-1
11880
30
Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
A methodology for designing robots provides for satisfying both safety and performance requirements. Heretofore, most robot-design efforts have been focussed on maximizing performance, with only incidental...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Detailed measurements of complex flow fields within the NASA Low Speed Centrifugal Compressor (LSCC) have been acquired. The measurement data provide insight into the fundamental...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Pulse-tube Refrigerator Unit
Pulse-tube Refrigerators can be operated over a wide range of temperatures. These units can be used in numerous space and commercial refrigeration applications, including food refrigerator/freezers, laboratory freezers, and freeze dryers. Pulse-tube Refrigerators can also be used to cool detectors and electronic...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Linear-translation motors containing inertial-reaction masses driven by magnetostrictive actuator elements are undergoing development. These motors could be used to make fine position adjustments...
Briefs: Materials
Two techniques have been proposed to reduce thermal-expansion mismatches between (a) substrates made of silicon, silicon-based ceramics, and silicon-based-ceramic composite materials...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
A hardware-command-decoding application-specific integrated circuit (HCD ASIC) is designed to decode digital command signals transmitted from a ground station to a spacecraft (uplink commands). Implemented in the...
Briefs: Motion Control
Mobile robots that would resemble earthworms have been proposed for use in exploring remote, hostile, or inaccessible terrain surface and subsurface environments. This class of robots would be a special case of...
Briefs: Materials
A portable, self-contained, compact instrument measures and records transient electric fields generated by nearby lightning strikes. This instrument complements, and in many respects is...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Devices containing planar arrays of micromachined, electrostatically adjustable Fabry-Perot interferometers are undergoing development. These devices could be designed, for example,...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
The column-loading input chip (CLIC) is a conceptual integrated-circuit chip that would serve as an interface between (1) any of various sources of image data and (2) a three-dimensional...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
The figure illustrates a dc-excited Anderson-loop circuit that includes (1) thermocouples for measuring the temperature of the strain gauge and (2) a signal-conditioning circuit that...
Briefs: Software
Application Specific Integrated Circuit Physical Layout for the RSDL ASIC
An integrated circuit physical layout has been developed for the RSDL ASIC™ — an integrated circuit that encodes telemetry data and transfers the data (which are grouped together in transfer frames) to a radio transmitter. The RSDL ASIC is described in "ASIC for...
Briefs: Materials
A modified alloy, known as Modified PWA1484, is a single-crystal nickel-base superalloy, developed under a NASA Marshall Space Flight Center contract for use as a turbine blade and vane alloy for the...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
Software Models Processes in a Gaseous Chemical Reactor
The Simple Analysis of Materials Processing Reactors (SAMPR) computer code is meant for the analysis of plasma and nonplasma processes used in manufacturing semiconductors. The code can also be used to analyze any chemical-processing reactor with gaseous (but not liquid) streams.
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
As currently practiced, packaging of individual optoelectronic components accounts for 40-50 percent of product cost. The development of higher-volume, lower-cost optoelectronic...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Estimating Attitude From GPS Measurements on One Antenna
A technique for estimating the boresight direction of a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver antenna involves utilization of the relationship between the strengths of received signals and the direction-dependent antenna gain pattern. The technique is fundamentally different from, and...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
Automated Calibration of Temperature Transducers
An automated system of laboratory equipment and computer hardware and software reduces the time that technicians must spend in calibrating temperature transducers. The laboratory equipment includes a controlled-temperature bath, two digital multimeters for processing the outputs of two temperature...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Due to their low density and exceptionally high strength and modulus, graphite fiber composites are being used increasingly for the fabrication of aircraft and spacecraft. Because of their superior...
Briefs: Motion Control
A design has been developed for manufacturing multispeed transmissions that are small enough to be used with minimotors - electromagnetic motors with power ratings of less than 1 W. Like...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
The Boeing Company has developed and patented certain enhancements to commercially available Bragg grating sensors and demodulation systems. These patents (Nos....
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
The figure illustrates selected aspects of a manually actuated apparatus for use in coating two small objects with suitable metals, then forcing the two objects together at the coated flat...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Over the past year, the Structural Dynamics and Loads Branch of Marshall Space Flight Center has been calculating prelaunch ground winds for several different launch-vehicle configurations....
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
The figure schematically shows a micromachined Fabry-Perot interferometer that, when fully developed, would be part of a two-dimensional array of such interferometers in a...
Briefs: Information Technology
The Automated Nonconformance System, based at Stennis Space Center, is a computer network dedicated to administration of inspections and repairs of rocket engines. This automated system...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
External-cavity diode lasers (ECDLs) have been commercially available for several years. Since their introduction, they have found applications ranging from telecommunications to atomic...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Performance of a Soft Digital-Data-Transition Tracking Loop
A report discusses the performance of a soft digital-data-transition tracking loop (DTTL) in a radio receiver that recovers digital data conveyed by binary phase-shift keying. The DTTL is used as a symbol synchronizer; it provides symbol timing to essential parts of the receiver. The DTTL...
Briefs: Motion Control
Research conducted at the Pittsburgh Research Center (formerly U.S. Bureau of Mines) developed technology that will allow computer-assisted operation of mechanized equipment normally used in...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
Solar/Infrared Aerobots for Exploring Several Planets
A report discusses a class of balloon-borne robotic instrumentation systems that have been proposed for use in exploring Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. The balloons would be of the Montgolfier type; that is, buoyancy would be achieved through heating of atmospheric gases contained...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Computer System for Managing Construction Projects
An automated system of computer hardware and software has been developed for managing construction projects at Stennis Space Center. This system replaces an older collection of paper-based subsystems, wherein documents were copied, filed, and distributed in labor-intensive processes. Data...
Top Stories
Blog: Manufacturing & Prototyping
2025 Holiday Gift Guide for Engineers: Tech, Tools, and Gadgets
INSIDER: Research Lab
Scientists Create Superconducting Semiconductor Material
Blog: Software
Quiz: Materials
Blog: Aerospace
Tech Briefs Wrapped 2025: Top 10 Technology Stories
Blog: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Webcasts
Upcoming Webinars: AR/AI
The Real Impact of AR and AI in the Industrial Equipment Industry
Upcoming Webinars: Motion Control
Next-Generation Linear and Rotary Stages: When Ultra Precision...
Upcoming Webinars: Energy
Hydrogen Engines Are Heating Up for Heavy Duty
Podcasts: Medical
How Wearables Are Enhancing Smart Drug Delivery
Podcasts: Power
SAE Automotive Podcast: Solid-State Batteries
Podcasts: Power
