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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 NTRS2019

Multi-Channel Correlator Array-Fed Microwave Radiometer

New antenna feed technology is needed for microwave radiometers as aperture sizes continue to increase. Capability for contiguous coverage and spatial Nyquist sampling can be achieved using a multi-beam array-fed reflector architecture adapted from radio astronomy. In this ACT (Advanced Component Technology), a wideband feed array for use in a multi-channel (X-W bands) scanning microwave radiometer is in development. The team, including array provider Nuvotronics Inc., is also developing a laboratory instrument to demonstrate the performance of the array-fed architecture at 36.5 gigahertz using an 80-centimeter projected aperture. The feed array is an 11-element line array based on a microfabricated 8-40 gigahertz feed. Multiple beams are generated by exciting overlapping groups of elements with each group shifted by one element spacing within the array. The modeled antenna patterns reveal six beams with 0.8-degree beamwidth and 0.3-degree spacing. This configuration is also a 1:26 electromagnetic scale model of a 1.41 gigahertz radiometer with a 21-meter aperture. The array-fed architecture for microwave radiometers has the potential to solve the developing need for high-spatial resolution, large aperture instruments. The objective relevancy scenario is a 6-meter aperture X-W band scanning radiometer purposed for high-resolution all-weather imaging of Earth's atmosphere and land, ice and ocean surfaces.

Microwave Radiometer↗
NASA NTRS2006

Miniature Wireless Sensors Size Up to Big Applications

Like the environment of space, the undersea world is a hostile, alien place for humans to live. But far beneath the waves near Key Largo, Florida, an underwater laboratory called Aquarius provides a safe harbor for scientists to live and work for weeks at a time. Aquarius is the only undersea laboratory in the world. It is owned by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), administered by NOAA s National Undersea Research Program, and operated by the National Undersea Research Center at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Aquarius was first deployed in underwater operations in 1988 and has since hosted more than 200 scientists representing more than 90 organizations from around the world. For NASA, Aquarius provides an environment that is analogous to the International Space Station (ISS) and the space shuttle. As part of its NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) program, the Agency sends personnel to live in the underwater laboratory for up to 2 weeks at a time, some of whom are crew members or "aquanauts" who are subjected to the same tasks and challenges underwater that they would face in space. In fact, many participants have found the deep-sea diving experience to be much akin to spacewalking. To maintain Aquarius, the ISS, and the space shuttle as safe, healthy living/research habitats for its personnel, while keeping costs in mind, NASA, in 1997, recruited the help of Conroe, Texas-based Invocon, Inc., to develop wireless sensor technology that monitors and measures various environmental and structural parameters inside these facilities.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2003

Detecting Near-Surface Water and Hydrate Minerals on Mars from a Rover, Penetrator, or Borehole: The HYDRA Instrument

One of the major goals of near term NASA Mars exploration is to identify exact locations of near-surface water or hydrated minerals on Mars. Evidence for the existence of recent nearsurface water on Mars underscores the need for developing instrumentation that can identify water or hydrated minerals very near the surface. Further encouraging evidence of surface and near-surface water and hydrate minerals on Mars comes from neutron spectrometer measurements aboard Mars Odyssey. Preliminary results show very large regions of high hydrogen content poleward of 60 deg. latitude, as well as interesting features closer to the equator. However, spatial resolution from orbit is very poor, approx. 400 km. The next logical step is to use in-situ or near-surface investigations to map in detail some of the most interesting features. Relatively simple instrumentation based on He-3 gas proportional counters were shown to be highly successful on the Lunar Prospector mission in identifying even low levels of enhanced hydrogen abundances. Here we discuss HYDRA, a water- and hydrate-sensing instrument currently being developed under the NASA Mars Instrument Development Program (MIDP). HYDRA is based on Lunar Prospector technology, and is intended as a rover body-mounted instrument, or an instrument on an aerobot, penetrator, hard lander on the surface of Mars, or for borehole stratigraphy applications. Our proposed instrument would be ideal for such platforms as it would be small (less than 7 cm diameter by 10 cm long), low mass (less than 500 g), low power (less than 1W), and have a low data volume per measurement. We use neutron spectrometry (a) because of its proven ability to uniquely detect and quantify hydrogen abundance, and (b) because the resources required by this approach (weight, power, size, telemetry bandwidth, and measurement time) are extremely low. This compact neutron spectrometer package, comprised of two small He-3 gas proportional counters, offers superior sensitivity, extensive flight heritage, and inherent ruggedness. These tubes have survived approx. 1500 g's of acceleration in penetrator tests. In a landed application, HYDRA would help address many topics of interest to the Mars Exploration and Astrobiology communities: (a) nature and origin of stratified deposits; (b) water cycle(s) and temporal changes; (c) early water oceans, aquifers, precipitation; (d) current extent/location/state of water; (e) polar cap processes and temporal changes; (f) where extremeophiles could survive on Mars; (g) paleoclimate surface signatures and modeling; (h) strategies for future Mars exploration.

R C Elphic↗
DOE OSTI2025

Comparisons of the v11.1 Orbiting Carbon Observatory‐2 (OCO‐2) X CO2 Measurements With GGG2020 TCCON

The Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2 (OCO-2) is NASA's first Earth observation satellite mission dedicated to studying the sources and sinks of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) on a global scale. The observations of reflected sunlight are inverted in a retrieval algorithm to produce estimates of the dry air mole-fractions of CO 2 (X CO2 ). The OCO-2 Level 2 data release, version 11.1 (v11.1) retrievals from the Atmospheric Carbon Observations from Space (ACOS) algorithm, includes significant improvements in the X CO2 data product compared to older OCO-2 data versions. This work compares the v11.1 X CO2 from OCO-2 against X CO2 estimates collected from a global ground-based network known as the Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON), OCO-2's primary validation source. The OCO-2 project provides a version of the Level 2 data product, called “lite” files that include calibrated and bias-corrected XCO2 values, accessible together with all OCO-2 data products through the NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC). This work shows that OCO-2 X CO2 observations made between September 2014 and December 2023, after quality filtering and the application of an averaging kernel correction, agree well with coincident TCCON data for all OCO-2 observational modes of land (nadir, glint, target) and ocean (glint). The aggregated, bias-corrected, and quality-filtered absolute average bias values are less than or equal to 0.20 parts per million (ppm) globally for all OCO-2 observation modes, where the biases do not indicate a statistically significant time dependence. The land nadir/glint mode has the lowest bias value of −0.03 ± 0.85 ppm.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2019

Developing a Community of Practice for Applied Uses of Future PACE Data to Address Marine Food Security Challenges

External interaction:The Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission will include a hyperspectral imaging radiometer to advance ecosystem monitoring beyond heritage retrievals of the concentration of surface chlorophyll and other traditional ocean color variables, offering potential for novel science and applications. PACE is the first NASA ocean color mission to occur under the agency's new and evolving effort to directly engage practical end users prior to satellite launch to increase adoption of this freely available data toward societal challenges. Here we describe early efforts to engage a community of practice around marine food-related resource management, business decisions, and policy analysis. Obviously one satellite cannot meet diverse end user needs at all scales and locations, but understanding downstream needs helps in the assessment of information gaps and planning how to optimize the unique strengths of PACE data in combination with the strengths of other satellite retrievals, in situ measurements, and models. Higher spectral resolution data from PACE can be fused with information from satellites with higher spatial or temporal resolution, plus other information, to enable identification and tracking of new marine biological indicators to guide sustainable management. Accounting for the needs of applied researchers as well as non-traditional users of satellite data early in the PACE mission process will ultimately serve to broaden the base of informed users and facilitate faster adoption of the most advanced science and technology toward the challenge of mitigating food insecurity.

Schollaert Uz, Stephanie↗
NASA NTRS2007

Detailed Analysis of Indian Summer Monsoon Rainfall Processes with Modern/High-Quality Satellite Observations

We examine, in detail, Indian Summer Monsoon rainfall processes using modernhigh quality satellite precipitation measurements. The focus here is on measurements derived from three NASA cloud and precipitation satellite missionslinstruments (TRMM/PR&TMI, AQUNAMSRE, and CLOUDSATICPR), and a fourth TRMM Project-generated multi-satellite precipitation measurement dataset (viz., TRMM standard algorithm 3b42) -- all from a period beginning in 1998 up to the present. It is emphasized that the 3b42 algorithm blends passive microwave (PMW) radiometer-based precipitation estimates from LEO satellites with infi-ared (IR) precipitation estimates from a world network of CEO satellites (representing -15% of the complete space-time coverage) All of these observations are first cross-calibrated to precipitation estimates taken from standard TRMM combined PR-TMI algorithm 2b31, and second adjusted at the large scale based on monthly-averaged rain-gage measurements. The blended approach takes advantage of direct estimates of precipitation from the PMW radiometerequipped LEO satellites -- but which suffer fi-om sampling limitations -- in combination with less accurate IR estimates from the optical-infrared imaging cameras on GEO satellites -- but which provide continuous diurnal sampling. The advantages of the current technologies are evident in the continuity and coverage properties inherent to the resultant precipitation datasets that have been an outgrowth of these stable measuring and retrieval technologies. There is a wealth of information contained in the current satellite measurements of precipitation regarding the salient precipitation properties of the Indian Summer Monsoon. Using different datasets obtained from the measuring systems noted above, we have analyzed the observations cast in the form of: (1) spatially distributed means and variances over the hierarchy of relevant time scales (hourly I diurnally, daily, monthly, seasonally I intra-seasonally, and inter-annually), (2) time series at these different time scales taken as area-averages over the hierarchy of relevant space scales (Indian sub-Division, Indian sub-continent, and Circumambient Indian Ocean), (3) principal autocorrelation and cross-correlation structures over various monsoon space-time domains, (4) diurnally modulated amplitude-phase properties of rain rates over different monsoon space-time domains, (5) foremost rain rate probability distributions intrinsic to monsoon precipitation, and (6) behavior of extreme events including occurrences of flood and drought episodes throughout the course of inter-annual monsoon processes.

Smith, Eric A.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Weather and climate extremes in a changing Arctic

Weather and climate extremes are increasingly occurring in the Arctic. Here, in this Review, we evaluate historical and projected changes in rare Arctic extremes across the atmosphere, cryosphere and ocean and elucidate their driving mechanisms. Clear shifts occur in mean and extreme distributions after ~2000. For instance, pre-2000 to post-2000 observational probabilities of 1.5 standard deviation events increase by 20% for atmospheric heat waves, 76.7% for Atlantic layer warm events, 83.5% for Arctic sea ice loss and 62.9% for Greenland Ice Sheet melt extent — in many cases, low probability, rare extreme events in the early period become the norm in the latter period. These observed changes can be explained using a ‘pushing and triggering’ concept, representing interplay between external forcing and internal variability: long-term warming destabilizes the climate system and ‘pushes’ it to a new state, allowing subsequent variability associated with large-scale atmosphere–ocean–ice interactions and synoptic systems to ‘trigger’ extreme events over different timescales. Ongoing anthropogenic warming is expected to further increase the frequency and magnitude of extremes, such that simulated probabilities of 1.5 standard deviation events increase by 72.6% for atmospheric heat waves, 68.7% for Atlantic layer warm events and 93.3% for Greenland Ice Sheet melt rate between historic (1984–2014) and future (2069–2099) periods under a very high emission scenario. Future research should prioritize the development of physically based metrics, enhance high-resolution observation and modelling capabilities and improve understanding of multiscale Arctic climate drivers.

atmospheric dynamics↗
DOE OSTI2025

Seafloor Seismic Noise Patterns Across the Pacific Basin

Seismic hazard monitoring and global tomography efforts are improved by recording signals at a variety of distances and azimuths to maximize subsurface sampling. Although seismic networks provide good to excellent coverage on land, seafloor stations are still sparse. Inclusion of ocean-based data would greatly improve the global coverage of seismic networks, but the use of seafloor seismic data to complement land-based detection and characterization of events is complicated by the generally much higher ambient noise level in the ocean compared to that observed on land. This noise is driven primarily by sea surface waves and tides, but how seismic noise levels vary with location in the oceans is not well described. Here, in this work, we analyze the relationship between ocean surface wave height and seismic noise in the 0.4–4 Hz frequency band at ocean-bottom seismometer deployments across the Pacific basin. We find that a noise-to-responsiveness ratio (NRR)—the median noise level at a station divided by its sea surface wave height responsiveness—correlates negatively with detection success for large teleseismic earthquakes. Stations that are close to land, with relatively shallow ocean and low wind speed, often have lower NRR than open-ocean stations, but the connection between geographic location and earthquake detection success is imperfect.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Gulf of Mexico Offshore Wind Transmission - Literature Review and Gaps Analysis: Environmental Considerations, Community Readiness, and Infrastructure

The ability to effectively and efficiently connect offshore wind energy resources to end users in the Gulf of Mexico, requires coordinated transmission planning to ensure that electric transmission facilities can adequately support future offshore development. The Gulf of Mexico has substantial wind resources in both shallow shelf waters and deeper waters off the shelf where fixed bottom and floating wind technologies would be most appropriate. Most interest in offshore wind development to date has been in the central and western portions of the Gulf of Mexico (Louisiana and Texas) in federal and state waters. As a companion study to other federal activities in the offshore wind transmission space, including the Atlantic Offshore Wind Transmission Literature Review and Gaps Analysis, the Atlantic Offshore Wind Transmission Study, the West Coast Offshore Wind Transmission Literature Review and Gaps Analysis, the West Coast Offshore Wind Transmission Study, and the Advancing Offshore Wind Energy in the United States: U. S. Department of Energy Strategic Contributions Toward 30 Gigawatts and Beyond Report, this literature review and gaps analysis for offshore wind transmission in the Gulf of Mexico builds off previous literature reviews and supports the role of federal leadership to facilitate offshore wind energy. The overarching goal of this document is to identify gaps and lay the groundwork to inform coordinated transmission planning, ocean co-use, existing energy infrastructure, and siting associated with offshore wind energy development in the Gulf of Mexico. There are unique regional considerations for offshore wind transmission, which are summarized herein based on a review and assessment of publicly available information.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2025

The Imprint of Southern Ocean Storms on Modeled Surface Chlorophyll, Their Drivers and Satellite Biases

Southern Ocean (SO) phytoplankton chlorophyll is highly variable on sub-seasonal time scales. Although the SO is the windiest ocean basin globally, it is not conclusively understood how storms impact SO phytoplankton dynamics. Much of our existing knowledge stems from satellites, but biases due to data gaps from cloud cover and low solar angles remain unquantified. Here, we use ocean–sea-ice simulations with the Community Earth System Model to quantify the climatological 1997–2018 imprint of storms on chlorophyll and phytoplankton dynamics in the ice-free SO. Additionally, by comparing the full-field model output to synthetic satellite observations, we quantify sampling biases in satellite-derived estimates. We find that both the sign and the magnitude of the average surface chlorophyll imprint vary substantially across storms but last for at least 4 days after the storm passing. Based on our analysis, more than one third of the storms explain the majority of local non-seasonal chlorophyll variability, but satellite-derived storm imprints are often too large in magnitude. On the day of the storm passing, changes in vertical mixing predominantly cause surface chlorophyll anomalies, and reduced light availability due to enhanced cloud cover outweighs the enhanced nutrient availability due to entrainment. Interestingly, storms imprint differently on total net primary production than on surface chlorophyll, demonstrating the difficulty to derive carbon-cycle impacts from a surface-chlorophyll assessment. With SO future storm activity projected to increase, complementing satellite observations with other observing technologies, for example, profiling floats, is necessary to better constrain how storms impact biological carbon cycling in the SO.

Nissen, Cara [University of Colorado, Boulder, CO ↗
NASA NTRS2016

Innovation at the Edge of Space- An Engine for Global Opportunities

Microgravity based commercial opportunities are broad, with applications ranging from fiber optics, device-grade semiconductor crystals, space beads, new materials, cells microencapsulation, 3D tissues and cell cultures, genetic and molecular changes of immune suppression, protein and virus crystal growth, perfume and hair care. To date, primarily the knowledge gained from observing and understanding new end states of systems unraveled in microgravity has been translated into unique technologies and business opportunities on Earth. In some instances existing flight qualified hardware is immediately available for commercial RD for small-scale in-space manufacturing. Overall, products manufactured in microgravity have key properties usually surpassing the best terrestrial counterparts. Commercially, these products have an attractive touch of space which aids in marketing.The talk will addresses the potential benefits of microgravity research for a variety of terrestrial markets by (1) surveying the level of awareness and interest of parties from different commercial sectors (2) assessing the potential of microgravity to stimulate innovation in future product development and (3) formulating a synergistic strategy to use microgravity for economic growth and public benefit.Our findings originating primarily from discussions with 100+ non-aerospace private companies among the high-tech Silicon Valley ecosystem, show that the opportunities and benefits of using the ISS are largely not considered by experts, primarily due to a lack of awareness of the breadth of terrestrial applications that have been enabled or enhanced by microgravity RD. Based on this dialogue, the concept of microgravity verticals is developed to translate the benefits of the microgravity environment into blue ocean business opportunities for various key US commercial sectors.

orbital economy↗
NASA NTRS2018

Air-Sea Interactions in a High-Resolution Ocean-Atmosphere Simulation

During the past few years the Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) modeling groups have produced, respectively, global atmosphere-only and ocean-only simulations with km-scale grid spacing. These simulations have proved invaluable for process studies and for the development of satellite and in-situ sampling strategies. Nevertheless, a key limitation of these "nature" simulations is the lack of interaction between the ocean and the atmosphere, which limits their usefulness for studying air-sea interactions and for designing observing missions to study these interactions. We present here results from a coupled GEOS-MIT "nature run" simulation, wherein we have coupled a cubed-sphere-720 (~ 1/8) configuration of the GEOS atmosphere to a lat-lon-cap-1080 (~ 1/12) configuration of the MIT ocean. We compare near-surface diagnostics of this fully coupled ocean-atmosphere simulation to equivalent atmosphere-only and ocean-only simulations. A particular focus of the comparisons is the coupled versus uncoupled differences in interactions between Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and ocean surface wind. We discuss, in particular, a several-day mode of temporal variability in the SST-wind cycle and how it is represented in the different model simulations and in observationally-based products. A mechanism for the cycle, which is driven by SST-wind feedback, is proposed.

Strobach, Ehud↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Ceres Planetary Mission Concept Study: Exploration of Ceres' Habitability

Dwarf planet Ceres is a compelling target as an evolved ocean world with recent and potentially ongoing geological activity. As the most water-rich body in the inner solar system after Earth (in absolute abundance), it is a representative of the population of planetesimals that brought volatiles and organics to the inner solar system. And, situated in the Main Belt of Asteroids, it is accessible enough to return a sample from within the resources of a typical medium-class (New Frontiers) NASA mission. Habitability is addressed via a combination of geological, geophysical, and compositional investigations. Past and ongoing activity is addressed via high-resolution imaging and gravity measurements from orbit near landforms interpreted as volcanic structures based on the Dawn observations. The depth of deep brines would be probed via electromagnetic sounding. Sample return would enable a vast range of experimental techniques to be applied with sensitivities and accuracies beyond those feasible with in situ instruments and would benefit from future facilities developments. Sample return could be executed with a single flight system with solar electric propulsion. The baseline design of the sample return capsule is inherited from the OSIRIS-REx mission. This concept also relies on the availability of key technologies: an enhanced landing vision system leveraging investments for Mars 2020; retractable/redeployable solar arrays, which have been demonstrated on the International Space Station but not at Ceres’ gravity; and a new design for sample transfer from the pneumatic sampling system to the sample return capsule based off Honeybee Robotics’ design for the MMX mission. The authors acknowledge support from NASA’s Planetary Mission Concept Study program. The information in this abstract is pre-decisional and is provided for planning and discussion purposes only.

K. E. Miller↗
NASA NTRS2018

Developing a Foundation for Space-Based Two-Phase Thermal Control Systems: Future of 2-Phase Thermal Control

Two-phase thermal control systems in microgravity, with significant density differences between phases, pose challenges for many current and proposed spacecraft systems. Because of the lack of understanding of these effects and the inability to scale multiphase systems in low gravity, NASA generally opts to avoid using two-phase systems for spacecraft despite the significant performance increases and lower mass. The goal of this panel discussion will be to identify key technology gaps and challenges that thermal engineers face today when considering a two-phase thermal management system. The panel discussion will begin with a brief overview of recent and on-going NASA projects designed to elicit a fundamental understanding of gas-liquid two phase behavior as it applies to thermal control systems in the Space environment. The projects/experiments discussed will range from boiling/condensation fundamentals, heat pipes, and cryogenic storage systems. We will identify what fundamental question or questions are being addressed in each case. An overview will be also be presented to address future mission needs and the specific advantages multi-phase systems offer, in particular for low cost planetary science missions and enabling missions in extreme environments. The need for efficient heat transfer with concurrent spatial and temporal temperature stability to reduce thermally-induced noise drives a serious look at multi-phase systems as a solution. Furthermore, missions to environments such as the Venus surface or penetration of ice layers in ocean worlds will likely require them. Time will be allocated at the end of this session to allow comments and questions from attendees. The intent is to use this session as a starting point to advocate for a coordinated technology development effort in this area.

Thermal Control Systems↗
NASA NTRS2004

A GEO Hyperspectral Mission For Continental-Scale Carbon Cycle Observations

For both terrestrial and ocean carbon cycle science objectives, a hyperspectral geostationary sensor should enable the development of new remote sensing measurements for important but as yet unobservable variables, and with the overall goal of linking both terrestrial and ocean carbon cycle processes to climate variability. For terrestrial research, accurate estimates of carbon, water and energy (CWE) exchange between the terrestrial biosphere and atmosphere are needed to identify the geographical locations of carbon sources/sinks and to improve regional climate models and global climate change assessments. It is an enormous challenge to estimate CWE exchange from the infrequent temporal coverage provided by most polar-orbiting satellites, and without benefit of spectral indices that capture vegetation responses to stress conditions that down-regulate photosynthesis. Physiological status can be better assessed with spectral indices based on continuous, narrow (5 nm) bands, as can seasonal and annual terrestrial productivity. For coastal and ocean constituents, narrow-band observations in the ultraviolet and visible are essential to investigate the variability, dynamics and biogeochemical cycles of the world s coastal and open ocean regions, which will in turn help in measuring ocean productivity and predicting the variability of Ocean carbon uptake and its role in climate change scenarios. The GSFC Carbon Team has been pursuing a geostationary hyperspectral instrument, which would revolutionize our knowledge of biological processes on land, in the ocean, and along the coast by providing multiple, diurnal coverage. Preliminary studies in Goddard's Instrument Synthesis and Analysis Laboratory (ISAL) indicate that we can meet many of our science requirements: full spectral coverage (360-1000 nm); narrow bandwidths (5-10 nm); adequate ground resolution (100-200 m); and continental-scale coverage 4-6 times per day; all the while achieving a signal to noise ratio of between 500 and 1000 to 1. However, an innovative and bold focal plane design and a large mirror (1.8 meter diameter) would be required. The development of our science requirements and the results of the initial design study will be presented as well as our most recent technological developments.

Gervin, Janette C.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Lunar and Planetary Science XXXVI, Part 20

The topics include: 1) Virtual Reality Technology as a Tool to Enhance Collaboration Between Space Exploration and Public Outreach: The Case Using the Mars Exploration Rover Images; 2) Atmospheric Electron-induced X-Ray Spectrometer (AEXS) Instrument Development; 3) Impact of Low Thermal Conductivity Layers on the Bulk Conductivity of a Martian Crustal Column; 4) Impacting Classroom Teachers Through Long-Term Professional Development; 5) Oxygen, Ca, and Ti Isotopic Compositions of Hibonite-bearing Inclusions; 6) Phenomenological Excitation Functions of Xe Isotopes with Protons on Nuclei of Cs, La and Ce; 7) Double-Diffusive Convection and Other Modes of Salinity-modulated Heat and Material Transport in Europa s Ocean; 8) Slope Morphologies of the Hellas Mensae Constructs, Eastern Hellas Planitia, Mars; 9) Development of Polygonal Thermal Contraction Patterns in a South Polar Trough, Mars 3 Years of Observations; 10) Martian Relevance of Dehydration and Rehydration in the Mg-Sulfate System; 11) Formation of Martian Volcanic Provinces by Lower Mantle Flushing? 12) Can Glasses Help Us to Unravel the Origin of Barred Olivine Chondrules? 13) Loki Patera: A Magma Sea Story; 14) Compositions of Partly Altered Olivine and Replacement Serpentine in the CM2 Chondrite QUE93005; 15) Model of Light Scattering by Lunar Regolith at Moderate Phase Angles: New Results; 16) Radiation Resistance of a Silicone Polymer Grease Based Regolith Collector for the HERA Near-Earth Asteroid Sample Return Mission; 17) Analysis of the Tectonic Lineaments in the Ganiki Planitia (V14) Quadrangle, Venus; 18) Nanometer-sized Diamonds from AGB Stars; 19) Quantifying Exact Motions Along Lineaments on Europa; 20) Geometry of Thrust Faults Beneath Amenthes Rupes, Mars; 21) Mapping of the Physical Characteristics and Mineral Composition of a Superficial Layer of the Moon or Mars and Ultra-Violet Polarimetry from the Orbital Station; 22) Negative Searches for Evidence of Aqueous Alteration on Asteroid Surfaces; 23) What Processes Have Shaped Basalt Boulders on Earth and Mars? Studies of Feature Persistence Using Facet Mapping and Fractal Analysis; 24) The Popigai Fluidizites: Dense Water Inclusions in Lechatelierite; Evidence for Shock-generated Carbonate and Hydrous Silicate Melts; 25) Missing Xenon Problem and Climate of the Early Earth; and 26) More on Magnetic Spectra from Correlated Crustal Sources on Mars

Source record↗
DOE OSTI2024

Direct Air Capture and Utilization System (DACUS): FEED Study of CarbonCapture Inc. DAC and CarbonCure Utilization Technologies Using United States Steel’s Gary Works Plant Waste Heat

The effects of climate change are drastically perceived through the alarming rates of severe events such as flooding, hurricanes, wildfires, global temperature rise, sea-level rise, and ocean acidification etc., which has prompted the nations across the globe to control & reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, by massive adoption of electric vehicles, switching to renewal energy sources and promoting sustainable green products. However, recent climate studies have shown that such efforts will not be enough to keep the global temperature rising under 1.5° Celsius by the year 2050, which lead to the development of multiple Direct Air Capture (DAC) technologies. A DAC system extracts CO2 directly from the atmosphere, which is either stored underground for long term or utilized in other processes. The DACUS proposed at U.S. Steel Corporation’s Gary Works Plant in Gary, Indiana, will include an innovative DAC technology from CarbonCapture Inc. (CCI), which will be collocated and powered by waste heat from the steel plant to capture CO2 from ambient air, and CarbonCure CO2 utilization technology- which is a commercial technology that is already installed and in use by early adopters in more than 150 concrete mixing plants across North America and Asia. The University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign spearheaded this Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) study project, which was funded by US Department of Energy (DOE), aimed at designing a state-of-the art DACU system that can remove minimum of 5,000 tonne/year net CO2 from air (based on cradle-to-gate LCA) and converting the captured CO2 into low carbon intensity products. The off takers of the low Carbon product produced by the DACUS have also been identified near the steel plant in the Indiana, Illinois & Wisconsin Region. This creates a full CO2 value chain and provides a means to assess the impact of this holistic approach on job creation, regional economic impact, and environmental justice. DACUS is a promising new technology for reducing greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. Operation costs are minimized by locating CCI’s innovative DAC collector at United States Steel's Gary Works site where waste heat is utilized. Carbon emissions are minimized in CO2 transportation. The captured CO2 will be permanently sequestered in concrete used as construction material. This DOE funded FEED study demonstrates a full CO2 value chain for a DACU system, supported by an industrial facility. If this project were constructed, it would have a very positive and lasting impact on both the environment and the community.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2025

Thermodynamic Profiling Through ASSIST Observations and TROPoe Retrievals

This report reviews the most relevant theoretical aspects of thermodynamic profiling techniques based on spectral observations from ASSIST-II infrared radiometers and TROPoe retrievals. The ASSIST+TROPoe system is a cutting-edge remote sensing technology deployed during the AWAKEN and WFIP3 field campaigns to estimate high-frequency profiles of temperature and humidity in the atmosphere. These profiles are highly valuable for characterizing atmospheric stratification, improving wind models, and understanding the impacts of wind plants on the climate. In this document, we discuss the operating principles of ASSIST, the physics of atmospheric infrared radiation, and the mathematical framework and capabilities of TROPoe. Sources of uncertainties in both the instrument and the retrieval method are also thoroughly addressed. This guide is designed to help users of ASSIST, TROPoe, and thermodynamic data in collecting, estimating, and applying thermodynamic profiles rigorously and scientifically.

17 WIND ENERGY↗