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At least 235 records · Page 13

Greenland Geothermal Heat Flow Database and Map (Version 1)

We compile and analyze all available geothermal heat flow measurements collected in and around Greenland into a new database of 419 sites and generate an accompanying spatial map. This database includes 290 sites previously reported by the International Heat Flow Commission (IHFC), for which we now standardize measurement and metadata quality. This database also includes 129 new sites, which have not been previously reported by the IHFC. These new sites consist of 88 offshore measurements and 41 onshore measurements, of which 24 are subglacial. We employ machine learning to synthesize these in situ measurements into a gridded geothermal heat flow model that is consistent across both continental and marine areas in and around Greenland. This model has a native horizontal resolution of 55 km. In comparison to five existing Greenland geothermal heat flow models, our model has the lowest mean geothermal heat flow for Greenland onshore areas. Our modeled heat flow in central North Greenland is highly sensitive to whether the NGRIP (North GReenland Ice core Project) elevated heat flow anomaly is included in the training dataset. Our model's most distinctive spatial feature is pronounced low geothermal heat flow (< 40 mW m−2) across the North Atlantic Craton of southern Greenland. Crucially, our model does not show an area of elevated heat flow that might be interpreted as remnant from the Icelandic plume track. Finally, we discuss the substantial influence of paleoclimatic and other corrections on geothermal heat flow measurements in Greenland. The in situ measurement database and gridded heat flow model, as well as other supporting materials, are freely available from the GEUS Dataverse (https://doi.org/10.22008/FK2/F9P03L; Colgan and Wansing, 2021).

William Colgan↗

Automating the training development process for mission flight operations

Traditional methods of developing training do not effectively support the changing needs of operational users in a multimission environment. The Automated Training Development System (ATDS) provides advantages over conventional methods in quality, quantity, turnaround, database maintenance, and focus on individualized instruction. The Operations System Training Group at the JPL performed a six-month study to assess the potential of ATDS to automate curriculum development and to generate and maintain course materials. To begin the study, the group acquired readily available hardware and participated in a two-week training session to introduce the process. ATDS is a building activity that combines training's traditional information-gathering with a hierarchical method for interleaving the elements. The program can be described fairly simply. A comprehensive list of candidate tasks determines the content of the database; from that database, selected critical tasks dictate which competencies of skill and knowledge to include in course material for the target audience. The training developer adds pertinent planning information about each task to the database, then ATDS generates a tailored set of instructional material, based on the specific set of selection criteria. Course material consistently leads students to a prescribed level of competency.

Scott, Carol J.↗

Ionic Polyimides: New High Performance Polymers for Additive Manufacturing

There is currently a very limited set of engineering polymers that have been demonstrated as viable for use in 3-D printing. Additive manufacturing of custom components will require a much larger array of polymers, especially those with physical, thermal, chemical, and mechanical properties that can be tailor-made. The development of ‘Ionic Polyimides’ offers a solution to this shortage by combining the well understood and widely accepted properties of conventional polyimides, with a new approach to polymer synthesis. Polyimides and polymeric ionic liquids (poly(ILs)) are at the forefront of advanced polymer materials, each with their own set of advantages and disadvantages. While it is clear that more types of polymer materials are needed for fused deposition modeling (FDM) additive manufacturing, there is a need to explore these classes of materials. The synthesis process developed by the Bara Research Group at the University of Alabama allows full control over polymer structure, nanostructure, thermal, electrical, and physical properties making them a prime candidate for use in the additive manufacturing process. Furthermore, the new process allows us to tailor-make a high strength polymer that can be used to fabricate filament feedstock instead of pellets for 3D printing. The primary objective of this proposal is to determine the relationship between molecular structure, physical properties, and performance of ionic polyimides. Further, we seek to determine their utility as materials suitable for additive manufacturing of components used in aerospace vehicles, with an emphasis on characterizing and simulating their thermal behaviors and properties. This proposal addresses the need for fundamental research on a customizable polymer filament feedstock for 3-D printing with tailor-made properties potentially making it superior to the commercial blends offered in industry today. The deliverables for this project are the creation of a database that will detail the relationships between the molecular structure and physical properties for the ionic polyimide of interest (e.g. Tg/Tm (Glass Transition Temperature divided by Melting Point)) relative to different ionic polyimide structures). This new database will provide a “road map” to the development of the first generation of materials and ultimately proof-of-concept.

Jackson, Enrique↗

The Steward Observatory asteroid relational database

The Steward Observatory Asteroid Relational Database (SOARD) was created as a flexible tool for undertaking studies of asteroid populations and sub-populations, to probe the biases intrinsic to asteroid databases, to ascertain the completeness of data pertaining to specific problems, to aid in the development of observational programs, and to develop pedagogical materials. To date, SOARD has compiled an extensive list of data available on asteroids and made it accessible through a single menu-driven database program. Users may obtain tailored lists of asteroid properties for any subset of asteroids or output files which are suitable for plotting spectral data on individual asteroids. The program has online help as well as user and programmer documentation manuals. The SOARD already has provided data to fulfill requests by members of the astronomical community. The SOARD continues to grow as data is added to the database and new features are added to the program.

Sykes, Mark V.↗

The Steward Observatory asteroid relational database

The Steward Observatory Asteroid Relational Database (SOARD) was created as a flexible tool for undertaking studies of asteroid populations and sub-populations, to probe the biases intrinsic to asteroid databases, to ascertain the completeness of data pertaining to specific problems, to aid in the development of observational programs, and to develop pedagogical materials. To date SOARD has compiled an extensive list of data available on asteroids and made it accessible through a single menu-driven database program. Users may obtain tailored lists of asteroid properties for any subset of asteroids or output files which are suitable for plotting spectral data on individual asteroids. A browse capability allows the user to explore the contents of any data file. SOARD offers, also, an asteroid bibliography containing about 13,000 references. The program has online help as well as user and programmer documentation manuals. SOARD continues to provide data to fulfill requests by members of the astronomical community and will continue to grow as data is added to the database and new features are added to the program.

Sykes, Mark V.↗

Parahydrogen Properties Version 05 Database Release for NTP Applications

Consistent modeling assumptions across any large project are crucial to minimize errors between different approaches. Use of consistent material and fluid properties across a large project supports consistent interpretation and application within modeling and simulation results as well as their relevancy to operational systems. NASA’s Space Nuclear Propulsion program dedicates extensive resources towards establishing consistent and, to the extent possible, accurate property databases for its internal staff and all external partners. This work highlights the extensive research performed to modernize the fluid property database of hydrogen which is the leading propellant option for in-space nuclear propelled spacecraft. Specifically, the parahydrogen spin state is of interest since the propellant is stored in a near normal boiling point liquid state which results in it consisting almost entirely of the parahydrogen spin isomer. This database tool has taken recent NASA work and modernized it into a python-based package for easy usage across all modeling entities. The package allows users to provide temperature and pressure pairs along with their desired output properties to yield results accounting for both real-gas and equilibrium dissociation effects while also sharing the default thermodynamic reference state provided by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Standard Database 23. The suite also includes advanced capabilities to increase usability, such as on-the-fly interpolation and multidimensional plotting.

Nuclear Thermal Propulsion↗

Managing the Digital Thread for Structural Applications With Fit for Purpose Materials

With the increased emphasis on reducing the cost and time to market of new materials, the need for analytical tools that enable the virtual design and optimization of materials throughout their processing - internal structure - property - performance envelope, along with the capturing and storing of the associated material and model information across its lifecycle, has become critical. This need is also fueled by the demands for higher efficiency in material testing; consistency, quality and traceability of data; product design; engineering analysis; as well as control of access to proprietary or sensitive information. Consequently, at NASA Glenn Research Center a robust information management system that manages the digital thread across the full material life (i.e., capture, analysis, maintenance, and dissemination of data) cycle directed at the design of ‘fit-for-purpose materials’ is under development. To this end the Application Table has been incorporated within NASA Glenn Research Center’s ICME Information Management framework within the ANSYS Granta MI tool. The Application Table provides a place where material and structural application information/requirements can be linked to marry the “design-the-material” (structural engineering) and the “design-with-material” (material science) paradigms and thereby enable application-driven design and optimization of materials and structures. In additional several associated toolsets, specifically: AIMAOS (Automated Information Management Across Organizations and Scales), Py MILab, and JARIMIS (Just A Rather Intelligent Material Interrogation System) are also under development to assist in the judicious automation of this process. AIMOAS offers users an interactive graphical user interface for connecting material information management systems with both commercial and in-house simulation tools at various length scales to enable such automation in the handoff across scales and maintenance of material digital twins and the digital thread. Py MILab, is an automatic framework for the capture, analysis, maintenance, and storage of material test data. Py MILab uses a modular approach for capturing raw data, analyzing the data, and storing the data in a database, interfaced by neutral file structures, to promote plug-and-play capabilities for various analysis types. Finally, JARIMIS is an expert system that integrates various materials informatics tools (e.g., MicroNet, Surrogate ML models, ANSYS Granta MI, etc.) to enable inverse design of materials and facilitate the application of machine learning (ML) and data science with human in the loop decision making to rapidly discover and optimize new materials.

Digital Transformation↗

Nonlinear and progressive failure aspects of transport composite fuselage damage tolerance

The purpose is to provide an end-user's perspective on the state of the art in life prediction and failure analysis by focusing on subsonic transport fuselage issues being addressed in the NASA/Boeing Advanced Technology Composite Aircraft Structure (ATCAS) contract and a related task-order contract. First, some discrepancies between the ATCAS tension-fracture test database and classical prediction methods is discussed, followed by an overview of material modeling work aimed at explaining some of these discrepancies. Finally, analysis efforts associated with a pressure-box test fixture are addressed, as an illustration of modeling complexities required to model and interpret tests.

Walker, Tom↗

GIDEP Batching Tool

This software provides internal, automated search mechanics of GIDEP (Government- Industry Data Exchange Program) Alert data imported from the GIDEP government Web site. The batching tool allows the import of a single parts list in tab-delimited text format into the local JPL GIDEP database. Delimiters from every part number are removed. The original part numbers with delimiters are compared, as well as the newly generated list without the delimiters. The two lists run against the GIDEP imports, and output any matches. This feature only works with Netscape 2.0 or greater, or Internet Explorer 4.0 or greater. The user selects the browser button to choose a text file to import. When the submit button is pressed, this script will import alerts from the text file into the local JPL GIDEP database. This batch tool provides complete in-house control over exported material and data for automated batch match abilities. The batching tool has the ability to match capabilities of the parts list to tables, and yields results that aid further research and analysis. This provides more control over GIDEP information for metrics and reports information not provided by the government site. This software yields results quickly and gives more control over external data from the government site in order to generate other reports not available from the external source. There is enough space to store years of data. The program relates to risk identification and management with regard to projects and GIDEP alert information encompassing flight parts for space exploration.

Fong, Danny↗

Empirical Method to Estimate Hydrogen Embrittlement of Metals as a Function of Hydrogen Gas Pressure at Constant Temperature

High pressure Hydrogen (H) gas has been known to have a deleterious effect on the mechanical properties of certain metals, particularly, the notched tensile strength, fracture toughness and ductility. The ratio of these properties in Hydrogen as compared to Helium or Air is called the Hydrogen Environment Embrittlement (HEE) Index, which is a useful method to classify the severity of H embrittlement and to aid in the material screening and selection for safety usage H gas environment. A comprehensive world-wide database compilation, in the past 50 years, has shown that the HEE index is mostly collected at two conveniently high H pressure points of 5 ksi and 10 ksi near room temperature. Since H embrittlement is directly related to pressure, the lack of HEE index at other pressure points has posed a technical problem for the designers to select appropriate materials at a specific H pressure for various applications in aerospace, alternate and renewable energy sectors for an emerging hydrogen economy. Based on the Power-Law mathematical relationship, an empirical method to accurately predict the HEE index, as a function of H pressure at constant temperature, is presented with a brief review on Sievert's law for gas-metal absorption.

Lee, Jonathan A.↗

Assessing the Age of an Asteroid's Surface with Data from the International Rosetta Mission

Rosetta is an international mission led by the European Space Agency (ESA) with key support and instrumentation from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Rosetta is currently on a ten-year mission to catch comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (C-G); throughout its voyage, the spacecraft has performed flybys of two main belt asteroids (MBA): Steins and Lutetia. Data on the physical, chemical, and geological properties of these asteroids are currently being processed and analyzed. Accurate interpretation of such data is fundamental in the success of Rosetta's mission and overall objectives. Post-flyby data analyses strive to correlate the size, shape, volume, and rotational rate of Lutetia, in addition to interpreting its multi-color imagining, albedo, and spectral mapping. Although advancements in science have contributed to the examination of celestial bodies, methods to analyze asteroids remain largely empirical, not semi-empirical, nor ab initio. This study aims to interpret and document the scientific methods currently utilized in the characterization of asteroid (21) Lutetia in order to render these processes and methods accessible to the public. Examples include a standardized technique for assessing the age of an asteroid surface, complete with clickable reference maps, methodology of grouping surface characteristics together, and a standardized power law equation for the age. Other examples include determining the density of an object. Context for what both density and age mean is a bi-product of this study. Results of the study will aid in the development of pedagogical material on asteroids for public use, and in creation of an academic database for selected targets that might be used as a reference.

asteriods↗

Long Duration Exposure Facility experiment M0003 deintegration observation data base

The four trays (2 leading edge and 2 trailing edge) of the M0003 materials experiment on the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) contained 1274 samples from 20 subexperiments. The complete sample complement represented a broad range of materials, including thin film optical coatings, paints, polymer sheets and tapes, adhesives, and composites, for use in various spacecraft applications, including thermal control, structures, optics, and solar power. Most subexperiments contained sets of samples exposed on both the leading and trailing edge trays of LDEF. Each individual sample was examined by high resolution optical microscope during the deintegration of the subexperiments from the M0003 trays. Observations of the post-flight condition of the samples made during this examination were recorded in a computer data base. The deintegration observation data base is available to requesters on floppy disk in 4th Dimension for the Macintosh format. Over 3,000 color macrographs and photomicrographs were shot to complement the observation records and to document the condition of the individual samples and of the M0003 trays. The photographs provide a visual comparison of the response of materials in leading and trailing edge LDEF environments. The Aerospace Corporate Archives is distributing photographs of the samples and hard copies of the database records to the general public upon request. Information on obtaining copies of the data base disks and for ordering photographs and records of specific samples or materials are given.

Gyetvay, S. R.↗

Environmental databases and other computerized information tools

Increasing environmental legislation has brought about the development of many new environmental databases and software application packages to aid in the quest for environmental compliance. These databases and software packages are useful tools and applicable to a wide range of environmental areas from atmospheric modeling to materials replacement technology. The great abundance of such products and services can be very overwhelming when trying to identify the tools which best meet specific needs. This paper will discuss the types of environmental databases and software packages available. This discussion will also encompass the affected environmental areas of concern, product capabilities, and hardware requirements for product utilization.

Clark-Ingram, Marceia↗

Parahydrogen Properties Version 05 Database Release for Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Applications

Consistent modeling assumptions across any large project are crucial to minimize errors between different approaches. Use of consistent material and fluid properties across a large project supports consistent interpretation and application within modeling and simulation results as well as their relevancy to operational systems. NASA’s Space Nuclear Propulsion program dedicates extensive resources towards establishing consistent and, to the extent possible, accurate property databases for its internal staff and all external partners. This work highlights the extensive research performed to modernize the fluid property database of hydrogen which is the leading propellant option for in-space nuclear propelled spacecraft. Specifically, the parahydrogen spin state is of interest since the propellant is stored in a near normal boiling point liquid state which results in it consisting almost entirely of the parahydrogen spin isomer. This database tool has taken recent NASA work and modernized it into a python-based package for easy usage across all modeling entities. The package allows users to provide temperature and pressure pairs along with their desired output properties to yield results accounting for both real-gas and equilibrium dissociation effects while also sharing the default thermodynamic reference state provided by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Standard Database 23. The suite also includes advanced capabilities to increase usability, such as on-the-fly interpolation and multidimensional plotting.

Nuclear Thermal Propulsion↗

Geochemistry and Impact History at the Apollo 16 Landing Site

Lunar impact glasses possess the unmodified refractory element ratios of the original fused target materials at the sites of impacts. These target materials are usually regolith. 866 glasses from the Apollo 16 landing site have been analyzed by electron microprobe in this study. These glasses show significant variation and hint at the existence of highland basalt (HB) regolith compositions atypical of the usual HB compositions historically found at the Apollo 16 site. Additionally, a large number of mare glasses have been identified. Clementine color image data have been used to construct iron, titanium, and aluminum maps for comparison with the sample database. These maps suggest that the Apollo 16 landing site is largely composed of anorthositic material and that mare compositions are not found close by. Nine of these impact glasses have been dated by the Ar-40/Ar-39 technique and may be used to constrain the impact history at the Apollo 16 landing site. These results illustrate how lunar impact glasses together with orbital data can provide geochemical constraints on the local and regional geology of the Moon.

Zellner, N. E. B.↗

Characterization of Debris from the DebriSat Hypervelocity Test

The DebriSat project is an effort by NASA and the DoD to update the standard break-up model for objects in orbit. The DebriSat object, a 56 kg representative LEO satellite, was subjected to a hypervelocity impact in April 2014. For the hypervelocity test, the representative satellite was suspended within a "soft-catch" arena formed by polyurethane foam panels to minimize the interactions between the debris generated from the hypervelocity impact and the metallic walls of the test chamber. After the impact, the foam panels and debris not caught by the panels were collected and shipped to the University of Florida where the project has now advanced to the debris characterization stage. The characterization effort has been divided into debris collection, measurement, and cataloguing. Debris collection and cataloguing involves the retrieval of debris from the foam panels and cataloguing the debris in a database. Debris collection is a three-step process: removal of loose debris fragments from the surface of the foam panels; X-ray imaging to identify/locate debris fragments embedded within the foam panel; extraction of the embedded debris fragments identified during the X-ray imaging process. As debris fragments are collected, they are catalogued into a database specifically designed for this project. Measurement involves determination of size, mass, shape, material, and other physical properties and well as images of the fragment. Cataloguing involves a assigning a unique identifier for each fragment along with the characterization information.

Rivero, M.↗

SmallSat Database

The SmallSat has an unrealized potential in both the private industry and in the federal government. Currently over 70 companies, 50 universities and 17 governmental agencies are involved in SmallSat research and development. In 1994, the U.S. Army Missile and Defense mapped the moon using smallSat imagery. Since then Smart Phones have introduced this imagery to the people of the world as diverse industries watched this trend. The deployment cost of smallSats is also greatly reduced compared to traditional satellites due to the fact that multiple units can be deployed in a single mission. Imaging payloads have become more sophisticated, smaller and lighter. In addition, the growth of small technology obtained from private industries has led to the more widespread use of smallSats. This includes greater revisit rates in imagery, significantly lower costs, the ability to update technology more frequently and the ability to decrease vulnerability of enemy attacks. The popularity of smallSats show a changing mentality in this fast paced world of tomorrow. What impact has this created on the NASA communication networks now and in future years? In this project, we are developing the SmallSat Relational Database which can support a simulation of smallSats within the NASA SCaN Compatability Environment for Networks and Integrated Communications (SCENIC) Modeling and Simulation Lab. The NASA Space Communications and Networks (SCaN) Program can use this modeling to project required network support needs in the next 10 to 15 years. The SmallSat Rational Database could model smallSats just as the other SCaN databases model the more traditional larger satellites, with a few exceptions. One being that the smallSat Database is designed to be built-to-order. The SmallSat database holds various hardware configurations that can be used to model a smallSat. It will require significant effort to develop as the research material can only be populated by hand to obtain the unique data required. When completed it will interface with the SCENIC environment to allow modeling of smallSats. The SmallSat Relational Database can also be integrated with the SCENIC Simulation modeling system that is currently in development. The SmallSat Relational Database simulation will be of great significance in assisting the NASA SCaN group to understand the impact the smallSats have made which have populated the lower orbit around our mother earth. What I have created and worked on this summer session 2015, is the basis for a tool that will be of value to the NASA SCaN SCENIC Simulation Environment for years to come.

Small Satellites↗

Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) experiment M0003 meteoroid and debris survey

A survey of the meteoroid and space debris impacts on LDEF experiment M0003 was performed. The purpose of this survey was to document significant impact phenomenology and to obtain impact crater data for comparison to current space debris and micrometeoroid models. The survey consists of the following: photomicrographs of significant impacts in a variety of material types; accurate measurements of impact crater coordinates and dimensions for selected experiment surfaces; and databasing of the crater data for reduction, manipulation, and comparison to models. Large area surfaces that were studied include the experiment power and data system (EPDS) sunshields, environment exposure control canister (EECC) sunshields, and the M0003 signal conditioning unit (SCU) covers. Crater diameters down to 25 microns were measured and cataloged. Both leading (D8) and trailing (D4) edge surfaces were studied and compared. The EPDS sunshields are aluminum panels painted with Chemglaze A-276 white thermal control paint, the EECC sunshields are chromic acid-anodized aluminum, and the SCU covers are aluminum painted with S13GLO white thermal control paint. Typical materials that have documented impacts are metals, glasses and ceramics, composites, polymers, electronic materials, and paints. The results of this survey demonstrate the different response of materials to hypervelocity impacts. Comparison of the survey data to curves derived from the Kessler debris model and the Cour-Palais micrometeoroid model indicates that these models overpredict small impacts (less than 100 micron) and may underpredict large impacts (greater than 1000 micron) while having fair to good agreement for the intermediate impacts. Comparison of the impact distributions among the various surfaces indicates significant variations, which may be a function of material response effects, or in some cases surface roughness. Representative photographs and summary graphs of the impact data are presented.

Meshishnek, M. J.↗