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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

A Prototype Early Planetary Organic Processor Assembly (OPA) Based on Dual-Stage Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor (AnMBR) for Fecal and Food Waste Treatment and Resource Recovery

Long-duration, deep-space exploration and habitation missions demand robust and reliable technologies to ensure crew health, safety, and mission success. Local food production will be essential for crew nutrition and morale. However, at $10,000/lb, the payload costs and mass/volume limitations to transport and provide the necessary resources, including fertilizer, for an anticipated 30-month mission become challenging over time. For mission success and sustainability, the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) of the near future will need to recover resources from all “waste” sources and be near-closed loop. Organic wastes (e.g., fecal and food) offer a renewable source of C, N, P, water and other trace elements necessary to sustain crop production. However, these high solidwastes are often difficult to treatdue to factors includingheterogeneity, complexity, high organic strength, and the presence of pathogens. To date, there is no flight-ready technology capable of treating mixed organic wastes, creating a technology gap for future space missions. To address this need, a prototype Organic Processor Assembly (OPA) was developed through collaboration between the University of South Florida (USF) and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The OPA is based on the anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR), a hybrid technology coupling high-rate anaerobic digestion with membrane filtration. The system is designed for an early planetary base (EPB) scenario to aid in closing the resource recovery loop and decreaseresupply dependence. This presentation discusses initial research pertaining to: 1) design challenges in maximizing hydraulic/organic throughputandReliability, Availability, Maintainability, and Safety(RAMS)while minimizingmass and volume; 2) create capabilities for treating simulated high solids waste under steady and non-steady state conditions; and 3) measuresolids performance parameter(s). Future research and development pertaining to further optimization on system operation, performance, and expanded treatment capabilities arepresented.

Bioreactor↗
NASA NTRS1992

Future manned systems advanced avionics study

COTS+ was defined in this study as commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products, ruggedized and militarized components, and COTS technology. This study cites the benefits of integrating COTS+ in space, postulates a COTS+ integration methodology, and develops requirements and an architecture to achieve integration. Developmental needs and concerns were identified throughout the study; these needs, concerns, and recommendations relative to their abatement are subsequently presented for further action and study. The COTS+ concept appears workable in part or in totality. No COTS+ technology gaps were identified; however, radiation tolerance was cited as a concern, and the deferred maintenance issue resurfaced. Further study is recommended to explore COTS+ cost-effectiveness, maintenance philosophy, needs, concerns, and utility metrics. The generation of a development plan to further investigate and integrate COTS+ technology is recommended. A COTS+ transitional integration program is recommended. Sponsoring and establishing technology maturation programs and COTS+ engineering and standards committees are deemed necessary and are recommended for furthering COTS+ integration in space.

Sawamura, Bob↗
DOE OSTI2016

A Techno-Economic Analysis of Emission Controls on Hydrocarbon Biofuel Production

Biofuels have the potential to reduce our dependency on petroleum-derived transportation fuels and decrease greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Although the overall GHG emissions from biofuels are expected to be lower when compared to those of petroleum fuels, the process of converting biomass feedstocks into biofuels emits various air pollutants, which may be subject to federal air quality regulation or emission limits. While prior research has evaluated the technical and economic feasibility of biofuel technologies, gaps still exist in understanding the regulatory issues associated with the biorefineries and their economic implications on biofuel production costs (referred to as minimum fuel selling price (MFSP) in this study). The aim of our research is to evaluate the economic impact of implementing emission reduction technologies at biorefineries and estimate the cost effectiveness of two primary control technologies that may be required for air permitting purposes. We analyze a lignocellulosic sugars-to-hydrocarbon biofuel production pathway developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and implement air emission controls in Aspen Plus to evaluate how they affect the MFSP. Results from this analysis can help inform decisions about biorefinery siting and sizing, as well as mitigate the risks associated with air permitting.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2018

NanoStructured bulk thermoelectric generator for efficient power harvesting for self-powered sensor network

The goal of the Nuclear Energy Enabling Technology Research Project is to develop efficient and reliable thermoelectric (TE) generators for self-powered wireless sensor nodes (WSNs) for nuclear applications. The power harvesting technology has crosscutting significance to all United States Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy research and development programs, as it will enable self-powered WSNs in multiple nuclear reactor designs and spent fuel storage facilities using thermal energy available in a nuclear power plant or spent fuel storage facility. This project addresses an important technology gap that exists in truly realizing WSNs due to the need for cables to connect to external power supplies and develop TE power harvesting devices to deliver sufficient power to drive the WSNs. The outcomes of the project will lead to significant advancement in sensors and instrumentation technology, reducing cost, improving monitoring reliability, and therefore enhancing safety. The self-powered WSNs could support the long-term safe and economical operation of all reactor designs and fuel cycle concepts, as well as spent fuel storage and many other nuclear science and engineering applications. The research is based on recent breakthroughs in high-performance nanostructured bulk (nanobulk) half-Heusler and bismuth telluride thermoelectric materials that enable high-efficiency and high-power-density direct heat-to-electricity conversion over a wide temperature range. The nanobulk TE materials that the research team has already developed yield up to a 50% increase in the TE figure of merit, ZT, compared with state-of-the-art bulk counterparts. In addition to increased efficiency, the nanostructured materials are of potentially enhanced radiation tolerance due to the increased interface densities at the nanoscale grain boundaries that serves as efficient sinks to annihilate radiation-induced, freely-migrating structural defects. This report summarizes major technical results the team achieved in this three-year project, with a focus on the results obtained in the third year of the project. The report includes results on thermoelectric materials fabrication and optimization, irradiation effect on thermoelectric materials performance, thermoelectric device simulation, fabrication and testing, wireless sensor node system simulation, and the demonstration of a wireless sensor node powered by thermoelectric generators.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Overview of NASA's Break the Ice Lunar Challenge

The goal of NASA’s Artemis program is to return to the Moon and put in place a sustainable infrastructure that will enable permanent presence on the Moon. In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) is critical in making the permanent presence on the Moon possible. One of the most important of these resources is water. On the Moon, water is trapped in icy regolith at the lunar poles, including inside permanently dark and cold craters. Excavating icy regolith and extracting water from it needs development of technologies that can operate reliably in the extreme lunar environmental conditions. Prize competitions are a well-known way of accelerating the development of new technologies and have been successfully used throughout the history. NASA’s Centennial Challenges Program(CCP) has been developing and executing prize competitions for past 15 years. Several of these competitions resulted in breakthrough technologies for in-space and terrestrial applications. In 2019, NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) tasked CCP to develop a challenge to address the technology gaps in the areas of Lunar Excavation, Manufacturing, and Construction. This paper provides the background, status and ongoing plans by CCP in developing “Break the Ice Lunar Challenge”. The challenge is scheduled to open for registration in late 2020. This challenge will enable the development of excavation technologies that can operate in the extreme conditions on the Moon.

centennial challenges↗
DOE OSTI2013

Annual Report: Carbon Capture Simulation Initiative (CCSI) (30 September 2013)

The Carbon Capture Simulation Initiative (CCSI) is a partnership among national laboratories, industry and academic institutions that is developing and deploying state-of-the-art computational modeling and simulation tools to accelerate the commercialization of carbon capture technologies from discovery to development, demonstration, and ultimately the widespread deployment to hundreds of power plants. The CCSI Toolset will provide end users in industry with a comprehensive, integrated suite of scientifically validated models, with uncertainty quantification (UQ), optimization, risk analysis and decision making capabilities. The CCSI Toolset incorporates commercial and open-source software currently in use by industry and is also developing new software tools as necessary to fill technology gaps identified during execution of the project. Ultimately, the CCSI Toolset will (1) enable promising concepts to be more quickly identified through rapid computational screening of devices and processes; (2) reduce the time to design and troubleshoot new devices and processes; (3) quantify the technical risk in taking technology from laboratory-scale to commercial-scale; and (4) stabilize deployment costs more quickly by replacing some of the physical operational tests with virtual power plant simulations. CCSI is led by the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) and leverages the Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories’ core strengths in modeling and simulation, bringing together the best capabilities at NETL, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). The CCSI’s industrial partners provide representation from the power generation industry, equipment manufacturers, technology providers and engineering and construction firms. The CCSI’s academic participants (Carnegie Mellon University, Princeton University, West Virginia University, Boston University and the University of Texas at Austin) bring unparalleled expertise in multiphase flow reactors, combustion, process synthesis and optimization, planning and scheduling, and process control techniques for energy processes. During Fiscal Year (FY) 13, CCSI announced the initial release of its first set of computational tools and models during the October 2012 meeting of its Industry Advisory Board. This initial release led to five companies licensing the CCSI Toolset under a Test and Evaluation Agreement this year. By the end of FY13, the CCSI Technical Team had completed development of an updated suite of computational tools and models. The list below summarizes the new and enhanced toolset components that were released following comprehensive testing during October 2013. 1. FOQUS. Framework for Optimization and Quantification of Uncertainty and Sensitivity. Package includes: FOQUS Graphic User Interface (GUI), simulation-based optimization engine, Turbine Client, and heat integration capabilities. There is also an updated simulation interface and new configuration GUI for connecting Aspen Plus or Aspen Custom Modeler (ACM) simulations to FOQUS and the Turbine Science Gateway. 2. A new MFIX-based Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model to predict particle attrition. 3. A new dynamic reduced model (RM) builder, which generates computationally efficient RMs of the behavior of a dynamic system. 4. A completely re-written version of the algebraic surrogate model builder for optimization (ALAMO). The new version is several orders of magnitude faster than the initial release and eliminates the MATLAB dependency. 5. A new suite of high resolution filtered models for the hydrodynamics associated with horizontal cylindrical objects in a flow path. 6. The new Turbine Science Gateway (Cluster), which supports FOQUS for running multiple simulations for optimization or UQ using a local computer or cluster. 7. A new statistical tool (BSS-ANOVA-UQ) for calibration and validation of CFD models. 8. A new basic data submodel in Aspen Plus format for a representative high viscosity capture solvent, 2-MPZ system. 9. An updated RM tool for CFD (REVEAL) that can create a RM from MFIX. A new lightweight, stand-alone version will be available in late 2013. 10. An updated RM integration tool to convert the RM from REVEAL into a CAPE-OPEN or ACM model for use in a process simulator. 11. An updated suite of unified steady-state and dynamic process models for solid sorbent carbon capture included bubbling fluidized bed and moving bed reactors. 12. An updated and unified set of compressor models including steady-state design point model and dynamic model with surge detection. 13. A new framework for the synthesis and optimization of coal oxycombustion power plants using advanced optimization algorithms. This release focuses on modeling and optimization of a cryogenic air separation unit (ASU). 14. A new technical risk model in spreadsheet format. 15. An updated version of the sorbent kinetic/equilibrium model for parameter estimation for the 1st generation sorbent model. 16. An updated process synthesis superstructure model to determine optimal process configurations utilizing surrogate models from ALAMO for adsorption and regeneration in a solid sorbent process. 17. Validation models for NETL Carbon Capture Unit utilizing sorbent AX. Additional validation models will be available for sorbent 32D in 2014. 18. An updated hollow fiber membrane model and system example for carbon capture. 19. An updated reference power plant model in Thermoflex that includes additional steam extraction and reinjection points to enable heat integration module. 20. An updated financial risk model in spreadsheet format.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2021

H2@Airports (Workshop Summary Report)

This report serves as the proceedings of the H2@Airports Workshop held virtually by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and Department of Defense (DOD), November 4-6, 2020. Presentations from the workshop can be found at H2@Airports Workshop: https://www.energy.gov/eere/fuelcells/h2airports-workshop. The workshop was held to assess the state of the art for electric aircraft and airport applications specifically using hydrogen fuel cells, to discuss operational requirements and lessons learned on early fuel cell aviation and airport projects, to understand current technology gaps, to identify collaborative research and development (R&D) opportunities, to highlight codes, standards, safety, and regulatory challenges, and to identify potential actions that address them. Experts and stakeholders from industry, government, and academia met to discuss the current state of the art of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies and the requirements for using these technologies in aviation applications and land-based applications at airports. This report summarizes the discussions and diverse opinions expressed at the workshop.

08 HYDROGEN↗
NASA NTRS1993

Computing in space: Issues and answers

Future plans for space exploration call for scientific instruments whose data is increasingly voluminous, far exceeding constraints set by telemetry rates, and therefore, an increased role for spaceborne computing. Three issues that greatly influence the realization of spaceborne computing systems are addressed. The first involves the identification of those research problems which are unique to space computing. Resources must be expended on these problems if efforts are to add value to, and have impact on, the technology of computing in space. The second addresses the transfer of new technology from the research laboratory to use in space. What can be done to expedite this process and shrink the technology gap that separates Earth and space based systems must be assessed. The third issue involves the user's point of view of what is required of new space computing systems. That is, what are the driving forces that most influence customers' decisions to use or not use new technology? Issues of design environment for spaceborne computers, tools for modeling and evaluation of flight systems, and validation of space flight hardware and software are also discussed.

Davidson, John M.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Revolutionizing thermal Management in Next-Generation AI data centers: Challenges and breakthrough innovations

Data centers (DCs) serve as critical infrastructure for powering the growth and evolution of AI. Next-generation AI DCs present unique challenges in thermal management driven by unprecedented computational demands. This paper provides a comprehensive summary of key stakeholder perspectives on technology gaps, infrastructure requirements, test bed needs, emerging opportunities, and preliminary solutions related to thermal management for AI DCs. It establishes six strategic pillars of thermal management for next generation AI DC: reliability, deployability, efficiency, resilience, measurability, and valorization. The discussion spans a range of critical topics, including advanced cooling technologies, thermal strategies for emerging modular and edge DCs, system-level optimization and control frameworks, infrastructure planning and grid integration designs, benchmarking approaches, and pathways for waste heat recovery and reuse. The proposed research, development, and demonstration efforts are aimed at accelerating the deployment of AI DCs while ensuring energy efficiency, reliability, safety, and regulatory compliance.

Wang, Pengtao [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000214713429)↗
DOE OSTI2020

Advanced Modular Sub-Atmospheric Hybrid Heat Engine (Phase 1 Final Report)

The Phase 1 Final Report describes the results of the work completed during the “Advanced Modular Sub-Atmospheric Hybrid Heat Engine” project. The objectives of Phase 1 work were to develop a conceptual design of the turbine-based modular hybrid heat engine (MHHE), including thermodynamic cycle analysis, define the nominal engine component boundary conditions, identify technology gaps, and develop a detailed test plan to address these gaps through bench scale testing in a potential subsequent Phase 2 project. To achieve the project objective, the following activities were performed in Phase 1 work: (1) Market analysis and primary fuel selection, (2) Conceptual design and integrated layout development, (3) Design support and key components characterization, (4) Planning to move technology to pre-commercial demonstration.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2018

Embedded Sensors and Controls to Improve Component Performance and Reliability - Final Report

Oak Ridge National Laboratory has researched embedded instrumentation and controls (I&C) for extreme environments under the Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy's Nuclear Energy Enabling Technology program. Advanced sensors and controls have the potential to dramatically increase the performance and efficiency of nuclear reactor components, however, the extreme environments of exiting and advanced reactor designs limit the options for sensors, actuators, and control designs. To address two of the extreme environment challenges to embedded I&C, the focus of this research is to fill technology gaps needed for electromagnetic systems that can operate at temperatures greater than 700 C in corrosive environments. A magnetically suspended, canned-rotor pump was chosen for the embedded I&C development platform because it is a system with a practical need in industry and because the sensors, actuators, and embedded I&C technologies needed to successfully build this platform will be widely applicable to any high-temperature components that utilize electromagnetic interactions. This design also eliminates the need for pump seals and mechanical bearings which are the main sources of pump failures and maintenance costs. During the project a conceptual design for the high-temperature magnetically suspended pump was developed and analyzed for manufacturability and reliability. Specifications for the materials, control system, sensors, mechanical performance, high-temperature wiring, and electromagnetic properties were developed for the conceptual design. The canned rotor design of the high-temperature pump presents unique fluid force characteristics arising from the thin fluid channel between the rotor and stator. A model of the fluid forces was developed and the impact of these forces on the stability and performance of magnetic bearing controllers was studied. Then a room temperature bench-scale magnetic testbed was designed and fabricated for testing the performance of sensors and electromagnetic actuators, modern control design techniques, closed-loop system identification, state estimation, and model uncertainty. Finally, a loop-scale testbed with submerged magnetic bearings was designed and fabricated. This testbed will be used to analyze the stability and performance of control system designs in response to the nonlinear and cross-coupling fluid effects between the shaft axes of motion, rotordynamics, gyroscopic effects, and impeller disturbances.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Neutrons in Structural Biology: Challenges and Opportunities (Workshop Report)

Gaining a thorough understanding of biological systems requires building our knowledge about biological processes from the level of atoms and electrons, and up to whole organisms. Such comprehensive knowledge will allow for a predictive understanding of complex biological systems behavior. It will guide us in the design and development of novel therapeutics and vaccines to tackle existing health threats and to prepare for future pandemics, and it will provide information necessary to create new biomaterials and bio-inspired technologies through manipulation of biological macromolecules, their assemblies, single cells and even microorganisms. Reaching these goals will require a synergistic combination of multiple experimental techniques with molecular calculations and predictive simulations, and the design and development of new techniques and capabilities that bridge current knowledge and technology gaps. Neutron scattering provides unique information about the biomacromolecular structure and function and can play a major role in achieving these goals. A workshop was held to engage the scientific community in identifying pressing challenges in biochemistry, structural biology, enzymology and structure-guided drug design not solved with the current neutron scattering technologies or utilizing other structural biology techniques such as X-ray crystallography, NMR, and cryo-EM. The workshop brought together structural biology, biochemistry and computational experts, as well as early career researchers and students, creating a forum for discussing scientific advancement and collaboration. The workshop included a one-day satellite training workshop where graduate students and postdoctoral researchers were educated in the application of neutron crystallography and small-angle scattering in structural biology. Furthermore, the Instrument Scientific Advisory Board (ISAB) for the development of a macromolecular neutron diffractometer at ORNL’s Second Target Station was introduced at the workshop. The major outcome was that neutrons can provide atomic-level understanding of biomacromolecular structure, function and dynamics which is of paramount importance for addressing the identified challenges. Neutron crystallography, in particular, can resolve long-standing biochemical issues regarding enzyme function by delineating the underlying chemistry and can have a major impact on the design of small-molecule therapeutics, especially in combination with molecular computation (quantum chemistry and molecular dynamics simulations) and the emerging artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted drug design technologies. The unique properties of neutrons, including their high sensitivity to hydrogen and their non-destructive nature, make them ideal probes of biological matter. There is a palpable need in the scientific community to expand and enhance the impact of neutron sciences on biology. Neutron crystallography is the only structural biology method capable of determining positions of all hydrogen atoms in proteins, nucleic acids and their complexes at near-physiological temperatures and of unstable species at cryogenic temperatures. Moreover, neutron analysis is non-ionizing, non-destructive and does not perturb the structure or redox chemistry of active site metal centers and clusters in proteins, which can be invaluable for studying radiation-sensitive metalloprotein complexes. Further, neutron energies used in scattering applications are similar to atomic motions, permitting neutron spectroscopies to characterize the dynamics of biomacromolecules on the picosecond to microsecond timescales. The different sensitivities of neutrons to protium (H) and deuterium (D) isotopes of hydrogen allow enhanced visibility of specific parts of biological complexes through isotopic labeling. The impact of neutrons will be most powerful when neutron scattering is combined with complementary experimental techniques that use photons and electrons, and with high-performance computing. The interconnection and mutuality of the experimental and theoretical capabilities will drive discoveries in biological and health sciences to generate more complete picture of complex biological systems. The major limitation in the field of biological neutron crystallography has been signal-to-noise, demanding large samples that are difficult to produce for the majority of biomacromolecules and limiting the applicability of this technique in biological sciences. A neutron crystallography instrument at the Second Target Station will revolutionize biological science with neutrons by engaging a large scientific community of structural biologists, enabling successful neutron diffraction experiments from radically smaller biomacromolecular crystals, resolving unanswered biochemical questions, and meaningfully contributing to rational drug design. The meeting highlighted 10 grand challenges that will be addressed with this advanced capability over the next decade and beyond, and the recommendations required to help address them are given below.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2015

Improving Fatigue Performance of AHSS Welds

Reported herein is technical progress on a U.S. Department of Energy CRADA project with industry cost-share aimed at developing the technical basis and demonstrate the viability of innovative in-situ weld residual stresses mitigation technology that can substantially improve the weld fatigue performance and durability of auto-body structures. The developed technology would be cost-effective and practical in high-volume vehicle production environment. Enhancing weld fatigue performance would address a critical technology gap that impedes the widespread use of advanced high-strength steels (AHSS) and other lightweight materials for auto body structure light-weighting. This means that the automotive industry can take full advantage of the AHSS in strength, durability and crashworthiness without the concern of the relatively weak weld fatigue performance. The project comprises both technological innovations in weld residual stress mitigation and due-diligence residual stress measurement and fatigue performance evaluation. Two approaches were investigated. The first one was the use of low temperature phase transformation (LTPT) weld filler wire, and the second focused on novel thermo-mechanical stress management technique. Both technical approaches have resulted in considerable improvement in fatigue lives of welded joints made of high-strength steels. Synchrotron diffraction measurement confirmed the reduction of high tensile weld residual stresses by the two weld residual stress mitigation techniques.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

An Overview of the NASA Lift+Cruise eVTOL Crash Test

Introduction – NASA RVLT Project Impact Dynamics / Crash Safety Task - Task Objective: “To improve the crashworthiness and impact safety of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) vehicle and provide data to simplify the certification process. Efforts will include development of validated computational models of these vehicles, as well as other impacting bodies such as birds and drones. Efforts will also focus on developing and evaluating energy absorbing and crush properties of emerging and non-traditional composite materials and processes. Finally, occupant protection will be addressed using computational models and physical assets as it pertains to all rotorcraft environments.” - Problem Statement: “There currently is a lack of data for requirements regarding the crashworthy performance of UAM vehicles and impact loads generated by a bird strike. To address this technology gap, NASA will develop test guidelines, adopt modeling methodologies demonstrating capability for ‘certification by analysis’, acquire vehicle and occupant data on full-scale representative vehicles, and provide data/guidance to consensus standards organizations and the UAM community.” - 4 Main focus points - The investigation of occupant injury using physical and computational assets - The development of energy absorbing technology - The generation of data from sub- and full-scale crash test data - The execution of advanced finite element modelling techniques

evtol↗
NASA NTRS2008

Desert Research and Technology Studies (RATS) 2007 Field Campaign Objectives and Results

Desert "RATS" (Research and Technology Studies) is a combined, multi-discipline group of inter-NASA center scientists and engineers, net-working and collaborating with representatives of industry and academia, for the purpose of conducting planetary surface exploration-focused remote field exercises. These integrated testing exercises conducted under representative analog Lunar and Mars surface terrain conditions, provide NASA the capability to validate experimental prototype hardware and software systems as well as to evaluate and develop mission operational techniques in order to identify and establish technical requirements and identify potential technology "gaps" applicable for future planetary human exploration. The 2007 D-RATS field campaign test activities were initiated based on the major themes and objectives of a notional 5-year plan developed for conducting relative analog test activities in support of the engineering evaluation and assessment of various system architectural requirements, conceptual prototype support equipment and selected technologies necessary for the establishment of a lunar outpost. Specifically, the major objectives included measuring task efficiency during robot, human, and human-robot interactive tasks associated with lunar outpost site surveying and reconnaissance activities and deployment of a representative solar panel power and distribution system. In addition, technology demonstrations were conducted with a new Lithium-ion battery and autonomous software to coordinate multiple robot activities. Secondary objectives were evaluating airlock concept mockups and prototype removable space suit over-garment elements for dust mitigation, and upgrades to the prototype extravehicular activities (EVA) communication and information system. Dry run test activities, prior to testing at a designated remote field site location, were initially conducted at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) Remote Field Demonstration Test Site. This is a multi-acre external test site located at JSC and has detailed representative terrain features simulating both Lunar and Mars surface characteristics. Both the local JSC and remote field test sites have terrain conditions that are representative and characteristic of both the Moon and Mars, such as strewn rock and volcanic ash fields, craters, rolling plains, hills, gullies, slopes, and outcrops. The D-RATS 2007 field campaign, representing the completion of its tenth year of analog testing, was conducted at the large Cinder Lake volcanic ash bed area adjacent to Flagstaff, Arizona.

Kosmo, Joseph↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Metallic Environmentally Resistant Coating Rapid Innovation Initiative

Lightweight alloys such as aluminum (Al) and titanium (Ti) are often specified for space systems to minimize mass while maintaining structural integrity [1,2]. Such alloys however, have poor tribological response (high friction and wear), especially in extreme space environments, which becomes worse with the additional presence of lunar regolith. This leads to short lifetimes and premature failures that will ultimately limit long term operations on the lunar surface [2]. This project is addressing this technology gap by developing advanced wear- and radiation-resistant coatings for lightweight parts to extend the life-time and sustainability of both lunar and Martian assets. Ceramics were considered for their high wear resistance, but were rejected because of their low fracture toughness, which would be especially problematic for structural components. The novel and existing coating technologies and deposition methods are being tested in this project. The coating materials are Boron Nitride-Aluminum (BN-Al), Nickle Titanium (NiTi), Aluminum Oxide (AlO3), Ti64 with hBN at 2 and 10 vol percent (Ti-2vol%hBN and Ti-10vol%hBN), and the deposition techniques are high pressure cold-spray (CS) and ambient and vacuum plasma-spray (APS and VPS) [3,4,5]. BN-Al, NiTi, Ti-2vol%hBN, and Ti-10vol%hBN were applied with all three deposition techniques, and AlO3 was applied only using the APS deposition technique. A tungstenite (WS2) film was applied to the NiTi VPS coating. The coating and deposition technique configurations are being tested against several key end-use performance parameters. The parameters include the capabilities of the coatings under wear environments such as regolith simulant, thermal cycling from high (120°C) to cryogenic (-173°C), high vacuum (~10-7 torr), and pre- and post-exposure to ionizing particle radiation. Wear tests include pin on disk, three-body abrasion, and surface erosion by high velocity regolith impacts. The initial down selection is being performed using on virgin and environmental exposure samples using pin on disk and three body abrasion wear tests. From preliminary assessment of this testing, a few configurations were eliminated. Ti-10vol%hBN could not be applied using CS application and NiTi could not be applied using APS or CS application so these configurations did not get tested. Early pin on disk wear tests showed poor wear performance of BN-Al so this coating was eliminated early in the testing process. AlO3 on Al substrate did not survive thermal cycling, but wear testing is continuing for AlO3 on Ti substrate. A more detailed analysis is being con-ducted to further reduce the number of configuration for phase II and III. Phase II testing will include conventionally and additively manufactured substrates with surface erosion testing. In phase III, the coatings will be applied to three mechanism types: channel and slot, ball and socket, and a hinge joint. Each will demonstrate a different type of wear incidence. The mechanisms and their base materials are of direct interest to the end users and infusion points: the Human Landing System (HLS) and the Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative (sustained lunar surface operations). The technology development project is based out of Marshall Space Flight Center, has partnered with Florida International University (Miami, FL) and Plasma Processes (Huntsville, Al), and is supported by a group of NASA mentors from different centers.

dust mitigation↗
NASA NTRS2018

Centennial Challenges Program Update: From Humanoids to 3D-Printing Houses on Mars, How the Public Can Advance Technologies for NASA and the Nation

The Centennial Challenges (CC) program, part of NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD), was founded upon the principle that engaging the public at large was a very important part of garnering the true magnitude of grassroots American innovation and ingenuity. The program uses a focused problem-statement approach to obtain solutions and/or stimulate innovation in key NASA technology gaps by catalyzing sources outside of the traditional aerospace community. The CC program announced the first two challenge competitions in 2005 incentivizing the public to participate using a congressionally authorized prize purse. Since then, the program has developed and executed more than 18 competitions and has awarded over $9 million in prize money. The challenges have covered a variety of technology areas, including propulsion, robotics, communications and navigation, human health, science instrumentation, nanotech, materials and structures, and aerodynamics. Centennial Challenges' accomplishments from October 2016 to December 2017--including significant increases in the amount and diversity of participants; increase in prize purse awards; strong alignments with NASA missions; and partnerships with industry, academia, and other government agencies-are summarized in this paper. Technological advancements, communication strategies, and legal authority are also discussed. NASA is leading the government agencies in the area of prizes and competitions to push technologies, and the CC program is one powerful example of NASA's continuing commitment to technological advancement and innovation through non-traditional programs. Currently, the Agency has in place the proven infrastructure, policies, and people needed to enable the successful use of competition tools, including the ones used as part of the CC program.

Centennial Challenge Prize↗
DOE OSTI2016

High-Average-Power Diffraction Pulse-Compression Gratings Enabling Next-Generation Ultrafast Laser Systems

Pulse compressors for ultrafast lasers have been identified as a technology gap in the push towards high peak power systems with high average powers for industrial and scientific applications. Gratings for ultrashort (sub-150fs) pulse compressors are metallic and can absorb a significant percentage of laser energy resulting in up to 40% loss as well as thermal issues which degrade on-target performance. We have developed a next generation gold grating technology which we have scaled to the petawatt-size. This resulted in improvements in efficiency, uniformity and processing as compared to previous substrate etched gratings for high average power. This new design has a deposited dielectric material for the grating ridge rather than etching directly into the glass substrate. It has been observed that average powers as low as 1W in a compressor can cause distortions in the on-target beam. We have developed and tested a method of actively cooling diffraction gratings which, in the case of gold gratings, can support a petawatt peak power laser with up to 600W average power. We demonstrated thermo-mechanical modeling of a grating in its use environment and benchmarked with experimental measurement. Multilayer dielectric (MLD) gratings are not yet used for these high peak power, ultrashort pulse durations due to their design challenges. We have designed and fabricated broad bandwidth, low dispersion MLD gratings suitable for delivering 30 fs pulses at high average power. This new grating design requires the use of a novel Out Of Plane (OOP) compressor, which we have modeled, designed, built and tested. This prototype compressor yielded a transmission of 90% for a pulse with 45 nm bandwidth, and free of spatial and angular chirp. In order to evaluate gratings and compressors built in this project we have commissioned a joule-class ultrafast Ti:Sapphire laser system. Combining the grating cooling and MLD technologies developed here could enable petawatt laser systems to operate at 50kW average power.

42 ENGINEERING↗