The application of Smart Sensor Systems for aerospace applications is a multidisciplinary process consisting of sensor element development, element integration into Smart Sensor hardware, and testing of the resulting sensor systems in application environments. This paper provides a cross-section of these activities for multiple aerospace applications illustrating the technology challenges involved. The development and application testing topics discussed are: 1) The broadening of sensitivity and operational range of silicon carbide (SiC) Schottky gas sensor elements; 2) Integration of fire detection sensor technology into a "Lick and Stick" Smart Sensor hardware platform for Crew Exploration Vehicle applications; 3) Extended testing for zirconia based oxygen sensors in the basic "Lick and Stick" platform for environmental monitoring applications. It is concluded that that both core sensor platform technology and a basic hardware platform can enhance the viability of implementing smart sensor systems in aerospace applications.
As human exploration into our solar system expands, the necessity for robotic assistance increases. A free-flying robotic apparatus would be beneficial for space exploration missions to aid humans in small programmed tasks as well as remote planetary or asteroid exploration. The design of these drones would need to account for the fact that much of their time would be spent in a microgravity environment. As this complicates the design, a method for simulating exposure to microgravity was developed by NASA Johnson Space Center: the Active Response Gravity Offload System (ARGOS). ARGOS has been confirmed as accurate for gravity compensation of large payloads, but its reliability is less certain for small-scale loads. To test the accuracy of ARGOS on small-scale devices, a free-flying octocopter was developed and flown both on ARGOS and in a reduced-gravity aircraft to compare the reduced gravity effects. This testing helped identify the need for an improved control system and a release mechanism to provide consistent initial conditions, which were subsequently added to the system. This paper describes the robotic flyer design, control, and release mechanism, along with results of reduced-gravity testing.
Aerospace applications require a range of chemical sensing technologies to monitor conditions in both space vehicles and aircraft operations. One example is the monitoring of oxygen. For example, monitoring of ambient oxygen (O 2 ) levels is critical to ensuring the health, safety, and performance of humans living and working in space. Oxygen sensors can also be incorporated in detection systems to determine if hazardous leaks are occurring in space propulsion systems and storage facilities. In aeronautic applications, O 2 detection has been investigated for fuel tank monitoring. However, as noted elsewhere [1], O 2 is not the only species of interest in aerospace applications with a wide range of species of interest being relevant to understand an environmental or vehicle condition. These include combustion products such as CO, HF, HCN, and HCl, which are related to both the presence of a fire and monitoring of post-fire clean-up operations.The ability to produce microsensor platforms which can be tailored to measure a range of species has been an ongoing technology direction of this group. Combined with that effort has been the development of miniaturized hardware and software systems ("Lick and Stick" technology) that can be implemented in aerospace applications [1]. These smart sensor systems include signal conditioning, data processing, power, and communication in a compact structure, for placement in multiple locations to improve the awareness of an environment.Considerations related to potential implementation of this smart "Lick and Stick" sensor technology have gone into its design. Fundamental hardware configuration considerations include minimizing size, weight, power consumption; accommodating a range of power input supplies; and communication interfaces. Furthermore, operational considerations such as sensor operation temperature, capability to withstand changes in the ambient environment including high vacuum, time between calibration, and power consumption to reduce battery charging or replacement have strong roles to play in the viability of a sensor system to meet the needs of a given application.This paper discusses the development of an electrochemical cell platform based on a polymer electrolyte, NAFION, and a three-electrode configuration. The approach has been to mature this basic platform for a range of applications and to test this system, combined with "Lick and Stick" electronics, for its viability to monitor an environment related to astronaut crew health and safety applications with an understanding that a broad range of applications can be addressed with a core technology.In particular, O 2 sensor technology based on this NAFION-based electrochemical cell platform is being evaluated for International Space Station (ISS) environmental monitoring applications. Present liquid electro-chemical cells currently deployed on the ISS do not meet the accuracy or calibration life requirements. It is considered that a solid state sensor approach might be able to avoid some of technology issues re...
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