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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

GL4U: GeneLab for Colleges and Universities

GeneLab for Colleges and Universities (GL4U) will provide space biology-relevant training in bioinformatics to the next generation of scientists through direct and indirect approaches. The GeneLab (GL) team will host two annual data processing bootcamps, one for college-level students (direct) and one for college educators (indirect – Training of Trainers), in which participants learn to analyze space-relevant omics data hosted on GL. The first bootcamp took place in early June 2021 with about 30 SJSU undergraduate students and covered space biology-specific lectures and hands-on instruction using Jupyter Notebooks (JNs) for RNA sequence (RNAseq) data analysis. All training materials including the enclosed files listed below will be made publicly available on GitHub. RNAseq Bootcamp Lectures (attached in combined file): Introduction to NASA, Space Biology, GeneLab, and the Command Line: NASA_GL_CL_Intro_FINAL.pdf - DRAFT from initial submission NASA_SB_GL_CL_Intro_FULL.pdf - FINAL version presented during the bootcamp - only minor edits from the draft version RNAseq and Data Processing Overview: RNAseq_Overview_FINAL.pdf - DRAFT from initial submission RNAseq_Overview_FULL.pdf - FINAL version presented during the bootcamp - only minor edits from the draft version Overview of the Statistics Used for RNAseq Data Analysis: SJSU_Statistics_Intro_Lecture_FINAL.pdf - DRAFT from initial submission Statistics_Overview_FULL.pdf - FINAL version presented during the bootcamp - only minor edits from the draft version Completed JNs in HTML format (attached in combined file): Unix_Intro_JN_06-2021_completed.html R_Intro_JN_06-2021_completed.html RNAseq_fastq_to_counts_JN_06-2021_completed.html RNAseq_DGE_JN_06-2021_completed.html RNAseq Bootcamp Recordings (attached): GL4U_RNAseq_Bootcamp_June_2021_Pilot_Day1_Part_1_of_5.mp4 GL4U_RNAseq_Bootcamp_June_2021_Pilot_Day1_Part_2_of_5.mp4 GL4U_RNAseq_Bootcamp_June_2021_Pilot_Day1_Part_3_of_5.mp4 *There were issues with the part 4 recording so that is not available GL4U_RNAseq_Bootcamp_June_2021_Pilot_Day1_Part_5_of_5.mp4 GL4U_RNAseq_Bootcamp_June_2021_Pilot_Day2_Part_1_of_3.mp4 GL4U_RNAseq_Bootcamp_June_2021_Pilot_Day2_Part_2_of_3.mp4 GL4U_RNAseq_Bootcamp_June_2021_Pilot_Day2_Part_3_of_3.mp4 GL4U_RNAseq_Bootcamp_June_2021_Pilot_Day3_Part_1_of_4.mp4 GL4U_RNAseq_Bootcamp_June_2021_Pilot_Day3_Part_2_of_4.mp4 GL4U_RNAseq_Bootcamp_June_2021_Pilot_Day3_Part_3_of_4.mp4 GL4U_RNAseq_Bootcamp_June_2021_Pilot_Day3_Part_4_of_4.mp4 GL4U_RNAseq_Bootcamp_June_2021_Pilot_Day4_Part_1_of_4.mp4 GL4U_RNAseq_Bootcamp_June_2021_Pilot_Day4_Part_2_of_4.mp4 GL4U_RNAseq_Bootcamp_June_2021_Pilot_Day4_Part_3_of_4.mp4 GL4U_RNAseq_Bootcamp_June_2021_Pilot_Day4_Part_4_of_4.mp4 GL4U_RNAseq_Bootcamp_June_2021_Pilot_Day5_Part_1_of_4.mp4 GL4U_RNAseq_Bootcamp_June_2021_Pilot_Day5_Part_2_of_4.mp4 GL4U_RNAseq_Bootcamp_June_2021_Pilot_Day5_Part_3_of_4.mp4 GL4U_RNAseq_Bootcamp_June_2021_Pilot_Day5_Part_4_of_4.mp4

GeneLab↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Impact histories inferred from exogenic boulders on asteroids Ryugu and Bennu

Rubble-pile asteroids, such as (162173) Ryugu and (101955) Bennu, are formed as a result of catastrophic disruption of a parent body and re-accumulation of the fragments by self-gravity. Therefore, reaccumulated rubble piles could include mixtures of materials from both the parent body and its catastrophic impactor, as they did in the case of 2008 TC3 and the Almahata Sitta meteorites (Jenniskens et al. 2009). Indeed, six unusually bright, basaltic, meter-scale boulders were recently identified on Bennu’s dark surface (DellaGiustina et al. 2021), and their close spectral matches to the Howardite-Eucrite-Diogenite (HED) meteorites and Vesta family members indicate that they originated from asteroid (4) Vesta. In parallel, bright exogenic anhydrous-silicate–rich materials were found on Ryugu (Tatsumi et al. 2021). The bright boulders on Ryugu are consistent with ordinary chondrite meteorites, based on their albedo and weak or even absent absorption band at 2 µm. These exogenous materials on the surfaces of rubble-pile asteroids could be a key to constraining their specific impact conditions and collisional evolution. In this study, we report further study of the visible spectrophotometry and morphology of exogenic boulders on Ryugu and Bennu using two multi-band cameras: the telescopic Optical Navigation Camera (ONC-T) onboard the Hayabusa2 spacecraft, and MapCam onboard the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security–Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft, respectively. For Ryugu, we first detected objects with peak reflectance brighter by a factor of >1.5 than the surrounding area. Tatsumi et al. (2021) found two spectral groups among the bright boulders: S-type with an absorption near 1 µm and C/X-type with a flat spectrum. That study found 6 S-types and 15 C/X-types, and in this work we additionally find one S-type and ~70 C/X-types. We found that S-type bright boulders follow two parallel trends consistent with space weathering of ordinary chondrites. Fragments from projectiles suggest that Ryugu may not have formed directly from the original parent body, i.e., it is from a second or higher generation of collisional descendants (Sugimoto et al. in revision). For Bennu, we directly surveyed absorption near 1 µm, which is indicative of anhydrous silicates. We propose 77 objects of exogenic origin including 6 boulders previously reported by DellaGiustina et al. (2021). We find that proposed exogenic objects follow two mixing trends with respect to the average spectrum of Bennu (Tatsumi and Popescu et al. submitted). One trend can be explained by mixing with HED as discussed in DellaGiustina et al. (2021), and the other trend can be explained by mixing with another, olivine-rich composition. Near-infrared spectra also support the possibility of multiple compositions among exogenic objects on Bennu. Thus, similar to Ryugu, Bennu could represent a second or higher generation. Using high-resolution images, we found that more than half of the exogenic objects that we identified on Bennu have breccia-like or inclusion-like morphologies. We do not observe a correlation between morphology and spectral shape. Direct comparison of reflectance spectra of exogenic object spectra between Ryugu and Bennu suggests a compositional difference. Furthermore, the number density of exogenic objects > 0.5 m on Bennu is ~40 times that on Ryugu (Tatsumi and Popescu et al. submitted). Bennu exhibits much more contamination from exogenic materials than Ryugu, which likely reflects differences in impact conditions, such as impact velocity and impactor size.

E. Tatsumi↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA’s Human Landing System: Enabling the Next Generation of Lunar Science

The Human Landing System (HLS) is the mode of transportation that will take astronauts to the lunar surface as part of NASA's Artemis exploration program. HLS also serves as a research platform both on the surface and in lunar orbit, enabling critical scientific investigations on and of the Moon. With support at NASA centers around the country, the HLS program, based at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, is working closely with its commercial partners throughout the development process to design and build innovative and technically advanced lunar landers – new vehicles designed for the modern era of space travel – leveraging decades of human spaceflight experience and the speed of the commercial sector. In 2019, NASA asked U.S. industry for proposals to design and develop a human lander for the first human mission to the lunar surface under Artemis. Initial contracts were awarded to Blue Origin Federation, Dynetics, and SpaceX to advance their designs. Following the execution of the ten-month Base Period, NASA announced in April 2021 that the agency selected SpaceX to move forward with its human landing system [1] and land the first two astronauts on the lunar surface during the Artemis III mission. Following two protest periods, NASA awarded the contract, known as Option A, to SpaceX in July 2021 and resumed work in November 2021 (Fig. 1). In parallel, the HLS program has been preparing for the acquisition that will procure regular crewed transportation to the lunar surface following Artemis III. NASA released a request for information (RFI) in July 2021 asking U.S. industry for feedback to help inform the future solicitation, known as Lunar Exploration Transportation Services (LETS) [2]. Also in July 2021, NASA released the NextSTEP-2 Appendix N broad agency announcement soliciting new work from U.S. industry to mature their HLS designs and perform risk reduction activities in advance of the LETS procurement [3]. NASA selected Blue Origin Federation, Dynetics, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and SpaceX to participate [4]. This work will also help better inform the LETS procurement and prepare industry to propose. NASA hopes to release a draft request for proposals (RFP) in Spring 2022.

R C Weber↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

From Apollo to Artemis: How Processing ANGSA Core Samples 73001/2 Can Help to Prepare for Future Sample Return Missions to the Moon and Beyond.

Introduction: Apollo Sample 73001/2 is a ~71cm long double drive tube consisting of an upper part (73002) and a lower part (73001) that contains regolith collected near Lara Crater at the Apollo 17 site, Station 3. The double drive tube is believed to have penetrated a lunar landslide deposit that was transported from the slope of the South Massif into the Taurus-Littrow Valley [1]. As part of the ANGSA (Apollo Next Generation Sample Analyses) initiative, preparing a preliminary examination (PE) catalog of 73001/2 is a crucial first step for the early identification of material types such as rock fragments and potential stratigraphy within the core. Many new curation and scientific tools such as X-ray computed tomography (XCT) [3], multi-spectral imaging [4], and gas extraction manifold with piercing tool [5-7], have been applied to the ANGSA core to benefit curation strategy, PE efforts, sample allocation to the planetary science community, and ultimately help to prepare for future sample return missions like Artemis. 73001/2 Preliminary Examination and Processing: Sample 73002 was successfully opened and extruded in Nov. 2019 and fully dissected at the end of 2021. Sample 73001 (Fig. 1) was successfully extruded in March 2022 after careful planning before opening the Core Sample Vacuum Container (CSVC) that was holding the drive tube of 73001. XCT, as part of PE, was used to scan the bottom and top part of the 73001 core tube within the CSVC prior to opening it to 1) facilitate non-destructive, rapid detection of any contamination potentials due to piercing of the CSVC during gas extraction [7]; and 2) to aid in the Artemis sample tool development and provide data on the knife edge seal of the CSVC. This knowledge will help us connect the mechanics of the implemented design (i.e., XCT data) to the performance of the seal (i.e., data on the gas samples will tell us how well the seal preserved the volatile record of lunar samples). Both type of information will feed forward into Artemis tool and storage strategies for future samples. Results and Lessons learned: The XCT data of the CSVC and core tube within showed that the bottom Teflon cap was not pierced during gas extraction (Fig. 1c) and thus, the sample integrity remained guaranteed during piercing and subsequent gas extraction. However, the XCT scan of the top of the core (Fig. 1b) revealed that the drive tube was overfilled with lunar soil and the tool that keeps the soil constrained within the drive tube was not fully deployed. These preliminary data allowed us to implement the necessary steps to prevent loss of sample integrity, including any potential stratigraphy shifts during extrusion. Processing Apollo core 73001/2, creating an informative PE catalog, and applying new and refined tools and technologies for sample analyses are invaluable activities that will assist in circumventing any potential pitfalls, aid in the characterization of samples, and help in the assessment of how well any lunar material has been collected and preserved in the past. This will aid in designing future sample collections and curation procedures and help to prepare for future human exploration and sampling missions such as Artemis. References: [1] Schmitt H. (2017) Icarus 298, 2-33. [3] Zeigler et al. (2021) LPSC 52nd, #2632; [4] Sun et al. (2021), LPSC 52nd, #1789; [5] Parai et al. (2021), LPSC 52nd #2665; [6] Schild et al. (2021) LPSC 52nd #1888; [7] McDonald (2022) ESL 2022.

ANGSA↗