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Briefs: Software
Java Image I/O for VICAR, PDS, and ISIS
This library, written in Java, supports input and output of images and metadata (labels) in the VICAR, PDS image, and ISIS-2 and ISIS-3 file formats. Three levels of access exist.
Briefs: Software
X-Band Acquisition Aid Software
The X-band Acquisition Aid (AAP) software is a low-cost acquisition aid for the Deep Space Network (DSN) antennas, and is used while acquiring a spacecraft shortly after it has launched. When enabled, the acquisition aid provides corrections to the antenna-predicted trajectory of the spacecraft to compensate for the...
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Range 7 Scanner Integration With PaR Robot Scanning System
An interface bracket and coordinate transformation matrices were designed to allow the Range 7 scanner to be mounted on the PaR Robot detector arm for scanning the heat shield or other object placed in the test cell. A process was designed for using Rapid Form XOR to stitch data from...
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
High-Operating-Temperature Barrier Infrared Detector With Tailorable Cutoff Wavelength
A mid-wavelength infrared (MWIR) barrier photodetector is capable of operating at higher temperature than the prevailing MWIR detectors based on InSb. The standard high-operating-temperature barrier infrared detector (HOT-BIRD) is made with an InAsSb infrared...
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Methods of Antimicrobial Coating of Diverse Materials
Methods of coating diverse substrate materials with antimicrobial agents have been developed. Originally intended to reduce health risks to astronauts posed by pathogenic microorganisms that can grow on surfaces in spacecraft, these methods could also be used on Earth — for example, to ensure...
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Antimicrobial-Coated Granules for Disinfecting Water
Methods of preparing antimicrobial-coated granules for disinfecting flowing potable water have been developed. Like the methods reported in the immediately preceding article, these methods involve chemical preparation of substrate surfaces (in this case, the surfaces of granules) to enable...
Briefs: Materials
A Model of Reduced Kinetics for Alkane Oxidation Using Constituents and Species for N-Heptane
The reduction of elementary or skeletal oxidation kinetics to a subgroup of tractable reactions for inclusion in turbulent combustion codes has been the subject of numerous studies. The skeletal mechanism is obtained from the elementary mechanism by...
Briefs: Materials
Thermally Conductive Tape Based on Carbon Nanotube Arrays
To increase contact conductance between two mating surfaces, a conductive “tape” has been developed by growing dense arrays of carbon nanotubes (CNTs, graphite layers folded into cylinders) on both sides of a thermally conductive metallic foil. When the two mating surfaces are brought...
Briefs: Materials
Lightweight, Ultra-High-Temperature, CMC-Lined Carbon/Carbon Structures
lished engineering material used extensively in aerospace. The beneficial properties of C/C include high strength, low density, and toughness. Its shortcoming is its limited usability at temperatures higher than the oxidation temperature of carbon — approximately 400 °C....
Briefs: Materials
Two Catalysts for Selective Oxidation of Contaminant Gases
Two catalysts for the selective oxidation of trace amounts of contaminant gases in air have been developed for use aboard the International Space Station. These catalysts might also be useful for reducing concentrations of fumes in terrestrial industrial facilities — especially facilities...
Briefs: Materials
Nanoscale Metal Oxide Semiconductors for Gas Sensing
A report describes the fabrication and testing of nanoscale metal oxide semiconductors (MOSs) for gas and chemical sensing. This document examines the relationship between processing approaches and resulting sensor behavior. This is a core question related to a range of applications of...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
A system has been developed to acquire and handle samples from a suspended remote platform. The system includes a penetrator, a penetrator deployment mechanism, and a sample handler....
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Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Improved Rare-Earth Emitter Hollow Cathode
An improvement has been made to the design of the hollow cathode geometry that was created for the rare-earth electron emitter described in “Compact Rare Earth Emitter Hollow Cathode” (NPO-44923), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 34, No. 3 (March 2010), p. 52. The original interior assembly was made entirely of...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
High-Temperature Smart Structures for Engine Noise Reduction and Performance Enhancement
One of key NASA goals is to develop and integrate noise reduction technology to enable unrestricted air transportation service to all communities. One of the technical priorities of this activity has been to account for and reduce noise via propulsion/airframe...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Cryogenic Scan Mechanism for Fourier Transform Spectrometer
A compact and lightweight mechanism has been developed to accurately move a Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) scan mirror (a cube corner) in a near-linear fashion with near constant speed at cryogenic temperatures. This innovation includes a slide mechanism to restrict motion to one...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Piezoelectric Rotary Tube Motor
A custom rotary SQUIGGLE® motor has been developed that sets new benchmarks for small motor size, high position resolution, and high torque without gear reduction. Its capabilities cannot be achieved with conventional electromagnetic motors. It consists of piezoelectric plates mounted on a square flexible tube. The...
Briefs: Green Design & Manufacturing
Combustor Computations for CO₂-Neutral Aviation
Knowing the pure component Cp0 or mixture Cp0 as computed by a flexible code such as NIST-STRAPP or McBride-Gordon, one can, within reasonable accuracy, determine the thermophysical properties necessary to predict the combustion characteristics when there are no tabulated or computed data for those...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
Cycle Time Reduction in Trapped Mercury Ion Atomic Frequency Standards
The use of the mercury ion isotope 201Hg+ was examined for an atomic clock. Taking advantage of the faster optical pumping time in 201Hg+ reduces both the state preparation and the state readout times, thereby decreasing the overall cycle time of the clock and reducing the...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
Use of Dynamic Distortion to Predict and Alleviate Loss of Control
This research has developed and evaluated the specific concepts, termed “Smart-Cue” and “Smart-Gain,” to alleviate aircraft loss of control that results from unfavorable pilot/vehicle system interactions, including pilot-induced oscillations (PIOs). Unfavorable pilot/...
Articles: Test & Measurement
The Constellation Program and the Exploration Technology Development Program (ETDP) funded the development of diagnostic models using the TEAMS (Testability Engineering and Maintenance...
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Application Briefs: Test & Measurement
New Shepard rocket-propelled vehicle Blue Origin Kent, WA 253-872-0411 www.blueorigin.com Blue Origin has received funding from NASA’s Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) initiative to develop a...
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Application Briefs: Information Technology
Enterprise application and information technology services Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) McLean, VA 703-676-4300 www.saic.com SAIC was awarded the Enterprise...
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Application Briefs: Information Technology
IT Services Support NASA Scientists and Engineers
Information technology services DB Consulting Group Silver Spring, MD 301-589-4020 www.dbconsultinggroup.com DB Consulting Group provides NASA’s Glenn Research Center (GRC) in Cleveland, OH with a variety of professional, administrative, computational, and engineering services. These services are...
NASA Tech Needs
John C. Stennis Space Center (SSC) provides rocket engine propulsion testing for NASA’s space programs. There are occasions when it would be useful to have a portable, mobile data acquisition...
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Who's Who: Aerospace
Dr. Jim Green began his NASA career in 1980 at Marshall Space Flight Center’s Magnetospheric Physics Branch where he developed and managed the Space...
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Podcasts: Manned Systems
Dr. Jim Green, Director, Planetary Science Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC
Dr. Jim Green began his NASA career in 1980 at Marshall Space Flight Center’s Magnetospheric Physics Branch where he developed and managed the Space Physics Analysis Network (SPAN), NASA’s precursor to the Internet. From 1985 to 1992 he served as Head of the...
Articles: Motion Control
Many hydraulically operated machines perform adequately with on/off “bang-bang” valves, but some need special controls to avoid maintenance problems and deliver quality production output....
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Application Briefs: Motion Control
Endo Tools Therapeutics (ETT) is a medical device company based in Brussels, Belgium that was established in 2008. The company was formed after an innovative research...
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Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Crane Brake Release Tool
At the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF), the Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) segments are processed after they arrive by rail prior to a Shuttle launch. Using overhead bridge cranes capable of lifting up to 200 tons, the engineers remove the rail cover of the SRB segments, inspect the propellant grain and metal...

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