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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 325 records · Page 18

Open Source GIS Connectors to NASA GES DISC Satellite Data

The NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC) houses a suite of high spatiotemporal resolution GIS data including satellite-derived and modeled precipitation, air quality, and land surface parameter data. The data are valuable to various GIS research and applications at regional, continental, and global scales. On the other hand, many GIS users, especially those from the ArcGIS community, have difficulties in obtaining, importing, and using our data due to factors such as the variety of data products, the complexity of satellite remote sensing data, and the data encoding formats. We introduce a simple open source ArcGIS data connector that significantly simplifies the access and use of GES DISC data in ArcGIS.

user↗

Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU) 11 Foot Vacuum Chamber Upgrades Test Results

The Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU) uncrewed 11 foot vacuum chamber testing evaluated the capabilities of the 11 foot vacuum chamber facility to support advanced spacesuit testing. The government reference design xEMU spacesuit provided a high-fidelity test article to demonstrate 11 foot vacuum chamber capabilities which included: gas loading of the chamber at varying simulated metabolic rates and open loop suit abort operations, Intravehicular Activity (IVA) vacuum access, consumables recharge, IVA vehicle-provided thermal loop cooling, and IVA vehicle-provided power. To demonstrate the xEMU airlock operations transitioning from IVA to EVA conditions without a test subject in the suit, test support equipment was developed to remotely actuate both the Exploration, Servicing, and Cooling Umbilical (ESCU) and the vacuum access umbilical. This test also evaluated the performance of the Exploration Portable Life Support System (xPLSS) at vacuum conditions. Data was collected and analyzed for carbon dioxide (CO2) scrubbing performance of the Rapid Cycle Amine (RCA) swingbed, for thermal regulation performance of the Suit Water Membrane Evaporator (SWME), and for sensor performance across the xPLSS. This paper will detail the findings of the testing performed with these upgrades which discussed previously laid out in ICES-2025-342.

Robert F Marsch↗

Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit 11 Foot Vacuum Chamber Upgrades Test Results

The Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU) uncrewed 11 foot vacuum chamber testing evaluated the capabilities of the 11 foot vacuum chamber facility to support advanced spacesuit testing. The government reference design xEMU spacesuit provided a high-fidelity test article to demonstrate 11 foot vacuum chamber capabilities which included: gas loading of the chamber at varying simulated metabolic rates and open loop suit abort operations, Intravehicular Activity (IVA) vacuum access, consumables recharge, IVA vehicle-provided thermal loop cooling, and IVA vehicle-provided power. To demonstrate the xEMU airlock operations transitioning from IVA to EVA conditions without a test subject in the suit, test support equipment was developed to remotely actuate both the Exploration, Servicing, and Cooling Umbilical (ESCU) and the vacuum access umbilical. This test also evaluated the performance of the Exploration Portable Life Support System (xPLSS) at vacuum conditions. Data was collected and analyzed for carbon dioxide (CO2) scrubbing performance of the Rapid Cycle Amine (RCA) swingbed, for thermal regulation performance of the Suit Water Membrane Evaporator (SWME), and for sensor performance across the xPLSS. This paper will detail the findings of the testing performed with these upgrades which discussed previously laid out in ICES-2025-342.

Robert Marsch↗

TRUST, Trustworthiness and EOSDIS

In recent years there has been considerable attention by the international scientific research and applications community to ensure high quality of data and information management. The terms FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data, TRUST (Transparency, Responsibility, User Community, Sustainability, and Technology) principles, and CARE (Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, and Ethics) principles have come into vogue during the last decade. NASA has been managing data and information for over 60 years. NASA’s Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) has been in operation for over 25 years, managing most of NASA’s Earth science data. Trustworthiness is a goal that NASA has always strived to achieve or exceed, because it: enables the success of any NASA science mission; inspires general science research and applications; justifies the cost of operations; contributes to the value of NASA’s Open Data Policy; and influences the long term, historical view for the data collection. Given the recent growth of interest in TRUST principles, it is useful to assess and show how NASA’s attention to trustworthiness maps into those principles. This presentation addresses shows how the various steps that have been taken by the Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS) Project in the implementation and evolution of EOSDIS map into the TRUST principles.

Remote Sensing↗

FAIR-ness Assessment of NASA’s Earth Observation System Data and Information System (EOSDIS)

This presentation addresses the challenge of evaluating a multi-disciplinary institutional network of data repositories in operation since 1994 against the relatively recent criteria that constitute FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data. NASA’s Earth Observation System Data and Information System (EOSDIS), with its 12 discipline-based Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs), preceded the definition and popularization of FAIR by over two decades. An assessment is very useful to describe how well the FAIR principles are met and to identify any improvements needed. In 2020, A “self-assessment” of EOSDIS and DAACs was performed by the ESDIS Project staff and the DAACs from the points of view of human actionability and machine actionability. More recently, a draft of a Science Mission Directorate (SMP) Program Directive (SPD-41a) has been released by NASA Headquarters for comment, where it is recommended that all SMD-funded data should follow the FAIR principles. This presentation is timely to initiate community discussion within the Information Quality Cluster (IQC) of the Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) and help strategize and develop implementation guidelines for EOSDIS and DAACs to conform to FAIR principles.

Remote sensing↗

Device Maintains Water At The Triple Point

Inexpensive device maintains water at 0.01 degree C for 10 weeks or longer. New device consists of four basic assemblies; small, commercial chest freezer containing insulated water tank; insulated copper cell holder; "ice switch" for cycling freezer compressor and externally-mounted air pump for circulation. Access hole in freezer lid allows triple point measurements without opening lid. Modified freezer used to calibrate standard platinum resistance thermomenters.

West, J. W.↗

User-Friendly Interface Developed for a Web-Based Service for SpaceCAL Emulations

A team at the NASA Glenn Research Center is developing a Space Communications Architecture Laboratory (SpaceCAL) for protocol development activities for coordinated satellite missions. SpaceCAL will provide a multiuser, distributed system to emulate space-based Internet architectures, backbone networks, formation clusters, and constellations. As part of a new effort in 2003, building blocks are being defined for an open distributed system to make the satellite emulation test bed accessible through an Internet connection. The first step in creating a Web-based service to control the emulation remotely is providing a user-friendly interface for encoding the data into a well-formed and complete Extensible Markup Language (XML) document. XML provides coding that allows data to be transferred between dissimilar systems. Scenario specifications include control parameters, network routes, interface bandwidths, delay, and bit error rate. Specifications for all satellite, instruments, and ground stations in a given scenario are also included in the XML document. For the SpaceCAL emulation, the XML document can be created using XForms, a Webbased forms language for data collection. Contrary to older forms technology, the interactive user interface makes the science prevalent, not the data representation. Required versus optional input fields, default values, automatic calculations, data validation, and reuse will help researchers quickly and accurately define missions. XForms can apply any XML schema defined for the test mission to validate data before forwarding it to the emulation facility. New instrument definitions, facilities, and mission types can be added to the existing schema. The first prototype user interface incorporates components for interactive input and form processing. Internet address, data rate, and the location of the facility are implemented with basic form controls with default values provided for convenience and efficiency using basic XForms operations. Because different emulation scenarios will vary widely in their component structure, more complex operations are used to add and delete facilities.

Liszka, Kathy J.↗

Formal Requirements Elicitation with FRET

FRET is a tool for writing, understanding, formalizing and analyzing requirements. Users write requirements in an intuitive, restricted natural language, called FRETISH, with precise, unambiguous meaning. For a FRETISH requirement, FRET: 1) produces natural language and diagrammatic explanations of its exact meaning, 2) formalizes the requirement in logics, and 3) supports interactive simulation of produced logic formulas to ensure that they capture user intentions. FRET connects to analysis tools by facilitating the mapping between requirements and models/code, and by generating verification code. FRET is available open source at https://github.com/NASA-SW-VnV/fret; a video can be accessed at : https://tinyurl.com/fretForREFSQ.

Giannakopoulou, Dimitra↗

Open Science for Plants in Space: Data Sharing, Standards, and Informatics for Reuse and Knowledge Discovery

Upcoming deep space missions rely on plants and crops for crew and ecosystem health. Access to space plant data enables scientists to gain a deeper understanding of biological responses to ionizing radiation, altered gravity, low atmospheric pressure, elevated CO2, and altered photoperiods. Open Science is the practice of making research available to all, while respecting diverse cultures, fostering collaborations with equity. 2023 is the ‘Year of Open Science’, and NASA has a 5-year Transform to Open Science (TOPS) mission designed to rapidly transform the agency toward an inclusive culture of open science. NASA’s Open Science Data Repository (OSDR) developed by NASA’s Biological and Physical Sciences Division provides access to data from space-relevant biological experiments. OSDR combines two databases, GeneLab and Ames Life Sciences Data Archive (ALSDA) to maximize access to standardized ‘omics (e.g., transcriptomics, proteomics) and phenotypic data (e.g., microscopy, biomass), respectively. OSDR started in 2014 with the creation of the first space-relevant FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) biological ‘omics repository (GeneLab), providing detailed metadata on investigation, sample, and assay levels. Today, GeneLab hosts 62 plant datasets which have led to 5 published peer-reviewed meta-analysis publications. Most of these publications were collaboration efforts under the OSDR Analysis Working Groups (AWGs). AWGs provide great opportunities for investigators to collaborate and set new standards for space-relevant data and metadata. The AWGs are welcoming any ASPB members interested in providing plant expertise for space biology. The addition of ALSDA to OSDR is also expanding analysis capability beyond ‘omics. Now is the time to get involved as a Subject Matter Expert as we establish the framework for modern plant data archiving through the AWGs. Investigators are invited to submit their space-relevant plant datasets to OSDR and visit the site to learn about the tools OSDR has to offer (osdr.nasa.gov/bio).

FAIR↗

A FD/DAMA network architecture for the first generation land mobile satellite services

A frequency division/demand assigned multiple access (FD/DAMA) network architecture for the first-generation land mobile satellite services is presented. Rationales and technical approaches are described. In this architecture, each mobile subscriber must follow a channel access protocol to make a service request to the network management center before transmission for either open-end or closed-end services. Open-end service requests will be processed on a blocked call cleared basis, while closed-end requests will be processed on a first-come-first-served basis. Two channel access protocols are investigated, namely, a recently proposed multiple channel collision resolution scheme which provides a significantly higher useful throughput, and the traditional slotted Aloha scheme. The number of channels allocated for either open-end or closed-end services can be adaptively changed according to aggregated traffic requests. Both theoretical and simulation results are presented. Theoretical results have been verified by simulation on the JPL network testbed.

Yan, T.-Y.↗

Advancing Open Science through Public-Private Partnerships

Rapid technology developments are changing the way data-driven research is performed within the science community. With the emergence of cloud computing, this has quickly become a viable approach for enabling “science at scale”. Researchers are no longer hindered by obstacles of data management and data wrangling, allowing them to quickly discover, access and perform analysis on extremely large datasets. Infrastructures that move data out of institutional silos and into a computational platform, will ensure that data and tools are accessible to all users. NASA’s Interagency Implementation and Advanced Concepts Team (IMPACT) seeks to address these rapid technology developments by establishing Space Act Agreements with selected partners from the public-private sector working in the area of cloud computing. These agreements aim to explore new opportunities with commercial cloud providers to accelerate open science and enable discovery, access and use of data sets on the cloud. In addition, they will also help establish training workshops for the science community to help researchers utilize the cloud for science. In this talk, we will present an overview of current and new partnerships we are developing to support open science and open data initiatives.

Elizabeth Fancher↗

Comparison of Mixing Characteristics for Several Fuel Injectors on an Open Plate and in a Ducted Flowpath Configuration at Hypervelocity Flow Conditions

In order to reduce the cost and complexity associated with fuel injection and mixing experiments for high-speed flows, and to further enable optical access to the test section for nonintrusive diagnostics, the Enhanced Injection and Mixing Project (EIMP) utilizes an open flat plate configuration to characterize inert mixing properties of various fuel injectors for hypervelocity applications. The experiments also utilize reduced total temperature conditions to alleviate the need for hardware cooling. The use of "cold" flows and non-reacting mixtures for mixing experiments is not new, and has been extensively utilized as a screening technique for scramjet fuel injectors. The impact of reduced facility-air total temperature, and the use of inert fuel simulants, such as helium, on the mixing character of the flow has been assessed in previous numerical studies by the authors. Mixing performance was characterized for three different injectors: a strut, a ramp, and a flushwall. The present study focuses on the impact of using an open plate to approximate mixing in the duct. Toward this end, Reynolds-averaged simulations (RAS) were performed for the three fuel injectors in an open plate configuration and in a duct. The mixing parameters of interest, such as mixing efficiency and total pressure recovery, are then computed and compared for the two configurations. In addition to mixing efficiency and total pressure recovery, the combustion efficiency and thrust potential are also computed for the reacting simulations.

Drozda, Tomasz G.↗

SE-FIT

The mathematical theory of capillary surfaces has developed steadily over the centuries, but it was not until the last few decades that new technologies have put a more urgent demand on a substantially more qualitative and quantitative understanding of phenomena relating to capillarity in general. So far, the new theory development successfully predicts the behavior of capillary surfaces for special cases. However, an efficient quantitative mathematical prediction of capillary phenomena related to the shape and stability of geometrically complex equilibrium capillary surfaces remains a significant challenge. As one of many numerical tools, the open-source Surface Evolver (SE) algorithm has played an important role over the last two decades. The current effort was undertaken to provide a front-end to enhance the accessibility of SE for the purposes of design and analysis. Like SE, the new code is open-source and will remain under development for the foreseeable future. The ultimate goal of the current Surface Evolver Fluid Interface Tool (SEFIT) development is to build a fully integrated front-end with a set of graphical user interface (GUI) elements. Such a front-end enables the access to functionalities that are developed along with the GUIs to deal with pre-processing, convergence computation operation, and post-processing. In other words, SE-FIT is not just a GUI front-end, but an integrated environment that can perform sophisticated computational tasks, e.g. importing industry standard file formats and employing parameter sweep functions, which are both lacking in SE, and require minimal interaction by the user. These functions are created using a mixture of Visual Basic and the SE script language. These form the foundation for a high-performance front-end that substantially simplifies use without sacrificing the proven capabilities of SE. The real power of SE-FIT lies in its automated pre-processing, pre-defined geometries, convergence computation operation, computational diagnostic tools, and crash-handling capabilities to sustain extensive computations. SE-FIT performance is enabled by its so-called file-layer mechanism. During the early stages of SE-FIT development, it became necessary to modify the original SE code to enable capabilities required for an enhanced and synchronized communication. To this end, a file-layer was created that serves as a command buffer to ensure a continuous and sequential execution of commands sent from the front-end to SE. It also establishes a proper means for handling crashes. The file layer logs input commands and SE output; it also supports user interruption requests, back and forward operation (i.e. undo and redo), and others. It especially enables the batch mode computation of a series of equilibrium surfaces and the searching of critical parameter values in studying the stability of capillary surfaces. In this way, the modified SE significantly extends the capabilities of the original SE.

Chen, Yongkang↗

Open Source and Design Thinking at NASA: A Vision for Future Software

NASA Mission Control Software for the Visualization of data has historically been closed, accessible only to small groups of flight controllers, often bound to a specific mission discipline such as flight dynamics, health and status or mission planning. Open Mission Control Technologies (MCT) provides new capability for NASA mission controllers and, by being fully open source, opens up NASA software for the visualization of mission data to broader communities inside and outside of NASA. Open MCT is the product of a design thinking process within NASA, using participatory design and design sprints to build a product that serves users.

Trimble, Jay↗

Saddle Clamp With Captive Components

Saddle clamp modified to prevent parts from falling off when installed or removed. Allows easy access for tightening or loosening bolts, and retains alignment with tube mounted in it when opened. All parts are held captive - bolts by retaining washers, floating nuts by pressing and swaging, and upper clamp band by tether. Upper and lower bolt flanges offset from each other to ensure access.

Belrose, Charles R.↗

A Virtual Mission Operations Center: Collaborative Environment

The Virtual Mission Operations Center - Collaborative Environment (VMOC-CE) intent is to have a central access point for all the resources used in a collaborative mission operations environment to assist mission operators in communicating on-site and off-site in the investigation and resolution of anomalies. It is a framework that as a minimum incorporates online chat, realtime file sharing and remote application sharing components in one central location. The use of a collaborative environment in mission operations opens up the possibilities for a central framework for other project members to access and interact with mission operations staff remotely. The goal of the Virtual Mission Operations Center (VMOC) Project is to identify, develop, and infuse technology to enable mission control by on-call personnel in geographically dispersed locations. In order to achieve this goal, the following capabilities are needed: Autonomous mission control systems Automated systems to contact on-call personnel Synthesis and presentation of mission control status and history information Desktop tools for data and situation analysis Secure mechanism for remote collaboration commanding Collaborative environment for remote cooperative work The VMOC-CE is a collaborative environment that facilitates remote cooperative work. It is an application instance of the Virtual System Design Environment (VSDE), developed by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's (GSFC) Systems Engineering Services & Advanced Concepts (SESAC) Branch. The VSDE is a web-based portal that includes a knowledge repository and collaborative environment to serve science and engineering teams in product development. It is a "one stop shop" for product design, providing users real-time access to product development data, engineering and management tools, and relevant design specifications and resources through the Internet. The initial focus of the VSDE has been to serve teams working in the early portion of the system/product lifecycle - concept development, proposal preparation, and formulation. The VMOC-CE expands the application of the VSDE into the operations portion of the system lifecycle. It will enable meaningful and real-time collaboration regardless of the geographical distribution of project team members. Team members will be able to interact in satellite operations, specifically for resolving anomalies, through access to a desktop computer and the Internet. Mission Operations Management will be able to participate and monitor up to the minute status of anomalies or other mission operations issues. In this paper we present the VMOC-CE project, system capabilities, and technologies.

Medina, Barbara↗

ICARTT File Format Enhancements: Supporting FAIRness and Data Discovery of Suborbital Campaign Data

Suborbital campaigns aim to accomplish a wide variety of goals and can include a variety of platforms, instruments, and parameters measured. In 2004, the ICARTT (International Consortium for Atmospheric Research on Transport and Transformation) standards were developed to fulfill data management needs for the ICARTT campaign. The ICARTT file format is text-based and composed of a header with important data description information and the data section. Built on the NASA Ames and GTE data formats, the ICARTT format was created to facilitate data exchange and promote collaborations among the science teams for achieving the ICARTT campaign goals. Due to its success and adaptation for use in many other field campaigns, the ICARTT file format became a NASA standard in 2010 and was amended in January 2017. These changes provided many enhancements, including the requirement for variable standard names. Primarily designed for airborne field studies, ICARTT has been further utilized for ground-based studies. NASA has made a commitment to build an inclusive open science community over the next decade. Open-source science strives to make publicly funded scientific research transparent, inclusive, accessible, and reproducible. The ICARTT format can host metadata that is critical for proper use of the data, particularly for in-situ measurements, and can enhance data discovery and accessibility. However, the required fields are often free text, meaning that the information is human readable, but not machine interpretable. Furthermore, the amount and type of information provided can vary significantly between principal investigators and campaigns. To support FAIR principles and interoperability, enhancements to the ICARTT standards are recommended. Possible recommendations include potential use of controlled and consistent vocabulary for variable standard name and certain common metadata elements; standardizing timestamps for easier data comparisons and analysis; and providing guidance on variable measurement units and how they are reported. Enhancing ICARTT metadata can further streamline the process to make suborbital data more readily available to the data user and improve variable-level metadata. Providing more variable-level metadata can enhance data searching and discovery, supporting NASA’s Open-Source Science Initiative (OSSI).

Megan Buzanowicz↗