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This viewgraph presentation reviews the work of the Dryden Flight Loads Laboratory. The capabilities and research interests of the lab are: Structural, thermal, & dynamic analysis; Structural, thermal, & dynamic ground-test techniques; Advanced structural instrumentation; and Flight test support.
Using virtual environments to assess complex large scale human tasks provides timely and cost effective results to evaluate designs and to reduce operational risks during assembly and integration of the Space Launch System (SLS). NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) uses a suite of tools to conduct integrated virtual analysis during the design phase of the SLS Program. Siemens Jack is a simulation tool that allows engineers to analyze human interaction with CAD designs by placing a digital human model into the environment to test different scenarios and assess the design's compliance to human factors requirements. Engineers at MSFC are using Jack in conjunction with motion capture and virtual reality systems in MSFC's Virtual Environments Lab (VEL). The VEL provides additional capability beyond standalone Jack to record and analyze a person performing a planned task to assemble the SLS at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The VEL integrates Vicon Blade motion capture system, Siemens Jack, Oculus Rift, and other virtual tools to perform human factors assessments. By using motion capture and virtual reality, a more accurate breakdown and understanding of how an operator will perform a task can be gained. By virtual analysis, engineers are able to determine if a specific task is capable of being safely performed by both a 5% (approx. 5ft) female and a 95% (approx. 6'1) male. In addition, the analysis will help identify any tools or other accommodations that may to help complete the task. These assessments are critical for the safety of ground support engineers and keeping launch operations on schedule. Motion capture allows engineers to save and examine human movements on a frame by frame basis, while virtual reality gives the actor (person performing a task in the VEL) an immersive view of the task environment. This presentation will discuss the need of human factors for SLS and the benefits of analyzing tasks in NASA MSFC's VEL.
NAS (NASA Advanced Supercomputing) Division: Advanced Computing: High-End Computing Capability (HECC) Project; Quantum Artificial Intelligence Lab (QuAIL); NASA Earth Exchange (NEX); Data Analytics Infrastructure for NASA; Cloud Services for Science & Engineering Projects.
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Eta Space and NASA have been developing a lab-scale electrochemical hydrogen refrigerator (ECHR) capable of providing isothermal heat exchange for applications in the 20-Kelvin range. The cryocooler utilizes an electrochemical compressor paired with Joule-Thomson expansion to cool the hydrogen working fluid down to its saturation point within a purpose-built cold box. The use of electrochemical compression allows the cycle to operate with no moving parts presenting several key advantages for a variety of applications. Testing of the integrated system occurred in Eta Space’s cryogenic test facility where the system was able to achieve and maintain saturated temperatures at low pressure. Results of this test campaign demonstrate the feasibility of the ECHR concept in practice.
Many ARPA-E-funded universities and research institutions have created start-up companies to further catalyze their next-generation technologies. Ambri and BlackPak are two examples of ARPA-E projects that were spun out by other institutions—Massachusetts Institute of Technology and SRI International, respectively—in an effort to get their technologies out of the lab and into the market quickly. This video features remarks from ARPA-E Senior Commercialization Advisor Sue Babinec and interviews with technologists at Ambri and BlackPak, who each tell the story of how their new companies spun out of the lab and have become agile startups capable of delivering real products to the marketplace.
The Chemical Transformations Initiative (CTI) has been launched at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory! The CTI is funded through the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program as a lab-level initiative to develop foundational capabilities at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) for chemical conversion processes having minimal or no environmental impact.
Scientific discovery is being revolutionized by AI and autonomous systems, yet current autonomous laboratories remain isolated islands unable to collaborate across institutions. We present the Autonomous Interconnected Science Lab Ecosystem (AISLE), a grassroots network transforming fragmented capabilities into a unified system that shorten the path from ideation to innovation to impact and accelerates discovery from decades to months. AISLE addresses five critical dimensions: (1) cross-institutional equipment orchestration, (2) intelligent data management with FAIR compliance, (3) AI-agent driven orchestration grounded in scientific principles, (4) interoperable agent communication interfaces, and (5) AI/ML-integrated scientific education. By connecting autonomous agents across institutional boundaries, autonomous science can unlock research spaces inaccessible to traditional approaches while democratizing cutting-edge technologies. This paradigm shift toward collaborative autonomous science promises breakthroughs in sustainable energy, materials development, and public health.
A review of the evolution of the International Space Station (ISS) was performed for the purpose of understanding the project objectives. It was requested than an analysis of the current Office of Space Access and Technology (OSAT) Partnership Utilization Plan (PUP) traffic model be completed to monitor the process through which the scientific experiments called payloads are manifested for flight to the ISS. A viewing analysis of the ISS was also proposed to identify the capability to observe the United States Laboratory (US LAB) during the assembly sequence. Observations of the Drop-Tower experiment and nondestructive testing procedures were also performed to maximize the intern's technical experience. Contributions were made to the meeting in which the 1996 OSAT or Code X PUP traffic model was generated using the software tool, Filemaker Pro. The current OSAT traffic model satisfies the requirement for manifesting and delivering the proposed payloads to station. The current viewing capability of station provides the ability to view the US LAB during station assembly sequence. The Drop Tower experiment successfully simulates the effect of microgravity and conveniently documents the results for later use. The non-destructive test proved effective in determining stress in various components tested.
Increasing the fuel burnup limit in light water reactors is sought to enhance fuel cycle economics and requires establishing a technical basis. Experimental observations of severe fuel fragmentation under loss-of-coolant-accident conditions at Halden and Studsvik had raised the need for additional considerations during the development of this technical basis. These test data suggested that the burnup threshold for high burnup fuel fragmentation may be influenced by pre-transient power. Additional loss-of-coolant-accident test data is therefore valuable to complement these tests and enhance the current state of understating. Oak Ridge National Lab has developed the Severe Accident Test Station capable of examining the oxidation kinetics and accident response of irradiated fuel and cladding materials for design basis accident and beyond design basis accident scenarios. Severe Accident Test Station provides various temperature profiles, steam, and the thermal shock conditions necessary for integral loss of coolant accident testing, defueled oxidation quench testing, and high-temperature beyond design basis accident testing. Severe Accident Test Station has been successfully installed and demonstrated in the Irradiated Fuels Examination Laboratory at Oak Ridge National Lab. Furthermore, descriptions of the in-cell re-fabrication capabilities and assembly of the loss-of-coolant-accident test train are provided. Installation of the Severe Accident Test Station system and in-cell re-fabrication restores United States capability to examine postulated and extended loss-of-coolant-accident conditions on spent fuel and cladding and provides a platform for evaluating advanced fuel and accident-tolerant fuel cladding concepts. Lastly, three in-cell integral loss-of-coolant-accident test were performed in the Severe Accident Test Station and compared to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission sponsored loss-of-coolant-accident test as well as the original loss-of-coolant-accident test performed at Argonne National Lab. Finally, the results of these tests as well as all publicly available integral loss-of-coolant-accident test were used to validate a threshold for high burnup fuel fragmentation.
As a part of the effort to expand the capabilities of CE-BAF 12 GeV (Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility) at Jefferson Lab, the addition of a polarized positron source is considered. This capability would provide acceleration of high duty-cycle polarized posi-trons, with spin >60% polarization, through the same main CEBAF accelerator machine with appropriate mag-net field reversals and linac phasing to the four CEBAF experimental halls. To produce this positron beam, a high average current (3-10 mA) highly polarized electron beam with energy of 100 ? 150 MeV is required at the positron source target. The focus of this paper is the de-sign of that polarized electron beam injector. We will describe the production and delivery of a >3 mA highly polarized electron beam. We will discuss different aspects of the design, the photocathode gun, beam dynamics simulation results, spin manipulation, bunching and accelerating process and final electron beam parameters.
This report highlights the development of advanced analytical capabilities at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to characterize PuO 2 powder to support the Multi-Lab Plutonium Process Signatures Campaign in FY 2022. Two samples from a batch of 76 statistical precipitation runs were packaged and shipped from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to Oak Ridge National Laboratory at the beginning of FY 2022. Techniques were used to characterize the sample, including powder X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. A brief description of each technique, the results and discussion, and future work are described in this report. Opportunities to expand current capabilities and include additional analytical capabilities for the next campaign will also be discussed.
Planetary Surface Robot Work Crews (RWC) represent a new class of construction robots for future deployment in planetary exploration. Rovers currently being used for the RWC platform lack the load carrying capabilities required in regular work. Two new rovers, dubbed CrewBots, being designed in JPL's Planetary Robotics Lab specifically for RWC applications greatly increase the load carrying capabilities of the platform. A major component of the rover design was the design of the rocker type suspension, which increases rover mobility. The design of the suspension for the Crewbots departed from the design of recent rovers. While many previous rovers have used internal bevel gear differentials, the increased load requirements of the Crewbots calls for a more robust system. The solution presented is the use of an external modified three-bar, slider-linkage, rocker-style suspension that increases the moment arm of the differential. The final product is a suspension system capable of supporting the extreme loading cases the RWC platform presents, without consuming a large portion of the Crewbots' internal space.
At Marshall Space Flight Center a new capability has been established to aid the advancement of microfluidics for space flight monitoring systems. Lab-On-a-Chip Application Development (LOCAD) team has created a program for advancing Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) of 1 & 2 to TRL 6 and 7, quickly and economically for Lab-On-a-Chip (LOC) applications. Scientists and engineers can utilize LOCAD's process to efficiently learn about microfluidics and determine if microfluidics is applicable to their needs. Once the applicability has been determined, LOCAD can then perform tests to develop the new fluidic protocols which are different from macro-scale chemical reaction protocols. With this information new micro-devices can be created such as the development of a microfluidic system to aid in the search for life, past and present, on Mars. Particular indicators in the Martian soil can contain the direct evidence of life. But to extract the information from the soil and present it to the proper detectors requires multiple fluidic/chemical operations. This is where LOCAD is providing its unique abilities.
At Marshall Space Flight Center we have established a capability to investigate the use of microfluidics for space flight. The Lab-On-a-Chip Application Development (LOCAD) team has created a program for advancing Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) of 1 and 2 to TRL 6 and 7, quickly and economically for Lab-On-a-Chip (LOC) applications. Scientists and engineers can utilize LOCAD'S process to efficiently learn about microfluidics and determine if microfluidics is applicable to their needs. Once the applicability has been determined, LOCAD can then perform tests to develop the new fluidic protocols which are different from macro-scale chemical reaction protocols. With this information new micro-fluidic devices can be created and tested. Currently, LOCAD is focused on using microfluidics for both Environmental Monitoring & Control, and Medical Systems. Eventually, handheld portable units utilizing LOC technology will perform rapid tests to determine water quality, and microbial contamination levels. Since LOC technology is drastically reduced in physical size, it thereby reduces power, weight, volume, and sample requirements, a big advantage considering the resource constraints associated with spaceflight. Another one of LOCAD's current activities is the development of a microfluidic system to aid in the search for life on Mars.
U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories host world-class advanced computing and modeling capabilities. The National Renewable Energy Labowratory (NREL) inaugurated the Infrastructure Perception and Control Laboratory (IPC Lab) to advance mobility reach into real-world applications.
The analytical tools (analysis and computer simulation) needed to explain and predict the dynamic operation of air cushion landing systems (ACLS) is described. The following tasks were performed: the development of improved analytical models for the fan and the trunk; formulation of a heave pitch roll analysis for the complete ACLS; development of a general purpose computer simulation to evaluate landing and taxi performance of an ACLS equipped aircraft; and the verification and refinement of the analysis by comparison with test data obtained through lab testing of a prototype cushion. Demonstration of simulation capabilities through typical landing and taxi simulation of an ACLS aircraft are given. Initial results show that fan dynamics have a major effect on system performance. Comparison with lab test data (zero forward speed) indicates that the analysis can predict most of the key static and dynamic parameters (pressure, deflection, acceleration, etc.) within a margin of a 10 to 25 percent.
Major advances in pulsed power technology and applications over the last twenty years have expanded the mission areas for pulsed power and created compelling new opportunities for the Stockpile Stewardship Program (SSP). This summary document is a forward look at the development of pulsed power science and technology (PPS&T) capabilities in support of the next 20 years of the SSP. This outlook was developed during a three month long tri-lab study on the future of PPS&T research and capabilities in support of applications to: (1) Dynamic Materials, (2) Thermonuclear Burn Physics and Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF), and (3) Radiation Effects and Nuclear Survivability. It also considers necessary associated developments in next-generation codes and pulsed power technology as well as opportunities for academic, industry, and international engagement. The document identifies both imperatives and opportunities to address future SSP mission needs.