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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 235 records · Page 13

A Hybrid Nonlinear Control Scheme for Active Magnetic Bearings

A nonlinear control scheme for active magnetic bearings is presented in this work. Magnet winding currents are chosen as control inputs for the electromechanical dynamics, which are linearized using feedback linearization. Then, the desired magnet currents are enforced by sliding mode control design of the electromagnetic dynamics. The overall control scheme is described by a multiple loop block diagram; the approach also falls in the class of nonlinear controls that are collectively known as the 'integrator backstepping' method. Control system hardware and new switching power electronics for implementing the controller are described. Various experiments and simulation results are presented to demonstrate the concepts' potentials.

Xia, F.↗

Physics and Process Modeling (PPM) and Other Propulsion R and T: Materials Processing, Characterization, and Modeling; Lifting Models - Volume 1

This CP contains the extended abstracts and presentation figures of 36 papers presented at the PPM and Other Propulsion R&T Conference. The focus of the research described in these presentations is on materials and structures technologies that are parts of the various projects within the NASA Aeronautics Propulsion Systems Research and Technology Base Program. These projects include Physics and Process Modeling; Smart, Green Engine; Fast, Quiet Engine; High Temperature Engine Materials Program; and Hybrid Hyperspeed Propulsion. Also presented were research results from the Rotorcraft Systems Program and work supported by the NASA Lewis Director's Discretionary Fund. Authors from NASA Lewis Research Center, industry, and universities conducted research in the following areas: material processing, material characterization, modeling, life, applied life models, design techniques, vibration control, mechanical components, and tribology. Key issues, research accomplishments, and future directions are summarized in this publication.

Source record↗

SatCORPS Hybridized Cloud Product Data Storage: The Design of a Hybrid Data Repository That Leverages the Strengths of the Cloud and the Data Center

There is a strong demand for the near real time NASA Langley Satellite ClOud and Radiation Property retrieval System (SatCORPS) products. As important as real-time information, archived copies of the products form the basis for targeted research focusing on specific events or conditions. To make these SatCORPS products available for downloading, the SatCORPS group has developed a number of tools and technologies to create a hybrid data storage system that leverages the strengths of both cloud and on-premises resources. In this work, we describe the technologies the group uses to marshal disparate data repositories and materialize them into a single searchable overview and give a broad description of the organization of the dataset. As with any implementation, the strengths, weaknesses and constraints surrounding the components establish priorities and provide insight where trade-offs are necessary. We further describe the design and architecture underpinning our hybrid data repository and delivery system.

AWS↗

AIAA Ascend 2021 Conference On Demand Manufacturing of Electronics Panel Abstract

1. Session Proposal o Session Title NASA’s In Space Manufacturing and the On Demand Manufacturing of Electronics o Session Topic Primary -- Space Logistics, Autonomy, and Robotics; Secondary – Transformative Research and Technologies o Session Format: Panel Discussion. o Requested Session Duration: 60 minutes o Short Session Description: The goal of NASA’s On Demand Manufacturing of Electronics project is to develop and demonstrate the feasibility of a low-gravity, on-demand manufacturing system for flexible hybrid electronic devices on the International Space Station. This panel will feature several key collaborators and team members from the commercial sector, academia, and internal to NASA, each of which are contributing an unique and vital role to the design and implementation of this new technology system. o Extended Session Description (Please describe in detail the activity proposed, including how you intend to use the requested session duration. This session description will be provided to the reviewers for consideration and will not be displayed in the online agenda.): The session will be moderated by Curtis Hill, the Project Lead for the On Demand Manufacturing of Electronics (ODME), and he will start by giving a brief introduction to the ODME project which is working to produce a demo system for the manufacturing of electronic devices on the International Space Station. Panelists consisting of collaborators and team members to the ODME project will then give a brief (~5 min) introduction highlighting their contributions to the project, followed by time for Q&A from the audience. The panel will consist of: 1. Kenneth Church, nScrypt. nScrypt is a leader in multi-material printing with a modular system that incorporates a direct write thick film print head, a polymer fused filament fabrication print head, a laser sintering attachment, a drill head attachment for milling, and a pick and place. The system can print a layer and scan for accuracy of prints. The combination of multiple print heads and scanning allows for the on-demand production of intricate electronic components. 2. Andy Kurk, TechShot, Inc. Techshot, Inc. has collaborated extensively with NASA on the in space manufacturing of both printed electronics and fused metal materials. They are currently working to develop and integrate a test system for printed electronics, and a flight demonstration on the International Space Station is anticipated in 2024. 3. Ed Hendricks, NextFlex. NextFlex has the goal of advancing the manufacture of flexible hybrid electronics in the U.S. They are working with ODME on the development of AstroSense, an additively manufactured, wireless, flexible, and wearable health sensor. 4. Dr. Pradeep Lall, Auburn University. Professor Lall is the MacFarlane Endowed Distinguished Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering with a Courtesy Joint Appointment in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and a Courtesy Joint Appointment in the Department of Finance. He is collaborating with NASA’s ODME project to develop multilayer printable devices and to develop techniques to test the quality of a printed electronic device. 5. Dr. Wei Gao, California Institute of Technology. Professor Gao is an Assistant Professor of Medical Engineering. His group is developing fully printed, flexible, and wearable biosensors for crew health monitoring in collaboration with NASA’s ODME project. In addition, they are working on using sweat to power biofuel cells for wearable, self-powered electronic devices. 6. Beth Paquette, NASA Goddard. The ODME branch at NASA Goddard is spearheading a sounding rocket flight demo to prove the capability of a printed electronic device with multiple sensors. In addition, they focus on thin film and flexible energy storage evaluations. o Session Goal(s)/Outcome(s): Please list the learning objectives and/or tangible outcomes (technical paper or other publication). The goal of this session is to highlight the internal and collaborative efforts of NASA’s On Demand Manufacturing of Electronics project to develop a system for printing electronics that will be tested on the International Space Station in 2024. In addition, the session with facilitate discussion with the community on the state of the art of printable electronics, current challenges, and new avenues for collaboration.

Jennifer McInnis Jones↗

Multi-Objective Hybrid Optimal Control for Interplanetary Mission Planning

Preliminary design of low-thrust interplanetary missions is a highly complex process. The mission designer must choose discrete parameters such as the number of flybys, the bodies at which those flybys are performed and in some cases the final destination. In addition, a time-history of control variables must be chosen which defines the trajectory. There are often many thousands, if not millions, of possible trajectories to be evaluated. The customer who commissions a trajectory design is not usually interested in a point solution, but rather the exploration of the trade space of trajectories between several different objective functions. This can be a very expensive process in terms of the number of human analyst hours required. An automated approach is therefore very diserable. This work presents such as an approach by posing the mission design problem as a multi-objective hybrid optimal control problem. The method is demonstrated on a hypothetical mission to the main asteroid belt.

Optimization↗

Exploring the Elevated Water Vapor Signal Associated With the Free Tropospheric Biomass Burning Plume Over the Southeast Atlantic Ocean

In southern Africa, widespread agricultural fires produce substantial biomass burning (BB) emissions over the region. The seasonal smoke plumes associated with these emissions are then advected westward over the persistent stratocumulus cloud deck in the southeast Atlantic (SEA) Ocean, resulting in aerosol effects which vary with time and location. Much work has focused on the effects of these aerosol plumes, but previous studies have also described an elevated free tropospheric water vapor signal over the SEA. Water vapor influences climate in its own right, and it is especially important to consider atmospheric water vapor when quantifying aerosol–cloud interactions and aerosol radiative effects. Here we present airborne observations made during the NASA ORACLES (ObseRvations of Aerosols above CLouds and their intEractionS) campaign over the SEA Ocean. In observations collected from multiple independent instruments on the NASA P-3 aircraft (from near-surface to 6–7 km), we observe a strongly linear correlation between pollution indicators (carbon monoxide (CO) and aerosol loading) and atmospheric water vapor content, seen at all altitudes above the boundary layer. The focus of the current study is on the especially strong correlation observed during the ORACLES-2016 deployment (out of Walvis Bay, Namibia), but a similar relationship is also observed in the August 2017 and October 2018 ORACLES deployments. Using reanalyses from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA-2), and specialized WRF-Chem simulations, we trace the plume–vapor relationship to an initial humid, smoky continental source region, where it mixes with clean, dry upper tropospheric air and then is subjected to conditions of strong westward advection, namely the southern African easterly jet (AEJ-S). Our analysis indicates that air masses likely left the continent with the same relationship between water vapor and carbon monoxide as was observed by aircraft. This linear relationship developed over the continent due to daytime convection within a deep continental boundary layer (up to ∼5–6 km) and mixing with higher-altitude air, which resulted in fairly consistent vertical gradients in CO and water vapor, decreasing with altitude and varying in time, but this water vapor does not originate as a product of the BB combustion itself. Due to a combination of conditions and mixing between the smoky, moist continental boundary layer and the dry and fairly clean upper-troposphere air above (∼6 km), the smoky, humid air is transported by strong zonal winds and then advected over the SEA (to the ORACLES flight region) following largely isentropic trajectories. Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory model (HYSPLIT) back trajectories support this interpretation. This work thus gives insights into the conditions and processes which cause water vapor to covary with plume strength. Better understanding of this relationship, including how it varies spatially and temporally, is important to accurately quantify direct, semi-direct, and indirect aerosol effects over this region.

Kristina Pistone↗

2023 Astrophotonics Roadmap: Pathways to Realizing Multi-Functional Integrated Astrophotonic Instruments

Photonic technologies offer numerous functionalities that can be used to realize astrophotonic instruments. The most spectacular example to date is the ESO Gravity instrument at the Very Large Telescope in Chile that combines the light-gathering power of four 8 m telescopes through a complex photonic interferometer. Fully integrated astrophotonic devices stand to offer critical advantages for instrument development, including extreme miniaturization when operating at the diffraction-limit, as well as integration, superior thermal and mechanical stabilization owing to the small footprint, and high replicability offering significant cost savings. Numerous astrophotonic technologies have been developed to address shortcomings of conventional instruments to date, including for example the development of photonic lanterns to convert from multimode inputs to single mode outputs, complex aperiodic fiber Bragg gratings to filter OH emission from the atmosphere, complex beam combiners to enable long baseline interferometry with for example, ESO Gravity, and laser frequency combs for high precision spectral calibration of spectrometers. Despite these successes, the facility implementation of photonic solutions in astronomical instrumentation is currently limited because of (1) low throughputs from coupling to fibers, coupling fibers to chips, propagation and bend losses, device losses, etc, (2) difficulties with scaling to large channel count devices needed for large bandwidths and high resolutions, and (3) efficient integration of photonics with detectors, to name a few. In this roadmap, we identify 24 key areas that need further development. We outline the challenges and advances needed across those areas covering design tools, simulation capabilities, fabrication processes, the need for entirely new components, integration and hybridization and the characterization of devices. To realize these advances the astrophotonics community will have to work cooperatively with industrial partners who have more advanced manufacturing capabilities. With the advances described herein, multi-functional integrated instruments will be realized leading to novel observing capabilities for both ground and space based platforms, enabling new scientific studies and discoveries.

astrophotonics↗

Neoplastic transformation of human cells

The goal of this project was to gain a better understanding of the cellular mechanisms of cancer induction by ionizing radiation as a risk assessment for workers subjected to high LET irradiation such as that found in space. The following ions were used for irradiation: Iron, Argon, Neon, and Lanthanum. Two tests were performed: growth in low serum and growth in agar were used as indicators of cell transformation. The specific aims of this project were to: (1) compare the effectiveness of various ions on degree of transformation of a single dose of the same RBE; (2) determine if successive irradiations with the same ion (Ge 600 MeV/u) increases the degree of transformation; (3) test if clones with the greatest degree of transformation produce tumors in nude mice; and (4) construct a cell hybrid of a transformed and control (non-transformed) clone. The cells used for this work are human mammary epithelial cells with an extended lifespan and selected for growth in MEM + 10% serum.

Goth-Goldstein, Regine↗

Adjustable Autonomy Testbed

The Adjustable Autonomy Testbed (AAT) is a simulation-based testbed located in the Intelligent Systems Laboratory in the Automation, Robotics and Simulation Division at NASA Johnson Space Center. The purpose of the testbed is to support evaluation and validation of prototypes of adjustable autonomous agent software for control and fault management for complex systems. The AA T project has developed prototype adjustable autonomous agent software and human interfaces for cooperative fault management. This software builds on current autonomous agent technology by altering the architecture, components and interfaces for effective teamwork between autonomous systems and human experts. Autonomous agents include a planner, flexible executive, low level control and deductive model-based fault isolation. Adjustable autonomy is intended to increase the flexibility and effectiveness of fault management with an autonomous system. The test domain for this work is control of advanced life support systems for habitats for planetary exploration. The CONFIG hybrid discrete event simulation environment provides flexible and dynamically reconfigurable models of the behavior of components and fluids in the life support systems. Both discrete event and continuous (discrete time) simulation are supported, and flows and pressures are computed globally. This provides fast dynamic simulations of interacting hardware systems in closed loops that can be reconfigured during operations scenarios, producing complex cascading effects of operations and failures. Current object-oriented model libraries support modeling of fluid systems, and models have been developed of physico-chemical and biological subsystems for processing advanced life support gases. In FY01, water recovery system models will be developed.

Malin, Jane T.↗

Habitat Demonstration Unit (HDU) Vertical Cylinder Habitat

NASA's Constellation Architecture Team defined an outpost scenario optimized for intensive mobility that uses small, highly mobile pressurized rovers supported by portable habitat modules that can be carried between locations of interest on the lunar surface. A compact vertical cylinder characterizes the habitat concept, where the large diameter maximizes usable flat floor area optimized for a gravity environment and allows for efficient internal layout. The module was sized to fit into payload fairings for the Constellation Ares V launch vehicle, and optimized for surface transport carried by the All-Terrain Hex-Limbed Extra-Terrestrial Explorer (ATHLETE) mobility system. Launch and other loads are carried through the barrel to a top and bottom truss that interfaces with a structural support unit (SSU). The SSU contains self-leveling feet and docking interfaces for Tri-ATHLETE grasping and heavy lift. A pressurized module needed to be created that was appropriate for the lunar environment, could be easily relocated to new locations, and could be docked together in multiples for expanding pressurized volume in a lunar outpost. It was determined that horizontally oriented pressure vessels did not optimize floor area, which takes advantage of the gravity vector for full use. Hybrid hard-inflatable habitats added an unproven degree of complexity that may eventually be worked out. Other versions of vertically oriented pressure vessels were either too big, bulky, or did not optimize floor area. The purpose of the HDU vertical habitat module is to provide pressurized units that can be docked together in a modular way for lunar outpost pressurized volume expansion, and allow for other vehicles, rovers, and modules to be attached to the outpost to allow for IVA (intra-vehicular activity) transfer between them. The module is a vertically oriented cylinder with a large radius to allow for maximal floor area and use of volume. The modular, 5- m-diameter HDU vertical habitat module consists of a 2-m-high barrel with 0.6-mhigh end domes forming the 56-cubicmeter pressure vessel, and a 19-squaremeter floor area. The module has up to four docking ports located orthogonally from each other around the perimeter, and up to one docking port each on the top or bottom end domes. In addition, the module has mounting trusses top and bottom for equipment, and to allow docking with the ATHLETE mobility system. Novel or unique features of the HDU vertical habitat module include the nodelike function with multiple pressure hatches for docking with other versions of itself and other modules and vehicles; the capacity to be carried by an ATHLETE mobility system; and the ability to attach inflatable 'attic' domes to the top for additional pressurized volume.

Howe, Alan↗

Toward Realizing the Potential of Practical Li-O2 Batteries for Electric Aircraft

Electrochemical power sources based on the Li-O2 couple have potential to achieve more than two-times the specific energy that is achievable with state-of-the-art Li-ion technologies. Despite considerable research, significant practical limitations continue to impede the successful realization of the Li-O2 electrochemistry as a power source in electric and hybrid-electric aviation. In practice, power capability and cycle life present formidable challenges. In this work, projections are presented for Li-O2prismatic cells with lightweight construction and the effect of cathode-limited capacity and discharge rate on specific energy and power are presented.

William R Bennett↗

Initial Motor Winding Insulation Lifetime Experimental Results for Electric Aircraft Applications

Electric and hybrid-electric aircraft require high-performance and reliable electric motors to meet aviation performance and safety requirements. One of the most common failure mechanisms in electric motors is winding insulation breakdown. In this paper, initial set of aging experiments are carried out on twisted pairs and motorette specimens. The twisted pairs are aged with multiple steady-temperature thermal aging cycles. The motorette specimens are thermally cycled by applying current to the windings. Partial discharge inception voltage is tracked and reported throughout the aging process. The end goal of this work is to develop methods and models for assessing the lifetime of motor winding insulation in electric and hybrid electric aircraft applications.

Thomas Tallerico↗

What Was Learned in Predicting Slender Airframe Aerodynamics with the F-16XL Aircraft

The second Cranked-Arrow Wing Aerodynamics Project, International, coordinated project has been underway to improve high-fidelity computational-fluid-dynamics predictions of slender airframe aerodynamics. The work is focused on two flow conditions and leverages a unique flight data set obtained with the F-16XL aircraft for comparison and validation. These conditions, a low-speed high-angle-of-attack case and a transonic low-angle-of-attack case, were selected from a prior prediction campaign wherein the computational fluid dynamics failed to provide acceptable results. In revisiting these two cases, approaches for improved results include better, denser grids using more grid adaptation to local flow features as well as unsteady higher-fidelity physical modeling like hybrid Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes/unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes/large-eddy simulation methods. The work embodies predictions from multiple numerical formulations that are contributed from multiple organizations where some authors investigate other possible factors that could explain the discrepancies in agreement (e.g., effects due to deflected control surfaces during the flight tests as well as static aeroelastic deflection of the outer wing). This paper presents the synthesis of all the results and findings and draws some conclusions that lead to an improved understanding of the underlying flow physics, finally making the connections between the physics and aircraft features.

Rizzi, Arthur↗

What is a Tiltrotor? A Fundamental Reexamination of the Tiltrotor Aircraft Design Space

The objective of this work is to fundamentally reexamine the design space of tiltrotor aircraft beyond the very successful conventional vehicle configuration with tractor-type twin proprotors that are nacelle-mounted at the wing tips. Previously proposed alternate tiltrotor configurations include the Bell quad-tiltrotor and the Augusta Westland ERICA hybrid tiltrotor/tiltwing concepts. More recently, arguably alternate tiltrotor configurations include the NASA Langley "Puffin" and the Joby Aviation S-2 concepts. This work seeks to define a broad aircraft design space for alternate tiltrotor configurations. Being doing so, it is hoped this work will not only provide design inspiration for future aircraft developers but to also help realize new applications and missions for both passenger-carrying vehicles and vertical lift UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) might one day be successfully enabled.

Reexamination↗

Exploring Synoptic Display Concepts for Hybrid-Electric Airliner Flightdecks

The advent of hybrid-electric aircraft concepts with distributed propulsion has resulted in relatively complicated powertrain designs. Determining the optimal approach to display information about the hybrid system in the flightdeck has taken on great importance. At NASA Glenn Research Center, the concept SUbsonic Single Aft eNgine (SUSAN) hybrid airliner has been modeled inside a flight simulator where different flight deck displays can be evaluated. This work focused on ways to display information that reduce clutter and information overload without degrading the crew’s ability to operate the aircraft and respond properly to emergencies. The displays’ layout and symbologies were created to be intuitive to the pilots. This paper documents iterations of synoptic displays and discusses the rationale and tradeoffs behind each variation.

Pilot Displays↗

The role of overset grids in the development of the general purpose CFD code

A discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of overset composite grid and solution technology is given, along with a sampling of current work in the area. Major trends are identified, and the observation is made that generalized and hybridized overset methods provide a natural framework for combining disparate mesh types and physics models. Because of this, the author concludes that overset methods will be the foundation for the general purpose computational fluid dynamics programs of the future.

Belk, Davy M.↗

Electromagnetic Components of Auroral Hiss and Lower Hybrid Waves in the Polar Magnetosphere

DE-1 has frequently observed waves in the whistler and lower hybrid frequencies range. Besides the electrostatic components, these waves also exhibit electromagnetic components. It is generally believed that these waves are excited by the electron acoustic instability and the electron-beam-driven lower hybrid instability. Because the electron acoustic and the lower hybrid waves are predominately electrostatic waves, they cannot account for the observed electromagnetic components. In this work, it is suggested that these electromagnetic components can be explained by waves that are generated near the resonance cone and that propagate away from the source. The role that these electromagnetic waves can play in particle acceleration processes at low altitude is discussed.

Wong, H. K.↗