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At least 307 records · Page 17
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2004

Self-Organized Criticality, Multifractals, and Intermittent Turbulence in Earth's Magnetotail

We have achieved all the goals stated in our grant proposal in collaboration with Dr. C.C. Wu of the University of California at Los Angeles. Specifically, these include: The understanding of the complexity induced nonlinear spatiotemporal structures and the coexisting propagating modes. The development of plasma resonances and coherent structures in space plasmas. The study of fluctuation-induced nonlinear instabilities and their role in the reconfiguration of magnetic topologies in the magnetotail. The development of "anisotropic three-dimensional complexity" in the plasma sheet due to localized merging and interactions of the magnetic coherent structures and associated topological phase transitions. The understanding of the intermittent turbulence and energization process of the observed Bursty Bulk Flows (BBF's) in the Earth s magnetotail. The acceleration of ions due to the intermittent turbulence of propagating arid nonpropagating fluctuations In the following, we include lists of our published papers, invited talks, and professional activities. A detailed description of our accomplished research results is given in Section IV.

Chang, Tom↗
NASA NTRS2003

KSC History Project

The 2003 NASA/ASEE KSC History Project focused on a series of six history initiatives designed to acquire, preserve, and interpret the history of Kennedy Space Center. These six projects included the completion of Voices From the Cape, historical work co-authored with NASA historian Roger Launius, the completion of a series of oral histories with key KSC personnel, expansion of monograph on Public Affairs into two comprehensive pieces on KSC press operations and KSC visitor operations, the expansion of KSC Historical Concept Maps (Cmap) for history knowledge preservation, the expansion of the KSC oral history program through the administration of an oral history workshop for KSC-based practitioners, and the continued collaborative relationships between Kennedy Space Center, the University of West Florida, the University of Central Florida and other institutions including the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Moore, Patrick K.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Synaptic changes in rat maculae in space and medical imaging: the link

Two different space life sciences missions (SLS-1 and SLS-2) have demonstrated that the synapses of the hair cells of rat vestibular maculae increase significantly in microgravity. The results also indicate that macular synapses are sensitive to stress. These findings argue that vestibular maculae exhibit neuroplasticity to macroenvironmental and microenvironmental changes. This capability should be clinically relevant to rehabilitative training and/or pharmacological treatments for vestibular disease. The results of this ultrastructural research also demonstrated that type I and type II hair cells are integrated into the same neuronal circuitry. The findings were the basis for development of three-dimensional reconstruction software to learn details of macular wiring. This software, produced for scientific research, has now been adapted to reconstruct the face and skull directly from computerized tomography scans. In collaboration with craniofacial reconstructive surgeons at Stanford University Medical Center, an effort is under way to produce a virtual environment workbench for complex craniofacial surgery. When completed, the workbench will help surgeons train for and simulate surgery. The methods are patient specific. This research illustrates the value of basic research in leading to unanticipated medical applications.

Flight Experiment↗
NASA NTRS2004

Polymer/Silicate Nanocomposites Used to Manufacture Gas Storage Tanks With Reduced Permeability

Over the past decade, there has been considerable research in the area of polymer-layered silicate nanocomposites. This research has shown that the dispersion of small amounts of an organically modified layered silicate improves the polymer strength, modulus, thermal stability, and barrier properties. There have been several reports on the dispersion of layered silicates in an epoxy matrix. Potential enhancements to the barrier properties of epoxy/silicate nanocomposites make this material attractive for low permeability tankage. Polymer matrix composites (PMCs) have several advantages for cryogenic storage tanks. They are lightweight, strong, and stiff; therefore, a smaller fraction of a vehicle's potential payload capacity is used for propellant storage. Unfortunately, the resins typically used to make PMC tanks have higher gas permeability than metals. This can lead to hydrogen loss through the body of the tank instead of just at welds and fittings. One approach to eliminate this problem is to build composite tanks with thin metal liners. However, although these tanks provide good permeability performance, they suffer from a substantial mismatch in the coefficient of thermal expansion, which can lead to failure of the bond between the liner and the body of the tank. Both problems could be addressed with polymersilicate nanocomposites, which exhibit reduced hydrogen permeability, making them potential candidates for linerless PMC tanks. Through collaboration with Northrop Grumman and Michigan State University, nanocomposite test tanks were manufactured for the NASA Glenn Research Center, and the helium permeability was measured. An organically modified silicate was prepared at Michigan State University and dispersed in an epoxy matrix (EPON 826/JeffamineD230). The epoxy/silicate nanocomposites contained either 0 or 5 wt% of the organically modified silicate. The tanks were made by filament winding carbon fibers with the nanocomposite resin. Helium permeability was measured by Northrop Grumman, showing that the leak rate/day of the nanocomposite matrix tank was approximately 80-percent less than that of the neat epoxy matrix tank.

Campbell, Sandi G.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Advances in Single and Multijunction III-V Photovoltaics on Silicon for Space Power

A collaborative research effort at MIT, Ohio State University and NASA has resulted in the demonstration of record quality gallium arsenide (GaAs) based single junction photovoltaic devices on silicon (Si) substrates. The ability to integrate highly efficient, radiation hard III-V based devices on silicon offers the potential for dramatic reductions in cell mass (approx.2x) and increases in cell area. Both of these improvements offer the potential for dramatic reductions in the cost of on-orbit electrical power. Recently, lattice matched InGaP/GaAs and metamorphic InGaP/InGaAs dual junction solar cells were demonstrated by MBE and OMVPE, respectively. Single junction GaAs on Si devices have been integrated into a space flight experiment (MISSES), scheduled to be launched to the International Space Station in March of 2005. I-V performance data from the GaAs/Si will be collected on-orbit and telemetered to ground stations daily. Microcracks in the GaAs epitaxial material, generated because of differences in the thermal expansion coefficient between GaAs and Si, are of concern in the widely varying thermal environment encountered in low Earth orbit. Ground based thermal life cycling (-80 C to + 80 C) equivalent to 1 year in LEO has been conducted on GaAs/Si devices with no discernable degradation in device performance, suggesting that microcracks may not limit the ability to field GaAs/Si in harsh thermal environments. Recent advances in the development and testing of III-V photovoltaic devices on Si will be presented.

Wilt, David M.↗
NASA NTRS2004

NASA Johnson Space Center Usability Testing and Analysis Facility (UTAF) Overview

The Usability Testing and Analysis Facility (UTAF) is part of the Space Human Factors Laboratory at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The facility provides support to the Office of Biological and Physical Research, the Space Shuttle Program, the International Space Station Program, and other NASA organizations. In addition, there are ongoing collaborative research efforts with external businesses and universities. The UTAF provides human factors analysis, evaluation, and usability testing of crew interfaces for space applications. This includes computer displays and controls, workstation systems, and work environments. The UTAF has a unique mix of capabilities, with a staff experienced in both cognitive human factors and ergonomics. The current areas of focus are: human factors applications in emergency medical care and informatics; control and display technologies for electronic procedures and instructions; voice recognition in noisy environments; crew restraint design for unique microgravity workstations; and refinement of human factors processes. This presentation will provide an overview of ongoing activities, and will address how the projects will evolve to meet new space initiatives.

Whitmore, M.↗
NASA NTRS2004

NASA Johnson Space Center Usability Testing and Analysis Facility (WAF) Overview

The Usability Testing and Analysis Facility (UTAF) is part of the Space Human Factors Laboratory at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The facility provides support to the Office of Biological and Physical Research, the Space Shuttle Program, the International Space Station Program, and other NASA organizations. In addition, there are ongoing collaborative research efforts with external businesses and universities. The UTAF provides human factors analysis, evaluation, and usability testing of crew interfaces for space applications. This includes computer displays and controls, workstation systems, and work environments. The UTAF has a unique mix of capabilities, with a staff experienced in both cognitive human factors and ergonomics. The current areas of focus are: human factors applications in emergency medical care and informatics; control and display technologies for electronic procedures and instructions; voice recognition in noisy environments; crew restraint design for unique microgravity workstations; and refinement of human factors processes. This presentation will provide an overview of ongoing activities, and will address how the projects will evolve to meet new space initiatives.

Whitmore, M.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Collaborative Human Engineering Work in Space Exploration Extravehicular Activities (EVA)

A viewgraph presentation on extravehicular activities in space exploration in collaboration with other NASA centers, industries, and universities is shown. The topics include: 1) Concept of Operations for Future EVA activities; 2) Desert Research and Technology Studies (RATS); 3) Advanced EVA Walkback Test; 4) Walkback Subjective Results; 5) Integrated Suit Test 1; 6) Portable Life Support Subsystem (PLSS); 7) Flex PLSS Design Process; and 8) EVA Information System; 9)

DeSantis, Lena↗
NASA NTRS2005

NASA Johnson Space Center Usability Testing and Analysis facility (UTAF) Overview

The Usability Testing and Analysis Facility (UTAF) is part of the Space Human Factors Laboratory at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The facility performs research for NASA's HumanSystems Integration Program, under the HumanSystems Research and Technology Division. Specifically, the UTAF provides human factors support for space vehicles, including the International Space Station, the Space Shuttle, and the forthcoming Crew Exploration Vehicle. In addition, there are ongoing collaborative research efforts with external corporations and universities. The UTAF provides human factors analysis, evaluation, and usability testing of crew interfaces for space applications. This includes computer displays and controls, workstation systems, and work environments. The UTAF has a unique mix of capabilities, with a staff experienced in both cognitive human factors and ergonomics. The current areas of focus are: human factors applications in emergency medical care and informatics; control and display technologies for electronic procedures and instructions; voice recognition in noisy environments; crew restraint design for unique microgravity workstations; and refinement of human factors processes and requirements. This presentation will provide an overview of ongoing activities, and will address how the UTAF projects will evolve to meet new space initiatives.

Whitmore, Mihriban↗
NASA NTRS2007

Trigger and Reconstruction Algorithms for the Japanese Experiment Module- Extreme Universe Space Observatory (JEM-EUSO)

The JEM-EUSO collaboration intends to study high energy cosmic ray showers using a large downward looking telescope mounted on the Japanese Experiment Module of the International Space Station. The telescope focal plane is instrumented with approx.300k pixels operating as a digital camera, taking snapshots at approx. 1MHz rate. We report an investigation of the trigger and reconstruction efficiency of various algorithms based on time and spatial analysis of the pixel images. Our goal is to develop trigger and reconstruction algorithms that will allow the instrument to detect energies low enough to connect smoothly to ground-based observations.

Adams, J. H., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Health Maintenance System (HMS) Hardware Research, Design, and Collaboration

The Space Life Sciences division (SLSD) concentrates on optimizing a crew member's health. Developments are translated into innovative engineering solutions, research growth, and community awareness. This internship incorporates all those areas by targeting various projects. The main project focuses on integrating clinical and biomedical engineering principles to design, develop, and test new medical kits scheduled for launch in the Spring of 2011. Additionally, items will be tagged with Radio Frequency Interference Devices (RFID) to keep track of the inventory. The tags will then be tested to optimize Radio Frequency feed and feed placement. Research growth will occur with ground based experiments designed to measure calcium encrusted deposits in the International Space Station (ISS). The tests will assess the urine calcium levels with Portable Clinical Blood Analyzer (PCBA) technology. If effective then a model for urine calcium will be developed and expanded to microgravity environments. To support collaboration amongst the subdivisions of SLSD the architecture of the Crew Healthcare Systems (CHeCS) SharePoint site has been redesigned for maximum efficiency. Community collaboration has also been established with the University of Southern California, Dept. of Aeronautical Engineering and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Hardware disbursements will transpire within these communities to support planetary surface exploration and to serve as an educational tool demonstrating how ground based medicine influenced the technological development of space hardware.

Gonzalez, Stefanie M.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Exploring the Use of Radar for Physically-Based Nowcasting of Lightning Cessation

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAHuntsville) are collaborating with the 45th Weather Squadron (45WS) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) to enable improved nowcasting of lightning cessation. This project centers on use of dual-polarimetric radar capabilities, and in particular, the new C-band dual polarimetric weather radar acquired by the 45WS. Special emphasis is placed on the development of a physically-based operational algorithm to predict lightning cessation. While previous studies have developed statistically based lightning cessation algorithms driven primarily by trending in the actual total lightning flash rate, we believe that dual polarimetric radar variables offer the possibility to improve existing algorithms through the inclusion of physically meaningful trends reflecting interactions between in-cloud electric fields and ice-microphysics. Specifically, decades of polarimetric radar research using propagation differential phase has demonstrated the presence of distinct phase and ice crystal alignment signatures in the presence of strong electric fields associated with lightning. One question yet to be addressed is: To what extent can propagation phase-based ice-crystal alignment signatures be used to nowcast the cessation of lightning activity in a given storm? Accordingly, data from the UAHuntsville Advanced Radar for Meteorological and Operational Research (ARMOR) along with the NASA-MSFC North Alabama Lightning Mapping Array are used in this study to investigate the radar signatures present before and after lightning cessation. Thus far our case study results suggest that the negative differential phase shift signature weakens and disappears after the analyzed storms ceased lightning production (i.e., after the last lightning flash occurred). This is a key observation because it suggests that while strong electric fields may still have been present, the lightning cessation signature was encompassed in the period of the polarimetric negative phase shift signature. To the extent this behavior is repeatable in other cases, even if only in a substantial fraction of those cases, the analysis suggests that differential propagation phase may prove to be a useful parameter for future lightning cessation algorithms. Indeed, a preliminary analysis of 15+ cases has shown additional indications of the weakening and disappearance of this ice alignment signature with lightning cessation. A summary of these case-study results is presented.

Schultz, Elise V.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Exploring the Use of Radar for a Physically Based Lightning Cessation Nowcasting Tool

NASA s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAHuntsville) are collaborating with the 45th Weather Squadron (45WS) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) to enable improved nowcasting of lightning cessation. This project centers on use of dual-polarimetric radar capabilities, and in particular, the new C-band dual-polarimetric weather radar acquired by the 45WS. Special emphasis is placed on the development of a physically based operational algorithm to predict lightning cessation. While previous studies have developed statistically based lightning cessation algorithms, we believe that dual-polarimetric radar variables offer the possibility to improve existing algorithms through the inclusion of physically meaningful trends reflecting interactions between in-cloud electric fields and hydrometeors. Specifically, decades of polarimetric radar research using propagation differential phase has demonstrated the presence of distinct phase and ice crystal alignment signatures in the presence of strong electric fields associated with lightning. One question yet to be addressed is: To what extent can these ice-crystal alignment signatures be used to nowcast the cessation of lightning activity in a given storm? Accordingly, data from the UAHuntsville Advanced Radar for Meteorological and Operational Research (ARMOR) along with the NASA-MSFC North Alabama Lightning Mapping Array are used in this study to investigate the radar signatures present before and after lightning cessation. Thus far, our case study results suggest that the negative differential phase shift signature weakens and disappears after the analyzed storms ceased lightning production (i.e., after the last lightning flash occurred). This is a key observation because it suggests that while strong electric fields may still have been present, the lightning cessation signature encompassed the period of the polarimetric negative phase shift signature. To the extent this behavior is repeatable in other cases, even if only in a substantial fraction of those cases, the case analyses suggests that differential propagation phase may prove to be a useful parameter for future lightning cessation algorithms. Indeed, analysis of 15+ cases has shown additional indications of the weakening and disappearance of this ice alignment signature with lightning cessation. A summary of results will be presented.

Schultz, Elise V.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Linking NASA Environmental Data with a National Public Health Cohort Study and a CDC On-Line System to Enhance Public Health Decision Making

The overall goal of this study is to address issues of environmental health and enhance public health decision making by utilizing NASA remotely-sensed data and products. This study is a collaboration between NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Universities Space Research Association (USRA), the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Center for Public Health Informatics. The objectives of this study are to develop high-quality spatial data sets of environmental variables, link these with public health data from a national cohort study, and deliver the linked data sets and associated analyses to local, state and federal end-user groups. Three daily environmental data sets were developed for the conterminous U.S. on different spatial resolutions for the period 2003-2008: (1) spatial surfaces of estimated fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposures on a 10-km grid utilizing the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ground observations and NASA s MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data; (2) a 1-km grid of Land Surface Temperature (LST) using MODIS data; and (3) a 12-km grid of daily Solar Insolation (SI) and maximum and minimum air temperature using the North American Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS) forcing data. These environmental datasets were linked with public health data from the UAB REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) national cohort study to determine whether exposures to these environmental risk factors are related to cognitive decline and other health outcomes. These environmental national datasets will also be made available to public health professionals, researchers and the general public via the CDC Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER) system, where they can be aggregated to the county, state or regional level as per users need and downloaded in tabular, graphical, and map formats. The linkage of these data provides a useful addition to CDC WONDER, allowing public health researchers and policy makers to better include environmental exposure data in the context of other health data available in this online system. It also substantially expands public access to NASA data, making their use by a wide range of decision makers feasible.

Al-Hamdan, Mohammad↗
NASA NTRS2012

Using NASA Remotely Sensed Data to Help Characterize Environmental Risk Factors for National Public Health Applications

The overall goal of this study is to address issues of environmental health and enhance public health decision making by using NASA remotely sensed data and products. This study is a collaboration between NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Universities Space Research Association (USRA), the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Office of Surveillance, Epidemiology and Laboratory Services. The objectives of this study are to develop high-quality spatial data sets of environmental variables, link these with public health data from a national cohort study, and deliver the environmental data sets and associated public health analyses to local, state and federal end ]user groups. Three daily environmental data sets were developed for the conterminous U.S. on different spatial resolutions for the period 2003-2008: (1) spatial surfaces of estimated fine particulate matter (PM2.5) on a 10-km grid using US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ground observations and NASA's MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data; (2) a 1-km grid of MODIS Land Surface Temperature (LST); and (3) a 12-km grid of daily incoming solar radiation and maximum and minimum air temperature using the North American Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS) data. These environmental datasets were linked with public health data from the UAB REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) national cohort study to determine whether exposures to these environmental risk factors are related to cognitive decline, stroke and other health outcomes. These environmental national datasets will also be made available to public health professionals, researchers and the general public via the CDC Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER) system, where they can be aggregated to the county-level, state-level, or regional-level as per users f need and downloaded in tabular, graphical, and map formats. This provides a significant addition to the CDC WONDER online system, allowing public health researchers and policy makers to better include environmental exposure data in the context of other health data available in CDC WONDER. It also substantially expands public access to NASA data, making their use by a wide range of decisionmakers feasible.

Al-Hamdan, Mohammad↗
NASA NTRS2012

Analysis of Water and Energy Budgets and Trends Using the NLDAS Monthly Data Sets

The North American Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS) is a collaborative project between NASA GSFC, NOAA, Princeton University, and the University of Washington. NLDAS has created surface meteorological forcing data sets using the best-available observations and reanalyses. The forcing data sets are used to drive four separate land-surface models (LSMs), Mosaic, Noah, VIC, and SAC, to produce data sets of soil moisture, snow, runoff, and surface fluxes. NLDAS hourly data, accessible from the NASA GES DISC Hydrology Data Holdings Portal, http://disc.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/hydrology/data-holdings, are widely used by various user communities in modeling, research, and applications, such as drought and flood monitoring, watershed and water quality management, and case studies of extreme events. More information is available at http://ldas.gsfc.nasa.gov/. To further facilitate analysis of water and energy budgets and trends, NLDAS monthly data sets have been recently released by NASA GES DISC.

Vollmer, Bruce E.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Seahawk: An Advanced Cubesat Mission for Sustained Ocean Color Monitoring

Sustained ocean color monitoring is vital to understanding the marine ecosystem. It has been identified as an Essential Climate Variable (ECV) and is a vital parameter in understanding long-term climate change. Furthermore, observations can be beneficial in observing oil spills, harmful algal blooms and the health of fisheries. Space-based remote sensing, through MERIS, SeaWiFS and MODIS instruments, have provided a means of observing the vast area covered by the ocean which would otherwise be impossible using ships alone. However, the large pixel size makes measurements of lakes, rivers, estuaries and coastal zones difficult. Furthermore, retirement of a number of widely used and relied upon ocean observation instruments, particularly MERIS and SeaWiFS, leaves a significant gap in ocean color observation opportunities. This paper presents an overview of the SeaHawk mission, a collaborative effort between Clyde Space Ltd., the University of North Carolina Wilmington, Cloudland Instruments, and Goddard Spaceflight Center, funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. The goal of the project is to enhance the ability to observe ocean color in high temporal and spatial resolution through use of a low-cost, next-generation ocean color sensor flown aboard a CubeSat. The final product will be 530 times smaller (0.0034 vs 1.81cu m) and 115 time less massive (3.4 vs 390.0 kg) but with a ground resolution 10 times better whilst maintaining a signal/noise ratio 50 that of SeaWiFs. This paper will describe the objectives of the mission, outline the payload specification and the spacecraft platform to support it.

SeaHawk↗
NASA NTRS2018

Update on the Nested Hall Thruster Subsystem for the NextSTEP XR-100 Program

Under the NextSTEP program led by Aerojet Rocketdyne in collaboration with NASA Glenn Research Center the University of Michigan, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the XR-100 100 kW Electric Propulsion system is being developed to Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5. As part of this program, the X3, a Nested Hall Thruster (NHT) designed to operate at powers up to 200kW, is being further developed through parallel modeling and experimental efforts with the ultimate goal of supporting a 100kW-100hr system test in the final year of the NextSTEP program. Recent developments for the X3 subsystem are presented including a summary of testing and modeling results and design updates in anticipation of a risk reduction test scheduled for the summer of 2018.

Jorns, Benjamin A.↗