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Summary
NASA-driven technological innovations are groundbreaking advancements developed by NASA to address challenges in space exploration, which often lead to practical solutions for Earth applications as well. These technologies range from dust mitigation systems to advanced imaging tools and non-destructive evaluation methods for spacecraft safety.
Explore dust mitigation solutions: Discover how NASA's Electrodynamic Dust Shield (EDS) technology uses electric fields to remove harmful dust from surfaces like spacesuits, solar panels, and camera lenses during lunar and Mars missions.
Learn about lidar advancements: NASA's cutting-edge laser technologies, such as the CASALS system, enhance 3D mapping and landing precision for spacecraft by utilizing adaptive lasers and artificial intelligence for hazard detection.
Understand spacecraft quality assurance: Dive into NASA’s Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) programs, which employ state-of-the-art tools, like quantum dots for X-rays, to inspect spacecraft components without damaging them, ensuring mission safety and success.
"Defeating dust may be a small concern for most people on Earth, but for astronauts and spacecraft destined for the moon or Mars, it is a significant hazard that must be mitigated. That's why researchers at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida are seeking innovative ways to use Electrodynamic Dust Shield (EDS) technology.
Using transparent electrodes and electric fields, EDS technology can electrically lift and remove dust from a variety of surfaces for space applications ranging from thermal radiators, solar panels, and camera lenses to spacesuits, boots, and helmet visors. Controlling and removing the statically-charged dust will be critical to the success of moon missions under the agency's' CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign."
#lunarmissions#dustmitigation#eds
NASA engineers will test a suite of new laser technologies from an aircraft this summer for Earth science remote sensing. Called lidar, the instruments could also be used to improve models of the Moon’s shape and aid the search for Artemis landing sites. Similar to sonar, but using light instead of sound, lidars calculate distances by timing how long a laser beam takes to reflect off a surface and return to an instrument. Multiple pings from the laser can provide the relative speed and even 3D image of a target. They increasingly help NASA scientists and explorers navigate, map, and collect scientific data.
Engineers and scientists at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, continue to refine lidars into smaller, lighter, more versatile tools for science and exploration, with help from hardware provided by small business and academic partners. “Existing 3D-imaging lidars struggle to provide the 2-inch resolution needed by guidance, navigation and control technologies to ensure precise and safe landings essential for future robotic and human exploration missions,” team engineer Jeffrey Chen said. “Such a system requires 3D hazard-detection lidar and a navigation doppler lidar, and no existing system can perform both functions.”
Enter CASALS, the Concurrent Artificially intelligent Spectrometry and Adaptive Lidar System. Developed through Goddard’s IRAD, Internal Research and Development program, CASALS shines a tunable laser through a prism-like grating to spread the beam based on its changing wavelengths. Traditional lidars pulse a fixed-wavelength laser which is split into multiple beams by bulky mirrors and lenses to split it into multiple beams. One CASALS instrument could cover more of a planet’s surface in each pass than lidars used for decades to measure Earth, the Moon, and Mars.
Full Article: https://lnkd.in/g-bzuaMc#NASA#Lidar#CASALS
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter’s Lunar Orbiting Laser Altimeter has produced detailed maps of the Lunar South Pole, including where water ice appears to fill the bottoms of permanently shadowed craters. (NASA)
Innovations in Nondestructive Evaluation at NASA: A Key to Spacecraft Quality and Mission Success
The NASA Office of Safety and Mission Assurance is spearheading advancements in spacecraft quality and mission success through its Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) Development Program. This program is pivotal in inspecting spacecraft components without impairing their utility, using state-of-the-art techniques and tools.
Key Highlights:
- Scintillating Quantum Dots for X-Rays: Enhancing speed and reducing costs in X-ray technology.
- Advanced NDE Simulation at Langley Research Center: Accelerating the adoption of new materials and ensuring infrastructure safety.
- Breakthrough in Multi-Layered Pressure Vessel NDE: Innovating in weld flaw detection to improve spacecraft integrity.
Leadership and Learning:
- Program led by Eric Burke and Jeannette Plante.
- NASA offers comprehensive courses and resources in NDE for continuous learning and development.
- NDE Contacts at each center are highlighted.
For detailed insights and latest updates on NASA's Nondestructive Evaluation program, visit:
https://lnkd.in/eJ4VgA4#NASA#NondestructiveEvaluation#SpaceTechnology#MissionAssurance#SpaceInnovation#AerospaceEngineering#QualityAssurance#SpaceSafety#AdvancedMaterials#TechnologyDevelopment#AerospaceTechnology#ResearchAndDevelopment#SpacecraftIntegrity#EngineeringExcellence#FutureOfSpaceExploration