with low-mass stars like our sun, which live for billions of years, these massive stars never reach old age, having a lifespan as short as a few million years. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA12000

Status and Mission Applicability of NASA's In-Space Propulsion Technology Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, David J.; Munk, Michelle M.; Dankanich, John; Pencil, Eric; Liou, Larry

2009-01-01

The In-Space Propulsion Technology (ISPT) project develops propulsion technologies that will enable or enhance NASA robotic science missions. Since 2001, the ISPT project developed and delivered products to assist technology infusion and quantify mission applicability and benefits through mission analysis and tools. These in-space propulsion technologies are applicable, and potentially enabling for flagship destinations currently under evaluation, as well as having broad applicability to future Discovery and New Frontiers mission solicitations. This paper provides status of the technology development, near-term mission benefits, applicability, and availability of in-space propulsion technologies in the areas of advanced chemical thrusters, electric propulsion, aerocapture, and systems analysis tools. The current chemical propulsion investment is on the high-temperature Advanced Material Bipropellant Rocket (AMBR) engine providing higher performance for lower cost. Investments in electric propulsion technologies focused on completing NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT) ion propulsion system, a 0.6-7 kW throttle-able gridded ion system, and the High Voltage Hall Accelerator (HiVHAC) thruster, which is a mid-term product specifically designed for a low-cost electric propulsion option. Aerocapture investments developed a family of thermal protections system materials and structures; guidance, navigation, and control models of blunt-body rigid aeroshells; atmospheric models for Earth, Titan, Mars and Venus; and models for aerothermal effects. In 2009 ISPT started the development of propulsion technologies that would enable future sample return missions. The paper describes the ISPT project's future focus on propulsion for sample return missions. The future technology development areas for ISPT is: Planetary Ascent Vehicles (PAV), with a Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV) being the initial development focus; multi-mission technologies for Earth Entry Vehicles (MMEEV) needed

Complexity analysis of the cost effectiveness of PI-led NASA science missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshida, J.; Cowdin, M.; Mize, T.; Kellogg, R.; Bearden, D.

For the last 20 years, NASA has allowed Principal Investigators (PIs) to manage the development of many unmanned space projects. Advocates of PI-led projects believe that a PI-led implementation can result in a project being developed at lower cost and shorter schedule than other implementation modes. This paper seeks to test this hypothesis by comparing the actual costs of NASA and other comparable projects developed under different implementation modes. The Aerospace Corporation's Complexity-Based Risk Assessment (CoBRA) analysis tool is used to normalize the projects such that the cost can be compared for equivalent project complexities. The data is examined both by complexity and by launch year. Cost growth will also be examined for any correlation with implementation mode. Defined in many NASA Announcements of Opportunity (AOs), a PI-led project is characterized by a central, single person with full responsibility for assembling a team and for the project's scientific integrity and the implementation and integrity of all other aspects of the mission, while operating under a cost cap. PIs have larger degrees of freedom to achieve the stated goals within NASA guidelines and oversight. This study leverages the definitions and results of previous National Research Council studies of PI-led projects. Aerospace has defined a complexity index, derived from mission performance, mass, power, and technology choices, to arrive at a broad representation of missions for purposes of comparison. Over a decade of research has established a correlation between mission complexity and spacecraft development cost and schedule. This complexity analysis, CoBRA, is applied to compare a PI-led set of New Frontiers, Discovery, Explorers, and Earth System Science Pathfinder missions to the overall NASA mission dataset. This reveals the complexity trends against development costs, cost growth, and development era.

International Asteroid Mission (IAM)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamaguchi, Ryuuji

1991-07-01

International Asteroid Mission (IAM) is a program aimed at developing resources of asteroids abundantly existing near the earth. This report describes the research results of design project of the International Space University (ISU) held in 1990 at Tront-York University. ISU research and asteroid survey results, and the manned asteroid mining mission are outlined. Classification of asteroids existing near the earth and asteroid resource processing and use analyses are conducted. Asteroid selection flow charts are introduced, and the 1982HR-Orpheus is selected as a candidate asteroid because it takes an approaching orbit toward the earth, requires small delta V, and possesses abundant carbonaceous chondrites. Characteristics of 1982HR-Orpheus are presented. Mission requirements, mission outlines, transportation systems, and mining and processing systems for manned asteroid mining missions are presented.

NASA Social Briefing on Planet-Hunting Mission Launch

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-04-15

NASA and industry leaders speak to NASA Social participants about the agency's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in the Press Site auditorium at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Speaking to the group from center, are Martin Still, TESS Program Scientist, NASA Headquarters, and Jessie Christiansen, Staff scientist, NASA Exoplanet Science Institute, California Institute of Technology. At far left is Jason Townsend, NASA Communications. TESS is the next step in the search for planets outside of our solar system. The mission will find exoplanets that periodically block part of the light from their host stars, events called transits. The satellite will survey the nearest and brightest stars for two years to search for transiting exoplanets. TESS will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station no earlier than 6:32 p.m. EDT on Monday, April 16.

Developing the NASA food system for long-duration missions.

PubMed

Cooper, Maya; Douglas, Grace; Perchonok, Michele

2011-03-01

Even though significant development has transformed the space food system over the last 5 decades to attain more appealing dietary fare for low-orbit space crews, the advances do not meet the need for crews that might travel to Mars and beyond. It is estimated that a food system for a long-duration mission must maintain organoleptic acceptability, nutritional efficacy, and safety for a 3- to 5-y period to be viable. In addition, the current mass and subsequent waste of the food system must decrease significantly to accord with the allowable volume and payload limits of the proposed future space vehicles. Failure to provide the appropriate food or to optimize resource utilization introduces the risk that an inadequate food system will hamper mission success and/or threaten crew performance. Investigators for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Advanced Food Technology (AFT) consider identified concerns and work to mitigate the risks to ensure that any new food system is adequate for the mission. Yet, even with carefully planned research, some technological gaps remain. NASA needs research advances to develop food that is nutrient-dense and long-lasting at ambient conditions, partial gravity cooking processes, methods to deliver prescribed nutrients over time, and food packaging that meets the mass, barrier, and processing requirements of NASA. This article provides a brief review of research in each area, details the past AFT research efforts, and describes the remaining gaps that present barriers to achieving a food system for long exploration missions.

Throttling Impacts on Hall Thruster Performance, Erosion, and Qualification for NASA Science Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dankanich, John W.; DeHoyos, Amado

2007-01-01

With the SMART-1, Department of Defense, and commercial industry successes in Hall thruster technologies, NASA has started considering Hall thrusters for science missions. The recent Discovery proposals included a Hall thruster science mission and the In-Space Propulsion Project is investing in Hall thruster technologies. As the confidence in Hall thrusters improve, ambitious multi-thruster missions are being considered. Science missions often require large throttling ranges due to the 1/r(sup 2) power drop-off from the sun. Deep throttling of Hall thrusters will impact the overall system performance. Also, Hall thrusters can be throttled with both current and voltage, impacting erosion rates and performance. Last, electric propulsion thruster lifetime qualification has previously been conducted with long duration full power tests. Full power tests may not be appropriate for NASA science missions, and a combination of lifetime testing at various power levels with sufficient analysis is recommended. Analyses of various science missions and throttling schemes using the Aerojet BPT-4000 and NASA 103M HiVHAC thruster are presented.

Space Shuttle mission: STS-67

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

The Space Shuttle Endeavor, scheduled to launch March 2, 1995 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, will conduct NASA's longest Shuttle flight prior to date. The mission, designated STS-67, has a number of experiments and payloads, which the crew, commanded by Stephen S. Oswald, will have to oversee. This NASA press kit for the mission contains a general background (general press release, media services information, quick-look facts page, shuttle abort modes, summary timeline, payload and vehicle weights, orbital summary, and crew responsibilities); cargo bay payloads and activities (Astro 2, Get Away Special Experiments); in-cabin payloads (Commercial Minimum Descent Altitude Instrumentation Technology Associates Experiments, protein crystal growth experiments, Middeck Active Control Experiment, and Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment); and the STS-67 crew biographies. The payloads and experiments are described and summarized to give an overview of the goals, objectives, apparatuses, procedures, sponsoring parties, and the assigned crew members to carry out the tasks.

A Class for Teachers Featuring a NASA Satellite Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Battle, R.; Hawkins, I.

1996-05-01

As part of the NASA IDEA (Initiative to Develop Education through Astronomy) program, the UC Berkeley Center for EUV Astrophysics (CEA) received a grant to develop a self-contained teacher professional development class featuring NASA's Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) satellite mission. This class was offered in collaboration with the Physics/Astronomy Department and the Education Department of San Francisco State University during 1994, and in collaboration with the UCB Graduate School of Education in 1995 as an extension course. The class served as the foundation for the Science Education Program at CEA, providing valuable lessons and experience through a full year of intense collaboration with 50 teachers from the diverse school districts of the San Francisco Bay Area teaching in the 3rd--12th grade range. The underlying theme of the class focused on how scientists carry out research using a NASA satellite mission. Emphasis was given to problem-solving techniques, with specific examples taken from the pre- and post-launch stages of the EUVE mission. The two, semester-long classes were hosted by the CEA, so the teachers spent an average of 4 hours/week during 17 weeks immersed in astrophysics, collaborating with astronomers, and working with colleagues from the Lawrence Hall of Science and the Graduate School of Education. The teachers were taught the computer skills and space astrophysics concepts needed to perform hands-on analysis and interpretation of the EUVE satellite data and the optical identification program. As a final project, groups of teachers developed lesson plans based on NASA and other resources that they posted on the World Wide Web using html. This project's model treats teachers as professionals, and allows them to collaborate with scientists and to hone their curriculum development skills, an important aspect of their professional growth. We will summarize class highlights and showcase teacher-developed lesson plans. A detailed evaluation

Cross-Cultural Competencies for the NASA International Internship Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Niedbala, Elizabeth M.; Feinberg, Jessica

2017-01-01

One of the principles that NASA upholds is to cooperate with other nations to advance science, exploration, and discovery for all. Effective cooperation across cultures, however, requires a certain level of skill. A construct called cross-cultural competency (CCC) emphasizes that individuals are capable of acquiring skills that facilitate positive and cooperative interaction with people of another culture. While some aspects of CCC stem from stable individual traits such as personality (i.e., extraversion, tolerance for ambiguity), most components can be learned and strengthened over time (i.e., empathy, mindfulness, trust). Because CCC is such a vital part of international cooperation, this summer we will design a training program to cultivate these skills between student interns, their mentors, and the Ames community as a whole. First, we will research what specific competencies are valuable for anyone to have when working in an international setting. We will then design a series of activities, events, workshops, and discussions that target and strengthen those skills. Finally, we will use both qualitative and quantitative evaluation methods to measure the success of the pilot program. This summer, the current international student interns will serve as our trial population for the program, while our goal is to launch the full program in Fall 2017. Overall, we hope to contribute to NASAs mission of optimizing international collaboration for everyone involved.

NASA Social

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-05-18

Ed Mango, of the NASA Commercial Crew Office, speaks during a NASA Social, Friday, May 18, 2012, at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. About 50 NASA Social followers attended an event as part of activities surrounding the launch of Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, demonstration mission of the company's Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Paul E. Alers)

LUVOIR and HabEx mission concepts enabled by NASA's Space Launch System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stahl, H. Philip; MSFC Advanced Concept Office

2016-01-01

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center has developed candidate concepts for the 'decadal' LUVOIR and HabEx missions. ATLAST-12 is a 12.7 meter diameter on-axis telescope designed to meet the science objectives of the AURA Cosmic Earth to Living Earth report. HabEx-4 is a 4.0 meter diameter off-axis telescope designed to both search for habitable planets and perform general astrophysics observations. These mission concepts take advantage of the payload mass and volume capacity enabled by NASA Space Launch System to make the design architectures as simple as possible. Simplicity is important because complexity is a significant contributor to mission risk and cost. This poster summarizes the two mission concepts.

NASA Systems Analysis and Concepts Directorate Mission and Trade Study Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ricks, Wendell; Guynn, Mark; Hahn, Andrew; Lepsch, Roger; Mazanek, Dan; Dollyhigh, Sam

2006-01-01

Mission analysis, as practiced by the NASA Langley Research Center's Systems Analysis and Concepts Directorate (SACD), consists of activities used to define, assess, and evaluate a wide spectrum of aerospace systems for given requirements. The missions for these systems encompass a broad range from aviation to space exploration. The customer, who is usually another NASA organization or another government agency, often predefines the mission. Once a mission is defined, the goals and objectives that the system will need to meet are delineated and quantified. A number of alternative systems are then typically developed and assessed relative to these goals and objectives. This is done in order to determine the most favorable design approaches for further refinement. Trade studies are performed in order to understand the impact of a requirement on each system and to select among competing design options. Items varied in trade studies typically include: design variables or design constraints; technology and subsystem options; and operational approaches. The results of trade studies are often used to refine the mission and system requirements. SACD studies have been integral to the decision processes of many organizations for decades. Many recent examples of SACD mission and trade study analyses illustrate their excellence and influence. The SACD-led, Agency-wide effort to analyze a broad range of future human lunar exploration scenarios for NASA s Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) and the Mars airplane design study in support of the Aerial Regional-scale Environment Survey of Mars (ARES) mission are two such examples. This paper describes SACD's mission and trade study analysis activities in general and presents the lunar exploration and Mars airplane studies as examples of type of work performed by the SACD.

NASA's Global Hawk

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-09-23

View from a Chase Plane; HS3 Science Flight 8 Wraps Up The chase plane accompanying NASA's Global Hawk No. 872 captured this picture on Sept. 19 after the Global Hawk completed science flight #8 where it gathered data from a weakening Tropical Storm Edouard over the North Atlantic Ocean. Credit: NASA -- The Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel (HS3) is a five-year mission specifically targeted to investigate the processes that underlie hurricane formation and intensity change in the Atlantic Ocean basin. HS3 is motivated by hypotheses related to the relative roles of the large-scale environment and storm-scale internal processes. Read more: espo.nasa.gov/missions/hs3/mission-gallery 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

Best Practices for International Collaboration and Applications of Interoperability within a NASA Data Center

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moroni, D. F.; Armstrong, E. M.; Tauer, E.; Hausman, J.; Huang, T.; Thompson, C. K.; Chung, N.

2013-12-01

The Physical Oceanographic Distributed Active Archive Center (PO.DAAC) is one of 12 data centers sponsored by NASA's Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS) project. The PO.DAAC is tasked with archival and distribution of NASA Earth science missions specific to physical oceanography, many of which have interdisciplinary applications for weather forecasting/monitoring, ocean biology, ocean modeling, and climate studies. PO.DAAC has a 20-year history of cross-project and international collaborations with partners in Europe, Japan, Australia, and the UK. Domestically, the PO.DAAC has successfully established lasting partners with non-NASA institutions and projects including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), United States Navy, Remote Sensing Systems, and Unidata. A key component of these partnerships is PO.DAAC's direct involvement with international working groups and science teams, such as the Group for High Resolution Sea Surface Temperature (GHRSST), International Ocean Vector Winds Science Team (IOVWST), Ocean Surface Topography Science Team (OSTST), and the Committee on Earth Observing Satellites (CEOS). To help bolster new and existing collaborations, the PO.DAAC has established a standardized approach to its internal Data Management and Archiving System (DMAS), utilizing a Data Dictionary to provide the baseline standard for entry and capture of dataset and granule metadata. Furthermore, the PO.DAAC has established an end-to-end Dataset Lifecycle Policy, built upon both internal and external recommendations of best practices toward data stewardship. Together, DMAS, the Data Dictionary, and the Dataset Lifecycle Policy provide the infrastructure to enable standardized data and metadata to be fully ingested and harvested to facilitate interoperability and compatibility across data access protocols, tools, and services. The Dataset Lifecycle Policy provides the checks and balances to help ensure all incoming HDF and net

Power System Overview for the Small RPS Centaur Flyby and the Mars Polar Hard Lander NASA COMPASS Studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cataldo, Robert L.

2014-01-01

The NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) Radioisotope Power System Program Office (RPSPO) sponsored two studies lead by their mission analysis team. The studies were performed by NASA GRCs Collaborative Modeling for Parametric Assessment of Space Systems (COMPASS) team. Typically a complete toplevel design reference mission (DRM) is performed assessing conceptual spacecraft design, launch mass, trajectory, science strategy and sub-system design such as, power, propulsion, structure and thermal.

Lessons Learned from NASA UAV Science Demonstration Program Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wegener, Steven S.; Schoenung, Susan M.

2003-01-01

During the summer of 2002, two airborne missions were flown as part of a NASA Earth Science Enterprise program to demonstrate the use of uninhabited aerial vehicles (UAVs) to perform earth science. One mission, the Altus Cumulus Electrification Study (ACES), successfully measured lightning storms in the vicinity of Key West, Florida, during storm season using a high-altitude Altus(TM) UAV. In the other, a solar-powered UAV, the Pathfinder Plus, flew a high-resolution imaging mission over coffee fields in Kauai, Hawaii, to help guide the harvest.

NASA Astrophysics Prioritizes Technology Development Funding for Strategic Missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thronson, Harley A.; Pham, Bruce; Ganel, Opher

2017-01-01

The Cosmic Origins (COR) and Physics of the Cosmos (PCOS) Program Offices (POs) reside at NASA GSFC and implement priorities for the NASA HQ Astrophysics Division (APD). One major aspect of the POs’ activities is managing our Strategic Astrophysics Technology (SAT) program to mature technologies for future strategic missions. The Programs follow APD guidance on which missions are strategic, currently informed by the NRC’s 2010 Decadal Survey report, as well as APD’s Implementation Plan and the Astrophysics Roadmap.In preparation for the upcoming 2020 Decadal Survey, the APD has established Science and Technology Definition Teams (STDTs) to study four large-mission concepts: the Origins Space Telescope, Habitable Exoplanet Imaging Mission, Large UV/Optical/IR Surveyor, and X-ray Surveyor. The STDTs will develop the science case and design reference mission, assess technology development needs, and estimate the cost of their concept. A fifth team, the L3 Study Team (L3ST), was charged to study potential US contributions to ESA’s planned L3 gravitational-wave observatory.The POs use a rigorous and transparent process to solicit technology gaps from the scientific and technical communities, and prioritize those entries based on strategic alignment, expected impact, cross-cutting applicability, and urgency. Starting in 2016, the technology-gap assessments of the four STDTs and the L3ST are included in our process. Until a study team submits its final report, community-proposed changes to gaps submitted or adopted by a study team are forwarded to that study team for consideration.We discuss our technology development process, with strategic prioritization informing calls for SAT proposals and informing investment decisions. We also present results of this year’s technology gap prioritization and showcase our current portfolio of technology development projects. To date, 77 COR and 80 PCOS SAT proposals have been received, of which 18 COR and 22 PCOS projects

EDOS Evolution to Support NASA Future Earth Sciences Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cordier, Guy R.; McLemore, Bruce; Wood, Terri; Wilkinson, Chris

2010-01-01

This paper presents a ground system architecture to service future NASA decadal missions and in particular, the high rate science data downlinks, by evolving EDOS current infrastructure and upgrading high rate network lines. The paper will also cover EDOS participation to date in formulation and operations concepts for the respective missions to understand the particular mission needs and derived requirements such as data volumes, downlink rates, data encoding, and data latencies. Future decadal requirements such as onboard data recorder management and file protocols drive the need to emulate these requirements within the ground system. The EDOS open system modular architecture is scalable to accommodate additional missions using the current sites antennas and future sites as well and meet the data security requirements and fulfill mission's objectives

Second NASA Workshop on Wiring for Space Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

This document contains the proceedings of the Second NASA Workshop on Wiring for Space Applications held at NASA LeRC in Cleveland, OH, 6-7 Oct. 1993. The workshop was sponsored by NASA Headquarters Code QW Office of Safety and Mission Quality, Technical Standards Division and hosted by NASA LeRC, Power Technology Division, Electrical Components and Systems Branch. The workshop addressed key technology issues in the field of electrical power wiring for space applications. Speakers from government, industry, and academia presented and discussed topics on arc tracking phenomena, wiring system design, insulation constructions, and system protection. Presentation materials provided by the various speakers are included in this document.

Fostering Application Opportunites for the NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moran, M. Susan; O'Neill, Peggy E.; Entekhabi, Dara; Njoku, Eni G.; Kellogg, Kent H.

2010-01-01

The NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) Mission will provide global observations of soil moisture and freeze/thaw state from space. We outline how priority applications contributed to the SMAP mission measurement requirements and how the SMAP mission plans to foster applications and applied science.

Woven Thermal Protection System (WTPS) a Novel Approach to Meet Nasa's Most Demanding Reentry Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stackpoole, Margaret M.; Ellerby, Donald T.; Gasch, Matt; Ventkatapathy, Ethiraj; Beerman, Adam; Boghozian, Tane; Gonzales, Gregory; Feldman, Jay; Peterson, Keith; Prabhu, Dinesh

2014-01-01

NASA's future robotic missions to Venus and other planets, namely, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, result in extremely high entry conditions that exceed the capabilities of current mid density ablators (PICA or Avcoat). Therefore mission planners assume the use of a fully dense carbon phenolic heatshield similar to what was flown on Pioneer Venus and Galileo. Carbon phenolic is a robust TPS, however, its high density and thermal conductivity constrain mission planners to steep entries, high fluxes, pressures and short entry durations, in order for CP to be feasible from a mass perspective. The high entry conditions pose certification challenges in existing ground based test facilities. In 2012 the Game Changing Development Program in NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate funded NASA ARC to investigate the feasibility of a Woven Thermal Protection System to meet the needs of NASA's most challenging entry missions. This presentation will summarize the maturation of the WTPS project.

NASA Utilization of the International Space Station and the Vision for Space Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robinson, Julie A.; Thumm, Tracy L.; Thomas, Donald A.

2006-01-01

In response to the U.S. President s Vision for Space Exploration (January 14, 2004), NASA has revised its utilization plans for ISS to focus on (1) research on astronaut health and the development of countermeasures that will protect our crews from the space environment during long duration voyages, (2) ISS as a test bed for research and technology developments that will insure vehicle systems and operational practices are ready for future exploration missions, (3) developing and validating operational practices and procedures for long-duration space missions. In addition, NASA will continue a small amount of fundamental research in life and microgravity sciences. There have been significant research accomplishments that are important for achieving the Exploration Vision. Some of these have been formal research payloads, while others have come from research based on the operation of International Space Station (ISS). We will review a selection of these experiments and results, as well as outline some of ongoing and upcoming research. The ISS represents the only microgravity opportunity to perform on-orbit long-duration studies of human health and performance and technologies relevant for future long-duration missions planned during the next 25 years. Even as NASA focuses on developing the Orion spacecraft and return to the moon (2015-2020), research on and operation of the ISS is fundamental to the success of NASA s Exploration Vision.

NASA Utilization of the International Space Station and the Vision for Space Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robinson, Julie A.; Thumm, Tracy L.; Thomas, Donald A.

2007-01-01

In response to the U.S. President s Vision for Space Exploration (January 14, 2004), NASA has revised its utilization plans for ISS to focus on (1) research on astronaut health and the development of countermeasures that will protect our crews from the space environment during long duration voyages, (2) ISS as a test bed for research and technology developments that will insure vehicle systems and operational practices are ready for future exploration missions, (3) developing and validating operational practices and procedures for long-duration space missions. In addition, NASA will continue a small amount of fundamental research in life and microgravity sciences. There have been significant research accomplishments that are important for achieving the Exploration Vision. Some of these have been formal research payloads, while others have come from research based on the operation of International Space Station (ISS). We will review a selection of these experiments and results, as well as outline some of ongoing and upcoming research. The ISS represents the only microgravity opportunity to perform on-orbit long-duration studies of human health and performance and technologies relevant for future long-duration missions planned during the next 25 years. Even as NASA focuses on developing the Orion spacecraft and return to the moon (2015-2020), research on and operation of the ISS is fundamental to the success of NASA s Exploration Vision.

NASA Utilization of the International Space Station and the Vision for Space Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robinson, Julie A.; Thomas, Donald A.; Thumm, Tracy L.

2006-01-01

In response to the U.S. President's Vision for Space Exploration (January 14, 2004), NASA has revised its utilization plans for ISS to focus on (1) research on astronaut health and the development of countermeasures that will protect our crews from the space environment during long duration voyages, (2) ISS as a test bed for research and technology developments that will insure vehicle systems and operational practices are ready for future exploration missions, (3) developing and validating operational practices and procedures for long-duration space missions. In addition, NASA will continue a small amount of fundamental research in life and microgravity sciences. There have been significant research accomplishments that are important for achieving the Exploration Vision. Some of these have been formal research payloads, while others have come from research based on the operation of International Space Station (ISS). We will review a selection of these experiments and results, as well as outline some of ongoing and upcoming research. The ISS represents the only microgravity opportunity to perform on-orbit long-duration studies of human health and performance and technologies relevant for future long-duration missions planned during the next 25 years. Even as NASA focuses on developing the Orion spacecraft and return to the moon (2015-2020), research on and operation of the ISS is fundamental to the success of NASA s Exploration Vision.

Kepler: NASA's First Mission Capable of Finding Earth-Size Planets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Borucki, William J.

2009-01-01

Kepler, a NASA Discovery mission, is a spaceborne telescope designed to search a nearby region of our galaxy for Earth-size planets orbiting in the habitable zone of stars like our sun. The habitable zone is that region around a start where the temperature permits water to be liquid on the surface of a planet. Liquid water is considered essential forth existence of life. Mission Phases: Six mission phases have been defined to describe the different periods of activity during Kepler's mission. These are: launch; commissioning; early science operations, science operations: and decommissioning

Solar Cell and Array Technology Development for NASA Solar Electric Propulsion Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Piszczor, Michael; McNatt, Jeremiah; Mercer, Carolyn; Kerslake, Tom; Pappa, Richard

2012-01-01

NASA is currently developing advanced solar cell and solar array technologies to support future exploration activities. These advanced photovoltaic technology development efforts are needed to enable very large (multi-hundred kilowatt) power systems that must be compatible with solar electric propulsion (SEP) missions. The technology being developed must address a wide variety of requirements and cover the necessary advances in solar cell, blanket integration, and large solar array structures that are needed for this class of missions. Th is paper will summarize NASA's plans for high power SEP missions, initi al mission studies and power system requirements, plans for advanced photovoltaic technology development, and the status of specific cell and array technology development and testing that have already been conducted.

The Implementation of Advanced Solar Array Technology in Future NASA Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Piszczor, Michael F.; Kerslake, Thomas W.; Hoffman, David J.; White, Steve; Douglas, Mark; Spence, Brian; Jones, P. Alan

2003-01-01

Advanced solar array technology is expected to be critical in achieving the mission goals on many future NASA space flight programs. Current PV cell development programs offer significant potential and performance improvements. However, in order to achieve the performance improvements promised by these devices, new solar array structures must be designed and developed to accommodate these new PV cell technologies. This paper will address the use of advanced solar array technology in future NASA space missions and specifically look at how newer solar cell technologies impact solar array designs and overall power system performance.

Petascale Computing: Impact on Future NASA Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brooks, Walter

2006-01-01

This slide presentation reviews NASA's use of a new super computer, called Columbia, capable of operating at 62 Tera Flops. This computer is the 4th fastest computer in the world. This computer will serve all mission directorates. The applications that it would serve are: aerospace analysis and design, propulsion subsystem analysis, climate modeling, hurricane prediction and astrophysics and cosmology.

Asteroid Redirect Mission Briefing on This Week @NASA – September 19, 2016

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-09-19

On Sept. 14, officials from the White House and NASA discussed the space agency’s Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) during a televised event at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. On the mission, which is targeted for launch in Dec. 2021, NASA plans to send a robotic spacecraft to an asteroid tens of millions of miles from Earth, capture a multi-ton boulder, and bring it to an orbit near the moon for future exploration by astronauts on a following mission aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft. During the live discussion, John Holdren, assistant to President Obama for Science and Technology, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and ARM Program Director Michele Gates highlighted the mission’s scientific and technological benefits, how the mission will support NASA’s goal of sending humans to Mars in the 2030s, and how it will demonstrate technology relevant to defending Earth from potentially hazardous asteroids. Also, Astronaut Tim Kopra Visits DC Area, The Warmest August in 136 Years, and 2016 Arctic Sea Ice Minimum Ties 2nd Lowest on Record!

Mir Mission Chronicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McDonald, Sue

1998-01-01

Dockings, module additions, configuration changes, crew changes, and major mission events are tracked for Mir missions 17 through 21 (November 1994 through August 1996). The international aspects of these missions are presented, comprising joint missions with ESA and NASA, including three U.S. Space Shuttle dockings. New Mir modules described are Spektr, the Docking Module, and Priroda.

Potential Astrophysics Science Missions Enabled by NASA's Planned Ares V

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stahl, H. Philip; Thronson, Harley; Langhoff, Stepheni; Postman, Marc; Lester, Daniel; Lillie, Chuck

2009-01-01

NASA s planned Ares V cargo vehicle with its 10 meter diameter fairing and 60,000 kg payload mass to L2 offers the potential to launch entirely new classes of space science missions such as 8-meter monolithic aperture telescopes, 12- meter aperture x-ray telescopes, 16 to 24 meter segmented telescopes and highly capable outer planet missions. The paper will summarize the current Ares V baseline performance capabilities and review potential mission concepts enabled by these capabilities.

Woven Thermal Protection System (WTPS) a Novel Approach to Meet NASA's Most Demanding Reentry Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stackpoole, Mairead

2014-01-01

NASA's future robotic missions to Venus and outer planets, namely, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, result in extremely high entry conditions that exceed the capabilities of current mid-density ablators (PICA or Avcoat). Therefore mission planners assume the use of a fully dense carbon phenolic heat shield similar to what was flown on Pioneer Venus and Galileo. Carbon phenolic (CP) is a robust Thermal Protection System (TPS) however its high density and thermal conductivity constrain mission planners to steep entries, high heat fluxes, pressures and short entry durations, in order for CP to be feasible from a mass perspective. The high entry conditions pose certification challenges in existing ground based test facilities. In 2012 the Game Changing Development Program in NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate funded NASA ARC to investigate the feasibility of a Woven Thermal Protection System (WTPS) to meet the needs of NASA's most challenging entry missions. This presentation will summarize maturation of the WTPS project.

NASA Facts: Edison Demonstration of Spacecraft Networks (EDSN) Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ord, Stephen; Yost, Bruce D.; Petro, Andrew J.

2013-01-01

NASA's Edison Demonstration of Smallsat Networks (EDSN) mission will launch and deploy a swarm of 8 cubesats into a loose formation approximately 500 km above Earth. EDSN will develop technology to send multiple, advanced, yet affordable nanosatellites into space with cross-link communications to enable a wide array of scientific, commercial, and academic research. Other goals of the mission include lowering the cost and shortening the development time for future small spacecraft.

NASA Galaxy Mission Celebrates Sixth Anniversary

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-04-28

NASA Galaxy Evolution Explorer Mission celebrates its sixth anniversary studying galaxies beyond our Milky Way through its sensitive ultraviolet telescope, the only such far-ultraviolet detector in space. Pictured here, the galaxy NGC598 known as M33. The mission studies the shape, brightness, size and distance of distant galaxies across 10 billion years of cosmic history, giving scientists a wealth of data to help us better understand the origins of the universe. One such object is pictured here, the galaxy NGC598, more commonly known as M33. This image is a blend of the Galaxy Evolution Explorer's M33 image and another taken by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. M33, one of our closest galactic neighbors, is about 2.9 million light-years away in the constellation Triangulum, part of what's known as our Local Group of galaxies. Together, the Galaxy Evolution Explorer and Spitzer can see a broad spectrum of sky. Spitzer, for example, can detect mid-infrared radiation from dust that has absorbed young stars' ultraviolet light. That's something the Galaxy Evolution Explorer cannot see. This combined image shows in amazing detail the beautiful and complicated interlacing of the heated dust and young stars. In some regions of M33, dust gathers where there is very little far-ultraviolet light, suggesting that the young stars are obscured or that stars farther away are heating the dust. In some of the outer regions of the galaxy, just the opposite is true: There are plenty of young stars and very little dust. Far-ultraviolet light from young stars glimmers blue, near-ultraviolet light from intermediate age stars glows green, and dust rich in organic molecules burns red. This image is a 3-band composite including far infrared as red. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA11998

NASA Social Briefing on Planet-Hunting Mission Launch

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-04-15

NASA and industry leaders speak to NASA Social participants about the agency's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in the Press Site auditorium at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Speaking to the group is Elisa Quintana, TESS scientist, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. TESS is the next step in the search for planets outside of our solar system. The mission will find exoplanets that periodically block part of the light from their host stars, events called transits. The satellite will survey the nearest and brightest stars for two years to search for transiting exoplanets. TESS will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station no earlier than 6:32 p.m. EDT on Monday, April 16.

Mission operations update for the restructured Earth Observing System (EOS) mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kelly, Angelita Castro; Chang, Edward S.

1993-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Earth Observing System (EOS) will provide a comprehensive long term set of observations of the Earth to the Earth science research community. The data will aid in determining global changes caused both naturally and through human interaction. Understanding man's impact on the global environment will allow sound policy decisions to be made to protect our future. EOS is a major component of the Mission to Planet Earth program, which is NASA's contribution to the U.S. Global Change Research Program. EOS consists of numerous instruments on multiple spacecraft and a distributed ground system. The EOS Data and Information System (EOSDIS) is the major ground system developed to support EOS. The EOSDIS will provide EOS spacecraft command and control, data processing, product generation, and data archival and distribution services for EOS spacecraft. Data from EOS instruments on other Earth science missions (e.g., Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM)) will also be processed, distributed, and archived in EOSDIS. The U.S. and various International Partners (IP) (e.g., the European Space Agency (ESA), the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) of Japan, and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA)) participate in and contribute to the international EOS program. The EOSDIS will also archive processed data from other designated NASA Earth science missions (e.g., UARS) that are under the broad umbrella of Mission to Planet Earth.

Packaging a Successful NASA Mission to Reach a Large Audience with a Small Budget. Earth's Dynamic Space: Solar-Terrestrial Physics and NASA's Polar Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fox, Nicola J.; Goldberg, Richard; Barnes, Robin J.; Sigwarth, John B.; Beisser, Kerri B.; Moore, Thomas E.; Hoffman, Robert A.; Russell, Christopher T.; Scudder, Jack D.; Spann, James F.

2004-01-01

To showcase the on-going and wide-ranging scope of the Polar science discoveries, the Polar science team has created a one-stop shop for a thorough introduction to geospace physics, in the form of a DVD with supporting website. The DVD, Earth's Dynamic Space: Solar-Terrestrial Physics & NASA's Polar Mission, can be viewed as an end-to-end product or split into individual segments and tailored to lesson plans. Capitalizing on the Polar mission and its amazing science return, the Polar team created an exciting multi-use DVD intended for audiences ranging from a traditional classroom and after school clubs, to museums and science centers. The DVD tackles subjects such as the aurora, the magnetosphere and space weather, whilst highlighting the science discoveries of the Polar mission. This platform introduces the learner to key team members as well as the science principles. Dramatic visualizations are used to illustrate the complex principles that describe Earth's dynamic space. In order to produce such a wide-ranging product on a shoe-string budget, the team poured through existing NASA resources to package them into the Polar story. Team members also created visualizations using Polar data to complement the NASA stock footage. Scientists donated their time to create and review scripts to make this a real team effort, working closely with the award winning audio-visual group at JHU/Applied Physics Laboratory. The team was excited to be invited to join NASA's Sun-Earth Day 2005 E/PO program and the DVD will be distributed as part of the supporting educational packages.

In-Space Propulsion Technology Products Ready for Infusion on NASA's Future Science Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, David J.; Pencil, Eric; Peterson, Todd; Dankanich, John; Munk, Michele M.

2012-01-01

Since 2001, the In-Space Propulsion Technology (ISPT) program has been developing and delivering in-space propulsion technologies that will enable or enhance NASA robotic science missions. These in-space propulsion technologies are applicable, and potentially enabling, for future NASA flagship and sample return missions currently being considered. They have a broad applicability to future competed mission solicitations. The high-temperature Advanced Material Bipropellant Rocket (AMBR) engine, providing higher performance for lower cost, was completed in 2009. Two other ISPT technologies are nearing completion of their technology development phase: 1) NASA s Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT) ion propulsion system, a 0.6-7 kW throttle-able gridded ion system; and 2) Aerocapture technology development with investments in a family of thermal protection system (TPS) materials and structures; guidance, navigation, and control (GN&C) models of blunt-body rigid aeroshells; aerothermal effect models; and atmospheric models for Earth, Titan, Mars and Venus. This paper provides status of the technology development, applicability, and availability of in-space propulsion technologies that have recently completed their technology development and will be ready for infusion into NASA s Discovery, New Frontiers, SMD Flagship, or technology demonstration missions.

Overview of Key Saturn Probe Mission Trades

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Balint, Tibor S.; Kowalkowski, Theresa; Folkner, Bill

2007-01-01

Ongoing studies, performed at NASA/JPL over the past two years in support of NASA's SSE Roadmap activities, proved the feasibility of a NF class Saturn probe mission. I. This proposed mission could also provide a good opportunity for international collaboration with the proposed Cosmic Vision KRONOS mission: a) With ESA contributed probes (descent modules) on a NASA lead mission; b) Early 2017 launch could be a good programmatic option for ESA-CV/NASA-NF. II. A number of mission architectures could be suitable for this mission: a) Probe Relay based architecture with short flight time (approx. 6.3-7 years); b) DTE probe telecom based architecture with long flight time (-11 years), and low probe data rate, but with the probes decoupled from the carrier, allowing for polar trajectories I orbiter. This option may need technology development for telecom; c) Orbiter would likely impact mission cost over flyby, but would provide significantly higher science return. The Saturn probes mission is expected to be identified in NASA's New Frontiers AO. Thus, further studies are recommended to refine the most suitable architecture. International collaboration is started through the KRONOS proposal work; further collaborated studies will follow once KRONOS is selected in October under ESA's Cosmic Vision Program.

NASA Social

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-05-19

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, left, and Kennedy Space Center director Robert Cabana appear at the NASA Social event, Friday morning, May 19, 2012, at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. About 50 NASA Social followers attended an event as part of activities surrounding the launch of Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, demonstration mission of the company's Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Paul E. Alers)

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.

Geologic report and recommendations for the cobalt mission to Morocco sponsored by The Trade and Development Program of the International Development Cooperation Agency

USGS Publications Warehouse

Foose, M.P.; Rossman, D.L.

1982-01-01

A mission sponsored by the Trade and Development Program (TDP) of the International Development Cooperation Agency (IDCA) went to Morocco to evaluate the possibility of finding additional sources of cobalt in that country, as well as other types of mineralization. Information obtained during this trip shows Morocco to be a country for which much geologic information is available and in which there are many favorable target areas for future exploration. Work in the Bou Azzer district (Morocco's principal cobalt district) shows that much excellent geologic work has been done in searching for additional deposits. However, a number of useful approaches to locate cobalt have not been tried, and their use might be successful. The potential for undiscovered deposits in the Bou Azzer region seems very high. The cobalt mineralization in the Siroua uplift is different from that in the Bou Azzer district. However, geologic similarities between the two areas suggest that a genetic link may exist between the two types of mineralization. This further indicates that cobalt deposits of the Bou Azzer types might be present in the Siroua region. Examination of the Bleida copper mine shows it to be a well-exposed volcanic hosted stratabound copper deposit. Large unexplored areas containing similar rocks occur near this deposit and may contain as yet undiscovered copper mineralization.

NASA Social

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-05-19

A NASA Social follower holds up a mobile device as NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, left, and Kennedy Space Center director Robert Cabana appear at the NASA Social event, Friday morning, May 19, 2012, at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. About 50 NASA Social followers attended an event as part of activities surrounding the launch of Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, demonstration mission of the company's Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Paul E. Alers)

NASA Social

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-05-18

Gwynne Shotwell, President of SpaceX, speaks during a NASA Social, Friday, May 18, 2012, at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. About 50 NASA Social followers attended an event as part of activities surrounding the launch of Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, demonstration mission of the company's Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Paul E. Alers)

NASA Social

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-05-18

Models of various rockets line a table at a NASA Social, Friday, May 18, 2012, at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. About 50 NASA Social followers attended an event as part of activities surrounding the launch of Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, demonstration mission of the company's Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Paul E. Alers)

Ikhana: A NASA UAS Supporting Long Duration Earth Science Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cobleigh, B.

2007-01-01

The NASA Ikhana unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is a General Atomics Ae ronautical Systems Inc. (San Diego, California) MQ-9 Predator-B modif ied to support the conduct of Earth science missions for the NASA Sci ence Mission Directorate and, through partnerships, other government agencies and universities. It can carry over 2000 lb of experiment p ayloads in the avionics bay and external pods and is capable of missi on durations in excess of 24 hours at altitudes above 40,000 ft. The aircraft is remotely piloted from a mobile ground control station (GC S) that is designed to be deployable by air, land, or sea. On-board s upport capabilities include an instrumentation system and an Airborne Research Test System (ARTS). The Ikhana project will complete GCS d evelopment, science support systems integration, external pod integra tion and flight clearance, and operations crew training in early 2007 . A large-area remote sensing mission is currently scheduled for Summ er 2007.

Education And Public Outreach For NASA's EPOXI Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McFadden, Lucy-Ann A.; Warner, E. M.; Crow, C. A.; Ristvey, J. D.; Counley, J.

2008-09-01

NASA's EPOXI mission has two scientific objectives in using the Deep Impact flyby spacecraft for further studies of comets and adding studies of extra-solar planets around other stars. During the Extrasolar Planetary Observations and Characterization (EPOCh) phase of the mission, observations of extrasolar planets transiting their parent stars are observed to further knowledge and understanding of planetary systems. Observations of Earth allow for comparison with Earth-like planets around other stars. A movie of Earth during a day when the Moon passed between Earth and the spacecraft is an educational highlight with scientific significance. The Deep Impact Extended Investigation (DIXI) continues the Deep Impact theme of investigating comets with a flyby of comet Hartley 2 in November 2010 to further explore the properties of comets and their formation. The EPOXI Education and Public Outreach (E/PO) program builds upon existing materials related to exploring comets and the Deep Impact mission, updating and modifying activities based on results from Deep Impact. An educational activity called Comparing Comets is under development that will guide students in conducting analyses similar to those that DIXI scientists will perform after observing comet Hartley 2. Existing educational materials related to planet finding from other NASA programs are linked from EPOXI's web page. Journey Through the Universe at the National Air and Space Museum encourages education in family and community groups and reaches out to underrepresented minorities. EPOXI's E/PO program additionally offers a newsletter to keep the public, teachers, and space enthusiasts apprised of mission activities. For more information visit: http://epoxi.umd.edu.

Tools to Support the Reuse of Software Assets for the NASA Earth Science Decadal Survey Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mattmann, Chris A.; Downs, Robert R.; Marshall, James J.; Most, Neal F.; Samadi, Shahin

2011-01-01

The NASA Earth Science Data Systems (ESDS) Software Reuse Working Group (SRWG) is chartered with the investigation, production, and dissemination of information related to the reuse of NASA Earth science software assets. One major current objective is to engage the NASA decadal missions in areas relevant to software reuse. In this paper we report on the current status of these activities. First, we provide some background on the SRWG in general and then discuss the group s flagship recommendation, the NASA Reuse Readiness Levels (RRLs). We continue by describing areas in which mission software may be reused in the context of NASA decadal missions. We conclude the paper with pointers to future directions.

Photovoltaic Power for Future NASA Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Landis, Geoffrey; Bailey, Sheila G.; Lyons, Valerie J. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Recent advances in crystalline solar cell technology are reviewed. Dual-junction and triple-junction solar cells are presently available from several U. S. vendors. Commercially available triple-junction cells consisting of GaInP, GaAs, and Ge layers can produce up to 27% conversion efficiency in production lots. Technology status and performance figures of merit for currently available photovoltaic arrays are discussed. Three specific NASA mission applications are discussed in detail: Mars surface applications, high temperature solar cell applications, and integrated microelectronic power supplies for nanosatellites.

NASA's In-Space Propulsion Technology Project Overview, Near-term Products and Mission Applicability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dankanich, John; Anderson, David J.

2008-01-01

The In-Space Propulsion Technology (ISPT) Project, funded by NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD), is continuing to invest in propulsion technologies that will enable or enhance NASA robotic science missions. This overview provides development status, near-term mission benefits, applicability, and availability of in-space propulsion technologies in the areas of aerocapture, electric propulsion, advanced chemical thrusters, and systems analysis tools. Aerocapture investments improved (1) guidance, navigation, and control models of blunt-body rigid aeroshells, 2) atmospheric models for Earth, Titan, Mars and Venus, and 3) models for aerothermal effects. Investments in electric propulsion technologies focused on completing NASA s Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT) ion propulsion system, a 0.6-7 kW throttle-able gridded ion system. The project is also concluding its High Voltage Hall Accelerator (HiVHAC) mid-term product specifically designed for a low-cost electric propulsion option. The primary chemical propulsion investment is on the high-temperature Advanced Material Bipropellant Rocket (AMBR) engine providing higher performance for lower cost. The project is also delivering products to assist technology infusion and quantify mission applicability and benefits through mission analysis and tools. In-space propulsion technologies are applicable, and potentially enabling for flagship destinations currently under evaluation, as well as having broad applicability to future Discovery and New Frontiers mission solicitations.

First NASA Workshop on Wiring for Space Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hammond, Ahmad (Compiler); Stavnes, Mark W. (Compiler)

1994-01-01

This document contains the proceedings of the First NASA Workshop on Wiring for Space Applications held at NASA Lewis Research Center in Cleveland, OH, July 23-24, 1991. The workshop was sponsored by NASA Headquarters Code QE Office of Safety and Mission Quality, Technical Standards Division and hosted by the NASA Lewis Research Center, Power Technology Division, Electrical Components and Systems Branch. The workshop addressed key technology issues in the field of electrical power wiring for space applications. Speakers from government, industry and academia presented and discussed topics on arc tracking phenomena, wiring applications and requirements, and new candidate insulation materials and constructions. Presentation materials provided by the various speakers are included in this document.

Mission EarthFusing GLOBE with NASA Assets to Build SystemicInnovation in STEM Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Czajkowski, K. P.; Garik, P.; Padgett, D.; Darche, S.; Struble, J.; Adaktilou, N.

2016-12-01

Mission Earth is a project funded through the NASA CAN that is developing a systematic embedding of NASA assets that is being implemented by a partnership of organizations across the US. Mission Earth brings together scientists and science educators to develop a K-12 "Earth as a system" curriculum progression following research-based best practices. GLOBE and NASA assets will be infused into the curricula of schools along the K-12 continuum, leveraging existing partnerships and networks and supported through state departments of education and targeting underrepresented groups, as a systemic, effective, and sustainable approach to meeting NASA's science education objectives. This presentation will discuss plans for the Mission Earth project and successes and lessons learned in the first year. Mission Earth is developing curricular materials to support vertically integrated learning progressions. It develops models of professional development utilizing sustainable infrastructures. It will support STEM careers focusing on career technical education (CTE). And, it will engage undergraduate education majors through pre-service courses and engineering students through engineering challenges.

ourney to Mars: An international effort on This Week @NASA – October 16, 2015

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-10-16

During meetings and public events at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC), Oct. 12-16 in Jerusalem, NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden and several other NASA officials highlighted the agency’s recently released plan to send astronauts to Mars in the 2030’s. They also emphasized the need for international partnerships and cooperation to make a mission of this magnitude a reality, the importance of harnessing enthusiasm for space exploration and the need to encourage young people to develop the skills we’ll need for the Journey to Mars. Also, New American record in space, Flyby of Saturnian moon, Next launch for Cygnus, Access to space for small satellites and more! JPL Open House is a big draw.

Experiences in Interagency and International Interfaces for Mission Support

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dell, G. T.; Mitchell, W. J.; Thompson, T. W.; Cappellari, J. O., Jr.; Flores-Amaya, F.

1996-01-01

The Flight Dynamics Division (FDD) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center (GFSC) provides extensive support and products for Space Shuttle missions, expendable launch vehicle launches, and routine on-orbit operations for a variety of spacecraft. A major challenge in providing support for these missions is defining and generating the products required for mission support and developing the method by which these products are exchanged between supporting agencies. As interagency and international cooperation has increased in the space community, the FDD customer base has grown and with it the number and variety of external interfaces and product definitions. Currently, the FDD has working interfaces with the NASA Space and Ground Networks, the Johnson Space Center, the White Sands Complex, the Jet propulsion Laboratory (including the Deep Space Network), the United States Air Force, the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales, the German Spaceflight Operations Center, the European Space Agency, and the National Space Development Agency of Japan. With the increasing spectrum of possible data product definitions and delivery methods, the FDD is using its extensive interagency experience to improve its support of established customers and to provide leadership in adapting/developing new interfaces. This paper describes the evolution of the interfaces between the FDD and its customers, discusses many of the joint activities ith these customers, and summarizes key lessons learned that can be applied to current and future support.

NASA Social Briefing on Planet-Hunting Mission Launch

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-04-15

NASA and industry leaders speak to NASA Social participants about the agency's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in the Press Site auditorium at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Speaking to the group is Jessie Christiansen, staff scientiest, NASA Exoplaneet Science Institute, California Institute of Technology. TESS is the next step in the search for planets outside of our solar system. The mission will find exoplanets that periodically block part of the light from their host stars, events called transits. The satellite will survey the nearest and brightest stars for two years to search for transiting exoplanets. TESS will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station no earlier than 6:32 p.m. EDT on Monday, April 16.

Ikhana: A NASA UAS Supporting Long Duration Earth Science Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cobleigh, Brent R.

2006-01-01

NASA's Ikhana unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is a General Atomics MQ-9 Predator-B modified to support the conduct of Earth science missions for the NASA Science Mission Directorate through partnerships, other government agencies and universities. Ikhana, a Native American word meaning 'intelligence', can carry over 2000 lbs of atmospheric and remote sensing instruments in the payload bay and external pods. The aircraft is capable of mission durations in excess of 24 hours at altitudes above 40,000 ft. Redundant flight control, avionics, power, and network systems increase the system reliability and allow easier access to public airspace. The aircraft is remotely piloted from a mobile ground control station (GCS) using both C-band line-of-sight and Ku-band over-the-horizon satellite datalinks. NASA's GCS has been modified to support on-site science monitoring, or the downlink data can be networked to remote sites. All ground support systems are designed to be deployable to support global Eart science investigations. On-board support capabilities include an instrumentation system and an Airborne Research Test System (ARTS). The ARTS can host research algorithms that will autonomously command and control on-board sensors, perform sensor health monitoring, conduct data analysis, and request changes to the flight plan to maximize data collection. The ARTS also has the ability to host algorithms that will autonomously control the aircraft trajectory based on sensor needs, (e.g. precision trajectory for repeat pass interferometry) or to optimize mission objectives (e.g. search for specific atmospheric conditions). Standard on-board networks will collect science data for recording and for inclusion in the aircraft's high bandwidth downlink. The Ikhana project will complete GCS development, science support systems integration, external pod integration and flight clearance, and operations crew training in early 2007. A large-area remote sensing mission is currently scheduled

Game Changing: NASA's Space Launch System and Science Mission Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Creech, Stephen D.

2013-01-01

NASA s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is directing efforts to build the Space Launch System (SLS), a heavy-lift rocket that will carry the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) and other important payloads far beyond Earth orbit (BEO). Its evolvable architecture will allow NASA to begin with Moon fly-bys and then go on to transport humans or robots to distant places such as asteroids and Mars. Designed to simplify spacecraft complexity, the SLS rocket will provide improved mass margins and radiation mitigation, and reduced mission durations. These capabilities offer attractive advantages for ambitious missions such as a Mars sample return, by reducing infrastructure requirements, cost, and schedule. For example, if an evolved expendable launch vehicle (EELV) were used for a proposed mission to investigate the Saturn system, a complicated trajectory would be required - with several gravity-assist planetary fly-bys - to achieve the necessary outbound velocity. The SLS rocket, using significantly higher C3 energies, can more quickly and effectively take the mission directly to its destination, reducing trip time and cost. As this paper will report, the SLS rocket will launch payloads of unprecedented mass and volume, such as "monolithic" telescopes and in-space infrastructure. Thanks to its ability to co-manifest large payloads, it also can accomplish complex missions in fewer launches. Future analyses will include reviews of alternate mission concepts and detailed evaluations of SLS figures of merit, helping the new rocket revolutionize science mission planning and design for years to come.

Game changing: NASA's space launch system and science mission design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Creech, S. D.

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is directing efforts to build the Space Launch System (SLS), a heavy-lift rocket that will carry the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) and other important payloads far beyond Earth orbit (BEO). Its evolvable architecture will allow NASA to begin with Moon fly-bys and then go on to transport humans or robots to distant places such as asteroids and Mars. Designed to simplify spacecraft complexity, the SLS rocket will provide improved mass margins and radiation mitigation, and reduced mission durations. These capabilities offer attractive advantages for ambitious missions such as a Mars sample return, by reducing infrastructure requirements, cost, and schedule. For example, if an evolved expendable launch vehicle (EELV) were used for a proposed mission to investigate the Saturn system, a complicated trajectory would be required - with several gravity-assist planetary fly-bys - to achieve the necessary outbound velocity. The SLS rocket, using significantly higher characteristic energy (C3) energies, can more quickly and effectively take the mission directly to its destination, reducing trip time and cost. As this paper will report, the SLS rocket will launch payloads of unprecedented mass and volume, such as “ monolithic” telescopes and in-space infrastructure. Thanks to its ability to co-manifest large payloads, it also can accomplish complex missions in fewer launches. Future analyses will include reviews of alternate mission concepts and detailed evaluations of SLS figures of merit, helping the new rocket revolutionize science mission planning and design for years to come.

Overview of NASA's Earth Science Data Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McDonald, Kenneth

2004-01-01

For over the last 15 years, NASA's Earth Science Enterprise (ESE) has devoted a tremendous effort to design and build the Earth Observing System (EOS) Data and Information System (EOSDIS) to acquire, process, archive and distribute the data of the EOS series of satellites and other ESE missions and field programs. The development of EOSDIS began with an early prototype to support NASA data from heritage missions and progressed through a formal development process to today's system that supports the data from multiple missions including Landsat 7, Terra, Aqua, SORCE and ICESat. The system is deployed at multiple Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs) and its current holdings are approximately 4.5 petabytes. The current set of unique users requesting EOS data and information products exceeds 2 million. While EOSDIS has been the centerpiece of NASA's Earth Science Data Systems, other initiatives have augmented the services of EOSDIS and have impacted its evolution and the future directions of data systems within the ESE. ESDIS had an active prototyping effort and has continued to be involved in the activities of the Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO). In response to concerns from the science community that EOSDIS was too large and monolithic, the ESE initiated the Earth Science Information Partners (ESP) Federation Experiment that funded a series of projects to develop specialized products and services to support Earth science research and applications. Last year, the enterprise made 41 awards to successful proposals to the Research, Education and Applications Solutions Network (REASON) Cooperative Agreement Notice to continue and extend the ESP activity. The ESE has also sponsored a formulation activity called the Strategy for the Evolution of ESE Data Systems (SEEDS) to develop approaches and decision support processes for the management of the collection of data system and service providers of the enterprise. Throughout the development of its earth science

Towards Risk Based Design for NASA's Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tumer, Irem Y.; Barrientos, Francesca; Meshkat, Leila

2004-01-01

This paper describes the concept of Risk Based Design in the context of NASA s low volume, high cost missions. The concept of accounting for risk in the design lifecycle has been discussed and proposed under several research topics, including reliability, risk analysis, optimization, uncertainty, decision-based design, and robust design. This work aims to identify and develop methods to enable and automate a means to characterize and optimize risk, and use risk as a tradeable resource to make robust and reliable decisions, in the context of the uncertain and ambiguous stage of early conceptual design. This paper first presents a survey of the related topics explored in the design research community as they relate to risk based design. Then, a summary of the topics from the NASA-led Risk Colloquium is presented, followed by current efforts within NASA to account for risk in early design. Finally, a list of "risk elements", identified for early-phase conceptual design at NASA, is presented. The purpose is to lay the foundation and develop a roadmap for future work and collaborations for research to eliminate and mitigate these risk elements in early phase design.

NASA UTILIZATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION AND THE VISION FOR SPACE EXPLORATION

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robinson, Julie A.; Thomas, Donald A.

2006-01-01

Under U.S. President Bush s Vision for Space Exploration (January 14, 2004), NASA has refocused its utilization plans for the International Space Station (ISS). This use will now focus on: (1) the development of countermeasures that will protect crews from the hazards of the space environment, (2) testing and validating technologies that will meet information and systems needs for future exploration missions.

NASA Earth Remote Sensing Programs: An Overview with Special Emphasis on the NASA/JAXA Led Global Precipitation Measurement Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stocker, Erich Franz

2009-01-01

This slide presentation gives an overview of NASA's operations monitoring the earth from space. It includes information on NASA's administrative divisions and key operating earth science missions with specific information on the Landsat satellites, Seastar spacecraft, and the TRMM satellite.

NASA Social

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-05-18

Participants with the NASA Social stand together, Friday, May 18, 2012, in front of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. About 50 NASA Social followers attended an event as part of activities surrounding the launch of Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, demonstration mission of the company's Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Paul E. Alers)

NASA Instrument Cost Model for Explorer-Like Mission Instruments (NICM-E)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Habib-Agahi, Hamid; Fox, George; Mrozinski, Joe; Ball, Gary

2013-01-01

NICM-E is a cost estimating relationship that supplements the traditional NICM System Level CERs for instruments flown on NASA Explorer-like missions that have the following three characteristics: 1) fly on Class C missions, 2) major development led and performed by universities or research foundations, and 3) have significant level of inheritance.

NASA Glenn Research Center Solar Cell Experiment Onboard the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Myers, Matthew G.; Wolford, David S.; Prokop, Norman F.; Krasowski, Michael J.; Parker, David S.; Cassidy, Justin C.; Davies , William E.; Vorreiter, Janelle O.; Piszczor, Michael F.; Mcnatt, Jeremiah S.;

Final Report of the NASA Office of Safety and Mission Assurance Agile Benchmarking Team

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wetherholt, Martha

2016-01-01

To ensure that the NASA Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA) community remains in a position to perform reliable Software Assurance (SA) on NASAs critical software (SW) systems with the software industry rapidly transitioning from waterfall to Agile processes, Terry Wilcutt, Chief, Safety and Mission Assurance, Office of Safety and Mission Assurance (OSMA) established the Agile Benchmarking Team (ABT). The Team's tasks were: 1. Research background literature on current Agile processes, 2. Perform benchmark activities with other organizations that are involved in software Agile processes to determine best practices, 3. Collect information on Agile-developed systems to enable improvements to the current NASA standards and processes to enhance their ability to perform reliable software assurance on NASA Agile-developed systems, 4. Suggest additional guidance and recommendations for updates to those standards and processes, as needed. The ABT's findings and recommendations for software management, engineering and software assurance are addressed herein.

Importance of Nuclear Physics to NASA's Space Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tripathi, R. K.; Wilson, J. W.; Cucinotta, F. A.

2001-01-01

We show that nuclear physics is extremely important for accurate risk assessments for space missions. Due to paucity of experimental input radiation interaction information it is imperative to develop reliable accurate models for the interaction of radiation with matter. State-of-the-art nuclear cross sections models have been developed at the NASA Langley Research center and are discussed.

Ensuring Payload Safety in Missions with Special Partnerships

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Staubus, Calvert A.; Willenbring, Rachel C.; Blankenship, Michael D.

2016-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Expendable Launch Vehicle (ELV) payload space flight missions involve cooperative work between NASA and partners including spacecraft (or payload) contractors, universities, nonprofit research centers, Agency payload organization, Range Safety organization, Agency launch service organizations, and launch vehicle contractors. The role of NASA's Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA) Directorate is typically fairly straightforward, but when a mission's partnerships become more complex, to realize cost and science benefits (e.g., multi-agency payload(s) or cooperative international missions), the task of ensuring payload safety becomes much more challenging. This paper discusses lessons learned from NASA safety professionals working multiple-agency missions and offers suggestions to help fellow safety professionals working multiple-agency missions.

Space radiation risks for astronauts on multiple International Space Station missions.

PubMed

Cucinotta, Francis A

2014-01-01

Mortality and morbidity risks from space radiation exposure are an important concern for astronauts participating in International Space Station (ISS) missions. NASA's radiation limits set a 3% cancer fatality probability as the upper bound of acceptable risk and considers uncertainties in risk predictions using the upper 95% confidence level (CL) of the assessment. In addition to risk limitation, an important question arises as to the likelihood of a causal association between a crew-members' radiation exposure in the past and a diagnosis of cancer. For the first time, we report on predictions of age and sex specific cancer risks, expected years of life-loss for specific diseases, and probability of causation (PC) at different post-mission times for participants in 1-year or multiple ISS missions. Risk projections with uncertainty estimates are within NASA acceptable radiation standards for mission lengths of 1-year or less for likely crew demographics. However, for solar minimum conditions upper 95% CL exceed 3% risk of exposure induced death (REID) by 18 months or 24 months for females and males, respectively. Median PC and upper 95%-confidence intervals are found to exceed 50% for several cancers for participation in two or more ISS missions of 18 months or longer total duration near solar minimum, or for longer ISS missions at other phases of the solar cycle. However, current risk models only consider estimates of quantitative differences between high and low linear energy transfer (LET) radiation. We also make predictions of risk and uncertainties that would result from an increase in tumor lethality for highly ionizing radiation reported in animal studies, and the additional risks from circulatory diseases. These additional concerns could further reduce the maximum duration of ISS missions within acceptable risk levels, and will require new knowledge to properly evaluate.

Development of Network-based Communications Architectures for Future NASA Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Slywczak, Richard A.

2007-01-01

Since the Vision for Space Exploration (VSE) announcement, NASA has been developing a communications infrastructure that combines existing terrestrial techniques with newer concepts and capabilities. The overall goal is to develop a flexible, modular, and extensible architecture that leverages and enhances terrestrial networking technologies that can either be directly applied or modified for the space regime. In addition, where existing technologies leaves gaps, new technologies must be developed. An example includes dynamic routing that accounts for constrained power and bandwidth environments. Using these enhanced technologies, NASA can develop nodes that provide characteristics, such as routing, store and forward, and access-on-demand capabilities. But with the development of the new infrastructure, challenges and obstacles will arise. The current communications infrastructure has been developed on a mission-by-mission basis rather than an end-to-end approach; this has led to a greater ground infrastructure, but has not encouraged communications between space-based assets. This alone provides one of the key challenges that NASA must encounter. With the development of the new Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV), NASA has the opportunity to provide an integration path for the new vehicles and provide standards for their development. Some of the newer capabilities these vehicles could include are routing, security, and Software Defined Radios (SDRs). To meet these needs, the NASA/Glenn Research Center s (GRC) Network Emulation Laboratory (NEL) has been using both simulation and emulation to study and evaluate these architectures. These techniques provide options to NASA that directly impact architecture development. This paper identifies components of the infrastructure that play a pivotal role in the new NASA architecture, develops a scheme using simulation and emulation for testing these architectures and demonstrates how NASA can strengthen the new infrastructure by

The HAMMER: High altitude multiple mission environmental researcher

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hayashi, Darren; Zylla, Cara; Amaro, Ernesto; Colin, Phil; Klause, Thomas; Lopez, Bernardo; Williamson, Danna

1991-01-01

At the equator, the ozone layer ranges from 65,000 to 130,000+ feet which is beyond the capabilities of the ER-2, NASA's current high altitude reconnaissance aircraft. The Universities Space Research Association, in cooperation with NASA, is sponsoring an undergraduate program which is geared to designing an aircraft that can study the ozone layer at the equator. This aircraft must be able to satisfy four mission profiles. Mission one is a polar mission which ranges from Chile to the South Pole and back to Chile, a total range of 6000 n. mi. at 100,000 feet with a 2500 lb. payload. The second mission is also a polar mission with a decreased altitude of 70,000 feet and an increased payload of 4000 lb. For the third mission, the aircraft will take-off at NASA Ames, cruise at 100,000 feet carrying a 2500 lb. payload, and land in Puerto Montt, Chile. The final mission requires the aircraft to take-off at NASA Ames, cruise at 100,000 feet with a 1000 lb. payload, make an excursion to 120,000 feet, and land at Howard AFB, Panama. All three missions require that a subsonic Mach number is maintained due to constraints imposed by the air sampling equipment. The aircraft need not be manned for all four missions. Three aircraft configurations were determined to be the most suitable for meeting the above requirements. The performance of each configuration is analyzed to investigate the feasibility of the project requirements. In the event that a requirement can not be obtained within the given constraints, recommendations for proposal modifications are given.

NASA Dryden's Lori Losey was named NASA's 2004 Videographer of the Year in part for her camera work during NASA's AirSAR 2004 science mission in Chile.

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-03-11

Lori Losey, an employee of Arcata Associates at Dryden, was honored with NASA's 2004 Videographer of the Year award for her work in two of the three categories in the NASA video competition, public affairs and documentation. In the public affairs category, Losey received a first-place citation for her footage of an Earth Science mission that was flown aboard NASA's DC-8 Flying Laboratory in South America last year. Her footage not only depicted the work of the scientists aboard the aircraft and on the ground, but she also obtained spectacular footage of flora and fauna in the mission's target area that helped communicate the environmental research goals of the project. Losey also took first place in the documentation category for her acquisition of technical videography of the X-45A Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle flight tests. The video, shot with a hand-held camera from the rear seat of a NASA F/A-18 mission support aircraft, demonstrated her capabilities in recording precise technical visual data in a very challenging airborne environment. The award was presented to Losey during a NASA reception at the National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas April 19. A three-judge panel evaluated entries for public affairs, documentation and production videography on professional excellence, technical quality, originality, creativity within restrictions of the project, and applicability to NASA and its mission. Entries consisted of a continuous video sequence or three views of the same subject for a maximum of three minutes duration. Linda Peters, Arcata Associates' Video Systems Supervisor at NASA Dryden, noted, "Lori is a talented videographer who has demonstrated extraordinary abilities with the many opportunities she has received in her career at NASA." Losey's award was the second major NASA video award won by members of the Dryden video team in two years. Steve Parcel took first place in the documentation category last year for his camera and editing

Discovery STS-131 Mission Landing

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-04-20

STS131-S-086 (20 April 2010) --- The space shuttle Discovery is seen as it lands at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on April 20, 2010. Discovery and the STS-131 mission crew, NASA astronauts Alan Poindexter, commander; James P. Dutton Jr., pilot; Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, Rick Mastracchio, Stephanie Wilson, Clayton Anderson and Japanese astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, all mission specialists, returned from their mission to the International Space Station. Photo credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

Discovery STS-131 Mission Landing

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-04-20

STS131-S-088 (20 April 2010) --- The space shuttle Discovery is seen as it lands at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on April 20, 2010. Discovery and the STS-131 mission crew, NASA astronauts Alan Poindexter, commander; James P. Dutton Jr., pilot; Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, Rick Mastracchio, Stephanie Wilson, Clayton Anderson and Japanese astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, all mission specialists, returned from their mission to the International Space Station. Photo credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

The Challenges and Opportunities for International Cooperative Radio Science; Experience with Mars Express and Venus Express Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holmes, Dwight P.; Thompson, Tommy; Simpson, Richard; Tyler, G. Leonard; Dehant, Veronique; Rosenblatt, Pascal; Hausler, Bernd; Patzold, Martin; Goltz, Gene; Kahan, Daniel;

Packaging a successful NASA mission to reach a large audience within a small budget. Earth's Dynamic Space: Solar-Terrestrial Physics & NASA's Polar Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fox, N. J.; Goldberg, R.; Barnes, R. J.; Sigwarth, J. B.; Beisser, K. B.; Moore, T. E.; Hoffman, R. A.; Russell, C. T.; Scudder, J.; Spann, J. F.; Newell, P. T.; Hobson, L. J.; Gribben, S. P.; Obrien, J. E.; Menietti, J. D.; Germany, G. G.; Mobilia, J.; Schulz, M.

2004-12-01

To showcase the on-going and wide-ranging scope of the Polar science discoveries, the Polar science team has created a one-stop shop for a thorough introduction to geospace physics, in the form of a DVD with supporting website. The DVD, Earth's Dynamic Space: Solar-Terrestrial Physics & NASA's Polar Mission, can be viewed as an end-to-end product or split into individual segments and tailored to lesson plans. Capitalizing on the Polar mission and its amazing science return, the Polar team created an exciting multi-use DVD intended for audiences ranging from a traditional classroom and after school clubs, to museums and science centers. The DVD tackles subjects such as the aurora, the magnetosphere and space weather, whilst highlighting the science discoveries of the Polar mission. This platform introduces the learner to key team members as well as the science principles. Dramatic visualizations are used to illustrate the complex principles that describe Earth’s dynamic space. In order to produce such a wide-ranging product on a shoe-string budget, the team poured through existing NASA resources to package them into the Polar story, and visualizations were created using Polar data to complement the NASA stock footage. Scientists donated their time to create and review scripts in order to make this a real team effort, working closely with the award winning audio-visual group at JHU/Applied Physics Laboratory. The team was excited to be invited to join NASA’s Sun-Earth Day 2005 E/PO program and the DVD will be distributed as part of the supporting educational packages.

Corporate sponsored education initiatives on board the ISS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Durham, Ian T.; Durham, Alyson S.; Pawelczyk, James A.; Brod, Lawrence B.; Durham, Thomas F.

1999-01-01

This paper proposes the creation of a corporate sponsored ``Lecture from Space'' program on board the International Space Station (ISS) with funding coming from a host of new technology and marketing spin-offs. This program would meld existing education initiatives in NASA with new corporate marketing techniques. Astronauts in residence on board the ISS would conduct short ten to fifteen minute live presentations and/or conduct interactive discussions carried out by a teacher in the classroom. This concept is similar to a program already carried out during the Neurolab mission on Shuttle flight STS-90. Building on that concept, the interactive simulcasts would be broadcast over the Internet and linked directly to computers and televisions in classrooms worldwide. In addition to the live broadcasts, educational programs and demonstrations can be recorded in space, and marketed and sold for inclusion in television programs, computer software, and other forms of media. Programs can be distributed directly into classrooms as an additional presentation supplement, as well as over the Internet or through cable and broadcast television, similar to the Canadian Discovery Channel's broadcasts of the Neurolab mission. Successful marketing and advertisement can eventually lead to the creation of an entirely new, privately run cottage industry involving the distribution and sale of educationally related material associated with the ISS that would have the potential to become truly global in scope. By targeting areas of expertise and research interest in microgravity, a large curriculum could be developed using space exploration as a unifying theme. Expansion of this concept could enhance objectives already initiated through the International Space University to include elementary and secondary school students. The ultimate goal would be to stimulate interest in space and space related sciences in today's youth through creative educational marketing initiatives while at the

Reliability and Failure in NASA Missions: Blunders, Normal Accidents, High Reliability, Bad Luck

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Harry W.

2015-01-01

NASA emphasizes crew safety and system reliability but several unfortunate failures have occurred. The Apollo 1 fire was mistakenly unanticipated. After that tragedy, the Apollo program gave much more attention to safety. The Challenger accident revealed that NASA had neglected safety and that management underestimated the high risk of shuttle. Probabilistic Risk Assessment was adopted to provide more accurate failure probabilities for shuttle and other missions. NASA's "faster, better, cheaper" initiative and government procurement reform led to deliberately dismantling traditional reliability engineering. The Columbia tragedy and Mars mission failures followed. Failures can be attributed to blunders, normal accidents, or bad luck. Achieving high reliability is difficult but possible.

NASA Crew Launch Vehicle Approach Builds on Lessons from Past and Present Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dumbacher, Daniel L.

2006-01-01

The United States Vision for Space Exploration, announced in January 2004, outlines the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) strategic goals and objectives, including retiring the Space Shuttle and replacing it with a new human-rated system suitable for missions to the Moon and Mars. The Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) that the new Crew Launch Vehicle (CLV) lofts into space early next decade will initially ferry astronauts to the International Space Station and be capable of carrying crews back to lunar orbit and of supporting missions to Mars orbit. NASA is using its extensive experience gained from past and ongoing launch vehicle programs to maximize the CLV system design approach, with the objective of reducing total lifecycle costs through operational efficiencies. To provide in-depth data for selecting this follow-on launch vehicle, the Exploration Systems Architecture Study was conducted during the summer of 2005, following the confirmation of the new NASA Administrator. A team of aerospace subject matter experts used technical, budget, and schedule objectives to analyze a number of potential launch systems, with a focus on human rating for exploration missions. The results showed that a variant of the Space Shuttle, utilizing the reusable Solid Rocket Booster as the first stage, along with a new upper stage that uses a derivative of the RS-25 Space Shuttle Main Engine to deliver 25 metric tons to low-Earth orbit, was the best choice to reduce the risks associated with fielding a new system in a timely manner. The CLV Project, managed by the Exploration Launch Office located at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, is leading the design, development, testing, and operation of this new human-rated system. The CLV Project works closely with the Space Shuttle Program to transition hardware, infrastructure, and workforce assets to the new launch system . leveraging a wealth of lessons learned from Shuttle operations. The CL V is being designed to

NASA'S Space Launch System: Opening Opportunities for Mission Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robinson, Kimberly F.; Hefner, Keith; Hitt, David

2015-01-01

Designed to meet the stringent requirements of human exploration missions into deep space and to Mars, NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) vehicle represents a unique new launch capability opening new opportunities for mission design. While SLS's super-heavy launch vehicle predecessor, the Saturn V, was used for only two types of missions - launching Apollo spacecraft to the moon and lofting the Skylab space station into Earth orbit - NASA is working to identify new ways to use SLS to enable new missions or mission profiles. In its initial Block 1 configuration, capable of launching 70 metric tons (t) to low Earth orbit (LEO), SLS is capable of not only propelling the Orion crew vehicle into cislunar space, but also delivering small satellites to deep space destinations. With a 5-meter (m) fairing consistent with contemporary Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles (EELVs), the Block 1 configuration can also deliver science payloads to high-characteristic-energy (C3) trajectories to the outer solar system. With the addition of an upper stage, the Block 1B configuration of SLS will be able to deliver 105 t to LEO and enable more ambitious human missions into the proving ground of space. This configuration offers opportunities for launching co-manifested payloads with the Orion crew vehicle, and a new class of secondary payloads, larger than today's cubesats. The evolved configurations of SLS, including both Block 1B and the 130 t Block 2, also offer the capability to carry 8.4- or 10-m payload fairings, larger than any contemporary launch vehicle. With unmatched mass-lift capability, payload volume, and C3, SLS not only enables spacecraft or mission designs currently impossible with contemporary EELVs, it also offers enhancing benefits, such as reduced risk and operational costs associated with shorter transit time to destination and reduced risk and complexity associated with launching large systems either monolithically or in fewer components. As this paper will

IYA2009 NASA Programs: Midyear Status

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasan, H.; Smith, D. A.

2010-08-01

NASA's Science Mission Directorate's (SMD) celebration of the International Year of Astronomy (IYA) 2009 was kicked off in January 2009 with a sneak preview of a multi-wavelength image of M101, and of other images from NASA's space science missions. Since then some of the exciting science generated by NASA's missions in astrophysics, planetary science and heliophysics, which has been given an IYA2009 flavor, has been made available to students, educators and the public worldwide. Some examples of the progress of NASA's programs are presented. The Visions of the Universe traveling exhibit of NASA images to public libraries around the country has been a spectacular success and is being extended to include more libraries. NASA IYA Student Ambassadors met at summer workshop and presented their projects. NASA's Afterschool Universe has provided IYA training to community-based organizations, while pre-launch teacher workshops associated with the Kepler and WISE missions have been designed to engage educators in the science of these missions. IYA activities have been associated with several missions launched this year. These include the Hubble Servicing Mission 4, Kepler, Herschel/Planck, and LCROSS. The NASA IYA website continues to be popular, getting visitors spanning a wide spectrum. NASA's IYA programs have captured the imagination of the public and continue to keep it engaged in the scientific exploration of the universe.

NASA pyrotechnically actuated systems program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schulze, Norman R.

1993-01-01

The Office of Safety and Mission Quality initiated a Pyrotechnically Actuated Systems (PAS) Program in FY-92 to address problems experienced with pyrotechnically actuated systems and devices used both on the ground and in flight. The PAS Program will provide the technical basis for NASA's projects to incorporate new technological developments in operational systems. The program will accomplish that objective by developing/testing current and new hardware designs for flight applications and by providing a pyrotechnic data base. This marks the first applied pyrotechnic technology program funded by NASA to address pyrotechnic issues. The PAS Program has been structured to address the results of a survey of pyrotechnic device and system problems with the goal of alleviating or minimizing their risks. Major program initiatives include the development of a Laser Initiated Ordnance System, a pyrotechnic systems data base, NASA Standard Initiator model, a NASA Standard Linear Separation System and a NASA Standard Gas Generator. The PAS Program sponsors annual aerospace pyrotechnic systems workshops.

Proceedings of the NASA Laboratory Astrophysics Workshop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weck, Phillippe F. (Editor); Kwong, Victor H. S. (Editor); Salama, Farid (Editor)

2006-01-01

This report is a collection of papers presented at the 2006 NASA Workshop on Laboratory Astrophysics held in the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) from February 14 to 16, 2006. This workshop brings together producers and users of laboratory astrophysics data so that they can understand each other's needs and limitations in the context of the needs for NASA's missions. The last NASA-sponsored workshop was held in 2002 at Ames Research Center. Recent related meetings include the Topical Session at the AAS meeting and the European workshop at Pillnitz, Germany, both of which were held in June 2005. The former showcased the importance of laboratory astrophysics to the community at large, while the European workshop highlighted a multi-laboratory approach to providing the needed data. The 2006 NASA Workshop on Laboratory Astrophysics, sponsored by the NASA Astrophysics Division, focused on the current status of the field and its relevance to NASA. This workshop attracted 105 participants and 82 papers of which 19 were invited. A White Paper identifying the key issues in laboratory astrophysics during the break-out sessions was prepared by the Scientific Organizing Committee, and has been forwarded to the Universe Working Group (UWG) at NASA Headquarters. This White Paper, which represented the collective inputs and opinions from experts and stakeholders in the field of astrophysics, should serve as the working document for the future development of NASA's R&A program in laboratory astrophysics.

NASA Satellite Laser Ranging Network

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carter, David L.

2004-01-01

I will be participating in the International Workshop on Laser Ranging. I will be presenting to the International Laser Ranging Service (ILRS) general body meeting on the recent accomplishments and status of the NASA Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) Network. The recent accomplishments and NASA's future plans will be outlined and the benefits to the scientific community will be addressed. I am member of the ILRS governing board, the Missions working group, and the Networks & Engineering working group. I am the chairman of the Missions Working and will be hosting a meeting during the week of the workshop. I will also represent the NASA SLR program at the ILRS governing board and other working group meetings.

NASA Galaxy Mission Celebrates Sixth Anniversary

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-04-28

NASA Galaxy Evolution Explorer Mission celebrates its sixth anniversary studying galaxies beyond our Milky Way through its sensitive ultraviolet telescope, the only such far-ultraviolet detector in space. The mission studies the shape, brightness, size and distance of distant galaxies across 10 billion years of cosmic history, giving scientists a wealth of data to help us better understand the origins of the universe. One such object is pictured here, the galaxy NGC598, more commonly known as M33. This image is a blend of the Galaxy Evolution Explorer's M33 image and another taken by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. M33, one of our closest galactic neighbors, is about 2.9 million light-years away in the constellation Triangulum, part of what's known as our Local Group of galaxies. Together, the Galaxy Evolution Explorer and Spitzer can see a broad spectrum of sky. Spitzer, for example, can detect mid-infrared radiation from dust that has absorbed young stars' ultraviolet light. That's something the Galaxy Evolution Explorer cannot see. This combined image shows in amazing detail the beautiful and complicated interlacing of the heated dust and young stars. In some regions of M33, dust gathers where there is very little far-ultraviolet light, suggesting that the young stars are obscured or that stars further away are heating the dust. In some of the outer regions of the galaxy, just the opposite is true: There are plenty of young stars and very little dust. Far-ultraviolet light from young stars glimmers blue, near-ultraviolet light from intermediate age stars glows green, near-infrared light from old stars burns yellow and orange, and dust rich in organic molecules burns red. The small blue flecks outside the spiral disk of M33 are most likely distant background galaxies. This image is a four-band composite that, in addition to the two ultraviolet bands, includes near infrared as yellow/orange and far infrared as red. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA11999

NASA Program Office Technology Investments to Enable Future Missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thronson, Harley; Pham, Thai; Ganel, Opher

2018-01-01

The Cosmic Origins (COR) and Physics of the Cosmos (PCOS) Program Offices (POs) reside at NASA GSFC and implement priorities for the NASA HQ Astrophysics Division (APD). One major aspect of the POs’ activities is managing our Strategic Astrophysics Technology (SAT) program to mature technologies for future strategic missions. The Programs follow APD guidance on which missions are strategic, currently informed by the NRC’s 2010 Decadal Survey report, as well as APD’s Implementation Plan and the Astrophysics Roadmap.In preparation for the upcoming 2020 Decadal Survey, the APD has established Science and Technology Definition Teams (STDTs) to study four large-mission concepts: the Origins Space Telescope (née, Far-IR Surveyor), Habitable Exoplanet Imaging Mission, Large UV/Optical/IR Surveyor, and Lynx (née, X-ray Surveyor). The STDTs will develop the science case and design reference mission, assess technology development needs, and estimate the cost of their concept. A fifth team, the L3 Study Team (L3ST), was charged to study potential US contributions to ESA’s planned Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) gravitational-wave observatory.The POs use a rigorous and transparent process to solicit technology gaps from the scientific and technical communities, and prioritize those entries based on strategic alignment, expected impact, cross-cutting applicability, and urgency. For the past two years, the technology-gap assessments of the four STDTs and the L3ST are included in our process. Until a study team submits its final report, community-proposed changes to gaps submitted or adopted by a study team are forwarded to that study team for consideration.We discuss our technology development process, with strategic prioritization informing calls for SAT proposals and informing investment decisions. We also present results of the 2017 technology gap prioritization and showcase our current portfolio of technology development projects. To date, 96 COR and 86

Assuring NASA's Safety and Mission Critical Software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Deadrick, Wesley

2015-01-01

What is IV&V? Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) is an objective examination of safety and mission critical software processes and products. Independence: 3 Key parameters: Technical Independence; Managerial Independence; Financial Independence. NASA IV&V perspectives: Will the system's software: Do what it is supposed to do?; Not do what it is not supposed to do?; Respond as expected under adverse conditions?. Systems Engineering: Determines if the right system has been built and that it has been built correctly. IV&V Technical Approaches: Aligned with IEEE 1012; Captured in a Catalog of Methods; Spans the full project lifecycle. IV&V Assurance Strategy: The IV&V Project's strategy for providing mission assurance; Assurance Strategy is driven by the specific needs of an individual project; Implemented via an Assurance Design; Communicated via Assurance Statements.

Mission X: Train Like an Astronaut Challenge

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lloyd, Charles W.

2016-01-01

The Mission X: Train Like an Astronaut Challenge was developed in 2011 to encourage proper exercise and nutrition at an early age by teaching young people to live and eat like space explorers. The strong correlation between an unhealthy childhood diet and adolescent fitness, and the onset of chronic diseases as an adult is the catalyst for Mission X. Mission X is dedicated to assisting people on a global scale to live healthier lifestyles and learn about human space exploration. The Mission X: Train Like an Astronaut 2015 (MX15) International Challenge hosted almost 40,000 children on 800 teams, 28 countries affiliated with 12 space agencies. The MX15 website included 17 languages. MX15, the fifth annual international fitness challenges sponsored by the NASA Human Research Program worked with the European Space Agency and other space agencies from around the world. In comparison to MX14, MX15 expanded to include four additional new countries, increased the number of students by approximately 68% and the number of teams by 29%. Chile' and South Korea participated in the new fall Astro Charlie Walk Around the Earth Challenge. Pre-challenge training materials were made more readily available from the website. South Korea completed a prospective assessment of the usability of the MX content for improving health and fitness in 212 preschool children and their families. Mission X is fortunate to have the support of the NASA, ESA and JAXA astronaut corps. In MX15, they participated in the opening and closing events as well as while on-board the International Space Station. Italian Astronaut Samantha Cristoretti participated as the MX15 Astronaut Ambassador for health and fitness providing the opening video and other videos from ISS. United Kingdom Astronaut Tim Peake and US Astronaut Kate Rubins have agreed to be the MX Ambassadors for 2016 and 2017 respectively. The MX15 International Working Group Face-to-Face meeting and Closing Event were held at the Agenzia Spaziale

An international (ESA/NASA/JAXA/Roscosmos) mission project for the exploration of Europa and Jupiter system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prieur, Daniel

Within the Solar System, Europa, one of the Jovian satellites, is probably the most fascinating target for astrobiologists. From observations of Voyager and Galileo, there is a rather strong probability that a deep water ocean exists beneath a thick water ice crust. Moreover, at depth, this mass of liquid water could be in contact with the silicate core. All these features would allow hydrothermal intercations providing to the Europa oceans all chemicals that might be used as carbon and energy sources and electron acceptors for life. Based on our knowledges on Life on Earth, living entities could thrive in such conditions (low temperature, elevated hydrostatic pressure, darkness, etc). In the framework of the ESA Cosmic Vision program, the mission "Laplace" (leader: M. Blanc, France) has been pre-selected with others for further studies. This mission dedicated to Europa and the Jupiter System is presently under study by a joint ESA/NASA Science Definition Team, to which Japanese and Russian scientists are associated. Several missions scenarios and associated payloads have been proposed for this project (expected launch in 2016-2017), and a decision about selection for industrial studies is expected for October 2008. Recent progresses about this project will be presented.

NASA's Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute: Building Collaboration Through International Partnerships

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gibbs, K. E.; Schmidt, G. K.

2017-01-01

The NASA Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI) is a virtual institute focused on re-search at the intersection of science and exploration, training the next generation of lunar scientists, and community development. As part of the SSERVI mission, we act as a hub for opportunities that engage the larger scientific and exploration communities in order to form new interdisciplinary, research-focused collaborations. This talk will describe the international partner re-search efforts and how we are engaging the international science and exploration communities through workshops, conferences, online seminars and classes, student exchange programs and internships.

Planning For Multiple NASA Missions With Use Of Enabling Radioisotope Power

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

S.G. Johnson; K.L. Lively; C.C. Dwight

Since the early 1960’s the Department of Energy (DOE) and its predecessor agencies have provided radioisotope power systems (RPS) to NASA as an enabling technology for deep space and various planetary missions. They provide reliable power in situations where solar and/or battery power sources are either untenable or would place an undue mass burden on the mission. In the modern era of the past twenty years there has been no time that multiple missions have been considered for launching from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) during the same year. The closest proximity of missions that involved radioisotope power systems would bemore » that of Galileo (October 1989) and Ulysses (October 1990). The closest that involved radioisotope heater units would be the small rovers Spirit and Opportunity (May and July 2003) used in the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) mission. It can be argued that the rovers sent to Mars in 2003 were essentially a special case since they staged in the same facility and used a pair of small launch vehicles (Delta II). This paper examines constraints on the frequency of use of radioisotope power systems with regard to launching them from Kennedy Space Center using currently available launch vehicles. This knowledge may be useful as NASA plans for its future deep space or planetary missions where radioisotope power systems are used as an enabling technology. Previous descriptions have focused on single mission chronologies and not analyzed the timelines with an emphasis on multiple missions.« less

Safety and Mission Assurance: A NASA Perspective

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Higginbotham, Scott A.

2016-01-01

Manned spaceflight is an incredibly complex and inherently risky human endeavor. As the result of the lessons learned through years of triumph and tragedy, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has embraced a comprehensive and integrated approach to the challenge of ensuring safety and mission success. This presentation will provide an overview of some of the techniques employed in this effort, with a focus on the processing operations performed at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC).

On Beyond Star Trek, the Role of Synthetic Biology in Nasa's Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rothschild, Lynn J.

2016-01-01

The time has come to for NASA to exploit the nascent field of synthetic biology in pursuit of its mission, including aeronautics, earth science, astrobiology and notably, human exploration. Conversely, NASA advances the fundamental technology of synthetic biology as no one else can because of its unique expertise in the origin of life and life in extreme environments, including the potential for alternate life forms. This enables unique, creative "game changing" advances. NASA's requirement for minimizing upmass in flight will also drive the field toward miniaturization and automation. These drivers will greatly increase the utility of synthetic biology solutions for military, health in remote areas and commercial purposes. To this end, we have begun a program at NASA to explore the use of synthetic biology in NASA's missions, particularly space exploration. As part of this program, we began hosting an iGEM team of undergraduates drawn from Brown and Stanford Universities to conduct synthetic biology research at NASA Ames Research Center. The 2011 team (http://2011.igem.org/Team:Brown-Stanford) produced an award-winning project on using synthetic biology as a basis for a human Mars settlement and the 2012 team has expanded the use of synthetic biology to estimate the potential for life in the clouds of other planets (http://2012.igem.org/Team:Stanford-Brown; http://www.calacademy.org/sciencetoday/igem-competition/). More recent projects from the Stanford-Brown team have expanded our ideas of how synthetic biology can aid NASA's missions from "Synthetic BioCommunication" (http://2013.igem.org/Team:Stanford-Brown) to a "Biodegradable UAS (drone)" in collaboration with Spelman College (http://2014.igem.org/Team:StanfordBrownSpelman#SBS%20iGEM) and most recently, "Self-Folding Origami" (http://2015.igem.org/Team:Stanford-Brown), the winner of the 2015 award for Manufacturing.

Mexican Space Agency and NASA Agreement

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-03-18

John Grunsfeld (far left), Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters, Dr. Francisco Javier Mendieta Jimenez, Director General of the Mexican Space Agency, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, Leland Melvin, NASA Associate Administrator for Education and Al Condes (far right), Deputy Associate Administrator for International and Interagency Relations pose for a photo, Monday, March 18, 2013 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. A Reimbursable Space Act Agreement (RSAA) for a NASA International Internship Program was signed between the two agencies. This is the first NASA-Mexico agreement signed. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

NASA Intelligent Systems Project: Results, Accomplishments and Impact on Science Missions.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coughlan, J. C.

2005-12-01

The Intelligent Systems Project was responsible for much of NASA's programmatic investment in artificial intelligence and advanced information technologies. IS has completed three major project milestones which demonstrated increased capabilities in autonomy, human centered computing, and intelligent data understanding. Autonomy involves the ability of a robot to place an instrument on a remote surface with a single command cycle, human centered computing supported a collaborative, mission centric data and planning system for the Mars Exploration Rovers and data understanding has produced key components of a terrestrial satellite observation system with automated modeling and data analysis capabilities. This paper summarizes the technology demonstrations and metrics which quantify and summarize these new technologies which are now available for future NASA missions.

NASA Intelligent Systems Project: Results, Accomplishments and Impact on Science Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coughlan, Joseph C.

2005-01-01

The Intelligent Systems Project was responsible for much of NASA's programmatic investment in artificial intelligence and advanced information technologies. IS has completed three major project milestones which demonstrated increased capabilities in autonomy, human centered computing, and intelligent data understanding. Autonomy involves the ability of a robot to place an instrument on a remote surface with a single command cycle. Human centered computing supported a collaborative, mission centric data and planning system for the Mars Exploration Rovers and data understanding has produced key components of a terrestrial satellite observation system with automated modeling and data analysis capabilities. This paper summarizes the technology demonstrations and metrics which quantify and summarize these new technologies which are now available for future Nasa missions.

NASA as a Convener: Government, Academic and Industry Collaborations Through the NASA Human Health and Performance Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, Jeffrey R.; Richard, Elizabeth E.

2011-01-01

On October 18, 2010, the NASA Human Health and Performance center (NHHPC) was opened to enable collaboration among government, academic and industry members. Membership rapidly grew to 60 members (http://nhhpc.nasa.gov ) and members began identifying collaborative projects as detailed below. In addition, a first workshop in open collaboration and innovation was conducted on January 19, 2011 by the NHHPC resulting in additional challenges and projects for further development. This first workshop was a result of the SLSD successes in running open innovation challenges over the past two years. In 2008, the NASA Johnson Space Center, Space Life Sciences Directorate (SLSD) began pilot projects in open innovation (crowd sourcing) to determine if these new internet-based platforms could indeed find solutions to difficult technical problems. From 2008 to 2010, the SLSD issued 34 challenges, 14 externally and 20 internally. The 14 external challenges were conducted through three different vendors: InnoCentive, Yet2.com and TopCoder. The 20 internal challenges were conducted using the InnoCentive platform, customized to NASA use, and promoted as NASA@Work. The results from the 34 challenges involved not only technical solutions that were reported previously at the 61st IAC, but also the formation of new collaborative relationships. For example, the TopCoder pilot was expanded by the NASA Space Operations Mission Directorate to the NASA Tournament Lab in collaboration with Harvard Business School and TopCoder. Building on these initial successes, the NHHPC workshop in January of 2011, and ongoing NHHPC member discussions, several important collaborations are in development: Space Act Agreement between NASA and GE for collaborative projects, NASA and academia for a Visual Impairment / Intracranial Hypertension summit (February 2011), NASA and the DoD through the Defense Venture Catalyst Initiative (DeVenCI) for a technical needs workshop (June 2011), NASA and the San Diego Zoo

NASA-ESA Joint Mission to Explore Two Worlds of Great Astrobiological Interest - Titan and Enceladus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reh, K.; Coustenis, A.; Lunine, J.; Matson, D.; Lebreton, J.-P.; Erd, C.; Beauchamp, P.

2009-04-01

Rugged shorelines, laced with canyons, leading to ethane/methane seas glimpsed through an organic haze, vast fields of dunes shaped by alien sciroccos… An icy moon festooned with plumes of water-ice and organics, whose warm watery source might be glimpsed through surface cracks that glow in the infrared… The revelations by Cassini-Huygens about Saturn's crown jewels, Titan and Enceladus, have rocked the public with glimpses of new worlds unimagined a decade before. The time is at hand to capitalize on those discoveries with a broad mission of exploration that combines the widest range of planetary science disciplines—Geology, Geophysics, Atmospheres, Astrobiology,Chemistry, Magnetospheres—in a single NASA/ESA collaboration. The Titan Saturn System Mission will explore these exciting new environments, flying through Enceladus' plumes and plunging deep into Titan's atmosphere with instruments tuned to find what Cassini could only hint at. Exploring Titan with an international fleet of vehicles; from orbit, from the surface of a great polar sea, and from the air with the first hot air balloon to ride an extraterrestrial breeze, TSSM will turn our snapshot gaze of these worlds into an epic film. This paper will describe a collaborative NASA-ESA Titan Saturn System Mission that will open a new phase of planetary exploration by projecting robotic presence on the land, on the sea, and in the air of an active, organic-rich world.

Take off with NASA's Kepler Mission!: The Search for Other "Earths"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koch, David; DeVore, Edna K.; Gould, Alan; Harman, Pamela

2009-01-01

Humans have long wondered about life in the universe. Are we alone? Is Earth unique? What is it that makes our planet a habitable one, and are there others like Earth? NASA's Kepler Mission seeks the answers to these questions. Kepler is a space-based, specially designed 0.95 m aperture telescope. Launching in 2009, Kepler is NASA's first mission…

Advanced Curation Activities at NASA: Preparing to Receive, Process, and Distribute Samples Returned from Future Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McCubbin, Francis M.; Zeigler, Ryan A.

2017-01-01

The Astromaterials Acquisition and Curation Office (henceforth referred to herein as NASA Curation Office) at NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) is responsible for curating all of NASA's extraterrestrial samples. Under the governing document, NASA Policy Directive (NPD) 7100.10F JSC is charged with curation of all extraterrestrial material under NASA control, including future NASA missions. The Directive goes on to define Curation as including documentation, preservation, preparation, and distribution of samples for research, education, and public outreach. Here we briefly describe NASA's astromaterials collections and our ongoing efforts related to enhancing the utility of our current collections as well as our efforts to prepare for future sample return missions. We collectively refer to these efforts as advanced curation.

Education and Public Outreach for NASA's EPOXI Mission.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McFadden, Lucy-Ann A.; Crow, C. A.; Behne, J.; Brown, R. N.; Counley, J.; Livengood, T. A.; Ristvey, J. D.; Warner, E. M.

2009-09-01

NASA's EPOXI mission is reusing the Deep Impact (DI) flyby spacecraft to study comets and extra-solar planets around other stars. During the Extrasolar Planetary Observations and Characterization (EPOCh) phase of the mission extrasolar planets transiting their parent stars were observed to gain further knowledge and understanding of planetary systems. Observations of Earth also allowed for characterization of Earth as an extrasolar planet. A movie of a lunar transit of the Earth created from EPOCh images and links to existing planet finding activities from other NASA missions are available on the EPOXI website. The Deep Impact Extended Investigation (DIXI) continues the Deep Impact theme of investigating comet properties and formation by observing comet Hartley 2 in November 2010. The EPOXI Education and Public Outreach (E/PO) program is both creating new materials and updating and modifying existing Deep Impact materials based on DI mission results. Comparing Comets is a new educational activity under development that will guide students in conducting analyses of comet surface features similar to those the DIXI scientists will perform after observing comet Hartley 2. A new story designed to stimulate student creativity was developed in alignment with national educational standards. EPOXI E/PO also funded Family Science Night (FSN), a program bringing together students, families, and educators for an evening at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. FSN events include time for families to explore the museum, a presentation by a space scientist, and an astronomy themed IMAX film. Nine events were held during the 2008-2009 school year with a total attendance of 3,145 (attendance since inception reached 44,732). Half of attendance is reserved for schools with high percentages of underrepresented minorities. EPOXI additionally offers a bi-monthly newsletter to keep the public, teachers, and space enthusiasts updated on current mission activities. For more

Planning for future X-ray astronomy missions .

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urry, C. M.

Space science has become an international business. Cutting-edge missions are too expensive and too complex for any one country to have the means and expertise to construct. The next big X-ray mission, Astro-H, led by Japan, has significant participation by Europe and the U.S. The two premier missions currently operating, Chandra and XMM-Newton, led by NASA and ESA, respectively, are thoroughly international. The science teams are international and the user community is International. It makes sense that planning for future X-ray astronomy missions -- and the eventual missions themselves -- be fully integrated on an international level.

The NASA Mission Operations and Control Architecture Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ondrus, Paul J.; Carper, Richard D.; Jeffries, Alan J.

1994-01-01

The conflict between increases in space mission complexity and rapidly declining space mission budgets has created strong pressures to radically reduce the costs of designing and operating spacecraft. A key approach to achieving such reductions is through reducing the development and operations costs of the supporting mission operations systems. One of the efforts which the Communications and Data Systems Division at NASA Headquarters is using to meet this challenge is the Mission Operations Control Architecture (MOCA) project. Technical direction of this effort has been delegated to the Mission Operations Division (MOD) of the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). MOCA is to develop a mission control and data acquisition architecture, and supporting standards, to guide the development of future spacecraft and mission control facilities at GSFC. The architecture will reduce the need for around-the-clock operations staffing, obtain a high level of reuse of flight and ground software elements from mission to mission, and increase overall system flexibility by enabling the migration of appropriate functions from the ground to the spacecraft. The end results are to be an established way of designing the spacecraft-ground system interface for GSFC's in-house developed spacecraft, and a specification of the end to end spacecraft control process, including data structures, interfaces, and protocols, suitable for inclusion in solicitation documents for future flight spacecraft. A flight software kernel may be developed and maintained in a condition that it can be offered as Government Furnished Equipment in solicitations. This paper describes the MOCA project, its current status, and the results to date.

NASA Social Briefing on Planet-Hunting Mission Launch

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-04-15

NASA and industry leaders speak to NASA Social participants about the agency's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in the Press Site auditorium at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Speaking to the group from center are Natalia Guerrero, TESS researcher, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Robert Lockwood, TESS Spacecraft Program Manager, Orbital ATK. At far left is Jason Townsend, NASA Communications. TESS is the next step in the search for planets outside of our solar system. The mission will find exoplanets that periodically block part of the light from their host stars, events called transits. The satellite will survey the nearest and brightest stars for two years to search for transiting exoplanets. TESS will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station no earlier than 6:32 p.m. EDT on Monday, April 16.

NASA JSC EV2 Intern Spring 2016 - Jennie Chung

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chung, Jennie

2016-01-01

Exploration Mission 2 (EM-2) is a mission to resume the manned exploration of the Solar System. This mission is the first crewed mission of NASA’s Orion on the Space Launch System. The target for EM-2 is to perform a flyby of a captured asteroid in lunar orbit, which NASA plans to launch in 2023. As an intern working with EV-2 – Avionics Systems Division in Johnson Space Center, we are developing flight instrumentation systems for EM-2 (MISL & RFID). The Modular Integrated Stackable Layer (MISL) is a compact space-related computer system that is modular, scalable and reconfigurable. The RFID (radio frequency identification) sensors are used to take lower frequency (TC) type measurements and be able to stream data real-time to an RF (radio frequency) interrogator upon demand. Our job, in EV-2, is to certify, test, manufacture/assemble and deliver flight EM-2 DFI System (MISL & RFID). Our goal is to propose a development effort to design low-mass wire and wireless data acquisition and sensor solutions for EM-2 DFI (Development Flight Instrumentation). The team is tasked to provide the most effective use of 75 pounds to acquire DFI data and to collect sensor data for 100-200 high priority DFI channels (mass driven).

Dynamic Emulation of NASA Missions for IVandV: A Case Study of JWST and SLS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yokum, Steve

2015-01-01

Software-Only-Simulations are an emerging but quickly developing field of study throughout NASA. The NASA Independent Verification Validation (IVV) Independent Test Capability (ITC) team has been rapidly building a collection of simulators for a wide range of NASA missions. ITC specializes in full end-to-end simulations that enable developers, VV personnel, and operators to test-as-you-fly. In four years, the team has delivered a wide variety of spacecraft simulations ranging from low complexity science missions such as the Global Precipitation Management (GPM) satellite and the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR), to the extremely complex missions such as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and Space Launch System (SLS).

Utilization of the International Space Station for Crew Autonomous Scheduling Test (CAST)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Healy, Matthew; Marquez, Jesica; Hillenius, Steven; Korth, David; Bakalyar, Laure Rush; Woodbury, Neil; Larsen, Crystal M.; Bates, Shelby; Kockler, Mikayla; Rhodes, Brooke;

NASA's Space Launch System Mission Capabilities for Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Creech, Stephen D.; Crumbly, Christopher M.; Robinson, Kimberly F.

2015-01-01

Designed to enable human space exploration missions, including eventual landings on Mars, NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) represents a unique launch capability with a wide range of utilization opportunities, from delivering habitation systems into the lunar vicinity to high-energy transits through the outer solar system. Developed with the goals of safety, affordability and sustainability in mind, SLS is a foundational capability for NASA's future plans for exploration, along with the Orion crew vehicle and upgraded ground systems at the agency's Kennedy Space Center. Substantial progress has been made toward the first launch of the initial configuration of SLS, which will be able to deliver more than 70 metric tons of payload into low Earth orbit (LEO), greater mass-to-orbit capability than any contemporary launch vehicle. The vehicle will then be evolved into more powerful configurations, culminating with the capability to deliver more than 130 metric tons to LEO, greater even than the Saturn V rocket that enabled human landings on the moon. SLS will also be able to carry larger payload fairings than any contemporary launch vehicle, and will offer opportunities for co-manifested and secondary payloads. Because of its substantial mass-lift capability, SLS will also offer unrivaled departure energy, enabling mission profiles currently not possible. Early collaboration with science teams planning future decadal-class missions have contributed to a greater understanding of the vehicle's potential range of utilization. This presentation will discuss the potential opportunities this vehicle poses for the planetary sciences community, relating the vehicle's evolution to practical implications for mission capture. As this paper will explain, SLS will be a global launch infrastructure asset, employing sustainable solutions and technological innovations to deliver capabilities for space exploration to power human and robotic systems beyond our Moon and in to deep space.

Expanding NASA and Roscosmos Scientific Collaboration on the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hasbrook, Pete

2016-01-01

The International Space Station (ISS) is a world-class laboratory orbiting in space. NASA and Roscosmos have developed a strong relationship through the ISS Program Partnership, working together and with the other ISS Partners for more than twenty years. Since 2013, based on a framework agreement between the Program Managers, NASA and Roscosmos are building a joint program of collaborative research on ISS. This international collaboration is developed and implemented in phases. Initially, members of the ISS Program Science Forum from NASA and TsNIIMash (representing Roscosmos) identified the first set of NASA experiments that could be implemented in the "near term". The experiments represented the research categories of Technology Demonstration, Microbiology, and Education. Through these experiments, the teams from the "program" and "operations" communities learned to work together to identify collaboration opportunities, establish agreements, and jointly plan and execute the experiments. The first joint scientific activity on ISS occurred in January 2014, and implementation of these joint experiments continues through present ISS operations. NASA and TsNIIMash have proceeded to develop "medium term" collaborations, where scientists join together to improve already-proposed experiments. A major success is the joint One-Year Mission on ISS, with astronaut Scott Kelly and cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko, who returned from ISS in March, 2016. The teams from the NASA Human Research Program and the RAS Institute for Biomedical Problems built on their considerable experience to design joint experiments, learn to work with each other's protocols and processes, and share medical and research data. New collaborations are being developed between American and Russian scientists in complex fluids, robotics, rodent research and space biology, and additional human research. Collaborations are also being developed in Earth Remote Sensing, where scientists will share data from imaging

Digital Learning Network Education Events of NASA's Extreme Environments Mission Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Paul, Heather; Guillory, Erika

2007-01-01

NASA's Digital Learning Network (DLN) reaches out to thousands of students each year through video conferencing and web casting. The DLN has created a series of live education videoconferences connecting NASA s Extreme Environment Missions Operations (NEEMO) team to students across the United States. The programs are also extended to students around the world live web casting. The primary focus of the events is the vision for space exploration. During the programs, NEEMO Crewmembers including NASA astronauts, engineers and scientists inform and inspire students about the importance of exploration and share the impact of the project as it correlates with plans to return to the moon and explore the planet Mars. These events highlight interactivity. Students talk live with the aquanauts in Aquarius, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration s underwater laboratory. With this program, NASA continues the Agency s tradition of investing in the nation's education programs. It is directly tied to the Agency's major education goal of attracting and retaining students in science, technology, and engineering disciplines. Before connecting with the aquanauts, the students conduct experiments of their own designed to coincide with mission objectives. This paper describes the events that took place in September 2006.

48 CFR 35.017-1 - Sponsoring agreements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Sponsoring agreements. 35... CATEGORIES OF CONTRACTING RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CONTRACTING 35.017-1 Sponsoring agreements. (a) In order... mission, and ensure a periodic reevaluation of the FFRDC, a written agreement of sponsorship between the...

48 CFR 35.017-1 - Sponsoring agreements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Sponsoring agreements. 35... CATEGORIES OF CONTRACTING RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CONTRACTING 35.017-1 Sponsoring agreements. (a) In order... mission, and ensure a periodic reevaluation of the FFRDC, a written agreement of sponsorship between the...

48 CFR 35.017-1 - Sponsoring agreements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Sponsoring agreements. 35... CATEGORIES OF CONTRACTING RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CONTRACTING 35.017-1 Sponsoring agreements. (a) In order... mission, and ensure a periodic reevaluation of the FFRDC, a written agreement of sponsorship between the...

Airborne Science personnel Walter Klein and David Bushman at the Mission Manager's console onboard NASA's DC-8 during the AirSAR 2004 campaign

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-03-03

Airborne Science personnel Walter Klein and David Bushman at the Mission Manager's console onboard NASA's DC-8 during the AirSAR 2004 campaign. AirSAR 2004 is a three-week expedition by an international team of scientists that will use an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR), in a mission ranging from the tropical rain forests of Central America to frigid Antarctica.

International Human Mission to Mars: Analyzing A Conceptual Launch and Assembly Campaign

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cates, Grant; Stromgren, Chel; Arney, Dale; Cirillo, William; Goodliff, Kandyce

2014-01-01

In July of 2013, U.S. Congressman Kennedy (D-Mass.) successfully offered an amendment to H.R. 2687, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2013. "International Participation—The President should invite the United States partners in the International Space Station program and other nations, as appropriate, to participate in an international initiative under the leadership of the United States to achieve the goal of successfully conducting a crewed mission to the surface of Mars." This paper presents a concept for an international campaign to launch and assemble a crewed Mars Transfer Vehicle. NASA’s “Human Exploration of Mars: Design Reference Architecture 5.0” (DRA 5.0) was used as the point of departure for this concept. DRA 5.0 assumed that the launch and assembly campaign would be conducted using NASA launch vehicles. The concept presented utilizes a mixed fleet of NASA Space Launch System (SLS), U.S. commercial and international launch vehicles to accomplish the launch and assembly campaign. This concept has the benefit of potentially reducing the campaign duration. However, the additional complexity of the campaign must also be considered. The reliability of the launch and assembly campaign utilizing SLS launches augmented with commercial and international launch vehicles is analyzed and compared using discrete event simulation.

NASA Mars 2020 Rover Mission: New Frontiers in Science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Calle, Carlos I.

2014-01-01

The Mars 2020 rover mission is the next step in NASAs robotic exploration of the red planet. The rover, based on the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover now on Mars, will address key questions about the potential for life on Mars. The mission would also provide opportunities to gather knowledge and demonstrate technologies that address the challenges of future human expeditions to Mars.Like the Mars Science Laboratory rover, which has been exploring Mars since 2012, the Mars 2020 spacecraft will use a guided entry, descent, and landing system which includes a parachute, descent vehicle, and, during the provides the ability to land a very large, heavy rover on the surface of Mars in a more precise landing area. The Mars 2020 mission is designed to accomplish several high-priority planetary science goals and will be an important step toward meeting NASAs challenge to send humans to Mars in the 2030s. The mission will conduct geological assessments of the rover's landing site, determine the habitability of the environment, search for signs of ancient Martian life, and assess natural resources and hazards for future human explorers. The science instruments aboard the rover also will enable scientists to identify and select a collection of rock and soil samples that will be stored for potential return to Earth in the future. The rover also may help designers of a human expedition understand the hazards posed by Martian dust and demonstrate how to collect carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, which could be a valuable resource for producing oxygen and rocket fuel.

Free Radicals and Reactive Intermediates for the SAGE III Ozone Loss and Validation Experiment (SOLVE) Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, James G.

2001-01-01

This grant provided partial support for participation in the SAGE III Ozone Loss and Validation Experiment. The NASA-sponsored SOLVE mission was conducted Jointly with the European Commission-sponsored Third European Stratospheric Experiment on Ozone (THESEO 2000). Researchers examined processes that control ozone amounts at mid to high latitudes during the arctic winter and acquired correlative data needed to validate the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) III satellite measurements that are used to quantitatively assess high-latitude ozone loss. The campaign began in September 1999 with intercomparison flights out of NASA Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards. CA. and continued through March 2000. with midwinter deployments out of Kiruna. Sweden. SOLVE was co-sponsored by the Upper Atmosphere Research Program (UARP). Atmospheric Effects of Aviation Project (AEAP). Atmospheric Chemistry Modeling and Analysis Program (ACMAP). and Earth Observing System (EOS) of NASA's Earth Science Enterprise (ESE) as part of the validation program for the SAGE III instrument.

Products from NASA's In-Space Propulsion Technology Program Applicable to Low-Cost Planetary Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, David J.; Pencil, Eric; Vento, Daniel; Peterson, Todd; Dankanich, John; Hahne, David; Munk, Michelle M.

2011-01-01

Since September 2001 NASA s In-Space Propulsion Technology (ISPT) program has been developing technologies for lowering the cost of planetary science missions. Recently completed is the high-temperature Advanced Material Bipropellant Rocket (AMBR) engine providing higher performance for lower cost. Two other cost saving technologies nearing completion are the NEXT ion thruster and the Aerocapture technology project. Also under development are several technologies for low cost sample return missions. These include a low cost Hall effect thruster (HIVHAC) which will be completed in 2011, light weight propellant tanks, and a Multi-Mission Earth Entry Vehicle (MMEEV). This paper will discuss the status of the technology development, the cost savings or performance benefits, and applicability of these in-space propulsion technologies to NASA s future Discovery, and New Frontiers missions, as well as their relevance for sample return missions.

STS-79 Mission Insignia

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1996-01-01

STS-79 was the fourth in a series of NASA docking missions to the Russian Mir Space Station, leading up to the construction and operation of the International Space Station (ISS). As the first flight of the Spacehab Double Module, STS-79 encompassed research, test and evaluation of ISS, as well as logistics resupply for the Mir Space Station. STS-79 was also the first NASA-Mir American crew member exchange mission, with John E. Blaha (NASA-Mir-3) replacing Shannon W. Lucid (NASA-Mir-2) aboard the Mir Space Station. The lettering of their names either up or down denotes transport up to the Mir Space Station or return to Earth on STS-79. The patch is in the shape of the Space Shuttle's airlock hatch, symbolizing the gateway to international cooperation in space. The patch illustrates the historic cooperation between the United States and Russia in space. With the flags of Russia and the United States as a backdrop, the handshake of Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) which are suited crew members symbolizes mission teamwork, not only of the crew members but also the teamwork between both countries space personnel in science, engineering, medicine and logistics.

NASA's 2004 In-Space Propulsion Refocus Studies for New Frontiers Class Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Witzberger, Kevin E.; Manzella, David; Oh, David; Cupples, Mike

2006-01-01

The New Frontiers (NF) program is designed to provide opportunities to fulfill the science objectives for top priority, medium class missions identified in the Decadal Solar System Exploration Survey. This paper assesses the applicability of the In-Space Propulsion s (ISP) Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) technologies for representative NF class missions that include a Jupiter Polar Orbiter with Probes (JPOP), Comet Surface Sample Return (CSSR), and two different Titan missions. The SEP technologies evaluated include the 7-kW, 4,100-second NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT), the 3-kW, 2,700-second Hall thruster, and two different NASA Solar Electric Propulsion Technology Readiness (NSTAR) thrusters that are variants of the Deep Space 1 (DS1) thruster. One type of NSTAR, a 2.6-kW, 3,100-second thruster, will be the primary propulsion system for the DAWN mission that is scheduled to launch in 2006; the other is an "enhanced", higher power variant (3.8-kW, 4,100-second) and is so-called because it uses NEXT system components such as the NEXT power processing unit (PPU). The results show that SEP is applicable for the CSSR mission and a Titan Lander mission. In addition, NEXT has improved its applicability for these types of missions by modifying its thruster performance relative to its performance at the beginning of this study.

Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (CPS) Configuration in Support of NASA's Multiple Design Reference Missions (DRMs)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hanna, Stephen G.; Jones, David L.; Creech, Stephen D.; Lawrence, Thomas D.

2012-01-01

In support of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD), the Space Launch System (SLS) is being designed for safe, affordable, and sustainable human and scientific exploration missions beyond Earth's or-bit (BEO). The SLS Team is tasked with developing a system capable of safely and repeatedly lofting a new fleet of spaceflight vehicles beyond Earth orbit. The Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (CPS) is a key enabler for evolving the SLS capability for BEO missions. This paper reports on the methodology and initial recommendations relative to the CPS, giving a brief retrospective of early studies on this promising propulsion hardware. This paper provides an overview of the requirements development and CPS configuration in support of NASA's multiple Design Reference Missions (DRMs).

How NASA Utilizes Dashboards to Help Ensure Mission Success

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blakeley, Chris

2013-01-01

NASA is actively planning to expand human spaceflight and robotic exploration beyond low Earth orbit. To prepare for the challenge of exploring these destinations in space, NASA conducts missions here on Earth in remote locations that have physical similarities to extreme space environments. Program managers for the Advanced Exploration Systems program requested a simple way to track financial information to ensure that each task stayed within their budgetary constraints. Using SAP BusinessObjects Dashboards (Formerly Xcelsius), a dashboard was created to satisfy all of their key requirements. Lessons learned, along with some tips and tricks, will be highlighted during this session.

Next space station crew discusses mission on This Week @NASA – September 25, 2015

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-09-25

A news conference was held on Sept. 24 at NASA’s Johnson Space Center with the next crew launching to the International Space Station, including NASA astronaut Tim Kopra. ESA astronaut Timothy Peake, cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko of the Russian Federal Space Agency and Kopra will launch to the station aboard a Soyuz spacecraft on Dec. 15 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. They’re currently scheduled to return to Earth in May 2016. Also, The rich colors of Pluto, Anniversary of MAVEN’s arrival at Mars, Fall IceBridge missions at both poles, New aviation technology and Robotics team on Capitol Hill!

Near Earth Asteroid Scout: NASA's Solar Sail Mission to a NEA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Les; Castillo-Rogez, Julie; Dervan, Jared

2017-01-01

NASA is developing a solar sail propulsion system for use on the Near Earth Asteroid (NEA) Scout reconnaissance mission and laying the groundwork for their use in future deep space science and exploration missions. Solar sails use sunlight to propel vehicles through space by reflecting solar photons from a large, mirror-like sail made of a lightweight, highly reflective material. This continuous photon pressure provides propellant-less thrust, allowing for very high delta V maneuvers on long-duration, deep space exploration. Since reflected light produces thrust, solar sails require no onboard propellant. The Near Earth Asteroid (NEA) Scout mission, funded by NASA’s Advanced Exploration Systems Program and managed by NASA MSFC, will use the sail as primary propulsion allowing it to survey and image Asteroid 1991VG and, potentially, other NEA’s of interest for possible future human exploration. The NEA Scout spacecraft is housed in a 6U CubeSat-form factor and utilizes an 86 square meter solar sail for a total mass less than 14 kilograms. The mission is in partnership with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory with support from Langley Research Center and science participants from various institutions. NEA Scout will be launched on the maiden flight of the Space Launch System in 2019. The solar sail for NEA Scout will be based on the technology developed and flown by the NASA NanoSail-D and flown on The Planetary Society’s Lightsail-A. Four approximately-7-meter stainless steel booms wrapped on two spools (two overlapping booms per spool) will be motor driven and pull the sail from its stowed volume. The sail material is an aluminized polyimide approximately 2.5 microns thick. As the technology matures, solar sails will increasingly be used to enable science and exploration missions that are currently impossible or prohibitively expensive using traditional chemical and electric propulsion systems. This paper will summarize the status of the NEA Scout mission and solar

NASA's Kepler Mission: Lessons Learned from Teacher Professional Development Workshops

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Devore, E.; Harman, P.; Koch, D.; Gould, A.

2010-08-01

NASA's Kepler Mission conducts teacher professional development workshops on the search for exoplanets in the habitable zone of Sun-like stars. Each is supported by a Kepler team scientist, two Education and Public Outreach staff and local hosts. Activities combine a science content lecture and discussion, making models, kinesthetic activities, and interpretation of transit data. The emphasis is on inquiry-based instruction and supports science education standards in grades 7-12. Participants' kit includes an orrery, optical sensor and software to demonstrate transit detection. The workshop plan, teaching strategies, and lessons learned from evaluation will be discussed. Future events are planned. The Kepler Mission teacher professional development workshops are designed using the best practices and principals from the National Science Education Standards and similar documents. Sharing the outcome of our plans, strategies and formative evaluation results can be of use to other Education and Public Outreach practitioners who plan similar events. In sharing our experiences, we hope to assist others, and to learn from them as well. Supported by NASA Grants to the E. DeVore, SETI Institute NAG2-6066 Kepler Education and Public Outreach and NNX08BA74G, IYA Kepler Mission Pre-launch Workshops.

Communicating the Science of Nasa's Maven Mission through Public Engagement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mason, T.; Peticolas, L. M.; Wood, E. L.

2014-12-01

As education, public outreach, and communications professionals, we see the direct benefits of online outreach and other public engagement strategies in communicating complex scientific concepts. While public understanding of science and scientific literacy rates has stagnated at best, online engagement has never been more active. About 40% of Americans receive information about science and technology primarily from online sources; however, the ability to pursue enhanced learning opportunities is directly correlated with higher education and income. The MAVEN E/PO team has recognized an opportunity to bring the science of the mission to a growing, online community of engaged learners and potential supporters of future scientific research and data. We have taken a wide variety of approaches to educate the public—particularly non-traditional audiences—about a mission that is not as "sexy" as many other NASA missions, but is critical to understanding the evolution of Mars over time as part of an ongoing, long-term effort by NASA's Mars Exploration Program. We will highlight some of the tools—including online platforms—that we have used to share the science of MAVEN and will present preliminary evaluation results from our education and public outreach projects.

``Big Bang" for NASA's Buck: Nearly Three Years of EUVE Mission Operations at UCB

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stroozas, B. A.; Nevitt, R.; McDonald, K. E.; Cullison, J.; Malina, R. F.

1999-12-01

After over seven years in orbit, NASA's Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) satellite continues to perform flawlessly and with no significant loss of science capabilities. EUVE continues to produce important and exciting science results and, with reentry not expected until 2003-2004, many more such discoveries await. In the nearly three years since the outsourcing of EUVE from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, the small EUVE operations team at the University of California at Berkeley (UCB) has successfully conducted all aspects of the EUVE mission -- from satellite operations, science and mission planning, and data processing, delivery, and archival, to software support, systems administration, science management, and overall mission direction. This paper discusses UCB's continued focus on automation and streamlining, in all aspects of the Project, as the means to maximize EUVE's overall scientific productivity while minimizing costs. Multitasking, non-traditional work roles, and risk management have led to expanded observing capabilities while achieving significant cost reductions and maintaining the mission's historical 99 return. This work was funded under NASA Cooperative Agreement NCC5-138.

A review of NASA international programs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1979-01-01

A synoptic overview of NASA's international activities to January 1979 is presented. The cooperating countries and international organizations are identified. Topics covered include (1) cooperative arrangements for ground-based, spaceborne, airborne, rocket-borne, and balloon-borne ventures, joint development, and aeronautical R & D; (2) reimbursable launchings; (3) tracking and data acquisition; and (4) personnel exchanges. International participation in NASA's Earth resources investigations is summarized in the appendix. A list of automatic picture transmission stations is included.

A mission design for International Manned Mars Mission - From the 1991 International Space University (ISU) Design Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mendell, Wendell W.

1991-01-01

The International Space University (ISU) conducted a study of an international program to support human exploration of Mars as its annual Design Project activity during its 1991 summer session in Toulouse, France. Although an ISU Design Project strives to produce an in-depth analysis during the intense 10-week summer session, the International Mars Mission (IMM) project was conducted in a manner designed to provide a learning experience for young professionals working in an unusual multidisciplinary and multinational environment. The breadth of the IMM study exceeds that of most Mars mission studies of the past, encompassing political organization for long-term commitment, multinational management structure, cost analysis, mission architecture, vehicle configuration, crew health, life support, Mars surface infrastructure, mission operations, technology evaluation, risk assessment, scientific planning, exploration, communication networks, and Martian resource utilization. The IMM Final Report has particular value for those seeking insight into the choices made by a multinational group working in an apolitical environment on the problems of international cooperation in space.

Evaluation of COTS Electronic Parts for Extreme Temperature Use in NASA Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Patterson, Richard L.; Hammoud, Ahmad; Elbuluk, Malik

2008-01-01

Electronic systems capable of extreme temperature operation are required for many future NASA space exploration missions where it is desirable to have smaller, lighter, and less expensive spacecraft and probes. Presently, spacecraft on-board electronics are maintained at about room temperature by use of thermal control systems. An Extreme Temperature Electronics Program at the NASA Glenn Research Center focuses on development of electronics suitable for space exploration missions. The effects of exposure to extreme temperatures and thermal cycling are being investigated for commercial-off-the-shelf components as well as for components specially developed for harsh environments. An overview of this program along with selected data is presented.

NASA's initial flight missions in the Small Explorer Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rasch, Nickolus O.; Brown, William W.

1989-01-01

A new component of NASA's Explorer Program has been initiated in order to provide research opportunities characterized by small, quick-turn-around, and frequent space missions. Objectives include the launching of one or two payloads per year, depending on mission cost and availability of funds and launch vehicles. The four missions chosen from the proposals solicited by the Small Explorer Announcement Opportunity are discussed in detail. These include the Solar, Anomalous, and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer (SAMPEX) designed to carry out energetic particle studies of outstanding questions in the fields of space plasma, solar, heliospheric, cosmic ray, and middle atmospheric physics; the Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite (SWAS), which will conduct both pointed and survey observations of dense galactic molecular clouds; the Fast Auroral Snapshot Explorer (FAST); and the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS).

Garver NASA Social

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-05-18

NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver, in yellow jacket, stands with participants from the NASA Social underneath the engines of the Saturn V rocket at the Apollo Saturn V visitor center, Thursday, May 18, 2012, at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. About 50 NASA Social followers attended an event as part of activities surrounding the launch of Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, demonstration mission of the company's Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Paul E. Alers)

NASA's Internal Space Weather Working Group

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

St. Cyr, O. C.; Guhathakurta, M.; Bell, H.; Niemeyer, L.; Allen, J.

2011-01-01

Measurements from many of NASA's scientific spacecraft are used routinely by space weather forecasters, both in the U.S. and internationally. ACE, SOHO (an ESA/NASA collaboration), STEREO, and SDO provide images and in situ measurements that are assimilated into models and cited in alerts and warnings. A number of years ago, the Space Weather laboratory was established at NASA-Goddard, along with the Community Coordinated Modeling Center. Within that organization, a space weather service center has begun issuing alerts for NASA's operational users. NASA's operational user community includes flight operations for human and robotic explorers; atmospheric drag concerns for low-Earth orbit; interplanetary navigation and communication; and the fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles, high altitude aircraft, and launch vehicles. Over the past three years we have identified internal stakeholders within NASA and formed a Working Group to better coordinate their expertise and their needs. In this presentation we will describe this activity and some of the challenges in forming a diverse working group.

NASA Social Briefing on Planet-Hunting Mission Launch

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-04-15

NASA and industry leaders speak to NASA Social participants about the agency's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in the Press Site auditorium at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Speaking to the group is Tom Barclay, TESS scientist, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. TESS is the next step in the search for planets outside of our solar system. The mission will find exoplanets that periodically block part of the light from their host stars, events called transits. The satellite will survey the nearest and brightest stars for two years to search for transiting exoplanets. TESS will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station no earlier than 6:32 p.m. EDT on Monday, April 16.

NASA Social Briefing on Planet-Hunting Mission Launch

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-04-15

NASA and industry leaders speak to NASA Social participants about the agency's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in the Press Site auditorium at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Speaking to the group is Zach Berta-Thompson, assistant professor, University of Colorado Boulder. TESS is the next step in the search for planets outside of our solar system. The mission will find exoplanets that periodically block part of the light from their host stars, events called transits. The satellite will survey the nearest and brightest stars for two years to search for transiting exoplanets. TESS will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station no earlier than 6:32 p.m. EDT on Monday, April 16.

NASA Social Briefing on Planet-Hunting Mission Launch

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-04-15

NASA and industry leaders speak to NASA Social participants about the agency's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in the Press Site auditorium at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Speaking to the group is Natalia Guerrero, TESS researcher, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. TESS is the next step in the search for planets outside of our solar system. The mission will find exoplanets that periodically block part of the light from their host stars, events called transits. The satellite will survey the nearest and brightest stars for two years to search for transiting exoplanets. TESS will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station no earlier than 6:32 p.m. EDT on Monday, April 16.

Discovery STS-131 Mission Landing

NASA Image and Video Library