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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 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2001

Exploration of the Eltanin Impact Area (Bellingshausen Sea): Expedition ANT XVIII5a

The impact of the Eltanin asteroid into the Bellingshausen Sea (2.15 Ma) is the only known impact in a deep-ocean (approx. 5 km) basin. On 26 March 2001, the FS Polarstern returned to the impact area during expedition ANT XVIII/5a. Over a period of 14 days, this region was explored by detailed bathymetric mapping, acoustic profiling of sediment deposits, and direct sampling with 18 piston cores and four gravity cores. Preliminary shipboard examination of microfossils showed that sixteen of the piston cores and three gravity cores contained sediments at least as old as the impact event and have a high probability of containing a record of the disturbances caused by the impact. During the expedition, portions of eleven piston cores were opened for preliminary examination of the impact deposits. Visual examination of cores and microscopic identification of suspect impact melt particles were were used to identify ejecta and X-ray radiographs of the opened core segments permitted analysis of sediment structures. Impact deposits were found in nine of the eleven opened cores, and a similar success rate is anticipated in the seven cores remaining to be opened. These preliminary observations indicate that the highest concentrations of meteoritic ejecta and the largest particle sizes appear to occur in the region north of the San Martin seamounts. Recovered debris includes cm-sized melt rocks and a 2.5 cm meteorite. This expedition has confirmed the presence of high concentrations of meteoritic ejecta across a region at least as large as 10(exp 5) sq km. Quantitative analyses of ejecta distribution within this region will require further study, but previous estimates of 1 km for the minimum diameter of the Eltanin asteroid, appear safe.

Gersonde, Rainer↗
NASA NTRS2005

Expedition Memory: Towards Agent-based Web Services for Creating and Using Mars Exploration Data.

Explorers ranging over kilometers of rugged, sometimes "feature-less" terrain for over a year could be overwhelmed by tracking and sharing what they have done and learned. An automated system based on the existing Mobile Agents design [ I ] and Mars Exploration Rover experience [2], could serve as an "expedition memory" that would be indexed by voice as wel1 as a web interface, linking people, places, activities, records (voice notes, photographs, samples). and a descriptive scientific ontology. This database would be accessible during EVAs by astronauts, annotated by the remote science team, linked to EVA plans, and allow cross indexing between sites and expeditions. We consider the basic problem, our philosophical approach, technical methods, and uses of the expedition memory for facilitating long-term collaboration between Mars crews and Earth support teams. We emphasize that a "memory" does not mean a database per se, but an interactive service that combines different resources, and ultimately could be like a helpful librarian.

Clancey, William J.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Biomedical Results of ISS Expeditions 1-12

A viewgraph presentation on biomedical data from International Space Station (ISS) Expeditions 1-12 is shown. The topics include: 1) ISS Expeditions 1-12; 2) Biomedical Data; 3) Physiological Assessments; 4) Bone Mineral Density; 5) Bone Mineral Density Recovery; 6) Orthostatic Tolerance; 7) Postural Stability Set of Sensory Organ Test 6; 8) Performance Assessment; 9) Aerobic Capacity of the Astronaut Corps; 10) Pre-flight Aerobic Fitness of ISS Astronauts; 11) In-flight and Post-flight Aerobic Capacity of the Astronaut Corps; and 12) ISS Functional Fitness Expeditions 1-12.

Fogarty, Jennifer↗
NASA NTRS2009

Medical Operational Challenges in the Expedition 16 Landing and Recovery

On April 19, 2008 the crew of Expedition 16 left the International Space Station and returned to earth via their Soyuz TMA-11 capsule after 192 days on orbit. Their capsule experienced the second consecutive and third ballistic reentry in the last 10 TMA recoveries and landed approximately 260 miles (420 km) from the prime landing site. Issues: The purpose of this presentation will be to describe, not only the typical medical operational challenges faced by Flight Surgeons recovering a long duration crew from space, but also address the unique challenges that existed with the Expedition 16 landing and crew recovery. Nominal Soyuz recovery challenges include remote recovery sites with crew exposures to sleep shifting and fatigue, dehydration, hypothermia and hyperthermia, and rotational, sustained, and impact g-forces. These environmental factors coupled with the patho-physiologic neuro-vestibular and orthostatic intolerance changes that occur secondary to the crews reintroduction into the earth s gravity field will be detailed. Additional challenges that were unique to this expedition included a ballistic reentry with higher g-loads, the presence of fire outside of the capsule on landing, a contingency medical event of a ground support personnel, and loss of communications with the crew just prior to landing and during recovery operations. Conclusions: In spite of these unique challenges the Russian Search and Rescue Forces and Medical Support personnel along with U.S. Medical Support performed well together. Possible improvements in training and coordination will be discussed.

Moynihan, S.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Behavioral Issues Associated With Long Duration Space Expeditions: Review and Analysis of Astronaut Journals

Personal journals maintained by NASA astronauts during six-month expeditions onboard the International Space Station were analyzed to obtain information concerning a wide range of behavioral and human factors issues. Astronauts wrote most about their work, followed by outside communications (with mission control, family, and friends), adjustment to the conditions, interactions with crew mates, recreation/leisure, equipment (installation, maintenance), events (launches, docking, hurricanes, etc.), organization/management, sleep, and food. The study found evidence of a decline in morale during the third quarters of the missions and identified key factors that contribute to sustained adjustment and optimal performance during long-duration space expeditions. Astronauts reported that they benefited personally from writing in their journals because it helped maintain perspective on their work and relations with others. Responses to questions asked before, during, and after the expeditions show that living and working onboard the ISS is not as difficult as the astronauts anticipate before starting their six-month tours of duty. Recommendations include application of study results and continuation of the experiment to obtain additional data as crew size increases and operations evolve.

Struster, Jack↗
NASA NTRS2011

Chemical Analysis Results for Potable Water from ISS Expeditions 21 Through 25

The Johnson Space Center Water and Food Analytical Laboratory (WAFAL) performed detailed ground-based analyses of archival water samples for verification of the chemical quality of the International Space Station (ISS) potable water supplies for Expeditions 21 through 25. Over a 14-month period the Space Shuttle visited the ISS on four occasions to complete construction and deliver supplies. The onboard supplies of potable water available for consumption by the Expeditions 21 to 25 crews consisted of Russian ground-supplied potable water, Russian potable water regenerated from humidity condensate, and US potable water recovered from urine distillate and condensate. Chemical archival water samples that were collected with U.S. hardware during Expeditions 21 to 25 were returned on Shuttle flights STS-129 (ULF3), STS-130 (20A), STS-131 (19A), and STS-132 (ULF4), as well as on Soyuz flights 19-23. This paper reports the analytical results for these returned potable water archival samples and their compliance with ISS water quality standards.

Straub, John E., II↗
DOE OSTI2025

Expedition UT-GOM2-2 Summary

In the summer and fall of 2023, the University of Texas (UT) Deepwater Hydrate Coring Expedition (UT-GOM2-2) drilled, cored, made downhole measurements, and analyzed samples from the seafloor to the base of the gas hydrate stability zone at Site H, in the Walker Ridge Protracted Area Block 313 (Site H, WR313), in the Terrebonne Basin, deepwater Gulf of America (Gulf of Mexico). Analyses of data and samples from the expedition will inform biological, geochemical, and geomechanical models to constrain the role of gas hydrates in the carbon cycle and the potential for gas hydrates as an energy resource.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Expedition UT-GOM2-2 Methods

Methods used during the University of Texas (UT) Deepwater Hydrate Coring Expedition (UT-GOM2-2) include work done onboard the Helix Q4000 in the offshore Gulf of America (Gulf of Mexico), herein “the Gulf”, “dockside” in Salt Lake City, Utah, and some shore-based work in individual laboratories. The goal of this report is two-fold: to provide enough detail on the methods so they can be repeated by others; and to provide a reference document for the team to enhance cross-disciplinary understanding and knowledge. Methods include drilling operations, depth references and depth modification, downhole tool deployment, coring tool performance assessment, core processing, lithostratigraphy, biostratigraphy, as well as physical properties, including core logging and imaging, rock magnetism, dissolved methane concentration, hydrate saturation, microbiology, and geochemistry. An extensive amount of operational work and planning was required before mobilization of the expedition to permit, build mobile labs, and test downhole tools for deepwater drilling.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
NASA NTRS2022

Safe Human Expeditions Beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

The NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) conducted an interdisciplinary study and workshop focusing on capabilities needed for crew health and safety on long-duration deep space expeditions in support of the Artemis Program and missions to Mars. The study focused on integration among four disciplines: 1) space weather monitoring and forecasting, 2) shielding technologies, 3) human health research, and 4) human factors engineering tools. An integrated risk assessment was performed to inform characteristics of mission architecture and capabilities needed for safe, long-duration human expeditions beyond low Earth orbit. This report contains the outcome of the NESC assessment.

Low Earth Orbit↗
DOE OSTI2023

Los Alamos National Laboratory Floodplain Assessment for the TA-72 Guard Post 10 Expedited Vehicle Lane Project

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), a semi-autonomous agency within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is proposing new construction in lower Sandia Canyon at Technical Area (TA) 72 at the Guard Post 10 vehicle inspection station at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The proposed project is intended to provide expedited inspection times for vehicles transporting time sensitive loads, such as concrete and asphalt. The project activities within the 100-year floodplain include installation of 1) installation of an expedited vehicle inspection lane, 2) relocation of a 4-strand wire fence, 3) possible relocation of at least one power pole, and 4) a laydown area (Figures 1 and 2).

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2023

A full year of aerosol size distribution data from the central Arctic under an extreme positive Arctic Oscillation: insights from the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expedition

Abstract. The Arctic environment is rapidly changing due to accelerated warming in the region. The warming trend is driving a decline in sea ice extent, which thereby enhances feedback loops in the surface energy budget in the Arctic. Arctic aerosols play an important role in the radiative balance and hence the climate response in the region, yet direct observations of aerosols over the Arctic Ocean are limited. In this study, we investigate the annual cycle in the aerosol particle number size distribution (PNSD), particle number concentration (PNC), and black carbon (BC) mass concentration in the central Arctic during the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expedition. This is the first continuous, year-long data set of aerosol PNSD ever collected over the sea ice in the central Arctic Ocean. We use a k-means cluster analysis, FLEXPART simulations, and inverse modeling to evaluate seasonal patterns and the influence of different source regions on the Arctic aerosol population. Furthermore, we compare the aerosol observations to land-based sites across the Arctic, using both long-term measurements and observations during the year of the MOSAiC expedition (2019–2020), to investigate interannual variability and to give context to the aerosol characteristics from within the central Arctic. Our analysis identifies that, overall, the central Arctic exhibits typical seasonal patterns of aerosols, including anthropogenic influence from Arctic haze in winter and secondary aerosol processes in summer. The seasonal pattern corresponds to the global radiation, surface air temperature, and timing of sea ice melting/freezing, which drive changes in transport patterns and secondary aerosol processes. In winter, the Norilsk region in Russia/Siberia was the dominant source of Arctic haze signals in the PNSD and BC observations, which contributed to higher accumulation-mode PNC and BC mass concentrations in the central Arctic than at land-based observatories. We also show that the wintertime Arctic Oscillation (AO) phenomenon, which was reported to achieve a record-breaking positive phase during January–March 2020, explains the unusual timing and magnitude of Arctic haze across the Arctic region compared to longer-term observations. In summer, the aerosol PNCs of the nucleation and Aitken modes are enhanced; however, concentrations were notably lower in the central Arctic over the ice pack than at land-based sites further south. The analysis presented herein provides a current snapshot of Arctic aerosol processes in an environment that is characterized by rapid changes, which will be crucial for improving climate model predictions, understanding linkages between different environmental processes, and investigating the impacts of climate change in future Arctic aerosol studies.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Nudging allows direct evaluation of coupled climate models with in situ observations: a case study from the MOSAiC expedition

Comparing the output of general circulation models to observations is essential for assessing and improving the quality of models. While numerical weather prediction models are routinely assessed against a large array of observations, comparing climate models and observations usually requires long time series to build robust statistics. Here, we show that by nudging the large-scale atmospheric circulation in coupled climate models, model output can be compared to local observations for individual days. We illustrate this for three climate models during a period in April 2020 when a warm air intrusion reached the MOSAiC (Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate) expedition in the central Arctic. Radiosondes, cloud remote sensing and surface flux observations from the MOSAiC expedition serve as reference observations. The climate models AWI-CM1/ECHAM and AWI-CM3/IFS miss the diurnal cycle of surface temperature in spring, likely because both models assume the snowpack on ice to have a uniform temperature. CAM6, a model that uses three layers to represent snow temperature, represents the diurnal cycle more realistically. During a cold and dry period with pervasive thin mixed-phase clouds, AWI-CM1/ECHAM only produces partial cloud cover and overestimates downwelling shortwave radiation at the surface. AWI-CM3/IFS produces a closed cloud cover but misses cloud liquid water. Our results show that nudging the large-scale circulation to the observed state allows a meaningful comparison of climate model output even to short-term observational campaigns. We suggest that nudging can simplify and accelerate the pathway from observations to climate model improvements and substantially extends the range of observations suitable for model evaluation.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1987

Expedition to Lake ElGytkhyn

A description of a spring-summer expedition to Lake El'Gytkhin in 1955 and preliminary conclusions based on incomplete processing of materials based on the expedition's findings are presented.

Nekrasov, I. A.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Evaluation of the benefits and feasibility of on-orbit repair by comparison with operations in an analogous environment - How is the Freedom Space Station like an oceanographic expedition?

Equipment maintenance and logistics strategies followed on the R/S Thompson, an oceanographic research vessel, are described, and parallels are drawn between the problems and solutions of an oceanographic expedition and those of a space station mission. Presumably oceanic expeditions, which have been conducted for over 150 years, have developed effective methods of equipment maintenance. Similarities are found in relative budget and equipment maintenance problems, but few similarities are found in solutions to these problems. It is speculated that the high relative cost of on-orbit work is responsible, and that development of significantly more effective component level fault diagnosis equipment and repair equipment could enable application of oceanographic equipment maintenance strategies, enhancing safety and speeding laboratory work while giving significant cost reduction.

Lewis, William C.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Lidar measurements of polar stratospheric clouds during the 1989 airborne Arctic stratospheric expedition

The Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition (AASE) was conducted during January to February 1989 from the Sola Air Station, Norway. As part of this expedition, the NASA Langley Research Center's multiwavelength airborne lidar system was flown on the NASA Ames Research Center's DC-8 aircraft to measure ozone (O3) and aerosol profiles in the region of the polar vortex. The lidar system simultaneously transmitted laser beams at 1064, 603, 311, and 301.5 nm to measure atmospheric scattering, polarization and O3 profiles. Long range flights were made between Stavanger, Norway, and the North Pole, and between 40 deg W and 20 deg E meridians. Eleven flights were made, each flight lasting an average of 10 hours covering about 8000 km. Atmospheric scattering ratios, aerosol polarizations, and aerosol scattering ratio wavelength dependences were derived from the lidar measurements to altitudes above 27 km. The details of the aerosol scattering properties of lidar observations in the IR, VIS, and UV regions are presented along with correlations with the national meteorological Center's temperature profiles.

Ismail, Syed↗
NASA NTRS1992

Lidar Measurements of Aerosol and Ozone Distributions During the 1992 Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition

The LaRC airborne lidar system was operated from the ARC DC-8 aircraft during the 1992 Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition (ASEE-2) to investigate the distribution of stratospheric aerosols and O3 across the Arctic vortex from Jan. to Mar. 1992. Monthly flights were made across the Arctic vortex from Anchorage, Alaska, to Stavanger, Norway, and then back to Bangor, Maine, and additional round-trip flights north into the vortex were made each month from either Stavanger or Bangor depending on the location of the vortex that month. The airborne lidar system uses the differential absorption lidar (DIAL) technique at laser wavelengths of 301.5 and 310.8 nm to measure O3 profiles above the DC-8 over the 12-25 km altitude range. Lidar measurements of aerosol backscatter and depolarization profiles over the 12-30 km altitude range are made simultaneously with the O3 measurements using infrared (IR) and visible (VIS) laser wavelengths of 603 and 1064 nm, respectively. The measurements of Pinatubo aerosols, polar stratospheric clouds, and O3 made with the airborne DIAL system during the AASE-2 expedition and to chemical and dynamical process that contribute to O3 depletion in the wintertime Arctic stratosphere.

Browell, E. V.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition 2: An overview

The sudden onset of ozone depletion in the antarctic vortex set a precedent for both the time scale and the severity of global change. The Airborne Antarctic Ozone Experiment (AAOE), stages from Punta Arenas, Chile, in 1987, established that CFCs, halons, and methyl bromide, the dominant sources of chlorine and bromide radicals in the stratosphere, control the rate of ozone destruction over the Antarctic; that the vortex is depleted in reactive nitrogen and water vapor; and that diabatic cooling during the antarctic winter leads to subsidence within the vortex core, importing air from higher altitudes and lower latitudes. This last conclusion is based on observed dramatic distortion in the tracer fields, most notably N2O. In 1989, the first Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition (AASE-1), staged from Stavanger, Norway, and using the same aircraft employed for AAOE (the NASA ER-2 and the NASA DC-8), discovered that while NO(x) and to some degree NO(y) were perturbed within the arctic vortex, there was little evidence for desiccation. Under these (in contrast to the antarctic) marginally perturbed conditions, however, ClO was found to be dramatically enhanced such that a large fraction of the available (inorganic) chlorine resided in the form of ClO and its dimer ClOOCl. This leaves two abiding issues for the northern hemisphere and the mission of the second Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition (AASE-2): (1) Will significant ozone erosion occur within the arctic vortex in the next ten years as chlorine loading in the stratosphere exceeds four parts per billion by volume? (2) Which mechanisms are responsible for the observed ozone erosion poleward of 30 deg N in the winter/spring northern hemisphere reported in satellite observations?

Anderson, James G.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition 2: An Overview

The sudden onset of ozone depletion in the antarctic vortex set a precedent for both the time scale and the severity of global change. The Airborne Antarctic Ozone Experiment (AAOE), staged from Punta Arenas, Chile, in 1987, established that CFCs, halons, and methyl bromide, the dominant sources of chlorine and bromine radicals in the stratosphere, control the rate of ozone destruction over the Antarctic; that the vortex is depleted in reactive nitrogen and water vapor; and that diabatic cooling during the antarctic winter leads to subsidence within the vortex core, importing air from higher altitudes and lower latitudes. This last conclusion is based on observed dramatic distortion in the tracer fields, most notably N2O. In 1989, the first Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition (AASE-I), staged from Stavanger, Norway, and using the same aircraft employed for AAOE (the NASA ER-2 and the NASA DC-8), discovered that while NO(x) and to some degree NO(y) were perturbed within the arctic vortex, there was little evidence for desiccation. Under these (in contrast to the antarctic) marginally perturbed conditions, however, Cl0 was found to be dramatically enhanced such that a large fraction of the available (inorganic) chlorine resided in the form of Cl0 and its dimer ClOOCl. This leaves two abiding issues for the northern hemisphere and the mission of the second Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition (AASE-II): (1) Will significant ozone erosion occur within the arctic vortex in the next ten years as chlorine loading in the stratosphere exceeds four parts per billion by volume? and (2) Which mechanisms are responsible for the observed ozone erosion poleward of 30 deg N in the winter/spring northern hemisphere reported in satellite observations?

Anderson, James G.↗