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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 1,801 records · Page 100

Time-History Data of Maneuvers Performed by an F-86A Airplane During Squadron Operational Training

Preliminary results of one phase of a control-motion study program are presented in the form of plots of load factor.and angular acceleration against indicated airspeed and of time histories of several measured quantities. The results were obtained from 197 maneuvers performed by an F-86A jet-fighter airplane during normal squadron operational training. Most of the tactical maneuver8 of which the F-86A is capable were performed at pressure altitudes ranging from 0 to 32,000 feet and at indicated airspeeds ranging from 95 to 650 miles per hour.

Henderson, Campbell↗

Constellations of elliptical inclined lunar orbits providing polar and global coverage

Prior results have developed a methodology for selecting a long-lived constellation of 3 satellites that provide persistent, stable coverage to either the North or South Pole with no requirement for stationkeeping under the influence of only gravitational perturbations. In the present study, the sensitivity of this coverage in the presence of non-gravitational forces is determined, and a design strategy is formulated that minimizes any potential sensitivity to these accelerations.

lunar constellation design↗

PowerCell aboard the EuCROPIS satellite - Results from the first synthetic biology experiment in space

Synthetic biology is the design and construction of new biological parts and systems not found in nature, a technology that we believe will be a game-changing technology for space exploration. The PowerCell concept is an ecology based on photosynthetic microbes taking advantage of in situ materials and energy to generate, on-demand, useful products (food, fuel, cloths, drugs, etc.) that satisfy specific needs of long-term human presence away from Earth. This first PowerCell experiment is testing this concept as well as several key mechanisms of engineering biology in a 48-well plate microfluidics system. NASA's PowerCell experiment was loaded in the fluidics system at NASA Ames in May 2016, and subsequently integrated on the DLR's compact satellite Eu:CROPIS (Euglena Combined Regenerative Organic food Production In Space), as a secondary payload. Launched into Earth’s orbit from the Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, USA, in December 3, 2019, the Eu:CROPIS platform has provided an artificial gravity through rotational acceleration, simulating gravity ranges compatible to those found on Mars and on the Moon, as well as microgravity in the absence of acceleration. Each set of biological experiments performed at Earth's orbit was compared to ground controls. Over 400 days' worth of mission data showed that all hardware and software worked as planned, and microbial growth was observed in all four gravity regimes, including growth on cyanobacterial cell extract in three out of four gravity regimes. The genetic transformation experiment was successful in microgravity and provided valuable long-term reagent stability data, including antibiotic efficacy. The demonstrated ability of hardy bacterial spores to recover from a long-term stasis period will be fundamental for deep human space missions. Lessons learned from hardware design to experimental operations are leading to improved designs and capabilities for future missions.

Ivan Glaucio Paulino Lima↗

Uncrewed Aerial Systems for Emergency Medical First Response: A Market Research Report

This report presents the findings from market research conducted for NASA’s Aerial Aid Convergent Aeronautics Solutions (CAS) exploration project, which aims to assess the current state of the market and technological readiness for Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) for medical emergency first response. The research reveals a robust and rapidly growing market for UAS, with a notable emerging sector for Drones as First Responders (DFR). Despite this growth, DFR applications are currently limited by regulatory, technical, and other challenges, which restrict their use primarily to manned remote video surveillance, and therefore are primarily employed by police units. To our knowledge, there is no evidence of UAS being utilized by medical first responders for scene assessment. Limited evidence exists for closely related applications; however, these are mostly confined to pilot programs for the delivery of medical supplies or equipment. Although there has been discussion around fully autonomous DFR applications for medical purposes such as UAS ambulances or patient transport drones, these applications are generally not yet operational in practice. The technology for full autonomy, especially in guidance and control, has seen significant advancements, and recent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)regulations are likely to accelerate adoption. Computer vision algorithms for fully autonomous medical emergency response scene surveillance are primed for advancement and deployment. A notable gap likely exists between advancements in computer vision research and what is being integrated in the commercial DFR sector. This gap is primarily due to challenges such as quality assurance for autonomous systems, the availability of application-specific training datasets for computer vision algorithms, regulatory constraints, and public perception and privacy concerns.

Joshua M Fody↗

Design Methodology: ASICs with complex in-pixel processing for Pixel Detectors

The development of Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC) for pixel detectors with complex in-pixel processing using Computer Aided Design (CAD) tools that are, themselves, mainly developed for the design of conventional digital circuits requires a specialized approach. Mixed signal pixels often require parasitically aware detailed analog front-ends and extremely compact digital back-ends with more than 1000 transistors in small areas below 100μm x 100μm. These pixels are tiled to create large arrays, which have the same clock distribution and data readout speed constraints as in, for example, micro-processors. The methodology uses a modified mixed-mode on-top digital implementation flow to not only harness the tool efficiency for timing and floor-planning but also to maintain designer control over compact parasitically aware layout.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Application of stochastic optimal reduced state feedback gain computation procedures to the design of aircraft gust alleviation controllers

A stochastic linear model that accounts for process parameter and initial uncertainty, measurement noise, and a restricted number of measurable outputs was used to determine feedback gains useful for reducing the vertical acceleration which results from the presence of a vertical wind gust. Considered in the study were the influence of various feedback configurations, the effects of sensor noise, flight condition changes, and initialization procedures. Results showed that for sixth order linearized longitudinal motion, a controller with feedback on three states could be designed for effective gust alleviation taking into account both sensor noise and flight condition variation.

Sobel, K.↗

Precise and ultra-stable laser polarization control for polarized electron beam generation

Parity-violating scattering of helicity-flipping polarized electron beam has developed over the past decades into a key tool to study both the structure of electroweak interaction and the structure of nucleons. It has been used in the success of many nuclear physics programs such as HAPPEX in Jefferson Lab’s Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF). The helicity-flipping polarized electrons are generated by using circular polarized laser whose polarization is flipped by a polarization controller. Raytum Photonics will develop a precise and ultra-stable circular laser polarization flipping system. This system uses our state-of-art transverse dual DKDP crystal modulator driven by our innovative digital voltage switching driver. It will help to achieve the objectives specified in the topic 29e to develop polarized electron beam sources with high flipping frequency (<2 kHz) and very small helicity-correlation changes in beam parameters. In Phase I, we developed the dual DKDP crystal modulator and the voltage switching driver. The performance of the modulator met almost all of the specifications proposed in Phase I proposal. We also built a bench top laser polarization flipping system and performed laser-table study in beam laboratory of physics department at University of Virginia and demonstrated the system’s potential to meet high precision for next generation parity-violating experiment such as MOLLER experiment.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Residual Dose and Environmental Monitoring for the Fermilab Main Injector Tunnel Using the Data Acquisition Logging Engine (Dale)

The Recycler and the Main Injector are part of the Fermilab Accelerator complex used to deliver proton beam to the different experiments. It is very important to control and minimize losses in both machines during operation, to reduce personnel dose from residual activation and to preserve component lifetime. To minimize losses, we need to identify the loss points and adjust the components accordingly. The Data Acquisition Loss Engine (DALE) platform has been developed within the Main Injector department and upgraded throughout the years. DALE is used to survey the entire enclosure for residual dose rates and environmental readings when unrestricted access to the enclosure is possible. Currently DALE has two radiation meters, which are aligned along each machine, so loss points can be identified for both at the same time. DALE attaches to the enclosure carts and is continuously in motion monitoring dose rates and other environmental readings. In this paper we will describe how DALE is used to provide radiation maps of the residual dose rates in the enclosure. We will also compare the loss points with the Beam Loss monitor data.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

One shot methods for optimal control of distributed parameter systems 1: Finite dimensional control

The efficient numerical treatment of optimal control problems governed by elliptic partial differential equations (PDEs) and systems of elliptic PDEs, where the control is finite dimensional is discussed. Distributed control as well as boundary control cases are discussed. The main characteristic of the new methods is that they are designed to solve the full optimization problem directly, rather than accelerating a descent method by an efficient multigrid solver for the equations involved. The methods use the adjoint state in order to achieve efficient smoother and a robust coarsening strategy. The main idea is the treatment of the control variables on appropriate scales, i.e., control variables that correspond to smooth functions are solved for on coarse grids depending on the smoothness of these functions. Solution of the control problems is achieved with the cost of solving the constraint equations about two to three times (by a multigrid solver). Numerical examples demonstrate the effectiveness of the method proposed in distributed control case, pointwise control and boundary control problems.

Taasan, Shlomo↗

Real-time reconstruction and control of pedestal-top electron density using RMP and gas puff at KSTAR

We report the experimental results of controlling the pedestal-top electron density by applying resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP) with in-vessel control coils and the main gas puff in the 2024-2025 KSTAR experimental campaign. The density is reconstructed using a parameterized $ψ_N$ grid and five channels of line-averaged density measured by the two-colored interferometer (TCI). The reconstruction procedure is accelerated by deploying a multi-layer perceptron to run in approximately 120 µ s and is sufficiently fast for real-time control. A proportional-integral controller was adopted, with the controller gains estimated from the system identification procedure. The experimental results demonstrate that the developed controller can follow a dynamic target while exclusively using both actuators. The absolute percentage errors between the electron density at $ψ_N$ = 0.89 and the target were approximately 1.5% median and a 2.5% average, respectively. The developed controller can even lower the density by using the pump-out mechanism under RMP, and it can follow a more dynamic range of density targets than a single actuator controller. The developed controller will enable experimental scenario exploration within a shot by dynamically setting the density target or maintaining a constant electron density within a discharge.

EFIT↗

Control of electron recollision and molecular nonsequential double ionization

Abstract Intense laser pulses lasting a few optical cycles, are able to ionize molecules via different mechanisms. One such mechanism involves a process whereby within one optical period an electron tunnels away from the molecule, and is then accelerated and driven back as the laser field reverses its direction, colliding with the parent molecule and causing correlated non-sequential double ionization (NSDI). Here we report control over NSDI via spectral-phase pulse shaping of femtosecond laser pulses. The measurements are carried out on ethane molecules using shaped pulses. We find that the shaped pulses can enhance or suppress the yield of dications resulting from electron recollision by factors of 3 to 6. This type of shaped pulses is likely to impact all phenomena stemming from electron recollision processes induced by strong laser fields such as above threshold ionization, high harmonic generation, attosecond pulse generation, and laser-induced electron diffraction.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Human vs autonomous control of planetary roving vehicles

Supervisory or semiautonomous control has some compelling advantages over step-by-step human command and verification for the operation of roving vehicles on remote planetary surfaces. There are also disadvantages in relation to the complex system that must be mobilized and the chain of events that must be enacted to conduct a mission. Which of the two control methods is better on technical grounds may not be the deciding factor in its acceptance or rejection. Some of the issues that affect changes in spacecraft design and operation are summarized. To accelerate the movement toward more autonomous machines, it will be necessary to understand and to address the problems that such autonomy will create for other elements of the control system and for the control process.

Whitney, W. M.↗

Simulation of Heavy Lift Airship dynamics over large ranges of incidence and speed

A nonlinear, multibody, six-degrees-of-freedom digital simulation has been developed to study generic Heavy Lift Airship (HLA) dynamics and control. The basic aerodynamic functions developed to model the hull, tail, and rotor loads continuously over all incidence ranges are reviewed and applied to a Quadrotor HLA with a low fineness ratio hull and a small vee-tail. Trim calculations for a test vehicle suggest control power deficiencies in crosswind stationkeeping for the unloaded vehicle. Gust responses show the importance of correctly calculating loads due to accelerated relative motion of air and hull. Numerically linearized dynamics for the test vehicle show the existence of a divergent yaw mode, and an oscillatory pitch mode whose stability characteristics are sensitive to flight speed. A considerable improvement in the vehicle's stability and response results from a simple multi-axis closed-loop control system operating on the rotors and propeller blades.

Tischler, M. B.↗

Steady Spills, Stronger Signals: Machine Learning for Slow Spill Analysis

Particle accelerator experiments rely on stable, consistent proton beams to maximize scientific discovery. This presentation introduces beam spills, duty factor, and beam stability using a meteor shower analogy before exploring how feedback control and machine learning, including recurrent neural networks (RNNs), can analyze spill data, identify patterns, and predict beam behavior. Together, these approaches support beam optimization and improve our understanding of accelerator performance for experiments such as Mu2e.

Prescott, Matthew J. [Fermilab]↗

Research on measurement and control of helicopter rotor response using blade-mounted accelerometers 1990-91

Wind tunnel testing of the full-size Model 412/IBC rotor performed at the NASA Ames Research Center is described. The use of blade-mounted accelerometers is found to be feasible for estimating or measuring blade flapping, lagging, and bending accelerations, rates, and displacements. Application of the imaginary swash plate concept to IBC systems leads to useful filtering of the blade accelerometer signals while permitting the control of a four-bladed rotor using measurements from any three blades. Rotor state measurements in the rotating system can be transformed to the corresponding nonrotating rotor states using the IBC algorithm with its associated filtering properties.

Ham, Norman D.↗

Start-to-End Simulation of the Drive-Beam Longitudinal Dynamics for Beam-Driven Wakefield Acceleration

Collinear beam-driven wakefield acceleration (WFA) relies on shaped driver beam to provide higher accelerating gradient at a smaller cost and physical footprint. This acceleration scheme is currently envisioned to accelerate electron beams capable of driving free-electron laser *. Start-to-end simulation of drive-bunch beam dynamics is crucial for the evaluation of the design of accelerators built upon WFA. We report the start-to-end longitudinal beam dynamics simulations of an accelerator beamline capable of producing high charge drive beam. The generated wakefield when it passes through a corrugated waveguide results in a transformer ratio of 5. This paper especially discusses the challenges and criteria associated with the generation of temporally-shaped driver beam, including the beam formation in the photoinjector, and the influence of energy chirp control on beam transport stability.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Quantifying Reaction and Rate Heterogeneity in Battery Electrodes in 3D through Operando X-ray Diffraction Computed Tomography

In composite battery electrode architectures, local limitations in ionic and electronic transport can result in nonuniform energy storage reactions. Understanding such reaction heterogeneity is important to optimizing battery performance, including rate capability and mitigating degradation and failure. Here, we use spatially resolved X-ray diffraction computed tomography to map the reaction in a composite electrode based on the LiFePO 4 active material as it undergoes charge and discharge. Accelerated reactions at the electrode faces in contact with either the separator or the current collector demonstrate that both ionic and electronic transport limit the reaction progress. The data quantify how nonuniformity of the electrode reaction leads to variability in the charge/discharge rate, both as a function of time and position within the electrode architecture. Importantly, this local variation in the reaction rate means that the maximum rate that individual cathode particles experience can be substantially higher than the average, control charge/discharge rate, by a factor of at least 2-5 times. As a result, this rate heterogeneity may accelerate rate-dependent degradation pathways in regions of the composite electrode experiencing faster-than-average reaction and has important implications for understanding and optimizing rate-dependent battery performance. Benchmarking multiscale continuum model parameters against the observed reaction heterogeneity permits extension of these models to other electrode geometries.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Introduction to Superconducting RF Structures and the Effect of High Pressure Rinsing

This presentation begins by describing RF superconductivity and SRF accelerating structures. Then the use of superconducting RF structures in a number of accelerators around the world is reviewed; for example, the International Linear Collider (ILC) will use ~16,000 SRF cavities with ~2,000 cryomodules to get 500 GeV e⁺/e⁻ colliding energy. Field emission control was (and still is) a very important practical issue for SRF cavity development. It has been found that high-pressure ultrapure water rinsing as a final cleaning step after chemical surface treatment resulted in consistent performance of single- and multicell superconducting cavities.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

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