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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 379 records · Page 21
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2007

Improving Access to MODIS Biophysical Science Products for NACP Investigators

MODIS 4 NACP is a NASA-funded project supporting the North American Carbon Program (NACP). The purpose of this Advancing Collaborative Connections for Earth-Sun System Science (ACCESS) project is to provide researchers with Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) biophysical data products that are custom tailored for use in NACP model studies. Standard MODIS biophysical products provide used to improve our understanding on the climate and ecosystem changes. However, direct uses of the MODIS biophysical parameters are constrained by retrieval quality and cloud contamination. Another challenge that NACP users face is acquiring MODIS data in formats and at spatial-temporal resolutions consistent with other data sets they use. We have been working closely with key NACP users to tailor the MODIS products to fit their needs. First, we provide new temporally smoothed and spatially continuous MODIS biophysical data sets. Second, we are distributing MODIS data at suitable spatial-temporal resolutions and in formats consistent with other data integration into model studies.

Wolfe, Robert E.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Spy in the GPU-box: Covert and Side Channel Attacks on Multi-GPU System

The deep learning revolution has been enabled in large part by GPUs, and more recently accelerators, which make it possible to carry out computationally demanding training and inference in acceptable times. As the size of machine learning networks and workloads continues to increase, multi-GPU machines have emerged as an important platform offered on High Performance Computing and cloud data centers. Since these machines are shared among multiple users, it becomes increasingly important to protect applications against potential attacks. In this paper, we explore the vulnerability of Nvidia's DGX multi-GPU machines to covert and side channel attacks. These machines consist of a number of discrete GPUs that are interconnected through a combination of custom interconnect (NVLink) and PCIe connections. We reverse engineer the interconnected cache hierarchy and show that it is possible for an attacker on one GPU to cause contention on the L2 cache of another GPU. We use this observation to first develop a covert channel attack across two GPUs, achieving the best bandwidth of around 4 MB/s. We also develop a prime and probe attack on a remote GPU allowing an attacker to recover the cache access pattern of another workload. This access pattern can be used in any number of side channel attacks: we demonstrate a proof of concept attack that fingerprints the application running on the remote GPU, with high accuracy. We also develop a proof of concept attack to extract hyperparameters of a machine learning workload. Our work establishes for the first time the vulnerability of these machines to microarchitectural attacks and can guide future research to improve their security.

Dutta, Sankha↗
NASA NTRS1994

Interstellar Ice and Dust: The Feedstock of the Solar System

Studying the chemical and isotopic composition of interstellar ice and dust provides insight into the composition and chemical history of the solid bodies in the solar nebula and the nature of the material subsequently brought into the inner part of the solar system by comets and meteorites. It is now possible to probe the composition of these microscopic interstellar particles (some hundreds of light years away), thanks to substantial progress in two areas: astronomical spectroscopic techniques in the middle-infrared, the spectral region most diagnostic of composition; and laboratory simulations which realistically reproduce the critical conditions in various interstellar environments. High quality infrared spectra of many different astronomical sources, some associated with dark molecular clouds, and others in the diffuse interstellar medium (DISM) are now available. What comparisons of these spectra with laboratory spectra tell us about the complex organic components of these materials is the subject of this talk. Most interstellar material is concentrated in large molecular clouds where simple molecules are formed by gas phase and dust grain surface reactions. Gaseous species (except H2) striking the cold (10K) dust will stick, forming an icy grain mantle. This accretion, coupled with energetic particle bombardment and UV photolysis, will produce a complex chemical mixture containing volatile, non-volatile, and isotopically fractionated species. One can compare spectra of the diffuse and dense interstellar medium with the spectra of analogs produced in the laboratory under conditions which mimic those in these different environments. In this way one can determine the composition and abundances of the major constituents present and place general constraints on the types and relative abundances of organics coating the grains. Ices in dense clouds contain H2O, CH3OH, CO, perhaps some NH3 and H2CO, as well as nitriles and ketones or esters. There is some evidence that the later, more complex species, are also present on the grains in the DISM. The evidence for these materials, in addition to carbon rich materials such as amorphous carbon, microdiamonds, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons will be reviewed and the possible connection with meteoritic organics will be discussed.

Allamandola, L. J.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Astronomical Problems and Laboratory Solutions

Studying the chemical and isotopic composition of interstellar ice and dust provides insight into the composition and chemical history of the solid bodies in the solar nebula and the nature of the material subsequently brought into the inner part of the solar system by comets and meteorites. It is now possible to probe the composition of these microscopic interstellar particles (some hundreds of light years away), thanks to substantial progress in two areas: astronomical spectroscopic techniques in the middle-infrared, the spectral region most diagnostic of composition; and laboratory simulations which realistically reproduce the critical conditions in various interstellar environments. High quality infrared spectra of many different astronomical sources, some associated with dark molecular clouds, and others in the diffuse interstellar medium (DISM) are now available. What comparisons of these spectra with laboratory spectra tell us about the complex organic components of these materials is the subject of this talk. Most interstellar material is concentrated in large molecular clouds where simple molecules are formed by gas phase and dust grain surface reactions. Gaseous species (except H2) striking the cold (10K) dust will stick, forming an icy grain mantle. This accretion, coupled with energetic particle bombardment and UV photolysis, will produce a complex chemical mixture containing volatile, non-volatile, and isotopically fractionated species. One can compare spectra of the diffuse and dense interstellar medium with the spectra of analogs produced in the laboratory under conditions which mimic those in these different environments. In this way one can determine the composition and abundances of the major constituents present and place general constraints on the types and relative abundances of organics coating the grains. Ices in dense clouds contain H2O, CH3OH, CO, perhaps some NH3 and H2CO, as well as nitriles and ketones or esters. there is some evidence that the later, more complex species, are also present on the grains in the DISM. The evidence for these materials, in addition to carbon rich materials such as amorphous carbon, microdiamonds, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons will be reviewed and the possible connection with meteoritic organics will be discussed.

Allamandola, L. J.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Performance Profile of Transformer Fine-Tuning in Multi-GPU Cloud Environments

The study presented here focuses on performance characteristics and trade-offs associated with running machine-learning tasks in multi-GPU environments on both on-site cloud computing resources and commercial cloud services (Azure). Specifically, this study examines these tradeoffs by examining the performance of training and fine-tuning of transformer-based deep-learning (DL) networks on clinical notes and data, a task of critical importance in the medical domain. To this end, we perform DL-related experiments on the widely deployed NVIDIA V100 GPUs and on the newer A100 GPUs connected via NVLink or PCIe. This study analyzes the execution time of major operations to train DL models and investigate popular options to optimize each of them. We examine and present the findings on the impacts that various operations (e.g. data loading into GPUs, training, fine-tuning), optimizations, and system configurations (single vs. multi-GPU, NVLink vs. PCIe) have on the overall training performance.

Begoli, Edmon↗
NASA NTRS1973

On Lidar Sounding of the Atmosphere to Estimate Static and Dynamic Characteristics of Aerosol Inhomogeneities

1. A possible application of intensity fluctuations of a pulse light signal reflected by atmospheric aerosols is analyzed by the correlation method to evaluate static (medium sizes, shape) and dynamic (speed and direction of movement, lifetime) characteristics of aerosol inhomogeneities. The aerosol inhomogeneities are assumed to be expanded, pressed, disintegrated and originated constantly in accordance with random laws, the set of inhomogeneities as a whole traveling together with air masses and having predominant movement in wind direction. It is shown that the characteristics of aerosol inhomogeneities considered can be expressed by the coefficients of the correlation function expansion of the reflected signal fluctuation intensity in Tailor series. 2/ Correlation systems for evaluating static and dynamic characteristics of driving objects can be divided into two types according to the kind and quantity of used information: the systems with coordinates of the information removal "points" to be fixed in space, and the systems with a parallel simultaneous information removal at discrete moments of time. The systems for determination of wind direction considered in are the examples of the first type system. However, the operating information removal for two points is insufficient to estimate completely static and dynamic characteristics of inhomogenities, their quantity ought to be increased up to three of them for two-dimensional problem and up to four of them for three-dimensional problem as it is usually done in the ionospheric studies. The second type systems are used for the investigation of a medium shape and speed of the clouds according to photographs made from satellites. These systems are also used for solution of navigation problems. The use of optical quantum generators with a scanning beam is seen to increase greatly the working information removal in comparison with the first type systems. Nevertheless, scanning rate is not sufficient sometimes in order· to consider a general picture of aerosol inhomogeneities to be stationary. In this connection the use of the systems of second type treatment becomes a matter of essential difficulty. 3. Aerosol inhomogeneities simulation has been carried out on the basis of the digital computer experiments with the aim of estimating static and dynamic characteristics of inhomogeneities by an optical beam in the atmosphere at different scanning procedures. The dependence of determination accuracy of these characteristics on the type of chosen laws of aerosol particle distribution in the atmosphere, the parameters of inhomogeneities geometry, their speed and the law of scanning have been obtained.

Zuev, V. E.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Going With the Flow: Using a Particle Dispersion Model to Reveal Links Between Ocean Ecosystems and Marine Aerosols

Marine biogenic particle contributions to atmospheric aerosol concentrations are not well understood though they are important for determining cloud optical and cloud nucleating properties. Here we examine the relationship between marine aerosol measurements with satellite and model fields of ocean biology and meteorological variables during the North Atlantic Aerosols and Marine Ecosystems Study (NAAMES). NAAMES consisted of four field campaigns between November 2015 and April 2018 that aligned with the four major phases of the annual phytoplankton bloom cycle. The FLEXPART Lagrangian particle dispersion model is used to connect these variables spatiotemporally to ship-based aerosol. We find that correlations between some aerosol measurements with satellite measured and modelled variables increase with increasing trajectory length. This indicates biological and meteorological processes over the air mass history are influential to measured particle properties. For example, results show organic aerosol mass is driven by biogenic volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from photosynthesis by phytoplankton stocks during advection into the region. In contrast, primary marine aerosol (PMA) concentrations showed better correlations to variables weighted with shorter air mass residence times, which reflects their localized origin as primary emissions. Evidence also suggest variability in PMA concentrations likely play an important role in VOC emission removal. The removal of VOCs lessen their impact on particle number and mass concentrations. The sensitivity of marine aerosols to the main ecosystem-atmosphere drivers and its dependence on air mass history are to be further discussed.

Kevin J Sanchez↗
DOE OSTI2021

Mechanism of Microseismic Generation During Hydraulic Fracturing - With Evidence From HFTS 2 Observations

The objective of this study is to understand how microseismic events are generated during hydraulic fracturing, as well as the role of geomechanical conditions (i.e., stress and mechanical stratigraphy) in this process. In the industry, microseismic event clouds have been generally used as an “outer-boundary” of the “stimulated reservoir volume” (SRV). However, by comparing with other surveillance data (Low frequency Distributed Acoustic Sensing, or LF-DAS strain) in the Hydraulic Fracturing Test Site (HFTS) 2 experiment, we show that this assumption is fundamentally flawed. The HFTS 2 data has three unique observations that have not been commonly observed in other datasets: 1. Due to influence of offset pad depletion, microseismic data shows that hydraulic fractures from the child well can propagate over 3000 feet into the depleted low stress zone. 2. By comparing microseismic and horizontal fiber LF-DAS strain data, we observe that microseismic event cloud does not necessarily reflect the created hydraulic fracture volume. Particularly, the extent of microseismic event clouds near heel stages are much shorter than what is shown with LF-DAS strain data. 3. Microseismic event magnitudes are larger in the depleted regions. Through geomechanical analysis, we demonstrate that the “bedding-plane-slip” model is likely the mechanism for microseismic generation during hydraulic fracturing. Furthermore, this model successfully explains the above field observations from HFTS 2 experiment. We also provide a quantitative relationship connecting the microseismic event magnitude with fracture width increment and layer mechanical property contrast.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Interpretation of HFTS 2 Microseismic Data Using Bedding-Plane-Slip Mechanism

Summary The objective of this study is to understand how microseismic events are generated during hydraulic fracturing, as well as the role of geomechanical conditions (i.e., stress and mechanical stratigraphy) in this process. In the industry, microseismic event clouds have been generally used as an “outer boundary” of the “stimulated reservoir volume” (SRV). However, by comparing with other surveillance data (low-frequency distributed acoustic sensing, or LF-DAS, strain) in the Hydraulic Fracturing Test Site (HFTS) 2 experiment, we show that this assumption is fundamentally flawed. The HFTS 2 data have three unique observations that have not been commonly observed in other datasets: (1) Due to the influence of offset pad depletion, microseismic data show that hydraulic fractures from the child well can propagate over 3,000 ft into the depleted low-stress zone. (2) By comparing microseismic and horizontal fiber LF-DAS strain data, we observe that the microseismic event cloud does not necessarily reflect the created hydraulic fracture volume. Particularly, the extent of microseismic event clouds near heel stages is much shorter than what is shown with LF-DAS strain data. (3) Microseismic event magnitudes are larger in the depleted regions. Through geomechanical analysis, we demonstrate that the “bedding-plane-slip” model is likely the mechanism for microseismic generation during hydraulic fracturing. This model successfully explains the above field observations from the HFTS 2 experiment. We also provide a quantitative relationship connecting the microseismic event magnitude with fracture width increment and layer mechanical property contrast.

Engineering↗
DOE OSTI2021

Alignment of the magnetic field in star-forming regions and why it might be difficult to observe

ABSTRACT Magnetic fields are an important component of the interstellar medium (ISM) and exhibit strongly varying field strengths and a non-trivial correlation with the gas density. Its dynamical impact varies between individual regions of the ISM and correlates with the orientation of the field with respect to the gas structures. Using high-resolution magneto-hydrodynamical simulations of the ISM, we explore the connection between the orientation of the field and the dynamical state of the gas. We find that the onset of gravitational instability in molecular gas above a density of $\rho \sim 10^{-21}\, \mathrm{g\, cm}^{-3}$$(n\sim 400\, \mathrm{cm}^{-3})$ coincides with an alignment of the magnetic field lines and the gas flow. At this transition, the gradient of the density changes from mainly perpendicular to preferentially parallel to the field lines. A connection between the three-dimensional alignment and projected two-dimensional observables is non-trivial, because of a large dispersion of the magnetic field orientation along the line of sight. The turbulent correlation lengths can be small compared to the typical integration lengths. As a consequence, the small-scale signal of the orientation can sensitively depend on the line of sight or the dynamical state of the cloud can fluctuate stochastically or be completely averaged out. With higher spatial resolution more small-scale structures are resolved, which aggravates the link between magneto-hydrodynamical quantities and projected observables.

Girichidis, Philipp (ORCID:0000000293009914)↗
DOE OSTI2023

Responses of the AC/DC Global Electric Circuit to Volcanic Electrical Activity in the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai Eruption on 15 January 2022

Responses of the AC and DC global electric circuits (GECs) to the large eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai (HT-HH) volcano on 15 January 2022 are discussed. The AC-related investigation is based on Schumann resonance (SR) measurements from six stations on four continents. The DC-related investigation utilizes atmospheric electric field (potential gradient, PG) measurements from six recording stations in Europe and the USA. According to data from the GLD360 and WWLLN lightning detection networks, the peak lightning stroke rate, 83/s, was dominated by negative polarity lightning, but the distributions of positive and negative lightning discharges in latitude and longitude around the volcano differed. A global intensification of SR is apparent in connection with the enhanced lightning activity caused by the eruption. SR data-based results confirm that the lightning activity in the eruption dominated the naturally occurring global activity for a period of about 1 hr. The highly localized increase in lightning activity over HT-HH was a unique point source of SR excitation. PG measurements suggest that impulse-like charging of the DC GEC, by ~15%, via negative cloud-to-ground lightning strokes took place twice during the eruption. A time constant of 7 or 8 min has been inferred for near-surface PG changes due to these enhancements. This could be the first direct measurement of the time constant of the GEC near the Earth's surface, as well as the first observation of the direct charging of the DC GEC by a unique atmospheric electrified source.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

EDX ClaiMM

EDX ClaiMM is a centralized data & analytical platform designed to revolutionize U.S. critical minerals and materials (CMM) activities. By providing a robust digital infrastructure, ClaiMM will accelerate the combination, leveraging, and rapid utilization of vital data, advanced tools, and cutting-edge research advancements in CMM. This adaptive digital research hub connects the CMM community to essential knowledge products and offers access to interoperable datasets, databases, models, software, and tools from the National Energy Technology’s (NETL’s) Energy Data eXchange (EDX) and other authoritative sources, serving both public and private sectors. EDX ClaiMM delivers AI-informed solutions to address fundamental knowledge gaps and fosters the innovation of new techniques for enhanced characterization and recovery of CMMs within the U.S. By leveraging cloud-hosted, scalable digital infrastructure, ClaiMM meets public–private applied energy needs. It equips the CMM community with priority digital resources that harness on-site and cloud compute capabilities, enabling big data storage, advanced processing, analytics, and visualization.

Critical Materials; Critical Minerals; Rare Earth ↗
NASA NTRS1983

Planetary science - 1979-1982

A spectacular growth in knowledge regarding the solar planetary system has taken place during the past four years. In addition to the advances in knowledge provided by space missions, major progress has also been made in telescopic observations of bodies not yet visited by spacecraft, radar observations of a variety of objects, and the theoretical study of the evolution of both individual bodies and the solar system as a whole. In connection with the Pioneer Venus mission, which reached that planet in 1978 it was found that most of the surface of Venus consists of gently rolling plains. The plains separate several continent-sized highland regions with rugged topography which rises as much as 10 km above the lowlands. Attention is also given to new information regarding the Venusian atmosphere, Voyager observations of Jupiter, Voyager images of Io, Voyager images of Saturn's clouds, the Saturnian satellites, new information concerning Titan, Saturn's rings, and infrared observations of the brightest Uranian satellites.

Squyres, S. W.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Modeling Solar Energetic Particle Events Using ENLIL Heliosphere Simulations

Solar energetic particle (SEP) event modeling (SEPMOD) has gained renewed attention in part because of the availability of a decade of multipoint measurements from STEREO (Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory) and L1 (Lagrangian point 1) spacecraft at 1 AU (Astronomical Unit). These observations are coupled with improving simulations of the geometry and strength of heliospheric shocks obtained by using coronagraph images to send erupted material into realistic solar wind backgrounds. The STEREO and ACE (Aerosol, Cloud systems, ocean Ecosystems) measurements in particular have highlighted the sometimes surprisingly widespread nature of SEP events. It is thus an opportune time for testing SEP models, which typically focus on protons approximately 1-100 megaelectronvolts, toward both physical insight to these observations and potentially useful space radiation environment forecasting tools. Some approaches emphasize the concept of particle acceleration and propagation from close to the Sun, while others emphasize the local field line connection to a traveling, evolving shock source. Among the latter is the previously introduced SEPMOD treatment, based on the widely accessible and well-exercised WSA-ENLIL (Wang-Sheeley-Arge-ENLIL)-cone model. SEPMOD produces SEP proton time profiles at any location within the ENLIL domain. Here we demonstrate a SEPMOD version that accommodates multiple, concurrent shock sources occurring over periods of several weeks. The results illustrate the importance of considering longer-duration time periods and multiple CME (Coronal Mass Ejection) contributions in analyzing, modeling, and forecasting SEP events.

Luhmann, J. G.↗
DOE OSTI2023

CASTLE: Conflict Analysis Strategy Testing Laboratory Environment v.1.0.0

SAND2024-01743O The Conflict Analysis Strategy Testing Laboratory Environment (CASTLE) is a software framework that enables and simplifies building a novel, turn-based strategy game in which it can define its own rules, maps, pieces, and interactions. The software is for novice to experienced programmers with some knowledge of Unity3D, a tool used in game production. CASTLE includes a library of common game mechanics used for strategic wargames and traditional board games, such as cards, tokens, dice, and grid maps. It follows design principles popularized by the video game industry and uses singletons for managing portions of the code. CASTLE builds on Unity's component-based design and can respond to engine events during execution. Among the numerous user-friendly features: Build games quickly and cost-effectively Network in real-time and apply data to new games developed on the framework Host multiple participants online Connect rule- or machine learning-based agents to a CASTLE game to serve as opponents or to simulate games Collect data collection from players and in-game behaviors Create a survey to gather demographics or opinions from players Store data locally or save it to an external database through Representational State Transfer (REST) functions CASTLE, which was prototyped using Microsoft Azure, is also designed for easily distributing online games using popular cloud services. The multiplayer functionality includes an agent interface, allowing developers to construct AI players that can substitute for humans in any of the games. Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525.

Fabian, Nathan↗
DOE OSTI2025

Classification of Cloud Particle Imagery and Thermodynamics (COCPIT): A New Databasing Tool for the Characterization of Cloud Particle Images Captured During DOE Field Campaigns

The Department of Energy for decades has explored the earth system and atmosphere through research and deployment of in-situ and remote sensing platforms during field campaigns. Among these datasets exists a vast supply of cloud particle images that provide visual insight into the complex microphysics in the clouds that span our globe. The millions of images collected over decades of deployments provides a unique opportunity to further our understanding of our atmosphere down to the crystal size. This work over the past 5 years has sought to organize these images into digestible datasets that can then be used by scientists to further our understanding of microphysics. A machine learning model was developed that categorizes over 1.5 million images across 11 weather events with over 90% accuracy according to particle type. The database was then extended to include dimensional characteristics of the particle as well as co-location of environmental properties, such as temperature and water content. Then, to initialize the connection between these data and our understanding of how crystals form and grow, weather research and forecasting simulations were run to generate the growth histories of the classified crystals. This research culminates with 2 databases per event: (1) a database of all classified crystals and their dimensional and environmental properties and (2) simulated growth histories of each crystal. Finally, a user interface was created to allow researchers to explore data statistics.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Cool circumgalactic gas in galaxy clusters: connecting the DESI legacy imaging survey and SDSS DR16 Mg ιι absorbers

Herein we investigate the cool gas absorption in galaxy clusters by cross-correlating Mg II absorbers detected in quasar spectra from data release 16 of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) with galaxy clusters identified in the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) survey. We find significant covering fractions (⁠1–5percent within r 500 , depending on the chosen redshift interval), ~4–5 times higher than around random sightlines. While the covering fraction of cool gas in clusters decreases with increasing mass of the central galaxy, the total Mg II mass within r 500 is none the less ~10 times higher than for SDSS luminous red galaxies. The Mg II covering fraction versus impact parameter is well described by a power law in the inner regions and an exponential function at larger distances. The characteristic scale of the transition between these two regimes is smaller for large equivalent width absorbers. Cross-correlating Mg II absorption with photo–z selected cluster member galaxies from DESI reveals a statistically significant connection. The median projected distance between Mg II absorbers and the nearest cluster member is ~200 kpc, compared to ~500 kpc in random mocks with the same galaxy density profiles. We do not find a correlation between Mg II strength and the star formation rate of the closest cluster neighbour. This suggests that cool gas in clusters, as traced by Mg II absorption, is: (i) associated with satellite galaxies, (ii) dominated by cold gas clouds in the intracluster medium, rather than by the interstellar medium of galaxies, and (iii) may originate in part from gas stripped from these cluster satellites in the past.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2009

Controlling Infrastructure Costs: Right-Sizing the Mission Control Facility

Johnson Space Center's Mission Control Center is a space vehicle, space program agnostic facility. The current operational design is essentially identical to the original facility architecture that was developed and deployed in the mid-90's. In an effort to streamline the support costs of the mission critical facility, the Mission Operations Division (MOD) of Johnson Space Center (JSC) has sponsored an exploratory project to evaluate and inject current state-of-the-practice Information Technology (IT) tools, processes and technology into legacy operations. The general push in the IT industry has been trending towards a data-centric computer infrastructure for the past several years. Organizations facing challenges with facility operations costs are turning to creative solutions combining hardware consolidation, virtualization and remote access to meet and exceed performance, security, and availability requirements. The Operations Technology Facility (OTF) organization at the Johnson Space Center has been chartered to build and evaluate a parallel Mission Control infrastructure, replacing the existing, thick-client distributed computing model and network architecture with a data center model utilizing virtualization to provide the MCC Infrastructure as a Service. The OTF will design a replacement architecture for the Mission Control Facility, leveraging hardware consolidation through the use of blade servers, increasing utilization rates for compute platforms through virtualization while expanding connectivity options through the deployment of secure remote access. The architecture demonstrates the maturity of the technologies generally available in industry today and the ability to successfully abstract the tightly coupled relationship between thick-client software and legacy hardware into a hardware agnostic "Infrastructure as a Service" capability that can scale to meet future requirements of new space programs and spacecraft. This paper discusses the benefits and difficulties that a migration to cloud-based computing philosophies has uncovered when compared to the legacy Mission Control Center architecture. The team consists of system and software engineers with extensive experience with the MCC infrastructure and software currently used to support the International Space Station (ISS) and Space Shuttle program (SSP).

Martin, Keith↗