NASA Tech Briefs’ Manufacturing & Prototyping Web page spotlights advances in manufacturing and fabrication processes, rapid prototyping, and digital prototyping, as published in NASA Tech Briefs magazine. Many of the Tech Briefs below are correlated to a Technical Support Package (TSP) or White Paper that can be downloaded free of charge.
Nov 2008
Deep-Sea Hydrothermal-Vent Sampler
This apparatus collects hydrothermal-plume samples uncontaminated by surrounding water.
An apparatus is being developed for sampling water for signs of microbial life in an ocean hydrothermal vent at a depth of as much as 6.5 km. Heretofore, evidence of microbial life in deep-sea hydrothermal vents has been elusive and difficult to validate. Because of the extreme conditions ...
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Mars Rocket Propulsion System
A report discusses the methane and carbon monoxide/LOX (McLOx) rocket for ascent from Mars as well as other critical space propulsion tasks. The system offers a specific impulse over 370 s — roughly 50 s higher than existing space-storable bio- propellants. Current Mars in-situ propellant production (ISPP) technologies produce impure methane ...
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Two-Stage Passive Vibration Isolator
The design and testing of a structural system were implemented to hold the optics of the planned Space Interferometry Mission (SIM) at positions and orientations characterized by vibrational translation and rotation errors of no more than a few nanometers or a few milliarcseconds, respectively. Much of the effort was devoted ...
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Improved Thermal Design of a Compression Mold
A compression tool used to make 1-in.
(2.5-cm) diameter disks of high-temperature
polymers was designed to be shorter
and of larger diameter than conventional
tools to reduce heat loss to the
surrounding air, thus making more efficient
use of applied heat. This system is
less sensitive to the amount ...
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Enhanced Pseudo-Waypoint Guidance for Spacecraft Maneuvers
An enhanced version of the scheme
reported in “Pseudo-Waypoint Guidance
for Proximity Spacecraft Maneuvers”
(NPO-42753), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 31,
No. 6 (June 2007), page 73 was developed.
To recapitulate: the scheme provides
algorithms for guidance and control
(G&C) of a spacecraft maneuvering near
a small astronomical body. The open-loop
guidance problem ...
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Oct 2008
An ATP System for Deep-Space Optical Communication
Polar Traverse Rover Instrument
Sep 2008
Alignment Pins for Assembling and Disassembling StructuresA New, Highly Improved Two-Cycle Engine
Flexible Structural-Health-Monitoring Sheets
Microgravity, Mesh-Crawling Legged Robots
Advanced Active-Magnetic-Bearing Thrust-Measurement System
Thermally Actuated Hydraulic Pumps
Lightweight Carbon-Carbon High-Temperature Space Radiator
Aug 2008
Dynamic Method For Identifying Collected Sample MassImproved Relief Valve Would Be Less Susceptible to Failure
Using Composite Materials in a Cryogenic Pump
Safety Modification of Cam-and-Groove Hose Coupling
FIDO-Class Development Rover
Jul 2008
Variable-Structure Control of a Model Glider AirplaneAxial Halbach Magnetic Bearings
Compact, Non-Pneumatic Rock-Powder Samplers
Jun 2008
Improved Descent-Rate Limiting MechanismAlignment-Insensitive Lower-Cost Telescope Architecture
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