STS-131 Flight Control Team in WFCR - Orbit 2 - Flight Director Mike Sarafin

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-04-14

JSC2010-E-051978 (14 April 2010) --- The members of the STS-131 Orbit 2 flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Flight director Mike Sarafin holds the STS-131 mission logo.

STS-131 Flight Control Team in WFCR - Planning - Flight Director: Ginger Kerrick

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-04-12

JSC2010-E-050902 (12 April 2010) --- The members of the STS-131 Planning flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Flight director Ginger Kerrick (center) is visible on the second row.

STS-125 Flight Controllers on Console - (Orbit Shift 2). Flight Director: Richard LaBrode

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-05-12

JSC2009-E-119382 (12 May 2009) --- Flight director Rick LaBrode monitors data at his console in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during STS-125 flight day two activities. Flight director Chris Edelen is at right.

STS-125 Flight Controllers on Console - (Orbit Shift 2). Flight Director: Richard LaBrode

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-05-12

JSC2009-E-119390 (12 May 2009) --- Flight director Rick LaBrode monitors data at his console in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during STS-125 flight day two activities.

STS-125 Flight Controllers on Console - (Orbit Shift 2). Flight Director: Richard LaBrode

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-05-12

JSC2009-E-119397 (12 May 2009) --- Flight directors Rick LaBrode (left) and Chris Edelen monitor data at their console in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during STS-125 flight day two activities.

The Right Stuff: A Look Back at Three Decades of Flight Controller Training for Space Shuttle Mission Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dittemore, Gary D.; Bertels, Christie

2010-01-01

This paper will summarize the thirty-year history of Space Shuttle operations from the perspective of training in NASA Johnson Space Center's Mission Control Center. It will focus on training and development of flight controllers and instructors, and how training practices have evolved over the years as flight experience was gained, new technologies developed, and programmatic needs changed. Operations of human spaceflight systems is extremely complex, therefore the training and certification of operations personnel is a critical piece of ensuring mission success. Mission Control Center (MCC-H), at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, in Houston, Texas manages mission operations for the Space Shuttle Program, including the training and certification of the astronauts and flight control teams. This paper will give an overview of a flight control team s makeup and responsibilities during a flight, and details on how those teams are trained and certified. The training methodology for developing flight controllers has evolved significantly over the last thirty years, while the core goals and competencies have remained the same. In addition, the facilities and tools used in the control center have evolved. These changes have been driven by many factors including lessons learned, technology, shuttle accidents, shifts in risk posture, and generational differences. Flight controllers will share their experiences in training and operating the Space Shuttle throughout the Program s history. A primary method used for training Space Shuttle flight control teams is by running mission simulations of the orbit, ascent, and entry phases, to truly "train like you fly." The audience will learn what it is like to perform a simulation as a shuttle flight controller. Finally, we will reflect on the lessons learned in training for the shuttle program, and how those could be applied to future human spaceflight endeavors.

STS-125 Flight Control Team in WFCR - Orbit 2 - Flight Director Richard LaBrode

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-05-20

JSC2009-E-120845 (20 May 2009) --- The members of the STS-125 Orbit 2 flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Flight director Rick LaBrode (right) is visible on the front row.

STS-125 Flight Control Team in WFCR - Orbit 3 - Flight Director Paul Dye

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-05-20

JSC2009-E-120846 (20 May 2009) --- The members of the STS-125 Orbit 3 flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Flight director Paul Dye (center left) is visible on the front row.

STS-131 Flight Control Team in WFCR - Orbit 1 - Flight Director: Richard Jones

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-04-12

JSC2010-E-050680 (12 April 2010) --- The members of the STS-131 Orbit 1 flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Flight director Richard Jones (second left) is on the front row.

Atmospheric reentry flight test of winged space vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inatani, Yoshifumi; Akiba, Ryojiro; Hinada, Motoki; Nagatomo, Makoto

A summary of the atmospheric reentry flight experiment of winged space vehicle is presented. The test was conducted and carried out by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) in Feb. 1992 in Kagoshima Space Center. It is the first Japanese atmospheric reentry flight of the controlled lifting vehicle. A prime objective of the flight is to demonstrate a high speed atmospheric entry flight capability and high-angle-of-attack flight capability in terms of aerodynamics, flight dynamics and flight control of these kind of vehicles. The launch of the winged vehicle was made by balloon and solid propellant rocket booster which was also the first trial in Japan. The vehicle accomplishes the lfight from space-equivalent condition to the atmospheric flight condition where reaction control system (RCS) attitude stabilization and aerodynamic control was used, respectively. In the flight, the vehicle's attitude was measured by both an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and an air data sensor (ADS) which were employed into an auto-pilot flight control loop. After completion of the entry transient flight, the vehicle experienced unexpected instability during the atmospheric decelerating flight; however, it recovered the attitude orientation and completed the transonic flight after that. The latest analysis shows that it is due to the ADS measurement error and the flight control gain scheduling; what happened was all understood. Some details of the test and the brief summary of the current status of the post flight analysis are presented.

Mentoring SFRM: A New Approach to International Space Station Flight Control Training

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huning, Therese; Barshi, Immanuel; Schmidt, Lacey

2009-01-01

The Mission Operations Directorate (MOD) of the Johnson Space Center is responsible for providing continuous operations support for the International Space Station (ISS). Operations support requires flight controllers who are skilled in team performance as well as the technical operations of the ISS. Space Flight Resource Management (SFRM), a NASA adapted variant of Crew Resource Management (CRM), is the competency model used in the MOD. ISS flight controller certification has evolved to include a balanced focus on development of SFRM and technical expertise. The latest challenge the MOD faces is how to certify an ISS flight controller (Operator) to a basic level of effectiveness in 1 year. SFRM training uses a twopronged approach to expediting operator certification: 1) imbed SFRM skills training into all Operator technical training and 2) use senior flight controllers as mentors. This paper focuses on how the MOD uses senior flight controllers as mentors to train SFRM skills.

STS-134 Orbit 2 flight controllers on consoles

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-05-17

JSC2011-E-045475 (17 May 2011) --- Flight director Paul Dye monitors data at his console in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during STS-134 flight day two activities. Photo credit: NASA

STS-132/ULF4 Flight Controllers on Console - Orbit 2

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-17

JSC2010-E-084363 (17 May 2010) --- Flight director Chris Edelen monitors data at his console in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during STS-132 flight day four activities.

STS-125 Flight Controllers on Console During HST Grapple - Orbit 1. Flight Director: Tony Ceccacci

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-05-13

JSC2009-E-119632 (13 May 2009) --- Flight director Tony Ceccacci and astronaut Dan Burbank (background), STS-125 spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM), monitor data at their consoles in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during flight day three activities.

ISS15A Flight Control Team in FCR-1 Orbit 1 - Flight Director Kwatsi Alibaruho

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-03-20

JSC2009-E-060959 (20 March 2009) --- The members of the STS-119/15A ISS Orbit 1 flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space station flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Flight director Kwatsi Alibaruho (right) is visible on the front row.

STS-131/19A Flight Control Team in FCR-1 - Orbit 1- Flight Director Ron Spencer

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-04-14

JSC2010-E-052008 (14 April 2010) --- The members of the STS-131/19A ISS Orbit 2 flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space station flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Flight director Ron Spencer (right) holds the STS-131 mission logo.

ISS ULF2 Flight Control Team in FCR-1 - Orbit 3 - Flight Director David Korth

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-03-20

JSC2009-E-061164 (20 March 2009) --- The members of the STS-119/15A ISS Orbit 3 flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space station flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Flight director David Korth (right) is visible on the front row.

STS-131/19A Flight Control Team in FCR-1 - Orbit 1- Flight Director Courtney McMillan

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-04-14

JSC2010-E-052979 (14 April 2010) --- The members of the STS-131/19A ISS Orbit 1 flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space station flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Flight director Courtenay McMillan (center) stands on the front row.

STS-131/19A Flight Control Team in FCR-1 - Orbit 3- Flight Director Ed Van Cise

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-04-14

JSC2010-E-052556 (14 April 2010) --- The members of the STS-131/19A ISS Orbit 3 flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space station flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Flight director Ed Van Cise holds the STS-131 mission logo.

STS-132/ULF4 WFCR Flight Controllers on Console

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

JSC2010-E-080460 (14 May 2010) --- Brent Jett, director, flight crew operations; and flight director Norm Knight (foreground) watch a monitor in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during the launch of space shuttle Atlantis a few hundred miles away in Florida. Liftoff was on time at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010 from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

STS-132/ULF4 Flight Controllers on Console

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-18

JSC2010-E-081946 (18 May 2010) --- ISS flight director Emily Nelson monitors data at her console in the space station flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during STS-132/ULF-4 mission flight day five activities.

STS-132/ULF4 Flight Controllers on Console - Bldg. 30 south

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-20

JSC2010-E-086375 (20 May 2010) --- Flight director Mike Sarafin monitors data at his console in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during STS-132 mission flight day seven activities.

STS-132/ULF4 Flight Controllers on Console - Bldg. 30 south

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-20

JSC2010-E-086399 (20 May 2010) --- Flight director Mike Sarafin monitors data at his console in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during STS-132 mission flight day seven activities.

STS-132/ULF4 Flight Controllers on Console

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-18

JSC2010-E-081914 (18 May 2010) --- ISS flight director Holly Ridings reviews data at her console in the space station flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during STS-132/ULF-4 mission flight day five activities.

Integrating Space Flight Resource Management Skills into Technical Lessons for International Space Station Flight Controller Training

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baldwin, Evelyn

2008-01-01

The Johnson Space Center s (JSC) International Space Station (ISS) Space Flight Resource Management (SFRM) training program is designed to teach the team skills required to be an effective flight controller. It was adapted from the SFRM training given to Shuttle flight controllers to fit the needs of a "24 hours a day/365 days a year" flight controller. More recently, the length reduction of technical training flows for ISS flight controllers impacted the number of opportunities for fully integrated team scenario based training, where most SFRM training occurred. Thus, the ISS SFRM training program is evolving yet again, using a new approach of teaching and evaluating SFRM alongside of technical materials. Because there are very few models in other industries that have successfully tied team and technical skills together, challenges are arising. Despite this, the Mission Operations Directorate of NASA s JSC is committed to implementing this integrated training approach because of the anticipated benefits.

STS-132/ULF-4 Flight Control Team in FCR-1

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-20

JSC2010-E-085365 (20 May 2010) --- The members of the STS-132/ULF-4 ISS Orbit 2 flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space station flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Flight director Emily Nelson holds the Expedition 23 mission logo.

STS-124/1J ISS Orbit 3 flight control team portrait

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-06-09

JSC2008-E-045777 (9 June 2008) --- The members of the STS-124/1J ISS Orbit 3 flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space station flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Flight director Emily Nelson stands in the center foreground.

STS-132/ULF-4 Flight Control Team in FCR-1

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-19

JSC2010-E-086277 (19 May 2010) --- The members of the STS-132/ULF-4 ISS Orbit 1 flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space station flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Flight director Holly Ridings holds the STS-132 mission logo.

STS-132 Flight Control Team in WFCR - Orbit 1

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-22

JSC2010-E-086698 (22 May 2010) --- The members of the STS-132 Orbit 1 flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Flight director Mike Sarafin (center) is visible on the front row.

STS-132 Flight Control Team in WFCR - Orbit 2

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-20

JSC2010-E-086451 (20 May 2010) --- The members of the STS-132 Orbit 2 flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Flight director Chris Edelen (second left) is visible on the front row.

STS-132/ULF-4 Flight Control Team in FCR-1

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-20

JSC2010-E-086504 (20 May 2010) --- The members of the STS-132/ULF-4 ISS Orbit 3 flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space station flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Flight director Scott Stover holds the Expedition 23 mission logo.

The Right Stuff: A Look Back at Three Decades of Flight Controller Training for Space Shuttle Mission Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dittemore, Gary D.

2011-01-01

Operations of human spaceflight systems is extremely complex, therefore the training and certification of operations personnel is a critical piece of ensuring mission success. Mission Control Center (MCC-H), at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, in Houston, Texas manages mission operations for the Space Shuttle Program, including the training and certification of the astronauts and flight control teams. This paper will give an overview of a flight control team s makeup and responsibilities during a flight, and details on how those teams are trained and certified. The training methodology for developing flight controllers has evolved significantly over the last thirty years, while the core goals and competencies have remained the same. In addition, the facilities and tools used in the control center have evolved. These changes have been driven by many factors including lessons learned, technology, shuttle accidents, shifts in risk posture, and generational differences. Flight controllers will share their experiences in training and operating the Space Shuttle throughout the Program s history. A primary method used for training Space Shuttle flight control teams is by running mission simulations of the orbit, ascent, and entry phases, to truly "train like you fly." The reader will learn what it is like to perform a simulation as a shuttle flight controller. Finally, the paper will reflect on the lessons learned in training for the shuttle program, and how those could be applied to future human spaceflight endeavors. These endeavors could range from going to the moon or to Mars. The lessons learned from operating the space shuttle for over thirty years will help the space industry build the next human transport space vehicle and inspire the next generation of space explorers.

Document handover of ISS Flight Control room to new Flight Control Room in old MCC

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-10-06

JSC2006-E-43860 (6 Oct. 2006)--- International Space Station flight controllers have this area as their new home with increased technical capabilities, more workspace and a long, distinguished history. The newly updated facility is just down the hall from its predecessor at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston. Known as Flight Control Room 1, it was first used to control a space flight 38 years ago, the mission of Apollo 7 launched Oct. 11, 1968. It was one of two control rooms for NASA's manned missions. The room it replaces in its new ISS role, designated the Blue Flight Control Room, had been in operation since the first station component was launched in 1998.

STS-125 Flight Controllers on Console - (Orbit Shift 1). Flight Director: Anthony Ceccacci

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-05-14

JSC2009-E-120480 (14 May 2009) --- Tomas Gonzalez-Torres, STS-125 lead spacewalk officer, monitors data at his console in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during flight day four activities.

STS-125 Flight Controllers on Console - (Orbit Shift 1). Flight Director: Anthony Ceccacci

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-05-14

JSC2009-E-120486 (14 May 2009) --- Tomas Gonzalez-Torres, STS-125 lead spacewalk officer, monitors data at his console in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during flight day four activities.

STS-132/ULF4 Flight Controllers on Console - Bldg. 30 south

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-20

JSC2010-E-086341 (20 May 2010) --- ISS flight director Holly Ridings monitors data at her console in the space station flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during STS-132/ULF-4 mission flight day seven activities.

STS-125 Flight Controllers on Console - (Orbit Shift 1). Flight Director: Anthony Ceccacci

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-05-14

JSC2009-E-120489 (14 May 2009) --- Astronaut Dan Burbank, STS-125 spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM), monitors data at his console in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during flight day four activities.

STS-132/ULF4 WFCR Flight Controllers on Console

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

JSC2010-E-080409 (14 May 2010) --- Brent Jett (left), director, flight crew operations; and flight director Norm Knight are pictured in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during launch countdown activities a few hundred miles away in Florida, site of space shuttle Atlantis' scheduled STS-132 launch. Liftoff was on time at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010 from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

STS-125 Flight Control Team in WFCR - Ascent/Entry with Flight Director Norman Knight

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-05-21

JSC2009-E-121353 (21 May 2009) --- The members of the STS-125 Ascent and Entry flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Flight director Norm Knight (left) and astronaut Gregory H. Johnson, spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM), hold the STS-125 mission logo.

Results from the Joint US/Russian Sensory-Motor Investigations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

In this session, Session FA3, the discussion focuses on the following topics: The Effect of Long Duration Space Flight on the Acquisition of Predictable Targets in Three Dimensional Space; Effects of Microgravity on Spinal Reflex Mechanisms; Three Dimensional Head Movement Control During Locomotion After Long-Duration Space Flight; Human Body Shock Wave Transmission Properties After Long Duration Space Flight; Adaptation of Neuromuscular Activation Patterns During Locomotion After Long Duration Space Flight; Balance Control Deficits Following Long-Duration Space Flight; Influence of Weightlessness on Postural Muscular Activity Coordination; and The Use of Inflight Foot Pressure as a Countermeasure to Neuromuscular Degradation.

STS-125 Flight Controllers on Console - (Orbit Shift)

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-05-11

JSC2009-E-118817 (11 May 2009) --- Flight controller Mark McDonald monitors data at his console in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during launch countdown activities a few hundred miles away in Florida, site of Space Shuttle Atlantis? scheduled STS-125 launch to service the Hubble Space Telescope. Liftoff was on time at 2:01 p.m. (EDT) on May 11, 2009 from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

STS-125 Flight Controllers on Console - (Orbit Shift 2). Flight Director: Richard LaBrode

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-05-12

JSC2009-E-119378 (12 May 2009) --- Tomas Gonzalez-Torres, STS-125 lead spacewalk officer, monitors data at his console in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during flight day two activities.

STS-132/ULF4 Flight Controllers on Console

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-18

JSC2010-E-081916 (18 May 2010) --- ISS flight directors Holly Ridings (seated) and Emily Nelson monitor data at their console in the space station flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during STS-132/ULF-4 mission flight day five activities.

STS-125 Flight Controllers on Console During HST Grapple - Orbit 1. Flight Director: Tony Ceccacci

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-05-13

JSC2009-E-119633 (13 May 2009) --- Astronaut Dan Burbank, STS-125 spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM), monitors data at his console in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during flight day three activities.

STS-125 Flight Controllers on Console - (Orbit Shift 2). Flight Director: Richard LaBrode

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-05-12

JSC2009-E-119391 (12 May 2009) --- Astronaut Alan Poindexter, STS-125 spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM), monitors data at his console in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during flight day two activities.

Effects of space flight and IGF-1 on immune function

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1999-01-01

We tested the hypothesis that insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) would ameliorate space flight-induced effects on the immune system. Twelve male, Sprague-Dawley rats, surgically implanted with mini osmotic pumps, were subjected to space flight for 10 days on STS-77. Six rats received 10 mg/kg/day of IGF-1 and 6 rats received saline. Flight animals had a lymphocytopenia and granulocytosis which were reversed by IGF-1. Flight animals had significantly higher corticosterone levels than ground controls but IGF-1 did not impact this stress hormone. Therefore, the reversed granulocytosis did not correlate with serum corticosterone. Space flight and IGF-1 also combined to induce a monocytopenia that was not evident in ground control animals treated with IGF-1 or in animals subjected to space flight but given physiological saline. There was a significant increase in spleen weights in vivarium animals treated with IGF-1, however, this change did not occur in flight animals. We observed reduced agonist-induced lymph node cell proliferation by cells from flight animals compared to ground controls. The reduced proliferation was not augmented by IGF-1 treatment. There was enhanced secretion of TNF, IL-6 and NO by flight-animal peritoneal macrophages compared to vivarium controls, however, O2- secretion was not affected. These data suggest that IGF-1 can ameliorate some of the effects of space flight but that space flight can also impact the normal response to IGF-1.

MCC History

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-02-12

Since the days of Gemini all of America’s human spaceflight programs have been controlled by men and women stationed in one of several flight control rooms at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston: the International Space Station flight controllers recently moved into an upgraded facility in the room that hosted the teams during the first manned flights of Apollo and the space shuttle. Here’s a tour of “Mission Control Houston” through the years, from its first generation through the facility ready for the flights of Orion, the spacecraft that will take humans farther into space than they’ve ever gone before.

Document handover of ISS Flight Control room to new Flight Control Room in old MCC

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-10-06

JSC2006-E-43863 (6 Oct. 2006)--- International Space Station flight controllers have this area as their new home with increased technical capabilities, more workspace and a long, distinguished history. The newly updated facility is just down the hall from its predecessor at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston. This view is toward the rear of the "new" room. Known as Flight Control Room 1, it was first used to control a space flight 38 years ago, the mission of Apollo 7 launched Oct. 11, 1968. It was one of two control rooms for NASA's manned missions. The room it replaces in its new ISS role, designated the Blue Flight Control Room, had been in operation since the first station component was launched in 1998.

STS-132 ascent flight control team photo with Flight Director Richard Jones and the STS-132 crew

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-06-08

JSC2010-E-090665 (8 June 2010) --- The members of the STS-132 Ascent flight control team and crew members pose for a group portrait in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Flight director Richard Jones (right) and NASA astronaut Ken Ham, STS-132 commander, hold the STS-132 mission logo. Additional crew members pictured are NASA astronauts Tony Antonelli, pilot; along with Garrett Reisman, Piers Sellers, Michael Good and Steve Bowen, all mission specialists. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration

STS-125 Flight Control Team in BFCR - HST Orbit & Planning Teams

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-05-18

JSC2009-E-120479 (18 May 2009) --- Members of the STS-125 Hubble Space Telescope Planning and Orbit flight control team pose for a group portrait in the blue flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center.

STS-125 Flight Control Team in BFCR - HST Planning & Orbit Team

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-05-19

JSC2009-E-120701 (19 May 2009) --- Members of the STS-125 Hubble Space Telescope Planning and Orbit flight control team pose for a group portrait in the blue flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center.

STS-132/ULF4 Flight Controllers on Console

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-18

JSC2010-E-081909 (18 May 2010) --- Flight director Mike Sarafin (left) and NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy, spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM) for the STS-132 mission, are pictured at their consoles in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during flight day five activities.

STS-132/ULF4 Flight Controllers on Console - Orbit 2

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-17

JSC2010-E-084271 (17 May 2010) --- Flight director Chris Edelen (right) and NASA astronaut Stanley Love, spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM) for the STS-132 mission, are pictured at their consoles in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during flight day four activities.

jsc2010e085363

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-19

JSC2010-E-085363 (19 May 2010) --- The members of the STS-132 Orbit 3 flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Flight director Ginger Kerrick (right) holds the STS-132 mission logo. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration

The Final Count Down: A Review of Three Decades of Flight Controller Training Methods for Space Shuttle Mission Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dittermore, Gary; Bertels, Christie

2011-01-01

Operations of human spaceflight systems is extremely complex; therefore, the training and certification of operations personnel is a critical piece of ensuring mission success. Mission Control Center (MCC-H), at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, manages mission operations for the Space Shuttle Program, including the training and certification of the astronauts and flight control teams. An overview of a flight control team s makeup and responsibilities during a flight, and details on how those teams are trained and certified, reveals that while the training methodology for developing flight controllers has evolved significantly over the last thirty years the core goals and competencies have remained the same. In addition, the facilities and tools used in the control center have evolved. Changes in methodology and tools have been driven by many factors, including lessons learned, technology, shuttle accidents, shifts in risk posture, and generational differences. Flight controllers share their experiences in training and operating the space shuttle. The primary training method throughout the program has been mission simulations of the orbit, ascent, and entry phases, to truly train like you fly. A review of lessons learned from flight controller training suggests how they could be applied to future human spaceflight endeavors, including missions to the moon or to Mars. The lessons learned from operating the space shuttle for over thirty years will help the space industry build the next human transport space vehicle.

STS-125 Flight Controllers on Console - (Orbit Shift)

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-05-11

JSC2009-E-118888 (11 May 2009) --- Flight director Bryan Lunney monitors data at his console in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during launch countdown activities a few hundred miles away in Florida, site of Space Shuttle Atlantis? scheduled STS-125 launch to service the Hubble Space Telescope. Liftoff was on time at 2:01 p.m. (EDT) on May 11, 2009 from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

STS-125 Flight Controllers on Console - (Orbit Shift)

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-05-11

JSC2009-E-118822 (11 May 2009) --- Flight director Norm Knight is pictured in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during launch countdown activities a few hundred miles away in Florida, site of Space Shuttle Atlantis? scheduled STS-125 launch to service the Hubble Space Telescope. Liftoff was on time at 2:01 p.m. (EDT) on May 11, 2009 from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

STS-125 Flight Controllers on Console - (Orbit Shift)

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-05-11

JSC2009-E-118883 (11 May 2009) --- Flight director Tony Ceccacci is pictured in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during launch countdown activities a few hundred miles away in Florida, site of Space Shuttle Atlantis? scheduled STS-125 launch to service the Hubble Space Telescope. Liftoff was on time at 2:01 p.m. (EDT) on May 11, 2009 from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

STS-125 Flight Controllers on Console - (Orbit Shift)

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-05-11

JSC2009-E-118882 (11 May 2009) --- Flight director Norm Knight is pictured in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during launch countdown activities a few hundred miles away in Florida, site of Space Shuttle Atlantis? scheduled STS-125 launch to service the Hubble Space Telescope. Liftoff was on time at 2:01 p.m. (EDT) on May 11, 2009 from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

Launch Vehicle Manual Steering with Adaptive Augmenting Control In-flight Evaluations Using a Piloted Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hanson, Curt

2014-01-01

An adaptive augmenting control algorithm for the Space Launch System has been developed at the Marshall Space Flight Center as part of the launch vehicles baseline flight control system. A prototype version of the SLS flight control software was hosted on a piloted aircraft at the Armstrong Flight Research Center to demonstrate the adaptive controller on a full-scale realistic application in a relevant flight environment. Concerns regarding adverse interactions between the adaptive controller and a proposed manual steering mode were investigated by giving the pilot trajectory deviation cues and pitch rate command authority.

STS-132/ULF4 WFCR Flight Controllers on Console

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

JSC2010-E-080444 (14 May 2010) --- Flight director Richard Jones is pictured in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during launch countdown activities a few hundred miles away in Florida, site of space shuttle Atlantis? STS-132 launch. Liftoff was on time at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010 from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

Final RS-25 Engine Test of the Summer

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-08-30

On Aug. 30, engineers at our Stennis Space Center wrapped up a summer of hot fire testing for flight controllers on RS-25 engines that will help power the new Space Launch System rocket being built to carry astronauts to deep-space destinations, including Mars. The 500-second hot fire of a flight controller or “brain” of the engine marked another step toward the nation’s return to human deep-space exploration missions. Four RS-25 engines, equipped with flight-worthy controllers will help power the first integrated flight of our Space Launch System rocket with our Orion spacecraft, known as Exploration Mission One.

STS-132/ULF4 Flight Controllers on Console

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-18

JSC2010-E-081929 (18 May 2010) --- Kyle Herring, Public Affairs Office (PAO) commentator, monitors data at his console in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during STS-132 mission flight day five activities.

Technical Evaluation Report on the Flight Mechanics Panel Symposium on the Flight Mechanics Panel Symposium on Space Vehicle Flight Mechanics (La Mecanique du Vol des Vehicules Spatiaux)

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-11-01

control and including final recovery for a wide range of space vehicles from tethered satellite systems and flexible space structures to the space plane...flight mechanics, members from the Fluid Dynamics Panel, the Guidance and Control Panel, the Propulsion and Energetics Panel and the Structures and... Structures and Materials which should be overcome for a successful realization of a human Space Transportation System in the 21st century. He

STS-134 Flight Controllers on Console - Launch.

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-05-16

JSC2011-E-044228 (16 May 2011) --- Flight director Tony Ceccacci is pictured at his console in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during launch countdown activities a few hundred miles away in Florida, site of space shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 launch. Liftoff was at 8:56 a.m. (EDT) on May 16, 2011, from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Photo credit: NASA

STS-132/ULF4 WFCR Flight Controllers on Console

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

JSC2010-E-080463 (14 May 2010) --- Brent Jett, director, flight crew operations, is pictured in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during launch countdown activities a few hundred miles away in Florida, site of space shuttle Atlantis' scheduled STS-132 launch. Liftoff was on time at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010 from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

STS-122 flight controllers in WFCR during launch

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-02-07

JSC2008-E-010344 (7 Feb. 2008) --- Flight directors Norm Knight (left), Bryan Lunney and Richard Jones monitor data at their consoles in the space shuttle flight control room of Johnson Space Center's Mission Control Center (MCC) during launch countdown activities a few hundred miles away in Florida, site of Space Shuttle Atlantis' scheduled STS-122 launch. Liftoff occurred at 2:45 p.m. (EST) on Feb. 7, 2008 from launch pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center.

STS-132/ULF4 WFCR Flight Controllers on Console

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

JSC2010-E-080441 (14 May 2010) --- Flight director Richard Jones is pictured at his console in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during launch countdown activities a few hundred miles away in Florida, site of space shuttle Atlantis? STS-132 launch. Liftoff was on time at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010 from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

STS-132/ULF4 WFCR Flight Controllers on Console

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

JSC2010-E-080454 (14 May 2010) --- Flight director Tony Ceccacci is pictured at his console in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during launch countdown activities a few hundred miles away in Florida, site of space shuttle Atlantis? STS-132 launch. Liftoff was on time at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010 from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

STS-134 Orbit 2 flight controllers on consoles

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-05-17

JSC2011-E-045468 (17 May 2011) --- Public Affairs Office (PAO) mission commentator Brandi Dean monitors data at her console in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during STS-134 flight day two activities. Photo credit: NASA

STS-134 Orbit 3 Flight Controllers on Console

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-05-19

JSC2011-E-046428 (19 May 2011) --- NASA astronaut Shannon Lucid, STS-134 spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM), is pictured at her console in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA?s Johnson Space Center during flight day four activities. Photo credit: NASA

STS-134 Orbit 2 flight controllers on consoles

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-05-17

JSC2011-E-045467 (17 May 2011) --- Public Affairs Office (PAO) mission commentator Brandi Dean is pictured at her console in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during STS-134 flight day two activities. Photo credit: NASA

14 CFR 417.415 - Post-launch and post-flight-attempt hazard controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Post-launch and post-flight-attempt hazard controls. 417.415 Section 417.415 Aeronautics and Space COMMERCIAL SPACE TRANSPORTATION, FEDERAL AVIATION... inadvertent liftoff. If an ignition signal has been sent to a solid rocket motor, the flight termination...

14 CFR 417.415 - Post-launch and post-flight-attempt hazard controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 4 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Post-launch and post-flight-attempt hazard controls. 417.415 Section 417.415 Aeronautics and Space COMMERCIAL SPACE TRANSPORTATION, FEDERAL AVIATION... inadvertent liftoff. If an ignition signal has been sent to a solid rocket motor, the flight termination...

STS-134 Orbit 1 flight controllers on console during AMS install

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-05-19

JSC2011-E-046802 (19 May 2011) --- NASA astronaut Megan McArthur, STS-134 spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM), monitors data at her console in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during flight day four activities. Photo credit: NASA

STS-134 Flight Controllers on Console - Landing

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-06-01

JSC2011-E-050168 (1 June 2011) --- An overall view of the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center photographed during STS-134/ULF-6 landing day activities. Flight directors Richard Jones (left) and Tony Ceccacci are visible in the foreground. Photo credit: NASA

STS-132/ULF4 Flight Controllers on Console - Orbit 2

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-17

JSC2010-E-084362 (17 May 2010) --- NASA astronaut Stanley Love, spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM) for the STS-132 mission, monitors data at his console in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during flight day four activities.

STS-132/ULF4 Flight Controllers on Console - Orbit 2

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-17

JSC2010-E-084364 (17 May 2010) --- NASA astronaut Stanley Love, spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM) for the STS-132 mission, monitors data at his console in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during flight day four activities.

Extraction of stability and control derivatives from orbiter flight data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Iliff, Kenneth W.; Shafer, Mary F.

1993-01-01

The Space Shuttle Orbiter has provided unique and important information on aircraft flight dynamics. This information has provided the opportunity to assess the flight-derived stability and control derivatives for maneuvering flight in the hypersonic regime. In the case of the Space Shuttle Orbiter, these derivatives are required to determine if certain configuration placards (limitations on the flight envelope) can be modified. These placards were determined on the basis of preflight predictions and the associated uncertainties. As flight-determined derivatives are obtained, the placards are reassessed, and some of them are removed or modified. Extraction of the stability and control derivatives was justified by operational considerations and not by research considerations. Using flight results to update the predicted database of the orbiter is one of the most completely documented processes for a flight vehicle. This process followed from the requirement for analysis of flight data for control system updates and for expansion of the operational flight envelope. These results show significant changes in many important stability and control derivatives from the preflight database. This paper presents some of the stability and control derivative results obtained from Space Shuttle flights. Some of the limitations of this information are also examined.

STS-132/ULF4 WFCR Flight Controllers on Console

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

JSC2010-E-080439 (14 May 2010) --- Flight directors Richard Jones and Tony Ceccacci (foreground) monitor data at their console in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during launch countdown activities a few hundred miles away in Florida, site of space shuttle Atlantis? STS-132 launch. Liftoff was on time at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010 from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

STS-132/ULF4 WFCR Flight Controllers on Console

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

JSC2010-E-080438 (14 May 2010) --- Flight directors Richard Jones and Tony Ceccacci (foreground) monitor data at their console in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during launch countdown activities a few hundred miles away in Florida, site of space shuttle Atlantis? STS-132 launch. Liftoff was on time at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010 from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

The Final Count Down: A Review of Three Decades of Flight Controller Training Methods for Space Shuttle Mission Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dittemore, Gary D.; Bertels, Christie

2011-01-01

Operations of human spaceflight systems is extremely complex, therefore the training and certification of operations personnel is a critical piece of ensuring mission success. Mission Control Center (MCC-H), at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, in Houston, Texas manages mission operations for the Space Shuttle Program, including the training and certification of the astronauts and flight control teams. As the space shuttle program ends in 2011, a review of how training for STS-1 was conducted compared to STS-134 will show multiple changes in training of shuttle flight controller over a thirty year period. This paper will additionally give an overview of a flight control team s makeup and responsibilities during a flight, and details on how those teams have been trained certified over the life span of the space shuttle. The training methods for developing flight controllers have evolved significantly over the last thirty years, while the core goals and competencies have remained the same. In addition, the facilities and tools used in the control center have evolved. These changes have been driven by many factors including lessons learned, technology, shuttle accidents, shifts in risk posture, and generational differences. A primary method used for training Space Shuttle flight control teams is by running mission simulations of the orbit, ascent, and entry phases, to truly "train like you fly." The reader will learn what it is like to perform a simulation as a shuttle flight controller. Finally, the paper will reflect on the lessons learned in training for the shuttle program, and how those could be applied to future human spaceflight endeavors.

Stability and control flight test results of the space transportation system's orbiter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Culp, M. A.; Cooke, D. R.

1982-01-01

Flight testing of the Space Shuttle Orbiter is in progress and current results of the post-flight aerodynamic analyses are discussed. The purpose of these analyses is to reduce the pre-flight aerodynamic uncertainties, thereby leading to operational certification of the Orbiter flight envelope relative to the integrated airframe and flight control system. Primary data reduction is accomplished with a well documented maximum likelihood system identification techniques.

Coverage of STS-104 Launch Coverage of Flight Controllers in MCC.

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-07-12

JSC2001-E-21341 (12 July 2001) --- From a familiar setting near the rear of shuttle flight control room (WFCR) at Houston's Mission Control Center (MCC), Wayne Hale (second left), ascent flight director for STS-104, pays close attention to new data related to the Space Shuttle Atlantis and its impending launch from the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. Several other flight controllers are visible in the wide shot.

Blood and clonogenic hemopoietic cells of newts after the space flight

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Michurina, T. V.; Domaratskaya, E. I.; Nikonova, T. M.; Khrushchov, N. G.

Ribbed newts were used for studying the effect of space flight on board of the biosatellite (Cosmos-2229) on blood and clonogenic hemopoietic cells. In blood of newts of the flight group, the relative proportion of neutrophils increased, whereas that of lymphocytes and eosinophils decreased. Space flight did not result in loss of the ability of newt blood cells to incorporate H^3-thymidine. Analysis of clonogenic hemopoietic cells was performed using the method of hemopoietic colony formation on cellulose acetate membranes implanted into the peritoneal cavity of irradiated newts. To analyze reconstitution of hemopoiesis after irradiation donor hemopoietic cells from flight or control newts were transplanted into irradiated newts whose hemopoietic organs were investigated. The newt can be considered an adequate model for studying hemopoiesis under the conditions of the space flight. Previous studies on rats subjected to 5- to 19-day space flights revealed a decrease in the number of clonogenic cells in their hemopoietic organs accompanied by specific changes in the precursor cell compartment and in blood /1,2/. Hence, it was interesting to analyze blood and hemopoietic tissue of lower vertebrates after a space flight and to compare the response to it of animals belonging to different taxonomic groups. We analyzed blood and clonogenic hemopoietic cells of ribbed newts, Pleurodeles waltl (age one year, weight 20-28 g) subjected to a 12-day space flight on board of a Cosmos-2229 biosatellite. The same animals were used in studies on limb and lens regeneration. The results were compared with those obtained with control groups of newts: (1) basic control, operated newts sacrificed on the day of biosatellite launching (BC); (2) synchronous control, operated newts kept in the laboratory under simulated space flight conditions (SC); and (3) intact newts (IC).

SSME digital control design characteristics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mitchell, W. T.; Searle, R. F.

1985-01-01

To protect against a latent programming error (software fault) existing in an untried branch combination that would render the space shuttle out of control in a critical flight phase, the Backup Flight System (BFS) was chartered to provide a safety alternative. The BFS is designed to operate in critical flight phases (ascent and descent) by monitoring the activities of the space shuttle flight subsystems that are under control of the primary flight software (PFS) (e.g., navigation, crew interface, propulsion), then, upon manual command by the flightcrew, to assume control of the space shuttle and deliver it to a noncritical flight condition (safe orbit or touchdown). The problems associated with the selection of the PFS/BFS system architecture, the internal BFS architecture, the fault tolerant software mechanisms, and the long term BFS utility are discussed.

The Vehicle Control Systems Branch at the Marshall Space Flight Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barret, Chris

1990-01-01

This paper outlines the responsibility of the Vehicle Control Systems Branch at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) to analyze, evaluate, define, design, verify, and specify requirements for advanced launch vehicles and related space projects, and to conduct research in advanced flight control concepts. Attention is given to branch responsibilities which include Shuttle-C, Shuttle-C Block II, Shuttle-Z, lunar cargo launch vehicles, Mars cargo launch vehicles, orbital maneuvering vehicle, automatic docking, tethered satellite, aeroassisted flight experiment, and solid rocket booster parachute recovery system design.

Infectivity and egg production of Nematospiroides dubius as affected by space flight and ultraviolet irradiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Long, R. A.; Ellis, W. L.; Taylor, G. R.

1973-01-01

Nematospiroides dubius was tested to determine the infective potential of the third stage larvae and the egg-production and egg-viability rates of the resulting adults after they are exposed to space flight and solar ultraviolet irradiation. The results are indicative that space-flown larvae exposed to solar ultraviolet irradiation were rendered noninfective in C57 mice, whereas flight control larvae that received no solar ultraviolet irradiation matured at the same rate as the ground control larvae. However, depressed egg viability was evident in the flight control larvae.

Flight Testing of the Space Launch System (SLS) Adaptive Augmenting Control (AAC) Algorithm on an F/A-18

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dennehy, Cornelius J.; VanZwieten, Tannen S.; Hanson, Curtis E.; Wall, John H.; Miller, Chris J.; Gilligan, Eric T.; Orr, Jeb S.

2014-01-01

The Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Flight Mechanics and Analysis Division developed an adaptive augmenting control (AAC) algorithm for launch vehicles that improves robustness and performance on an as-needed basis by adapting a classical control algorithm to unexpected environments or variations in vehicle dynamics. This was baselined as part of the Space Launch System (SLS) flight control system. The NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) was asked to partner with the SLS Program and the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) Game Changing Development Program (GCDP) to flight test the AAC algorithm on a manned aircraft that can achieve a high level of dynamic similarity to a launch vehicle and raise the technology readiness of the algorithm early in the program. This document reports the outcome of the NESC assessment.

14 CFR 25.865 - Fire protection of flight controls, engine mounts, and other flight structure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Design and Construction Fire Protection § 25.865 Fire protection of flight controls, engine mounts, and other flight structure. Essential flight controls, engine mounts, and other flight structures located in... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Fire protection of flight controls, engine...

14 CFR 25.865 - Fire protection of flight controls, engine mounts, and other flight structure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... Design and Construction Fire Protection § 25.865 Fire protection of flight controls, engine mounts, and other flight structure. Essential flight controls, engine mounts, and other flight structures located in... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Fire protection of flight controls, engine...

14 CFR 25.865 - Fire protection of flight controls, engine mounts, and other flight structure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Design and Construction Fire Protection § 25.865 Fire protection of flight controls, engine mounts, and other flight structure. Essential flight controls, engine mounts, and other flight structures located in... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Fire protection of flight controls, engine...

14 CFR 25.865 - Fire protection of flight controls, engine mounts, and other flight structure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... Design and Construction Fire Protection § 25.865 Fire protection of flight controls, engine mounts, and other flight structure. Essential flight controls, engine mounts, and other flight structures located in... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Fire protection of flight controls, engine...

14 CFR 25.865 - Fire protection of flight controls, engine mounts, and other flight structure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... Design and Construction Fire Protection § 25.865 Fire protection of flight controls, engine mounts, and other flight structure. Essential flight controls, engine mounts, and other flight structures located in... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Fire protection of flight controls, engine...

14 CFR 27.151 - Flight controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Flight controls. 27.151 Section 27.151... STANDARDS: NORMAL CATEGORY ROTORCRAFT Flight Flight Characteristics § 27.151 Flight controls. (a) Longitudinal, lateral, directional, and collective controls may not exhibit excessive breakout force, friction...

14 CFR 29.151 - Flight controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Flight controls. 29.151 Section 29.151... STANDARDS: TRANSPORT CATEGORY ROTORCRAFT Flight Flight Characteristics § 29.151 Flight controls. (a) Longitudinal, lateral, directional, and collective controls may not exhibit excessive breakout force, friction...

Flight telerobotic servicer legacy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shattuck, Paul L.; Lowrie, James W.

1992-11-01

The Flight Telerobotic Servicer (FTS) was developed to enhance and provide a safe alternative to human presence in space. The first step for this system was a precursor development test flight (DTF-1) on the Space Shuttle. DTF-1 was to be a pathfinder for manned flight safety of robotic systems. The broad objectives of this mission were three-fold: flight validation of telerobotic manipulator (design, control algorithms, man/machine interfaces, safety); demonstration of dexterous manipulator capabilities on specific building block tasks; and correlation of manipulator performance in space with ground predictions. The DTF-1 system is comprised of a payload bay element (7-DOF manipulator with controllers, end-of-arm gripper and camera, telerobot body with head cameras and electronics module, task panel, and MPESS truss) and an aft flight deck element (force-reflecting hand controller, crew restraint, command and display panel and monitors). The approach used to develop the DTF-1 hardware, software and operations involved flight qualification of components from commercial, military, space, and R controller, end-of-arm tooling, force/torque transducer) and the development of the telerobotic system for space applications. The system is capable of teleoperation and autonomous control (advances state of the art); reliable (two-fault tolerance); and safe (man-rated). Benefits from the development flight included space validation of critical telerobotic technologies and resolution of significant safety issues relating to telerobotic operations in the Shuttle bay or in the vicinity of other space assets. This paper discusses the lessons learned and technology evolution that stemmed from developing and integrating a dexterous robot into a manned system, the Space Shuttle. Particular emphasis is placed on the safety and reliability requirements for a man-rated system as these are the critical factors which drive the overall system architecture. Other topics focused on include: task requirements and operational concepts for servicing and maintenance of space platforms; origins of technology for dexterous robotic systems; issues associated with space qualification of components; and development of the industrial base to support space robotics.

Expedition 43 flight control team with Flight Director Gary Horlacher during the release of SpaceX Dragon cargo vehicle. Photo Date: May 21, 2015. Location: Building 30 - FCR1. Photographer: Robert Markowitz

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-05-21

Expedition 43 flight control team with Flight Director Gary Horlacher during the release of SpaceX Dragon cargo vehicle. Photo Date: May 21, 2015. Location: Building 30 - FCR1. Photographer: Robert Markowitz

A representational basis for the development of a distributed expert system for Space Shuttle flight control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Helly, J. J., Jr.; Bates, W. V.; Cutler, M.; Kelem, S.

1984-01-01

A new representation of malfunction procedure logic which permits the automation of these procedures using Boolean normal forms is presented. This representation is discussed in the context of the development of an expert system for space shuttle flight control including software and hardware implementation modes, and a distributed architecture. The roles and responsibility of the flight control team as well as previous work toward the development of expert systems for flight control support at Johnson Space Center are discussed. The notion of malfunction procedures as graphs is introduced as well as the concept of hardware-equivalence.

International Space Station (ISS)

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-04-28

A Canadian "handshake" in space occurred on April 28, 2001, as the Canadian-built space station robotic arm (Canadarm2) transferred its launch cradle over to Endeavour's robotic arm. Pictured is astronaut James S. Voss, Expedition Two flight engineer, working the controls of the new robotic arm. Marning the controls from the shuttle's aft flight deck, Canadian Mission Specialist Chris A. Hadfield of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) was instrumental in the activity. The Space lab pallet that carried the Canadarm2 robotic arm to the station was developed at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama.

Lateral stability and control derivatives extracted from space shuttle Challenger flight data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schiess, James R.

1988-01-01

Flight data taken from six flights of the Space Transportation System shuttle Challenger (STS-6, 7, 8, 11, 13 and 17) during atmospheric entry are analyzed to determine the shuttle lateral aerodynamic characteristics. Maximum likelihood estimation is applied to data derived from accelerometer and rate gyro measurements and trajectory, meteorological and control surface data to estimate lateral-directional stability and control derivatives. The vehicle stability and control surface effectiveness are compared across the flights and to preflight predicted values.

Coverage of STS-104 Launch Coverage of Flight Controllers in MCC.

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-07-12

JSC2001-E-21333 (12 July 2001) --- From a familiar setting in the shuttle flight control room (WFCR)at Houston's Mission Control Center (MCC), Wayne Hale, ascent flight director for STS-104, pays close attention to new data related to the Space Shuttle Atlantis and its impending launch from the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida.

Coverage of STS-104 Launch Coverage of Flight Controllers in MCC.

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-07-12

JSC2001-E-21333 (12 July 2001) --- From a familiar setting in the shuttle flight control room (WFCR) at Houston's Mission Control Center (MCC), Wayne Hale, ascent flight director for STS-104, pays close attention to new data related to the Space Shuttle Atlantis and its impending launch from the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida.

In-Flight Suppression of an Unstable F/A-18 Structural Mode Using the Space Launch System Adaptive Augmenting Control System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

VanZwieten, Tannen S.; Gilligan, Eric T.; Wall, John H.; Miller, Christopher J.; Hanson, Curtis E.; Orr, Jeb S.

2015-01-01

NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) Flight Control System (FCS) includes an Adaptive Augmenting Control (AAC) component which employs a multiplicative gain update law to enhance the performance and robustness of the baseline control system for extreme off-nominal scenarios. The SLS FCS algorithm including AAC has been flight tested utilizing a specially outfitted F/A-18 fighter jet in which the pitch axis control of the aircraft was performed by a Non-linear Dynamic Inversion (NDI) controller, SLS reference models, and the SLS flight software prototype. This paper describes test cases from the research flight campaign in which the fundamental F/A-18 airframe structural mode was identified using post-flight frequency-domain reconstruction, amplified to result in closed loop instability, and suppressed in-flight by the SLS adaptive control system.

Transplantable tissue growth-a commercial space venture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giuntini, Ronald E.; Vardaman, William K.

1997-01-01

Rantek was incorporated in 1984 to pursue research toward product development in space based biotechnology. The company has maintained an aggressive experiment flight program since 1989 having flown biotechnology experiments in six Consort rockets flights, one Joust rocket flight and eight Space Shuttle missions. The objective of these flights was to conduct a series of research experiments to resolve issues affecting transplantable tissue growth feasibility. The purpose of the flight research was to determine the behavior of lymphocyte mixing, activation, magnetic mixing and process control, drug studies in a model leukemia cell line, and various aspects of the hardware system process control in the low gravity of space. The company is now preparing for a two Space Shuttle flight program as precursors to a sustained, permanent, commercial venture at the Space Station. The shuttle flights will enable new, larger scale tissue growth systems to be tested to determine fundamental process control sensitivity and growth rates unique to a number of tissue types. The answer to these issues will ultimately determine the commercial viability of the Rantek Biospace program. This paper addresses considerations that will drive the cost of a space venture-the largest cost driver will be the cost to and from the station and the cost at the station.

CONSTELLATION Images from other centers - February 2010

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-02-08

JSC2010-E-019040 (8 Feb. 2010) --- Brent Jett, director, flight crew operations, watches a monitor at his console in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during launch countdown activities a few hundred miles away in Florida, site of space shuttle Endeavour's STS-130 launch. John McCullough (seated), chief of the flight director office, is at right.

jsc2010e046805

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-04-05

JSC2010-E-046805 (5 April 2010) --- John McCullough, chief of the Flight Director Office; and Janet Kavandi, deputy director, Flight Crew Operations, watch television screens at the Mission Operations Directorate (MOD) console in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during launch a few hundred miles away in Florida, site of space shuttle Discovery's STS-131 liftoff.

Thermal control surfaces experiment: Initial flight data analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilkes, Donald R.; Hummer, Leigh L.

1991-01-01

The behavior of materials in the space environment continues to be a limiting technology for spacecraft and experiments. The thermal control surfaces experiment (TCSE) aboard the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) is the most comprehensive experiment flown to study the effects of the space environment on thermal control surfaces. Selected thermal control surfaces were exposed to the LDEF orbital environment and the effects of this exposure were measured. The TCSE combined in-space orbital measurements with pre and post-flight analyses of flight materials to determine the effects of long term space exposure. The TCSE experiment objective, method, and measurements are described along with the results of the initial materials analysis. The TCSE flight system and its excellent performance on the LDEF mission is described. A few operational anomalies were encountered and are discussed.

14 CFR 27.674 - Interconnected controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Interconnected controls. 27.674 Section 27.674 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT... Interconnected controls. Each primary flight control system must provide for safe flight and landing and operate...

14 CFR 29.674 - Interconnected controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Interconnected controls. 29.674 Section 29.674 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT... Interconnected controls. Each primary flight control system must provide for safe flight and landing and operate...

14 CFR 27.674 - Interconnected controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Interconnected controls. 27.674 Section 27.674 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT... Interconnected controls. Each primary flight control system must provide for safe flight and landing and operate...

14 CFR 29.674 - Interconnected controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Interconnected controls. 29.674 Section 29.674 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT... Interconnected controls. Each primary flight control system must provide for safe flight and landing and operate...

STS-118 Ascent/Entry Flight Control Team in White Flight Control Room (WFCR) with Flight Director Steve Stitch

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-07-20

JSC2007-E-41011 (20 July 2007) --- STS-118 Ascent/Entry flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space shuttle flight control room of Houston's Mission Control Center (MCC). Flight director Steve Stich (center right) and astronaut Tony Antonelli, spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM), hold the STS-118 mission logo.

jsc2010e046737

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-04-05

JSC2010-E-046737 (5 April 2010) --- Flight director Tony Ceccacci is pictured in the space shuttle flight control room in the Johnson Space Center's Mission Control Center during launch countdown activities a few hundred miles away in Florida, site of space shuttle Discovery's STS-131 launch.

Launch Vehicle Manual Steering with Adaptive Augmenting Control In-flight Evaluations of Adverse Interactions Using a Piloted Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hanson, Curt; Miller, Chris; Wall, John H.; Vanzwieten, Tannen S.; Gilligan, Eric; Orr, Jeb S.

2015-01-01

An adaptive augmenting control algorithm for the Space Launch System has been developed at the Marshall Space Flight Center as part of the launch vehicles baseline flight control system. A prototype version of the SLS flight control software was hosted on a piloted aircraft at the Armstrong Flight Research Center to demonstrate the adaptive controller on a full-scale realistic application in a relevant flight environment. Concerns regarding adverse interactions between the adaptive controller and a proposed manual steering mode were investigated by giving the pilot trajectory deviation cues and pitch rate command authority. Two NASA research pilots flew a total of twenty five constant pitch-rate trajectories using a prototype manual steering mode with and without adaptive control.

14 CFR 27.673 - Primary flight control.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Primary flight control. 27.673 Section 27... AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: NORMAL CATEGORY ROTORCRAFT Design and Construction Control Systems § 27.673 Primary flight control. Primary flight controls are those used by the pilot for immediate control of pitch, roll...

14 CFR 29.673 - Primary flight controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Primary flight controls. 29.673 Section 29... AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: TRANSPORT CATEGORY ROTORCRAFT Design and Construction Control Systems § 29.673 Primary flight controls. Primary flight controls are those used by the pilot for immediate control of pitch, roll...

14 CFR 29.673 - Primary flight controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Primary flight controls. 29.673 Section 29... AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: TRANSPORT CATEGORY ROTORCRAFT Design and Construction Control Systems § 29.673 Primary flight controls. Primary flight controls are those used by the pilot for immediate control of pitch, roll...

14 CFR 27.673 - Primary flight control.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Primary flight control. 27.673 Section 27... AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: NORMAL CATEGORY ROTORCRAFT Design and Construction Control Systems § 27.673 Primary flight control. Primary flight controls are those used by the pilot for immediate control of pitch, roll...

14 CFR 27.673 - Primary flight control.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: NORMAL CATEGORY ROTORCRAFT Design and Construction Control Systems § 27.673 Primary flight control. Primary flight controls are those used by the pilot for immediate control of pitch, roll... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Primary flight control. 27.673 Section 27...

14 CFR 29.673 - Primary flight controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: TRANSPORT CATEGORY ROTORCRAFT Design and Construction Control Systems § 29.673 Primary flight controls. Primary flight controls are those used by the pilot for immediate control of pitch, roll... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Primary flight controls. 29.673 Section 29...

STS-134 Flight Controllers on Console - Landing

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-06-01

JSC2011-E-050134 (1 June 2011) --- An overall view of the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center photographed during STS-134/ULF-6 landing day activities. Photo credit: NASA

STS-134 Flight Controllers on Console - Landing

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-06-01

JSC2011-E-050159 (1 June 2011) --- An overall view of the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center photographed during STS-134/ULF-6 landing day activities. Photo credit: NASA

[The comparative characteristics of crystalline lens and limb regeneration in newts operated on before and after the completion of an orbital space flight].

PubMed

Tuchkova, S Ia; Brushlinskaia, N V; Grigorian, E N; Mitashov, V I

1994-01-01

It has been already established that a tendency towards synchronization and acceleration of the forelimb and lens regeneration is observed in Pleurodeles waltlii under the effect of space flight factors. Here we present the results obtained after 16-day space flight of two groups of newts. In animals of group I forelimbs were amputated and lenses were removed 14 and 7 days before the space flight, respectively. Intact animals of group II were operated on the day of the sputnik landing. Regenerates of the flight and corresponding control animals were fixed at the same time after the operation. For evaluation of the regeneration rate morphological criteria were used: morphological stages of regeneration were compared in the experiment and the control. For quantitative assay of the regeneration rate we determined the index of nuclei labelled with 3H-thymidine in the blastema and lens rudiment cells and used morphometry of the lens regenerates. Acceleration of forelimb and lens regeneration was observed in both groups of animals. In group II more than two-fold increase of the index of labelled nuclei was found in the blastema cells at the comparable stages of development. The size of lens regenerates in flight groups I and II exceeded reliably those in the control animals. The results obtained suggest a prolonged effect of the space flight factors on forelimb and lens regeneration. Under the conditions of space flight the lens regenerates reached more advanced stages of regeneration, as compared with the control animals operated after the space flight. These results also suggest acceleration of regeneration in lower vertebrates.

Hypogravity's Effect on the Life Cycle of Japanese Quail

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hester, Patricia Y.

1999-01-01

A series of studies were conducted to determine the effect of activities preceding space-flight and during space-flight on quail embryonic development. While the overall development of the quail embryos was evaluated, the report presented herein, focused on calcium utilization or uptake from eggshells by developing embryos during incubation in space and on earth. In the pre-space trials, fertilized quail eggs were subjected to pre-night dynamics including forces of centrifugation, vibration, or a combination of vibration and centrifugation prior to incubation for 6 or 16 days. In another trial, fertile quail eggs were tested for survivability in a refrigerator stowage kit for eggs (RSKE) which was subsequently used to transport the eggs to space. Eggs in the RSKE were subjected to shuttle launch dynamics including G force and random vibration profiles. In the space- flight trials, 48 fertile quail eggs were launched on space shuttle Flight STS-76 and were subsequently incubated in a Slovakian incubator onboard space station, MIR. Two sets of ground controls each with 48 fertile eggs with and without exposure to launch dynamics were initiated 5 days post-launch. There was a laboratory control (incubated in Lyon RX2 incubator at 37.5 C) and a synchronous control (incubated in Lyon RX2 incubator at 39 - 400 C), which simulated the temperature of the space-flight incubator. Following space-flight trials, post-flight trials were conducted where quail eggs were incubated in Lyon RX2 or Slovakian incubators under various temperatures with or without launch dynamics. Eggshells from all study trials were retrieved and analyzed for calcium content to determine if its utilization by developing quail embryos was affected by activities preceding space-flight or during incubation in space under microgravity. Results from the pre-flight and post-flight showed that pre-flight activities and shuttle launch dynamics had no effect on calcium uptake from the eggshell by developing embryos. However, calcium uptake from the eggshell by developing embryos incubated in micro,aravity was impaired by 12.6% when compared to embryos incubated on earth under laboratory control environment. This impairment was unlikely due to factors other than microgravity. In general, calcium utilization by developing embryos increased with age of incubation with the most increase occurring at day 16 of incubation.

Effects of space flight on GLUT-4 content in rat plantaris muscle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tabata, I.; Kawanaka, Kentaro; Sekiguchi, Chiharu; Nagaoka, Shunji; Ohira, Yoshinobu

The effects of 14 days of space flight on the glucose transporter protein (GLUT-4) were studied in the plantaris muscle of growing 9-week-old, male Sprague Dawley rats. The rats were randomly separated into five groups: pre-flight vivarium ground controls (PF-VC) sacrificed approximately 2 h after launch; flight groups sacrificed either approximately 5 h (F-R0) or 9 days (F-R9) after the return from space; and synchronous ground controls (SC-R0 and SC-R9) sacrificed at the same time as the respective flight groups. The flight groups F-R0 and F-R9 were exposed to micro-gravity for 14 days in the Spacelab module located in the cargo bay of the shuttle transport system - 58 of the manned Space Shuttle for the NASA mission named ''Spacelab Life Sciences 2''. Body weight and plantaris weight of SC-R0 and F-R0 were significantly higher than those of PF-VC. Neither body weight nor plantaris muscle weight in either group had changed 9 days after the return from space. As a result, body weight and plantaris muscle weight did not differ between the flight and synchronous control groups at any of the time points investigated. The GLUT-4 content (cpm/µg membrane protein) in the plantaris muscle did not show any significant change in response to 14 days of space flight or 9 days after return. Similarly, citrate synthase activity did not change during the course of the space flight or the recovery period. These results suggest that 14 days of space flight does not affect muscle mass or GLUT-4 content of the fast-twitch plantaris muscle in the rat.

AAS/GSFC 13th International Symposium on Space Flight Dynamics. Volume 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stengle, Tom (Editor)

1998-01-01

This conference proceedings preprint includes papers and abstracts presented at the 13th International Symposium on Space Flight Dynamics. Cosponsored by American Astronautical Society and the Guidance, Navigation and Control Center of the Goddard Space Flight Center, this symposium featured technical papers on a wide range of issues related to orbit-attitude prediction, determination, and control; attitude sensor calibration; attitude dynamics; and mission design.

jsc2010e046798

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-04-05

JSC2010-E-046798 (5 April 2010) --- Flight director Bryan Lunney watches the big screens in the space shuttle flight control room in the Johnson Space Center's Mission Control Center during launch countdown activities a few hundred miles away in Florida, site of space shuttle Discovery's STS-131 launch.

Fully Three-Dimensional Virtual-Reality System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beckman, Brian C.

1994-01-01

Proposed virtual-reality system presents visual displays to simulate free flight in three-dimensional space. System, virtual space pod, is testbed for control and navigation schemes. Unlike most virtual-reality systems, virtual space pod would not depend for orientation on ground plane, which hinders free flight in three dimensions. Space pod provides comfortable seating, convenient controls, and dynamic virtual-space images for virtual traveler. Controls include buttons plus joysticks with six degrees of freedom.

In-Flight Suppression of a Destabilized F/A-18 Structural Mode Using the Space Launch System Adaptive Augmenting Control System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wall, John H.; VanZwieten, Tannen S.; Gilligan, Eric T.; Miller, Christopher J.; Hanson, Curtis E.; Orr, Jeb S.

2015-01-01

NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) Flight Control System (FCS) includes an Adaptive Augmenting Control (AAC) component which employs a multiplicative gain update law to enhance the performance and robustness of the baseline control system for extreme off nominal scenarios. The SLS FCS algorithm including AAC has been flight tested utilizing a specially outfitted F/A-18 fighter jet in which the pitch axis control of the aircraft was performed by a Non-linear Dynamic Inversion (NDI) controller, SLS reference models, and the SLS flight software prototype. This paper describes test cases from the research flight campaign in which the fundamental F/A-18 airframe structural mode was identified using frequency-domain reconstruction of flight data, amplified to result in closed loop instability, and suppressed in-flight by the SLS adaptive control system.

Lytic Replication of Epstein-Barr Virus During Space Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stowe, R. P.; Pierson, D. L.; Barrett, A. D. T.

1999-01-01

Reactivation of latent Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) may be an important threat to crew health during extended space missions. Cellular immunity, which is decreased during and after space flight, is responsible for controlling EBV replication in vivo. In this study, we investigated the effects of short-term space flight on latent EBV reactivation.

14 CFR 27.151 - Flight controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Flight controls. 27.151 Section 27.151 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS...) Longitudinal, lateral, directional, and collective controls may not exhibit excessive breakout force, friction...

14 CFR 29.151 - Flight controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Flight controls. 29.151 Section 29.151 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS...) Longitudinal, lateral, directional, and collective controls may not exhibit excessive breakout force, friction...

14 CFR 29.151 - Flight controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Flight controls. 29.151 Section 29.151 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS...) Longitudinal, lateral, directional, and collective controls may not exhibit excessive breakout force, friction...

14 CFR 29.151 - Flight controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Flight controls. 29.151 Section 29.151 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS...) Longitudinal, lateral, directional, and collective controls may not exhibit excessive breakout force, friction...

14 CFR 27.151 - Flight controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Flight controls. 27.151 Section 27.151 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS...) Longitudinal, lateral, directional, and collective controls may not exhibit excessive breakout force, friction...

14 CFR 27.151 - Flight controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Flight controls. 27.151 Section 27.151 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS...) Longitudinal, lateral, directional, and collective controls may not exhibit excessive breakout force, friction...

14 CFR 29.151 - Flight controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Flight controls. 29.151 Section 29.151 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS...) Longitudinal, lateral, directional, and collective controls may not exhibit excessive breakout force, friction...

14 CFR 27.151 - Flight controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Flight controls. 27.151 Section 27.151 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS...) Longitudinal, lateral, directional, and collective controls may not exhibit excessive breakout force, friction...

Interior view of the Flight Deck looking forward, the Commander's ...

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

Interior view of the Flight Deck looking forward, the Commander's seat and controls are on the left and the pilot's seat and controls are on the right of the view. Note that the flight deck windows have protective covers over them in this view. This images can be digitally stitched with image HAER No. TX-116-A-20 to expand the view to include the overhead control panels of the flight deck. This view was taken in the Orbiter Processing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center. - Space Transportation System, Orbiter Discovery (OV-103), Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston, Harris County, TX

Free Enterprise: Contributions of the Approach and Landing Test (ALT) Program to the Development of the Space Shuttle Orbiter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Merlin, Peter W.

2006-01-01

The space shuttle orbiter was the first spacecraft designed with the aerodynamic characteristics and in-atmosphere handling qualities of a conventional airplane. In order to evaluate the orbiter's flight control systems and subsonic handling characteristics, a series of flight tests were undertaken at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center in 1977. A modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft carried the Enterprise, a prototype orbiter, during eight captive tests to determine how well the two vehicles flew together and to test some of the orbiter s systems. The free-flight phase of the ALT program allowed shuttle pilots to explore the orbiter's low-speed flight and landing characteristics. The Enterprise provided realistic, in-flight simulations of how subsequent space shuttles would be flown at the end of an orbital mission. The fifth free flight, with the Enterprise landing on a concrete runway for the first time, revealed a problem with the space shuttle flight control system that made it susceptible to pilot-induced oscillation, a potentially dangerous control problem. Further research using various aircraft, particularly NASA Dryden's F-8 Digital-Fly-By-Wire testbed, led to correction of the problem before the first Orbital Test Flight.

14 CFR 23.673 - Primary flight controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Primary flight controls. 23.673 Section 23... AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: NORMAL, UTILITY, ACROBATIC, AND COMMUTER CATEGORY AIRPLANES Design and Construction Control Systems § 23.673 Primary flight controls. Primary flight controls are those used by the pilot for...

14 CFR 23.673 - Primary flight controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Primary flight controls. 23.673 Section 23... AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: NORMAL, UTILITY, ACROBATIC, AND COMMUTER CATEGORY AIRPLANES Design and Construction Control Systems § 23.673 Primary flight controls. Primary flight controls are those used by the pilot for...

14 CFR 23.673 - Primary flight controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Primary flight controls. 23.673 Section 23... AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: NORMAL, UTILITY, ACROBATIC, AND COMMUTER CATEGORY AIRPLANES Design and Construction Control Systems § 23.673 Primary flight controls. Primary flight controls are those used by the pilot for...

14 CFR 23.673 - Primary flight controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Primary flight controls. 23.673 Section 23... AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: NORMAL, UTILITY, ACROBATIC, AND COMMUTER CATEGORY AIRPLANES Design and Construction Control Systems § 23.673 Primary flight controls. Primary flight controls are those used by the pilot for...

14 CFR 23.673 - Primary flight controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Primary flight controls. 23.673 Section 23... AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: NORMAL, UTILITY, ACROBATIC, AND COMMUTER CATEGORY AIRPLANES Design and Construction Control Systems § 23.673 Primary flight controls. Primary flight controls are those used by the pilot for...

Lateral stability and control derivatives extracted from five early flights of the space shuttle Columbia

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schiess, J. R.

1986-01-01

Flight data taken from the first five flights (STS-2, 3, 4, 5 and 9) of the Space Transportation System Shuttle Columbia during entry are analyzed to determine the Shuttle lateral aerodynamic characteristics. Maximum likelihood estimation is applied to data derived from accelerometer and rate gyro measurements and trajectory, meteorological and control surface data to estimate lateral-directional stability and control derivatives. The estimated parameters are compared across the five flights and to preflight predicted values.

First Integrated Flight Simulation For STS 114

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-10-13

JSC2004-E-45138 (13 October 2004) --- Astronaut Stephen N. Frick monitors communications at the spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM) console in the Shuttle Flight Control Room (WFCR) in Johnson Space Center’s (JSC) Mission Control Center (MCC) with the STS-114 crewmembers during a fully-integrated simulation on October 13. The seven member crew was in a JSC-based simulator during the sims. The dress rehearsal of Discovery's rendezvous and docking with the International Space Station (ISS) was the first flight-specific training for the Space Shuttle's return to flight.

Video File - NASA on a Roll Testing Space Launch System Flight Engines

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-08-09

Just two weeks after conducting another in a series of tests on new RS-25 rocket engine flight controllers for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, engineers at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi completed one more hot-fire test of a flight controller on August 9, 2017. With the hot fire, NASA has moved a step closer in completing testing on the four RS-25 engines which will power the first integrated flight of the SLS rocket and Orion capsule known as Exploration Mission 1.

Approximate approach for optimization space flights with a low thrust on the basis of sufficient optimality conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salmin, Vadim V.

2017-01-01

Flight mechanics with a low-thrust is a new chapter of mechanics of space flight, considered plurality of all problems trajectory optimization and movement control laws and the design parameters of spacecraft. Thus tasks associated with taking into account the additional factors in mathematical models of the motion of spacecraft becomes increasingly important, as well as additional restrictions on the possibilities of the thrust vector control. The complication of the mathematical models of controlled motion leads to difficulties in solving optimization problems. Author proposed methods of finding approximate optimal control and evaluating their optimality based on analytical solutions. These methods are based on the principle of extending the class of admissible states and controls and sufficient conditions for the absolute minimum. Developed procedures of the estimation enabling to determine how close to the optimal founded solution, and indicate ways to improve them. Authors describes procedures of estimate for approximately optimal control laws for space flight mechanics problems, in particular for optimization flight low-thrust between the circular non-coplanar orbits, optimization the control angle and trajectory movement of the spacecraft during interorbital flights, optimization flights with low-thrust between arbitrary elliptical orbits Earth satellites.

14 CFR 121.543 - Flight crewmembers at controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Flight crewmembers at controls. 121.543... REQUIREMENTS: DOMESTIC, FLAG, AND SUPPLEMENTAL OPERATIONS Flight Operations § 121.543 Flight crewmembers at controls. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, each required flight crewmember on...

14 CFR 121.543 - Flight crewmembers at controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Flight crewmembers at controls. 121.543... REQUIREMENTS: DOMESTIC, FLAG, AND SUPPLEMENTAL OPERATIONS Flight Operations § 121.543 Flight crewmembers at controls. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, each required flight crewmember on...

14 CFR 121.543 - Flight crewmembers at controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Flight crewmembers at controls. 121.543... REQUIREMENTS: DOMESTIC, FLAG, AND SUPPLEMENTAL OPERATIONS Flight Operations § 121.543 Flight crewmembers at controls. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, each required flight crewmember on...

14 CFR 121.543 - Flight crewmembers at controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Flight crewmembers at controls. 121.543... REQUIREMENTS: DOMESTIC, FLAG, AND SUPPLEMENTAL OPERATIONS Flight Operations § 121.543 Flight crewmembers at controls. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, each required flight crewmember on...

14 CFR 121.543 - Flight crewmembers at controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Flight crewmembers at controls. 121.543... REQUIREMENTS: DOMESTIC, FLAG, AND SUPPLEMENTAL OPERATIONS Flight Operations § 121.543 Flight crewmembers at controls. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, each required flight crewmember on...

On the attitude control and flight result of winged reentry test vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawaguchi, Jun'ichiro; Inatani, Yoshifumi; Yonemoto, Koichi; Hinada, Motoki

The Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) has been studying the unmanned winged space vehicle HIMES (HIghly Maneuverable Engineering Space vehicle) for a decade and successfully carried out sub-sonic Gliding Flight Experiments several years ago, which was followed by Reentry Flight Experiment, utilizing so called 'Rockoon' method, in September of 1988, which failed due to the unexpected burst of the balloon. ISAS conducted it again making use of refined 'Rockoon' scheme in February of 1992. In spite of its small bulk property, it was equipped with not only a reaction control system (RCS) but a surface control system (SCS) capability as well, which enabled it to make a successful flight under both vacuum and atmospheric circumstances. The highest Mach number exceeded 3.5 and the highest altitude was a bit lower to 67 km. Switching from reaction control to surface control was one of the essential engineering interests in the flight like this. Supersonic autonomous flight control with high angle of attack was also what should be established through this, since in general it inevitably carries inherent lateral instability. A flight test this time revealed those features and characteristics quite well. This paper deals with the attitude control strategy with three-axis Motion Simulation Test as well as the flight results.

STS-120 Orbit 2 Flight Control Team Photo

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-10-31

JSC2007-E-095908 (31 Oct. 2007) --- The members of the STS-120 Orbit 2 flight control team pose for a group portrait in the space shuttle flight control room of Houston's Mission Control Center (MCC). Flight director Mike Moses holds the STS-120 mission logo.

USSR Report, Space, No. 19.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-01-31

Descriptors USSR Space Exploration Space Technology 9. identifiers/Open-£nded Terms e. cosATi Reid/ Grouo 03, 22, 17A, 17B, 17C, 17E...Jul 82) 21 Ryumin Interviewed on Work of Cosmonauts, Flight Controllers (R. Kornaushenko; OGONEK, 2 Oct 82) 23 Chronology of ’Salyut-7’ Flight...reported from Flight Control Center: "The Facets of Cooperation"] [Excerpt] "Turn on computer memory prior to beginning the ’Diffuziya’ [Diffusion

AAS/GSFC 13th International Symposium on Space Flight Dynamics. Volume 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stengle, Tom (Editor)

1998-01-01

This conference proceedings preprint includes papers and abstracts presented at the 13th International Symposium on Space Flight Dynamics, May 11-15, 1998. Co-sponsored by American Astronautical Society and the Guidance, Navigation and Control Center of the Goddard Space Flight Center, this symposium featured technical papers on a wide range of issues related to orbit-attitude prediction, determination, and control; attitude sensor calibration; attitude dynamics; and mission design.

Space shuttle on-orbit flight control software requirements, preliminary version

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1975-01-01

Software modules associated with various flight control functions for the space shuttle orbiter are described. Data flow, interface requirements, initialization requirements and module sequencing requirements are considered. Block diagrams and tables are included.

Experiment 9: ASTROCULTURE: Growth and Starch Accumulation of Potato Tuber

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tibbitts, Theodore W.; Brown, Christopher S.; Croxdale, Judith G.; Wheeler, Raymond M.

1998-01-01

Potato explants (leaf, small stem section, and axillary bud) flown on STS-73 developed tubers of 1.5 cm diameter and 1.7 g mass during the 16-day period of space flight. The experiment was undertaken in the ASTROCULTURE(TM) experiment package under controlled temperature, humidity, lighting, and carbon dioxide concentrations. The tubers that formed in the explant system under microgravity had the same gross morphology, the same anatomical configuration of cells and tissues, and the same sizes, shapes, and surface character of starch granules as tubers formed in a 1 g environment. The total accumulation of starch and other energy containing compounds was similar in space flight and ground control tubers. Enzyme activity of starch synthase, starch phosphorylase, and total hydrolase was similar in space flight and ground controls, but activity of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase was reduced in the space flight tuber tissue. This experiment documented that potatoes will metabolize and accumulate starch as effectively in space flight as on the ground. Thus, this data provides the potential for effective utilization of potatoes in life support systems of space bases.

Enterprise Separates from 747 SCA for First Tailcone off Free Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1977-01-01

The Space Shuttle prototype Enterprise rises from NASA's 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) to begin a powerless glide flight back to NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, on its fourth of the five free flights in the shuttle program's Approach and Landing Tests (ALT), 12 October 1977. The tests were carried out at Dryden to verify the aerodynamic and control characteristics of the orbiters in preparation for the first space mission with the orbiter Columbia in April 1981. The Space Shuttle Approach and Landings Tests (ALT) program allowed pilots and engineers to learn how the Space Shuttle and the modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) handled during low-speed flight and landing. The Enterprise, a prototype of the Space Shuttles, and the SCA were flown to conduct the approach and landing tests at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, from February to October 1977. The first flight of the program consisted of the Space Shuttle Enterprise attached to the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. These flights were to determine how well the two vehicles flew together. Five 'captive-inactive' flights were flown during this first phase in which there was no crew in the Enterprise. The next series of captive flights was flown with a flight crew of two on board the prototype Space Shuttle. Only three such flights proved necessary. This led to the free-flight test series. The free-flight phase of the ALT program allowed pilots and engineers to learn how the Space Shuttle handled in low-speed flight and landing attitudes. For these landings, the Enterprise was flown by a crew of two after it was released from the top of the SCA. The vehicle was released at altitudes ranging from 19,000 to 26,000 feet. The Enterprise had no propulsion system, but its first four glides to the Rogers Dry Lake runway provided realistic, in-flight simulations of how subsequent Space Shuttles would be flown at the end of an orbital mission. The fifth approach and landing test, with the Enterprise landing on the Edwards Air Force Base concrete runway, revealed a problem with the Space Shuttle flight control system that made it susceptible to Pilot-Induced Oscillation (PIO), a potentially dangerous control problem during a landing. Further research using other NASA aircraft, especially the F-8 Digital-Fly-By-Wire aircraft, led to correction of the PIO problem before the first orbital flight. The Enterprise's last free-flight was October 26, 1977, after which it was ferried to other NASA centers for ground-based flight simulations that tested Space Shuttle systems and structure.

Vestibular-Somatosensory Convergence in Head Movement Control During Locomotion after Long-Duration Space Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mulavara, Ajitkumar; Ruttley, Tara; Cohen, Helen; Peters, Brian; Miller, Chris; Brady, Rachel; Merkle, Lauren; Bloomberg, Jacob

2010-01-01

Exposure to the microgravity conditions of space flight induces adaptive modification in the control of vestibular-mediated reflexive head movement during locomotion after space flight. Space flight causes astronauts to be exposed to somatosensory adaptation in both the vestibular and body load-sensing (BLS) systems. The goal of these studies was to examine the contributions of vestibular and BLS-mediated somatosensory influences on head movement control during locomotion after long-duration space flight. Subjects were asked to walk on a treadmill driven at 1.8 m/s while performing a visual acuity task. Data were collected using the same testing protocol from three independent subject groups; 1) normal subjects before and after exposure to 30 minutes of 40% bodyweight unloaded treadmill walking, 2) bilateral labyrinthine deficient (LD) patients and 3) astronauts who performed the protocol before and after long duration space flight. Motion data from head and trunk segmental motion data were obtained to calculate the angular head pitch (HP) movements during walking trials while subjects performed the visual task, to estimate the contributions of vestibular reflexive mechanisms in HP movements. Results showed that exposure to unloaded locomotion caused a significant increase in HP movements, whereas in the LD patients the HP movements were significantly decreased. Astronaut subjects results showed a heterogeneous response of both increases and decreases in the amplitude of HP movement. We infer that BLS-mediated somatosensory input centrally modulates vestibular input and can adaptively modify head-movement control during locomotion. Thus, space flight may cause a central adaptation mediated by the converging vestibular and body load-sensing somatosensory systems.

Space Crew Members' Microbial Flora in Space Flight and Prospective Approaches for Its Ecological Control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Iilyin, V. K.; Kornyushenkova, I. N.; Lizko, N. N.

1996-01-01

An analysis of the astronauts' microflora, the changes that occur during spaceflight and the control of microflora using drugs, is reported. A decrease in the quantity of lactibacilli in the mouth and throat cavities was observed during flight. The data showed that the susceptibility of the microflora to antibiotics increased during flight.

Launch Vehicle Manual Steering with Adaptive Augmenting Control:In-Flight Evaluations of Adverse Interactions Using a Piloted Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hanson, Curt; Miller, Chris; Wall, John H.; VanZwieten, Tannen S.; Gilligan, Eric T.; Orr, Jeb S.

2015-01-01

An Adaptive Augmenting Control (AAC) algorithm for the Space Launch System (SLS) has been developed at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) as part of the launch vehicle's baseline flight control system. A prototype version of the SLS flight control software was hosted on a piloted aircraft at the Armstrong Flight Research Center to demonstrate the adaptive controller on a full-scale realistic application in a relevant flight environment. Concerns regarding adverse interactions between the adaptive controller and a potential manual steering mode were also investigated by giving the pilot trajectory deviation cues and pitch rate command authority, which is the subject of this paper. Two NASA research pilots flew a total of 25 constant pitch rate trajectories using a prototype manual steering mode with and without adaptive control, evaluating six different nominal and off-nominal test case scenarios. Pilot comments and PIO ratings were given following each trajectory and correlated with aircraft state data and internal controller signals post-flight.

STS-134 Orbit 2 flight controllers on consoles

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-05-17

JSC2011-E-045472 (17 May 2011) --- A scale model of HM Bark Endeavour, namesake for the space shuttle currently making its final flight, adorns a console in the space shuttle flight control room in Mission Control in Houston. This model was first displayed in 1992 in the old shuttle control room during STS-49, the inaugural flight of the shuttle Endeavour. It was built by Dan Willett of JSC's Information Resources Directorate. The original sailing ship Endeavour was commanded by Lt. James Cook on a scientific voyage to the South Pacific, Australia and New Zealand from 1768 to 1771. Photo credit: NASA

Growth-rate periodicity of Streptomyces levoris during space flight.

PubMed

Rogers, T D; Brower, M E; Taylor, G R

1977-01-01

Streptomyces levoris Kras was used is an experimental test micro-organism during the Apollo Soyuz Test Project to study alternating vegetative mycelial and spore ring periodicity during space flight. Four cultures were launched in each of the spacecrafts (Apollo and Soyuz). During the joint space-flight activities, two cultures from each spacecraft were exchanged. Selected duplicate cultures were maintained as controls in both the USA and the USSR. Spore ring morphology was periodically documented by photographing the specimens at approximately 12-hr intervals during the pre-, in-, and post-flight periods of the experiment. A decreased growth-rate periodicity in all but one of the eight space-flight cultures was in part attributed to the reduced temperature in the spacecraft. One of the eight cultures grew at a faster rate in the reduced temperature environment of Apollo than did the ground controls. Three of the space-flight cultures developed double spore rings during the immediate post-flight period. This anomaly was attributed to re-entry into the earth's gravity. The absence of spores in portions of one ring formed during space flight may have been caused by nutritional defects or media abnormality. Extensive studies will be required to elucidate the cause of this detect with certainty. There was no visible evidence of wedges in the cultures which would suggest naturally occurring or radiation-induced mutagenic alteration during space flight.

[Development of fixed-base full task space flight training simulator].

PubMed

Xue, Liang; Chen, Shan-quang; Chang, Tian-chun; Yang, Hong; Chao, Jian-gang; Li, Zhi-peng

2003-01-01

Fixed-base full task flight training simulator is a very critical and important integrated training facility. It is mostly used in training of integrated skills and tasks, such as running the flight program of manned space flight, dealing with faults, operating and controlling spacecraft flight, communicating information between spacecraft and ground. This simulator was made up of several subentries including spacecraft simulation, simulating cabin, sight image, acoustics, main controlling computer, instructor and assistant support. It has implemented many simulation functions, such as spacecraft environment, spacecraft movement, communicating information between spacecraft and ground, typical faults, manual control and operating training, training control, training monitor, training database management, training data recording, system detecting and so on.

Frozen human cells can record radiation damage accumulated during space flight: mutation induction and radioadaptation.

PubMed

Yatagai, Fumio; Honma, Masamitsu; Takahashi, Akihisa; Omori, Katsunori; Suzuki, Hiromi; Shimazu, Toru; Seki, Masaya; Hashizume, Toko; Ukai, Akiko; Sugasawa, Kaoru; Abe, Tomoko; Dohmae, Naoshi; Enomoto, Shuichi; Ohnishi, Takeo; Gordon, Alasdair; Ishioka, Noriaki

2011-03-01

To estimate the space-radiation effects separately from other space-environmental effects such as microgravity, frozen human lymphoblastoid TK6 cells were sent to the "Kibo" module of the International Space Station (ISS), preserved under frozen condition during the mission and finally recovered to Earth (after a total of 134 days flight, 72 mSv). Biological assays were performed on the cells recovered to Earth. We observed a tendency of increase (2.3-fold) in thymidine kinase deficient (TK(-)) mutations over the ground control. Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) analysis on the mutants also demonstrated a tendency of increase in proportion of the large deletion (beyond the TK locus) events, 6/41 in the in-flight samples and 1/17 in the ground control. Furthermore, in-flight samples exhibited 48% of the ground-control level in TK(-) mutation frequency upon exposure to a subsequent 2 Gy dose of X-rays, suggesting a tendency of radioadaptation when compared with the ground-control samples. The tendency of radioadaptation was also supported by the post-flight assays on DNA double-strand break repair: a 1.8- and 1.7-fold higher efficiency of in-flight samples compared to ground control via non-homologous end-joining and homologous recombination, respectively. These observations suggest that this system can be used as a biodosimeter, because DNA damage generated by space radiation is considered to be accumulated in the cells preserved frozen during the mission, Furthermore, this system is also suggested to be applicable for evaluating various cellular responses to low-dose space radiation, providing a better understanding of biological space-radiation effects as well as estimation of health influences of future space explores. © Springer-Verlag 2010

14 CFR 417.415 - Post-launch and post-flight-attempt hazard controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 4 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Post-launch and post-flight-attempt hazard controls. 417.415 Section 417.415 Aeronautics and Space COMMERCIAL SPACE TRANSPORTATION, FEDERAL AVIATION... evidence; and (4) Ensuring public safety from hazardous debris, such as plans for recovery and salvage of...

jsc2010e046733

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-04-05

JSC2010-E-046733 (5 April 2010) --- An overall view of the space shuttle flight control room in the Johnson Space Center's Mission Control Center during launch countdown activities a few hundred miles away in Florida, site of space shuttle Discovery's STS-131 launch. In the foreground are flight directors Tony Ceccacci (left) and Bryan Lunney.

14 CFR 417.415 - Post-launch and post-flight-attempt hazard controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 4 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Post-launch and post-flight-attempt hazard controls. 417.415 Section 417.415 Aeronautics and Space COMMERCIAL SPACE TRANSPORTATION, FEDERAL AVIATION... evidence; and (4) Ensuring public safety from hazardous debris, such as plans for recovery and salvage of...

14 CFR 417.415 - Post-launch and post-flight-attempt hazard controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 4 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Post-launch and post-flight-attempt hazard controls. 417.415 Section 417.415 Aeronautics and Space COMMERCIAL SPACE TRANSPORTATION, FEDERAL AVIATION... evidence; and (4) Ensuring public safety from hazardous debris, such as plans for recovery and salvage of...

Large space structures controls research and development at Marshall Space Flight Center: Status and future plans

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buchanan, H. J.

1983-01-01

Work performed in Large Space Structures Controls research and development program at Marshall Space Flight Center is described. Studies to develop a multilevel control approach which supports a modular or building block approach to the buildup of space platforms are discussed. A concept has been developed and tested in three-axis computer simulation utilizing a five-body model of a basic space platform module. Analytical efforts have continued to focus on extension of the basic theory and subsequent application. Consideration is also given to specifications to evaluate several algorithms for controlling the shape of Large Space Structures.

STS-120 Flight Controllers on console during mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-10-31

JSC2007-E-095788 (3 Nov. 2007) --- Flight directors Norm Knight (left) and Bryan Lunney, inside the shuttle flight control room of JSC's Mission Control Center, monitor the progress of the Nov. 3 spacewalk by two members of Discovery's crew, while the space shuttle is docked with the International Space Station in Earth orbit. Astronaut Scott Parazynski was busy at work on repairing a tear in a solar panel on the orbiting outpost.

In-flight simulation studies at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shafer, Mary F.

1992-01-01

Since the late 1950's, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Dryden Flight Research Facility has found in-flight simulation to be an invaluable tool. In-flight simulation has been used to address a wide variety of flying qualities questions, including low-lift-to-drag ratio approach characteristics for vehicles like the X-15, the lifting bodies, and the Space Shuttle; the effects of time delays on controllability of aircraft with digital flight-control systems, the causes and cures of pilot-induced oscillation in a variety of aircraft, and flight-control systems for such diverse aircraft as the X-15 and the X-29. In-flight simulation has also been used to anticipate problems and to avoid them and to solve problems once they appear. Presented here is an account of the in-flight simulation at the Dryden Flight Research Facility and some discussion. An extensive bibliography is included.

In-flight simulation studies at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shafer, Mary F.

1994-01-01

Since the late 1950's the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Dryden Flight Research Facility has found in-flight simulation to be an invaluable tool. In-flight simulation has been used to address a wide variety of flying qualities questions, including low lift-to-drag ratio approach characteristics for vehicles like the X-15, the lifting bodies, and the space shuttle; the effects of time delays on controllability of aircraft with digital flight control systems; the causes and cures of pilot-induced oscillation in a variety of aircraft; and flight control systems for such diverse aircraft as the X-15 and the X-29. In-flight simulation has also been used to anticipate problems, avoid them, and solve problems once they appear. This paper presents an account of the in-flight simulation at the Dryden Flight Research Facility and some discussion. An extensive bibliography is included.

NASA on a Strong Roll in Preparing Space Launch System Flight Engines

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-08-09

NASA is on a roll when it comes to testing engines for its new Space Launch System (SLS) rocket that will send astronauts to deep-space destinations, including Mars. Just two weeks after the third test of a new RS-25 engine flight controller, the space agency recorded its fourth full-duration controller test Aug. 9 at Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Engineers conducted a 500-second test of the RS-25 engine controller on the A-1 Test Stand at Stennis. The test involved installing the controller on an RS-25 development engine and firing it in the same manner, and for the same length of time, as needed during an actual SLS launch. The test marked another milestone toward launch of the first integrated flight of the SLS rocket and Orion crew vehicle. Exploration Mission-1 will be an uncrewed mission into lunar orbit, designed to provide a final check-out test of rocket and Orion capabilities before astronauts are returned to deep space. The SLS rocket will be powered at launch by four RS-25 engines, providing a combined 2 million pounds of thrust, and with a pair of solid rocket boosters, providing more than 8 million pounds of total thrust. The RS-25 engines for the initial SLS flights are former space shuttle main engines that are now being used to launch the larger and heavier SLS rocket and with the new controller. The controller is a critical component that operates as the engine “brain” that communicates with SLS flight computers to receive operation performance commands and to provide diagnostic data on engine health and status. Engineers conducted early prototype tests at Stennis to collect data for development of the new controller by NASA, RS-25 prime contractor Aerojet Rocketdyne and subcontractor Honeywell. Testing of actual flight controllers began at Stennis in March. NASA is testing all controllers and engines designated for the EM-1 flight at Stennis. It also will test the SLS core stage for the flight at Stennis, which will involve installing the stage on the B-2 Test Stand and firing its four RS-25 engines simultaneously, as during an actual launch. RS-25 tests at Stennis are conducted by a team of NASA, Aerojet Rocketdyne and Syncom Space Services engineers and operators. Aerojet Rocketdyne is the RS-25 prime contractor. Syncom Space Services is the prime contractor for Stennis facilities and operations.

Predicted and flight test results of the performance, stability and control of the space shuttle from reentry to landing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kirsten, P. W.; Richardson, D. F.; Wilson, C. M.

1983-01-01

Aerodynaic performance, stability and control data obtained from the first five reentries of the Space Shuttle orbiter are given. Flight results are compared to pedicted data from Mach 26.4 to Mach 0.4. Differences between flight and predicted data as well as probable causes for the discrepancies are given.

Subsonic stability and control flight test results of the Space Shuttle /tail cone off/

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cooke, D. R.

1980-01-01

The subsonic stability and control testing of the Space Shuttle Orbiter in its two test flights in the tailcone-off configuration is discussed, and test results are presented. Flight test maneuvers were designed to maximize the quality and quantity of stability and control data in the minimal time allotted using the Space Shuttle Functional Simulator and the Modified Maximum Likelihood Estimator (MMLE) programs, and coefficients were determined from standard sensor data sets using the MMLE, despite problems encountered in timing due to the different measurement systems used. Results are included for lateral directional and longitudinal maneuvers as well as the Space Shuttle aerodynamic data base obtained using the results of wind tunnel tests. The flight test data are found to permit greater confidence in the data base since the differences found are well within control system capability. It is suggested that the areas of major differences, including lateral directional data with open speedbrake, roll due to rudder and normal force due to elevon, be investigated in any further subsonic flight testing. Improvements in sensor data and data handling techniques for future orbital test flights are indicated.

STS-132/ULF4 WFCR Flight Controllers on Console

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

JSC2010-E-080432 (14 May 2010) --- Astronaut Charles Hobaugh, spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM) for the STS-132 mission, is pictured in the space shuttle flight control room in the Johnson Space Center's Mission Control Center during launch countdown activities a few hundred miles away in Florida, site of space shuttle Atlantis? STS-132 launch. Liftoff was on time at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010 from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

Haploid deletion strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae that determine survival during space flight

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johanson, Kelly; Allen, Patricia L.; Gonzalez-Villalobos, Romer A.; Nesbit, Jacqueline; Nickerson, Cheryl A.; Höner zu Bentrup, Kerstin; Wilson, James W.; Ramamurthy, Rajee; D'Elia, Riccardo; Muse, Kenneth E.; Hammond, Jeffrey; Freeman, Jake; Stodieck, Louis S.; Hammond, Timothy G.

2007-02-01

This study identifies genes that determine survival during a space flight, using the model eukaryotic organism, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Select strains of a haploid yeast deletion series grew during storage in distilled water in space, but not in ground based static or clinorotation controls. The survival advantages in space in distilled water include a 133-fold advantage for the deletion of PEX19, a chaperone and import receptor for newly- synthesized class I peroxisomal membrane proteins, to 77-40 fold for deletion strains lacking elements of aerobic respiration, isocitrate metabolism, and mitochondrial electron transport. Following automated addition of rich growth media, the space flight was associated with a marked survival advantage of strains with deletions in catalytically active genes including hydrolases, oxidoreductases and transferases. When compared to static controls, space flight was associated with a marked survival disadvantage of deletion strains lacking transporter, antioxidant and catalytic activity. This study identifies yeast deletion strains with a survival advantage during storage in distilled water and space flight, and amplifies our understanding of the genes critical for survival in space.

Solar array flight dynamic experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schock, R. W.

1986-01-01

The purpose of the Solar Array Flight Dynamic Experiment (SAFDE) is to demonstrate the feasibility of on-orbit measurement and ground processing of large space structures dynamic characteristics. Test definition or verification provides the dynamic characteristic accuracy required for control systems use. An illumination/measurement system was developed to fly on space shuttle flight STS-31D. The system was designed to dynamically evaluate a large solar array called the Solar Array Flight Experiment (SAFE) that had been scheduled for this flight. The SAFDE system consisted of a set of laser diode illuminators, retroreflective targets, an intelligent star tracker receiver and the associated equipment to power, condition, and record the results. In six tests on STS-41D, data was successfully acquired from 18 retroreflector targets and ground processed, post flight, to define the solar array's dynamic characteristic. The flight experiment proved the viability of on-orbit test definition of large space structures dynamic characteristics. Future large space structures controllability should be greatly enhanced by this capability.

Solar array flight dynamic experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schock, Richard W.

1986-01-01

The purpose of the Solar Array Flight Dynamic Experiment (SAFDE) is to demonstrate the feasibility of on-orbit measurement and ground processing of large space structures dynamic characteristics. Test definition or verification provides the dynamic characteristic accuracy required for control systems use. An illumination/measurement system was developed to fly on Space Shuttle flight STS-31D. The system was designed to dynamically evaluate a large solar array called the Solar Array Flight Experiment (SAFE) that had been scheduled for this flight. The SAFDE system consisted of a set of laser diode illuminators, retroreflective targets, an intelligent star tracker receiver and the associated equipment to power, condition, and record the results. In six tests on STS-41D, data was successfully acquired from 18 retroreflector targets and ground processed, post flight, to define the solar array's dynamic characteristic. The flight experiment proved the viability of on-orbit test definition of large space structures dynamic characteristics. Future large space structures controllability should be greatly enhanced by this capability.

Solar array flight dynamic experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schock, Richard W.

1987-01-01

The purpose of the Solar Array Flight Dynamic Experiment (SAFDE) is to demonstrate the feasibility of on-orbit measurement and ground processing of large space structures' dynamic characteristics. Test definition or verification provides the dynamic characteristic accuracy required for control systems use. An illumination/measurement system was developed to fly on space shuttle flight STS-41D. The system was designed to dynamically evaluate a large solar array called the Solar Array Flight Experiment (SAFE) that had been scheduled for this flight. The SAFDE system consisted of a set of laser diode illuminators, retroreflective targets, an intelligent star tracker receiver and the associated equipment to power, condition, and record the results. In six tests on STS-41D, data was successfully acquired from 18 retroreflector targets and ground processed, post flight, to define the solar array's dynamic characteristic. The flight experiment proved the viability of on-orbit test definition of large space structures dynamic characteristics. Future large space structures controllability should be greatly enhanced by this capability.

[Energy reactions in the skeletal muscles of rats after short-term space flight on Kosmos-1514].

PubMed

Mailian, E S; Chabdarova, R N; Korzun, E I

1988-01-01

Ten hours after the 5-day space flight on Cosmos-1514 rats were examined for oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria isolated from the posterior femoral muscles as well as for Krebs cycle enzymes and glycolysis in the mitochondrial and cytoplasmic fractions of the muscles. The mitochondrial respiration rate in various metabolic states was similar in flight rats and vivarium controls. After flight calculated parameters of energy efficacy of respiration as well as activity of malate dehydrogenase, isocitrate dehydrogenase and total lactate dehydrogenase remained unchanged. Unlike the flight rats, the synchronous controls showed signs of the stress-reaction: uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation and oxalacetate inhibition of succinate dehydrogenase. Comparison of these findings with those from prolonged space flights indicates that inhibition of oxidative metabolism and glycolysis in mixed muscles which was demonstrated in the 20-day space flight does not develop immediately after launch but occurs within the time interval between mission days 6 and 18.

Calbindins decreased after space flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sergeev, I. N.; Rhoten, W. B.; Carney, M. D.

1996-01-01

Exposure of the body to microgravity during space flight causes a series of well-documented changes in Ca2+ metabolism, yet the cellular and molecular mechanisms leading to these changes are poorly understood. Calbindins, vitamin D-dependent Ca2+ binding proteins, are believed to have a significant role in maintaining cellular Ca2+ homeostasis. In this study, we used biochemical and immunocytochemical approaches to analyze the expression of calbindin-D28k and calbindin-D9k in kidneys, small intestine, and pancreas of rats flown for 9 d aboard the space shuttle. The effects of microgravity on calbindins in rats from space were compared with synchronous Animal Enclosure Module controls, modeled weightlessness animals (tail suspension), and their controls. Exposure to microgravity resulted in a significant and sustained decrease in calbindin-D28k content in the kidney and calbindin-D9k in the small intestine of flight animals, as measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Modeled weightlessness animals exhibited a similar decrease in calbindins by ELISA. Immunocytochemistry (ICC) in combination with quantitative computer image analysis was used to measure in situ the expression of calbindins in the kidney and the small intestine, and the expression of insulin in pancreas. There was a large decrease of immunoreactivity in renal distal tubular cell-associated calbindin-D28k and in intestinal absorptive cell-associated calbindin-D9k of space flight and modeled weightlessness animals compared with matched controls. No consistent difference in pancreatic insulin immunoreactivity between space flight, modeled weightlessness, and controls was observed. Regression analysis of results obtained by quantitative ICC and ELISA for space flight, modeled weightlessness animals, and their controls demonstrated a significant correlation. These findings after a short-term exposure to microgravity or modeled weightlessness suggest that a decreased expression of calbindins may contribute to the disorders of Ca2+ metabolism induced by space flight.

Mission control activity during STS-61 EVA

NASA Image and Video Library

1993-12-07

STS61-S-101 (8 Dec 1993) --- Astronaut Gregory J. Harbaugh, spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM), observes as two astronauts work through a lengthy period of extravehicular activity (EVA) in the cargo bay of the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Endeavour. Seen on the screen in the front of the flight control room, preparing to work with the Hubble Space Telescope's (HST) magnetometers, are astronauts F. Story Musgrave and Jeffrey A. Hoffman. Harbaugh stayed busy passing up flight controllers suggestions and directions during the record-breaking battery of in-space servicing sessions. Lead flight director Milt Heflin is partially visible at left edge of frame.

Effects of Space Environment on Genome, Transcriptome, and Proteome of Klebsiella pneumoniae.

PubMed

Guo, Yinghua; Li, Jia; Liu, Jinwen; Wang, Tong; Li, Yinhu; Yuan, Yanting; Zhao, Jiao; Chang, De; Fang, Xiangqun; Li, Tianzhi; Wang, Junfeng; Dai, Wenkui; Fang, Chengxiang; Liu, Changting

2015-11-01

The aim of this study was to explore the effects of space flight on Klebsiella pneumoniae. A strain of K. pneumoniae was sent to space for 398 h aboard the ShenZhou VIII spacecraft during November 1, 2011-November 17, 2011. At the same time, a ground simulation with similar temperature conditions during the space flight was performed as a control. After the space mission, the flight and control strains were analyzed using phenotypic, genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic techniques. The flight strains LCT-KP289 exhibited a higher cotrimoxazole resistance level and changes in metabolism relative to the ground control strain LCT-KP214. After the space flight, 73 SNPs and a plasmid copy number variation were identified in the flight strain. Based on the transcriptomic analysis, there are 232 upregulated and 1879 downregulated genes, of which almost all were for metabolism. Proteomic analysis revealed that there were 57 upregulated and 125 downregulated proteins. These differentially expressed proteins had several functions that included energy production and conversion, carbohydrate transport and metabolism, translation, ribosomal structure and biogenesis, posttranslational modification, protein turnover, and chaperone functions. At a systems biology level, the ytfG gene had a synonymous mutation that resulted in significantly downregulated expression at both transcriptomic and proteomic levels. The mutation of the ytfG gene may influence fructose and mannose metabolic processes of K. pneumoniae during space flight, which may be beneficial to the field of space microbiology, providing potential therapeutic strategies to combat or prevent infection in astronauts. Copyright © 2015 IMSS. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Post-Flight Analysis of the Guidance, Navigation, and Control Performance During Orion Exploration Flight Test 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barth, Andrew; Mamich, Harvey; Hoelscher, Brian

2015-01-01

The first test flight of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle presented additional challenges for guidance, navigation and control as compared to a typical re-entry from the International Space Station or other Low Earth Orbit. An elevated re-entry velocity and steeper flight path angle were chosen to achieve aero-thermal flight test objectives. New IMU's, a GPS receiver, and baro altimeters were flight qualified to provide the redundant navigation needed for human space flight. The guidance and control systems must manage the vehicle lift vector in order to deliver the vehicle to a precision, coastal, water landing, while operating within aerodynamic load, reaction control system, and propellant constraints. Extensive pre-flight six degree-of-freedom analysis was performed that showed mission success for the nominal mission as well as in the presence of sensor and effector failures. Post-flight reconstruction analysis of the test flight is presented in this paper to show whether that all performance metrics were met and establish how well the pre-flight analysis predicted the in-flight performance.

Movable Ground Based Recovery System for Reuseable Space Flight Hardware

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sarver, George L. (Inventor)

2013-01-01

A reusable space flight launch system is configured to eliminate complex descent and landing systems from the space flight hardware and move them to maneuverable ground based systems. Precision landing of the reusable space flight hardware is enabled using a simple, light weight aerodynamic device on board the flight hardware such as a parachute, and one or more translating ground based vehicles such as a hovercraft that include active speed, orientation and directional control. The ground based vehicle maneuvers itself into position beneath the descending flight hardware, matching its speed and direction and captures the flight hardware. The ground based vehicle will contain propulsion, command and GN&C functionality as well as space flight hardware landing cushioning and retaining hardware. The ground based vehicle propulsion system enables longitudinal and transverse maneuverability independent of its physical heading.

NASA Flight Planning Branch Space Shuttle Lessons Learned

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clevenger, Jennifer D.; Bristol, Douglas J.; Whitney, Gregory R.; Blanton, Mark R.; Reynolds, F. Fisher, III

2011-01-01

Planning products and procedures that allowed the mission Flight Control Teams and the Astronaut crews to plan, train and fly every Space Shuttle mission were developed by the Flight Planning Branch at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. As the Space Shuttle Program came to a close, lessons learned were collected from each phase of the successful execution of these Space Shuttle missions. Specific examples of how roles and responsibilities of console positions that develop the crew and vehicle attitude timelines have been analyzed and will be discussed. Additionally, the relationships and procedural hurdles experienced through international collaboration have molded operations. These facets will be explored and related to current and future operations with the International Space Station and future vehicles. Along with these important aspects, the evolution of technology and continual improvement of data transfer tools between the Space Shuttle and ground team has also defined specific lessons used in improving the control team s effectiveness. Methodologies to communicate and transmit messages, images, and files from the Mission Control Center to the Orbiter evolved over several years. These lessons were vital in shaping the effectiveness of safe and successful mission planning and have been applied to current mission planning work in addition to being incorporated into future space flight planning. The critical lessons from all aspects of previous plan, train, and fly phases of Space Shuttle flight missions are not only documented in this paper, but are also discussed regarding how they pertain to changes in process and consideration for future space flight planning.

Comparison of Controller and Flight Deck Algorithm Performance During Interval Management with Dynamic Arrival Trees (STARS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Battiste, Vernol; Lawton, George; Lachter, Joel; Brandt, Summer; Koteskey, Robert; Dao, Arik-Quang; Kraut, Josh; Ligda, Sarah; Johnson, Walter W.

2012-01-01

Managing the interval between arrival aircraft is a major part of the en route and TRACON controller s job. In an effort to reduce controller workload and low altitude vectoring, algorithms have been developed to allow pilots to take responsibility for, achieve and maintain proper spacing. Additionally, algorithms have been developed to create dynamic weather-free arrival routes in the presence of convective weather. In a recent study we examined an algorithm to handle dynamic re-routing in the presence of convective weather and two distinct spacing algorithms. The spacing algorithms originated from different core algorithms; both were enhanced with trajectory intent data for the study. These two algorithms were used simultaneously in a human-in-the-loop (HITL) simulation where pilots performed weather-impacted arrival operations into Louisville International Airport while also performing interval management (IM) on some trials. The controllers retained responsibility for separation and for managing the en route airspace and some trials managing IM. The goal was a stress test of dynamic arrival algorithms with ground and airborne spacing concepts. The flight deck spacing algorithms or controller managed spacing not only had to be robust to the dynamic nature of aircraft re-routing around weather but also had to be compatible with two alternative algorithms for achieving the spacing goal. Flight deck interval management spacing in this simulation provided a clear reduction in controller workload relative to when controllers were responsible for spacing the aircraft. At the same time, spacing was much less variable with the flight deck automated spacing. Even though the approaches taken by the two spacing algorithms to achieve the interval management goals were slightly different they seem to be simpatico in achieving the interval management goal of 130 sec by the TRACON boundary.

Biological and metabolic response in STS-135 space-flown mouse skin.

PubMed

Mao, X W; Pecaut, M J; Stodieck, L S; Ferguson, V L; Bateman, T A; Bouxsein, M L; Gridley, D S

2014-08-01

There is evidence that space flight condition-induced biological damage is associated with increased oxidative stress and extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling. To explore possible mechanisms, changes in gene expression profiles implicated in oxidative stress and in ECM remodeling in mouse skin were examined after space flight. The metabolic effects of space flight in skin tissues were also characterized. Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-135) was launched at the Kennedy Space Center on a 13-day mission. Female C57BL/6 mice were flown in the STS-135 using animal enclosure modules (AEMs). Within 3-5 h after landing, the mice were euthanized and skin samples were harvested for gene array analysis and metabolic biochemical assays. Many genes responsible for regulating production and metabolism of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were significantly (p < 0.05) altered in the flight group, with fold changes >1.5 compared to AEM control. For ECM profile, several genes encoding matrix and metalloproteinases involved in ECM remodeling were significantly up-/down-regulated following space flight. To characterize the metabolic effects of space flight, global biochemical profiles were evaluated. Of 332 named biochemicals, 19 differed significantly (p < 0.05) between space flight skin samples and AEM ground controls, with 12 up-regulated and 7 down-regulated including altered amino acid, carbohydrate metabolism, cell signaling, and transmethylation pathways. Collectively, the data demonstrated that space flight condition leads to a shift in biological and metabolic homeostasis as the consequence of increased regulation in cellular antioxidants, ROS production, and tissue remodeling. This indicates that astronauts may be at increased risk for pathophysiologic damage or carcinogenesis in cutaneous tissue.

Flight Approach to Adaptive Control Research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pavlock, Kate Maureen; Less, James L.; Larson, David Nils

2011-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Dryden Flight Research Center completed flight testing of adaptive controls research on a full-scale F-18 testbed. The testbed served as a full-scale vehicle to test and validate adaptive flight control research addressing technical challenges involved with reducing risk to enable safe flight in the presence of adverse conditions such as structural damage or control surface failures. This paper describes the research interface architecture, risk mitigations, flight test approach and lessons learned of adaptive controls research.

STS-132/ULF4 WFCR Flight Controllers on Console

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-14

JSC2010-E-080410 (14 May 2010) --- Astronauts Steve Frick (standing) and Charles Hobaugh, both spacecraft communicators (CAPCOM) for the STS-132 mission, are pictured in the space shuttle flight control room in the Johnson Space Center's Mission Control Center during launch countdown activities a few hundred miles away in Florida, site of space shuttle Atlantis? STS-132 launch. Liftoff was on time at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010 from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

In-flight testing of the space shuttle orbiter thermal control system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taylor, J. T.

1985-01-01

In-flight thermal control system testing of a complex manned spacecraft such as the space shuttle orbiter and the considerations attendant to the definition of the tests are described. Design concerns, design mission requirements, flight test objectives, crew vehicle and mission risk considerations, instrumentation, data requirements, and real-time mission monitoring are discussed. An overview of the tests results is presented.

International Space Station (ISS)

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-02-01

The Payload Operations Center (POC) is the science command post for the International Space Station (ISS). Located at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, it is the focal point for American and international science activities aboard the ISS. The POC's unique capabilities allow science experts and researchers around the world to perform cutting-edge science in the unique microgravity environment of space. The POC is staffed around the clock by shifts of payload flight controllers. At any given time, 8 to 10 flight controllers are on consoles operating, plarning for, and controlling various systems and payloads. This photograph shows the Operations Controllers (OC) at their work stations. The OC coordinates the configuration of resources to enable science operations, such as power, cooling, commanding, and the availability of items like tools and laboratory equipment.

Exercise Countermeasures for Bone Loss During Space Flight: A Method for the Study of Ground Reaction Forces and Their Implications for Bone Strain

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peterman, M.; McCrory, J. L.; Sharkey, N. A.; Piazza, S.; Cavanagh, P. R.

1999-01-01

The human zero-gravity locomotion simulator and the cadaver simulator offer a powerful combination for the study of the implications of exercise for maintaining bone quality during space flight. Such studies, when compared with controlled in-flight exercise programs, could help in the identification of a strain threshold for the prevention of bone loss during space flight.

Skylab rescue space vehicle flight readiness test

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jevitt, S. J.

1973-01-01

A Skylab Rescue Space Vehicle flight readiness test is described which ensures that space vehicle systems are in a state of flight readiness and are compatible with associated ground support equipment. The functions of propellant loading, umbilical ejection, ignition, holddown arm release, liftoff, and service arm and tail service mast retraction are simulated. The test outline is presented along with a list of references, intercommunications information, operations interface control chart, and flight test.

14 CFR 125.311 - Flight crewmembers at controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Flight crewmembers at controls. 125.311... CAPACITY OF 6,000 POUNDS OR MORE; AND RULES GOVERNING PERSONS ON BOARD SUCH AIRCRAFT Flight Operations § 125.311 Flight crewmembers at controls. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, each...

14 CFR 125.311 - Flight crewmembers at controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Flight crewmembers at controls. 125.311... CAPACITY OF 6,000 POUNDS OR MORE; AND RULES GOVERNING PERSONS ON BOARD SUCH AIRCRAFT Flight Operations § 125.311 Flight crewmembers at controls. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, each...

14 CFR 125.311 - Flight crewmembers at controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Flight crewmembers at controls. 125.311... CAPACITY OF 6,000 POUNDS OR MORE; AND RULES GOVERNING PERSONS ON BOARD SUCH AIRCRAFT Flight Operations § 125.311 Flight crewmembers at controls. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, each...

14 CFR 125.311 - Flight crewmembers at controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Flight crewmembers at controls. 125.311... CAPACITY OF 6,000 POUNDS OR MORE; AND RULES GOVERNING PERSONS ON BOARD SUCH AIRCRAFT Flight Operations § 125.311 Flight crewmembers at controls. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, each...

14 CFR 125.311 - Flight crewmembers at controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Flight crewmembers at controls. 125.311... CAPACITY OF 6,000 POUNDS OR MORE; AND RULES GOVERNING PERSONS ON BOARD SUCH AIRCRAFT Flight Operations § 125.311 Flight crewmembers at controls. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, each...

Ares I-X Flight Test Philosophy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, S. R.; Tuma, M. L.; Heitzman, K.

2007-01-01

In response to the Vision for Space Exploration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has defined a new space exploration architecture to return humans to the Moon and prepare for human exploration of Mars. One of the first new developments will be the Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle (CLV), which will carry the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV), into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) to support International Space Station (ISS) missions and, later, support lunar missions. As part of Ares I development, NASA will perform a series of Ares I flight tests. The tests will provide data that will inform the engineering and design process and verify the flight hardware and software. The data gained from the flight tests will be used to certify the new Ares/Orion vehicle for human space flight. The primary objectives of this first flight test (Ares I-X) are the following: Demonstrate control of a dynamically similar integrated Ares CLV/Orion CEV using Ares CLV ascent control algorithms; Perform an in-flight separation/staging event between an Ares I-similar First Stage and a representative Upper Stage; Demonstrate assembly and recovery of a new Ares CLV-like First Stage element at Kennedy Space Center (KSC); Demonstrate First Stage separation sequencing, and quantify First Stage atmospheric entry dynamics and parachute performance; and Characterize the magnitude of the integrated vehicle roll torque throughout the First Stage (powered) flight. This paper will provide an overview of the Ares I-X flight test process and details of the individual flight tests.

Proceedings of the Second Manned Space Flight Meeting

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1964-01-01

The papers presented in this report represent the classified portion of the Second Manned Space Flight Meeting which was held in Dallas, TX, on April 22-24, 1963. The meeting was co-sponsored by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The following subjects are discussed in the report: Manned Space Flight Programs, Launch Vehicles, Spacecraft Design, and Guidance and Control.

International Space Station (ISS)

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-02-01

The Payload Operations Center (POC) is the science command post for the International Space Station (ISS). Located at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, it is the focal point for American and international science activities aboard the ISS. The POC's unique capabilities allow science experts and researchers around the world to perform cutting-edge science in the unique microgravity environment of space. The POC is staffed around the clock by shifts of payload flight controllers. At any given time, 8 to 10 flight controllers are on consoles operating, plarning for, and controlling various systems and payloads. This photograph shows the Timeline Change Officer (TCO) at a work station. The TCO maintains the daily schedule of science activities and work assignments, and works with planners at Mission Control at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, to ensure payload activities are accommodated in overall ISS plans and schedules.

Locomotor Dysfunction after Long-Duration Space Flight and Development of Countermeasures to Facilitate Faster Recovery

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mulavara, A. P.; Wood, S. J.; Cohen, H. S.; Bloomberg, J. J.

2012-01-01

Exposure to the microgravity conditions of space flight induces adaptive modification in sensorimotor function allowing astronauts to operate in this unique environment. This adaptive state, however, is inappropriate for a 1-g environment. Consequently astronauts must spend time readapting to Earth s gravity following their return to Earth. During this readaptation period, alterations in sensorimotor function cause various disturbances in astronaut gait during postflight walking. They often rely more on vision for postural and gait stability and many report the need for greater cognitive supervision of motor actions that previous to space flight were fully automated. Over the last several years our laboratory has investigated postflight astronaut locomotion with the aim of better understanding how adaptive changes in underlying sensorimotor mechanisms contribute to postflight gait dysfunction. Exposure to the microgravity conditions of space flight induces adaptive modification in the control of vestibularly-mediated reflexive head movement during locomotion after space flight. Furthermore, during motor learning, adaptive transitions are composed of two main mechanisms: strategic and plastic. Strategic mechanisms represent immediate and transitory modifications in control to deal with changes in the prevailing environment that, if prolonged, induce plastic mechanisms designed to automate new behavioral responses. The goal of the present study was to examine the contributions of sensorimotor subsystems such as the vestibular and body load sensing (BLS) somatosensory influences on head movement control during locomotion after long-duration space flight. Further we present data on the two motor learning processes during readaptation of locomotor function after long-duration space flight.

[Bone marrow mononuclear cells from murine tibia after the space flight on biosatellite "Bion-M1"].

PubMed

Andreeva, E R; Goncharova, E A; Gornostaeva, A N; Grigor'eva, O V; Buravkova, L B

2014-01-01

Cellularity, viability and immunophenotype of mononuclear cells derived from the tibial marrow of C57bL/6 mice were measured after the 30-day "Bion-M1" space flight and subsequent 7-day recovery. Cell number in the flight group was significantly less than in the group of vivarium control. There was no difference in the parameter between the flight and control groups after the recovery. Viability of mononuclear cells was more than 95% in all examined groups. Flow cytometric analysis failed to show differences in bone marrow cell immunophenotype (CD45, CD34, CD90.1 (Thy1); however, the flight animals had more large-sized CD45+ mononuclears than the control groups of mice. These results indicate that spaceflight factors did not have significant damaging effects on the number or immunophenotype of murine bone marrow mononuclears. These observations are consistent with the previously made assumption of a moderate and reversible stress reaction of mammals to space flight.

Gentamicin: effect on E. coli in space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kacena, M. A.; Todd, P.

1999-01-01

Previous investigations have shown that liquid bacterial cultures grown in space flight were not killed as effectively by antibiotic treatments as were cultures grown on Earth. However, the cause for the decreased antibiotic effectiveness remains unknown. Possible explanations include modified cell proliferation and modified antibiotic transport in the culture medium. Escherichia coli cultures were grown in space flight (STS-69 and STS-73), with and without gentamicin, on a solid agar substrate thus eliminating fluid effects and reducing the unknowns associated with space-flight bacterial cultures in suspension. This research showed that E. coli cultures grown in flight on agar for 24 to 27 hours experienced a heightened growth compared to simultaneous controls. However, addition of gentamicin to the agar killed the bacteria such that both flight and ground control E. coli samples had similar final cell concentrations. Therefore, while the reported existence of a decrease in antibiotic effectiveness in liquid cultures remains unexplained, these data suggest that gentamicin in space flight was at least as effective as, if not more effective than, on Earth, when E. coli cells were grown on agar.

Midodrine as a Countermeasure to Orthostatic Hypotension Immediately After Space Shuttle Landing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Platts, Steven H.; Stenger, Michael B.; Ribeiro, L. Christine; Lee, Stuart M. C.

2010-01-01

Midodrine prevents post-space flight orthostatic intolerance when testing is conducted in a controlled laboratory setting within 2-4 hours after Space Shuttle landing. It is unknown if midodrine is as effective during re-entry and immediately following landing. METHODS: Cardiovascular responses to 10 minutes of 80 head-up tilt in five male astronauts were compared before and immediately after Space Shuttle missions. Preflight tests were conducted in the Johnson Space Center Cardiovascular Laboratory without midodrine. Post-flight testing was performed in the Crew Transport Vehicle on the Space Shuttle runway within 60 minutes of landing; midodrine was self-administered before re-entry. Survival analysis was performed (Gehan-Breslow test) to compare presyncope rates pre- to post-flight. Cardiovascular responses (last minute standing minus supine) to tilt before and after space flight were compared using paired t-tests. RESULTS: Midodrine did not prevent post-flight orthostatic hypotension in two of the five astronauts, but the rate of presyncope across the group did not increase (p=0.17) from pre- to post-flight. Also, although the change in heart rate from supine to the last minute of standing was not affected by space flight, systolic blood pressure decreased more (p=0.05) and diastolic blood pressure tended to decrease (p=0.08) after space flight. CONCLUSIONS: Accurate interpretation of the current results requires that similar data be collected in control subjects (without midodrine) on the CTV. However, drug interaction concerns with commonly used anti-emetics and potentiation of prolonged QTc intervals observed in long duration astronauts make the routine use of midodrine for immediate post-flight orthostatic hypotension unlikely. 2

Design and implementation of robust decentralized control laws for the ACES structure at Marshall Space Flight Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Collins, Emmanuel G., Jr.; Phillips, Douglas J.; Hyland, David C.

1990-01-01

Many large space system concepts will require active vibration control to satisfy critical performance requirements such as line-of-sight accuracy. In order for these concepts to become operational it is imperative that the benefits of active vibration control be practically demonstrated in ground based experiments. The results of the experiment successfully demonstrate active vibration control for a flexible structure. The testbed is the Active Control Technique Evaluation for Spacecraft (ACES) structure at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. The ACES structure is dynamically traceable to future space systems and especially allows the study of line-of-sight control issues.

14 CFR 135.115 - Manipulation of controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... flight controls of an aircraft during flight conducted under this part, nor may any person manipulate the controls during such flight unless that person is— (a) A pilot employed by the certificate holder and... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Manipulation of controls. 135.115 Section...

14 CFR 135.115 - Manipulation of controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... flight controls of an aircraft during flight conducted under this part, nor may any person manipulate the controls during such flight unless that person is— (a) A pilot employed by the certificate holder and... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Manipulation of controls. 135.115 Section...

14 CFR 135.115 - Manipulation of controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... flight controls of an aircraft during flight conducted under this part, nor may any person manipulate the controls during such flight unless that person is— (a) A pilot employed by the certificate holder and... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Manipulation of controls. 135.115 Section...

14 CFR 135.115 - Manipulation of controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... flight controls of an aircraft during flight conducted under this part, nor may any person manipulate the controls during such flight unless that person is— (a) A pilot employed by the certificate holder and... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Manipulation of controls. 135.115 Section...

14 CFR 135.115 - Manipulation of controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... flight controls of an aircraft during flight conducted under this part, nor may any person manipulate the controls during such flight unless that person is— (a) A pilot employed by the certificate holder and... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Manipulation of controls. 135.115 Section...

14 CFR 27.161 - Trim control.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Trim control. 27.161 Section 27.161... STANDARDS: NORMAL CATEGORY ROTORCRAFT Flight Flight Characteristics § 27.161 Trim control. The trim control— (a) Must trim any steady longitudinal, lateral, and collective control forces to zero in level flight...

The Photovoltaic Array Space Power plus Diagnostics (PASP Plus) Flight Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Piszczor, Michael F.; Curtis, Henry B.; Guidice, Donald A.; Severance, Paul S.

1992-01-01

An overview of the Photovoltaic Array Space Power Plus Diagnostics (PASP Plus) flight experiment is presented in outline and graphic form. The goal of the experiment is to test a variety of photovoltaic cell and array technologies under various space environmental conditions. Experiment objectives, flight hardware, experiment control and diagnostic instrumentation, and illuminated thermal vacuum testing are addressed.

Guidance, Navigation and Control Innovations at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ericsson, Aprille Joy

2002-01-01

A viewgraph presentation on guidance navigation and control innovations at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is presented. The topics include: 1) NASA's vision; 2) NASA's Mission; 3) Earth Science Enterprise (ESE); 4) Guidance, Navigation and Control Division (GN&C); 5) Landsat-7 Earth Observer-1 Co-observing Program; and 6) NASA ESE Vision.

Benefits of Using Pairwise Trajectory Management in the Central East Pacific

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chartrand, Ryan; Ballard, Kathryn

2016-01-01

Pairwise Trajectory Management (PTM) is a concept that utilizes airborne and ground-based capabilities to enable airborne spacing operations in oceanic regions. The goal of PTM is to use enhanced surveillance, along with airborne tools, to manage the spacing between aircraft. Due to the enhanced airborne surveillance of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) information and reduced communication, the PTM minimum spacing distance will be less than distances currently required of an air traffic controller. Reduced minimum distance will increase the capacity of aircraft operations at a given altitude or volume of airspace, thereby increasing time on desired trajectory and overall flight efficiency. PTM is designed to allow a flight crew to resolve a specific traffic conflict (or conflicts), identified by the air traffic controller, while maintaining the flight crew's desired altitude. The air traffic controller issues a PTM clearance to a flight crew authorized to conduct PTM operations in order to resolve a conflict for the pair (or pairs) of aircraft (i.e., the PTM aircraft and a designated target aircraft). This clearance requires the flight crew of the PTM aircraft to use their ADS-B-enabled onboard equipment to manage their spacing relative to the designated target aircraft to ensure spacing distances that are no closer than the PTM minimum distance. When the air traffic controller determines that PTM is no longer required, the controller issues a clearance to cancel the PTM operation.

Studies of Pilot Control During Launching and Reentry of Space Vehicles, Utilizing the Human Centrifuge

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clark, Carl C.; Woodling, C. H.

1959-01-01

With the ever increasing complexity of airplanes and the nearness to reality of manned space vehicles the use of pilot-controlled flight simulators has become imperative. The state of the art in flight simulation has progressed well with the demand. Pilot-controlled flight simulators are finding increasing uses in aeromedical research, airplane and airplane systems design, and preflight training. At the present many flight simulators are in existence with various degrees of sophistication and sundry purposes. These vary from fixed base simulators where the pilot applies control inputs according to visual cues presented to him on an instrument display to moving base simulators where various combinations of angular and linear motions are added in an attempt to improve the flight simulation.

Summary results of the first United States manned orbital space flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glenn, J. H. Jr

1963-01-01

This paper describes the principal findings of the first United States manned orbital space flight in light of the flight mission. Consideration is given to the coordinated tracking network, recovery forces and to the spacecraft and its several functional systems. These include mechanisms for heat protection, escape maneuvers, spacecraft control, power supply, communications, life support and landing. A few difficulties encountered in the flight and deviations from the planned sequence are described. Craft preparation, aeromedical studies, flight plan and particularly flight observations--including the color, light, horizon visibility by day and by night, cloud formations and sunrise and sunset effects are given in some detail. The general conclusion from the MA-6 flight is that man can adapt well to new conditions encountered in space flight and that man can contribute importantly to mission reliability and toward mission achievement through his capacities to control the spacecraft and its multiple systems contribute to decision making and adaptation of programming as well as to direct exploratory and experimental observations.

Former President George H.W. Bush paid a visit to NASA's Johnson Space Center to speak with Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly and Flight Engineer Tim Kopra and take a tour of the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility. Kelly���s twin brother, Mark Kelly and his wife, former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords were also present. Photo Date: February 5, 2016. Location: Building 30 - ISS Flight Control Room. Photographer: Robert Markowitz

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-02-05

Former President George H.W. Bush paid a visit to NASA's Johnson Space Center to speak with Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly and Flight Engineer Tim Kopra and take a tour of the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility. Kelly’s twin brother, Mark Kelly and his wife, former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords were also present. Photo Date: February 5, 2016. Location: Building 30 - ISS Flight Control Room. Photographer: Robert Markowitz

Enterprise - Free Flight after Separation from 747

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1977-01-01

The Space Shuttle prototype Enterprise flies free of NASA's 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) during one of five free flights carried out at the Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, California in 1977 as part of the Shuttle program's Approach and Landing Tests (ALT). The tests were conducted to verify orbiter aerodynamics and handling characteristics in preparation for orbital flights with the Space Shuttle Columbia. A tail cone over the main engine area of Enterprise smoothed out turbulent airflow during flight. It was removed on the two last free flights to accurately check approach and landing characteristics. The Space Shuttle Approach and Landings Tests (ALT) program allowed pilots and engineers to learn how the Space Shuttle and the modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) handled during low-speed flight and landing. The Enterprise, a prototype of the Space Shuttles, and the SCA were flown to conduct the approach and landing tests at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, from February to October 1977. The first flight of the program consisted of the Space Shuttle Enterprise attached to the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. These flights were to determine how well the two vehicles flew together. Five 'captive-inactive' flights were flown during this first phase in which there was no crew in the Enterprise. The next series of captive flights was flown with a flight crew of two on board the prototype Space Shuttle. Only three such flights proved necessary. This led to the free-flight test series. The free-flight phase of the ALT program allowed pilots and engineers to learn how the Space Shuttle handled in low-speed flight and landing attitudes. For these landings, the Enterprise was flown by a crew of two after it was released from the top of the SCA. The vehicle was released at altitudes ranging from 19,000 to 26,000 feet. The Enterprise had no propulsion system, but its first four glides to the Rogers Dry Lake runway provided realistic, in-flight simulations of how subsequent Space Shuttles would be flown at the end of an orbital mission. The fifth approach and landing test, with the Enterprise landing on the Edwards Air Force Base concrete runway, revealed a problem with the Space Shuttle flight control system that made it susceptible to Pilot-Induced Oscillation (PIO), a potentially dangerous control problem during a landing. Further research using other NASA aircraft, especially the F-8 Digital-Fly-By-Wire aircraft, led to correction of the PIO problem before the first orbital flight. The Enterprise's last free-flight was October 26, 1977, after which it was ferried to other NASA centers for ground-based flight simulations that tested Space Shuttle systems and structure.

Enterprise - Free Flight after Separation from 747

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1977-01-01

The Space Shuttle prototype Enterprise flies free after being released from NASA's 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) during one of five free flights carried out at the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California in 1977, as part of the Shuttle program's Approach and Landing Tests (ALT). The tests were conducted to verify orbiter aerodynamics and handling characteristics in preparation for orbital flights with the Space Shuttle Columbia. A tail cone over the main engine area of Enterprise smoothed out turbulent airflow during flight. It was removed on the two last free flights to accurately check approach and landing characteristics. The Space Shuttle Approach and Landings Tests (ALT) program allowed pilots and engineers to learn how the Space Shuttle and the modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) handled during low-speed flight and landing. The Enterprise, a prototype of the Space Shuttles, and the SCA were flown to conduct the approach and landing tests at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, from February to October 1977. The first flight of the program consisted of the Space Shuttle Enterprise attached to the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. These flights were to determine how well the two vehicles flew together. Five 'captive-inactive' flights were flown during this first phase in which there was no crew in the Enterprise. The next series of captive flights was flown with a flight crew of two on board the prototype Space Shuttle. Only three such flights proved necessary. This led to the free-flight test series. The free-flight phase of the ALT program allowed pilots and engineers to learn how the Space Shuttle handled in low-speed flight and landing attitudes. For these landings, the Enterprise was flown by a crew of two after it was released from the top of the SCA. The vehicle was released at altitudes ranging from 19,000 to 26,000 feet. The Enterprise had no propulsion system, but its first four glides to the Rogers Dry Lake runway provided realistic, in-flight simulations of how subsequent Space Shuttles would be flown at the end of an orbital mission. The fifth approach and landing test, with the Enterprise landing on the Edwards Air Force Base concrete runway, revealed a problem with the Space Shuttle flight control system that made it susceptible to Pilot-Induced Oscillation (PIO), a potentially dangerous control problem during a landing. Further research using other NASA aircraft, especially the F-8 Digital-Fly-By-Wire aircraft, led to correction of the PIO problem before the first orbital flight. The Enterprise's last free-flight was October 26, 1977, after which it was ferried to other NASA centers for ground-based flight simulations that tested Space Shuttle systems and structure.

Flight Test Approach to Adaptive Control Research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pavlock, Kate Maureen; Less, James L.; Larson, David Nils

2011-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration s Dryden Flight Research Center completed flight testing of adaptive controls research on a full-scale F-18 testbed. The validation of adaptive controls has the potential to enhance safety in the presence of adverse conditions such as structural damage or control surface failures. This paper describes the research interface architecture, risk mitigations, flight test approach and lessons learned of adaptive controls research.

Mycological studies housed in the Apollo 16 microbial ecology evaluation device

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Volz, P. A.

1973-01-01

Survival, death, and phenotype count have yielded variation in the number of fungi recovered from the controls and the flight exposed cuvettes during preliminary analysis of postflight first phase data. Also the preliminary analysis was indicative that fungi exposed to specific space flight conditions demonstrated variable survival rates and phenotype counts. Specific space flight conditions included full light space exposure for Chaetomium globosum, exposure at 300- and 254-nanometer wavelengths for Rhodotorula rubra, full light and 280-nanometer wavelength exposure for Trichophyton terrestre, and 254-nanometer wavelength exposure for Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In general, phenotype counts for flight cuvettes and survival rates for control cuvettes were higher compared with the remaining cuvettes.

Panel summary of recommendations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dunbar, Bonnie J.; Coleman, Martin E.; Mitchell, Kenneth L.

1990-01-01

The following Space Station internal contamination topics were addressed: past flight experience (Skylab and Spacelab missions); present flight activities (Spacelabs and Soviet Space Station Mir); future activities (materials science and life science experiments); Space Station capabilities (PPMS, FMS, ECLSS, and U.S. Laboratory overview); manned systems/crew safety; internal contamination detection; contamination control - stowage and handling; and contamination control - waste gas processing. Space Station design assumptions are discussed. Issues and concerns are discussed as they relate to (1) policy and management, (2) subsystem design, (3) experiment design, and (4) internal contamination detection and control. The recommendations generated are summarized.

jsc2010e046802

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-04-05

JSC2010-E-046802 (5 April 2010) --- An overall view of the space shuttle flight control room in the Johnson Space Center's Mission Control Center during launch countdown activities a few hundred miles away in Florida, site of space shuttle Discovery's STS-131 launch. Visible in the foreground (from the left) are flight directors Tony Ceccacci and Bryan Lunney; along with astronauts Rick Sturckow and George Zamka, both spacecraft communicators (CAPCOM).

Environmental control and life support testing at the Marshall Space Flight Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schunk, Richard G.; Humphries, William R.

1987-01-01

The Space Station Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) test program at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is addressed. The immediate goals and current activities of the test program are discussed. Also described are the Core Module Integration Facility (CMIF) and the initial ECLSS test configuration. Future plans for the ECLSS test program and the CMIF are summarized.

Space flight effects on antioxidant molecules in dry tardigrades: the TARDIKISS experiment.

PubMed

Rizzo, Angela Maria; Altiero, Tiziana; Corsetto, Paola Antonia; Montorfano, Gigliola; Guidetti, Roberto; Rebecchi, Lorena

2015-01-01

The TARDIKISS (Tardigrades in Space) experiment was part of the Biokon in Space (BIOKIS) payload, a set of multidisciplinary experiments performed during the DAMA (Dark Matter) mission organized by Italian Space Agency and Italian Air Force in 2011. This mission supported the execution of experiments in short duration (16 days) taking the advantage of the microgravity environment on board of the Space Shuttle Endeavour (its last mission STS-134) docked to the International Space Station. TARDIKISS was composed of three sample sets: one flight sample and two ground control samples. These samples provided the biological material used to test as space stressors, including microgravity, affected animal survivability, life cycle, DNA integrity, and pathways of molecules working as antioxidants. In this paper we compared the molecular pathways of some antioxidant molecules, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, and fatty acid composition between flight and control samples in two tardigrade species, namely, Paramacrobiotus richtersi and Ramazzottius oberhaeuseri. In both species, the activities of ROS scavenging enzymes, the total content of glutathione, and the fatty acids composition between flight and control samples showed few significant differences. TARDIKISS experiment, together with a previous space experiment (TARSE), further confirms that both desiccated and hydrated tardigrades represent useful animal tool for space research.

Medical Scenarios Relevant to Spaceflight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bacal, Kira; Hurs, Victor; Doerr, Harold

2004-01-01

The Medical Operational Support Team (MOST) was tasked by the JSC Space Medicine and Life Sciences Directorate (SLSD) to incorporate medical simulation into 1) medical training for astronaut-crew medical officers (CMO) and medical flight control teams and 2) evaluations of procedures and resources required for medical care aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Development of evidence-based medical scenarios that mimic the physiology observed during spaceflight will be needed for the MOST to complete these two tasks. The MOST used a human patient simulator, the ISS-like resources in the Medical Simulation Laboratory (MSL), and evidence from space operations, military operations and medical literature to develop space relevant medical scenarios. These scenarios include conditions concerning airway management, Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and mitigating anaphylactic symptoms. The MOST has used these space relevant medical scenarios to develop a preliminary space medical training regimen for NASA flight surgeons, Biomedical Flight Controllers (Biomedical Engineers; BME) and CMO-analogs. This regimen is conducted by the MOST in the MSL. The MOST has the capability to develop evidence-based space-relevant medical scenarios that can help SLSD I) demonstrate the proficiency of medical flight control teams to mitigate space-relevant medical events and 2) validate nextgeneration medical equipment and procedures for space medicine applications.

Risk of Impaired Control of Spacecraft/Associated Systems and Decreased Mobility Due to Vestibular/Sensorimotor Alterations Associated with Space flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bloomberg, Jacob J.; Reschke, Millard F.; Clement, Gilles R.; Mulavara, Ajitkumar P.; Taylor, Laura C..

2015-01-01

Control of vehicles and other complex systems is a high-level integrative function of the central nervous system (CNS). It requires well-functioning subsystem performance, including good visual acuity, eye-hand coordination, spatial and geographic orientation perception, and cognitive function. Evidence from space flight research demonstrates that the function of each of these subsystems is altered by removing gravity, a fundamental orientation reference, which is sensed by vestibular, proprioceptive, and haptic receptors and used by the CNS for spatial orientation, posture, navigation, and coordination of movements. The available evidence also shows that the degree of alteration of each subsystem depends on a number of crew- and mission-related factors. There is only limited operational evidence that these alterations cause functional impacts on mission-critical vehicle (or complex system) control capabilities. Furthermore, while much of the operational performance data collected during space flight has not been available for independent analysis, those that have been reviewed are somewhat equivocal owing to uncontrolled (and/or unmeasured) environmental and/or engineering factors. Whether this can be improved by further analysis of previously inaccessible operational data or by development of new operational research protocols remains to be seen. The true operational risks will be estimable only after we have filled the knowledge gaps and when we can accurately assess integrated performance in off-nominal operational settings (Paloski et al. 2008). Thus, our current understanding of the Risk of Impaired Control of Spacecraft/Associated Systems and Decreased Mobility Due to Vestibular/Sensorimotor Alterations Associated with Space flight is limited primarily to extrapolation of scientific research findings, and, since there are limited ground-based analogs of the sensorimotor and vestibular changes associated with space flight, observation of their functional impacts is limited to studies performed in the space flight environment. Fortunately, many sensorimotor and vestibular experiments have been performed during and/or after space flight missions since 1959 (Reschke et al. 2007). While not all of these experiments were directly relevant to the question of vehicle/complex system control, most provide insight into changes in aspects of sensorimotor control that might bear on the physiological subsystems underlying this high-level integrated function.

Effect of space flights on plasma hormone levels in man and in experimental animal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Macho, L.; Kvetňanský, R.; Vigaš, M.; Németh, S.; Popova, I.; Tigranian, R. A.; Noskov, V. B.; Serova, L.; Grigoriev, I. A.

An important increase of plasma hormone levels like insulin, TSH and aldosterone was observed in human subjects after space flights, however in the changes of plasma content of ACTH, cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline the individual variations were observed in relation to number and duration of space flight. For evaluation of the effects of these changes in plasma hormone levels on metabolic processes also the experiments with small animals subjected to space flights on a board of biosatellite of Cosmos series were running. An elevation of plasma levels of corticosterone, adrenaline, noradrenaline and insulin was found in rats after the space flights of duration from 7 to 20 days. It was demonstrated, that the increase of corticosterone in plasma is followed by the activation of enzymes involved in the aminoacid metabolism in rat liver (tyrosine aminotransferase, tryptophanpyrolase, alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase). After a short recovery period (2 to 6 days) the plasma corticosterone concentration and also the activity of liver enzymes returned to control levels. The exposition of animals to stress stimuli during this recovery period showed higher response of corticosterone levels in flight rats as compared to intact controls. The increase of plasma catecholamine levels was not followed by elevation of lipolysis in adipose tissue. This is due to lower response of adipose tissue to catecholamine because a decrease of the stimulation of lipolysis by noradrenaline was observed in animals after space flight. The increase of insulin was not followed by adequate decrease of glucose concentration suggesting a disturbances in glucose utilization similarly as in cosmonauts after a long-term space flight. These results showed that changes in plasma hormone levels, observed after space flight, affected the regulation of metabolic processes in tissues.

ACES: Space shuttle flight software analysis expert system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Satterwhite, R. Scott

1990-01-01

The Analysis Criteria Evaluation System (ACES) is a knowledge based expert system that automates the final certification of the Space Shuttle onboard flight software. Guidance, navigation and control of the Space Shuttle through all its flight phases are accomplished by a complex onboard flight software system. This software is reconfigured for each flight to allow thousands of mission-specific parameters to be introduced and must therefore be thoroughly certified prior to each flight. This certification is performed in ground simulations by executing the software in the flight computers. Flight trajectories from liftoff to landing, including abort scenarios, are simulated and the results are stored for analysis. The current methodology of performing this analysis is repetitive and requires many man-hours. The ultimate goals of ACES are to capture the knowledge of the current experts and improve the quality and reduce the manpower required to certify the Space Shuttle onboard flight software.

Low-g fluid mixing - Further results from the Tank Pressure Control Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bentz, M. D.; Knoll, R. H.; Hasan, M. M.; Lin, C. S.

1993-01-01

The Tank Pressure Control Experiment (TPCE) made its first space flight on STS-43 in 1991. Its objective was to test the effectiveness of low-energy axial jet mixing at controlling pressures in low gravity. The experiment used refrigerant 113 at near-saturation conditions, at an 83 percent fill level, to simulate the fluid dynamics and thermodynamics of cryogenic fluids in future space applications. Results from this flight were reported previously. TPCE was again flown in space on STS-52 in 1992, this time primarily to study boiling and related thermal phenomena which will be reported elsewhere. However additional mixing and pressure control data were obtained from the reflight that supplement the data from the first flight.

Coverage of STS-104 Launch Coverage of Flight Controllers in MCC.

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-07-12

JSC2001-E-21338 (12 July 2001) --- Robert Gest (left), with United Space Alliance (USA); Steven A. Hawley, deputy director of flight crew operations; and Alan L. (Lee) Briscoe, chief engineer for the Mission Operations Directorate, watch their monitors at the MOD console in the shuttle flight control room (WFCR) as the external tank oxygen vent hood is raised and retracted minutes prior to the launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis.

Assessment of Nutrient Stability in Space Foods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zwart, S. R.; Perchonok, M.; Braby, L. A.; Kloeris, V. A.; Smith, S. M.

2009-01-01

Maintaining an intact nutrient supply in the food system flown on spacecraft is a critical issue for mission success and crew health and safety. Early polar expeditions and exploration expeditions by sailing vessels have taught us that a deficiency, or excess, of even a single vitamin in the food supply can be catastrophic. Evidence from ground-based research indicates that some vitamins are destroyed and fatty acids are oxidized (and therefore rendered dangerous or useless) by different types of radiation and by conditions of long-term storage. We hypothesize that radiation and long-term storage in the space-flight environment will affect the stability of vitamins, amino acids, and fatty acids in the space food system. The research objectives of our ongoing stability studies are to determine the stability of water- and fat-soluble vitamins, fatty acids, and amino acids in the space food supply before and after space flight on the International Space Station (ISS). Foods were analyzed after 2 weeks (a flight control), 11, 19, and 28 months of flight. Along with the space-flown foods, ground-based controls matched for time, light, and temperature are analyzed. The flight studies complement planned ground-based studies of the effects of radiation on vitamins, amino acids, and fatty acids. Flight studies are needed because a model based on ground-based data cannot predict all of the effects of the space-flight environment. Flight studies provide a more accurate test system to determine the effects on these nutrients of the temperature, and radiation conditions in the space-flight environment. Ground studies are required to evaluate longer missions and higher radiation levels expected outside low-Earth orbit. In addition to providing information about nutrient stability in space, the results of these studies will help NASA determine if a need exists to develop special packaging that can ensure stability of foods and nutrients in space, or if further studies of nutrient metabolism or nutrient requirements are needed.

Expedition 27 Docking

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-04-06

Russian Federal Space Agency Director of Human Space Flight, Alexey Krasnov, third from right, answers reporter’s questions during a Soyuz post-docking press conference at the Russian Mission Control Center in Korolev, Russia on Thursday, April 7, 2011. The Soyuz TMA-21 docked to the International Space Station carrying Expedition 27 Soyuz Commander Alexander Samokutyaev, NASA Flight Engineer Ron Garan and Russian Flight Engineer Andrey Borisenko. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

Seedling growth and development on space shuttle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cowles, J.; Lemay, R.; Jahns, G.

1994-11-01

Young pine seedlings, and mung bean and oat seeds were flown on shuttle flights, STS-3 and STS-51F, in March, 1982 and July/August, 1985, respectively. The plant growth units built to support the two experiments functioned mechanically as anticipated and provided the necessary support data. Pine seedlings exposed to the microgravity environment of the space shuttle for 8 days continued to grow at a rate similar to ground controls. Pine stems in flight seedlings, however, averaged 10 to 12% less lignin than controls. Flight mung beans grew slower than control beans and their stems contained about 25% less lignin than control seedlings. Reduced mung bean growth in microgravity was partly due to slower germination rate. Lignin also was reduced in flight oats as compared to controls. Oats and mung beans exhibited upward growing roots which were not observed in control seedlings. Chlorophll A/B ratios were lower in flight tissues than controls. The sealed PGCs exhibited large variations in atmospheric gas composition but the changes were similar between flight and ground controls. Ethylene was present in low concentrations in all chambers.

Integrated Digital Flight Control System for the Space Shuttle Orbiter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1973-01-01

The objectives of the integrated digital flight control system (DFCS) is to provide rotational and translational control of the space shuttle orbiter in all phases of flight: from launch ascent through orbit to entry and touchdown, and during powered horizontal flights. The program provides a versatile control system structure while maintaining uniform communications with other programs, sensors, and control effectors by using an executive routine/functional subroutine format. The program reads all external variables at a single point, copies them into its dedicated storage, and then calls the required subroutines in the proper sequence. As a result, the flight control program is largely independent of other programs in the computer complex and is equally insensitive to characteristics of the processor configuration. The integrated structure is described of the control system and the DFCS executive routine which embodies that structure. The input and output, including jet selection are included. Specific estimation and control algorithm are shown for the various mission phases: cruise (including horizontal powered flight), entry, on-orbit, and boost. Attitude maneuver routines that interface with the DFCS are included.

Seedling growth and development on space shuttle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cowles, J.; Lemay, R.; Jahns, G.

1994-01-01

Young pine seedlings, and mung bean and oat seeds were flown on shuttle flights, STS-3 and STS-51F, in March, 1982 and July/August, 1985, respectively. The plant growth units built to support the two experiments functioned mechanically as anticipated and provided the necessary support data. Pine seedlings exposed to the microgravity environment of the space shuttle for 8 days continued to grow at a rate similar to ground controls. Pine stems in flight seedlings, however, averaged 10 to 12% less lignin than controls. Flight mung beans grew slower than control beans and their stems contained about 25% less lignin than control seedlings. Reduced mung bean growth in microgravity was partly due to slower germination rate. Lignin also was reduced in flight oats as compared to controls. Oats and mung beans exhibited upward growing roots which were not observed in control seedlings. Chlorophyll A/B ratios were lower in flight tissues than controls. The sealed PGCs exhibited large variations in atmospheric gas composition but the changes were similar between flight and ground controls. Ethylene was present in low concentrations in all chambers.

Propellant Savings during Soyuz Undock from the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Turett, Fiona

2016-01-01

As a vehicle continuously orbiting Earth for over a decade, the International Space Station (ISS) must be conscious of ways to conserve consumables to maximize the efficiency of cargo flights to ISS. One such consumable is propellant. As part of an ongoing effort to minimize propellant usage onboard ISS and use control moment gyroscopes as much as possible for ISS control, an effort was made in late 2014 to allow Soyuz manned vehicle undockings without requiring the use of thrusters. This method, which has been used for four Soyuz undockings, saves up to 160 kg of propellant each year. Fiona completed a B.S. is Mechanical Engienering at Washington University in St. Louis in 2009, after which she moved to Houston, TX to begin working at NASA Johnson Space Center. She currently works in the Flight Operations Directorate as an ADCO (Attitude Determination and Control Officer) flight controller and MCG (Motion Control Group) instructor. Her responsibilities include operating the motion control systems of the ISS in Mission Control, interfacing with Russian colleagues, mentoring and teaching flight controller trainees, and training astronauts for their missions to ISS.

Integrated digital flight-control system for the space shuttle orbiter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1973-01-01

The integrated digital flight control system is presented which provides rotational and translational control of the space shuttle orbiter in all phases of flight: from launch ascent through orbit to entry and touchdown, and during powered horizontal flights. The program provides a versatile control system structure while maintaining uniform communications with other programs, sensors, and control effectors by using an executive routine/functional subroutine format. The program reads all external variables at a single point, copies them into its dedicated storage, and then calls the required subroutines in the proper sequence. As a result, the flight control program is largely independent of other programs in the GN&C computer complex and is equally insensitive to the characteristics of the processor configuration. The integrated structure of the control system and the DFCS executive routine which embodies that structure are described along with the input and output. The specific estimation and control algorithms used in the various mission phases are given.

Development of the brine shrimp Artemia is accelerated during spaceflight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spooner, B. S.; Metcalf, J.; DeBell, L.; Paulsen, A.; Noren, W.; Guikema, J. A.

1994-01-01

Developmentally arrested brine shrimp cysts have been reactivated during orbital spaceflight on two different Space Shuttle missions (STS-50 and STS-54), and their subsequent development has been compared with that of simultaneously reactivated ground controls. Flight and control brine shrimp do not significantly differ with respect to hatching rates or larval morphology at the scanning and transmission EM levels. A small percentage of the flight larvae had defective nauplier eye development, but the observation was not statistically significant. However, in three different experiments on two different flights, involving a total of 232 larvae that developed in space, a highly significant difference in degree of flight to control development was found. By as early as 2.25 days after reactivation of development, spaceflight brine shrimp were accelerated, by a full instar, over ground control brine shrimp. Although developing more rapidly, flight shrimp grew as long as control shrimp at each developmental instar or stage.

Rat gestation during space flight: outcomes for dams and their offspring born after return to Earth.

PubMed

Wong, A M; DeSantis, M

1997-01-01

Sprague-Dawley rats were studied to learn whether gestation in the near-zero gravity, high radiation environment of space impacts selected mammalian postnatal events. Ten rats spent days nine to twenty of pregnancy aboard the space shuttle orbiter Atlantis (STS-66). Their movement was studied shortly after return to Earth; subsequently, several of their offspring were cross-fostered and examined through postnatal day 81 (P81) for whole body growth and somatic motor development. Values for the flight animals were compared to ground-based control groups. Relative to controls, the pregnant flight rats showed a marked paucity of locomotion during the first few hours after returning to Earth. There was greater likelihood of perinatal morbidity for the offspring of flight dams when compared to the control groups. Whole body weight of surviving offspring, averaged for each group separately, showed typical sigmoidal growth curves when plotted against postnatal age. The flight group for our study had a larger ratio of female to male pups, and that was sufficient to account for the lower average daily weight gained by the flight animals when compared to the control groups. Walking was universally achieved by P13 and preceded eye opening, which was complete in all pups by P17. Thus, both of these developmental horizons were attained on schedule in the flight as well as the control rats. Characteristic changes were observed in hind limb step length and gait width as the pups grew. These patterns occurred at the same time in each group of rats. Therefore, prenatal space flight from days nine to twenty of gestation did not interfere with the establishment of normal patterns for hind paw placement during walking.

Rat Gestation During Space Flight: Outcomes for Dams and Their Offspring Born After Return to Earth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wong, Andre M.; DeSantis, Mark

1997-01-01

Sprague-Dawley rats were studied to learn whether gestation in the near-zero gravity, high radiation environment of space impacts selected mammalian postnatal events. Ten rats spent days nine to twenty of pregnancy aboard the space shuttle orbiter Atlantis (STS-66). Their movement was studied shortly after return to Earth; subsequently, several of their offspring were cross-fostered and examined through postnatal day 81 (P81) for whole body growth and somatic motor development. Values for the flight animals were compared to ground-based control groups. Relative to controls, the pregnant flight rats showed a marked paucity of locomotion during the first few hours after returning to Earth. There was greater likelihood of perinatal morbidity for the offspring of flight dams when compared to the control groups. Whole body weight of surviving offspring, averaged for each group separately, showed typical sigmoidal growth curves when plotted against postnatal age. The flight group for our study had a larger ratio of female to male pups, and that was sufficient to account for the lower average daily weight gained by the flight animals when compared to the control groups. Walking was universally achieved by P13 and preceded eye opening, which was complete in all pups by P17. Thus, both of these developmental horizons were attained on schedule in the flight as well as the control rats. Characteristic changes were observed in hind limb step length and gait width as the pups grew. These patterns occurred at the same time in each group of rats. Therefore, prenatal space flight from days nine to twenty of gestation did not interfere with the establishment of normal patterns for hind paw placement during walking.

International Space Station (ISS)

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-07-15

At the control of Expedition Two Flight Engineer Susan B. Helms, the newly-installed Canadian-built Canadarm2, Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) maneuvers the Quest Airlock into the proper position to be mated onto the starboard side of the Unity Node I during the first of three extravehicular activities (EVA) of the STS-104 mission. The Quest Airlock makes it easier to perform space walks, and allows both Russian and American spacesuits to be worn when the Shuttle is not docked with the International Space Station (ISS). American suits will not fit through Russion airlocks at the Station. The Boeing Company, the space station prime contractor, built the 6.5-ton (5.8 metric ton) airlock and several other key components at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), in the same building where the Saturn V rocket was built. Installation activities were supported by the development team from the Payload Operations Control Center (POCC) located at the MSFC and the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Flight Center in Houston, Texas.

Reduction of spermatogonia and testosterone in rat testes flown on Space Lab-3

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Philpott, Delbert E.; Stevenson, J.; Black, S.; Sapp, W.; Williams, C.

1986-01-01

The effects of space flight on rat testes were investigated. The weight, spermatogonial cell count, and testosterone levels in six rats flown on Space Lab-3 were measured. It is observed that compared to ground control rats the average weight loss was 7.1 percent and the spermatogonial cell count decreased by 7.5 percent. The data reveal that the testosterone level for large control rats was 9.13 ng/ml and 0.31 ng/ml for flight rats; and 2.54 ng/ml and 0.233 ng/ml for smaller control and flight rats, respectively. It is noted that spermatogenesis and testosterone production are reduced during spaceflight.

jsc2010e060725

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-04-29

JSC2010-E-060725 (29 April 2010) --- The members of the STS-131 Ascent flight control team and crew members pose for a group portrait in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Flight director Bryan Lunney and NASA astronaut Alan Poindexter, commander, (left center) stand on the second row. Additional crew members pictured are NASA astronauts James P. Dutton Jr., pilot; Clayton Anderson, Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, Stephanie Wilson, Rick Mastracchio and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, all mission specialists.

Space Shuttle stability and control flight test techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cooke, D. R.

1980-01-01

A unique approach for obtaining vehicle aerodynamic characteristics during entry has been developed for the Space Shuttle. This is due to the high cost of Shuttle testing, the need to open constraints for operational flights, and the fact that all flight regimes are flown starting with the first flight. Because of uncertainties associated with predicted aerodynamic coefficients, nine flight conditions have been identified at which control problems could occur. A detailed test plan has been developed for testing at these conditions and is presented. Due to limited testing, precise computer initiated maneuvers are implemented. These maneuvers are designed to optimize the vehicle motion for determining aerodynamic coefficients. Special sensors and atmospheric measurements are required to provide stability and control flight data during an entire entry. The techniques employed in data reduction are proven programs developed and used at NASA/DFRC.

Vestibular and Somatosensory Covergence in Postural Equilibrium Control: Insights from Spaceflight and Bed Rest Studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mulavara, A. P.; Batson, C. D.; Buxton, R. E.; Feiveson, A. H.; Kofman, I. S.; Lee, S. M. C.; Miller, C. A.; Peters, B. T.; Phillips, T.; Platts, S. H.;

Growth-rate periodicity of Streptomyces levoris during space flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rogers, T. D.; Brower, M. E.; Taylor, G. R.

1977-01-01

Streptomyces levoris provides a suitable biological test system to investigate the effects of space flight on the rhythms of vegetative and spore phase characteristics of both growth-rate periodicity and culture morphology during the pre-, in-, and post-flight periods of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. The objectives of the American participation were to study the effects of space flight on the biorhythms of Streptomyces levoris based on a comparison of the growth-rate periodicity of the vegetative and spore phase within each culture, to examine the possible alteration of spore morphology and development by SEM, and to compare the effects of a 12-hr phase shift on the periodic growth characteristics of this microorganism in cultures which were exchanged during the joint activities of the space flight. No uniform differences in the biorhythm of Streptomyces levoris during space flight were observed. It appears that the single most variable factor related to the experiment was the lack of temperature control for the space-flight specimens.

Enterprise - Free Flight after Separation from 747

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1977-01-01

The Space Shuttle prototype Enterprise flies free after being released from NASA's 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) over Rogers Dry Lake during the second of five free flights carried out at the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, as part of the Shuttle program's Approach and Landing Tests (ALT) in 1977. The tests were conducted to verify orbiter aerodynamics and handling characteristics in preparation for orbital flights with the Space Shuttle Columbia. A tail cone over the main engine area of Enterprise smoothed out turbulent airflow during flight. It was removed on the two last free flights to accurately check approach and landing characteristics. A series of test flights during which Enterprise was taken aloft atop the SCA, but was not released, preceded the free flight tests. The Space Shuttle Approach and Landings Tests (ALT) program allowed pilots and engineers to learn how the Space Shuttle and the modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) handled during low-speed flight and landing. The Enterprise, a prototype of the Space Shuttles, and the SCA were flown to conduct the approach and landing tests at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, from February to October 1977. The first flight of the program consisted of the Space Shuttle Enterprise attached to the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. These flights were to determine how well the two vehicles flew together. Five 'captive-inactive' flights were flown during this first phase in which there was no crew in the Enterprise. The next series of captive flights was flown with a flight crew of two on board the prototype Space Shuttle. Only three such flights proved necessary. This led to the free-flight test series. The free-flight phase of the ALT program allowed pilots and engineers to learn how the Space Shuttle handled in low-speed flight and landing attitudes. For these landings, the Enterprise was flown by a crew of two after it was released from the top of the SCA. The vehicle was released at altitudes ranging from 19,000 to 26,000 feet. The Enterprise had no propulsion system, but its first four glides to the Rogers Dry Lake runway provided realistic, in-flight simulations of how subsequent Space Shuttles would be flown at the end of an orbital mission. The fifth approach and landing test, with the Enterprise landing on the Edwards Air Force Base concrete runway, revealed a problem with the Space Shuttle flight control system that made it susceptible to Pilot-Induced Oscillation (PIO), a potentially dangerous control problem during a landing. Further research using other NASA aircraft, especially the F-8 Digital-Fly-By-Wire aircraft, led to correction of the PIO problem before the first orbital flight. The Enterprise's last free-flight was October 26, 1977, after which it was ferried to other NASA centers for ground-based flight simulations that tested Space Shuttle systems and structure.

14 CFR 117.17 - Flight duty period: Augmented flightcrew.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... the flight controls. ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Flight duty period: Augmented flightcrew... FLIGHT AND DUTY LIMITATIONS AND REST REQUIREMENTS: FLIGHTCREW MEMBERS § 117.17 Flight duty period...

NASA Associate Administrator for Space Flight Rothenberg addresses guests at ribbon cutting for the

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

NASA Associate Administrator for Space Flight Joseph Rothenberg addresses attendees at a ribbon cutting for the new Checkout and Launch Control System (CLCS) at the Hypergolic Maintenance Facility (HMF). The CLCS was declared operational in a ribbon cutting ceremony earlier. The new control room will be used to process the Orbital Maneuvering System pods and Forward Reaction Control System modules at the HMF. This hardware is removed from Space Shuttle orbiters and routinely taken to the HMF for checkout and servicing.

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Controls Systems Design and Analysis Branch

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gilligan, Eric

2014-01-01

Marshall Space Flight Center maintains a critical national capability in the analysis of launch vehicle flight dynamics and flight certification of GN&C algorithms. MSFC analysts are domain experts in the areas of flexible-body dynamics and control-structure interaction, thrust vector control, sloshing propellant dynamics, and advanced statistical methods. Marshall's modeling and simulation expertise has supported manned spaceflight for over 50 years. Marshall's unparalleled capability in launch vehicle guidance, navigation, and control technology stems from its rich heritage in developing, integrating, and testing launch vehicle GN&C systems dating to the early Mercury-Redstone and Saturn vehicles. The Marshall team is continuously developing novel methods for design, including advanced techniques for large-scale optimization and analysis.

Aeronautics and Space Report of the President: Fiscal Year 1996 Activities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1996-01-01

Topics considered include: (1) Space launch activities: space shuttle missions; expendable launch vehicles. (2) Space science: astronomy and space physics; solar system exploration. (3) Space flight and technology: life and microgravity sciences; space shuttle technology; reuseable launch vehicles; international space station; energy; safety and mission assurance; commercial development and regulation of space; surveillance. (4) Space communications: communications satellites; space network; ground networks; mission control and data systems. (5) Aeronautical activities: technology developments; air traffic control and navigation; weather-related aeronautical activities; flight safety and security; aviation medicine and human factors. (6) Studies of the planet earth: terrestrial studies and applications: atmospheric studies: oceanographic studies; international aeronautical and space activities; and appendices.

KSC-07pd0946

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-26

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Noted physicist Stephen Hawking arrives at the Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility for his first zero-gravity flight. The flight will be aboard a modified Boeing 727 aircraft owned by Zero Gravity Corp., a commercial company licensed to provide the public with weightless flight experiences. Hawking developed amyotrophic lateral sclerosis disease in the 1960s, a type of motor neuron disease which would cost him the loss of almost all neuromuscular control. At the celebration of his 65th birthday on January 8 this year, Hawking announced his plans for a zero-gravity flight to prepare for a sub-orbital space flight in 2009 on Virgin Galactic's space service. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

The Apollo 16 microbial response to space environment experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taylor, G. R.

1975-01-01

The effect was evaluated of a particular space flight on the survival rate of nine different species. Although a reasonable variety of organisms (viruses, yeasts, filamentous fungi, bacteria, and an invertebrate) were tested under several different conditions, no statistically valid differences could be detected in the survival of flight samples when compared to corresponding ground-based controls. In general, these evaluations were based on multiple observations of from ten to thirty replicates of up to one million cells each. While the results conflict with those of certain other space flight investigations, it is observed that the conditions of a particular space flight cannot be exactly duplicated, and therefore results from different flights are not directly comparable.

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

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-01-05

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

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

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-01-05

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

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

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-01-05

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

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Lanfang Levine, with Dynamac Corp., helps install a Dionex DX-500 IC/HPLC system in the Space Life Sciences Lab. The equipment will enable analysis of volatile compounds, such as from plants. The 100,000 square-foot facility houses labs for NASA’s ongoing research efforts, microbiology/microbial ecology studies and analytical chemistry labs. Also calling the new lab home are facilities for space flight-experiment and flight-hardware development, new plant growth chambers, and an Orbiter Environment Simulator that will be used to conduct ground control experiments in simulated flight conditions for space flight experiments. The SLS Lab, formerly known as the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory or SERPL, provides space for NASA’s Life Sciences Services contractor Dynamac Corporation, Bionetics Corporation, and researchers from the University of Florida. NASA’s Office of Biological and Physical Research will use the facility for processing life sciences experiments that will be conducted on the International Space Station. The SLS Lab is the magnet facility for the International Space Research Park at KSC being developed in partnership with Florida Space Authority.

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-01-05

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Lanfang Levine, with Dynamac Corp., helps install a Dionex DX-500 IC/HPLC system in the Space Life Sciences Lab. The equipment will enable analysis of volatile compounds, such as from plants. The 100,000 square-foot facility houses labs for NASA’s ongoing research efforts, microbiology/microbial ecology studies and analytical chemistry labs. Also calling the new lab home are facilities for space flight-experiment and flight-hardware development, new plant growth chambers, and an Orbiter Environment Simulator that will be used to conduct ground control experiments in simulated flight conditions for space flight experiments. The SLS Lab, formerly known as the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory or SERPL, provides space for NASA’s Life Sciences Services contractor Dynamac Corporation, Bionetics Corporation, and researchers from the University of Florida. NASA’s Office of Biological and Physical Research will use the facility for processing life sciences experiments that will be conducted on the International Space Station. The SLS Lab is the magnet facility for the International Space Research Park at KSC being developed in partnership with Florida Space Authority.

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

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-01-05

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

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

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-01-05

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

CONSTELLATION Images from other centers - February 2010

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-02-01

JSC2010-E-017955 (4 Feb. 2010) --- Flight directors for the STS-130/20A mission pose for a preflight group portrait in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Pictured from the left are Chris Edelen, Norm Knight, Kwatsi Alibaruho and Gary Horlacher.

CONSTELLATION Images from other centers - February 2010

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-02-04

JSC2010-E-017954 (4 Feb. 2010) --- Flight directors for the STS-130/20A mission pose for a preflight group portrait in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Pictured from the left are Chris Edelen, Norm Knight, Kwatsi Alibaruho and Gary Horlacher.

Functional testing of space flight induced changes in tonic motor control by using limb-attached excitation and load devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gallasch, Eugen; Kozlovskaya, Inessa

2007-02-01

Long term space flights induce atrophy and contractile changes on postural muscles such effecting tonic motor control. Functional testing of tonic motor control structures is a challenge because of the difficulties to deliver appropriate test forces on crew members. In this paper we propose two approaches for functional testing by using limb attached loading devices. The first approach is based on a frequency and amplitude controllable moving magnet exciter to deliver sinusoidal test forces during limb postures. The responding limb deflection is recorded by an embedded accelerometer to obtain limb impedance. The second approach is based on elastic limb loading to evoke self-excited oscillations during arm extensions. Here the contraction force at the oscillation onset provides information about limb stiffness. The rationale for both testing approaches is based on Feldman's λ-model. An arm expander based on the second approach was probed in a 6-month MIR space flight. The results obtained from the load oscillations, confirmed that this device is well suited to capture space flight induced neuromuscular changes.

Flight Planning Branch Space Shuttle Lessons Learned

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Price, Jennifer B.; Scott, Tracy A.; Hyde, Crystal M.

2011-01-01

Planning products and procedures that allow the mission flight control teams and the astronaut crews to plan, train and fly every Space Shuttle mission have been developed by the Flight Planning Branch at the NASA Johnson Space Center. As the Space Shuttle Program ends, lessons learned have been collected from each phase of the successful execution of these Shuttle missions. Specific examples of how roles and responsibilities of console positions that develop the crew and vehicle attitude timelines will be discussed, as well as techniques and methods used to solve complex spacecraft and instrument orientation problems. Additionally, the relationships and procedural hurdles experienced through international collaboration have molded operations. These facets will be explored and related to current and future operations with the International Space Station and future vehicles. Along with these important aspects, the evolution of technology and continual improvement of data transfer tools between the shuttle and ground team has also defined specific lessons used in the improving the control teams effectiveness. Methodologies to communicate and transmit messages, images, and files from Mission Control to the Orbiter evolved over several years. These lessons have been vital in shaping the effectiveness of safe and successful mission planning that have been applied to current mission planning work in addition to being incorporated into future space flight planning. The critical lessons from all aspects of previous plan, train, and fly phases of shuttle flight missions are not only documented in this paper, but are also discussed as how they pertain to changes in process and consideration for future space flight planning.

Space flight affects magnocellular supraoptic neurons of young prepuberal rats: transient and permanent effects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garcia-Ovejero, D.; Trejo, J. L.; Ciriza, I.; Walton, K. D.; Garcia-Segura, L. M.

2001-01-01

Effects of microgravity on postural control and volume of extracellular fluids as well as stress associated with space flight may affect the function of hypothalamic neurosecretory neurons. Since environmental modifications in young animals may result in permanent alterations in neuroendocrine function, the present study was designed to determine the effect of a space flight on oxytocinergic and vasopressinergic magnocellular hypothalamic neurons of prepuberal rats. Fifteen-day-old Sprague-Dawley female rats were flown aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-90, Neurolab mission, experiment 150) for 16 days. Age-matched litters remained on the ground in cages similar to those of the flight animals. Six animals from each group were killed on the day of landing and eight animals from each group were maintained under standard vivarium conditions and killed 18 weeks after landing. Several signs of enhanced transcriptional and biosynthetic activity were observed in magnocellular supraoptic neurons of flight animals on the day of landing compared to control animals. These include increased c-Fos expression, larger nucleoli and cytoplasm, and higher volume occupied in the neuronal perikaryon by mitochondriae, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, lysosomes and cytoplasmic inclusions known as nematosomes. In contrast, the volume occupied by neurosecretory vesicles in the supraoptic neuronal perikarya was significantly decreased in flight rats. This decrease was associated with a significant decrease in oxytocin and vasopressin immunoreactive levels, suggestive of an increased hormonal release. Vasopressin levels, cytoplasmic volume and c-Fos expression returned to control levels by 18 weeks after landing. These reversible effects were probably associated to osmotic stimuli resulting from modifications in the volume and distribution of extracellular fluids and plasma during flight and landing. However, oxytocin levels were still reduced at 18 weeks after landing in flight animals compared to controls. This indicates that space flight during prepuberal age may induce irreversible modifications in the regulation of oxytocinergic neurons, which in turn may result in permanent endocrine and behavioral impairments.

Cosmonaut Dezhurov Talks With Flight Controllers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

Aboard the International Space Station (ISS), Cosmonaut and Expedition Three flight engineer Vladimir N. Dezhurov, representing Rosaviakosmos, talks with flight controllers from the Zvezda Service Module. Russian-built Zvezda is linked to the Functional Cargo Block (FGB), or Zarya, the first component of the ISS. Zarya was launched on a Russian Proton rocket prior to the launch of Unity. The third component of the ISS, Zvezda (Russian word for star), the primary Russian contribution to the ISS, was launched by a three-stage Proton rocket on July 12, 2000. Zvezda serves as the cornerstone for early human habitation of the Station, providing living quarters, a life support system, electrical power distribution, a data processing system, flight control system, and propulsion system. It also provides a communications system that includes remote command capabilities from ground flight controllers. The 42,000-pound module measures 43 feet in length and has a wing span of 98 feet. Similar in layout to the core module of Russia's Mir space station, it contains 3 pressurized compartments and 13 windows that allow ultimate viewing of Earth and space.

International Space Station Internal Thermal Control System Lab Module Simulator Build-Up and Validation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wieland, Paul; Miller, Lee; Ibarra, Tom

2003-01-01

As part of the Sustaining Engineering program for the International Space Station (ISS), a ground simulator of the Internal Thermal Control System (ITCS) in the Lab Module was designed and built at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). To support prediction and troubleshooting, this facility is operationally and functionally similar to the flight system and flight-like components were used when available. Flight software algorithms, implemented using the LabVIEW(Registered Trademark) programming language, were used for monitoring performance and controlling operation. Validation testing of the low temperature loop was completed prior to activation of the Lab module in 2001. Assembly of the moderate temperature loop was completed in 2002 and validated in 2003. The facility has been used to address flight issues with the ITCS, successfully demonstrating the ability to add silver biocide and to adjust the pH of the coolant. Upon validation of the entire facility, it will be capable not only of checking procedures, but also of evaluating payload timelining, operational modifications, physical modifications, and other aspects affecting the thermal control system.

Close up view of the pair of Rudder Pedals in ...

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

Close up view of the pair of Rudder Pedals in the Commander's Satiation on the Flight Deck of the Orbiter Discovery. The rudder pedals command orbiter acceleration in yaw by positioning the rudder during atmospheric flight. However, because the flight control software automatically performs turn coordination during banking maneuvers, the rudder pedals are not operationally used during glided flight. It is not until after touchdown that the crew uses them for nose wheel steering during rollout. Depressing the upper portion of the rudder pedals provides braking. Differential braking may also be used for directional control during rollout. This view was take at Johnson Space Center. - Space Transportation System, Orbiter Discovery (OV-103), Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston, Harris County, TX

NASA Concludes Summer of RS-25 Testing

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-08-30

NASA engineers closed a summer of hot fire testing Aug. 30 for flight controllers on RS-25 engines that will help power the new Space Launch System (SLS) rocket being built to carry astronauts to deep-space destinations, including Mars. The 500-second hot fire an RS-25 engine flight controller unit on the A-1 Test Stand at Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi marked another step toward the nation’s return to human deep-space exploration missions.

Video File - RS-25 Engine Test 2017-08-30

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-08-30

NASA engineers closed a summer of hot fire testing Aug. 30 for flight controllers on RS-25 engines that will help power the new Space Launch System (SLS) rocket being built to carry astronauts to deep-space destinations, including Mars. The 500-second hot fire an RS-25 engine flight controller unit on the A-1 Test Stand at Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi marked another step toward the nation’s return to human deep-space exploration missions.

14 CFR Appendix E to Part 135 - Helicopter Flight Recorder Specifications

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Helicopter Flight Recorder Specifications E.... E Appendix E to Part 135—Helicopter Flight Recorder Specifications Parameters Range Accuracy sensor... Controls (Collective, Longitudinal Cyclic, Lateral Cyclic, Pedal) 3 Full range ±3% 2 0.5% 1 Flight Control...

14 CFR 417.223 - Flight hazard area analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 4 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Flight hazard area analysis. 417.223 Section 417.223 Aeronautics and Space COMMERCIAL SPACE TRANSPORTATION, FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION... to control the risk to the public from debris impact hazards. The risk management requirements of...

14 CFR 417.223 - Flight hazard area analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 4 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Flight hazard area analysis. 417.223 Section 417.223 Aeronautics and Space COMMERCIAL SPACE TRANSPORTATION, FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION... to control the risk to the public from debris impact hazards. The risk management requirements of...

14 CFR 417.223 - Flight hazard area analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 4 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Flight hazard area analysis. 417.223 Section 417.223 Aeronautics and Space COMMERCIAL SPACE TRANSPORTATION, FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION... to control the risk to the public from debris impact hazards. The risk management requirements of...

14 CFR 417.223 - Flight hazard area analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 4 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Flight hazard area analysis. 417.223 Section 417.223 Aeronautics and Space COMMERCIAL SPACE TRANSPORTATION, FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION... to control the risk to the public from debris impact hazards. The risk management requirements of...

14 CFR 417.223 - Flight hazard area analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Flight hazard area analysis. 417.223 Section 417.223 Aeronautics and Space COMMERCIAL SPACE TRANSPORTATION, FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION... to control the risk to the public from debris impact hazards. The risk management requirements of...

KSC-06pd2137

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-09-09

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the Launch Control Center, Robbie Ashley, STS-115 payload manager, and Pat Lesley, with United Space Alliance, receive a special award from (at left) Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach and (at right) NASA Flow Director Angie Brewer. Mission STS-115 is the 116th space shuttle flight, the 27th flight for orbiter Atlantis, and the 19th U.S. flight to the International Space Station. STS-115 is scheduled to last 11 days with a planned landing at KSC. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-06pd2134

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-09-09

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the Launch Control Center, KSC officials turn from their computers to watch through the broad windows the launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-115. Second from left is NASA Test Director Pete Nickolenko. Mission STS-115 is the 116th space shuttle flight, the 27th flight for orbiter Atlantis, and the 19th U.S. flight to the International Space Station. sts-115 is scheduled to last 11 days with a planned landing at KSC. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Cardiovascular response to lower body negative pressure stimulation before, during, and after space flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baisch, F.; Beck, L.; Blomqvist, G.; Wolfram, G.; Drescher, J.; Rome, J. L.; Drummer, C.

2000-01-01

BACKGROUND: It is well known that space travel cause post-flight orthostatic hypotension and it was assumed that autonomic cardiovascular control deteriorates in space. Lower body negative pressure (LBNP) was used to assess autonomic function of the cardiovascular system. METHODS: LBNP tests were performed on six crew-members before and on the first days post-flight in a series of three space missions. Additionally, two of the subjects performed LBNP tests in-flight. LBNP mimics fluid distribution of upright posture in a gravity independent way. It causes an artificial sequestration of blood, reduces preload, and filtrates plasma into the lower part of the body. Fluid distribution was assessed by bioelectrical impedance and anthropometric measurements. RESULTS: Heart rate, blood pressure, and total peripheral resistance increased significantly during LBNP experiments in-flight. The decrease in stroke volume, the increased pooling of blood, and the increased filtration of plasma into the lower limbs during LBNP indicated that a plasma volume reduction and a deficit of the interstitial volume of lower limbs rather than a change in cardiovascular control was responsible for the in-flight response. Post-flight LBNP showed no signs of cardiovascular deterioration. The still more pronounced haemodynamic changes during LBNP reflected the expected behaviour of cardiovascular control faced with less intravascular volume. In-flight, the status of an intra-and extravascular fluid deficit increases sympathetic activity, the release of vasoactive substances and consequently blood pressure. Post-flight, blood pressure decreases significantly below pre-flight values after restoration of volume deficits. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the cardiovascular changes in-flight are a consequence of a fluid deficit rather than a consequence of changes in autonomic signal processing.

STS-29 Flight Directors Briscoe and Dittemore at JSC MCC consoles

NASA Image and Video Library

1989-03-18

STS029-S-042 (13 March 1989) --- Flight Directors Ronald D. Dittemore, left and Lee Briscoe monitor solid rocket booster separation activity on monitors at their consoles in the flight control room of the Johnson Space Center's mission control center.

Space Shuttle redesign status

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brand, Vance D.

1986-01-01

NASA has conducted an extensive redesign effort for the Space Shutle in the aftermath of the STS 51-L Challenger accident, encompassing not only Shuttle vehicle and booster design but also such system-wide factors as organizational structure, management procedures, flight safety, flight operations, sustainable flight rate, and maintenance safeguards. Attention is presently given to Solid Rocket Booster redesign features, the Shuttle Main Engine's redesigned high pressure fuel and oxidizer turbopumps, the Shuttle Orbiter's braking and rollout (landing gear) system, the entry control mode of the flight control system, a 'split-S' abort maneuver for the Orbiter, and crew escape capsule proposals.

Space Shuttle third flight /STS-3/ entry RCS analysis. [Reaction Control System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scallion, W. I.; Compton, H. R.; Suit, W. T.; Powell, R. W.; Blackstock, T. A.; Bates, B. L.

1983-01-01

Flight data obtained from three Space Transportation System orbiter entries (STS-1, 2, and 3) are processed and analyzed to determine the roll interactions caused by the firing of the entry reaction control system (RCS). Comparisons between the flight-derived parameters and the predicted derivatives without interaction effects are made. The flight-derived RCS Plume flow-field interaction effects are independently deduced by direct integration of the incremental changes in the wing upper surface pressures induced by RCS side thruster firings. The separately obtained interaction effects are compared to the predicted values and the differences are discussed.

Design and implementation of robust decentralized control laws for the ACES structure at Marshall Space Flight Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Collins, Emmanuel G., Jr.; Phillips, Douglas; Hyland, David C.

1990-01-01

An experiment was conducted to design controllers that would provide substantial reduction of line-of-sight control errors. The satisfaction of this objective required the controllers to attenuate the beam vibration significantly. Particular emphasis was placed on controller simplicity (i.e., reduced-order and decentralized controller architectures). Complexity reduction in control law implementation is of paramount interest due to stringent limitations on throughput of even state-of-the-art space qualified processors. The results of this experiment successfully demonstrate active vibrator control for a flexible structure. The testbed is the ACES structure at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. The ACES structure is dynamically traceable to future space systems and especially allows the study of line-of-sight control issues.

Production and action of cytokines in space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chapes, Stephen K.; Morrison, Dennis R.; Guikema, James A.; Lewis, Marian L.; Spooner, Brian S.

1994-01-01

B6MP102 cells, a continuously cultured murine bone marrow macrophage cell line, were tested for secretion of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and Interleukin-1 during space flight. We found that B6MP102 cells secreted more tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-1 when stimulated in space with lipopolysaccharide than controls similarly stimulated on earth. This compared to increased secretion of interferon-beta and -gamma by lymphocytes that was measured on the same shuttle flights. Although space flight enhanced B6MP102 secretion of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, an experiment on a subsequent space flight (STS-50) found that cellular cytotoxicity, mediated by tumor necrosis factor-alpha, was inhibited.

Close up view of the Commander's Seat on the Flight ...

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

Close up view of the Commander's Seat on the Flight Deck of the Orbiter Discovery. Toward the right of the view and in front of te seat is the commander's Rotational Hand Controller. The pilot station has an identical controller. These control the acceleration in the roll pitch and yaw directions via the reaction control system and/or the orbiter maneuvering system while outside of Earth's atmosphere or via the orbiter's aerosurfaces wile in Earth's atmosphere when the atmospheric density permits the surfaces to be effective. There are a number of switches on the controller, most notably a trigger switch which is a push-to-talk switch for voice communication and a large button on top of the controller which is a switch to engage the backup flight system. This view was taken at Kennedy Space Center. - Space Transportation System, Orbiter Discovery (OV-103), Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston, Harris County, TX

Documentation of White Flight Control Room (WFCR), Building 30 during STS-109.

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-03-07

JSC2002-E-08460 (7 March 2002) --- Flight directors Jeff Hanley (standing) and Bryan P. Austin watch the large screens from their consoles in the shuttle flight control room (WFCR) in Houston’;s Mission Control Center (MCC) during the STS-109 Hubble Space Telescope (HST) servicing mission.

International Space Station (ISS)

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-02-01

The Payload Operations Center (POC) is the science command post for the International Space Station (ISS). Located at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, it is the focal point for American and international science activities aboard the ISS. The POC's unique capabilities allow science experts and researchers around the world to perform cutting-edge science in the unique microgravity environment of space. The POC is staffed around the clock by shifts of payload flight controllers. At any given time, 8 to 10 flight controllers are on consoles operating, plarning for, and controlling various systems and payloads. This photograph shows a Payload Rack Officer (PRO) at a work station. The PRO is linked by a computer to all payload racks aboard the ISS. The PRO monitors and configures the resources and environment for science experiments including EXPRESS Racks, multiple-payload racks designed for commercial payloads.

Selective weighting of cutaneous receptor feedback and associated balance impairments following short duration space flight.

PubMed

Strzalkowski, Nicholas D J; Lowrey, Catherine R; Perry, Stephen D; Williams, David R; Wood, Scott J; Bent, Leah R

2015-04-10

The present study investigated the perception of low frequency (3 Hz) vibration on the foot sole and its relationship to standing balance following short duration space flight in nine astronauts. Both 3 Hz vibration perception threshold (VPT) and standing balance measures increased on landing day compared to pre-flight. Contrary to our hypothesis, a positive linear relationship between these measures was not observed; however astronauts with the most sensitive skin (lowest 3 Hz VPT) were found to have the largest sway on landing day. While the change in foot sole sensitivity does not appear to directly relate to standing balance control, an exploratory strategy may be employed by astronauts whose threshold to pressure information is lower. Understanding sensory adaptations and balance control has implications to improve balance control strategies following space flight and in sensory impaired populations on earth. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Canadarm2 Maneuvers Quest Airlock

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

At the control of Expedition Two Flight Engineer Susan B. Helms, the newly-installed Canadian-built Canadarm2, Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) maneuvers the Quest Airlock into the proper position to be mated onto the starboard side of the Unity Node I during the first of three extravehicular activities (EVA) of the STS-104 mission. The Quest Airlock makes it easier to perform space walks, and allows both Russian and American spacesuits to be worn when the Shuttle is not docked with the International Space Station (ISS). American suits will not fit through Russion airlocks at the Station. The Boeing Company, the space station prime contractor, built the 6.5-ton (5.8 metric ton) airlock and several other key components at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), in the same building where the Saturn V rocket was built. Installation activities were supported by the development team from the Payload Operations Control Center (POCC) located at the MSFC and the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Flight Center in Houston, Texas.

General view of the flight deck of the orbiter Discovery ...

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

General view of the flight deck of the orbiter Discovery looking forward and overhead at the overhead instrumentation and control panels. This view was taken at Kennedy Space Center. - Space Transportation System, Orbiter Discovery (OV-103), Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston, Harris County, TX

STS-71 Shuttle/Mir mission report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zimpfer, Douglas J.

1995-01-01

The performance measurements of the space shuttle on-orbit flight control system from the STS-71 mission is presented in this post-flight analysis report. This system is crucial to the stabilization of large space structures and will be needed during the assembly of the International Space Station A mission overview is presented, including the in-orbit flight tests (pre-docking with Mir) and the systems analysis during the docking and undocking operations. Systems errors and lessons learned are discussed, with possible corrective procedures presented for the upcoming Mir flight tests.

NASA Conducts 2nd RS-25 Engine Hot Fire of 2018

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-02-01

A 365-second hot fire test on Feb. 1, 2018, at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi marks the completion of “green run” testing, or flight certification, for all new RS-25 engine flight controllers slated for Exploration Mission-2, the first Space Launch System mission with astronauts on board. In addition to the flight controller, the Feb. 1 hot fire also marked the third test of a 3D printed pogo accumulator assembly for the RS-25 engine.

Low Gravity Issues of Deep Space Refueling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chato, David J.

2005-01-01

This paper discusses the technologies required to develop deep space refueling of cryogenic propellants and low cost flight experiments to develop them. Key technologies include long term storage, pressure control, mass gauging, liquid acquisition, and fluid transfer. Prior flight experiments used to mature technologies are discussed. A plan is presented to systematically study the deep space refueling problem and devise low-cost experiments to further mature technologies and prepare for full scale flight demonstrations.

KSC-2009-1800

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-20

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Mike Curie (far left), with NASA Public Affairs, moderates the flight readiness review news conference for space shuttle Discovery's STS-119 mission. On the panel are (from left) Associate Administrator for Space Operations Bill Gerstenmaier, Space Shuttle Program Manager John Shannon and Space Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach. During a thorough review of Discovery's readiness for flight, NASA managers decided Feb. 20 more data and possible testing are required before proceeding to launch. Engineering teams have been working to identify what caused damage to a flow control valve on shuttle Endeavour during its November 2008 flight. A new launch date has not been determined. NASA managers decided Feb. 20 more data and possible testing are required before proceeding to launch. Engineering teams have been working to identify what caused damage to a flow control valve on shuttle Endeavour during its November 2008 flight. A new launch date has not been determined. Photo credit: NASA/Glenn Benson

Incorporating Manual and Autonomous Code Generation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McComas, David

1998-01-01

Code can be generated manually or using code-generated software tools, but how do you interpret the two? This article looks at a design methodology that combines object-oriented design with autonomic code generation for attitude control flight software. Recent improvements in space flight computers are allowing software engineers to spend more time engineering the applications software. The application developed was the attitude control flight software for an astronomical satellite called the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP). The MAP flight system is being designed, developed, and integrated at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. The MAP controls engineers are using Integrated Systems Inc.'s MATRIXx for their controls analysis. In addition to providing a graphical analysis for an environment, MATRIXx includes an autonomic code generation facility called AutoCode. This article examines the forces that shaped the final design and describes three highlights of the design process: (1) Defining the manual to autonomic code interface; (2) Applying object-oriented design to the manual flight code; (3) Implementing the object-oriented design in C.

Flight Avionics Sequencing Telemetry (FAST) DIV Latching Display

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, Charlotte

2010-01-01

The NASA Engineering (NE) Directorate at Kennedy Space Center provides engineering services to major programs such as: Space Shuttle, Inter national Space Station, and the Launch Services Program (LSP). The Av ionics Division within NE, provides avionics and flight control syste ms engineering support to LSP. The Launch Services Program is respons ible for procuring safe and reliable services for transporting critical, one of a kind, NASA payloads into orbit. As a result, engineers mu st monitor critical flight events during countdown and launch to asse ss anomalous behavior or any unexpected occurrence. The goal of this project is to take a tailored Systems Engineering approach to design, develop, and test Iris telemetry displays. The Flight Avionics Sequen cing Telemetry Delta-IV (FAST-D4) displays will provide NASA with an improved flight event monitoring tool to evaluate launch vehicle heal th and performance during system-level ground testing and flight. Flight events monitored will include data from the Redundant Inertial Fli ght Control Assembly (RIFCA) flight computer and launch vehicle comma nd feedback data. When a flight event occurs, the flight event is ill uminated on the display. This will enable NASA Engineers to monitor c ritical flight events on the day of launch. Completion of this project requires rudimentary knowledge of launch vehicle Guidance, Navigatio n, and Control (GN&C) systems, telemetry, and console operation. Work locations for the project include the engineering office, NASA telem etry laboratory, and Delta launch sites.

Adaptive Augmenting Control Flight Characterization Experiment on an F/A-18

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

VanZwieten, Tannen S.; Gilligan, Eric T.; Wall, John H.; Orr, Jeb S.; Miller, Christopher J.; Hanson, Curtis E.

2014-01-01

The NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Flight Mechanics and Analysis Division developed an Adaptive Augmenting Control (AAC) algorithm for launch vehicles that improves robustness and performance by adapting an otherwise welltuned classical control algorithm to unexpected environments or variations in vehicle dynamics. This AAC algorithm is currently part of the baseline design for the SLS Flight Control System (FCS), but prior to this series of research flights it was the only component of the autopilot design that had not been flight tested. The Space Launch System (SLS) flight software prototype, including the adaptive component, was recently tested on a piloted aircraft at Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC) which has the capability to achieve a high level of dynamic similarity to a launch vehicle. Scenarios for the flight test campaign were designed specifically to evaluate the AAC algorithm to ensure that it is able to achieve the expected performance improvements with no adverse impacts in nominal or nearnominal scenarios. Having completed the recent series of flight characterization experiments on DFRC's F/A-18, the AAC algorithm's capability, robustness, and reproducibility, have been successfully demonstrated. Thus, the entire SLS control architecture has been successfully flight tested in a relevant environment. This has increased NASA's confidence that the autopilot design is ready to fly on the SLS Block I vehicle and will exceed the performance of previous architectures.

KSC-07pd0948

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-26

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. — Noted physicist Stephen Hawking greets the media after his arrival at the Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility for his first zero-gravity flight. The flight will be aboard a modified Boeing 727 aircraft owned by Zero Gravity Corp., a commercial company licensed to provide the public with weightless flight experiences. Hawking developed amyotrophic lateral sclerosis disease in the 1960s, a type of motor neuron disease which would cost him the loss of almost all neuromuscular control. At the celebration of his 65th birthday on January 8 this year, Hawking announced his plans for a zero-gravity flight to prepare for a sub-orbital space flight in 2009 on Virgin Galactic's space service. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd0951

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-26

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility, Peter Diamandis, founder of the Zero Gravity Corp., talks to the media about physicist Stephen Hawking's (in the wheelchair) first zero-gravity flight. The flight will be aboard a modified Boeing 727 aircraft owned by Zero Gravity Corp., a commercial company licensed to provide the public with weightless flight experiences. Hawking developed amyotrophic lateral sclerosis disease in the 1960s, a type of motor neuron disease which would cost him the loss of almost all neuromuscular control. At the celebration of his 65th birthday on January 8 this year, Hawking announced his plans for a zero-gravity flight to prepare for a sub-orbital space flight in 2009 on Virgin Galactic's space service. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

MISSION CONTROL CENTER (MCC) VIEW - CONCLUSION APOLLO 11 CELEBRATION - MSC

NASA Image and Video Library

1969-07-24

S69-40024 (24 July 1969) --- NASA and Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC) officials join in with the flight controllers, in the Mission Operations Control Room (MOCR) in the Mission Control Center (MCC), in celebrating the successful conclusion of the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission. Identifiable in the picture, starting in foreground, are Dr. Robert R. Gilruth, MSC Director; George M. Low, Manager, Apollo Spacecraft Program, MSC; Dr. Christopher C. Kraft Jr., MSC Director of Flight Operation; U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Samuel C. Phillips (with glasses, looking downward), Apollo Program Director, Office of Manned Space Flight, NASA Headquarters; and Dr. George E. Mueller (with glasses, looking toward left), Associate Administrator, Office of Manned Space Flight, NASA Headquarters. Former astronaut John H. Glenn Jr. is standing behind Mr. Low.

Changes in Monocyte Functions of Astronauts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaur, I.; Simons, E.; Castro, V.; Ott, C. Mark; Pierson, Duane L.

2004-01-01

Monocyte cell numbers and functions, including phagocytosis, oxidative burst capacity, and degranulation and expression of related surface molecules, were studied in blood specimens from 25 astronauts and 9 healthy control subjects. Blood samples were obtained 10 days before a space flight, 3 hours after landing and 3 days after landing. The number of monocytes in astronauts did not change significantly among the three sample collection periods. Following space flight, the monocytes ability to phagocytize Escherichia coli, to exhibit an oxidative burst, and to degranulate was reduced as compared to monocytes from control subjects. These alterations in monocyte functions after space flight correlated with alterations in the expression of CD32 and CD64.

Detail view of the flight deck looking aft. The aft ...

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

Detail view of the flight deck looking aft. The aft viewing windows are uncovered in this view and look out towards the payload bay. The overhead viewing windows have exterior covers in place in this view. The aft flight deck contains displays and controls for executing maneuvers for rendezvous, docking, payload deployment and retrieval, payload monitoring and the remote manipulator arm controls. Payload bay doors are also operated from this location. This view was taken in the Orbiter Processing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center. - Space Transportation System, Orbiter Discovery (OV-103), Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston, Harris County, TX

Expedition 23 Docking

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-04-03

George Dyson, right, speaks to his wife NASA Flight Engineer Tracy Caldwell Dyson onboard the International Space Station from the Russian Mission Control Center, Korolev, Russia, Sunday, April 4, 2010. The Soyuz TMA-18 docked to the International Space Station carrying Expedition 23 Soyuz Commander Alexander Skvortsov, Flight Engineer Mikhail Kornienko and NASA Flight Engineer Tracy Caldwell Dyson. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

Expedition 23 Docking

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-04-03

Mary Ellen Caldwell, center, speaks to her daughter NASA Flight Engineer Tracy Caldwell Dyson onboard the International Space Station from the Russian Mission Control Center, Korolev, Russia, Sunday, April 4, 2010. The Soyuz TMA-18 docked to the International Space Station carrying Expedition 23 Soyuz Commander Alexander Skvortsov, Flight Engineer Mikhail Kornienko and NASA Flight Engineer Tracy Caldwell Dyson. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

STS-105 coverage of Mission Control Center employees in the WFCR & BFCR

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-03-25

JSC2001-E-25114 (16 August 2001) --- Flight director John Shannon monitors data at his console in the shuttle flight control room (WFCR) in Houston’s Mission Control Center (MCC). At the time this photo was taken, STS-105 mission specialists Daniel T. Barry and Patrick G. Forrester were performing the first of two scheduled space walks to perform work on the International Space Station (ISS).

Environmental Control and Life Support Systems Test Facility at MSFC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

The Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is responsible for designing and building the life support systems that will provide the crew of the International Space Station (ISS) a comfortable environment in which to live and work. Scientists and engineers at the MSFC are working together to provide the ISS with systems that are safe, efficient, and cost-effective. These compact and powerful systems are collectively called the Environmental Control and Life Support Systems, or simply, ECLSS. This photograph shows the development Water Processor located in two racks in the ECLSS test area at the Marshall Space Flight Center. Actual waste water, simulating Space Station waste, is generated and processed through the hardware to evaluate the performance of technologies in the flight Water Processor design.

Reproduction in the space environment: Part II. Concerns for human reproduction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jennings, R. T.; Santy, P. A.

1990-01-01

Long-duration space flight and eventual colonization of our solar system will require successful control of reproductive function and a thorough understanding of factors unique to space flight and their impact on gynecologic and obstetric parameters. Part II of this paper examines the specific environmental factors associated with space flight and the implications for human reproduction. Space environmental hazards discussed include radiation, alteration in atmospheric pressure and breathing gas partial pressures, prolonged toxicological exposure, and microgravity. The effects of countermeasures necessary to reduce cardiovascular deconditioning, calcium loss, muscle wasting, and neurovestibular problems are also considered. In addition, the impact of microgravity on male fertility and gamete quality is explored. Due to current constraints, human pregnancy is now contraindicated for space flight. However, a program to explore effective countermeasures to current constraints and develop the required health care delivery capability for extended-duration space flight is suggested. A program of Earth- and space-based research to provide further answers to reproductive questions is suggested.

Ambiguous Tilt and Translation Motion Cues in Astronauts After Space Flight (ZAG)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clement, Guilles; Harm, Deborah; Rupert, Angus; Beaton, Kara; Wood, Scott

2008-06-01

Adaptive changes during space flight in how the brain integrates vestibular cues with visual, proprioceptive, and somatosensory information can lead to impaired movement coordination, vertigo, spatial disorientation, and perceptual illusions following transitions between gravity levels. This joint ESA-NASA pre- and post-flight experiment is designed to examine both the physiological basis and operational implications for disorientation and tilt-translation disturbances in astronauts following short-duration space flights. Specifically, this study addresses three questions: (1) What adaptive changes occur in eye movements and motion perception in response to different combinations of tilt and translation motion? (2) Do adaptive changes in tilt-translation responses impair ability to manually control vehicle orientation? (3) Can sensory substitution aids (e.g., tactile) mitigate risks associated with manual control of vehicle orientation?

14 CFR 29.674 - Interconnected controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: TRANSPORT CATEGORY ROTORCRAFT Design and Construction Control Systems § 29.674 Interconnected controls. Each primary flight control system must provide for safe flight and landing and operate... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Interconnected controls. 29.674 Section 29...

14 CFR 27.674 - Interconnected controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: NORMAL CATEGORY ROTORCRAFT Design and Construction Control Systems § 27.674 Interconnected controls. Each primary flight control system must provide for safe flight and landing and operate... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Interconnected controls. 27.674 Section 27...

14 CFR 29.674 - Interconnected controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Interconnected controls. 29.674 Section 29... AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: TRANSPORT CATEGORY ROTORCRAFT Design and Construction Control Systems § 29.674 Interconnected controls. Each primary flight control system must provide for safe flight and landing and operate...

14 CFR 27.674 - Interconnected controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Interconnected controls. 27.674 Section 27... AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: NORMAL CATEGORY ROTORCRAFT Design and Construction Control Systems § 27.674 Interconnected controls. Each primary flight control system must provide for safe flight and landing and operate...

14 CFR 29.674 - Interconnected controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: TRANSPORT CATEGORY ROTORCRAFT Design and Construction Control Systems § 29.674 Interconnected controls. Each primary flight control system must provide for safe flight and landing and operate... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Interconnected controls. 29.674 Section 29...

14 CFR 27.674 - Interconnected controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: NORMAL CATEGORY ROTORCRAFT Design and Construction Control Systems § 27.674 Interconnected controls. Each primary flight control system must provide for safe flight and landing and operate... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Interconnected controls. 27.674 Section 27...

Brown, Rominger and Curbeam conduct flight control systems checkout

NASA Image and Video Library

1997-08-29

STS085-330-034 (7 - 19 August 1997) --- From the left, astronauts Curtis L. Brown, Jr., mission commander; Robert L. Curbeam, Jr., mission specialist; and Kent V. Rominger, pilot, are pictured on the Space Shuttle Discovery's flight deck during a checkout of flight control systems.

Flight Director Portrait - Bryan Austin with Lead EVA Console OPS- for Texas A&M Alumni Magazine

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-02-27

JSC2002-00546 (February 2002) --- Bryan P. Austin, lead flight director for STS-109, and Dana Weigel, lead EVA officer, pose near their respective consoles in the Shuttle Flight Control Room of the Johnson Space Center's Mission Control Center.

French-Soviet Cooperation in Space Research,

DTIC Science & Technology

SPACE FLIGHT, *SPACE PROBES, USSR, FRANCE , SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH, INSTRUMENTATION, SPACE TO SURFACE, METEOROLOGY, UPPER ATMOSPHERE, SPACE COMMUNICATIONS, LUNAR PROBES, ARTIFICIAL SATELLITES, MANAGEMENT PLANNING AND CONTROL.

Ion Propulsion Development Projects in US: Space Electric Rocket Test I to Deep Space 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sovey, James S.; Rawlin, Vincent K.; Patterson, Michael J.

2001-01-01

The historical background and characteristics of the experimental flights of ion propulsion systems and the major ground-based technology demonstrations are reviewed. The results of the first successful ion engine flight in 1964, Space Electric Rocket Test (SERT) I, which demonstrated ion beam neutralization, are discussed along with the extended operation of SERT II starting in 1970. These results together with the technologies employed on the early cesium engine flights, the applications technology satellite series, and the ground-test demonstrations, have provided the evolutionary path for the development of xenon ion thruster component technologies, control systems, and power circuit implementations. In the 1997-1999 period, the communication satellite flights using ion engine systems and the Deep Space 1 flight confirmed that these auxiliary and primary propulsion systems have advanced to a high level of flight readiness.

A review of adaptive change in musculoskeletal impedance during space flight and associated implications for postflight head movement control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McDonald, P. V.; Bloomberg, J. J.; Layne, C. S.

1997-01-01

We present a review of converging sources of evidence which suggest that the differences between loading histories experienced in 1-g and weightlessness are sufficient to stimulate adaptation in mechanical impedance of the musculoskeletal system. As a consequence of this adaptive change we argue that we should observe changes in the ability to attenuate force transmission through the musculoskeletal system both during and after space flight. By focusing attention on the relation between human sensorimotor activity and support surfaces, the importance of controlling mechanical energy flow through the musculoskeletal system is demonstrated. The implications of such control are discussed in light of visual-vestibular function in the specific context of head and gaze control during postflight locomotion. Evidence from locomotory biomechanics, visual-vestibular function, ergonomic evaluations of human vibration, and specific investigations of locomotion and head and gaze control after space flight, is considered.

Parmitano with Robonaut 2

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-27

ISS036-E-012573 (27 June 2013) --- European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano, Expedition 36 flight engineer, works with Robonaut 2, the first humanoid robot in space, during a round of ground-commanded tests in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station. R2 was assembled earlier this week for several days of data takes by the payload controllers at the Marshall Space Flight Center.

Parmitano with Robonaut 2

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-27

ISS036-E-012571 (27 June 2013) --- European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano, Expedition 36 flight engineer, works with Robonaut 2, the first humanoid robot in space, during a round of ground-commanded tests in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station. R2 was assembled earlier this week for several days of data takes by the payload controllers at the Marshall Space Flight Center.

KSC-07pd0950

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-26

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility, Space Florida president Steve Kohler (left) talks to the media about physicist Stephen Hawking's (in the wheelchair) first zero-gravity flight. The flight will be aboard a modified Boeing 727 aircraft owned by Zero Gravity Corp., a commercial company licensed to provide the public with weightless flight experiences. At right is Peter Diamandis, founder of the Zero Gravity Corp. Hawking developed amyotrophic lateral sclerosis disease in the 1960s, a type of motor neuron disease which would cost him the loss of almost all neuromuscular control. At the celebration of his 65th birthday on January 8 this year, Hawking announced his plans for a zero-gravity flight to prepare for a sub-orbital space flight in 2009 on Virgin Galactic's space service. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd0949

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-26

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The media surround noted wheelchair-bound physicist Stephen Hawking after his arrival at the Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility for his first zero-gravity flight. Behind Hawking, at left, are Zero Gravity Corporation founder Peter Diamandis and Space Florida president Steve Kohler. The flight will be aboard a modified Boeing 727 aircraft owned by Zero G, a commercial company licensed to provide the public with weightless flight experiences. Hawking developed amyotrophic lateral sclerosis disease in the 1960s, a type of motor neuron disease which would cost him the loss of almost all neuromuscular control. At the celebration of his 65th birthday on January 8 this year, Hawking announced his plans for a zero-gravity flight to prepare for a sub-orbital space flight in 2009 on Virgin Galactic's space service. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Living Together in Space: The International Space Station Internal Active Thermal Control System Issues and Solutions-Sustaining Engineering Activities at the Marshall Space Flight Center From 1998 to 2005

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wieland, P. O.; Roman, M. C.; Miller, L.

2007-01-01

On board the International Space Station, heat generated by the crew and equipment is removed by the internal active thermal control system to maintain a comfortable working environment and prevent equipment overheating. Test facilities simulating the internal active thermal control system (IATCS) were constructed at the Marshall Space Flight Center as part of the sustaining engineering activities to address concerns related to operational issues, equipment capability, and reliability. A full-scale functional simulator of the Destiny lab module IATCS was constructed and activated prior to launch of Destiny in 2001. This facility simulates the flow and thermal characteristics of the flight system and has a similar control interface. A subscale simulator was built, and activated in 2000, with special attention to materials and proportions of wetted surfaces to address issues related to changes in fluid chemistry, material corrosion, and microbial activity. The flight issues that have arisen and the tests performed using the simulator facilities are discussed in detail. In addition, other test facilities at the MSFC have been used to perform specific tests related to IATCS issues. Future testing is discussed as well as potential modifications to the simulators to enhance their utility.

Simpler ISS Flight Control Communications and Log Keeping via Social Tools and Techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scott, David W.; Cowart, Hugh; Stevens, Dan

2012-01-01

The heart of flight operations control involves a) communicating effectively in real time with other controllers in the room and/or in remote locations and b) tracking significant events, decisions, and rationale to support the next set of decisions, provide a thorough shift handover, and troubleshoot/improve operations. International Space Station (ISS) flight controllers speak with each other via multiple voice circuits or loops, each with a particular purpose and constituency. Controllers monitor and/or respond to several loops concurrently. The primary tracking tools are console logs, typically kept by a single operator and not visible to others in real-time. Information from telemetry, commanding, and planning systems also plays into decision-making. Email is very secondary/tertiary due to timing and archival considerations. Voice communications and log entries supporting ISS operations have increased by orders of magnitude because the number of control centers, flight crew, and payload operations have grown. This paper explores three developmental ground system concepts under development at Johnson Space Center s (JSC) Mission Control Center Houston (MCC-H) and Marshall Space Flight Center s (MSFC) Payload Operations Integration Center (POIC). These concepts could reduce ISS control center voice traffic and console logging yet increase the efficiency and effectiveness of both. The goal of this paper is to kindle further discussion, exploration, and tool development.

Colloid Microthruster Flight Performance Results from Space Technology 7 Disturbance Reduction System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ziemer, John; Marrese-Reading, Colleen; Dunn, Charley; Romero-Wolf, Andrew; Cutler, Curt; Javidnia, Shahram; Li, Thanh; Li, Irena; Franklin, Garth; Barela, Phil;

Ground crewmen help guide the alignment of the X-40A as the experimental craft is gently lowered to the ground by a U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter following a captive-carry test flight

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-12-08

Ground crewmen help guide the alignment of the X-40 technology demonstrator as the experimental craft is gently lowered to the ground by a U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook cargo helicopter following a captive-carry test flight at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The X-40 is an unpowered 82 percent scale version of the X-37, a Boeing-developed spaceplane designed to demonstrate various advanced technologies for development of future lower-cost access to space vehicles. The X-37 will be carried into space aboard a space shuttle and then released to perform various maneuvers and a controlled re-entry through the Earth's atmosphere to an airplane-style landing on a runway, controlled entirely by pre-programmed computer software. Following a series of captive-carry flights, the X-40 made several free flights from a launch altitude of about 15,000 feet above ground, gliding to a fully autonomous landing. The captive carry flights helped verify the X-40's navigation and control systems, rigging angles for its sling, and stability and control of the helicopter while carrying the X-40 on a tether.

Investigation of periodontal tissue during a long space flights

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Solovyeva, Zoya; Viacheslav, Ilyin; Skedina, Marina

Previous studies conducted on the International Space Station found that upon completion of the space flight there are significant changes in the local immunity and periodontal microflora of astronauts. Also research in ground-based experiments that simulate space flight factors showed that prolonged hypokinesia antiorthostatic leads to impaired functional indicators of the periodontal vascular system, an unidirectional change from the microbiota and the immune system. That results in the appearance and progressive increase of the parodontial pathogenic bacteria and increase of the content of immunoglobulins in the oral fluid. All these changes are classified as risk factors for the development of inflammatory periodontal diseases in astronauts. However, the studies were unable to determine whether the changes result from a long space flight and the peculiarities of formation the local immunity and periodontal microbiota during the space flight, or they are one of the specific manifestations of the readaptationary post-flight condition of the body. In this regard, the planned research in a long space flight suggests: to use the means of microbial control, which can retain of the anaerobes periodontal microbiota sampling directly in the space flight; to assess the specificity of changes of the periodontal immune status under the influence of the space flight factors, and to assess the state of microcirculation of periodontal tissue in astronauts. A comprehensive study of the reaction of dentition during the space flight will make it possible to study the pathogenesis of changes for developing an adequate prevention aimed at optimizing the state of dentition of the astronauts.

Large Space Systems Technology, Part 2, 1981

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boyer, W. J. (Compiler)

1982-01-01

Four major areas of interest are covered: technology pertinent to large antenna systems; technology related to the control of large space systems; basic technology concerning structures, materials, and analyses; and flight technology experiments. Large antenna systems and flight technology experiments are described. Design studies, structural testing results, and theoretical applications are presented with accompanying validation data. These research studies represent state-of-the art technology that is necessary for the development of large space systems. A total systems approach including structures, analyses, controls, and antennas is presented as a cohesive, programmatic plan for large space systems.

KSC-2011-8369

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-12-22

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the controller used during docking to the airlock of space shuttle Atlantis stands among the switches filling the control panel on the flight deck. The flight deck is illuminated one last time as preparations are made for the shuttle's final power down during Space Shuttle Program transition and retirement activities. Atlantis is being prepared for public display in 2013 at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

Advanced Plant Habitat Flight Unit #1

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-07-24

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

The IXV experience, from the mission conception to the flight results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tumino, G.; Mancuso, S.; Gallego, J.-M.; Dussy, S.; Preaud, J.-P.; Di Vita, G.; Brunner, P.

2016-07-01

The atmospheric re-entry domain is a cornerstone of a wide range of space applications, ranging from reusable launcher stages developments, robotic planetary exploration, human space flight, to innovative applications such as reusable research platforms for in orbit validation of multiple space applications technologies. The Intermediate experimental Vehicle (IXV) is an advanced demonstrator which has performed in-flight experimentation of atmospheric re-entry enabling systems and technologies aspects, with significant advancements on Europe's previous flight experiences, consolidating Europe's autonomous position in the strategic field of atmospheric re-entry. The IXV mission objectives were the design, development, manufacturing, assembling and on-ground to in-flight verification of an autonomous European lifting and aerodynamically controlled reentry system, integrating critical re-entry technologies at system level. Among such critical technologies of interest, special attention was paid to aerodynamic and aerothermodynamics experimentation, including advanced instrumentation for aerothermodynamics phenomena investigations, thermal protections and hot-structures, guidance, navigation and flight control through combined jets and aerodynamic surfaces (i.e. flaps), in particular focusing on the technologies integration at system level for flight, successfully performed on February 11th, 2015.

Bumblebee flight performance in environments of different proximity.

PubMed

Linander, Nellie; Baird, Emily; Dacke, Marie

2016-02-01

Flying animals are capable of navigating through environments of different complexity with high precision. To control their flight when negotiating narrow tunnels, bees and birds use the magnitude of apparent image motion (known as optic flow) generated by the walls. In their natural habitat, however, these animals would encounter both cluttered and open environments. Here, we investigate how large changes in the proximity of nearby surfaces affect optic flow-based flight control strategies. We trained bumblebees to fly along a flight and recorded how the distance between the walls--from 60 cm to 240 cm--affected their flight control. Our results reveal that, as tunnel width increases, both lateral position and ground speed become increasingly variable. We also find that optic flow information from the ground has an increasing influence on flight control, suggesting that bumblebees measure optic flow flexibly over a large lateral and ventral field of view, depending on where the highest magnitude of optic flow occurs. A consequence of this strategy is that, when flying in narrow spaces, bumblebees use optic flow information from the nearby obstacles to control flight, while in more open spaces they rely primarily on optic flow cues from the ground.

16. NBS TOPSIDE CONTROL ROOM, THE NBS HYPERBARIC CHAMBER IS ...

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

16. NBS TOPSIDE CONTROL ROOM, THE NBS HYPERBARIC CHAMBER IS VERY CLOSE TO THE WATER'S EDGE AND HERE FOR DIVER EMERGENCY SUPPORT. A MEDICAL STAFF IS LOCATED ON THE MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER (MSFC) AND SUPPORTS THE NBS PERSONNEL WHEN HYPERBARIC CHAMBER OPERATION IS NECESSARY. - Marshall Space Flight Center, Neutral Buoyancy Simulator Facility, Rideout Road, Huntsville, Madison County, AL

Space Shuttle GN and C Development History and Evolution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zimpfer, Douglas; Hattis, Phil; Ruppert, John; Gavert, Don

2011-01-01

Completion of the final Space Shuttle flight marks the end of a significant era in Human Spaceflight. Developed in the 1970 s, first launched in 1981, the Space Shuttle embodies many significant engineering achievements. One of these is the development and operation of the first extensive fly-by-wire human space transportation Guidance, Navigation and Control (GN&C) System. Development of the Space Shuttle GN&C represented first time inclusions of modern techniques for electronics, software, algorithms, systems and management in a complex system. Numerous technical design trades and lessons learned continue to drive current vehicle development. For example, the Space Shuttle GN&C system incorporated redundant systems, complex algorithms and flight software rigorously verified through integrated vehicle simulations and avionics integration testing techniques. Over the past thirty years, the Shuttle GN&C continued to go through a series of upgrades to improve safety, performance and to enable the complex flight operations required for assembly of the international space station. Upgrades to the GN&C ranged from the addition of nose wheel steering to modifications that extend capabilities to control of the large flexible configurations while being docked to the Space Station. This paper provides a history of the development and evolution of the Space Shuttle GN&C system. Emphasis is placed on key architecture decisions, design trades and the lessons learned for future complex space transportation system developments. Finally, some of the interesting flight operations experience is provided to inform future developers of flight experiences.

Telescience operations with the solar array module plasma interaction experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wald, Lawrence W.; Bibyk, Irene K.

1995-01-01

The Solar Array Module Plasma Interactions Experiment (SAMPIE) is a flight experiment that flew on the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-62) in March 1994, as part of the OAST-2 mission. The overall objective of SAMPIE was to determine the adverse environmental interactions within the space plasma of low earth orbit (LEO) on modern solar cells and space power system materials which are artificially biased to high positive and negative direct current (DC) voltages. The two environmental interactions of interest included high voltage arcing from the samples to the space plasma and parasitic current losses. High voltage arcing can cause physical damage to power system materials and shorten expected hardware life. parasitic current losses can reduce power system efficiency because electric currents generated in a power system drain into the surrounding plasma via parasitic resistance. The flight electronics included two programmable high voltage DC power supplies to bias the experiment samples, instruments to measure the surrounding plasma environment in the STS cargo bay, and the on-board data acquisition system (DAS). The DAS provided in-flight experiment control, data storage, and communications through the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Hitchhiker flight avionics to the GSFC Payload Operations Control Center (POCC). The DAS and the SAMPIE POCC computer systems were designed for telescience operations; this paper will focus on the experiences of the SAMPIE team regarding telescience development and operations from the GSFC POCC during STS-62. The SAMPIE conceptual development, hardware design, and system verification testing were accomplished at the NASA Lewis Research Center (LeRC). SAMPIE was developed under the In-Space Technology Experiment Program (IN-STEP), which sponsors NASA, industry, and university flight experiments designed to enable and enhance space flight technology. The IN-STEP Program is sponsored by the Office of Space Access and Technology (OSAT).

International Space Station (ISS)

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-09-16

Aboard the International Space Station (ISS), Cosmonaut and Expedition Three flight engineer Vladimir N. Dezhurov, representing Rosaviakosmos, talks with flight controllers from the Zvezda Service Module. Russian-built Zvezda is linked to the Functional Cargo Block (FGB), or Zarya, the first component of the ISS. Zarya was launched on a Russian Proton rocket prior to the launch of Unity. The third component of the ISS, Zvezda (Russian word for star), the primary Russian contribution to the ISS, was launched by a three-stage Proton rocket on July 12, 2000. Zvezda serves as the cornerstone for early human habitation of the Station, providing living quarters, a life support system, electrical power distribution, a data processing system, flight control system, and propulsion system. It also provides a communications system that includes remote command capabilities from ground flight controllers. The 42,000-pound module measures 43 feet in length and has a wing span of 98 feet. Similar in layout to the core module of Russia's Mir space station, it contains 3 pressurized compartments and 13 windows that allow ultimate viewing of Earth and space.

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

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-01-05

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

STS-29 Flight Directors Briscoe and Dittemore at JSC MCC consoles

NASA Image and Video Library

1989-03-18

STS029-S-041 (13 March 1989) --- Flight Directors (FD) Lee Brisco (left) and Ronad D. Dittmore monitor prelaunch activity on monitors at their consoles in the flight control room of the Johnson Space Center's mission control center. FD Gary Coen is in the back ground.

NASA's Rodent Research Project: Validation of Capabilities for Conducting Long Duration Experiments in Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Choi, Sungshin Y.; Cole, Nicolas; Reyes, America; Lai, San-Huei; Klotz, Rebecca; Beegle, Janet E.; Wigley, Cecilia L.; Pletcher, David; Globus, Ruth K.

2015-01-01

Research using rodents is an essential tool for advancing biomedical research on Earth and in space. Prior rodent experiments on the Shuttle were limited by the short flight duration. The International Space Station (ISS) provides a new platform for conducting rodent experiments under long duration conditions. Rodent Research (RR)-1 was conducted to validate flight hardware, operations, and science capabilities that were developed at the NASA Ames Research Center. Twenty C57BL6J adult female mice were launched on Sept 21, 2014 in a Dragon Capsule (SpaceX-4), then transferred to the ISS for a total time of 21-22 days (10 commercial mice) or 37 days (10 validation mice). Tissues collected on-orbit were either rapidly frozen or preserved in RNAlater at -80C (n2group) until their return to Earth. Remaining carcasses on-orbit were rapidly frozen for dissection post-flight. The three controls groups at Kennedy Space Center consisted of: Basal mice euthanized at the time of launch, Vivarium controls housed in standard cages, and Ground Controls (GC) housed in flight hardware within an environmental chamber. Upon return to Earth, there were no differences in body weights between Flight (FLT) and GC at the end of the 37 days in space. Liver enzyme activity levels of FLT mice and all control mice were similar in magnitude to those of the samples that were processed under optimal conditions in the laboratory. Liver samples dissected on-orbit yielded high quality RNA (RIN8.99+-0.59, n7). Liver samples dissected post-flight from the intact, frozen FLT carcasses yielded RIN of 7.27 +- 0.52 (n6). Additionally, wet weights of various tissues were measured. Adrenal glands and spleen showed no significant differences in FLT compared to GC although thymus and livers weights were significantly greater in FLT compared to GC. Over 3,000 tissue aliquots collected post-flight from the four groups of mice were deposited into the Ames Life Science Data Archives for future Biospecimen Sharing Program. Together, the RR validation flight successfully demonstrates the capability to support long-duration experimentation on the ISS to achieve both basic science and biomedical objectives.

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

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

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

1985-01-01

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

Ground crewmen help guide the alignment of the X-40A as the experimental craft is gently lowered to

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

Ground crewmen help guide the alignment of the X-40 technology demonstrator as the experimental craft is gently lowered to the ground by a U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook cargo helicopter following a captive-carry test flight at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The X-40 is an unpowered 82 percent scale version of the X-37, a Boeing-developed spaceplane designed to demonstrate various advanced technologies for development of future lower-cost access to space vehicles. The X-37 will be carried into space aboard a space shuttle and then released to perform various maneuvers and a controlled re-entry through the Earth's atmosphere to an airplane-style landing on a runway, controlled entirely by pre-programmed computer software. Following a series of captive-carry flights, the X-40 made several free flights from a launch altitude of about 15,000 feet above ground, gliding to a fully autonomous landing. The captive carry flights helped verify the X-40's navigation and control systems, rigging angles for its sling, and stability and control of the helicopter while carrying the X-40 on a tether.

STS-118 Ascent/Entry Flight Control Team in WFCR

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-09-17

JSC2007-E-46429 (17 Sept. 2007) --- The members of the STS-118 Ascent/Entry flight control team and crewmembers pose for a group portrait in the space shuttle flight control room of Houston's Mission Control Center (MCC). Flight director Steve Stich holds the STS-118 mission logo. Astronauts Scott Kelly, commander, is at left foreground and astronaut Chris Ferguson, spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM), is at right foreground. Additional crewmembers pictured are Charlie Hobaugh, pilot; Barbara R. Morgan, Tracy Caldwell and Rick Mastracchio, all mission specialists.

Space shuttle guidance, navigation and control design equations. Volume 4: Deorbit and atmospheric operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cox, K. J.

1971-01-01

A baseline set of equations which fulfill the computation requirements for guidance, navigation, and control of the space shuttle orbiter vehicle is presented. All shuttle mission phases are covered from prelaunch through landing/rollout. The spacecraft flight mode and the aircraft flight mode are addressed. The baseline equations may be implemented in a single guidance, navigation, and control computer or may be distributed among several subsystem computers.

STS-116/ISS 12A.1 flight controllers on console during EVA #4

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-12-18

JSC2006-E-54451 (17 Dec. 2006) --- Astronauts Stephen K. Robinson and Joseph R. Tanner, spacecraft communicators (CAPCOM), communicate with the STS-116 crew and its spacewalkers participating in an unprecedented fourth session of extravehicular activity on the same shuttle mission. The two spacewalk veterans are seated at the CAPCOM console in the space station flight control room (FCR-1) in the Johnson Space Center's Mission Control Center.

STS-105 coverage of Mission Control Center employees in the WFCR & BFCR

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-03-25

JSC2001-E-25113 (16 August 2001) --- Flight director Kelly Beck monitors data at her console in the shuttle flight control room (WFCR) in Houston’s Mission Control Center (MCC). At the time this photo was taken, STS-105 mission specialists Daniel T. Barry and Patrick G. Forrester were performing the first of the two scheduled space walks to perform work on the International Space Station (ISS).

Morpheus Lander Roll Control System and Wind Modeling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gambone, Elisabeth A.

2014-01-01

The Morpheus prototype lander is a testbed capable of vertical takeoff and landing developed by NASA Johnson Space Center to assess advanced space technologies. Morpheus completed a series of flight tests at Kennedy Space Center to demonstrate autonomous landing and hazard avoidance for future exploration missions. As a prototype vehicle being tested in Earth's atmosphere, Morpheus requires a robust roll control system to counteract aerodynamic forces. This paper describes the control algorithm designed that commands jet firing and delay times based on roll orientation. Design, analysis, and testing are supported using a high fidelity, 6 degree-of-freedom simulation of vehicle dynamics. This paper also details the wind profiles generated using historical wind data, which are necessary to validate the roll control system in the simulation environment. In preparation for Morpheus testing, the wind model was expanded to create day-of-flight wind profiles based on data delivered by Kennedy Space Center. After the test campaign, a comparison of flight and simulation performance was completed to provide additional model validation.

Cardiovascular function in space flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nicogossian, A. E.; Charles, J. B.; Bungo, M. W.; Leach-Huntoon, C. S.

1990-01-01

Postflight orthostatic intolerance and cardiac hemodynamics associated with manned space flight have been investigated on seven STS missions. Orthostatic heart rates appear to be influenced by the mission duration. The rates increase during the first 7-10 days of flight and recover partially after that. Fluid loading is used as a countermeasure to the postflight orthostatic intolerance. The carotid baroreceptor function shows only slight responsiveness to orthostatic stimulation. Plots of the baroreceptor function are presented. It is concluded that an early adaptation to the space flight conditions involves a fluid shift and that the subsequent alterations in the neutral controlling mechanisms contribute to the orthoststic intolerance.

Semantic definitions of space flight control center languages using the hierarchical graph technique

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zaghloul, M. E.; Truszkowski, W.

1981-01-01

In this paper a method is described by which the semantic definitions of the Goddard Space Flight Control Center Command Languages can be specified. The semantic modeling facility used is an extension of the hierarchical graph technique, which has a major benefit of supporting a variety of data structures and a variety of control structures. It is particularly suited for the semantic descriptions of such types of languages where the detailed separation between the underlying operating system and the command language system is system dependent. These definitions were used in the definition of the Systems Test and Operation Language (STOL) of the Goddard Space Flight Center which is a command language that provides means for the user to communicate with payloads, application programs, and other ground system elements.

14 CFR 117.17 - Flight duty period: Augmented flightcrew.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

...)(3)(i) of this chapter must be at the flight controls. ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Flight duty period: Augmented flightcrew... FLIGHT AND DUTY LIMITATIONS AND REST REQUIREMENTS: FLIGHTCREW MEMBERS (EFF. 1-4-14) § 117.17 Flight duty...

A comparative study of seminiferous tubular epithelium from rats flown on Cosmos 1887 and SL3

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sapp, Walter J.; Williams, Carol S.; Kato, K.; Philpott, Delbert E.; Stevenson, J.; Serova, L. V.

1989-01-01

Space flight, with its unique environmental constraints such as immobilization, decreased and increased pressures, and radiation, is known to affect testicular morphology and spermatogenesis. Among the several biological experiments and animals on board COSMOS 1887 Biosputnik flight were 10 rats, from which were collected testicular tissue. Average weights of flight tests were 6.4 pct. below that of the vivarium control when normalized for weight loss/100 grams body weight. Counts of surviving spermatogonia per tubule cross section indicated an average of 39 spermatogonia for flight animals, 40 for synchronous controls and 44 for the vivarium controls. Serum testosterone was significantly decreased when compared to basal controls but the decrease was not significant when compared in vivarium and synchronous control groups. The significant decrease in spermatogonia and the decrease in serum testosterone are similar to that in animals flown on Space Lab 3 (Challenger Shuttle).

STS-116 Flight Controllers on console during mission - WFCR - Orbit 2

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-12-20

JSC2006-E-54711 (21 Dec. 2006) --- Overall view of the Shuttle Flight Control Room in the Johnson Space Center's Mission Control Center during the final deployment of some small satellites from Space Shuttle Discovery's cargo bay. On a screen in the front of the control room, a Department of Defense pico-satellite known as Atmospheric Neutral Density Experiment (ANDE) is released from the shuttle's payload bay by STS-116 crewmembers and viewed via live television on the ground.

First Shuttle/747 Captive Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1977-01-01

The Space Shuttle prototype Enterprise rides smoothly atop NASA's first Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), NASA 905, during the first of the shuttle program's Approach and Landing Tests (ALT) at the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, in 1977. During the nearly one year-long series of tests, Enterprise was taken aloft on the SCA to study the aerodynamics of the mated vehicles and, in a series of five free flights, tested the glide and landing characteristics of the orbiter prototype. In this photo, the main engine area on the aft end of Enterprise is covered with a tail cone to reduce aerodynamic drag that affects the horizontal tail of the SCA, on which tip fins have been installed to increase stability when the aircraft carries an orbiter. The Space Shuttle Approach and Landings Tests (ALT) program allowed pilots and engineers to learn how the Space Shuttle and the modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) handled during low-speed flight and landing. The Enterprise, a prototype of the Space Shuttles, and the SCA were flown to conduct the approach and landing tests at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, from February to October 1977. The first flight of the program consisted of the Space Shuttle Enterprise attached to the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. These flights were to determine how well the two vehicles flew together. Five 'captive-inactive' flights were flown during this first phase in which there was no crew in the Enterprise. The next series of captive flights was flown with a flight crew of two on board the prototype Space Shuttle. Only three such flights proved necessary. This led to the free-flight test series. The free-flight phase of the ALT program allowed pilots and engineers to learn how the Space Shuttle handled in low-speed flight and landing attitudes. For these landings, the Enterprise was flown by a crew of two after it was released from the top of the SCA. The vehicle was released at altitudes ranging from 19,000 to 26,000 feet. The Enterprise had no propulsion system, but its first four glides to the Rogers Dry Lake runway provided realistic, in-flight simulations of how subsequent Space Shuttles would be flown at the end of an orbital mission. The fifth approach and landing test, with the Enterprise landing on the Edwards Air Force Base concrete runway, revealed a problem with the Space Shuttle flight control system that made it susceptible to Pilot-Induced Oscillation (PIO), a potentially dangerous control problem during a landing. Further research using other NASA aircraft, especially the F-8 Digital-Fly-By-Wire aircraft, led to correction of the PIO problem before the first orbital flight. The Enterprise's last free-flight was October 26, 1977, after which it was ferried to other NASA centers for ground-based flight simulations that tested Space Shuttle systems and structure.

Inheritance of induction radiation sensitivity of space flight environments and γ-radiation on rice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, J.; Wang, J.; Wei, L.; Li, Z.; Sun, Y.

There are many factors affecting living things during space flight, such as microgravity, cosmic radiation, etc. A large number of plant mutants have been obtained after space flight on satellite in China in the last decade and some commercial crop varieties were released. However, little consideration has so far been given to the genetic mechanisms underlying sensitivity of plant seeds to space flight environments. To reveal the genetic mechanisms associated with induction radiation sensitivity (IRS), a set of 226 recombination inbred lines (RILs) derived from Lemont (japonica)/ Teqing (indica) F13, were analyzed using 164 well-distributed DNA markers and assayed for the traits related to IRS including rate of survival seedling (RSS), seedling height (SH), seed setting rate (SSR) and total physiological damage (TPD) in replicated trials after space flight on Chinese Shenzhou IV Spacecraft andγ -radiation treatment (35000 rad) on the ground in 2002. Seedling growth of Lemont was accelerated after space flight with the SH of 116.2% of ground control while growth suppression was happened for Teqing with the SH of 85.7% of ground control. γ -radiation treatment resulted in significant decrease in all tested traits for the two parents, indicating space flight and γ -radiation treatment had different biological effects on the two parents. Significant differences were detected among the RILs for their responses to space flight environments and γ -radiation, reflected as the difference in the four tested traits. Space flight resulted in stimulation on growth for 57.1% lines whileγ -radiation had suppression on growth for most lines. Seventeen putative main-effect QTLs was identified for the four traits related to IRS under space flight and γ -radiation, which totally explained significant portions of the total trait variation (4.4% for RSS, 27.2% for SH, 4% for SSR and 15.8% for TPD for space flight; 10.4% for RSS, 15.1% for SH, 8.2% for SSR and 6.1% for TPD forγ -radiation). Same QTLs affecting some of the four tested traits after space flight andγ -radiation treatment were identified, suggesting that space flight environments andγ -radiation partially shared the same genetic mechanisms for mutation. Forty-nine epistatic pairs affecting the four traits was detected and totally explained significant portions of the phenotypic variation (49.7% for RSS, 49.8% for SH, 14.3% for SSR and 40.2% for TPD for space flight; 30.5% for RSS, 18.1% for SH, 34.3% for SSR, 31.9% for TPD forγ -radiation). It indicated that IRS is a very complicated trait and epistasis may play an important role in underlying its genetic mechanism. Based on these results, the genetic basis of IRS and its application in plant mutation breeding was discussed.

Increased Renal Solute Excretion in Rats Following Space Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wade, Charles E.; Moore, A. L.; Morey-Holton, E.

1995-01-01

Following space flight a diuresis, due to an increase in free water clearance, has been suggested in humans. To assess the effects of space flight on renal function, rats were flown in space for 14 days. Rats were divided into three groups; vivarium controls (V;n=6; housed 2/shoe box cage), flight controls (FC;n=6; group housed in a flight cage), and flight animals (F;n=6). Upon landing all animals were placed into individual metabolic cages. Urine was collected daily for 7 days and every other day for 14 days. Urine output was increased (p less than 0.05; ANOVA) following flight for 3 days. On postflight day 1, flow rates were, V=6.8 plus or minus 0.9, FC=8.711.8 and F=16.6 plus or minus 2.7 microliter/min. Excretion rates of Na+ and K+ were increased, resulting in an increased osmotic excretion rate (V=7.9 plus or minus 0.9, FC=6.1 plus or minus 0.7 and F=13.5 plus or minus 0.7 uOsm/min). Creatinine excretion rate was increased over the first two postflight days. In the absence of changes in plasma creatinine, Na+, or K+ (samples obtained immediately post flight from similar rats compared to Day 14), GFR was increased following space flight. The increased excretion of solute was thus the result of increased delivery and decreased reabsorption. Osmotic clearance was increased (V=28, FC=27 and F=51 microliter/min), while free water clearance was decreased post flight (V=-21,FC=-18 and F=-34 microliter/min). In rats, the postflight diuresis is the result of an increase in solute (osmotic) excretion with an accompanying reduction in free water clearance.

Update on the Effects of Space Flight on Development of Immune Responses

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sonnenfeld, G.; Foster, M.; Morton, D.; Bailliard, F.; Fowler, N. A.; Hakenwewerth, A. M.; Bates, R.; Miller, E. S.

1999-01-01

This study has been completed, and the following is an update of the results as published. Pregnant rats were flown on the Space Shuttle in the NIH.R I mission for 11 days, and pregnant control rats were maintained in animal enclosure modules in a ground-based chamber under conditions approximating those in flight. Additional controls were in standard housing. The effects of the flight on immunological parameters (including blastogenesis, interferon-gamma production, response to colony stimulating factor and total immunoglobulin levels) of dams, fetuses, and pups was determined.

In-Flight Suppression of a De-Stabilized F/A-18 Structural Mode Using the Space Launch System Adaptive Augmenting Control System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wall, John; VanZwieten, Tannen; Giiligan Eric; Miller, Chris; Hanson, Curtis; Orr, Jeb

2015-01-01

Adaptive Augmenting Control (AAC) has been developed for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) family of launch vehicles and implemented as a baseline part of its flight control system (FCS). To raise the technical readiness level of the SLS AAC algorithm, the Launch Vehicle Adaptive Control (LVAC) flight test program was conducted in which the SLS FCS prototype software was employed to control the pitch axis of Dryden's specially outfitted F/A-18, the Full Scale Advanced Systems Test Bed (FAST). This presentation focuses on a set of special test cases which demonstrate the successful mitigation of the unstable coupling of an F/A-18 airframe structural mode with the SLS FCS.

Hubble Space Telescope electrical power system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitt, Thomas H.; Bush, John R., Jr.

1990-01-01

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) electrical power system (EPS) is supplying between 2000 and 2400 W of continuous power to the electrical loads. The major components of the EPS are the 5000-W back surface field reflector solar array, the six nickel-hydrogen (NiH2) 22-cell 88-Ah batteries, and the charge current controllers, which, in conjunction with the flight computer, control battery charging. The operation of the HST EPS and the results of the HST NiH2 six-battery test are discussed, and preliminary flight data are reviewed. The HST NiH2 six-battery test is a breadboard of the HST EPS on test at Marshall Space Flight Center.

Space Construction Experiment Definition Study (SCEDS), part 1. Volume 2: Study results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1981-01-01

A basic Space Shuttle flight experiment which will provide needed data on the construction of large space systems from the Orbiter was defined. The predicted dynamic behavior of a representative large structure, on-orbit construction operations, and Orbiter control during and after construction were studied. Evolutionary or supplemental flight experiments for the development or augmentation of a basic flight experiment were identified and defined. The study was divided into six major tasks with appropriate sub-tasks noted.

Space Shuttle stability and control test plan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cooke, D. R.

1982-01-01

The development of a completely automatic flight test program to test different aspects of the Shuttle flight capability during reentries is described. Data from each flight to date has been employed to devise a sequence of maneuvers which will be keyboard-punched into the Orbiter control system by the astronauts during entry phases of flight. Details of the interaction and cooperation of the Orbiter elevons and bodyflap to provide the vehicle with latitudinal and longitudinal directional control and trim are outlined. Uncertainties predicted for the control of the Orbiter during wind tunnel testing prior to actual flights have been adjusted to actual flight data, leading to the identification of actual flight regimes which need further investigation. Maneuvers scheduled for flights 5-9 are reviewed.

Proceedings of the Workshop on Identification and Control of Flexible Space Structures, volume 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rodriguez, G. (Editor)

1985-01-01

Identification and control of flexible space structures were studied. Exploration of the most advanced modeling estimation, identification and control methodologies to flexible space structures was discussed. The following general areas were discussed: space platforms, antennas, and flight experiments; control/structure interactions - modeling, integrated design and optimization, control and stabilization, and shape control; control technology; control of space stations; large antenna control, dynamics and control experiments, and control/structure interaction experiments.

KSC-07pd0947

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-26

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The media surround noted wheelchair-bound physicist Stephen Hawking after his arrival at the Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility for his first zero-gravity flight. Behind Hawking, at left, is Space Florida president Steve Kohler. In the center, striding toward Hawking, is Zero Gravity Corp. founder Peter Diamandis. The flight will be aboard a modified Boeing 727 aircraft owned by Zero Gravity, a commercial company licensed to provide the public with weightless flight experiences. Hawking developed amyotrophic lateral sclerosis disease in the 1960s, a type of motor neuron disease which would cost him the loss of almost all neuromuscular control. At the celebration of his 65th birthday on January 8 this year, Hawking announced his plans for a zero-gravity flight to prepare for a sub-orbital space flight in 2009 on Virgin Galactic's space service. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Correlation of Predicted and Flight Derived Stability and Control Derivatives with Particular Application to Tailless Delta Wing Configurations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weil, J.

1981-01-01

Flight derived longitudinal and lateral-directional stability and control derivatives were compared to wind-tunnel derived values. As a result of these comparisons, boundaries representing the uncertainties that could be expected from wind-tunnel predictions were established. These boundaries provide a useful guide for control system sensitivity studies prior to flight. The primary application for this data was the space shuttle, and as a result the configurations included in the study were those most applicable to the space shuttle. The configurations included conventional delta wing aircraft as well as the X-15 and lifting body vehicles.

Mentoring SFRM: A New Approach to International Space Station Flight Controller Training

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huning, Therese; Barshi, Immanuel; Schmidt, Lacey

2008-01-01

The Mission Operations Directorate (MOD) of the Johnson Space Center is responsible for providing continuous operations support for the International Space Station (ISS). Operations support requires flight controllers who are skilled in team performance as well as the technical operations of the ISS. Space Flight Resource Management (SFRM), a NASA adapted variant of Crew Resource Management (CRM), is the competency model used in the MOD. ISS flight controller certification has evolved to include a balanced focus on development of SFRM and technical expertise. The latest challenge the MOD faces is how to certify an ISS flight controller (operator) to a basic level of effectiveness in 1 year. SFRM training uses a two-pronged approach to expediting operator certification: 1) imbed SFRM skills training into all operator technical training and 2) use senior flight controllers as mentors. This paper focuses on how the MOD uses senior flight controllers as mentors to train SFRM skills. Methods: A mentor works with an operator throughout the training flow. Inserted into the training flow are guided-discussion sessions and on-the-job observation opportunities focusing on specific SFRM skills, including: situational leadership, conflict management, stress management, cross-cultural awareness, self care and team care while on-console, communication, workload management, and situation awareness. The mentor and operator discuss the science and art behind the skills, cultural effects on skills applications, recognition of good and bad skills applications, recognition of how skills application changes subtly in different situations, and individual goals and techniques for improving skills. Discussion: This mentoring program provides an additional means of transferring SFRM knowledge compared to traditional CRM training programs. Our future endeavors in training SFRM skills (as well as other organization s) may benefit from adding team performance skills mentoring. This paper explains our mentoring approach and discusses its effectiveness and future applicability in promoting SFRM/CRM skills.

Stability of Formulations Contained in the Pharmaceutical Payload Aboard Space Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Putcha, Lakshmi; Du, Brian; Daniels, Vernie; Boyd, Jason L.; Crady, Camille; Satterfield, Rick

2008-01-01

Efficacious pharmaceuticals with adequate shelf life are essential for successful space medical operations in support of space exploration missions. Physical and environmental factors unique to space missions such as vibration, G forces and ionizing radiation may adversely affect stability of pharmaceuticals intended for standard care of astronauts aboard space missions. Stable pharmaceuticals, therefore, are of paramount importance for assuring health and wellness of astronauts in space. Preliminary examination of stability of formulations from Shuttle and International Space Station (ISS) medical kits revealed that some of these medications showed physical and chemical degradation after flight raising concern of reduced therapeutic effectiveness with these medications in space. A research payload experiment was conducted with a select set of formulations stowed aboard a shuttle flight and on ISS. The payload consisted of four identical pharmaceutical kits containing 31 medications in different dosage forms that were transported to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard the Space Shuttle, STS 121. One of the four kits was stored on the shuttle and the other three were stored on the ISS for return to Earth at six months intervals on a pre-designated Shuttle flight for each kit; the shuttle kit was returned to Earth on the same flight. Standard stability indicating physical and chemical parameters were measured for all pharmaceuticals returned from the shuttle and from the first ISS increment payload along with ground-based matching controls. Results were compared between shuttle, ISS and ground controls. Evaluation of data from the three paradigms indicates that some of the formulations exhibited significant degradation in space compared to respective ground controls; a few formulations were unstable both on the ground and in space. An increase in the number of pharmaceuticals from ISS failing USP standards was noticed compared to those from the shuttle flight. A comprehensive evaluation of results is in progress.

Space flight and changes in spatial orientation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reschke, Millard F.; Bloomberg, Jacob J.; Harm, Deborah L.; Paloski, William H.

1992-01-01

From a sensory point of view, space flight represents a form of stimulus rearrangement requiring modification of established terrestrial response patterns through central reinterpretation. Evidence of sensory reinterpretation is manifested as postflight modifications of eye/head coordination, locomotor patterns, postural control strategies, and illusory perceptions of self or surround motion in conjunction with head movements. Under normal preflight conditions, the head is stabilized during locomotion, but immediately postflight reduced head stability, coupled with inappropriate eye/head coordination, results in modifications of gait. Postflight postural control exhibits increased dependence on vision which compensates for inappropriate interpretation of otolith and proprioceptive inputs. Eye movements compensatory for perceived self motion, rather than actual head movements have been observed postflight. Overall, the in-flight adaptive modification of head stabilization strategies, changes in head/eye coordination, illusionary motion, and postural control are maladaptive for a return to the terrestrial environment. Appropriate countermeasures for long-duration flights will rely on preflight adaptation and in-flight training.

14 CFR 29.161 - Trim control.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Trim control. 29.161 Section 29.161... STANDARDS: TRANSPORT CATEGORY ROTORCRAFT Flight Flight Characteristics § 29.161 Trim control. The trim control— (a) Must trim any steady longitudinal, lateral, and collective control forces to zero in level...

Documentary views of Flight Director and Controller activity during STS-2

NASA Image and Video Library

1981-11-12

S81-39431 (12 Nov. 1981) --- Eugene F. Kranz, left, and Dr. Christopher C. Kraft Jr. monitor data displayed on the FOD console in the mission operations control room (MOCR) in the Johnson Space Center?s mission control center following the successful launch of the Columbia, and the beginning of NASA?s second space shuttle mission. Dr. Kraft is director of the Johnson Space Center and Kranz is deputy director of the flight operations directorate (FOD) at JSC. Houston time for the launch was approximately 9:10 a.m., Nov 12, 1981. Photo credit: NASA

Close up view of the Commander's Seat on the Flight ...

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

Close up view of the Commander's Seat on the Flight Deck of the Orbiter Discovery. It appears the Orbiter is in the roll out / launch pad configuration. A protective cover is over the Rotational Hand Controller to protect it during the commander's ingress. Most notable in this view are the Speed Brake/Thrust Controller in the center right in this view and the Translational Hand Controller in the center top of the view. This image was taken at Kennedy Space Center. - Space Transportation System, Orbiter Discovery (OV-103), Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston, Harris County, TX

STS-105 coverage of Mission Control Center employees in the WFCR & BFCR

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-03-25

JSC2001-E-25125 (16 August 2001) --- Flight directors John Shannon (left foreground) and Kelly Beck watch the large screens from their consoles in the shuttle flight control room (WFCR) in Houston’s Mission Control Center (MCC) along with astronauts Joseph R. Tanner (left background) and Steve MacLean, STS-105 spacecraft communicators (CAPCOM). At the time this photo was taken, mission specialists Daniel T. Barry and Patrick G. Forrester were performing the first of two scheduled space walks during Discovery’s visit to the International Space Station (ISS). MacLean represents the Canadian Space Agency.

Effect of space flight on cytokine production and other immunologic parameters of rhesus monkeys

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sonnenfeld, G.; Davis, S.; Taylor, G. R.; Mandel, A. D.; Konstantinova, I. V.; Lesnyak, A.; Fuchs, B. B.; Peres, C.; Tkackzuk, J.; Schmitt, D. A.

1996-01-01

During a recent flight of a Russian satellite (Cosmos #2229), initial experiments examining the effects of space flight on immunologic responses of rhesus monkeys were performed to gain insight into the effect of space flight on resistance to infection. Experiments were performed on tissue samples taken from the monkeys before and immediately after flight. Additional samples were obtained approximately 1 month after flight for a postflight restraint study. Two types of experiments were carried out throughout this study. The first experiment determined the ability of leukocytes to produce interleukin-1 and to express interleukin-2 receptors. The second experiment examined the responsiveness of rhesus bone marrow cells to recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). Human reagents that cross-reacted with monkey tissue were utilized for the bulk of the studies. Results from both studies indicated that there were changes in immunologic function attributable to space flight. Interleukin-1 production and the expression of interleukin-2 receptors was decreased after space flight. Bone marrow cells from flight monkeys showed a significant decrease in their response to GM-CSF compared with the response of bone marrow cells from nonflight control monkeys. These results suggest that the rhesus monkey may be a useful surrogate for humans in future studies that examine the effect of space flight on immune response, particularly when conditions do not readily permit human study.

View of Mission Control Center during Apollo 13 splashdown

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1970-01-01

Overall view of Mission Operations Control Room in Mission Control Center at the Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC) during the ceremonies aboard the U.S.S. Iwo Jima, prime recovery ship for the Apollo 13 mission. Dr. Donald K. Slayton (in black shirt, left of center), Director of Flight Crew Operations at MSC, and Chester M. Lee of the Apollo Program Directorate, Office of Manned Space Flight, NASA Headquarters, shake hands, while Dr. Rocco A. Petrone, Apollo Program Director, Office of Manned Space Flight, NASA Headquarters (standing, near Lee), watches the large screen showing Astronaut James A. Lovell Jr., Apollo 13 commander, during the on-board ceremonies. In the foreground, Glynn S. Lunney (extreme left) and Eugene F. Kranz (smoking a cigar), two Apollo 13 Flight Directors, view the activity from their consoles.

ISS 7A.1 Flight Control Team Photo in BFCR

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-08-16

JSC2001-02227 (16 August 2001) --- The members of the STS-105/ISS 7A.1 Planning team pose for a group portrait in the International Space Station (ISS) flight control room (BFCR) in Houston’s Mission Control Center (MCC).

Tether dynamics and control results for tethered satellite system's initial flight

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chapel, Jim D.; Flanders, Howard

The recent Tethered Satellite System-1 (TSS-1) mission has provided a wealth of data concerning the dynamics of tethered systems in space and has demonstrated the effectiveness of operational techniques designed to control these dynamics. In this paper, we review control techniques developed for managing tether dynamics, and discuss the results of using these techniques for the Tethered Satellite System's maiden flight on STS-46. In particular, the flight results of controlling libration dynamics, string dynamics, and slack tether are presented. These results show that tether dynamics can be safely managed. The overall stability of the system was found to be surprisingly good even at relatively short tether lengths. In fact, the system operated in passive mode at a tether length of 256 meters for over 9 hours. Only monitoring of the system was required during this time. Although flight anomalies prevented the planned deployment to 20 km, the extended operations at shorter tether lengths have proven the viability of using tethers in space. These results should prove invaluable in preparing for future missions with tethered objects in space.

Tether dynamics and control results for tethered satellite system's initial flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chapel, Jim D.; Flanders, Howard

1993-01-01

The recent Tethered Satellite System-1 (TSS-1) mission has provided a wealth of data concerning the dynamics of tethered systems in space and has demonstrated the effectiveness of operational techniques designed to control these dynamics. In this paper, we review control techniques developed for managing tether dynamics, and discuss the results of using these techniques for the Tethered Satellite System's maiden flight on STS-46. In particular, the flight results of controlling libration dynamics, string dynamics, and slack tether are presented. These results show that tether dynamics can be safely managed. The overall stability of the system was found to be surprisingly good even at relatively short tether lengths. In fact, the system operated in passive mode at a tether length of 256 meters for over 9 hours. Only monitoring of the system was required during this time. Although flight anomalies prevented the planned deployment to 20 km, the extended operations at shorter tether lengths have proven the viability of using tethers in space. These results should prove invaluable in preparing for future missions with tethered objects in space.

Pancreas of C57 black mice after long-term space flight (Bion-M1 Space Mission).

PubMed

Proshchina, A E; Krivova, Y S; Saveliev, S C

2015-11-01

In this study, we analysed the pancreases of C57BL/6N mice in order to estimate the effects of long-term space flights. Mice were flown aboard the Bion-M1 biosatellite, or remained on ground in the control experiment that replicated environmental and housing conditions in the spacecraft. Vivarium control group was used to account for housing effects. Each of the groups included mice designated for recovery studies. Mice pancreases were dissected for histological and immunohistochemical examinations. Using a morphometry and statistical analysis, a strong correlation between the mean islet size and the mean body weight was revealed in all groups. Therefore, we propose that hypokinesia and an increase in nutrition play an important role in alterations of the endocrine pancreas, both in space flight and terrestrial conditions. Copyright © 2015 The Committee on Space Research (COSPAR). Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

KSC-2009-2105

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-03-15

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In Firing Room 4 of the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, from left, Steve Stich, manager of the Kennedy Orbiter Project Office; John Fraser, with Boeing Co. at the Marshall Space Flight Center; Rick Russell, with the NASA Orbiter Sustaining Engineering Office; and Rene Ortega with Marshall Space Flight Center's Shuttle Propulsion Office, are presented with a plaque for their work on the fuel control valve problem on space shuttle Discovery. The award was presented after the successful launch of Discovery on the STS-119 mission. Liftoff was on time at 7:43 p. m. EDT. The STS-119 mission is the 28th to the space station and Discovery's 36th flight. Discovery will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment. Installation of S6 will signal the station's readiness to house a six-member crew for conducting increased science. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Coronas-F Orbit Monitoring and Re-Entry Prediction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ivanov, N. M.; Kolyuka, Yu. F.; Afanasieva, T. I.; Gridchina, T. A.

2007-01-01

Russian scientific satellite CORONAS-F was launched on July, 31, 2001. The object was inserted in near-circular orbit with the inclination 82.5deg and a mean altitude approx. 520 km. Due to the upper atmosphere drag CORONAS-F was permanently descended and as a result on December, 6, 2005 it has finished the earth-orbital flight, having lifetime in space approx. 4.5 years. The satellite structural features and its flight attitude control led to the significant variations of its ballistic coefficient during the flight. It was a cause of some specific difficulties in the fulfillment of the ballistic and navigation support of this space vehicle flight. Besides the main mission objective CORONAS-F also has been selected by the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) as a target object for the next regular international re-entry test campaign on a program of surveillance and re-entry prediction for the hazard space objects within their de-orbiting phases. Spacecraft (S/C) CORONAS-F kept its working state right up to the end of the flight - down to the atmosphere entry. This fact enabled to realization of the additional research experiments, concerning with an estimation of the atmospheric density within the low earth orbits (LEO) of the artificial satellites, and made possible to continue track the S/C during final phase of its flight by means of Russian regular command & tracking system, used for it control. Thus there appeared a unique possibility of using for tracking S/C at its de-orbiting phase not only passive radar facilities, belonging to the space surveillance systems and traditionally used for support of the IADC re-entry test campaigns, but also more precise active trajectory radio-tracking facilities from the ground control complex (GCC) applied for this object. Under the corresponding decision of the Russian side such capability of additional high-precise tracking control of the CORONAS-F flight in this period of time has been implemented. The organizing of the CORONAS-F ballistic and navigational support (BNS) and solving its main tasks (such as S/C orbit determination (OD) and its motion prediction and connected with them) both for regular mission stage and for additional flight program were realized by the group of specialists from the Mission Control Center (MCC). MCC was also assigned as a principal organization from the Russian side for participation in the 7th IADC re-entry test campaign on CORONAS-F. The CORONAS-F flight features and space environments circumstances during its flight as well as a methodology and technology of spacecraft ballistic and navigational support are given below. The BNS results for different phases of S/C flight, including the results of its re-entry predictions, obtained during the realization of the 7th IADC test campaign are submitted. The accuracy of space vehicle re-entry prediction and its dependence on various factors are analyzed in more details.

The deep space network, volume 15

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1973-01-01

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

ASTRONAUTICS INFORMATION. ABSTRACTS, VOLUME IV, NO. 5. Abstracts 4,428- 4,521

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

Hardgrove, B.J.; Warren, F.L. comps.

1961-11-01

A bibliography on astronautics is presented covering the period of November 1961. The 93 references are on flight dynamics, vehicle technology, communications, guidance, control, manned flight, space medicine, and space science. Author, subject, and source indexes are included. (M.C.G.)

Report on research and technology-FY 1981

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1981-01-01

More than 65 technical reports, papers, and articles published by personnel and contractors at the Dryden Flight Research Center are listed. Activities performed for the Offices of Aeronautics and Space Technology, Space and Terrestrial Applications, Space Transportation Systems, and Space Tracking and Data Systems are summarized. Preliminary stability and control derivatives were determined for the shuttle orbiter at hypersonic speeds from the data obtained at reentry. The shuttle tile tests, spin research vehicle nose shapes flight investigations, envelope expansion flights for the Ames tilt rotor research aircraft, and the AD-1 oblique wing programs were completed as well as the KC-135 winglet program.

NASA’s Stennis Space Center Conducts RS-25 Engine Test

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-03-24

On March 23, NASA conducted a test of an RS-25 engine at the agency’s Stennis Space Center in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Four RS-25’s will help power NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket to space. During this test, engineers evaluated the engine’s new controller or “brain”, which communicates with the SLS vehicle. Once test data is certified, the engine controller will be removed and installed on one of the four flight engines that will help power the first integrated flight of SLS and the Orion spacecraft.

Space flight alters bacterial gene expression and virulence and reveals a role for global regulator Hfq

PubMed Central

Wilson, J. W.; Ott, C. M.; zu Bentrup, K. Höner; Ramamurthy, R.; Quick, L.; Porwollik, S.; Cheng, P.; McClelland, M.; Tsaprailis, G.; Radabaugh, T.; Hunt, A.; Fernandez, D.; Richter, E.; Shah, M.; Kilcoyne, M.; Joshi, L.; Nelman-Gonzalez, M.; Hing, S.; Parra, M.; Dumars, P.; Norwood, K.; Bober, R.; Devich, J.; Ruggles, A.; Goulart, C.; Rupert, M.; Stodieck, L.; Stafford, P.; Catella, L.; Schurr, M. J.; Buchanan, K.; Morici, L.; McCracken, J.; Allen, P.; Baker-Coleman, C.; Hammond, T.; Vogel, J.; Nelson, R.; Pierson, D. L.; Stefanyshyn-Piper, H. M.; Nickerson, C. A.

2007-01-01

A comprehensive analysis of both the molecular genetic and phenotypic responses of any organism to the space flight environment has never been accomplished because of significant technological and logistical hurdles. Moreover, the effects of space flight on microbial pathogenicity and associated infectious disease risks have not been studied. The bacterial pathogen Salmonella typhimurium was grown aboard Space Shuttle mission STS-115 and compared with identical ground control cultures. Global microarray and proteomic analyses revealed that 167 transcripts and 73 proteins changed expression with the conserved RNA-binding protein Hfq identified as a likely global regulator involved in the response to this environment. Hfq involvement was confirmed with a ground-based microgravity culture model. Space flight samples exhibited enhanced virulence in a murine infection model and extracellular matrix accumulation consistent with a biofilm. Strategies to target Hfq and related regulators could potentially decrease infectious disease risks during space flight missions and provide novel therapeutic options on Earth. PMID:17901201

Apollo 13 - Mission Control Console

NASA Image and Video Library

1970-04-15

S70-35096 (16 April 1970) --- As the problem-plagued Apollo 13 crewmen entered their final 24 hours in space, several persons important to the mission remained attentive at consoles in the Mission Operations Control Room of the Mission Control Center at Manned Spacecraft Center. Among those monitoring communications and serving in supervisory capacities were these four officials from National Aeronautics and Space Administration Headquarters, Washington, D.C.: (from left) Thomas H. McMullen, Office of Manned Space Flight, who served as Shift 1 mission director; Dale Myers, associate administrator, Manned Space Flight; Chester M. Lee of the Apollo Program Directorate, OMSF, Apollo 13 mission director; and Dr. Rocco A. Petrone, Apollo program director, OMSF.

U.S. perspective on technology demonstration experiments for adaptive structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aswani, Mohan; Wada, Ben K.; Garba, John A.

1991-01-01

Evaluation of design concepts for adaptive structures is being performed in support of several focused research programs. These include programs such as Precision Segmented Reflector (PSR), Control Structure Interaction (CSI), and the Advanced Space Structures Technology Research Experiment (ASTREX). Although not specifically designed for adaptive structure technology validation, relevant experiments can be performed using the Passive and Active Control of Space Structures (PACOSS) testbed, the Space Integrated Controls Experiment (SPICE), the CSI Evolutionary Model (CEM), and the Dynamic Scale Model Test (DSMT) Hybrid Scale. In addition to the ground test experiments, several space flight experiments have been planned, including a reduced gravity experiment aboard the KC-135 aircraft, shuttle middeck experiments, and the Inexpensive Flight Experiment (INFLEX).

Vestibular-somatosensory convergence in head movement control during locomotion after long-duration space flight.

PubMed

Mulavara, A P; Ruttley, T; Cohen, H S; Peters, B T; Miller, C; Brady, R; Merkle, L; Bloomberg, J J

2012-01-01

Space flight causes astronauts to be exposed to adaptation in both the vestibular and body load-sensing somatosensory systems. The goal of these studies was to examine the contributions of vestibular and body load-sensing somatosensory influences on vestibular mediated head movement control during locomotion after long-duration space flight. Subjects walked on a motor driven treadmill while performing a gaze stabilization task. Data were collected from three independent subject groups that included bilateral labyrinthine deficient (LD) patients, normal subjects before and after 30 minutes of 40% bodyweight unloaded treadmill walking, and astronauts before and after long-duration space flight. Motion data from the head and trunk segments were used to calculate the amplitude of angular head pitch and trunk vertical translation movement while subjects performed a gaze stabilization task, to estimate the contributions of vestibular reflexive mechanisms in head pitch movements. Exposure to unloaded locomotion caused a significant increase in head pitch movements in normal subjects, whereas the head pitch movements of LD patients were significantly decreased. This is the first evidence of adaptation of vestibular mediated head movement responses to unloaded treadmill walking. Astronaut subjects showed a heterogeneous response of both increases and decreases in the amplitude of head pitch movement. We infer that body load-sensing somatosensory input centrally modulates vestibular input and can adaptively modify vestibularly mediated head-movement control during locomotion. Thus, space flight may cause central adaptation of the converging vestibular and body load-sensing somatosensory systems leading to alterations in head movement control.

Application of identification techniques to remote manipulator system flight data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shepard, G. D.; Lepanto, J. A.; Metzinger, R. W.; Fogel, E.

1983-01-01

This paper addresses the application of identification techniques to flight data from the Space Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (RMS). A description of the remote manipulator, including structural and control system characteristics, sensors, and actuators is given. A brief overview of system identification procedures is presented, and the practical aspects of implementing system identification algorithms are discussed. In particular, the problems posed by desampling rate, numerical error, and system nonlinearities are considered. Simulation predictions of damping, frequency, and system order are compared with values identified from flight data to support an evaluation of RMS structural and control system models. Finally, conclusions are drawn regarding the application of identification techniques to flight data obtained from a flexible space structure.

Project Hermes 'Use of Smartphones for Receiving Telemetry and Commanding a Satellite'

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maharaja, Rishabh (Principal Investigator)

2016-01-01

TCPIP protocols can be applied for satellite command, control, and data transfer. Project Hermes was an experiment set-up to test the use of the TCPIP protocol for communicating with a space bound payload. The idea was successfully demonstrated on high altitude balloon flights and on a sub-orbital sounding rocket launched from NASAs Wallops Flight Facility. TCPIP protocols can be applied for satellite command, control, and data transfer. Project Hermes was an experiment set-up to test the use of the TCPIP protocol for communicating with a space bound payload. The idea was successfully demonstrated on high altitude balloon flights and on a sub-orbital sounding rocket launched from NASAs Wallops Flight Facility.

Virtual decoupling flight control via real-time trajectory synthesis and tracking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xuefu

The production of the General Aviation industry has declined in the past 25 years. Ironically, however, the increasing demand for air travel as a fast, safe, and high-quality mode of transportation has been far from satisfied. Addressing this demand shortfall with personal air transportation necessitates advanced systems for navigation, guidance, control, flight management, and flight traffic control. Among them, an effective decoupling flight control system will not only improve flight quality, safety, and simplicity, and increase air space usage, but also reduce expenses on pilot initial and current training, and thus expand the current market and explore new markets. Because of the formidable difficulties encountered in the actual decoupling of non-linear, time-variant, and highly coupled flight control systems through traditional approaches, a new approach, which essentially converts the decoupling problem into a real-time trajectory synthesis and tracking problem, is employed. Then, the converted problem is solved and a virtual decoupling effect is achieved. In this approach, a trajectory in inertial space can be predefined and dynamically modified based on the flight mission and the pilot's commands. A feedforward-feedback control architecture is constructed to guide the airplane along the trajectory as precisely as possible. Through this approach, the pilot has much simpler, virtually decoupled control of the airplane in terms of speed, flight path angle and horizontal radius of curvature. To verify and evaluate this approach, extensive computer simulation is performed. A great deal of test cases are designed for the flight control under different flight conditions. The simulation results show that our decoupling strategy is satisfactory and promising, and therefore the research can serve as a consolidated foundation for future practical applications.

KSC-04PD-0003

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

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

KSC-04PD-0007

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

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

KSC-04PD-0002

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

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

KSC-04PD-0001

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

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

Thermal control surfaces experiment flight system performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilkes, Donald R.; Hummer, Leigh L.; Zwiener, James M.

1991-01-01

The Thermal Control Surfaces Experiment (TCSE) is the most complex system, other than the LDEF, retrieved after long term space exposure. The TCSE is a microcosm of complex electro-optical payloads being developed and flow by NASA and the DoD including SDI. The objective of TCSE was to determine the effects of the near-Earth orbital environment and the LDEF induced environment on spacecraft thermal control surfaces. The TCSE was a comprehensive experiment that combined in-space measurements with extensive post flight analyses of thermal control surfaces to determine the effects of exposure to the low earth orbit space environment. The TCSE was the first space experiment to measure the optical properties of thermal control surfaces the way they are routinely measured in a lab. The performance of the TCSE confirms that low cost, complex experiment packages can be developed that perform well in space.

Impact of space flight on cardiovascular autonomic control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beckers, F.; Verheyden, B.; Morukov, B.; Aubert, Ae

Introduction: Space flight alters the distribution of blood in the human body, leading to altered cardiovascular neurohumoral regulation with a blunted carotid-cardiac baroreflex. These changes contribute to the occurrence of orthostatic intolerance after space flight. Heart rate variability (HRV) and blood pressure variability (BPV) provide non-invasive means to study the autonomic modulation of the heart. Low frequency (LF) oscillations provide information about sympathetic modulation and baroreflex, while high frequency (HF) modulation is an index of vagal heart rate modulation. Methods: ECG and continuous blood pressure were measured for at least 10 minutes in supine, sitting and standing position 45 days and 10 days (L-45, L-10) before launch; and at 1, 2, 4, 9, 15, 19 and 25 days after return to earth (R+x). In space, ECG and continuous blood pressure were measured at day 5 (FD5) and day 8 (FD8). These measurements were performed in 3. HRV and BPV indices were calculated in time and frequency domain. Results: Measurements in supine position and sitting position did not show as high differences as the measurements in standing position. During space flight heart rate was significantly lower compared to the pre- and post-flight measurements in standing position (RR-values: L-45: 837± 42 ms; FD5: 1004± 40 ms; FD8: 1038± 53 ms; R+1: 587± 21 ms; p<0.05). This was accompanied by a significant increase in the proportion of HF power during space flight and a decrease in LF power. Immediately after space flight both LF and HF modulation of heart rate were extremely depressed compared to the pre-flight conditions (p<0.005). A gradual recovery towards baseline conditions of both indices was observed up to 25 days after return from space (LF: L-45: 3297± 462 ms2; FD5: 1251± 332 ms2; FD8: 1322± 462 ms2; R+1: 547± 188 ms2; R+4: 1958± 709 ms2; R+9: 1220± 148 ms2; R+15: 1704± 497 ms2; R+25: 2644± 573 ms2). However, even 25 days after return, values were below baseline condition. Mean systolic blood pressure did not differ significantly before during and after space flight. In space both LF and HF were decreased compared the standing measurements pre- and post-flight. No evolution was present in BPV after return to Earth. Conclusion: During space flight autonomic modulation is characterised by a vagal predominance. Immediately after return to Earth overall autonomic modulation is extremely depressed. Vasomotor autonomic control is restored rather quickly after space flight, while the restoration of autonomic modulation of heart rate is very slow.

STS-43 Commander Blaha conducts DTO 1208 using laptop on OV-104's flight deck

NASA Image and Video Library

1991-08-11

STS043-03-009 (5 Aug 1991) ---- Astronaut John E. Blaha is pictured executing development test objective (DTO) 1208, Space Station Cursor Control Device Evaluation II and advanced applications. The purpose of the Cursor Control Device Experiment is to evaluate human performance under space flight conditions of cursor control devices which are similar to the devices under consideration for use onboard Space Station computers. Here, the mission commander uses a thumbball/handgrip control device. Each crewmember evaluated the different types of cursor control devices during the nine-day STS-43 mission. Other methods of cursor control evaluated were the built-in trackball, a side mounted trackball with restraints and an optical pad with mouse.

STS-43 MS Adamson conducts DTO 1208 using laptop on OV-104's flight deck

NASA Image and Video Library

1991-08-11

STS043-14-034 (2-11 Aug 1991) --- Astronaut James C. Adamson is pictured executing Development Test Objective (DTO) 1208, Space Station Cursor Control Device Evaluation II and Advanced Applications. The purpose of the Cursor Control Device Experiment is to evaluate human performance under space flight conditions of cursor control devices which are similar to the devices under consideration for use onboard space station computers. Here, the mission specialists uses a thumbball/handgrip control device. Each crewmember evaluated the different types of cursor control devices during the nine-day STS-43 mission. Other methods of cursor control evaluated were the built-in trackball, a side mounted trackball with restraints and an optical pad with mouse.

Advanced Smart Structures Flight Experiments for Precision Spacecraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Denoyer, Keith K.; Erwin, R. Scott; Ninneman, R. Rory

2000-07-01

This paper presents an overview as well as data from four smart structures flight experiments directed by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory's Space Vehicles Directorate in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Middeck Active Control Experiment $¯Flight II (MACE II) is a space shuttle flight experiment designed to investigate modeling and control issues for achieving high precision pointing and vibration control of future spacecraft. The Advanced Controls Technology Experiment (ACTEX-I) is an experiment that has demonstrated active vibration suppression using smart composite structures with embedded piezoelectric sensors and actuators. The Satellite Ultraquiet Isolation Technology Experiment (SUITE) is an isolation platform that uses active piezoelectric actuators as well as damped mechanical flexures to achieve hybrid passive/active isolation. The Vibration Isolation, Suppression, and Steering Experiment (VISS) is another isolation platform that uses viscous dampers in conjunction with electromagnetic voice coil actuators to achieve isolation as well as a steering capability for an infra-red telescope.

MS Ivins at the Atlantis aft flight deck controls

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-02-10

STS98-E-5078 (10 February 2001) --- Astronaut Marsha S. Ivins, STS-98 mission specialist, monitors communications from ground controllers from her post at the aft flight deck controls on the Space Shuttle Atlantis. The scene was recorded with a digital still camera.

KSC-07pd0957

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-26

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility, a modified Boeing 727 aircraft owned by Zero Gravity Corp. takes off with its well-known passenger, physicist Stephen Hawking. Zero Gravity Corp. is a commercial company licensed to provide the public with weightless flight experiences. Hawking will be making his first zero-gravity flight. Hawking developed amyotrophic lateral sclerosis disease in the 1960s, a type of motor neuron disease which would cost him the loss of almost all neuromuscular control. At the celebration of his 65th birthday on January 8 this year, Hawking announced his plans for a zero-gravity flight to prepare for a sub-orbital space flight in 2009 on Virgin Galactic's space service. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-07pd0956

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-26

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility, a modified Boeing 727 aircraft owned by Zero Gravity Corp. is ready to take off with its well-known passenger, physicist Stephen Hawking. Zero Gravity Corp. is a commercial company licensed to provide the public with weightless flight experiences. Hawking will be making his first zero-gravity flight. Hawking developed amyotrophic lateral sclerosis disease in the 1960s, a type of motor neuron disease which would cost him the loss of almost all neuromuscular control. At the celebration of his 65th birthday on January 8 this year, Hawking announced his plans for a zero-gravity flight to prepare for a sub-orbital space flight in 2009 on Virgin Galactic's space service. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Flight Control of Biomimetic Air Vehicles Using Vibrational Control and Averaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tahmasian, Sevak; Woolsey, Craig A.

2017-08-01

A combination of vibrational inputs and state feedback is applied to control the flight of a biomimetic air vehicle. First, a control strategy is developed for longitudinal flight, using a quasi-steady aerodynamic model and neglecting wing inertial effects. Vertical and forward motion is controlled by modulating the wings' stroke and feather angles, respectively. Stabilizing control parameter values are determined using the time-averaged dynamic model. Simulations of a system resembling a hawkmoth show that the proposed controller can overcome modeling error associated with the wing inertia and small parameter uncertainties when following a prescribed trajectory. After introducing the approach through an application to longitudinal flight, the control strategy is extended to address flight in three-dimensional space.

Launch Vehicle Control Center Architectures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Watson, Michael D.; Epps, Amy; Woodruff, Van; Vachon, Michael Jacob; Monreal, Julio; Levesque, Marl; Williams, Randall; Mclaughlin, Tom

2014-01-01

Launch vehicles within the international community vary greatly in their configuration and processing. Each launch site has a unique processing flow based on the specific launch vehicle configuration. Launch and flight operations are managed through a set of control centers associated with each launch site. Each launch site has a control center for launch operations; however flight operations support varies from being co-located with the launch site to being shared with the space vehicle control center. There is also a nuance of some having an engineering support center which may be co-located with either the launch or flight control center, or in a separate geographical location altogether. A survey of control center architectures is presented for various launch vehicles including the NASA Space Launch System (SLS), United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V and Delta IV, and the European Space Agency (ESA) Ariane 5. Each of these control center architectures shares some similarities in basic structure while differences in functional distribution also exist. The driving functions which lead to these factors are considered and a model of control center architectures is proposed which supports these commonalities and variations.

Analysis of space shuttle orbiter entry dynamics from Mach 10 to Mach 2.5 with the November 1976 flight control system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Powell, R. W.; Stone, H. W.

1980-01-01

A six-degree-of-freedom simulation analysis was performed for the space shuttle orbiter entry from Mach 10 to Mach 2.5 with realistic off-nominal conditions using the flight control system referred to as the November 1976 Integrated Digital Autopilot. The off-nominal conditions included: (1) aerodynamic uncertainties in extrapolating from wind tunnel of flight characteristics, (2) error in deriving angle of attack from onboard instrumentation, (3) failure of two of the four reaction control-system thrusters on each side (design specification), and (4) lateral center-of-gravity offset. Many combinations of these off-nominal conditions resulted in a loss of the orbiter. Control-system modifications were identified to prevent this possibility.

Spaceship Columbia's first flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Young, J. W.; Crippen, R. L.

1981-01-01

This is a review of the initial flight of the spaceship Columbia - the first of four test missions of the nation's space transportation system. Engineering test pilot/astronaut activity associated with operation, control, and monitoring of the spaceship are discussed. Demonstrated flying qualities and performance of the Space Shuttle are covered.

A Flight Control Approach for Small Reentry Vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bevacqoa, Tim; Adams, Tony; Zhu. J. Jim; Rao, P. Prabhakara

2004-01-01

Flight control of small crew return vehicles during atmospheric reentry will be an important technology in any human space flight mission undertaken in the future. The control system presented in this paper is applicable to small crew return vehicles in which reaction control system (RCS) thrusters are the only actuators available for attitude control. The control system consists of two modules: (i) the attitude controller using the trajectory linearization control (TLC) technique, and (ii) the reaction control system (RCS) control allocation module using a dynamic table-lookup technique. This paper describes the design and implementation of the TLC attitude control and the dynamic table-lookup RCS control allocation for nonimal flight along with design verification test results.

Pancreas of C57 black mice after long-term space flight (Bion-M1 Space Mission)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Proshchina, A. E.; Krivova, Y. S.; Saveliev, S. C.

2015-11-01

In this study, we analysed the pancreases of C57BL/6N mice in order to estimate the effects of long-term space flights. Mice were flown aboard the Bion-M1 biosatellite, or remained on ground in the control experiment that replicated environmental and housing conditions in the spacecraft. Vivarium control group was used to account for housing effects. Each of the groups included mice designated for recovery studies. Mice pancreases were dissected for histological and immunohistochemical examinations. Using a morphometry and statistical analysis, a strong correlation between the mean islet size and the mean body weight was revealed in all groups. Therefore, we propose that hypokinesia and an increase in nutrition play an important role in alterations of the endocrine pancreas, both in space flight and terrestrial conditions.

The Human Factors of an Early Space Accident: Flight 3-65 of the X-15

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barshi, Immanuel; Statler, Irving C.; Orr, Jeb S.

2015-01-01

The X-15 was a critical research vehicle in the early days of space flight. On November 15, 1967, the X-15-3 suffered an in-flight breakup. This 191st flight of the X-15 and the 65th flight of this third configuration was the only fatal accident of the X-15 program. This paper presents an analysis, from a human factors perspective, of the events that led up to the accident. The analysis is based on the information contained in the report of the Air Force-NASA Accident Investigation Board (AIB) dated January, 1968. The AIBs analysis addressed, primarily, the events that occurred subsequent to the pilots taking direct control of the reaction control system. The analysis described here suggests that all of the events that caused the accident occurred well before the moment when the pilot switched to direct control. Consequently, the analyses and conclusions regarding the causal factors of, and the contributing factors to, the loss of Flight 3-65 presented here differ from those of the AIB based on the same evidence. Although the accident occurred in 1967, the results of the presented analysis are still relevant today. We present our analysis and discuss its implications for the safety of space operations.

The Human Factors of an Early Space Accident: Flight 3-65 of the X-15

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barshi, Immanuel; Statler, Irving C.; Orr, Jeb S.

2016-01-01

The X-15 was a critical research vehicle in the early days of space flight. On November 15, 1967, the X-15-3 suffered an in-flight breakup. This 191st flight of the X-15 and the 65th flight of this third configuration was the only fatal accident of the X-15 program. This paper presents an analysis, from a human factors perspective, of the events that led up to the accident. The analysis is based on the information contained in the report of the Air Force-NASA Accident Investigation Board (AIB) dated January, 1968. The AIBs analysis addressed, primarily, the events that occurred subsequent to the pilot's taking direct control of the reaction control system. The analysis described here suggests that, rather than events following the pilot's switch to direct control, it was the events preceding the switch that led to the accident. Consequently, the analyses and conclusions regarding the causal factors of, and the contributing factors to, the loss of Flight 3-65 presented here differ from those of the AIB based on the same evidence. Although the accident occurred in 1967, the results of the presented analysis are still relevant today. We present our analysis and discuss its implications for the safety of space operations.

STS-105 coverage of Mission Control Center employees in the WFCR & BFCR

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-03-25

JSC2001-E-25111 (16 August 2001) --- Flight directors John Shannon (left foreground), Kelly Beck, and Steve Stich monitor the data displayed at their consoles in the shuttle flight control room (WFCR) in Houston’s Mission Control Center (MCC). At the time this photo was taken, STS-105 mission specialists Daniel T. Barry and Patrick G. Forrester were performing the first of the two scheduled space walks to perform work on the International Space Station (ISS).

Implementation of Satellite Formation Flight Algorithms Using SPHERES Aboard the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mandy, Christophe P.; Sakamoto, Hiraku; Saenz-Otero, Alvar; Miller, David W.

2007-01-01

The MIT's Space Systems Laboratory developed the Synchronized Position Hold Engage and Reorient Experimental Satellites (SPHERES) as a risk-tolerant spaceborne facility to develop and mature control, estimation, and autonomy algorithms for distributed satellite systems for applications such as satellite formation flight. Tests performed study interferometric mission-type formation flight maneuvers in deep space. These tests consist of having the satellites trace a coordinated trajectory under tight control that would allow simulated apertures to constructively interfere observed light and measure the resulting increase in angular resolution. This paper focuses on formation initialization (establishment of a formation using limited field of view relative sensors), formation coordination (synchronization of the different satellite s motion) and fuel-balancing among the different satellites.

International Space Station Environmental Control and Life Support System: Verification for the Pressurized Mating Adapters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, David E.

2007-01-01

The International Space Station (ISS) Pressurized Mating Adapters (PMAs) Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) System is comprised of three subsystems: Atmosphere Control and Supply (ACS), Temperature and Humidity Control (THC), and Water Recovery and Management (WRM). PMA 1 and PMA 2 flew to ISS on Flight 2A and PMA 3 flew to ISS on Flight 3A. This paper provides a summary of the PMAs ECLS design and the detailed Element Verification methodologies utilized during the Qualification phase for the PMAs.

International Space Station Environmental Control and Life Support System Acceptance Testing for the Pressurized Mating Adapters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, David E.

2008-01-01

The International Space Station (ISS) Pressurized Mating Adapters (PMAs) Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) System is comprised of three subsystems: Atmosphere Control and Supply (ACS), Temperature and Humidity Control (THC), and Water Recovery and Management (WRM). PMAs 1 and 2 flew to ISS on Flight 2A and Pressurized Mating Adapter (PMA) 3 flew to ISS on Flight 3A. This paper provides a summary of the PMAs ECLS design and a detailed discussion of the ISS ECLS Acceptance Testing methodologies utilized for the PMAs.

Video File - NASA Conducts 2nd RS-25 Engine Hot Fire of 2018 - 2018-02-01

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-02-01

NASA Conducts 2nd RS-25 Engine Hot Fire of 2018. A 365-second hot fire test on Feb. 1, 2018, at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi marks the completion of “green run” testing, or flight certification, for all new RS-25 engine flight controllers slated for Exploration Mission-2, the first Space Launch System mission with astronauts on board. In addition to the flight controller, the Feb. 1 hot fire also marked the third test of a 3D printed pogo accumulator assembly for the RS-25 engine.

Astronaut Susan Helms on aft flight deck with RMS controls

NASA Image and Video Library

1994-09-12

STS064-05-028 (9-20 Sept. 1994) --- On the space shuttle Discovery's aft flight deck, astronaut Susan J. Helms handles controls for the Remote Manipulator System (RMS). The robot arm operated by Helms, who remained inside the cabin, was used to support several tasks performed by the crew during the almost 11-day mission. Those tasks included the release and retrieval of the free-flying Shuttle Pointed Autonomous Research Tool For Astronomy 201 (SPARTAN 201), a six-hour spacewalk and the Shuttle Plume Impingement Flight Experiment (SPIFEX). Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration

14 CFR 25.1155 - Reverse thrust and propeller pitch settings below the flight regime.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Reverse thrust and propeller pitch settings... Powerplant Controls and Accessories § 25.1155 Reverse thrust and propeller pitch settings below the flight regime. Each control for reverse thrust and for propeller pitch settings below the flight regime must...

14 CFR 25.1155 - Reverse thrust and propeller pitch settings below the flight regime.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Reverse thrust and propeller pitch settings... Powerplant Controls and Accessories § 25.1155 Reverse thrust and propeller pitch settings below the flight regime. Each control for reverse thrust and for propeller pitch settings below the flight regime must...

14 CFR 25.1155 - Reverse thrust and propeller pitch settings below the flight regime.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Reverse thrust and propeller pitch settings... Powerplant Controls and Accessories § 25.1155 Reverse thrust and propeller pitch settings below the flight regime. Each control for reverse thrust and for propeller pitch settings below the flight regime must...

14 CFR 25.1155 - Reverse thrust and propeller pitch settings below the flight regime.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Reverse thrust and propeller pitch settings... Powerplant Controls and Accessories § 25.1155 Reverse thrust and propeller pitch settings below the flight regime. Each control for reverse thrust and for propeller pitch settings below the flight regime must...

14 CFR 25.1155 - Reverse thrust and propeller pitch settings below the flight regime.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Reverse thrust and propeller pitch settings... Powerplant Controls and Accessories § 25.1155 Reverse thrust and propeller pitch settings below the flight regime. Each control for reverse thrust and for propeller pitch settings below the flight regime must...

Effect of space flight on cell-mediated immunity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mandel, A. D.; Balish, E.

1977-01-01

The cell-mediated immune response to Listeria monocytogenes was studied in rats subjected to 20 days of flight aboard the Soviet biosatellite Kosmos 7820. Groups of rats were immunized with 1,000,000 formalin-killed Listeria suspended in Freunds Complete Adjuvant, 5 days prior to flight. Immunized rats subjected to the same environmental factors as the flight rats, except flight itself, and immunized and nonimmunized rats held in a normal animal colony served as controls. Following recovery, lymphocyte cultures were harvested from spleens of all rats, cultured in vitro in the presence of L. monocytogenes antigens, Phytohemagglutinin, Conconavlin A, or purified protein derivative (PPD), and measured for their uptake of H-3-thymidine. Although individual rats varied considerably, all flight and immunized control rats gave a blastogenic response to the Listeria antigens and PPD. With several mitogens, the lymphocytes of flight rats showed a significantly increased blastogenic response over the controls. The results of this study do not support a hypothesis of a detrimental effect of space flight on cell-mediated immunity. The data suggest a possible suppressive effect of stress and gravity on an in vitro correlate of cell-mediated immunity.

1998 IEEE Aerospace Conference. Proceedings.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

The following topics were covered: science frontiers and aerospace; flight systems technologies; spacecraft attitude determination and control; space power systems; smart structures and dynamics; military avionics; electronic packaging; MEMS; hyperspectral remote sensing for GVP; space laser technology; pointing, control, tracking and stabilization technologies; payload support technologies; protection technologies; 21st century space mission management and design; aircraft flight testing; aerospace test and evaluation; small satellites and enabling technologies; systems design optimisation; advanced launch vehicles; GPS applications and technologies; antennas and radar; software and systems engineering; scalable systems; communications; target tracking applications; remote sensing; advanced sensors; and optoelectronics.

Urinary Acid Excretion Can Predict Changes in Bone Metabolism During Space Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zwart, Sara R.; Smith, Scott M.

2011-01-01

Mitigating space flight-induced bone loss is critical for space exploration, and a dietary countermeasure would be ideal. We present here preliminary data from a study where we examined the role of dietary intake patterns as one factor that can influence bone mineral loss in astronauts during space flight. Crewmembers (n=5) were asked to consume a prescribed diet with either a low (0.3-0.6) or high (1.0-1.3) ratio of animal protein to potassium (APro:K) before and during space flight for 4-d periods. Diets were controlled for energy, total protein, calcium, and sodium. 24-h urine samples were collected on the last day of each of the 4-d controlled diet sessions. 24-h urinary acid excretion, which was predicted by dietary potential renal acid load, was correlated with urinary n-telopeptide (NTX, Pearson R = 0.99 and 0.80 for the high and low APro:K sessions, respectively, p<0.001). The amount of protein when expressed as the percentage of total energy (but not as total grams) was also correlated with urinary NTX (R = 0.66, p<0.01). These results, from healthy individuals in a unique environment, will be important to better understand diet and bone interrelationships during space flight as well as on Earth. The study was funded by the NASA Human Research Program.

Space Shuttle Orbiter auxiliary power unit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mckenna, R.; Wicklund, L.; Baughman, J.; Weary, D.

1982-01-01

The Space Shuttle Orbiter auxiliary power units (APUs) provide hydraulic power for the Orbiter vehicle control surfaces (rudder/speed brake, body flap, and elevon actuation systems), main engine gimbaling during ascent, landing gear deployment and steering and braking during landing. Operation occurs during launch/ascent, in-space exercise, reentry/descent, and landing/rollout. Operational effectiveness of the APU is predicated on reliable, failure-free operation during each flight, mission life (reusability) and serviceability between flights (turnaround). Along with the accumulating flight data base, the status and results of efforts to achieve these long-run objectives is presented.

HAL/S programmer's guide. [for space shuttle program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Newbold, P. M.; Hotz, R. L.

1974-01-01

This programming language was developed for the flight software of the NASA space shuttle program. HAL/S is intended to satisfy virtually all of the flight software requirements of the space shuttle. To achieve this, HAL/s incorporates a wide range of features, including applications-oriented data types and organizations, real time control mechanisms, and constructs for systems programming tasks. As the name indicates, HAL/S is a dialect of the original HAL language previously developed. Changes have been incorporated to simplify syntax, curb excessive generality, or facilitate flight code emission.

L1 Adaptive Control Law for Flexible Space Launch Vehicle and Proposed Plan for Flight Test Validation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kharisov, Evgeny; Gregory, Irene M.; Cao, Chengyu; Hovakimyan, Naira

2008-01-01

This paper explores application of the L1 adaptive control architecture to a generic flexible Crew Launch Vehicle (CLV). Adaptive control has the potential to improve performance and enhance safety of space vehicles that often operate in very unforgiving and occasionally highly uncertain environments. NASA s development of the next generation space launch vehicles presents an opportunity for adaptive control to contribute to improved performance of this statically unstable vehicle with low damping and low bending frequency flexible dynamics. In this paper, we consider the L1 adaptive output feedback controller to control the low frequency structural modes and propose steps to validate the adaptive controller performance utilizing one of the experimental test flights for the CLV Ares-I Program.

Space Launch System Ascent Flight Control Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

VanZwieten, Tannen S.; Orr, Jeb S.; Wall, John H.; Hall, Charles E.

2014-01-01

A robust and flexible autopilot architecture for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) family of launch vehicles is presented. As the SLS configurations represent a potentially significant increase in complexity and performance capability of the integrated flight vehicle, it was recognized early in the program that a new, generalized autopilot design should be formulated to fulfill the needs of this new space launch architecture. The present design concept is intended to leverage existing NASA and industry launch vehicle design experience and maintain the extensibility and modularity necessary to accommodate multiple vehicle configurations while relying on proven and flight-tested control design principles for large boost vehicles. The SLS flight control architecture combines a digital three-axis autopilot with traditional bending filters to support robust active or passive stabilization of the vehicle's bending and sloshing dynamics using optimally blended measurements from multiple rate gyros on the vehicle structure. The algorithm also relies on a pseudo-optimal control allocation scheme to maximize the performance capability of multiple vectored engines while accommodating throttling and engine failure contingencies in real time with negligible impact to stability characteristics. The architecture supports active in-flight load relief through the use of a nonlinear observer driven by acceleration measurements, and envelope expansion and robustness enhancement is obtained through the use of a multiplicative forward gain modulation law based upon a simple model reference adaptive control scheme.

CSI Flight Computer System and experimental test results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sparks, Dean W., Jr.; Peri, F., Jr.; Schuler, P.

1993-01-01

This paper describes the CSI Computer System (CCS) and the experimental tests performed to validate its functionality. This system is comprised of two major components: the space flight qualified Excitation and Damping Subsystem (EDS) which performs controls calculations; and the Remote Interface Unit (RIU) which is used for data acquisition, transmission, and filtering. The flight-like RIU is the interface between the EDS and the sensors and actuators positioned on the particular structure under control. The EDS and RIU communicate over the MIL-STD-1553B, a space flight qualified bus. To test the CCS under realistic conditions, it was connected to the Phase-0 CSI Evolutionary Model (CEM) at NASA Langley Research Center. The following schematic shows how the CCS is connected to the CEM. Various tests were performed which validated the ability of the system to perform control/structures experiments.

Mission Control Center (MCC) View - Apollo 13 Splashdown - MSC

NASA Image and Video Library

1970-04-17

S70-35145 (17 April 1970) --- Overall view of Mission Operations Control Room in Mission Control Center at the Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC) during the ceremonies aboard the USS Iwo Jima, prime recovery ship for the Apollo 13 mission. Dr. Donald K. Slayton (in black shirt, left of center), director of Flight Crew Operations at MSC, and Chester M. Lee of the Apollo Program Directorate, Office of Manned Space Flight, NASA Headquarters, shake hands, while Dr. Rocco A. Petrone, Apollo program director, Office of Manned Space Flight, NASA Headquarters (standing, near Lee), watches the large screen showing astronaut James A. Lovell Jr., Apollo 13 commander, during the onboard ceremonies. In the foreground, Glynn S. Lunney (extreme left) and Eugene F. Kranz (smoking a cigar), two Apollo 13 flight directors, view the activity from their consoles.

Carrier account utilization at the Goddard Space Flight Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mathis, W. E.; Langmead, J. T.

1972-01-01

The system in use at Goddard Space Flight Center for the utilization of the Common Use Service Carrier Account and the R&D Inventory Carrier Account technique for budgeting, accounting, financial control, and management reporting, both for the individual functional area and on a Center-wide basis, is documented.

Simulation Training Versus Real Time Console Training for New Flight Controllers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heaton, Amanda

2010-01-01

For new flight controllers, the two main learning tools are simulations and real time console performance training. These benefit the new flight controllers in different ways and could possibly be improved. Simulations: a) Allow for mistakes without serious consequences. b) Lets new flight controllers learn the working style of other new flight controllers. c) Lets new flight controllers eventually begin to feel like they have mastered the sim world, so therefore they must be competent in the real time world too. Real time: a) Shows new flight controllers some of the unique problems that develop and have to be accounted for when dealing with certain payloads or systems. b) Lets new flight controllers experience handovers - gathering information from the previous shift on what the room needs to be aware of and what still needs to be done. c) Gives new flight controllers confidence that they can succeed in the position they are training for when they can solve real anomalies. How Sims could be improved and more like real-time ops for the ISS Operations Controller position: a) Operations Change Requests to review. b) Fewer anomalies (but still more than real time for practice). c) Payload Planning Manager Handover sheet for the E-1 and E-3 reviews. d) Flight note in system with at least one comment to verify for the E-1 and E-3 reviews How the real time console performance training could be improved for the ISS Operations Controller position: a) Schedule the new flight controller to be on console for four days but with a different certified person each day. This will force them to be the source of knowledge about every OCR in progress, everything that has happened in those few days, and every activity on the timeline. Constellation program flight controllers will have to learn entirely from simulations, thereby losing some of the elements that they will need to have experience with for real time ops. It may help them to practice real time console performance training in the International Space Station or Space Shuttle to gather some general anomaly resolution and day-to-day task management skills.

ISS 7A.1 Flight Control Team Photo in BFCR

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-08-16

JSC2001-02229 (16 August 2001) --- The members of the STS-105/ISS 7A.1 Orbit 1 team pose for a group portrait in the International Space Station (ISS) flight control room (BFCR) in Houston’s Mission Control Center (MCC). Flight director Mark Ferring is kneeling as he holds the Expedition Three mission logo. Astronaut Stephanie D. Wilson, ISS spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM), is standing behind Ferring.

Space Launch System Implementation of Adaptive Augmenting Control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wall, John H.; Orr, Jeb S.; VanZwieten, Tannen S.

2014-01-01

Given the complex structural dynamics, challenging ascent performance requirements, and rigorous flight certification constraints owing to its manned capability, the NASA Space Launch System (SLS) launch vehicle requires a proven thrust vector control algorithm design with highly optimized parameters to provide stable and high-performance flight. On its development path to Preliminary Design Review (PDR), the SLS flight control system has been challenged by significant vehicle flexibility, aerodynamics, and sloshing propellant. While the design has been able to meet all robust stability criteria, it has done so with little excess margin. Through significant development work, an Adaptive Augmenting Control (AAC) algorithm has been shown to extend the envelope of failures and flight anomalies the SLS control system can accommodate while maintaining a direct link to flight control stability criteria such as classical gain and phase margin. In this paper, the work performed to mature the AAC algorithm as a baseline component of the SLS flight control system is presented. The progress to date has brought the algorithm design to the PDR level of maturity. The algorithm has been extended to augment the full SLS digital 3-axis autopilot, including existing load-relief elements, and the necessary steps for integration with the production flight software prototype have been implemented. Several updates which have been made to the adaptive algorithm to increase its performance, decrease its sensitivity to expected external commands, and safeguard against limitations in the digital implementation are discussed with illustrating results. Monte Carlo simulations and selected stressing case results are also shown to demonstrate the algorithm's ability to increase the robustness of the integrated SLS flight control system.

[Bone metabolism in human space flight and bed rest study].

PubMed

Ohshima, Hiroshi; Mukai, Chiaki

2008-09-01

Japanese Experiment Module "KIBO" is Japan's first manned space facility and will be operated as part of the international space station (ISS) . KIBO operations will be monitored and controlled from Tsukuba Space Center. In Japan, after the KIBO element components are fully assembled and activated aboard the ISS, Japanese astronauts will stay on the ISS for three or more months, and full-scale experiment operations will begin. Bone loss and renal stone are significant medical concerns for long duration human space flight. This paper will summarize the results of bone loss, calcium balance obtained from the American and Russian space programs, and ground-base analog bedrest studies. Current in-flight training program, nutritional recommendations and future countermeasure plans for station astronauts are also described.

LSS systems planning and performance program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mckenna, Victoria Jones; Dendy, Michael J.; Naumann, Charles B.; Rice, Sally A.; Weathers, John M.

1993-01-01

This report describes, using viewgraphs, the Marshall Space Flight Center's Large Space Structures Ground Test Facilities located in building 4619. Major topics include the Active Control Evaluation of Systems (ACES) Laboratory; the Control-Structures Interaction/Controls, Astrophysics, and Structures Experiment in Space (CSI/CASES); Advanced Development Facility; and the ACES Guest Investigator Program.

Expedition 13 Crew during a teleconference in the U.S. Laboratory during Expedition 13

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-08-31

ISS013-E-75727 (31 Aug. 2006) --- Astronaut Jeffrey N. Williams (foreground), Expedition 13 NASA space station science officer and flight engineer; cosmonaut Pavel V. Vinogradov (center), commander representing Russia's Federal Space Agency; and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Thomas Reiter, flight engineer, conduct a teleconference in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station, via Ku- and S-band, with audio and video relayed to the Mission Control Center (MCC) at Johnson Space Center.

Definition of ground test for Large Space Structure (LSS) control verification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Waites, H. B.; Doane, G. B., III; Tollison, D. K.

1984-01-01

An overview for the definition of a ground test for the verification of Large Space Structure (LSS) control is given. The definition contains information on the description of the LSS ground verification experiment, the project management scheme, the design, development, fabrication and checkout of the subsystems, the systems engineering and integration, the hardware subsystems, the software, and a summary which includes future LSS ground test plans. Upon completion of these items, NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center will have an LSS ground test facility which will provide sufficient data on dynamics and control verification of LSS so that LSS flight system operations can be reasonably ensured.

MS Currie at RMS controls on aft flight deck

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-03-07

STS109-E-5685 (7 March 2002) --- Astronaut Nancy J. Currie, mission specialist, works the controls for Columbia's Remote Manipulator System (RMS) on the crew cabin's aft flight deck. On a week with one lengthy space walk per day, Currie has had her hands full with RMS duties to support the space walks of four crewmates. Astronauts James H. Newman and Michael J. Massimino had just begin EVA-4, during which the duo required the services of Currie to control the robotic arm to maneuver them around the various workstations on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The image was recorded with a digital still camera.

Locomotor function after long-duration space flight: effects and motor learning during recovery.

PubMed

Mulavara, Ajitkumar P; Feiveson, Alan H; Fiedler, James; Cohen, Helen; Peters, Brian T; Miller, Chris; Brady, Rachel; Bloomberg, Jacob J

2010-05-01

Astronauts returning from space flight and performing Earth-bound activities must rapidly transition from the microgravity-adapted sensorimotor state to that of Earth's gravity. The goal of the current study was to assess locomotor dysfunction and recovery of function after long-duration space flight using a test of functional mobility. Eighteen International Space Station crewmembers experiencing an average flight duration of 185 days performed the functional mobility test (FMT) pre-flight and post-flight. To perform the FMT, subjects walked at a self selected pace through an obstacle course consisting of several pylons and obstacles set up on a base of 10-cm-thick, medium-density foam for a total of six trials per test session. The primary outcome measure was the time to complete the course (TCC, in seconds). To assess the long-term recovery trend of locomotor function after return from space flight, a multilevel exponential recovery model was fitted to the log-transformed TCC data. All crewmembers exhibited altered locomotor function after space flight, with a median 48% increase in the TCC. From the fitted model we calculated that a typical subject would recover to 95% of his/her pre-flight level at approximately 15 days post-flight. In addition, to assess the early motor learning responses after returning from space flight, we modeled performance over the six trials during the first post-flight session by a similar multilevel exponential relation. We found a significant positive correlation between measures of long-term recovery and early motor learning (P < 0.001) obtained from the respective models. We concluded that two types of recovery processes influence an astronaut's ability to re-adapt to Earth's gravity environment. Early motor learning helps astronauts make rapid modifications in their motor control strategies during the first hours after landing. Further, this early motor learning appears to reinforce the adaptive realignment, facilitating re-adaptation to Earth's 1-g environment on return from space flight.

14 CFR 23.395 - Control system loads.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... Loads § 23.395 Control system loads. (a) Each flight control system and its supporting structure must be... at the appropriate control grips or pads as they would in flight, and to react at the attachments of... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Control system loads. 23.395 Section 23.395...

KSC-07pd0952

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-26

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility, noted physicist Stephen Hawking, in the wheelchair, arrives at the runway for his first zero-gravity flight. The flight will be aboard a modified Boeing 727 aircraft owned by Zero Gravity Corp., a commercial company licensed to provide the public with weightless flight experiences. At left is Peter Diamandis, founder of the Zero Gravity Corp. Behind Hawking is Nicola O'Brien, a nurse practitioner who is Hawking's aide. Hawking developed amyotrophic lateral sclerosis disease in the 1960s, a type of motor neuron disease which would cost him the loss of almost all neuromuscular control. At the celebration of his 65th birthday on January 8 this year, Hawking announced his plans for a zero-gravity flight to prepare for a sub-orbital space flight in 2009 on Virgin Galactic's space service. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd0954

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-26

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility, noted physicist Stephen Hawking, in the wheelchair, arrives at the runway for his first zero-gravity flight. The flight will be aboard a modified Boeing 727 aircraft owned by Zero Gravity Corp., a commercial company licensed to provide the public with weightless flight experiences. At left is Peter Diamandis, founder of the Zero Gravity Corp. At center is Nicola O'Brien, a nurse practitioner who is Hawking's aide. Hawking developed amyotrophic lateral sclerosis disease in the 1960s, a type of motor neuron disease which would cost him the loss of almost all neuromuscular control. At the celebration of his 65th birthday on January 8 this year, Hawking announced his plans for a zero-gravity flight to prepare for a sub-orbital space flight in 2009 on Virgin Galactic's space service. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd0953

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-26

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility, noted physicist Stephen Hawking, in the wheelchair, arrives at the runway for his first zero-gravity flight. The flight will be aboard a modified Boeing 727 aircraft owned by Zero Gravity Corp., a commercial company licensed to provide the public with weightless flight experiences. At left is Peter Diamandis, founder of the Zero Gravity Corp. At center is Nicola O'Brien, a nurse practitioner who is Hawking's aide. Hawking developed amyotrophic lateral sclerosis disease in the 1960s, a type of motor neuron disease which would cost him the loss of almost all neuromuscular control. At the celebration of his 65th birthday on January 8 this year, Hawking announced his plans for a zero-gravity flight to prepare for a sub-orbital space flight in 2009 on Virgin Galactic's space service. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

FOOT experiment (Foot/Ground Reaction Forces during Space Flight)

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-06-29

ISS011-E-09831 (29 June 2005) --- Astronaut John L. Phillips, Expedition 11 NASA Space Station science officer and flight engineer, works at the Canadarm2 controls while participating in the Foot/Ground Reaction Forces During Spaceflight (FOOT) experiment in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station. Phillips wore the specially instrumented Lower Extremity Monitoring Suit (LEMS), cycling tights outfitted with sensors, during the experiment.

Expedition 26 Docking

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-12-18

Vitaly Davyidov, second from right, Deputy Head of the Russian Federal Space Agency, answers reporter’s questions during a Soyuz post-docking press conference at the Russian Mission Control Center in Korolev, Russia on Saturday, Dec. 18, 2010. The Soyuz TMA-20 docked to the International Space Station carrying Expedition 26 Soyuz Commander Dmitry Kondratyev, Flight Engineer Catherine Coleman and European Space Agency Flight Engineer Paolo Nespoli. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

Closeup view of the aft flight deck of the Orbiter ...

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

Close-up view of the aft flight deck of the Orbiter Discovery looking at the aft center control panels A6, A7, A8, A12, A13, A14, A16 and A17. This View was taken at Kennedy Space Center. - Space Transportation System, Orbiter Discovery (OV-103), Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston, Harris County, TX

Flight directors at JSC MCC Bldg 30 monitor STS-30 prelaunch activities

NASA Image and Video Library

1989-05-04

Only moments away from ignition, Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, and its five member crew are the subjects of concern drawing serious countenance in this scene in the Flight Control Room (FCR) of JSC's Mission Control Center (MCC) Bldg 30. Ascent Flight Director Alan L. Briscoe, monitors the Kennedy Space Center pre-launch activity from the flight director (FD) console, along with Ronald D. Dittemore (center) and N. Wayne Hale, Jr.

The Functional Task Test (FTT): An Interdisciplinary Testing Protocol to Investigate the Factors Underlying Changes in Astronaut Functional Performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bloomberg, J. J.; Lawrence, E. L.; Arzeno, N. M.; Buxton, R. E.; Feiveson, A. H.; Kofman, I. S.; Lee, S. M. C.; Mulavara, A. P.; Peters, B. T.; Platts. S. H.;

Space Construction Experiment Definition Study (SCEDS), part 2. Volume 2: Study results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1982-01-01

The Space Construction Experiment (SCE) was defined for integration into the Space Shuttle. This included development of flight assignment data, revision and update of preliminary mission timelines and test plans, analysis of flight safety issues, and definition of ground operations scenarios. New requirements for the flight experiment and changes for a large space antenna feed mask test article were incorporated. The program plan and cost estimates were updated. Revised SCE structural dynamics characteristics were provided for simulation and analysis of experimental tests to define and verify control limits and interactions effects between the SCE and the Orbiter digital automatic pilot.

Space radiation studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1989-01-01

Two Active Radiation Dosimeters (ARD's) flown on Spacelab 1, performed without fault and were returned to Space Science Laboratory, MSFC for recalibration. During the flight, performance was monitored at the Huntsville Operations Center (HOSC). Despite some problems with the Shuttle data system handling the verification flight instrumentation (VFI), it was established that the ARD's were operating normally. Postflight calibrations of both units determined that sensitivities were essentially unchanged from preflight values. Flight tapes were received for approx. 60 percent of the flight and it appears that this is the total available. The data was analyzed in collaboration with Space Science Laboratory, MSFC. Also, the Nuclear Radiation Monitor (NRM) was assembled and tested at MSFC. Support was rendered in the areas of materials control and parts were supplied for the supplementary heaters, dome gas-venting device and photomultiplier tube housing. Performance characteristics of some flight-space photomultipliers were measured. The NRM was flown on a balloon-borne test flight and subsequently performed without fault on Spacelab-2. This data was analyzed and published.

Description, validation, and modification of the Guyton model for space-flight applications. Part A. Guyton model of circulatory, fluid and electrolyte control. Part B. Modification of the Guyton model for circulatory, fluid and electrolyte control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leonard, J. I.

1985-01-01

The mathematical model that has been a cornerstone for the systems analysis of space-flight physiological studies is the Guyton model describing circulatory, fluid and electrolyte regulation. The model and the modifications that are made to permit simulation and analysis of the stress of weightlessness are described.

Effects of Free Molecular Heating on the Space Shuttle Active Thermal Control System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McCloud, Peter L.; Wobick, Craig A.

2007-01-01

During Space Transportation System (STS) flight 121, higher than predicted radiator outlet temperatures were experienced from post insertion and up until nominal correction (NC) burn two. Effects from the higher than predicted heat loads on the radiator panels led to an additional 50 lbm of supply water consumed by the Flash Evaporator System (FES). Post-flight analysis and research revealed that the additional heat loads were due to Free Molecular Heating (FMH) on the radiator panels, which previously had not been considered as a significant environmental factor for the Space Shuttle radiators. The current Orbiter radiator heat flux models were adapted to incorporate the effects of FMH in addition to solar, earth infrared and albedo sources. Previous STS flights were also examined to find additional flight data on the FMH environment. Results of the model were compared to flight data and verified against results generated by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Johnson Space Center (JSC) Aero-sciences group to verify the accuracy of the model.

NASA's Space Launch System Takes Shape

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Askins, Bruce R.; Robinson, Kimberly F.

2017-01-01

Significant hardware and software for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) began rolling off assembly lines in 2016, setting the stage for critical testing in 2017 and the launch of new capability for deep-space human exploration. (Figure 1) At NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) near New Orleans, LA, full-scale test articles are being joined by flight hardware. Structural test stands are nearing completion at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, AL. An SLS booster solid rocket motor underwent test firing, while flight motor segments were cast. An RS-25 and Engine Control Unit (ECU) for early SLS flights were tested at NASA's Stennis Space Center (SSC). The upper stage for the first flight was completed, and NASA completed Preliminary Design Review (PDR) for a new, powerful upper stage. The pace of production and testing is expected to increase in 2017. This paper will discuss the technical and programmatic highlights and challenges of 2016 and look ahead to plans for 2017.

Spaceflight Effects on Mammalian Development Summary of Research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alberts, Jeffrey

1998-01-01

Pregnant rats were flown as small payloads on the Space Shuttle and studied during the flight and for approximately a week after returning to Earth, when they were due to deliver their offspring. Studies of vestibular function in the rat pups were examined as part of the research program. Daily videorecordings were made of the rats' behavior in the Animal Enclosure Modules (AEMS) and in identical compartments maintained in the Orbiter Environment Simulator at the Kennedy Space Center (referred to below as Synchronous Control groups). There was continuous postflight surveillance of the rat dams, including timelapse recordings of labor and delivery. The videorecords provided by crewmembers constitute the best systematic views of spaceflown rats to date, despite the dramatic deterioration of visibility sustained after about the 4th day of flight. We were able to make both qualitative and quantitative observations. Rats were observed to engage in a varied repertoire of species-typical activities within the confines of the AEM. We devised a kinematic coding scheme by which we classified and quantified the movements made by dams in space and in the 1-g control condition. We found that movements involving pitch and yaw were about equivalent in Flight and Synchronous animals. In contrast, Flight dams displayed about seven times more rolling movements than did Control. NASA enabled early access to the AEMs after the Shuttle landed. Rats were intact and healthy. Body weight gain during the 9-11 day flights was equivalent to Controls. Post-flight observations, derived from 24hr/day videorecordings, showed that Flight rats ambulated less, reared fewer times and spent less time bipedal than did controls. Overall, their anti-gravitational responses appeared compromised.

Operational radiological support for the US manned space program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Golightly, Michael J.; Hardy, Alva C.; Atwell, William; Weyland, Mark D.; Kern, John; Cash, Bernard L.

1993-01-01

Radiological support for the manned space program is provided by the Space Radiation Analysis Group at NASA/JSC. This support ensures crew safety through mission design analysis, real-time space environment monitoring, and crew exposure measurements. Preflight crew exposure calculations using mission design information are used to ensure that crew exposures will remain within established limits. During missions, space environment conditions are continuously monitored from within the Mission Control Center. In the event of a radiation environment enhancement, the impact to crew exposure is assessed and recommendations are provided to flight management. Radiation dosimeters are placed throughout the spacecraft and provided to each crewmember. During a radiation contingency, the crew could be requested to provide dosimeter readings. This information would be used for projecting crew dose enhancements. New instrumentation and computer technology are being developed to improve the support. Improved instruments include tissue equivalent proportional counter (TEPC)-based dosimeters and charged particle telescopes. Data from these instruments will be telemetered and will provide flight controllers with unprecedented information regarding the radiation environment in and around the spacecraft. New software is being acquired and developed to provide 'smart' space environmental data displays for use by flight controllers.

NASA/NBS (National Aeronautics and Space Administration/National Bureau of Standards) standard reference model for telerobot control system architecture (NASREM)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Albus, James S.; Mccain, Harry G.; Lumia, Ronald

1989-01-01

The document describes the NASA Standard Reference Model (NASREM) Architecture for the Space Station Telerobot Control System. It defines the functional requirements and high level specifications of the control system for the NASA space Station document for the functional specification, and a guideline for the development of the control system architecture, of the 10C Flight Telerobot Servicer. The NASREM telerobot control system architecture defines a set of standard modules and interfaces which facilitates software design, development, validation, and test, and make possible the integration of telerobotics software from a wide variety of sources. Standard interfaces also provide the software hooks necessary to incrementally upgrade future Flight Telerobot Systems as new capabilities develop in computer science, robotics, and autonomous system control.

Summary of longitudinal stability and control parameters as determined from space shuttle Columbia flight test data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Suit, W. T.

1986-01-01

Extensive wind tunnel tests were conducted to establish the preflight aerodynamics of the Shuttle vehicle. This paper presents the longitudinal, short-period aerodynamics of the space shuttle Columbia as determined from flight test data. These flight-determined results are compared with the preflight predictions, and areas of agreement or disagreement are noted. In addition to the short-period aerodynamics, the pitch RCS effectiveness was determined.

The space shuttle payload planning working groups: Volume 9: Materials processing and space manufacturing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1973-01-01

The findings and recommendations of the Materials Processing and Space Manufacturing group of the space shuttle payload planning activity are presented. The effects of weightlessness on the levitation processes, mixture stability, and control over heat and mass transport in fluids are considered for investigation. The research and development projects include: (1) metallurgical processes, (2) electronic materials, (3) biological applications, and (4)nonmetallic materials and processes. Additional recommendations are provided concerning the allocation of payload space, acceptance of experiments for flight, flight qualification, and private use of the space shuttle.

Nucleolar structure and proliferation activity of Arabidopsis root cells from seedlings germinated on the International Space Station

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matía, Isabel; González-Camacho, Fernando; Marco, Roberto; Kiss, John Z.; Gasset, Gilbert; Medina, Francisco-Javier

Seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana were sent to the International Space Station in the "Cervantes Mission" (Spanish Soyuz Mission). Seed germination was initiated in flight by supplying culture medium. Seedlings were grown for 4 days at 22 °C, and growth was stopped by the addition of paraformaldehyde fixative. Once back on the ground, samples were immediately processed for microscopy. A ground control experiment was simultaneously replicated. Glutaraldehyde-fixed root cells from seedlings grown in the Biorack on board of the Space Shuttle (STS-84 Mission) in similar conditions were also ultrastructurally examined. The length of seedlings grown at 1 g was conspicuously shorter than parallel samples grown under microgravity. We examined the morphology of the root meristematic cells, with a focus on their nucleoli in the cortex and stele. In general, root cortical cells proliferate at a higher rate and their nucleoli are more active than those of stele cells. While the stele showed longer cells with larger nucleoli in the flight samples, cortical cells from space-grown seedlings were shorter, more numerous and more densely packed than ground controls. However, nucleoli were smaller and less active in fast proliferating flight cells than in the ground controls. This reduced level of ribosome synthesis in the flight samples is probably the result of an accelerated cell cycle. An altered rate of cell proliferation may be detrimental for the plant and could be the reason for the reported smaller size of older space-grown seedlings. Finally, two-dimensional protein electrophoresis showed noticeable differences between space samples and ground controls.

Flight Test Evaluation of the ATD-1 Interval Management Application

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Swieringa, Kurt A.; Wilson, Sara R.; Baxley, Brian T.; Roper, Roy D.; Abbott, Terence S.; Levitt, Ian; Scharl, Julien

2017-01-01

Interval Management (IM) is a concept designed to be used by air traffic controllers and flight crews to more efficiently and precisely manage inter-aircraft spacing. Both government and industry have been working together to develop the IM concept and standards for both ground automation and supporting avionics. NASA contracted with Boeing, Honeywell, and United Airlines to build and flight test an avionics prototype based on NASA's spacing algorithm and conduct a flight test. The flight test investigated four different types of IM operations over the course of nineteen days, and included en route, arrival, and final approach phases of flight. This paper examines the spacing accuracy achieved during the flight test and the rate of speed commands provided to the flight crew. Many of the time-based IM operations met or exceeded the operational design goals set out in the standards for the maintain operations and a subset of the achieve operations. Those operations which did not meet the goals were due to issues that are identified and will be further analyzed.

Morphology of human embryonic kidney cells in culture after space flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Todd, P.; Kunze, M. E.; Williams, K.; Morrison, D. R.; Lewis, M. L.; Barlow, G. H.

1985-01-01

The ability of human embyronic kidney cells to differentiate into small epithelioid, large epithelioid, domed, and fenestrated morphological cell types following space flight is examined. Kidney cells exposed to 1 day at 1 g, then 1 day in orbit, and a 12 minute passage through the electrophoretic separator are compared with control cultures. The data reveal that 70 percent of small epithelioid, 16 percent of large epithelioid, 9 percent of dome-forming, and 5 percent of fenestrated cells formed in the space exposed cells; the distributions correlate well with control data. The formation of domed cells from cells cultured from low electrophoretic mobility fractions and small epithelioid cells from high mobility fractions is unaffected by space flight conditions. It is concluded that storage under microgravity conditions does not influence the morphological differentiation of human embryonic kidney cells in low-passage culture.

Degradation of learned skills. Effectiveness of practice methods on simulated space flight skill retention

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sitterley, T. E.; Berge, W. A.

1972-01-01

Manual flight control and emergency procedure task skill degradation was evaluated after time intervals of from 1 to 6 months. The tasks were associated with a simulated launch through the orbit insertion flight phase of a space vehicle. The results showed that acceptable flight control performance was retained for 2 months, rapidly deteriorating thereafter by a factor of 1.7 to 3.1 depending on the performance measure used. Procedural task performance showed unacceptable degradation after only 1 month, and exceeded an order of magnitude after 4 months. The effectiveness of static rehearsal (checklists and briefings) and dynamic warmup (simulator practice) retraining methods were compared for the two tasks. Static rehearsal effectively countered procedural skill degradation, while some combination of dynamic warmup appeared necessary for flight control skill retention. It was apparent that these differences between methods were not solely a function of task type or retraining method, but were a function of the performance measures used for each task.

Fuzzy Control/Space Station automation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gersh, Mark

1990-01-01

Viewgraphs on fuzzy control/space station automation are presented. Topics covered include: Space Station Freedom (SSF); SSF evolution; factors pointing to automation & robotics (A&R); astronaut office inputs concerning A&R; flight system automation and ground operations applications; transition definition program; and advanced automation software tools.

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

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heyenga, A. G.

2003-01-01

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

Cultivation in Space Flight Produces Minimal Alterations in the Susceptibility of Bacillus subtilis Cells to 72 Different Antibiotics and Growth-Inhibiting Compounds

PubMed Central

Morrison, Michael D.; Fajardo-Cavazos, Patricia

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Past results have suggested that bacterial antibiotic susceptibility is altered during space flight. To test this notion, Bacillus subtilis cells were cultivated in matched hardware, medium, and environmental conditions either in space flight microgravity on the International Space Station, termed flight (FL) samples, or at Earth-normal gravity, termed ground control (GC) samples. The susceptibility of FL and GC samples was compared to 72 antibiotics and growth-inhibitory compounds using the Omnilog phenotype microarray (PM) system. Only 9 compounds were identified by PM screening as exhibiting significant differences (P < 0.05, Student's t test) in FL versus GC samples: 6-mercaptopurine, cesium chloride, enoxacin, lomefloxacin, manganese(II) chloride, nalidixic acid, penimepicycline, rolitetracycline, and trifluoperazine. Testing of the same compounds by standard broth dilution assay did not reveal statistically significant differences in the 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC50s) between FL and GC samples. The results indicate that the susceptibility of B. subtilis cells to a wide range of antibiotics and growth inhibitors is not dramatically altered by space flight. IMPORTANCE This study addresses a major concern of mission planners for human space flight, that bacteria accompanying astronauts on long-duration missions might develop a higher level of resistance to antibiotics due to exposure to the space flight environment. The results of this study do not support that notion. PMID:28821547

Shuttle remote manipulator system mission preparation and operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Ernest E., Jr.

1989-01-01

The preflight planning, analysis, procedures development, and operations support for the Space Transportation System payload deployment and retrieval missions utilizing the Shuttle Remote Manipulator System are summarized. Analysis of the normal operational loads and failure induced loads and motion are factored into all procedures. Both the astronaut flight crews and the Mission Control Center flight control teams receive considerable training for standard and mission specific operations. The real time flight control team activities are described.

NSTA-NASA Shuttle Student Involvement Project. Experiment Results: Insect Flight Observation at Zero Gravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nelson, T. E.; Peterson, J. R.

1982-01-01

The flight responses of common houseflies, velvetbean caterpillar moths, and worker honeybees were observed and filmed for a period of about 25 minutes in a zero-g environment during the third flight of the Space Shuttle Vehicle (flight number STS-3; March 22-30, 1982). Twelve fly puparia, 24 adult moths, 24 moth pupae, and 14 adult bees were loaded into an insect flight box, which was then stowed aboard the Shuttle Orbiter, the night before the STS-3 launch at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The main purpose of the experiment was to observe and compare the flight responses of the three species of insects, which have somewhat different flight control mechanisms, under zero-g conditions.

Space Shuttle hypersonic aerodynamic and aerothermodynamic flight research and the comparison to ground test results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Iliff, Kenneth W.; Shafer, Mary F.

1993-01-01

Aerodynamic and aerothermodynamic comparisons between flight and ground test for the Space Shuttle at hypersonic speeds are discussed. All of the comparisons are taken from papers published by researchers active in the Space Shuttle program. The aerodynamic comparisons include stability and control derivatives, center-of-pressure location, and reaction control jet interaction. Comparisons are also discussed for various forms of heating, including catalytic, boundary layer, top centerline, side fuselage, OMS pod, wing leading edge, and shock interaction. The jet interaction and center-of-pressure location flight values exceeded not only the predictions but also the uncertainties of the predictions. Predictions were significantly exceeded for the heating caused by the vortex impingement on the OMS pods and for heating caused by the wing leading-edge shock interaction.

Space physiology II: adaptation of the central nervous system to space flight--past, current, and future studies.

PubMed

Clément, Gilles; Ngo-Anh, Jennifer Thu

2013-07-01

Experiments performed in orbit on the central nervous system have focused on the control of posture, eye movements, spatial orientation, as well as cognitive processes, such as three-dimensional visual perception and mental representation of space. Brain activity has also been recorded during and immediately after space flight for evaluating the changes in brain structure activation during tasks involving perception, attention, memory, decision, and action. Recent ground-based studies brought evidence that the inputs from the neurovestibular system also participate in orthostatic intolerance. It is, therefore, important to revisit the flight data of neuroscience studies in the light of new models of integrative physiology. The outcomes of this exercise will increase our knowledge on the adaptation of body functions to changing gravitational environment, vestibular disorders, aging, and our approach towards more effective countermeasures during human space flight and planetary exploration.

The Role of Structural Models in the Solar Sail Flight Validation Process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnston, John D.

2004-01-01

NASA is currently soliciting proposals via the New Millennium Program ST-9 opportunity for a potential Solar Sail Flight Validation (SSFV) experiment to develop and operate in space a deployable solar sail that can be steered and provides measurable acceleration. The approach planned for this experiment is to test and validate models and processes for solar sail design, fabrication, deployment, and flight. These models and processes would then be used to design, fabricate, and operate scaleable solar sails for future space science missions. There are six validation objectives planned for the ST9 SSFV experiment: 1) Validate solar sail design tools and fabrication methods; 2) Validate controlled deployment; 3) Validate in space structural characteristics (focus of poster); 4) Validate solar sail attitude control; 5) Validate solar sail thrust performance; 6) Characterize the sail's electromagnetic interaction with the space environment. This poster presents a top-level assessment of the role of structural models in the validation process for in-space structural characteristics.

KSC-04PD-0008

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

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

KSC-04PD-0005

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

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