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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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DOE OSTI2020

Cyber Resilience as a Deterrence Strategy

This paper was written by the Cyber Deterrence and Resilience Strategic Initiative in partnership with the Resilience Energy Systems Strategic Initiative. Resilience and deterrence are both part of a comprehensive cyber strategy where tactics may overlap across defense, resilience, deterrence, and other strategic spaces. This paper explores how building resiliency in cyberspace can not only serve to strengthen the defender's posture and capabilities in a general sense but also deter adversaries from attacking.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

NASA NTRS2004

National Aeronautics and Space Administration Exploration Systems Interim Strategy

Contents include the following: 1. The Exploration Systems Mission Directorate within NASA. Enabling the Vision for Space Exploration. The Role of the Directorate. 2. Strategic Context and Approach. Corporate Focus. Focused, Prioritized Requirements. Spiral Transformation. Management Rigor. 3. Achieving Directorate Objectives. Strategy to Task Process. Capability Development. Research and Technology Development. 4. Beyond the Horizon. Appendices.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2010

International Space Station as a Platform for Exploration Beyond Low Earth Orbit

The International Space Station (ISS) has established a new model for the achievement of the most difficult engineering goals in space: international collaboration at the program level with competition at the level of technology. This strategic shift in management approach provides long term program stability while still allowing for the flexible evolution of technology needs and capabilities. Both commercial and government sponsored technology developments are well supported in this management model. ISS also provides a physical platform for development and demonstration of the systems needed for missions beyond low earth orbit. These new systems at the leading edge of technology require operational exercise in the unforgiving environment of space before they can be trusted for long duration missions. Systems and resources needed for expeditions can be aggregated and thoroughly tested at ISS before departure thus providing wide operational flexibility and the best assurance of mission success. We will describe representative mission profiles showing how ISS can support exploration missions to the Moon, Mars, asteroids and other potential destinations. Example missions would include humans to lunar surface and return, and humans to Mars orbit as well as Mars surface and return. ISS benefits include: international access from all major launch sites; an assembly location with crew and tools that could help prepare departing expeditions that involve more than one launch; a parking place for reusable vehicles; and the potential to add a propellant depot.

Raftery, Michael↗

NASA NTRS2015

Hyperspectral Cubesat Constellation for Rapid Natural Hazard Response

Earth Observing 1 (E0-1) satellite has an imaging spectrometer (hyperspectral) instrument called Hyperion. The satellite is able to image any spot on Earth in the nadir looking direction every 16 days. With slewing of the satellite and allowing for up to a 23 degree view angle, any spot on the Earth can be imaged approximately every 2 to 3 days. EO-1 has been used to track many natural hazards such as wildfires, volcanoes and floods. An enhanced capability that is sought is the ability to image natural hazards in a daily time series for space based imaging spectrometers. The Hyperion can not provide this capability on EO-1 with the present polar orbit. However, a constellation of cubesats, each with the same imaging spectrometer, positioned strategically in the same orbit, can be used to provide daily coverage, cost-effectively.

Onboard processing↗

NASA NTRS2016

Hyperspectral Cubesat Constellation for Natural Hazard Response

The authors on this paper are team members of the Earth Observing 1 (E0-1) mission which has flown an imaging spectrometer (hyperspectral) instrument called Hyperion for the past 15+ years. The satellite is able to image any spot on Earth in the nadir looking direction every 16 days and with slewing, of the satellite for up to a 23 degree view angle, any spot on the Earth can be imaged approximately every 2 to 3 days. EO-1 has been used to track many natural hazards such as wildfires, volcanoes and floods. An enhanced capability that has been sought is the ability to image natural hazards in a daily time series for space-based imaging spectrometers. The Hyperion cannot provide this capability on EO-1 with the present polar orbit. However, a constellation of cubesats, each with the same imaging spectrometer, positioned strategically can be used to provide daily coverage or even diurnal coverage, cost-effectively. This paper sought to design a cubesat constellation mission that would accomplish this goal and then to articulate the key tradeoffs.

Onboarding process↗

NASA NTRS2016

Space Assembly of Large Structural System Architectures (SALSSA)

Developing a robust capability for Space Assembly of Large Spacecraft Structural System Architectures (SALSSA) has the potential to drastically increase the capabilities and performance of future space missions and spacecraft while significantly reducing their cost. Currently, NASA architecture studies and space science decadal surveys identify new missions that would benefit from SALSSA capabilities, and the technologies that support SALSSA are interspersed throughout the fourteen NASA Technology Roadmaps. However, a major impediment to the strategic development of cross-cutting SALSSA technologies is the lack of an integrated and comprehensive compilation of the necessary information. This paper summarizes the results of a small study that used an integrated approach to formulate a SALSSA roadmap and associated plan for developing key SALSSA technologies.

Dorsey, John T.↗

NASA NTRS2016

Preliminary Assessment of Operational Hazards and Safety Requirements for Airborne Trajectory Management (ABTM) Roadmap Applications

A set of five developmental steps building from the NASA TASAR (Traffic Aware Strategic Aircrew Requests) concept are described, each providing incrementally more efficiency and capacity benefits to airspace system users and service providers, culminating in a Full Airborne Trajectory Management capability. For each of these steps, the incremental Operational Hazards and Safety Requirements are identified for later use in future formal safety assessments intended to lead to certification and operational approval of the equipment and the associated procedures. Two established safety assessment methodologies that are compliant with the FAA's Safety Management System were used leading to Failure Effects Classifications (FEC) for each of the steps. The most likely FEC for the first three steps, Basic TASAR, Digital TASAR, and 4D TASAR, is "No effect". For step four, Strategic Airborne Trajectory Management, the likely FEC is "Minor". For Full Airborne Trajectory Management (Step 5), the most likely FEC is "Major".

Cotton, William B.↗

DOE OSTI2024

Enabling Capabilities and Resources: 2024 Principal Investigator Meeting Proceedings

As a major supporter of basic genome-enabled research, BER’s Biological Systems Science Division (BSSD) fosters scientific discovery by funding - fundamental biological research across disciplines in conjunction with enabling investigational tools and computational capabilities that include world-class user facilities. The overarching goal of BSSD is to provide the necessary fundamental science to understand, predict, manipulate, and design biological systems that underpin innovations for bioenergy and bioproduct production and enhance understanding of natural, DOE-relevant environmental processes (Biological Systems Science Division Strategic Plan, 2021). To accelerate the U.S. bioeconomy, BSSD pursues innovative science underpinning advances in sustainable biofuels and bioproducts and the development of next-generation technologies and computational resources for systems biology research. The 2024 BSSD Enabling Capabilities and Resources (ECR) Principal Investigator (PI) meeting brought together PIs across the BSSD ECR portfolio to confer on shared interests and opportunities. The meeting was held concurrently with the Genomic Science program (GSP) PI meeting to optimize collaboration on research to advance bioenergy and the bioeconomy. Rick Stevens of Argonne National Laboratory gave a keynote on How Generative Artificial Intelligence Can Impact Biological Research (see Keynote: How Generative Artificial Intelligence Can Impact Biological Research, this page). Plenary presentations included several joint sessions that illuminated the integration and understanding of the larger BSSD mission. GSP’s objective is to provide systems-level understanding of plants, microbes, and their communities through its Bioenergy Research, Biosystems Design, and Environmental Microbiome Research portfolios. The objective of the ECR portfolio is to support development of computational and instrumental platforms to advance fundamental GSP research—and BER more broadly— toward the overall goal of understanding the functional principles of living systems and their response to environmental challenges.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

NASA NTRS2003

Multiphase flow and phase change in microgravity: Fundamental research and strategic research for exploration of space

NASA is preparing to undertake science-driven exploration missions. The NASA Exploration Team's vision is a cascade of stepping stones. The stepping-stone will build the technical capabilities needed for each step with multi-use technologies and capabilities. An Agency-wide technology investment and development program is necessary to implement the vision. The NASA Exploration Team has identified a number of areas where significant advances are needed to overcome all engineering and medical barriers to the expansion of human space exploration beyond low-Earth orbit. Closed-loop life support systems and advanced propulsion and power technologies are among the areas requiring significant advances from the current state-of-the-art. Studies conducted by the National Academy of Science's National Research Council and Workshops organized by NASA have shown that multiphase flow and phase change play a crucial role in many of these advanced technology concepts. Lack of understanding of multiphase flow, phase change, and interfacial phenomena in the microgravity environment has been a major hurdle. An understanding of multiphase flow and phase change in microgravity is, therefore, critical to advancing many technologies needed. Recognizing this, the Office of Biological and Physical Research (OBPR) has initiated a strategic research thrust to augment the ongoing fundamental research in fluid physics and transport phenomena discipline with research especially aimed at understanding key multiphase flow related issues in propulsion, power, thermal control, and closed-loop advanced life support systems. A plan for integrated theoretical and experimental research that has the highest probability of providing data, predictive tools, and models needed by the systems developers to incorporate highly promising multiphase-based technologies is currently in preparation. This plan is being developed with inputs from scientific community, NASA mission planners and industry personnel. The fundamental research in multiphase flow and phase change in microgravity is aimed at developing better mechanistic understanding of pool boiling and ascertaining the effects of gravity on heat transfer and the critical heat flux. Space flight experiments conducted in space have shown that nucleate pool boiling can be sustained under certain conditions in the microgravity environment. New space flight experiments are being developed to provide more quantitative information on pool boiling in microgravity. Ground-based investigations are also being conducted to develop mechanistic models for flow and pool boiling. An overview of the research plan and roadmap for the strategic research in multiphase flow and phase change as well as research findings from the ongoing program will be presented.

Singh, Bhim S.↗

DOE OSTI2026

Sub-Nanometer Nanoclusters of Copper Atop Single-Atom Copper Moieties toward Electrochemical CO 2 Hydrogenation to Methane

The electrochemical CO 2 reduction (eCO 2 R) offers a compelling route for converting CO 2 into value-added fuels and chemicals. Among CO 2 -derived products, methane (CH 4 ) occupies a distinct position, serving both as a key intermediate for emerging cascade electro-oxidation to oxygenates and as a strategically important extraterrestrial fuel that can be generated in situ from off-planet CO 2 resources. Although Cu-based catalysts capable of selectively producing CH 4 have been reported, they seldom sustain high selectivity at practically relevant current densities. Here, we created a single-step co-pyrolysis strategy toward generating and anchoring Cu sub-nanometer clusters (Cu SNC ) atop Cu-N x single-atom (SA) motifs embedded within N-doped carbon (NC), with controllable nanostructures through tuning of the synthesis parameters. Complementary spectroscopic analyses and density functional theory (DFT) calculations help reveal a structure−activity correlation that could guide the catalyst design. The Cu SNC @NC sample synthesized at 550 °C pyrolysis temperature (best described and modeled as Cu 3 -CuN 4 domains) represents the most effective combination of cluster size, metal-nitrogen coordination, and adsorption energetics needed to selectively promote CH 4 generation versus other eCO 2 R products. Incorporating pulsed electrolysis and hydrophobicity-modulated transport tuning at the triple-phase boundary (TPB) further enhanced CH 4 production achieving a partial CH 4 current density of ∼321 mA cm −2 , 53% Faradaic efficiency (FECH 4 ), and less than 4% combined FE for other eCO 2 R products, simplifying downstream CH 4 purification or upgrading. This work establishes generalizable principles for controlling Cu cluster atomicity and metal−nitrogen coordination, both of which are recognized determinants of CH 4 -efficient eCO 2 R.

CH4 production↗

DOE OSTI2024

Modular Staged Pressurized Oxy-Combustion (SPOC) Power Plant for Coal and Biomass – Integration of Combustor Boiler and DCC

Utilities and grid operators worldwide are under significant pressure to incorporate intermittent renewable sources while strategizing on how to maintain the necessary stability and reliability of the grid. The development of a power plant which will be capable of flexible operation to meet the needs of the grid as more intermittent sources like wind and solar energy are incorporated is key to maintain the reliability of the grid. Through the use of innovative and cutting-edge technologies that improve efficiency and reduce carbon emissions, and being small compared to today's conventional utility-scale power plants, the modular Staged, Pressurized Oxy-Combustion (SPOC) process envisioned by and under development at Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL) has the potential to achieve these goals. Specifically, the process offers: 1) a modular plant design that allows for better operational flexibility; 2) the utilization of fuel-staging and pressurized oxy-combustion, resulting in smaller plant size, improved plant efficiency, and reduced costs for pollutant and CO2 removal compared to traditional power plants with post-combustion capture technology; and 3) the use of small modular boilers and pollutant removal units that can be constructed off-site leading to reduced capital costs for the plant. WUSTL is advancing the development of the critical components for the SPOC power plant, including the integrated combustor-boiler system and the direct contact cooler. To demonstrate the boiler convective section and to obtain critical data for commercial-scale pressurized boiler design, a simulated convective heat transfer boiler test section was designed and integrated with the combustor (radiant section). A direct contact cooler (DCC) was integrated with the combustor-boiler to demonstrate the dynamic operation of the integrated system and the performance of the DCC, including the efficiency for simultaneous removal of NOx and SOx. This talk will present an update on the evaluation of the critical components for system integration, including heat transfer data from the simulated boiler, scrubbing efficiency for the DCC under different operating conditions, and CFD modeling and validation for burner and boiler development.

Magalhaes, Duarte↗

NASA NTRS1989

Shuttle flight rate - An inside look

A detailed description of the Shuttle's four major hardware elements (Orbiter, Main Engine, Solid Rocket Booster, and External Tank) is given. Their design complexity and the Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle processing capability are the main factors determining Shuttle flight frequency. In addition to KSC efficiency, the National Space Transportation System program management and strategic planning techniques are also factors toward improving the Shuttle flight rate. As a result, the KSC facilities are being upgraded, new facilities are being added, and necessary plans are in place to support the flight rate requirements.

Ellis, Larry C.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Alertness management in two-person long-haul flight operations

Long-haul flight operations involve cumulative sleep loss, circadian disruption, and extended and irregular duty schedules. These factors reduce pilot alertness and performance on the flightdeck. Conceptually and operationally, alertness management in flight operations can be divided into preventive strategies and operational countermeasures. Preventive strategies are utilized prior to a duty period to mitigate or reduce the effects of sleep loss, circadian disruption and fatigue during subsequent flight operations. Operational countermeasures are used during operations as acute techniques for maintaining performance and alertness. Results from previous NASA Ames field studies document the sleep loss and circadian disruption in three-person long-haul flying and illustrate the application of preventive strategies and operational countermeasures. One strategy that can be used in both a preventive and operational manner is strategic napping. The application and effectiveness of strategic napping in long-haul operations will be discussed. Finally, long-haul flying in two-person highly automated aircraft capable of extended range operations will create new challenges to maintaining pilot alertness and performance. Alertness management issues in this flight environment will be explored.

Rosekind, M. R.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Weather Information Communications (WINCOMM) Project: Dissemination of Weather Information for the Reduction of Aviation Weather-Related Accident Causal Factors

Weather Information Communications (WINCOMM) is part of the Weather Accident Prevention (WxAP) Project, which is part of the NASA's Aviation Safety and Security Program. The goals of WINCOMM are to facilitate the exchange of tactical and strategic weather information between air and ground. This viewgraph presentation provides information on data link decision factors, architectures, validation goals. WINCOMM is capable of providing en-route communication air-to-ground, ground-to-air, and air-to-air, even on international or intercontinental flights. The presentation also includes information on the capacity, cost, and development of data links.

Jarrell, Michael↗

NASA NTRS2016

eXTP: Enhanced X-Ray Timing and Polarimetry Mission

eXTP is a science mission designed to study the state of matter under extreme conditions of density, gravity and magnetism. Primary goals are the determination of the equation of state of matter at supra-nuclear density, the measurement of QED effects in highly magnetized star, and the study of accretion in the strong-field regime of gravity. Primary targets include isolated and binary neutron stars, strong magnetic field systems like magnetars, and stellar-mass and supermassive black holes. The mission carries a unique and unprecedented suite of state-of-the-art scientific instruments enabling for the first time ever the simultaneous spectral-timing-polarimetry studies of cosmic sources in the energy range from 0.5-30 keV (and beyond). Key elements of the payload are: the Spectroscopic Focusing Array (SFA) - a set of 11 X-ray optics for a total effective area of approx. 0.9 m(exp. 2) and 0.6 m(exp. 2) at 2 keV and 6 keV respectively, equipped with Silicon Drift Detectors offering less than 180 eV spectral resolution; the Large Area Detector (LAD) - a deployable set of 640 Silicon Drift Detectors, for a total effective area of approx. 3.4 m(exp. 2), between 6 and 10 keV, and spectral resolution better than 250 eV; the Polarimetry Focusing Array (PFA) - a set of 2 X-ray telescope, for a total effective area of 250 cm(exp. 2) at 2 keV, equipped with imaging gas pixel photoelectric polarimeters; the Wide Field Monitor (WFM) - a set of 3 coded mask wide field units, equipped with position-sensitive Silicon Drift Detectors, each covering a 90 degrees x 90 degrees field of view. The eXTP international consortium includes major institutions of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Universities in China, as well as major institutions in several European countries and the United States. The predecessor of eXTP, the XTP mission concept, has been selected and funded as one of the so-called background missions in the Strategic Priority Space Science Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences since 2011. The strong European participation has significantly enhanced the scientific capabilities of eXTP. The planned launch date of the mission is earlier than 2025.

X-ray astronomy↗

NASA NTRS2018

Use of Shuttle Heritage Hardware in Space Launch System (SLS) Application-Structural Assessment

NASA is moving forward with the development of the next generation system of human spaceflight to meet the Nation's goals of human space exploration. To meet these goals, NASA is aggressively pursuing the development of an integrated architecture and capabilities for safe crewed and cargo missions beyond low-Earth orbit. Two important tenets critical to the achievement of NASA's strategic objectives are Affordability and Safety. The Space Launch System (SLS) is a heavy-lift launch vehicle being designed/developed to meet these goals. The SLS Block 1 configuration (Figure 1) will be used for the first Exploration Mission (EM-1). It utilizes existing hardware from the Space Shuttle inventory, as much as possible, to save cost and expedite the schedule. SLS Block 1 Elements include the Core Stage, "Heritage" Boosters, Heritage Engines, and the Integrated Spacecraft and Payload Element (ISPE) consisting of the Launch Vehicle Stage Adapter (LVSA), the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) Stage Adapter (MSA), and an Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) for Earth orbit escape and beyond-Earth orbit in-space propulsive maneuvers. When heritage hardware is used in a new application, it requires a systematic evaluation of its qualification. In addition, there are previously-documented Lessons Learned (Table -1) in this area cautioning the need of a rigorous evaluation in any new application. This paper will exemplify the systematic qualification/assessment efforts made to qualify the application of Heritage Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) hardware in SLS. This paper describes the testing and structural assessment performed to ensure the application is acceptable for intended use without having any adverse impact to Safety. It will further address elements such as Loads, Material Properties and Manufacturing, Testing, Analysis, Failure Criterion and Factor of Safety (FS) considerations made to reach the conclusion and recommendation.

Aggarwal, Pravin↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Uncertainty Propagation in Pre-Flight Prediction of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Separation Violation

Current forecasts on the future of aeronautics suggest an in- creasing number of unmanned aerial vehicles entering the low- altitude airspace in the next decades (FAA, 2018; Kopardekar et al., 2016). Small vehicles for package delivery as well as larger vehicles for urban air mobility will change the airspace drastically, increasing density of operations both in time, i.e. high number of take-off and landings per unit time, and in space, operating in dense urban environment. This scenario poses challenges to the current approach to air traffic control, and large efforts from academia, industry and regulatory bodies are dedicated to the development of new traffic management strategies that leverage higher computing and simulating capabilities available today. In this paper, we propose a simple look-ahead approach to predict potential minimum separation violations at the strategic level, that is before vehicles start flying, depending on the predefined 4D trajectories and uncertainty affecting the wind acting along those routes. The wind field is extracted from the NOAA North America Mesoscale Forecast System and interpolated using Gaussian process regression, while uncertainty affecting the expected cruise airspeed is propagated through error intervals. The approach allows the prediction of aircraft separation as a function of time, highlighting potential safety violations that would go undetected if uncertainty affecting the expected 4D trajectories is not considered. The paper will also discuss issues related to accuracy and scalability of the approach to multiple vehicle operations.

Trajectory Prediction↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Moon to Mars In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) Status Update

In 2017, NASA initiated the Artemis program to send astronauts back to the lunar surface, create a sustainable human lunar exploration program, and lead the first human exploration mission to the Mars surface. While much of NASA’s plans for the Artemis program currently focus on the Human Lunar Return and the ability for astronauts to explore the lunar surface for limited durations each year, the longer-term vision for the Artemis program is to enable sustained human exploration and commercial operations in cis-lunar space and the lunar surface. An important aspect of achieving this long-term vision, is to better understand and characterize the resources on the Moon and Mars and learn how to extract and use these resources. Known as In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU), the identification, mapping, extraction, and processing of space resources has the potential to greatly reduce the cost and risk of human exploration. These are achieved by reducing what needs to be delivered from Earth and the dependency on these supplies, lowering costs through commercial operations, and expanding infrastructure for safer and more capable exploration and surface operations. To guide development of ISRU technologies and systems on the ground and demonstrate these capabilities on the Moon and Mars, the NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) created and released the ISRU Envisioned Future Priorities (EFP) strategic plan in 2022 and updated it in 2023. While lunar ISRU technology development had already started, these publicly released strategic plans have been used to guide and prioritize technology development, and assess the progress in achieving the vision. Since the release of the ISRU EFP, there have been several significant activities/events that have occurred with respect to human lunar exploration, surface infrastructure, and ISRU. This presentation will provide an overview and status of on-going technology and system development activities, an update of ISRU into the Artemis campaign, an update on ISRU-related activities.

NASA↗