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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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NASA NTRS1988

Deccan volcanism at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary

The accuracy with which one can claim that Deccan trap volcanism occurred at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary (KTB) over a very short time interval is of key importance in deciding whether a volcanic origin of the KTB events should be taken seriously. In the two years since paleomagnetic, paleontological and geodynamic evidence was published, further data have become available and the case now appears to be well constrained. The Ar-40/Ar-39 results from six labs have yielded some 24 reliable plateau ages that narrow the age range to 65 to 69 Ma. Moreover, it appears that a significant part of this range results from inter-lab spread and possible minor alteration. Paleontology demonstrates that volcanism started in the Maestrichtian, more precisely in the A. mayaroensis zone. Paleomagnetism shows that volcanism spanned only 3 chrons and only one correlation remains possible, that of the main central reversed chron with 29R. Therefore, whereas Ar-40/Ar-39 is able only to restrict the duration of volcanism to some 4 Ma, paleomagnetism restricts it to 0.5 Ma. Using some geochemical indicators such as C-13 as proxy, it is suggested that volcanism actually consists of a few shorter events of unequal magnitude. Extrusion rates may be as high as 100 cu km/yr and fissure lengths as long as several 100 km. Such a scenario appears to be at least as successful as others in accounting for most anomalies observed at the KTB. Particularly important are Iridium and other platinum group elements (PGE) profiles, Sr-87/Sr-86, C-13, 0-18, other exotic geochemical signatures, spherules, soot, shocked minerals, selective and stepwise extinctions. The environmental impact of CO2 possibly released during explosive phases of volcanism, and SO2 released during effusive phases, and the ability of volcanism to ensure worldwide distribution of KTB products are now all addressed. In conclusion, the case for a causal link between internal hotspot activity, birth of the Reunion hotspot itself as the Deccan and KTB events appears to rest on an increasingly stronger basis.

Courtillot, V.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Flight Dynamics Analysis Branch End of Fiscal Year 1999 Report

This document summarizes the major activities and accomplishments carried out by the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)'s Flight Dynamics Analysis Branch (FDAB), Code 572, in support of flight projects and technology development initiatives in Fiscal Year (FY) 1999. The document is intended to serve as both an introduction to the type of support carried out by the FDAB (Flight Dynamics Analysis Branch), as well as a concise reference summarizing key analysis results and mission experience derived from the various mission support roles assumed over the past year. The major accomplishments in the FDAB in FY99 were: 1) Provided flight dynamics support to the Lunar Prospector and TRIANA missions among a variety of spacecraft missions; 2) Sponsored the Flight Mechanics Symposium; 3) Supported the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) workshops; 4) Performed numerous analyses and studies for future missions; 5) Started the Flight Dynamics Analysis Branch Lab for in-house mission analysis and support; and 6) Complied with all requirements in support of GSFC IS09000 certification.

Stengle, Thomas↗
NASA NTRS2001

Liquid Fuels: Pyrolytic Degradation and Fire Spread Behavior as Influenced by Buoyancy

This work is being conducted by the Combustion and Emission Control Lab in the Engineering Department at Clark Atlanta University under NASA Grant No. NCC3-707. The work aims at providing data to supplement the ongoing NASA research activities on fire spread across liquid pools by providing flow visualization and velocity measurements especially in the gas phase and gas-liquid interface. The fabrication, installation, and testing were completed during this reporting period. The system shakedown and detailed quantitative measurements with High Speed Video and Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) systems using butanol as fuel were performed. New and interesting results, not previously reported in the literature, were obtained from the experiments using a modified NASA tray and butanol as fuel. Three distinct flame spread regimes, as previously reported, were observed. These were the pseudo-uniform regime below 20 C, the pulsating regime between 22 and 30 C and the uniform regime above about 31 C. In the pulsating regime the jump velocity appeared to be independent of the pool temperature. However, the retreat velocity between jumps appeared to depend on the initial pool temperature. The flame retreated before surging forwards with increasing brightness. Previous literature reported this phenomenon only under microgravity conditions. However, we observed such behavior in our normal gravity experiments. Mini-pulsations behind the flame front were also observed. Two or three of these pulsations were observed within a single flame front pulsating time period. The velocity vector maps of the gas and liquid phases ahead, during, and behind the flame front were characterized. At least one recirculation cell was observed right below the flame front.The size of the liquid phase vortex (recirculation cell) below the flame front appeared to decrease with increasing initial pool temperature. The experiments also showed how multiple vortices developed in the liquid phase. A large recirculation cell, which generally spins counterclockwise as the flame spread from right to left, was observed ahead of and near the flame front in the gas phase. Detailed quantitative measurements will be undertaken with the LDV and PIV systems using the modified NASA tray and propanol.

Yeboah, Yaw D.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Liquid Fuels: Pyrolytic Degradation and Fire Spread Behavior as Influenced by Buoyancy

This project was conducted by the Combustion and Emission Control Lab in the Engineering Department at Clark Atlanta University under NASA Grant No. NCC3-707. The work aimed at providing data to supplement the ongoing NASA research activities on flame spread across liquid pools by providing flow visualization and velocity measurements especially in the gas phase and gas-liquid interface. During this investigation, the detailed physics of flame spread across liquid pools was revealed using particle image velocimetry (PIV), 3-dimensional Laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV) and high-speed video imaging system (HSVS). Flow fields (front and side views) of both the liquid and gas phases were visually investigated for the three subflash regimes of flame spread behavior. Some interesting findings obtained from the front and side views on flame spread across butanol pools are presented. PIV results showed the size of the transient vortex in the liquid phase near the flame front varied with the initial pool temperature. The transient vortex ahead of the flame front in the gas phase was, for the first time, clearly observed located just within 0-3 mm above the liquid surface and its size was dependent on the initial pool temperature. We calculated the flow velocity at 1 mm below the liquid surface near the flame front and inferred the generation mechanism of the vortex in the gas phase. Finally, after comparison of the flow velocity of the liquid surface and the flame spread rate, a reasonable explanation to the formation mechanism of the pulsating characteristic was proposed. This explanation is compatible with the previous numerical calculations and deductions.

Ross, Howard D.↗
NASA NTRS2010

The Multispectral Microscopic Imager: Integrating Microimaging with Spectroscopy for the In-Situ Exploration of the Moon

To maximize the scientific return, future robotic and human missions to the Moon will need to have in-situ capabilities to enable the selection of the highest value samples for returning to Earth, or a lunar base for analysis. In order to accomplish this task efficiently, samples will need to be characterized using a suite of robotic instruments that can provide crucial information about elemental composition, mineralogy, volatiles and ices. Such spatially-correlated data sets, which place mineralogy into a microtextural context, are considered crucial for correct petrogenetic interpretations. . Combining microscopic imaging with visible= nearinfrared reflectance spectroscopy, provides a powerful in-situ approach for obtaining mineralogy within a microtextural context. The approach is non-destructive and requires minimal mechanical sample preparation. This approach provides data sets that are comparable to what geologists routinely acquire in the field, using a hand lens and in the lab using thin section petrography, and provide essential information for interpreting the primary formational processes in rocks and soils as well as the effects of secondary (diagenetic) alteration processes. Such observations lay a foundation for inferring geologic histories and provide "ground truth" for similar instruments on orbiting satellites; they support astronaut EVA activities and provide basic information about the physical properties of soils required for assessing associated health risks, and are basic tools in the exploration for in-situ resources to support human exploration of the Moon.

Nunez, J. I.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Project Summary Report

The project, being the development of resource management applications, consisted entirely of my own effort. From deliverable requirements provided by my mentor, and some functional requirement additions generated through design reviews, It was my responsibility to implement the requested features as well as possible, given the resources available. For the most part development work consisted of database programming and functional testing using real resource data. Additional projects I worked on included some firing room console training, configuring the new NE-A microcontroller development lab network, mentoring high school CubeSat students, and managing the NE interns' component of the mentor appreciation ceremony.

Upchurch, Christopher↗
NASA NTRS2014

Aeroelastic Control of a Segmented Trailing Edge Using Fiber Optic Strain Sensing Technology

Currently, design of aircraft structures incorporate a safety factor which is essentially an over design to mitigate the risk of structure failure during operation. Typically this safety factor is to design the structure to withstand loads much greater than what is expected to be experienced during flight. NASA Dryden Flight Research Centers has developed a Fiber Optic Strain Sensing (FOSS) system which can measure strain values in real-time. The Aeroelastics Lab at the AERO Institute is developing a segmented trailing edged wing with multiple control surfaces that can utilize the data from the FOSS system, in conjunction with an adaptive controller to redistribute the lift across a wing. This redistribution can decrease the amount of strain experienced by the wing as well as be used to dampen vibration and reduce flutter.

aeronautics↗
NASA NTRS2015

Informal Statistics Help Desk

Back by popular demand, the JSC Biostatistics Lab is offering an opportunity for informal conversation about challenges you may have encountered with issues of experimental design, analysis, data visualization or related topics. Get answers to common questions about sample size, repeated measures, violation of distributional assumptions, missing data, multiple testing, time-to-event data, when to trust the results of your analyses (reproducibility issues) and more.

Ploutz-Snyder, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Hybrid Reality Lab Capabilities - Video 2

Our Hybrid Reality and Advanced Operations Lab is developing incredibly realistic and immersive systems that could be used to provide training, support engineering analysis, and augment data collection for various human performance metrics at NASA. To get a better understanding of what Hybrid Reality is, let's go through the two most commonly known types of immersive realities: Virtual Reality, and Augmented Reality. Virtual Reality creates immersive scenes that are completely made up of digital information. This technology has been used to train astronauts at NASA, used during teleoperation of remote assets (arms, rovers, robots, etc.) and other activities. One challenge with Virtual Reality is that if you are using it for real time-applications (like landing an airplane) then the information used to create the virtual scenes can be old (i.e. visualized long after physical objects moved in the scene) and not accurate enough to land the airplane safely. This is where Augmented Reality comes in. Augmented Reality takes real-time environment information (from a camera, or see through window, and places digitally created information into the scene so that it matches with the video/glass information). Augmented Reality enhances real environment information collected with a live sensor or viewport (e.g. camera, window, etc.) with the information-rich visualization provided by Virtual Reality. Hybrid Reality takes Augmented Reality even further, by creating a higher level of immersion where interactivity can take place. Hybrid Reality takes Virtual Reality objects and a trackable, physical representation of those objects, places them in the same coordinate system, and allows people to interact with both objects' representations (virtual and physical) simultaneously. After a short period of adjustment, the individuals begin to interact with all the objects in the scene as if they were real-life objects. The ability to physically touch and interact with digitally created objects that have the same shape, size, location to their physical object counterpart in virtual reality environment can be a game changer when it comes to training, planning, engineering analysis, science, entertainment, etc. Our Project is developing such capabilities for various types of environments. The video outlined with this abstract is a representation of an ISS Hybrid Reality experience. In the video you can see various Hybrid Reality elements that provide immersion beyond just standard Virtual Reality or Augmented Reality.

Delgado, Francisco J.↗
NASA NTRS2018

EcAMSat: A Small Satellite Flown to Explore the Role a Sigma Factor Plays in E. coli's Response to the Antibiotic Gentamicin

We have successfully flown the EcAMSat (Escherichia coli Antimicrobial Satellite) free-flyer mission. This was a 6U (six unit - CubeSat) small satellite that autonomously conducted an experiment in low Earth orbit to explore the impact of the space environment on antibiotic resistance in uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) and the role a particular sigma factor plays in the response. After being held in stasis during transport to orbit, two strains - a wildtype UPEC and an isogenic mutant with a deleted gene that encodes a sigma factor - were grown to stationary phase in a fluidic card inside EcAMSat's payload, then incubated with three concentrations of the antibiotic gentamicin. The payload then administered alamarBlue (registered trademark), a redox indicator, into all wells of the fluidic card. The cells were then incubated for 144 hours and metabolic activity was measured optically using the payloads' LED (Light-Emitting Diode) and detector system. Data were then telemetered to the ground and compared to a control experiment conducted in an identical satellite in a lab. The results of this experiment will help us better understand important therapeutic targets for treating bacterial infections on Earth and in space. Such targets are particularly relevant to deep-space and long-duration missions where crew may be more susceptible to infection and treatments for them may work differently.

small satellite↗
NASA NTRS2018

EcAMSat: Small Satellite to Examine E. coli's Response in Microgravity to the Antibiotic Gentamicin

We have successfully flown the EcAMSat (Escherichia coli Antimicrobial Satellite) free-flyer mission. This was a 6U small satellite that autonomously conducted an experiment in low Earth orbit to explore the impact of the space environment on antibiotic resistance in uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) and the role a particular sigma factor plays in the response. After being held in stasis during transport to orbit, two strains†a wildtype UPEC and an isogenic mutant with a deleted gene that encodes a sigma factor†were grown to stationary phase in a fluidic card inside EcAMSat's payload, then incubated with three concentrations of the antibiotic gentamicin. The payload then administered alamarBlue®, a redox indicator, into all wells of the fluidic card. The cells were then incubated for 144 hours and metabolic activity was measured optically using the payloads' LED and detector system. Data were then telemetered to the ground and compared to a control experiment conducted in an identical satellite in a lab. The results of this experiment will help us better understand important therapeutic targets for treating bacterial infections on Earth and in space. Such targets are particularly relevant to deep-space and long-duration missions where crew may be more susceptible to infection and treatments for them may work differently.

antibiotic↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Quantitative Phenotypic Analysis of Arabidopsis Thaliana Grown in Microgravity Using Soap, an Applied Artificial Intelligence

Phenotypic analysis is an essential step in studying the gravitropic responses and gravitational stress experienced by plants grown in microgravity. Many of the phenotypic traits analyzed in gravitropism studies, such as root length, leaf area, secondary root count, and number of root hairs, currently rely upon manual measurement methods for quantification. However, new advances in data analysis technology using artificial intelligence offer an opportunity for more efficient phenotypic analysis and a reduction of time spent in the data collection phase. In this project, the ability of a new artificially intelligent data collection software, SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol), to collect and quantify phenotypic traits of Arabidopsis thaliana will be assessed. This project will test the measurements taken by an initial draft of the software. SOAP will take measurements of shoot length, a key phenotype used to assess A. thaliana stress response when grown in microgravity conditions. Shoot length measurements made by SOAP will be compared against a series of manual shoot length measurements. The comparison between the two methods of data measurement will provide valuable insight into the relative accuracy of SOAP and the margin of human error when conducting lab measurements.

Arabidopsis↗
NASA NTRS2018

Convergence Analysis of Turbulent Flow Solutions

Data from the "Turbulence Modeling Resource" website for turbulent flow over an NACA-0012 airfoil is analyzed to determine the convergence behavior of three second-order CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) codes: CFL3D (Computational Fluids Lab 3 Dimensional flow solver), FUN3D (Fully Unstructured Navier-stokes flow solver), and TAU (German Aerospace Center (DLR) 2 dimensional code for unstructured hybrid grids solving the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes equations or the Euler equations). The convergence of both integrated properties and pointwise data are examined. Several different methods for estimating errors and computing convergence rates are compared. A high-order extension to the Richardson extrapolation is developed that improves the accuracy of the mesh limit values and provides a quantitative estimate of the threshold of the asymptotic regime. The coefficient of total drag exhibits second-order convergence for all three codes, and convergence is monotone over a sequence of 7 grids. Other force coefficients are not so well behaved. The convergence rates of the viscous component of drag on the three nest grids ranges from 3:0 for CFL3D to 1:0 for FUN3D. The three codes are converging to similar but not identical solutions. The largest differences between the codes are in the coefficient of lift for which the difference between CFL3D and FUN3D is greater than 10 (sup minus 4). The best agreement occurs in the viscous component of drag, which is the only force component for which all three codes are converging towards each other at a rate of second-order. The agreement between the two unstructured grid codes is good with all properties except lift converging towards common values at a rate of second-order. No one code was universally better than the other. The TAU code has the lowest error in total drag, FUN3D has the lowest error in lift, and CFL3D has the lowest error in the viscous component of drag.

Atkins, Harold L.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Earth Global Reference Atmospheric Model 2007 (Earth-GRAM07) Applications for the NASA Constellation Program

Engineering models of the atmosphere are used extensively by the aerospace community for design issues related to vehicle ascent and descent. The Earth Global Reference Atmosphere Model version 2007 (Earth-GRAM07) is the latest in this series and includes a number of new features. Like previous versions, Earth-GRAM07 provides both mean values and perturbations for density, temperature, pressure, and winds, as well as monthly- and geographically-varying trace constituent concentrations. From 0 km to 27 km, thermodynamics and winds are based on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Global Upper Air Climatic Atlas (GUACA) climatology. For altitudes between 20 km and 120 km, the model uses data from the Middle Atmosphere Program (MAP). Above 120 km, EarthGRAM07 now provides users with a choice of three thermosphere models: the Marshall Engineering Thermosphere (MET-2007) model; the Jacchia-Bowman 2006 thermosphere model (JB2006); and the Naval Research Labs Mass Spectrometer, Incoherent Scatter Radar Extended Model (NRL MSIS E-OO) with the associated Harmonic Wind Model (HWM-93). In place of these datasets, Earth-GRAM07 has the option of using the new 2006 revised Range Reference Atmosphere (RRA) data, the earlier (1983) RRA data, or the user may also provide their own data as an auxiliary profile. Refinements of the perturbation model are also discussed which include wind shears more similar to those observed at the Kennedy Space Center than the previous version Earth-GRAM99.

Leslie, Fred W.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Altered Gravity Induces Oxidative Stress in Drosophila Melanogaster

Altered gravity environments can induce increased oxidative stress in biological systems. Microarray data from our previous spaceflight experiment (FIT experiment on STS-121) indicated significant changes in the expression of oxidative stress genes in adult fruit flies after spaceflight. Currently, our lab is focused on elucidating the role of hypergravity-induced oxidative stress and its impact on the nervous system in Drosophila melanogaster. Biochemical, molecular, and genetic approaches were combined to study this effect on the ground. Adult flies (2-3 days old) exposed to acute hypergravity (3g, for 1 hour and 2 hours) showed significantly elevated levels of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) in fly brains compared to control samples. This data was supported by significant changes in mRNA expression of specific oxidative stress and antioxidant defense related genes. As anticipated, a stress-resistant mutant line, Indy302, was less vulnerable to hypergravity-induced oxidative stress compared to wild-type flies. Survival curves were generated to study the combined effect of hypergravity and pro-oxidant treatment. Interestingly, many of the oxidative stress changes that were measured in flies showed sex specific differences. Collectively, our data demonstrate that altered gravity significantly induces oxidative stress in Drosophila, and that one of the organs where this effect is evident is the brain.

Oxidative Stress↗
NASA NTRS2014

Electrostatic Levitation for Studies of Additive Manufactured Materials

The electrostatic levitation (ESL) laboratory at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center is a unique facility for investigators studying high temperature materials. The laboratory boasts two levitators in which samples can be levitated, heated, melted, undercooled, and resolidified. Electrostatic levitation minimizes gravitational effects and allows materials to be studied without contact with a container or instrumentation. The lab also has a high temperature emissivity measurement system, which provides normal spectral and normal total emissivity measurements at use temperature. The ESL lab has been instrumental in many pioneering materials investigations of thermophysical properties, e.g., creep measurements, solidification, triggered nucleation, and emissivity at high temperatures. Research in the ESL lab has already led to the development of advanced high temperature materials for aerospace applications, coatings for rocket nozzles, improved medical and industrial optics, metallic glasses, ablatives for reentry vehicles, and materials with memory. Modeling of additive manufacturing materials processing is necessary for the study of their resulting materials properties. In addition, the modeling of the selective laser melting processes and its materials property predictions are also underway. Unfortunately, there is very little data for the properties of these materials, especially of the materials in the liquid state. Some method to measure thermophysical properties of additive manufacturing materials is necessary. The ESL lab is ideal for these studies. The lab can provide surface tension and viscosity of molten materials, density measurements, emissivity measurements, and even creep strength measurements. The ESL lab can also determine melting temperature, surface temperatures, and phase transition temperatures of additive manufactured materials. This presentation will provide background on the ESL lab and its capabilities, provide an approach to using the ESL in supporting the development and modeling of the selective laser melting process for metals, and provide an overview of the results to date.

SanSoucie, Michael P.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Object Creation and Human Factors Evaluation for Virtual Environments

The main objective of this project is to provide test objects for simulated environments utilized by the recently established Army/NASA Virtual Innovations Lab (ANVIL) at Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Al. The objective of the ANVIL lab is to provide virtual reality (VR) models and environments and to provide visualization and manipulation methods for the purpose of training and testing. Visualization equipment used in the ANVIL lab includes head-mounted and boom-mounted immersive virtual reality display devices. Objects in the environment are manipulated using data glove, hand controller, or mouse. These simulated objects are solid or surfaced three dimensional models. They may be viewed or manipulated from any location within the environment and may be viewed on-screen or via immersive VR. The objects are created using various CAD modeling packages and are converted into the virtual environment using dVise. This enables the object or environment to be viewed from any angle or distance for training or testing purposes.

Lindsey, Patricia F.↗
NASA NTRS2007

On Flow Stagnation in a Tube Radiator

An analysis of the physical process for occurrence of flow stagnation in a space tube-radiator is performed and the mechanism and mathematic description for the flow stagnation are presented. Two causes for pressure drop unbalance between tubes of the radiator are identified: non-uniform cooling environment and different local flow resistances between the tubes. This analysis provides a theoretical basis for experimental simulations of the flow stagnation in a ground-based lab as well as two suggested methods to experimentally simulate flow stagnation. Criteria for the flow stagnation, depending on the viscosity data regressive polynomial, are derived from the extreme condition of the pressure drop in colder tubes. A preliminary numerical calculation is conducted for a space tube-radiator model which confirms the physical and mathematical analyses. The prediction by the criteria for flow stagnation in the tube-radiator model coincides with the numerical calculation result.

Motil, Brian↗