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At least 307 records · Page 17

Use of Machine Learning and Principal Component Analysis to Retrieve Nitrogen Dioxide (NO 2 ) With Hyperspectral Imagers and Reduce Noise in Spectral Fitting

Nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) is an important trace-gas pollutant and climate agent whose presence also leads to spectral interference in ocean color retrievals. NO 2 column densities have been retrieved with satellite UV–Vis spectrometers such as the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and the Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) that typically have spectral resolutions of the order of 0.5 nm or better and spatial footprints as small as 3.6 km × 5.6 km. These NO 2 observations are used to estimate emissions, monitor pollution trends, and study effects on human health. Here, we investigate whether it is possible to retrieve NO 2 amounts with lower-spectral-resolution hyperspectral imagers such as the Ocean Color Instrument (OCI) that will fly on the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite set for launch in early 2024. OCI will have a spectral resolution of 5 nm and a spatial resolution of ∼ 1 km with global coverage in 1–2 d. At this spectral resolution, small-scale spectral structure from NO 2 absorption is still present. We use real spectra from the OMI to simulate OCI spectra that are in turn used to estimate NO 2 slant column densities (SCDs) with an artificial neural network (NN) trained on target OMI retrievals. While we obtain good results with no noise added to the OCI simulated spectra, we find that the expected instrumental noise substantially degrades the OCI NO 2 retrievals. Nevertheless, the NO 2 information from OCI may be of value for ocean color retrievals. OCI retrievals can also be temporally averaged over timescales of the order of months to reduce noise and provide higher-spatial-resolution maps that may be useful for downscaling lower-spatial-resolution data provided by instruments such as OMI and TROPOMI; this downscaling could potentially enable higher-resolution emissions estimates and be useful for other applications. In addition, we show that NNs that use coefficients of leading modes of a principal component analysis of radiance spectra as inputs appear to enable noise reduction in NO 2 retrievals. Once trained, NNs can also substantially speed up NO 2 spectral fitting algorithms as applied to OMI, TROPOMI, and similar instruments that are flying or will soon fly in geostationary orbit.

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Effect of Carbon Dioxide Exposure on Physical and Cognitive Performance in A Simulated Spaceflight Contingency Scenario

INTRODUCTION: Carbon dioxide (CO2) produced by astronauts inside space suits can accumulate to levels that may affect health and performance. The human health and performance risks associated with different levels of CO2 exposure in the flight environment remain an area of debate. The purpose of this study is to characterize the limit of acceptable performance (cognitive and physical) decrements and symptom severity for mission operations when subjected to elevated inspired CO2 levels in simulated contingency lunar extravehicular activity (EVA) scenarios. METHODS: This study will create a simulation of a 1-hour, ~2km contingency EVA walk back to a habitat, incorporating a passive treadmill and a fully immersive virtual reality (VR) simulation of a lunar EVA environment. Subjects will be asked to walk on a treadmill while breathing partial pressures of CO2 of 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30mmHg for 1 hour at a time. Cognitive performance will be quantified using validated cognitive tests and measures of functional task performance embedded within the VR environment. Test subject symptoms and self-assessment of performance will be evaluated via survey. RESULTS: This study currently has approval from NASA’s Institutional Review Board and has completed the Test Readiness Review process. Next steps for this research study include test subject recruitment, data collection, and analysis. Data collection is planned for calendar year 2023 and 2024. DISCUSSION: This study will provide valuable information regarding how various partial pressures of CO2 exposure impact acute health, as well as cognitive and physical performance during simulated contingency lunar EVA. This information will enable assessment of health and performance risk associated with spacesuit systems and operations concepts for future exploration missions as well as informing definition of future standards and requirements.

carbon dioxide↗

Status of the Four Bed Carbon Dioxide Scrubber ISS Technology Demonstration 2023-2024

The Four Bed Carbon Dioxide Scrubber (FBCO2) flight demonstration is presently operating as a primary CO 2 removal system onboard the International Space Station (ISS). After activation in October 2021, FBCO2 has been removing metabolic CO 2 from the ISS cabin where it is supplementing or fully replacing the heritage systems. This paper describes the past year’s accomplishments and forward outlook. The performance of the new blower, efforts toward closed-loop operation, and further on-orbit modifications will also be detailed. System reliability, software changes, and ongoing efforts will be summarized.

Life Support↗

Time Course of Effects of Carbon Dioxide Exposure on Physical and Cognitive Performance in a Simulated Surface Extravehicular Activity Contingency Scenario

INTRODUCTION Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) is a metabolic byproduct produced by humans that must be scrubbed from the atmosphere by environmental control and life support systems in space vehicles and spacesuits to prevent buildup. Current nominal CO 2 limits are set by NASA Standard 3001, however, limits during contingency situations are not specified. The purpose of this study was to characterize and quantify the physiological, cognitive, and self-assessed symptom and performance metrics as a function of inspired CO 2 (P I CO 2 ) during a simulated 1-hour contingency lunar EVA scenario in virtual reality (VR). METHODS Fifteen healthy subjects completed 7 simulated EVA scenarios walking on a passive treadmill for one hour breathing dry, ambient air mixed with added CO 2 in a blind, counterbalanced manner (P I CO 2 : 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 mmHg) simulating a 2.0 km contingency EVA walkback to a habitat on the lunar surface in the event of a CO 2 scrubber malfunction. Subjects were immersed in a Lunar VR environment and asked to maintain their walking speed between 2.1 km/h and an upper limit individually calibrated to a fixed metabolic workload of 1.3 L/min of O 2 consumption, and performed periodic cognitive tasks and continuous cardiopulmonary measurements. Self-assessments of symptoms and task performance were measured via verbal Likert-scale survey at the onset of the walkback and at 10-minute intervals thereafter. RESULTS The time course of cardiopulmonary, cognitive, and self-reported responses at each level of P I CO 2 will be presented. All 15 subjects were able to complete the 1-hr walk back task at all CO 2 levels. Physiological responses were rapid, typically within 1 to 5 minutes. No effects of time were detected for cognitive measures. Symptomatic ratings of headache, shortness of breath, and fatigue demonstrated a time-course development, reaching asymptote after 40 minutes of CO 2 exposure. DISCUSSION These findings will inform the posture of risk associated with CO 2 exposure on human health and performance during microgravity and planetary surface operations, This will help inform decisions related to space suit and environmental life support hardware requirements and EVA operational limits for contingency extravehicular activity (EVA) scenarios.

carbon dioxide↗

Nitrogen dioxide produced by self-sustained pyrolysis of nitrous oxide

Apparatus is developed for achieving continuous self-sustaining pyrolysis reaction in the production of nitrogen dioxide from nitrous oxide. The process becomes self-sustaining because of the exothermic reaction and the regenerative heating of the gases in the pyrolysis chamber.

Sabol, A. P.↗

Removable well in reaction flask facilitates carbon dioxide collection

Removable plastic well with a flange that seats on the rim of an Erlenmeyer screwcap flask aids quantitative collection of carbon dioxide liberated in the flask. The well can be removed without danger of cross-contamination. It can collect other gases using appropriate absorbents.

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