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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 343 records · Page 19
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Evolutionary Divergence of Marinobacter Strains in Cryopeg Brines as Revealed by Pangenomics

Marinobacter spp. are cosmopolitan in saline environments, displaying a diverse set of metabolisms that allow them to competitively occupy these environments, some of which can be extreme in both salinity and temperature. Here, we introduce a distinct cluster of Marinobacter genomes, composed of novel isolates and in silico assembled genomes obtained from subzero, hypersaline cryopeg brines, relic seawater-derived liquid habitats within permafrost sampled near Utqiaġvik, Alaska. Using these new genomes and 45 representative publicly available genomes of Marinobacter spp. from other settings, we assembled a pangenome to examine how the new extremophile members fit evolutionarily and ecologically, based on genetic potential and environmental source. This first genus-wide genomic analysis revealed that Marinobacter spp. in general encode metabolic pathways that are thermodynamically favored at low temperature, cover a broad range of organic compounds, and optimize protein usage, e.g., the Entner–Doudoroff pathway, the glyoxylate shunt, and amino acid metabolism. The new isolates contributed to a distinct clade of subzero brine-dwelling Marinobacter spp. that diverged genotypically and phylogenetically from all other Marinobacter members. The subzero brine clade displays genomic characteristics that may explain competitive adaptations to the extreme environments they inhabit, including more abundant membrane transport systems (e.g., for organic substrates, compatible solutes, and ions) and stress-induced transcriptional regulatory mechanisms (e.g., for cold and salt stress) than in the other Marinobacter clades. We also identified more abundant signatures of potential horizontal transfer of genes involved in transcription, the mobilome, and a variety of metabolite exchange systems, which led to considering the importance of this evolutionary mechanism in an extreme environment where adaptation via vertical evolution is physiologically rate limited. Assessing these new extremophile genomes in a pangenomic context has provided a unique view into the ecological and evolutionary history of the genus Marinobacter , particularly with regard to its remarkable diversity and its opportunism in extremely cold and saline environments.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2015

Heatshield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology (HEEET) for Missions to Saturn and Beyond

This poster provides an overview of the requirements, design, development and testing of the 3D Woven TPS being developed under NASAs Heatshield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology (HEEET) project. Under this current program, NASA is working to develop a Thermal Protection System (TPS) capable of surviving entry into Saturn. A primary goal of the project is to build and test an Engineering Test Unit (ETU) to establish a Technical Readiness Level (TRL) of 6 for this technology by 2017.

Woven TPS↗
NASA NTRS2015

Heatshield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology (HEEET) Enabling Missions Beyond Heritage Carbon Phenolic

This poster provides an overview of the requirements, design, development and testing of the 3D Woven TPS being developed under NASAs Heatshield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology (HEEET) project. Under this current program, NASA is working to develop a Thermal Protection System (TPS) capable of surviving entry into Venus or Saturn. A primary goal of the project is to build and test an Engineering Test Unit (ETU) to establish a Technical Readiness Level (TRL) of 6 for this technology by 2017.

Venus↗
NASA NTRS2019

Heatshield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology (HEEET) TPS for Ice Giants Probe Missions

This poster provides an overview of the requirements, design, development and testing of the 3D Woven TPS being developed under NASAs Heatshield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology (HEEET) project. Under this current program, NASA is working to develop a Thermal Protection System (TPS) capable of surviving entry into Saturn. A primary goal of the project is to build and test an Engineering Test Unit (ETU) to establish a Technical Readiness Level (TRL) of 6 for this technology by 2018. Poster also discusses use of HEEET TPS for probe missions to the Ice Giants, Uranus and Neptune.

Extreme Entry Environment↗
DOE OSTI2025

SiC Receiver/Reactor by Additive Manufacturing for Concentrated Solar Thermocatalysis with Thermal Energy Storage (Final Technical Report - Public)

The direct use of solar thermal energy provides opportunities for low-cost heating sources for a variety of applications. Ultra-high temperatures around 1000°C are high value and highly useful for energy-demanding industries. Many materials cannot withstand these conditions. In the area of Sustainable Chemicals, further limitations on material stability exist. Combining state-of-the-art materials with new designs provides a promising pathway for harvesting solar thermal energy and performing high temperature chemical processes. However, conventional manufacturing limits the potential for design flexibility. In this project, Additive Manufacturing was combined with advanced materials and new chemical reactor designs. In addition, 24/7 energy is necessary for chemical processing, and designs for ultra-high temperature thermal storage were devised. Specifically, preliminary design of a novel solar thermal receiver was developed in this project and designed to work with thermocatalytic reactors for producing sustainable chemicals and fuels. An ultra-high temperature particle storage system and heat exchangers were proposed to transport ultra-hot air as thermal fluid for the system. On a broader scale, this system could be used to tap solar thermal energy for a centralized facility with capability of transferring that heat to various segments at a full range of temperatures to 1000°C. The project pushed the temperature boundaries past those in current use, and Additive Manufacturing was envisaged for fabricating the receiver to meet requirements of extreme environments. An extensive analysis of silicon carbide additive manufacturing was performed to compare the thermal and mechanical properties of complex geometries compared to conventional material and those manufactured via other methods. The Additive Manufacturing via Binder-Jet printing was optimized and characterized to provide high quality and reproducible components capable of withstanding the proposed extreme environments. The designs for the concentrating solar thermal cavity with ultra-hot air thermal fluid showed high performance in simulations, attributable to the complex optimized geometries of the 3D printed systems. The bright future of Additive Manufacturing with advanced materials developments should provide more options and even higher quality as the technology further develops. Current costs for Additive Manufacturing of advanced ceramics is relatively low, however post-processing of the materials for extreme environments is currently high. There is little industrial-scale infrastructure for these, but it is growing as niche applications become more mainstream. The results of the project can be translated into similar extreme environments for concentrating solar thermal energy as well as its integration with ultra-hot air thermal fluids. A number of industries that require ultra-high temperatures need to electrify or otherwise decarbonize for climate goals, and this project showed that theoretically there is a pathway to do so with direct concentrated solar thermal power.

10 SYNTHETIC FUELS↗
NASA NTRS2015

Heatshield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology (HEEET) - Enabling Missions Beyond Heritage Carbon Phenolic

This poster provides an overview of the requirements, design, development and testing of the 3D Woven TPS being developed under NASA's Heatshield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology (HEEET) project. Under this current program, NASA is working to develop a Thermal Protection System (TPS) capable of surviving entry into Venus or Saturn. A primary goal of the project is to build and test an Engineering Test Unit (ETU) to establish a Technical Readiness Level (TRL) of 6 for this technology by 2017.

Carbon Phenolic↗
NASA NTRS2016

Heatshield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology (HEEET) Development and Maturation Status for NF Missions

This poster provides an overview of the requirements, design, development and testing of the 3D Woven TPS being developed under NASA's Heatshield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology (HEEET) project. Under this current program, NASA is working to develop a Thermal Protection System (TPS) capable of surviving entry into Saturn. A primary goal of the project is to build and test an Engineering Test Unit (ETU) to establish a Technical Readiness Level (TRL) of 6 for this technology by 2017.

Extreme Entry Environment↗
NASA NTRS2018

Heatshield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology (HEEET) Development and Maturation Status

This poster provides an overview of the requirements, design, development and testing of the 3D (Three Dimensional) Woven TPS (Thermal Protection System) being developed under NASA's Heatshield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology (HEEET) project. Under this current program, NASA is working to develop a TPS capable of surviving entry into Saturn. A primary goal of the project is to build and test an Engineering Test Unit (ETU) to establish a Technical Readiness Level (TRL) of 6 for this technology by 2017.

Extreme Entry Environment↗
NASA NTRS2006

Extreme Temperature Electronics Using a Reconfigurable Analog Array

Temperature and radiation tolerant electronics, as well as long life survivability are key capabilities required for future NASA missions. Current approaches to electronics for extreme environments focus on component level robustness and hardening. Compensation techniques such as bias cancellation circuitry have also been employed. However, current technology can only ensure very limited lifetime in extreme environments. Previous work presented a novel approach, based on evolvable hardware technology, which allows adaptive in-situ circuit redesign/reconfiguration during operation in extreme environments. This technology would complement material/device advancements and increase the mission capability to survive harsh environments. This work describes a new reconfigurable analog chip developed by JPL and SPAWAR that is targeted for extreme temperature and evolutionary hardware experiments. Being based on Gm-C technology, this chip can have its functionality tuned and adapted to extreme temperatures through voltage bias adjustment. This tuning process will be controlled by Evolutionary Algorithms. This paper presents details of the reconfigurable analog chip as well as a system level overview. Some early experiments are also described.

evolvable hardware↗
NASA NTRS2011

Qualification of Fiber Optic Cables for Martian Extreme Temperature Environments

Means have been developed for enabling fiber optic cables of the Laser Induced Breakdown Spectrometer instrument to survive ground operations plus the nominal 670 Martian conditions that include Martian summer and winter seasons. The purpose of this development was to validate the use of the rover external fiber optic cabling of ChemCam for space applications under the extreme thermal environments to be encountered during the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission. Flight-representative fiber optic cables were subjected to extreme temperature thermal cycling of the same diurnal depth (or delta T) as expected in flight, but for three times the expected number of in-flight thermal cycles. The survivability of fiber optic cables was tested for 600 cumulative thermal cycles from -130 to +15 C to cover the winter season, and another 1,410 cumulative cycles from -105 to +40 C to cover the summer season. This test satisfies the required 3 times the design margin that is a total of 2,010 thermal cycles (670 x 3). This development test included functional optical transmission tests during the course of the test. Transmission of the fiber optic cables was performed prior to and after 1,288 thermal cycles and 2,010 thermal cycles. No significant changes in transmission were observed on either of the two representative fiber cables subject through the 3X MSL mission life that is 2,010 thermal cycles.

Ramesham, Rajeshuni↗
NASA NTRS2004

High temperature experiments using programmable transistor array

Temperature and radiation tolerant electronics, as well as long life survivability are key capabilities required for future NASA missions. Current approaches to electronics for extreme environments focus on component level robustness and hardening. Compensation techniques such as bias cancellation circuitry have also been employed. However, current technology can only ensure very limited lifetime in extreme environments. This paper presents a novel approach, based on evolvable hardware technology, which allows adaptive in-situ circuit redesign/reconfiguration during operation in extreme environments. This technology would complement material/device advancements and increase the mission capability to survive harsh environments. The approach is demonstrated on a mixed-signal programmable chip, which recovers functionality until 280oC. We show in this paper the functionality recovery at high temperatures for a variety of circuits, including rectifiers, amplifiers and filters.

Duong, Vu↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Development of Thermal Control Devices for Extreme Lunar Environments at Marshall Space Flight Center

NASA’s return to the moon brings many challenges, including issues with sustainable survival on the Lunar surface. One of the key challenges with sustainability is designing adequate thermal control systems that allow for surface systems to survive both during the day and the Lunar Night. The extreme thermal environments on the Lunar surface are a challenging design space for thermal engineers. At equatorial regions, the Lunar noon can be very hot, requiring systems with high heat rejection to the environment. At polar regions, such as those targeted by the return to the moon, the Lunar night temperatures plummet to -200 degrees Celsius or lower. Such temperatures are formidable and require specialized thermal control systems to allow surface assets to surface the long night.

Will Johnson↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Metallic Environmentally Resistant Coating Rapid Innovation Initiative Under Extreme Space Environments

Mission concepts such as JPL’s Endurance-A campaign will utilize rovers such as Astrolab’s FLEX concept to explore the lunar surface. For these types of systems, lightweight alloys such as aluminum (Al) and titanium (Ti) are often specified to minimize mass while maintaining structural integrity [1,2,3]. Such alloys, however, exhibit poor tribological response in the form of high friction and wear, especially in extreme space environments and with the additional presence of lunar regolith. This shortens the lifetimes of these systems which have a requirement to traverse 1,00km/year [2,3]. The MERCRII project is ad-dressing the technology need of this and future rover missions by developing advanced wear- and radiation-resistant coatings for lightweight parts to extend the lifetime and sustainability of both lunar and Martian assets. The MERCRII project focuses on the technology taxonomies of exploration destination systems, mission infrastructure, and sustainability and supportability to explore both new and existing coating technologies, including material formulations and application methods. Several material formulations were considered for their wear resistance and fracture toughness and the following were chosen for Phase I testing: Nickle Titani-um (NiTi), Aluminum Oxide (AlO), and Ti64 with hBN at two and ten vol percent (Ti-2vol%hBN and Ti-10vol%hBN).

S. Rengifo↗
NASA NTRS2015

Thermal Testing of the Heatshield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology (HEEET) TPS

The testing of a thermal protection system (TPS) in multiple arc jets and laser facilities is critical not only to determine the ability of a material to withstand the harsh aerothermal environments but is also required to collect relevant data that allows construction of a thermal response model of the TPS for flight design. The present talk provides an overview of recent arcjet testing of the HEEET material, one of the families of materials from the 3D Woven TPS program, being developed under NASAs Heatshield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology (HEEET) project.

Gasch, M,↗
NASA NTRS2015

Solar Probe Plus MAG Sensor Thermal Design for Low Heater Power and Extreme Thermal Environment

The heater power available for the Solar Probe Plus FIELDS MAG sensor is less than half of the heritage value for other missions. Nominally the MAG sensors are in the spacecraft's umbra. In the worst hot case, approximately 200 spacecraft communication downlinks, up to 10 hours each, are required at 0.7 AU. These downlinks require the spacecraft to slew 45 deg. about the Y-axis, exposing the MAG sensors and boom to sunlight. This paper presents the thermal design to meet the MAG sensor thermal requirements in the extreme thermal environment and with low heater power. A thermal balance test on the MAG sensor engineering model has verified the thermal design and correlated the thermal model for flight temperature predictions.

Thermal design↗