Retention and application of Skylab experiences to future programs

The problems encountered and special techniques and procedures developed on the Skylab program are described along with the experiences and practical benefits obtained for dissemination and use on future programs. Three major topics are discussed: electrical problems, mechanical problems, and special techniques. Special techniques and procedures are identified that were either developed or refined during the Skylab program. These techniques and procedures came from all manufacturing and test phases of the Skylab program and include both flight and GSE items from component level to sophisticated spaceflight systems

NASA Tech Briefs Index, 1977, volume 2, numbers 1-4

Announcements of new technology derived from the research and development activities of NASA are presented. Abstracts, and indexes for subject, personal author, originating center, and Tech Brief number are presented for 1977

Atmosphere, Magnetosphere and Plasmas in Space (AMPS). Spacelab payload definition study. Volume 4, book 2: Labcraft instrument systems general specification

The interfaces between the scientific instruments and the Spacelab/Labcraft equipment are described. The characteristics of the Spacelab/Labcraft equipment pertinent to the scientific instruments and the requirements placed on the scientific instruments by the Spacelab/Labcraft equipment are described

Communication Robustness Analysis and improvements in Leclanch'e BMS systems

This master thesis have been done in the circumstance of an internship contract in a Swiss company called Leclanch'e SA. This company is develops, designs and manufactures complete battery storage solutions, covering the entire technology chain. From cells to pack solutions for Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) and Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs), as well as the Battery Management System which is the scope of this thesis. Customers of the company have reported errors on the communication interface of the Battery Management System of the company, known as G2 Leclanché BMS. The purpose of the study done in this thesis is to find root causes of problems in the communication interface and its constraints. To this end, faulty BMS samples returned by clients have been analysed and some special testing setups have been prepared in order to study communication constraints as baud rate, cable length, maximum number of nodes, etc. Conclusions extracted from this robustness analysis of communication on G2 Leclanch'e BMS will be used for the next generation of BMS which is being developed by the company

Channel emulator RF module test hardware development

Abstract. The constant evolution of wireless communication systems set more and more stringent demands for the equipment used to test these systems. The hardware and software solutions used in the measurement equipment are extremely complex. Because of this complexity, the production process of these equipment needs to include strict testing. In this thesis, a radio frequency (RF) tester module for production testing of channel emulator RF module is designed. The thesis begins with an introduction to the device that needs to be tested, the channel emulator RF module. This RF module is part of the Keysight Technologies’ latest channel emulator model, PROPSIM FS16. The design of this thesis needs to enable the testing of the RF performance of the RF module transceiver. Benefits of modular production principle are introduced on a general level, and the justification for the production testing is given. It is concluded that testing hardware in a modular testing system is necessary for ensuring the production flow and for ensuring that the final product fulfills the specifications promised to the customer. Principles of RF testing are considered on a general level and the requirements regarding the designed RF tester module are presented. It is concluded that the RF tester module needs to route instrumentation signalling to the RF module. In addition, RF tester module needs to provide local oscillator signalling as well as DC power to the RF module. In the design part, the hardware design of the RF tester module printed circuit assembly (PCA) is presented. General RF design principles are discussed and aspects regarding the RF tester module PCA are considered with details. These include isolation, crosstalk and noise. Chosen components and the designed switching networks are elaborated and justified against the given requirements. It is found out that the instrumentation can be routed via a passive network, but the local oscillator networks need amplification to ensure correct power level. Active network power levels are verified with simulations and found out to be adequate. PCA layout design principles are reviewed on the extent that they play a prominent role in the RF PCA schematic design with the emphasis on the signal grounding issues. Lastly, the verification and calibration of the designed PCA is described, and the validation of the RF tester module in the complete RF test system is presented. It was found out that some local oscillator signal levels are lower in the final design, than was expected based on the simulations. This caused some delay in the validation phase, by producing false negative test results. After test parameter adjustments, it was found out that the required tests can be executed successfully with the designed RF tester module.Radiokanavaemulaattorin RF-moduulin testauslaitteiston kehitys. Tiivistelmä. Langattomien tietoliikennejärjestelmien jatkuva kehitys asettaa aina vain tiukempia vaatimuksia niiden testaamiseen tarkoitetuille laitteille. Näissä mittalaitteissa käytetyt laitteisto- ja ohjelmistoratkaisut ovat äärimmäisen monimutkaisia. Tästä johtuen, nämä laitteet täytyy tuotantovaiheessa testata erittäin tarkasti. Tässä opinnäytetyössä suunnitellaan RF-testimoduuli kanavaemulaattorin RF-moduulin tuotantotestaukseen. Aluksi esitellään testattava laite, eli kanavaemulaattorin RF-moduuli. Esiteltävä RF-moduuli on Keysight Technologiesin viimeisimmän kanavaemulaattorin PROPSIM FS16 osa. Tässä työssä esiteltävän laitteen tarkoituksena on mahdollistaa RF-moduulin lähetin-vastaanottimen suorituskyvyn testaaminen. Modulaarisen tuotannon edut esitellään yleisellä tasolla, jonka jälkeen perustelut tuotantotestaukselle esitellään. Päädytään johtopäätökseen, että moduulien testaus tuotannossa on välttämätöntä, jotta tuotannon kulku ja asiakkaalle luvatut spesifikaatiot voidaan varmistaa. RF-testauksen periaatteet käsitellään yleisellä tasolla, minkä jälkeen esitellään tämän työn RF-testimoduulin vaatimukset. Testimoduulin tulee reitittää testauksessa tarvittava instrumentaatio RF-moduulille. Tämän lisäksi RF-moduuli tarvitsee paikallisoskillaattorisignaalit ja DC tehonsyötön toimiakseen. Suunnitteluosiossa käydään läpi RF-testimoduulin piirilevysuunnittelu. RF- suunnittelussa huomioon otettavat seikat käsitellään niiltä osin kuin ne ovat relevantteja tässä työssä. Näitä ovat isolaatio, ylikuuluminen ja kohina. Valitut komponentit ja suunnitellut kytkinverkot esitellään ja perustellaan aiemmin esiteltyihin vaatimuksiin pohjaten. Havaitaan että instrumentaatiolle riittää pasiivinen kykentäverkko, mutta paikallisoskillaattorien verkkoihin tarvitaan vahvistusta. Aktiivisten verkkojen tehotasot testataan simuloinneilla ja havaitaan riittäviksi. Suunnittelun lopuksi käsitellään piirilevyn layout-suunnittelun RF-teknisesti tärkeimmät seikat, merkittävimpänä maadoitus. Lopuksi työssä suunniteltu RF-testimoduuli verifioidaan ensin piirilevytasolla, kalibroidaan ja validoidaan lopullisessa testijärjestelmässä. Havaitaan että välitaajuusoskillaattoreiden signaali on alhaisempi kuin on arvioitu. Tämä aiheuttaa virheellisiä testituloksia ja viivettä testirajojen asettelussa. Testiparametrien säädön jälkeen voidaan todeta, että työssä suunniteltua RF-testimoduulia voidaan käyttää RF- moduulin testausjärjestelmässä

NSSDC Conference on Mass Storage Systems and Technologies for Space and Earth Science Applications, volume 2

This report contains copies of nearly all of the technical papers and viewgraphs presented at the NSSDC Conference on Mass Storage Systems and Technologies for Space and Earth Science Application. This conference served as a broad forum for the discussion of a number of important issues in the field of mass storage systems. Topics include the following: magnetic disk and tape technologies; optical disk and tape; software storage and file management systems; and experiences with the use of a large, distributed storage system. The technical presentations describe, among other things, integrated mass storage systems that are expected to be available commercially. Also included is a series of presentations from Federal Government organizations and research institutions covering their mass storage requirements for the 1990's

NASA Tech Briefs, November 2011

The topics include: 1) Flight Test Results from the Rake Airflow Gage Experiment on the F-15B; 2) Telemetry and Science Data Software System; 3) CropEx Web-Based Agricultural Monitoring and Decision Support; 4) High-Performance Data Analysis Tools for Sun-Earth Connection Missions; 5) Experiment in Onboard Synthetic Aperture Radar Data Processing; 6) Microfabrication of a High-Throughput Nanochannel Delivery/Filtration System; 7) Improved Design and Fabrication of Hydrated-Salt Pills; 8) Monolithic Flexure Pre-Stressed Ultrasonic Horns; 9) Cryogenic Quenching Process for Electronic Part Screening; 10) Broadband Via-Less Microwave Crossover Using Microstrip-CPW Transitions; 11) Wheel-Based Ice Sensors for Road Vehicles; 12) G-DYN Multibody Dynamics Engine; 13) Multibody Simulation Software Testbed for Small-Body Exploration and Sampling; 14) Propulsive Reaction Control System Model; 15) Licklider Transmission Protocol Implementation; 16) Core Recursive Hierarchical Image Segmentation; 17) Two-Stage Centrifugal Fan; 18) Combined Structural and Trajectory Control of Variable-Geometry Planetary Entry Systems; 19) Pressure Regulator With Internal Ejector Circulation Pump, Flow and Pressure Measurement Porting, and Fuel Cell System Integration Options; 20) Temperature-Sensitive Coating Sensor Based on Hematite; 21) Standardization of a Volumetric Displacement Measurement for Two-Body Abrasion Scratch Test Data Analysis; 22) Detection of Carbon Monoxide Using Polymer-Carbon Composite Films; 23) Substituted Quaternary Ammonium Salts Improve Low-Temperature Performance of Double-Layer Capacitors; 24) Sustainably Sourced, Thermally Resistant, Radiation Hard Biopolymer; 25) Integrated Lens Antennas for Multi-Pixel Receivers; 26) 180-GHz Interferometric Imager; 27) Maturation of Structural Health Management Systems for Solid Rocket Motors; 28) Validating Phasing and Geometry of Large Focal Plane Arrays; 29) Transverse Pupil Shifts for Adaptive Optics Non-Common Path Calibration; 30) Qualification of Fiber Optic Cables for Martian Extreme Temperature Environments; 31) Solid-State Spectral Light Source System; 32) Multiple-Event, Single-Photon Counting Imaging Sensor; 33) Surface Modeling to Support Small-Body Spacecraft Exploration and Proximity Operations; and 34) Achieving Exact and Constant Turnaround Ratio in a DDS-Based Coherent Transponder

Future manned systems advanced avionics study

COTS+ was defined in this study as commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products, ruggedized and militarized components, and COTS technology. This study cites the benefits of integrating COTS+ in space, postulates a COTS+ integration methodology, and develops requirements and an architecture to achieve integration. Developmental needs and concerns were identified throughout the study; these needs, concerns, and recommendations relative to their abatement are subsequently presented for further action and study. The COTS+ concept appears workable in part or in totality. No COTS+ technology gaps were identified; however, radiation tolerance was cited as a concern, and the deferred maintenance issue resurfaced. Further study is recommended to explore COTS+ cost-effectiveness, maintenance philosophy, needs, concerns, and utility metrics. The generation of a development plan to further investigate and integrate COTS+ technology is recommended. A COTS+ transitional integration program is recommended. Sponsoring and establishing technology maturation programs and COTS+ engineering and standards committees are deemed necessary and are recommended for furthering COTS+ integration in space