The Remote Monitoring and Alarm System (RMAS) is a system of electronic hardware and software for monitoring of fiber-optic video transmission equipment at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The RMAS could also monitor other equipment that generates discrete contact closures and/or analog voltages. The hardware...

Failure-reporting devices somewhat similar to the “black box” data recorders on aircraft have been proposed. These devices were conceived for use on spacecraft, but might also be useful on terrestrial autonomous underwater vessels or terrestrial remote exploratory robots....

A computer program under continuing development strives to locate a safe landing site for a spacecraft through realtime processing of image data acquired by a video camera aimed at the terrain below while the spacecraft descends. The program might also be useful for aiding the selection...

A proposed technique of bistatic radar altimetry would utilize information available in Global Positioning System (GPS) signals reflected from the ocean surface. The signals would be monitored by an airborne or spaceborne receiver and would be processed to determine the height, roughness,...

The hybrid electric-field sensor (HEFS) has been proposed for measuring quasi-static electric fields — especially those associated with thunderstorms. The HEFS would combine the relative compactness, low cost, and low power consumption of prior inductionprobe- type electric-field sensors with the higher sensitivity...

A proposed communication antenna for a helicopter would feature radiating elements in or on the blades of the main rotor, with a novel rotary radio-frequency coupling between the antenna and the radio equipment in the fuselage. The antenna would be suitable for communication along both predominantly...

A method of determining the attitude of a vehicle equipped with a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver with multiple nonaligned antennas has been invented. As used here, “nonaligned antennas” does not signify antennas that lack alignment; rather, it signifies antennas that generally...

The Advanced Payload Transfer Measurement System (APTMS) comprises electromechanical sensors and sensor output-processing circuits. Designed specifically for measuring offsets between spacecraft payload trunnions and trunnion supports during ground-based payload-transfer operations, the APTMS could be...

Heat is the primary enemy of any electronic component. In order for an electronic device to have a long, problem-free life, cooling must be an important design consideration. The problem of cooling CPUs, in particular, has grown as processors have become more powerful. Water cooling...

An artificial-intelligence computer program generates and evaluates plans for spacecraft missions subject to constraints associated with spacecraft designs. The input to the program includes spacecraft design parameters (e.g., slew rates and battery capacities) and mission parameters (e.g.,...

Generalized Timelines API is a computer program that provides (1) a means of representing arbitrary realworld state and resource information for use in planning, scheduling, and plan- and schedule-executing software and (2) an application-programming interface (API) that accelerates the...

Some improvements have been made to enhance the role of water as a test solvent for determining the amount of hydrocarbon nonvolatile residue (NVR) present on an item of hardware that is required to be totally or nearly devoid of such residue. Water is now used as an NVR-testing solvent...

Polyimide tape (Kapton™ or equivalent) has been found to be effective as a material for masking selected areas of a semi- conductor wafer that is about to be processed in a reactive-ion etching (RIE) apparatus. The conventional etch- resistant masking materials for protecting selected...

Some airfoil designs have been shown by theory and small-scale tests to be capable of passively maintaining laminar flow at super -sonic speeds. More recently, flight tests have proven that these designs can maintain large runs of laminar flow at higher Reynolds numbers in harsh flight environments. The...

A compact spring-loading design has been proposed to increase the reliability of seals in the joints of vacuum cryogenic systems. Heretofore, such joints have been, variously, compact or reliable, but not both, for the following reasons: In all such joints, sealing is effected by...