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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 253 records · Page 14
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2020

Dynamic IT Security Database and Analytics for Launch Control Systems Software

During the Summer 2020 session, I worked with intern Destani S. Van Arsdalen of EGS Software. Together, we co-created a tool to aid the dynamic investigation, updated over time,of the security compliance of LCS COTS and open source software. We originally planned touse spreadsheet software for management and analysis, but through this exploratoryproject, chose to use Python and JSON after receiving feedback on our project’s current anddesired capabilities at that time.At first, the project was solely designed to help on-board new COTS software, based on aquestionnaire that could be filled out for each software package. This, combined with usingthe spreadsheet application’s web-query capabilities to fetch information from the NVD,allowed presentation and analytics cells to automatically populate as elements of themanually-filled questionnaire changed. While this system was promising, we decided tochange technologies for a few reasons. In the spreadsheet, single cells could not hold complexdata like arrays and objects. The automatic population of cells and dynamic updates made itdifficult to manage and add new features. And finally, it had limited extensibility sinceadding new software required significant understanding of how both the spreadsheet wasconstructed, and the more obscure, proprietary scripting languages packaged with it.The pivot to a standard computer science database language of JSON, aided by thescripting capabilities of Python, greatly helped to improve the project’s functionality. First,and most importantly, the script’s import and analysis of database data is easilyreproducible. Additional data analysis can be modularly added without requiringmodification of the script and is capable of routine scheduling. The revised process can besplit into three parts. First, the conversion of LCS asset and software documentation into theJSON hierarchical database format. Second, the merging of this database with the NVD,forming a new data structure, using CPEs of the CVE object as a linking element betweenthem. And third, the automatically performed analytics and analysis of the combined data,in a modular and extensible format, to produce better informed business decisions. The outputted graphs, for example, are automatically generated by the Python script inconnection with the combined database. This allows updated graphs and any analytics to be re-rendered automatically following updates to the LCS’s initial asset documentation. Afinal report can then be programmatically and easily constructed from these sources to allow fully reproducible metrics for heavily evidenced risk management decisions.

it↗
DOE OSTI2022

libwfa: Wavefunction analysis tools for excited and open‐shell electronic states

Abstract An open‐source software library for wavefunction analysis, libwfa, provides a comprehensive and flexible toolbox for post‐processing excited‐state calculations, featuring a hierarchy of interconnected visual and quantitative analysis methods. These tools afford compact graphical representations of various excited‐state processes, provide detailed insight into electronic structure, and are suitable for automated processing of large data sets. The analysis is based on reduced quantities, such as state and transition density matrices (DMs), and allows one to distill simple molecular orbital pictures of physical phenomena from intricate correlated wavefunctions. The implemented descriptors provide a rigorous link between many‐body wavefunctions and intuitive physical and chemical models, for example, exciton binding, double excitations, orbital relaxation, and polyradical character. A broad range of quantum‐chemical methods is interfaced with libwfa via a uniform interface layer in the form of DMs. This contribution reviews the structure of libwfa and highlights its capabilities by several representative use cases. This article is categorized under: Software > Quantum Chemistry Theoretical and Physical Chemistry > Spectroscopy

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Cloud-Based Demodulation and Data Distribution of a Satellite Downlink

Ground station networks connected to the cloud allow space missions to have global communications coverage without operating their own infrastructure. In this work, we describe the communications architecture for the TechEdSat-13 mission, which performed the first in-space characterization of a neuromorphic processor. The mission utilizes a commercial provider for S-band downlinks. A suite of cloud services and open-source software such as GNU Radio are leveraged to demodulate signals received by an AWS ground station during passes with TechEdSat-13 and store recovered data. Once a pass is scheduled, the entire process takes place without human intervention. On-orbit results the past year of operations are presented, demonstrating the advantages of this approach over traditional operator-owned ground stations. Use of software-defined radio makes possible custom signal processing. The homogeneity of apertures and their interfaces to the cloud simplifies scaling across many sites. This abundance of candidate links lays the groundwork for intelligent scheduling agents to optimize pass selection across several factors, automatically recover from failed contacts, and gather metrics to learn from past performance.

cloud demodulation↗
DOE OSTI2020

Fluorogenic aptamers resolve the flexibility of RNA junctions using orientation-dependent FRET

To further understand the transcriptome, new tools capable of measuring folding, interactions, and localization of RNA are needed. Although Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) is an angle- and distance-dependent phenomenon, the majority of FRET measurements have been used to report distances, by assuming rotationally averaged donor–acceptor pairs. Angle-dependent FRET measurements have proven challenging for nucleic acids due to the difficulties in incorporating fluorophores rigidly into local substructures in a biocompatible manner. Fluorescence turn-on RNA aptamers are genetically encodable tags that appear to rigidly confine their cognate fluorophores, and thus have the potential to report angular-resolved FRET. In this work, we use the fluorescent aptamers Broccoli and Mango-III as donor and acceptor, respectively, to measure the angular dependence of FRET. Joining the two fluorescent aptamers by a helix of variable length allowed systematic rotation of the acceptor fluorophore relative to the donor. FRET oscillated in a sinusoidal manner as a function of helix length, consistent with simulated data generated from models of oriented fluorophores separated by an inflexible helix. Analysis of the orientation dependence of FRET allowed us to demonstrate structural rigidification of the NiCo riboswitch upon transition metal-ion binding. This application of fluorescence turn-on aptamers opens the way to improved structural interpretation of ensemble and single-molecule FRET measurements of RNA.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

Toward a Better Understanding of Species Interactions through Network Biology

Within the last decade, there has been an explosion of multi-omics data generated for several microbial systems. At the same time, new methods of analysis have emerged that are based on inferring networks that link features both within and between species based on correlation in abundance. These developments prompt two important questions. What can be done with network approaches to better understand microbial species interactions? What challenges remain in applying network approaches to query the more complex systems of natural settings? Here, I briefly describe what has been done and what questions still need to be answered. Over the next 5 to 10 years, we will be in a strong position to infer networks that contain multiple kinds of omic data and describe systems with multiple species. These applications will open the door for a better understanding and use of microbiomes across a variety of fields.

Microbiology↗
DOE OSTI2014

US Woody Crop Yield Potential Database Documentation with Referenced Yield Summary Tables

A woody crop yield potential (WCYP) database was created containing yield results with as much associated information as was available concerning the sites, soils, and experimental treatments. The database summarizes a very broad set of old and new standing biomass data from plantation-grown hardwoods and softwoods established under a wide range of conditions across the United States and Canada. The WCYP database, together with this document, is being published to disseminate information on what is available in the literature with respect to yield evaluations and to inform people that not all yield data in the open literature are suitable for evaluation of “potential” regional yields. It has also been presented with the hope that much more information will be collected and added to the WCYP database. The current set of data in the WCYP database is derived from 41 unique reference sources describing 79 experiments in the United States or southern Canada with a total of 473 different treatments. The database contains several worksheets. The worksheet that reports the complete yield curves contains roughly 1,660 rows of data and 81 columns of parameters reporting yields and associated treatment factors. Separate worksheets, linked by the source publication author and year, describe the sites and soils associated with each experiment; another separate worksheet assembles only the final yields deemed appropriate for yield potential analysis. There are additional worksheets with conversion factors relevant to the database and notes pertaining to decisions made regarding organization of the data. This technical manuscript describes how the information was assembled to create the WCYP database that is simultaneously being published on the US Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Knowledge Discovery Framework website maintained by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). A summary table with links to all worksheets in the database can be found at the web address https://www.bioenergykdf.net/WCYP .

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
NASA NTRS2012

Communicating by Doppler: Detecting Spacecraft Dynamics During Critical Maneuvers

Communicating information from spacecraft in deep space utilizes sophisticated techniques of modulations onto a microwave signal carrier. Under most conditions, there is a high success rate of sending commands to the spacecraft and receiving science data acquired by on-board instruments along with health and status information. There are conditions, however, where the signal dynamics are too high and/or the received signal-to-noise ratio is below the receiver threshold. Under these conditions, often by design and sometimes as a result of planned or unplanned critical maneuvers, events (e.g., orbit insertion or descent and landing), safe mode, etc., it becomes highly critical but exceedingly challenging to receive information about the health and dynamical behavior of the spacecraft. The Deep Space Network, being a world-class instrument for Radio Science research, developed openloop receivers, called the Radio Science Receiver, designed to capture the raw incoming electromagnetic signals and associated noise for Radio Science experiments; post data capture digital signal processing extracts the signal carrier for scientific analysis. This receiver provides a high level of configuration flexibility and can be optimized for the various types of experiments. In addition to its scientific utility, it proved to be useful, and in some cases critical, for the support of missions during specific scenarios were the link budget is below the threshold of the tracking receiver to maintain lock or the frequency dynamics are faster than the limits of the tracking receiver. In these cases, the signal carrier is often detected only in the open-loop receiver to provide information on the specific behavior of the spacecraft from the carrier dynamics. This paper describes the utility of the system to support mission-critical events for the three cases of Cassini's Saturn orbit insertion, Huygens Titan landing, and Mars rovers landing.

radio science↗
DOE OSTI2019

2019 Wireless Test Bed Range Manual

Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Next Generation Wireless Test Bed (NGWTB) program, is part of the Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) initiative. Our nation’s reliance on wireless and Internet technology is rapidly evolving as more corporations and government agencies, employees, and handheld devices include mobile connectivity for both voice and data. The competitive advantage offered by a mobile workforce is leading many corporations to make wireless integration and convergence a top business priority. Similarly, military systems worldwide are rapidly embracing next-generation commercial technologies to accelerate network-centric capabilities and provide enhanced situational awareness. While handheld devices such as laptops, BlackBerrys, and cell phones once had limited mobility and range, they are rapidly incorporating new and multiple protocols such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Satellite, and broadband cellular (3G/4G) on a single platform to increase their effectiveness and agility. Worldwide there is exponential growth in public Wi-Fi and/or Satellite connectivity access nodes, and 3G/4G cellular continues to evolve and expand the range and speed of these devices. Additionally, critical infrastructure networks, previously isolated or connected with dedicated wireline circuits, are incorporating Zigbee for wireless sensor networks, wireless LANs for maintenance functions, and cellular or Internet based backhaul to manage control centers. Yet with all the build-up surrounding wireless technology, few understand the complexities surrounding wireless protocols and security, the risks of converged network infrastructures, need for interoperability of communication systems, or mitigation measures to safely use and improve new technologies in both commercial and military environments. With no single vendor source for all the telecommunications equipment needed for wireless infrastructure upgrades, and no one entity providing end-to-end testing or independent validation, the INL's NGWTB program fulfills a niche for facilitating integrated testing of multiple technologies, across multiple wireless domains, of next generation wireless telecommunications systems. NGWTB engineers and technicians have constructed and operate domain infrastructure in the Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks (WMAN), and Wireless Wide Area Networks (WWAN). Advantages that make the INL's NGWTB the place to conduct project and programmatic testing include: • NTIA Experimental Station authority • Geographically isolated and low-noise radio frequency (RF) test areas located on a 890 sm DOE reservation • Access to isolated high-speed LAN and FOT networks The rollout of next-generation networks will involve deploying new technologies at every level including new: handsets, frequencies, antenna arrays, cell configurations that are optimized for both data and voice, massive upgrade of cell controllers’ “land-line” phone links from low bandwidth connections to higher capacity fiber or wireless backhaul, and integration of voice switching and Internet/data network protocols (Voice-Over-IP, Web phones). These systems are expected to greatly transform our nation's communications infrastructure and the types of services it provides.

2G↗
DOE OSTI2024

GeoBridge: Connecting Communities to Geothermal Information and Opportunities: Preprint

The geothermal community is well established with long-standing events, organizations, and tools that are known across the geothermal community. But many of these tools and resources are located behind pay walls, require memberships, or are otherwise difficult to find, especially for people looking to join the geothermal community. These barriers to access can prevent outsiders from discovering valuable geothermal resources, limiting the geothermal community's potential for collaboration with other communities, such as clean energy entrepreneurs looking to expand into geothermal energy. The Department of Energy's (DOE) GeoBridge serves to bring these communities together by acting as a single, publicly accessible, searchable portal that facilitates easy access to available geothermal knowledge and information. It works to expand and diversify the pool of geothermal stakeholders by providing in-roads to geothermal information and community resources. It helps build a stronger geothermal community; one inclusive of individuals and groups from a variety of different backgrounds, including potential investors and start-up companies looking to accelerate innovation in geothermal technologies. By linking communities to geothermal information, analysis and expertise, GeoBridge serves as a launch point, directing interested parties to existing data and tools, events, educational resources, STEM programs, permitting and regulatory information, and other resources that can be used to evaluate, promote, and discover geothermal opportunities.

access↗
DOE OSTI2016

Dynamic analysis environment for nuclear forensic analyses

We report a Dynamic Analysis Environment (DAE) software package is introduced to facilitate group inclusion/exclusion method testing, evaluation and comparison for pre-detonation nuclear forensics applications. Employing DAE, the multivariate signatures of a questioned material can be compared to the signatures for different, known groups, enabling the linking of the questioned material to its potential process, location, or fabrication facility. Advantages of using DAE for group inclusion/exclusion include built-in query tools for retrieving data of interest from a database, the recording and documentation of all analysis steps, a clear visualization of the analysis steps intelligible to a non-expert, and the ability to integrate analysis tools developed in different programming languages. Two group inclusion/exclusion methods are implemented in DAE: principal component analysis, a parametric feature extraction method, and k nearest neighbors, a nonparametric pattern recognition method. Spent Fuel Isotopic Composition (SFCOMPO), an open source international database of isotopic compositions for spent nuclear fuels (SNF) from 14 reactors, is used to construct PCA and KNN models for known reactor groups, and 20 simulated SNF samples are utilized in evaluating the performance of these group inclusion/exclusion models. For all 20 simulated samples, PCA in conjunction with the Q statistic correctly excludes a large percentage of reactor groups and correctly includes the true reactor of origination. As a result, employing KNN, 14 of the 20 simulated samples are classified to their true reactor of origination.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2013

TIME-DEPENDENT NONEXTENSIVITY ARISING FROM THE ROTATIONAL EVOLUTION OF SOLAR-TYPE STARS

Nonextensive formalism is a generalization of the Boltzmann-Gibbs statistics. In this formalism, the entropic index q is a quantity characterizing the degree of nonextensivity and is interpreted as a parameter of long-memory or long-range interactions between the components of the system. Since its proposition in 1988, this formalism has been applied to investigate a wide variety of natural phenomena. In stellar astrophysics, a theoretical distribution function based on nonextensive formalism (q distributions) has been successfully applied to reproduce the distribution of stellar radial and rotational velocity data. In this paper, we investigate the time variation of the entropic index q obtained from the distribution of rotation, Vsin i, for a sample of 254 rotational data for solar-type stars from 11 open clusters aged between 35.5 Myr and 2.6 Gyr. As a result, we have found an anti-correlation between the entropic index q and the age of clusters, and that the distribution of rotation Vsin i for these stars becomes extensive for an age greater than about 170 Myr. Assuming that the parameter q is associated with long-memory effects, we suggest that the memory of the initial angular momentum of solar-type stars can be scaled by the entropic index q. We also propose a physical link between the parameter q and the magnetic braking of stellar rotation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

KG-Hub—building and exchanging biological knowledge graphs

Knowledge graphs (KGs) are a powerful approach for integrating heterogeneous data and making inferences in biology and many other domains, but a coherent solution for constructing, exchanging, and facilitating the downstream use of KGs is lacking. Here we present KG-Hub, a platform that enables standardized construction, exchange, and reuse of KGs. Features include a simple, modular extract–transform–load pattern for producing graphs compliant with Biolink Model (a high-level data model for standardizing biological data), easy integration of any OBO (Open Biological and Biomedical Ontologies) ontology, cached downloads of upstream data sources, versioned and automatically updated builds with stable URLs, web-browsable storage of KG artifacts on cloud infrastructure, and easy reuse of transformed subgraphs across projects. Current KG-Hub projects span use cases including COVID-19 research, drug repurposing, microbial–environmental interactions, and rare disease research. KG-Hub is equipped with tooling to easily analyze and manipulate KGs. KG-Hub is also tightly integrated with graph machine learning (ML) tools which allow automated graph ML, including node embeddings and training of models for link prediction and node classification.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1985

Excess gamma-rays in the direction of the rho Ophiuchi cloud: An exotic object?

The COS-B X-ray data in the direction of the rho Oph dark cloud show an extended structure; at the same time, the region of highest intensity has a spatial distribution compatible with a localized source; 2CG353+16 which is designated Oph gamma. The possibility of an excess gamma ray flux over what is expected on the basis of the interaction of average density cosmic rays with an estimated cloud mass of 2 to 4 000 M is still open, pending an extended CO survey matching the gamma ray data. Estimates for this excess factor are in the range 2 to 4. While the cloud mass may be underestimated, it should be noted that an excess of the same order appears to be present in the nearby Oph-Sag area, well surveyed in CO with the Columbia dish. Possible reasons for a gamma ray excess, in view of two recent observational developments: an Einstein X-ray survey and a VLA radio survey, both covering the approx 2 deg diameter Oph gamma error box. Current interpretations link the gamma ray excess to the cloud gas, in which some active agent is present: stellar winds, or interaction with the North Polar Spur.

Montmerle, T.↗
DOE OSTI2026

WholeTraveler Anonymized Data Phase 1

Phase 1 of the WholeTraveler Study data collection consisted of an online-only survey. This survey captured data on three categories of observable variation in the population relevant to transportation decisions. First, the survey collected traditional demographic data such as age, gender, income, and education level. Second, it collected data across personality, psychological, and preference categories. This included: 1. The "Big Five" inventory personality traits: openness to new experience, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism; 2. Risk and time preferences; and 3. Environmental preferences. Third, the survey collected data on historical behavior patterns including: 1. Adoption of (as well as interest in) new technologies or innovations (e.g., smartphones, PEVs, solar panels, adaptive cruise control [ACC]); 2. Car ownership history and current car ownership status; 3. Recent mode use across different time scales (e.g., previous week, previous month, previous year); and 4. Timing of major life events such as starting a family as well as overall lifecycle trajectory patterns. Data from Phase 1 and Phase 2 are linked by a unique respondent identifier. Anonymized versions of the Phase 1 and Phase 2 data are both available on Livewire.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
NASA NTRS1986

Motor actuated vacuum door

Doors that allow scientific instruments to record and retrieve the observed data are often required to be designed and installed as a part of sounding rocket hardware. The motor-actuated vacuum door was designed to maintain a medium vacuum of the order of 0.0001 torr or better while closed, and to provide an opening 15 inches long x 8.5 inches wide while open for cameras to image Halley's comet. When the electric motor receives the instruction to open the door through the payload battery, timer, and relay circuit, the first operation is to unlock the door. After unlatching, the torque transmitted by the motor to the main shaft through the links opens the door. A microswitch actuator, which rides on the linear motion conversion mechanism, is adjusted to trip the limit switch at the end of the travel. The process is repeated in the reverse order to close the door. 'O' rings are designed to maintain the seal. Door mechanisms similar to the one described have flown on Aerobee 17.018 and Black Brant 27.047 payloads.

Hanagud, A. V.↗
DOE OSTI2015

Linking stellar coronal activity and rotation at 500 MYR: A deep Chandra observation of M37

Empirical calibrations of the stellar age-rotation–activity relation (ARAR) rely on observations of the co-eval populations of stars in open clusters. We used the Chandra X-ray Observatory to study M37, a 500-Myr-old open cluster that has been extensively surveyed for rotation periods (P{sub rot}). M37 was observed almost continuously for five days, for a total of 440.5 ks, to measure stellar X-ray luminosities (L{sub X}), a proxy for coronal activity, across a wide range of masses. The cluster’s membership catalog was revisited to calculate updated membership probabilities from photometric data and each star’s distance to the cluster center. The result is a comprehensive sample of 1699 M37 members: 426 with P{sub rot}, 278 with X-ray detections, and 76 with both. We calculate Rossby numbers, R{sub o}= P{sub rot}/τ, where τ is the convective turnover time, and ratios of the X-ray-to-bolometric luminosity, L{sub X}/L{sub bol}, to minimize mass dependencies in our characterization of the rotation-coronal activity relation at 500 Myr. We find that fast rotators, for which R{sub o}<0.09±0.01, show saturated levels of activity, with log(L{sub X}/L{sub bol})= −3.06±0.04. For R{sub o}⩾0.09±0.01, activity is unsaturated and follows a power law of the form R{sub o}{sup β}, where β = −2.03{sub −0.14}{sup +0.17}. This is the largest sample available for analyzing the dependence of coronal emission on rotation for a single-aged population, covering stellar masses in the range 0.4–1.3 M{sub ⊙}, P{sub rot} in the range 0.4–12.8 days, and L{sub X} in the range 10{sup 28.4−30.5} erg s{sup −1}. Our results make M37 a new benchmark open cluster for calibrating the ARAR at ages of ≈500 Myr.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2019

The Tropical Atlantic Observing System

The tropical Atlantic is home to multiple coupled climate variations covering a wide range of timescales and impacting societally relevant phenomena such as continental rainfall, Atlantic hurricane activity, oceanic biological productivity, and atmospheric circulation in the equatorial Pacific. The tropical Atlantic also connects the southern and northern branches of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation and receives freshwater input from some of the world's largest rivers. To address these diverse, unique, and interconnected research challenges, a rich network of ocean observations has developed, building on the backbone of the Prediction and Research Moored Array in the Tropical Atlantic (PIRATA). This network has evolved naturally over time and out of necessity in order to address the most important outstanding scientific questions and to improve predictions of tropical Atlantic severe weather and global climate variability and change. The tropical Atlantic observing system is motivated by goals to understand and better predict phenomena such as tropical Atlantic interannual to decadal variability and climate change; multidecadal variability and its links to the meridional overturning circulation; air-sea fluxes of CO 2 and their implications for the fate of anthropogenic CO 2 ; the Amazon River plume and its interactions with biogeochemistry, vertical mixing, and hurricanes; the highly productive eastern boundary and equatorial upwelling systems; and oceanic oxygen minimum zones, their impacts on biogeochemical cycles and marine ecosystems, and their feedbacks to climate. Past success of the tropical Atlantic observing system is the result of an international commitment to sustained observations and scientific cooperation, a willingness to evolve with changing research and monitoring needs, and a desire to share data openly with the scientific community and operational centers. The observing system must continue to evolve in order to meet an expanding set of research priorities and operational challenges. This paper discusses the tropical Atlantic observing system, including emerging scientific questions that demand sustained ocean observations, the potential for further integration of the observing system, and the requirements for sustaining and enhancing the tropical Atlantic observing system.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2004

Teleoperated Modular Robots for Lunar Operations

Solar system exploration is currently carried out by special purpose robots exquisitely designed for the anticipated tasks. However, all contingencies for in situ resource utilization (ISRU), human habitat preparation, and exploration will be difficult to anticipate. Furthermore, developing the necessary special purpose mechanisms for deployment and other capabilities is difficult and error prone. For example, the Galileo high gain antenna never opened, severely restricting the quantity of data returned by the spacecraft. Also, deployment hardware is used only once. To address these problems, we are developing teleoperated modular robots for lunar missions, including operations in transit from Earth. Teleoperation of lunar systems from Earth involves a three second speed-of-light delay, but experiment suggests that interactive operations are feasible.' Modular robots typically consist of many identical modules that pass power and data between them and can be reconfigured for different tasks providing great flexibility, inherent redundancy and graceful degradation as modules fail. Our design features a number of different hub, link, and joint modules to simplify the individual modules, lower structure cost, and provide specialized capabilities. Modular robots are well suited for space applications because of their extreme flexibility, inherent redundancy, high-density packing, and opportunities for mass production. Simple structural modules can be manufactured from lunar regolith in situ using molds or directed solar sintering. Software to direct and control modular robots is difficult to develop. We have used genetic algorithms to evolve both the morphology and control system for walking modular robots3 We are currently using evolvable system technology to evolve controllers for modular robots in the ISS glove box. Development of lunar modular robots will require software and physical simulators, including regolith simulation, to enable design and test of robot software and hardware, particularly automation software. Ready access to these simulators could provide opportunities for contest-driven development ala RoboCup (http://www.robocup.org/). Licensing of module designs could provide opportunities in the toy market and for spin-off applications.

Globus, Al↗