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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 217 records · Page 12
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Natural Resource Management Plan for Brookhaven National Laboratory

The purpose of the Natural Resource Management Plan (NRMP) is to provide management guidance, promote stewardship of the natural resources found at BNL, and to sustainably integrate their protection with pursuit of the Laboratory’s mission. The philosophy or guiding principles of the NRMP include stewardship, sustainability, adaptive ecosystem management, compliance, integration with other plans and requirements, and the incorporation of community involvement, where applicable. The NRMP is reviewed and updated every five years. The body of this plan establishes the management goals and actions necessary for managing the natural resources at BNL in a sustainable manner. The appendices provide specific management requirements for threatened and endangered species documented on site (Appendices A, B and C).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

A New Field Instrument for Leaf Volatiles Reveals an Unexpected Vertical Profile of Isoprenoid Emission Capacities in a Tropical Forest

Both plant physiology and atmospheric chemistry are substantially altered by the emission of volatile isoprenoids (VI), such as isoprene and monoterpenes, from plant leaves. Yet, since gaining scientific attention in the 1950’s, empirical research on leaf VI has been largely confined to laboratory experiments and atmospheric observations. Here, we introduce a new field instrument designed to bridge the scales from leaf to atmosphere, by enabling precision VI detection in real time from plants in their natural ecological setting. With a field campaign in the Brazilian Amazon, we reveal an unexpected distribution of leaf emission capacities (EC) across the vertical axis of the forest canopy, with EC peaking in the mid-canopy instead of the sun-exposed canopy surface, and moderately high emissions occurring in understory specialist species. Compared to the simple interpretation that VI protect leaves from heat stress at the hot canopy surface, our results encourage a more nuanced view of the adaptive role of VI in plants. We infer that forest emissions to the atmosphere depend on the dynamic microenvironments imposed by canopy structure, and not simply on canopy surface conditions. We provide a new emissions inventory from 52 tropical tree species, revealing moderate consistency in EC within taxonomic groups. We highlight priorities in leaf volatiles research that require field-portable detection systems. Our self-contained, portable instrument provides real-time detection and live measurement feedback with precision and detection limits better than 0.5 nmol VI m -2 leaf s -1 . We call the instrument ‘PORCO’ based on the gas detection method: photoionization of organic compounds. We provide a thorough validation of PORCO and demonstrate its capacity to detect ecologically driven variation in leaf emission rates and thus accelerate a nascent field of science: the ecology and ecophysiology of plant volatiles.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Quantification of Type I Interferon Inhibition by Viral Proteins: Ebola Virus as a Case Study

Type I interferons (IFNs) are cytokines with both antiviral properties and protective roles in innate immune responses to viral infection. They induce an antiviral cellular state and link innate and adaptive immune responses. Yet, viruses have evolved different strategies to inhibit such host responses. One of them is the existence of viral proteins which subvert type I IFN responses to allow quick and successful viral replication, thus, sustaining the infection within a host. We propose mathematical models to characterise the intra-cellular mechanisms involved in viral protein antagonism of type I IFN responses, and compare three different molecular inhibition strategies. We study the Ebola viral protein, VP35, with this mathematical approach. Approximate Bayesian computation sequential Monte Carlo, together with experimental data and the mathematical models proposed, are used to perform model calibration, as well as model selection of the different hypotheses considered. Finally, we assess if model parameters are identifiable and discuss how such identifiability can be improved with new experimental data.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1979

Spacecraft automated operations

Trends in automation of planetary spacecraft are examined using data from missions as far back as Mariner '67 and up to the highly sophisticated Galileo. Nine design considerations which influence the degree of automation such as protection against catastrophic failures, highly repetitive functions, loss of spacecraft communications, and the need for near-real-time adaptivity are discussed. Rapid growth of automation is shown in terms of on-board hardware by plots of number of processors on board, the average speed of processors, and total core memory. The number of commands transmitted from the ground has grown to 5 million bits in Voyager, so that increases in mission complexity have increased both in spacecraft automation and ground operations. Achieving greater automation by transferring ground operations to the spacecraft with the current means of controlling missions, are considered noting proposed changes. For the future, improved computer technology, more microprocessors and increased core storage will be used, and the number of automated functions and their complexity will grow. It is concluded that using the growing computational capability of spacecraft will achieve more autonomy thus reversing the trend of increased mission complexity and cost.

Bird, T. H.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Feasibility study of a discrete bearing/roller drive rotary joint for the space station

The most critical mechanism on board the proposed space station is the continously rotating joint which must accurately align the solar power units with the sun during earth orbit. The feasibility of a multiple, discrete bearing supported joint driven by a self-loading, pinch drive actuator was investigated for this application. This concept appears to offer greater protection against catastrophic jamming, less sensitivity to adverse thermal gradients, greater accessibility to inorbit servicing or replacement and greater adaptability to very large (5 m) truss members than to more conventional continuous support bearing/gear reducer joints. Analytical trade studies performed herein establish that a discrete cam roller bearing support system having eight hangers around a continuous ring would provide sufficient radial and bending stiffness to prevent any degradation in the fundamental frequencies of the solar wing structure. Furthermore, it appears that the pinch roller drive mechanism can be readily sized to meet or exceed system performance and service life requirements. Wear life estimates based on experimental data for a steel roller coated with an advanced polyimide film show a continuous service life more than two orders of magnitude greater than required for this application.

Loewenthal, S. H.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Development of Extravehicular Visor Assembly (EVVA)

For the next generation of NASA's space suits, being able to enable an architecture for microgravity and planetary capabilities is required. To support these future missions, we will need exemplary support hardware to be designed, such as a new extravehicular visor assembly (EVVA). This EVVA will carry out its heritage mission of protecting the astronauts' eyes from harmful radiation, giving needed shade, and providing thermal protection, while also incorporating new designs that maximize overhead visibility and incorporate new technology. It will be designed to adapt with xEMU lite, a next-generation suit architecture Completed market research and literature reviews center dotSet up a NASA@Workchallenge "Incorporating Active TintableElectronic Coatings into Next Generation Space Suit Visor." center dotContacted Boeing and AlphaMicron to understand COTS solutions on the market and how they could be applied to the space suit design. oFound that there are many advantages to an active coating because of reduced mechanisms, an inherent dust tolerant design, and auto-sense capabilities. However, the COTS designs are not currently compatible with the xEMU lite form factor, the space environment, and the xEMU lite power requirement. COTS designs can also fail in the off/transparent state. center dotPursuing low TRL funding sources for future development for exploration EVA space suit Boeing 787

Davis, Kristine↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Utilizing Earth Observations to Model Probable Coastal Wetland Extent, Sea-Level Rise Inundation Risk, and Assess Impacts on Historic Hawaiian Lands

Climate induced sea-level rise poses a risk to coastal areas on the Island of Hawai’i, and many of the island’s historic cultural lands are in danger of becoming overtaken by wetlands or inundation. In partnership with the County of Hawai’i, State of Hawai’i Department of Land and Natural Resources, and Arizona State University, NASA DEVELOP mapped wetland extent and short-term sea-level rise inundation risk. We utilized Earth observations over a 10-year span (2013 – 2022) that included the NASA MEaSUREs Gridded Sea Surface Height Anomalies and MEaSUREs Group for High Resolution Sea Surface Temperature datasets, United States Geological Survey (USGS) Hawaii Digital Elevation Models (DEM), and in situ tidal gauge data. Flood risk index values were acquired for 5 known Hawai’i flood events between 2019 – 2021 from the Global Flood Mapper tool on Google Earth Engine. We used a random forest model to predict short-term sea-level rise inundation risk along the entire coast of Hawai’i. Current wetland extents and probabilistic locations of new wetlands were modeled with the most recently available data from PlanetScope Surface Reflectance optical imagery (2022), USGS 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) 10m DEM (2020), temperature and precipitation data from the Hawai’i Climate Atlas, and soils data from the Hawai’i Soil Atlas (2014) using the Wetland Intrinsic Potential tool. Results indicated locations that had the highest probability of wetland creation. The end products aimed to help the partners prioritize efforts to meeting regulation requirements for wetlands protection, evaluate the inundation risk to historical features, and support decision-making for their Shoreline Setback and Climate Adaption plans.

Lisa Tanh↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Crowdsourcing for Innovative Personal Protection Technology

Personal protective equipment (PPE) plays a vital role in safeguarding workers from workplace hazards and minimizing exposure to harmful substances or conditions. To meet the changing needs and challenges faced by workers in various industries, PPE is continuously evolving. As new technologies emerge, advances in materials, design, and functionality contribute to PPE improvements. By incorporating personal protective technology (PPT) into traditional PPE, worker safety and well-being can be further enhanced. Crowdsourcing can harness a wide range of perspectives and expertise to identify novel technologies, materials, designs, or applications that can revolutionize PPE and improve worker protection. Partnering with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Center for Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation (CoECI), the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) National Personal Protection Technology Laboratory (NPPTL) launched three crowdsourcing challenges. These challenges aimed to promote innovation in several PPE areas: protective clothing, counterfeit respirators, and respirator fit. Preliminary results produced promising technologies and approaches promoting improved awareness, comfort, adaptability, and effectiveness against workplace hazards.

crowdsourcing↗
DOE OSTI2022

Grid-Connected Modular Soft-Switching Solid State Transformers (M-S4T)

The objective of this project is to develop and verify the concept of a flexible and modular soft-switching solid-state transformer (M-S4T) for direct grid-connected applications. The ability to directly connect power electronics converters to the medium voltage grid (4 kV – 13 kV), and to potentially replace the passive and bulky, but ubiquitous 60 hertz service transformer in the 25 kVA to 100 kVA range, with a more flexible and controllable device, has been regarded as the ‘holy grail’ in grid control. However, this has proven to be extremely difficult. This project has developed the solutions to several key challenges of the direct grid-connected power electronics and realized a 7.2 kV M-S4T prototype. First, a protection method to protect the M-S4T from the high voltages (110 kV for the 13 kV system) that occur on the grid due to transients and lightning strikes have been developed and experimentally verified. Second, the realization and the operation of the M-S4T based on high-voltage SiC devices (>3.3 kV) and a medium-frequency medium-voltage low-leakage transformer in a single-stage solid-state transformer with zero-voltage switching, low dv/dt, and low electromagnetic interference has been successfully demonstrated up to 7.5 kV peak. Third, an oil-cooling system and stable communication and distributed control system for converter module voltage sharing have been developed and experimentally verified. The developed M-S4T has realized a modular universal high-performance power conversion system. This conversion system is scalable to different voltage and power levels and adaptable to four-quadrant bidirectional operation. Moreover, the use of passive cooling techniques meets the equipment life requirements, and the lightning protection scheme fulfills the basic insulation level specifications for direct grid connection. Such power conversion system opens up near-term opportunities, including energy storage, solar PV, or electric vehicle charging with significant cost and footprint savings. In the longer term, the possibility of replacing the utility distribution transformer with an M-S4T will be transformative for future distribution grids with a compact footprint and full controllability to enable high renewable energy and storage penetration. In addition to the main project, this report expands on the Plus-Up projected including as part of the main award. This project developed and demonstrated the technology for autonomous collaborative inverters that can be connected in an ad hoc manner to the grid. The aim of the project was to: (1) evaluate the existing techniques for grid-connected inverters and find their limitations; (2) develop detailed requirements for grid-connected inverters in the modern grid with millions of active nodes; (3) design a unified control strategy that brings more autonomy and intelligence to grid-connected inverters, and addresses parts of the issues with the existing techniques. The proposed technique, called UniCon, enables inverters to 1) connect/disconnect to/from the grid in an ad hoc manner; (2) work based on local sensing. Slow communication could be used for a more optimized behavior; (3) work automatically in both grid-forming/grid-following mode; (4) handle large disturbances, e.g., big load step and fault, in an oscillation-free manner; (5) work collaboratively with other inverters in steady-state and during transients. UniCon can be implemented in the middle-level control; hence it is agnostic to the vendor and to the implementation of the inner voltage/current and protection loops. Furthermore, a new synchronization scheme, based on deep learning, was developed that can extract the grid voltage phase and amplitude in a stable manner. The method is cheap to implement can improve the dynamic performance of the grid-connected inverters during fast transients, e.g., fault. The proposed control scheme was validated by (1) MATLAB/Simulink; (2) hardware-in-the-loop results, and; (3) experimental results using three inverters that form a microgrid in a down-scaled feeder. Lastly, both the M-S4T and UniCon have achieved promising tangible paths to markets. In the case of the M-S4T, the underlying technology — the Soft Switching Solid State Transformer (S4T) developed at the Georgia Tech Center for Distributed Energy (GT-CDE) has been licensed by GridBlock from the Georgia Tech Research Corporation, and GridBlock has been working with manufacturing partner Jabil (one of the largest US-based contract manufacturers) and system integrator Power Secure (largest deployer of microgrids in the US with 4.7 GW under management), to meet the strong initial demand. Similarly, GridBlock has an exclusive license to the UniCon technology, developed under this award by GT-CDE. The UniCon provides an intermediate control layer that enables the implementation of the higher-level ‘transactive’ control commands for the system. The architecture of the system - slow communications with the cloud for system optimization and setpoints, and the use of locally measured quantities for real-time control, provide a very robust and secure way of implementing a real-time must-run grid that is also secure and stable. This is a brand-new functionality that is critical for the future grid and key to GridBlock’s business model.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA’s Secured Airspace for Urban Air Mobility (UAM)

The Urban Air Mobility (UAM) architecture is leveraged from the Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) concept of operations. Within the UAM environment, UAM operators work collaboratively to manage aerial vehicles in the urban environment. Providers of Services for UAM (PSU), UAM operators, and Supplemental Data Service Providers (SDSP) provide services to support flight operations within that environment. As a recognized need, various views of UAM flight information are provided to the public and public safety entities. To accomplish this, among other goals, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) can coordinate flight information between the FAA controlled National Airspace System (NAS) and the UAM environments through the FAA-Industry Data Exchange Protocol (FIDXP). This concept of UAM proposes to develop short-range, point-to-point transportation systems in metropolitan areas using vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) or short take-off and landing (STOL) aircraft to overcome increasing surface congestion. To garner the support of UAM and to realize its potential, an assurance of cybersecurity is critical for public acceptance. Understanding the various components communicating with one-another cybersecurity, like in other industries, has come to the forefront highlighting the need to protect these networks and systems from cyberattacks. With the planned growth and reach of UAM systems, it’s clear that the associated data exchange and service interactions will be at risk due to numerous types of cybersecurity attacks. Consequently, as these threats evolve, the UAM cybersecurity capabilities must adapt to these changes as well. While learning is always the goal, the overall intent of this workshop is to make recommendations on the following: (1) how future UAM environments can be protected against cyber-attacks, and (2) what mechanisms should be put in place to detect attacks against UAM environments.

UAM↗
DOE OSTI2024

Constant-Depth Preparation of Matrix Product States with Adaptive Quantum Circuits

Adaptive quantum circuits, which combine local unitary gates, midcircuit measurements, and feedforward operations, have recently emerged as a promising avenue for efficient state preparation, particularly on near-term quantum devices limited to shallow-depth circuits. Matrix product states (MPS) comprise a significant class of many-body entangled states, efficiently describing the ground states of one-dimensional gapped local Hamiltonians and finding applications in a number of recent quantum algorithms. Recently, it has been shown that the Affleck-Kennedy-Lieb-Tasaki state—a paradigmatic example of an MPS—can be exactly prepared with an adaptive quantum circuit of constant depth, an impossible feat with local unitary gates alone due to its nonzero correlation length [Smith , PRX Quantum 4, 020315 (2023)]. In this work, we broaden the scope of this approach and demonstrate that a diverse class of MPS can be exactly prepared using constant-depth adaptive quantum circuits, outperforming theoretically optimal preparation with unitary circuits. We show that this class includes short- and long-ranged entangled MPS, symmetry-protected topological (SPT) and symmetry-broken states, MPS with finite Abelian, non-Abelian, and continuous symmetries, resource states for MBQC, and families of states with tunable correlation length. Moreover, we illustrate the utility of our framework for designing constant-depth sampling protocols, such as for random MPS or for generating MPS in a particular SPT phase. We present sufficient conditions for particular MPS to be preparable in constant time, with global on-site symmetry playing a pivotal role. Altogether, this work demonstrates the immense promise of adaptive quantum circuits for efficiently preparing many-body entangled states and provides explicit algorithms that outperform known protocols to prepare an essential class of states. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Smith, Kevin C. (ORCID:0000000223971518)↗
NASA NTRS2002

Systematic Underutilization of Glutamine In Thermophile Proteins

Rapid racemization above 100 C of L-amino acids to Domino acids, as well as deamidation, is probably a hazard for high temperature life. For example, the half-life of some asparaginyl peptides can be as short as 10 minutes at 100 C. High temperature organisms could protect themselves by reducing usage of amino acids that are easily racemized/deamidazed, by having a rapid rate of protein turnover which requires energy, or by adapting special cis-peptide conformations. We have searched eight completely sequenced thermophile genomes, and compare them to mesophile genomes, in order to identify underutilized amino acids. To our surprise, asparagine, the most unstable amino acid to deamidation, is used at about the same level in thermophile proteins in comparison to mesophiles whereas it is the second most unstable amino acid, glutamine, that is underutilized in all of eight thermophile species. Glutamines are present at 2% level in a typical thermophile protein, instead of 4% in mesophile. We argue that it is easier to protect asparagines from deamidation by cis-peptide conformations. We discuss statistical as well as structural evidence in support of our conclusions.

Liang, Shoudan↗
DOE OSTI2022

Trichoderma species isolated from grapevine with tolerance towards common copper fungicides used in viticulture for plant protection

Abstract BACKGROUND Copper‐containing fungicides are applied broadly in organic viticulture against downy mildew caused by Plasmopara viticola . Although long‐term application of copper‐based fungicides is associated with ecotoxic effects on the environment, their use in viticulture is required until sustainable alternatives are available. Trichoderma spp. might be a promising approach to fungicide reduction while promoting plant growth and development and displaying biocontrol activity. This study aims to examine the tolerance and compatibility of Trichoderma spp. to copper fungicides. This work contributes to the development of a spray application consisting of a copper‐tolerant Trichoderma sp. combined with a downscaled copper fungicide rate against P. viticola . RESULTS Trichoderma spp. isolated from grapevine wood in vineyards were identified and used for tolerance screening in various concentrations of copper fungicides. Copper hydroxide was identified as being highly compatible with Trichoderma . Two Trichoderma candidates, T. koningiopsis and T. harzianum , showed high copper tolerance in mycelial growth and germination tests, and were adapted to 2.85 g Cu L −1 of the selected fungicide. Microscopic investigations showed the attachment of copper compounds to fungal cell walls and copper uptake within the cytoplasm. In the case of high tolerance, large‐scale copper uptake was prevented. CONCLUSION Our findings identified two highly copper‐tolerant Trichoderma isolates with natural adaptation to the vineyard ecosystem, which could be further tested as biostimulants and biocontrol agents, combined with a reduced fungicide rate for sustainable plant protection. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Küpper, Verena↗
DOE OSTI2025

Thermal Resilience of Buildings and Communities: A Multistakeholder Review of Metrics and Approaches

Increasing temperature-related hazards require a collective effort to assess and enhance the thermal resilience of buildings and communities to protect occupants’ safety and minimize property or infrastructure damage. However, limited coordination across stakeholders and lack of standardized procedures for resilience assessment undermine the effectiveness of extreme temperature mitigation and adaptation strategies across the building life cycle. This review examines the current literature on resilience metrics to address thermal stress and risk due to extreme indoor environments. Stakeholders of thermal resilience include architects and engineers, occupants, property owners, real estate developers, urban planners, and policymakers. Additionally, motivations for measuring thermal resilience are emphasized, such as safeguarding occupant health and survivability, protecting property, and ensuring business continuity during extreme weather events. This review provides actionable insights and identifies future research needs for enhancing resilience through tailored metrics for stakeholders during the planning, design, construction, operation, and retrofitting phases of buildings and communities.

building life cycle↗
DOE OSTI2024

Machine-Learning-Based Mapping and Modeling of Solar Energy with Ultra-High Spatiotemporal Granularity

Despite the rapid growth of solar energy, we still lack a dynamic, high-fidelity database that tracks the spatiotemporal variations of solar PVs and their associated infrastructures across different places at a spatially resolved scale. The absence of such data presents a barrier to various applications such as solar PV growth projection, solar energy integration, solar incentive design, and climate risk assessment. In this project, we aim to bridge this gap by developing AI-based algorithms to extract granular information about solar PV installations and their associated infrastructures (i.e., distribution grids) from widely available unstructured data like remote sensing images and street views. As a result, we have built the Solar Energy Atlas, a fine-grained, large-scale geospatial overlay of distributed solar PVs and distribution grids. On top of it, we have advanced the understanding of solar adoption and distribution grid vulnerability to climate-induced extremes. Our major contributions can be summarized as follow: (1) By developing new AI algorithms, we have built the most comprehensive solar PV spatiotemporal database covering the entire US. This is the first time we obtained the exact GPS locations, size, subtype, and installation year information for rooftop solar PVs across the US. This database can be used for solar PV growth projection, solar energy integration, solar energy policy analysis and design, and spatially-resolved climate risk assessment. (2) Leveraging this database, we have uncovered the socioeconomic driving factors that are correlated with earlier onset of solar adoption and higher saturated adoption levels. We have identified the heterogeneity in the effects of different types of financial incentives on solar adoption and provided implications for tailoring incentive design based on local income levels to promote equitable solar adoption. (3) We have developed a distribution grid GIS mapping algorithm which can obtain granular geospatial and topology information about distribution grids using multi-modal open data, reducing the dependency on hard-to-obtain smart meter data of conventional approaches. It shows effectiveness in both the U.S. and Sub-Saharan Africa. Using this algorithm, we have uncovered the non-uniform vulnerability of distribution grids to wildfires in California in the aspects of undergrounding protection and Distributed Energy Resources (DER) preparedness. This has provided important implications for improving the affordability and equity of grid adaptation approaches. (3) We have made our produced database publicly available and provided user-friendly interface to enable various stakeholders and the general public to interact with the data. We have also integrated the produced data into the Data Commons platform to enable the public to access the data and correlate it with other location-specific characteristics simply using natural language as queries. The impact of our project is three-fold: (1) New algorithms for mapping solar PVs and distribution grids across space and time, which are open source to facilitate researchers and industry; (2) New databases of solar PVs and distribution grids that have been made publicly available for engineering, social, and policy applications; (3) New understandings and actionable insights on the potential approaches to promoting solar adoption and reducing energy infrastructure vulnerabilities. In this report, we start by discussing the project background and motivation (section 5), followed by the overview of project objectives (section 6). Results and discussion for each task are presented in section 7. Significant accomplishments are summarized in section 8. This report will be concluded by discussing the paths forwards (section 9), products (section 10), and team roles (section 11).

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1974

Energy transfer in volume-reflecting heat shields

An approximate analysis of radiative transfer in highly scattering materials was developed based on the Kubelka-Munk differential equations--a set of two differential equations representing the spatial rate of change of radiative half-fluxes within the scattering media. These approximate solutions of the Kubelka-Munk equations together with analytic solutions for the steady state temperature distribution for two types of boundary conditions are given. These solutions show the influence of back surface reflectance, scattering power, incident radiative flux parameter and boundary conductive flux parameter on overall reflectance and temperature distributions. This radiation field analysis, adapted to spherical geometry, was applied to the evaluation of the thermal performance of teflon and fritted quartz as heat protection materials for entry into the atmosphere of Jupiter.

Weston, K. C.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Physiological considerations for EVA in the Space Station era

The physiological parameters that will affect EMU design and operational scheduling for the Space Station Program are discussed. The system must be designed to safely and effectively handle the increased frequency of extravehicular activity projected for longer flight periods than in the past. In order to minimize the risk of decompression sickness a proper combination of equilibration time to cabin pressure, suit pressure, and prebreathing denitrogenation, is necessary. Effective thermal exchange is projected to be automatically controlled and to have an 8-hr 1000 BTU/hr capability. Physiological changes due to adaptation to weightlessness must be considered in scheduling for their impact on performance/fatigue and in coping with motion sickness. Radiation protection to the limit of 80 rad/quarter must be achieved by scheduling to avoid periodic proton and solar flare exposure, and by additional EMU shielding. Additional EMU considerations are the control of microorganisms and the higher pressure requirement for emergency O2 purge.

Horrigan, D. J., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Incipient fault detection and power system protection for spaceborne systems

A program was initiated to study the feasibility of using advanced terrestrial power system protection techniques for spacecraft power systems. It was designed to enhance and automate spacecraft power distribution systems in the areas of safety, reliability and maintenance. The proposed power management/distribution system is described as well as security assessment and control, incipient and low current fault detection, and the proposed spaceborne protection system. It is noted that the intelligent remote power controller permits the implementation of digital relaying algorithms with both adaptive and programmable characteristics.

Russell, B. Don↗