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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

CORE-CM in The Greater Green River and Wind River Basins: Transforming and Advancing a National Coal Asset (Final Report)

The following document summarizes project results from “CORE-CM in the Greater Green River and Wind River Basins: Transforming and Advancing a National Coal Asset”. This project is part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (“DOE”) National Energy Technology Laboratory’s (“NETL”) Carbon Ore, Rare Earth Elements, and Critical Minerals (CORE-CM) Initiative. This report concludes that the Greater Green River and Wind River Basins (GGRB-WRB) Area-of-Interest (AOI 9) is the ideal region for continued research and development in progressing the broader CORE-CM goals outlined by the DOE. Based upon the extensive analyses of technical, social, and community criteria, this report illustrates that the GGRB-WRB hosts numerous potential CORE-CM feedstocks (both coal- and non-coal based), diverse opportunities for utilizing existing industrial waste streams, ample infrastructure and industry to support new CORE-CM-focused technologies, and a highly motivated, well educated, and adaptable workforce to further develop the regional and national CORE-CM supply chain. Additionally, some potential solutions for technological gaps suggest that the GGRB-WRB's diverse resources can play a significant role in achieving the national goal of critical materials independence. With full community participation, meaningful involvement of regional Tribal Nations, and building upon the stakeholder engagement demonstrated here, the GGRB-WRB region presents a unique opportunity for advancing the CORE-CM Initiative. This project was designed to bring together coal-based communities and stakeholders from across the GGRB-WRB to advance new industries for CORE-CM resources. The University of Wyoming (UWyo) School of Energy Resources (SER) led a project team of experts from the Colorado Geological Survey (CGS), Colorado School of Mines (CSM), Los Alamos National Lab (LANL), and local community colleges. Input from basinal, regional, and national experts bolstered the coalition in order to advance the mission of DOE’s CORE-CM initiative and develop the domestic CORE-CM supply chain. Phase I of this project was designed to address the goal of developing and catalyzing economic growth, job creation, and technology innovation in the GGRB-WRB of Wyoming and Colorado, by increasing the supply of CORE-CM to manufacturers of non-fuel Carbon Based Products (CBP) and products reliant upon CM. The GGRB-WRB CORE-CM project worked toward providing benefit through several avenues of performance and research. • Develop a coalition team to achieve project objectives • Complete detailed assessments, including State-of-the-Art (SOTA) Data acquisition of potential CORE-CM materials across the AOI, and meaningfully contributes to DOE’s CORE-CM goals nationally. • Strategic planning for regional economic growth, job creation, and associated technology innovation around coal materials, including plans to maximize the development of potential CORE-CM resources and technology by creating regional public-private partnerships. • Define regional economic growth potential around existing strengths, energy infrastructure, business and industry, including planning for the leveraging of highly trained workforces, existing and novel coal technologies, and energy infrastructure in development of CORE-CM supply chains. • Develop a preliminary strategic plan for increasing the supply of CORE-CM materials to manufacturers of non-fuel Carbon Based Products (CBP) and products reliant upon CM, focusing on regional strengths that result in an emerging diversified CORE-CM economy. • Assemble a committed network of stakeholders and communities that learn about, accept, and grow new energy technologies within coal regions. Additionally, the project team significantly contributed to the CORE-CM Initiative’s national goals, through cross-regional scoping, collaborating with CORE-CM projects in other AOIs, and including parallel regional project experts. In addition to active inclusion and meaningful engagement and contribution to DOE-led working groups, the project team focused on engaging with regional communities including Tribal Nations, economic development groups, and regional government organizations. The project’s CORE-CM development and commercialization plan identified diverse CORECM feedstocks, potential routes towards integration with existing industries, methods for supply-chain development that leverage existing infrastructure and businesses considering the regional economy, identified entry barriers for incorporating traditional and new technologies in those supply chains, recognized opportunities for public-private partnerships to develop technology innovation centers, identified diverse workforces, and conducted stakeholder outreach and education to build a community of understanding on CORE-CM potential in the GGRB-WRB region. Detailed task descriptions can be found in each chapter.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2025

SiC cladding R&D execution plan

To advance the development of accident-tolerant fuel cladding for light-water reactors, the Advanced Fuels Campaign actively addresses the R&D gap between the specialized technological progress in SiC-based composite materials, led by industrial partners, and the fundamental scientific understanding of material behavior under reactor operating conditions. The laboratory activities are systematically organized based on the Development Strategy document, which outlines critical barriers to the use of SiC composites in nuclear energy applications for the coming decade and beyond. To complement the strategy, this execution plan specifies a detailed year-by-year work package and establishes key milestones for assessing progress in technological advancement. This plan has been formulated in collaboration with principal investigators at national laboratories, stakeholders, and industry partners with the goal of closing technology gaps and readying SiC-based cladding technologies for full-scale commercial testing. The research conducted at the national laboratories is categorized into three primary subjects: (1) addressing challenges associated with the performance of SiC cladding under normal operating environments, (2) identifying the failure limits of SiC cladding under accident conditions, and (3) modeling fuel performance for SiC cladding systems. Comprehensive laboratory activities integrate the development of advanced modeling tools for SiC-based cladding systems with experimental validation via integrated testing of multiphysics phenomena. This document lays out the laboratory plan to support the development of SiC-based technologies, which have the potential for significant operational and safety benefits for the U.S. nuclear industry. This plan aligns with industry developer needs, relevant Nuclear Energy University Programs, and Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation Programs to ensure SiC cladding technologies are matured as efficiently as possible and will be maintained and updated to accommodate the dynamically evolving progress of development, capability needs, and resource availability.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
NASA NTRS1977

Origin of organic matter in the early solar system. VII - The organic polymer in carbonaceous chondrites

Degradation techniques, including pyrolysis, depolymerization, and oxidation, were used to study the insoluble polymer from the Murchison C2 chondrite. Oxidation with Cr2O7(2-) or O2/UV led to the identification of 15 aromatic ring systems. Of 11 aliphatic acids identified, three dicarboxylic acids presumably came from hydroaromatic portions of the polymer, whereas eight monocarboxylic acids probably derive from bridging groups or ring substituents. Depolymerization with CF3COO4 yielded some of the same ring systems, as well as alkanes (C1 through C8) and alkenes (C2 through C8), alkyl (C1 through C5) benzenes and naphthalenes, and methyl- or dimethyl -indene, -indane, -phenol, -pyrrole, and -pyridine. All these compounds were detected below 200 C, and are therefore probably indigenous constituents. The properties of the meteoritic polymer were compared with the properties of a synthetic polymer produced by the Fischer-Tropsch reaction. It is suggested that the meteoritic polymer was also produced by surface catalysis.

Hayatsu, R.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Experimental and theoretical investigations concerning a frequency filter behavior of the human retina regarding electric pulse currents

Investigation involving patients with injuries in the visual nervous system are discussed. This led to the identification of the epithelial ganglion of the retina as a frequency filter. Threshold curves of the injured visual organs were compared with threshold curves obtained with a control group as a basis for identification. A model which considers the epithelial ganglion as a homogeneous cell layer in which adjacent neurons interact is discussed. It is shown the behavior of the cells against alternating exciting currents can be explained.

Meier-Koll, A.↗
NASA NTRS2006

NASA Systems Analysis and Concepts Directorate Mission and Trade Study Analysis

Mission analysis, as practiced by the NASA Langley Research Center's Systems Analysis and Concepts Directorate (SACD), consists of activities used to define, assess, and evaluate a wide spectrum of aerospace systems for given requirements. The missions for these systems encompass a broad range from aviation to space exploration. The customer, who is usually another NASA organization or another government agency, often predefines the mission. Once a mission is defined, the goals and objectives that the system will need to meet are delineated and quantified. A number of alternative systems are then typically developed and assessed relative to these goals and objectives. This is done in order to determine the most favorable design approaches for further refinement. Trade studies are performed in order to understand the impact of a requirement on each system and to select among competing design options. Items varied in trade studies typically include: design variables or design constraints; technology and subsystem options; and operational approaches. The results of trade studies are often used to refine the mission and system requirements. SACD studies have been integral to the decision processes of many organizations for decades. Many recent examples of SACD mission and trade study analyses illustrate their excellence and influence. The SACD-led, Agency-wide effort to analyze a broad range of future human lunar exploration scenarios for NASA s Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) and the Mars airplane design study in support of the Aerial Regional-scale Environment Survey of Mars (ARES) mission are two such examples. This paper describes SACD's mission and trade study analysis activities in general and presents the lunar exploration and Mars airplane studies as examples of type of work performed by the SACD.

Ricks, Wendell↗
DOE OSTI2014

The IAEA Coordinated Research Program on HTGR Uncertainty Analysis: Phase I Status and Initial Results

The continued development of High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactors (HTGRs) requires verification of HTGR design and safety features with reliable high fidelity physics models and robust, efficient, and accurate codes. One way to address the uncertainties in the HTGR analysis tools is to assess the sensitivity of critical parameters (such as the calculated maximum fuel temperature during loss of coolant accidents) to a few important input uncertainties. The input parameters were identified by engineering judgement in the past but are today typically based on a Phenomena Identification Ranking Table (PIRT) process. The input parameters can also be derived from sensitivity studies and are then varied in the analysis to find a spread in the parameter of importance. However, there is often no easy way to compensate for these uncertainties. In engineering system design, a common approach for addressing performance uncertainties is to add compensating margins to the system, but with passive properties credited it is not so clear how to apply it in the case of modular HTGR heat removal path. Other more sophisticated uncertainty modelling approaches, including Monte Carlo analysis, have also been proposed and applied. Ideally one wishes to apply a more fundamental approach to determine the predictive capability and accuracies of coupled neutronics/thermal-hydraulics and depletion simulations used for reactor design and safety assessment. Today there is a broader acceptance of the use of uncertainty analysis even in safety studies, and it has been accepted by regulators in some cases to replace the traditional conservative analysis. Therefore some safety analysis calculations may use a mixture of these approaches for different parameters depending upon the particular requirements of the analysis problem involved. Sensitivity analysis can for example be used to provide information as part of an uncertainty analysis to determine best estimate plus uncertainty results to the required confidence level. In order to address uncertainty propagation in analysis and methods in the HTGR community the IAEA initiated a Coordinated Research Project (CRP) on the HTGR Uncertainty Analysis in Modelling (UAM) that officially started in 2013. Although this project focuses specifically on the peculiarities of HTGR designs and its simulation requirements, many lessons can be learned from the LWR community and the significant progress already made towards a consistent methodology uncertainty analysis. In the case of LWRs the NRC has already in 1988 amended 10 CFR 50.46 to allow best-estimate (plus uncertainties) calculations of emergency core cooling system performance. The Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) also established an Expert Group on "Uncertainty Analysis in Modelling" which finally led to the definition of the "Benchmark for Uncertainty Analysis in Modelling (UAM) for Design, Operation and Safety Analysis of LWRs". The CRP on HTGR UAM will follow as far as possible the on-going OECD Light Water Reactor UAM benchmark activity.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Scientific Investigations on the Chemical Reactivity of Los Alamos Remediated Nitrate Salt Wastes - 16540

The February 14, 2014 release of radioactivity at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) was the result of runaway thermal reactions that occurred in a TRU waste drum containing nitrate salts remediated using an organic absorbent. Experimental and modeling studies performed at LANL indicate that mixtures of metal nitrate salts (oxidizer) with sWheat Scoop{sup R} organic kitty litter (fuel) create the potential for exothermic chemical reactions. The use of sWheat{sup R} absorbent in the processing of nitrate salt wastes can be pinpointed as the critical processing decision that led to the failure of the breached drum in the WIPP repository. The most plausible scenario is that a production of heat, either from low-level chemical reactions or the growth of natural microbes, in concert with mixed metal nitrate salts, bismuth lined glovebox gloves and/or lead nitrates when combined with the sWheat{sup R} organic kitty litter, generated a series of exothermic reactions that heated and pressurized the drum resulting in the venting of high-temperature gases and radioactive material into the room. Observations and modeling studies indicate that the probability of thermal runaway in another drum has decreased with time since the WIPP event. However, the complexity of the mixtures, ambiguity in procedures such as those used for neutralization, the heterogeneity of the drum contents, and the difficulty of sampling leads to an irreducible level of uncertainty that mandates the exercise of caution in managing RNS wastes. The situation also requires that this waste stream continue to be stored in a temperature-controlled environment and monitored until the waste can be remediated to remove the hazard permanently. We recommend that proposals to treat nitrate salts with organic absorbents of any kind be accompanied by experimental studies to confirm that similarly sensitive mixtures are not inadvertently created over the range of conditions (mixture quantities, moisture content, etc.) anticipated during processing and storage. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2015

Modern Radiation Therapy for Extranodal Lymphomas: Field and Dose Guidelines From the International Lymphoma Radiation Oncology Group

Extranodal lymphomas (ENLs) comprise about a third of all non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL). Radiation therapy (RT) is frequently used as either primary therapy (particularly for indolent ENL), consolidation after systemic therapy, salvage treatment, or palliation. The wide range of presentations of ENL, involving any organ in the body and the spectrum of histological sub-types, poses a challenge both for routine clinical care and for the conduct of prospective and retrospective studies. This has led to uncertainty and lack of consistency in RT approaches between centers and clinicians. Thus far there is a lack of guidelines for the use of RT in the management of ENL. This report presents an effort by the International Lymphoma Radiation Oncology Group (ILROG) to harmonize and standardize the principles of treatment of ENL, and to address the technical challenges of simulation, volume definition and treatment planning for the most frequently involved organs. Specifically, detailed recommendations for RT volumes are provided. We have applied the same modern principles of involved site radiation therapy as previously developed and published as guidelines for Hodgkin lymphoma and nodal NHL. We have adopted RT volume definitions based on the International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU), as has been widely adopted by the field of radiation oncology for solid tumors. Organ-specific recommendations take into account histological subtype, anatomy, the treatment intent, and other treatment modalities that may be have been used before RT.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Tuning the activity of Cu-containing rare earth oxide catalysts for CO oxidation reaction: Cooling while heating paradigm in microwave-assisted synthesis

Highlights: • Organic chemistry synthesis concepts have been smartly tailored to catalysts’ development. • Enhanced microwave synthesis of (Ce-La-10Cu)O{sub 2} led to an one phase system. • CO{sub 2}-philicity, and oxygen vacancies can be tuned by synthesis. • Coupling microwave with air cooling led to T{sub 50} decrease by 32% in the CO oxidation reaction. - Abstract: (Ce-La-xCu)O{sub 2} catalysts with low (3 at.%) and high (10 at.%) Cu content were prepared by conventional microwave (MW) and enhanced microwave methods where air cooling (AC), while heating, was applied. The catalysts were tested for the CO oxidation reaction in the 25–500 °C range using 4%CO/20%O{sub 2}/He feed gas. Varying spectroscopic, microscopic and catalytic studies were used to probe the effect of synthesis on the nanostructure and the CO oxidation performance. It was found that the synthesis method adopted impacts on the extent of the Cu doping into the (Ce-La)O{sub 2} fluorite lattice, hence leading to one and two phases system in the case of catalyst prepared through enhanced (AC) and conventional (MW) microwave methods, respectively. Furthermore, only Ce{sup 4+} species were found on the surface of the (Ce-La-10Cu)O{sub 2} catalysts synthesized using MW and AC (XPS studies), whereas oxygen vacant sites which are associated with Ce{sup 3+} ions were indicated in the sub-surface/bulk (Raman studies). Ultimately, the catalysts with the low and high Cu loading, prepared under the AC-promoted microwave method, presented a superior performance against CO oxidation, exhibiting an overall improvement of the catalytic activity by 16% and 32%, respectively.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Biotransformation of Pesticides across Biological Systems: Molecular Mechanisms, Omics Insights, and Biotechnological Advances for Environmental Sustainability

The widespread application of pesticides such as organophosphates, organochlorides, and triazines in modern agriculture has led to their notable presence in soils, water bodies, and food chains, raising concerns about persistence, bioaccumulation, and adverse effects on nontarget organisms. Biotransformation, the enzymatic transformation of xenobiotic compounds by microorganisms, plants, and animals, plays a pivotal role in the degradation and detoxification of these chemicals. This review provides a comprehensive examination of the mechanisms, key enzyme classes (e.g., hydrolases, oxidoreductases, transferases), and environmental factors influencing pesticide biotransformation across different biological systems. Recent advances in omics technologies have revolutionized the understanding of microbial and plant metabolism, while synthetic biology offers opportunities for engineering enhanced degradation capabilities. The environmental fate of transformation products is also discussed, together with a critical analysis of challenges, unresolved questions, and future research directions, offering a holistic perspective on pesticide biotransformation as a key process for mitigating chemical pollution.

Biotransformation↗
DOE OSTI2014

Advanced Fuels Campaign FY 2014 Accomplishments Report

The mission of the Advanced Fuels Campaign (AFC) is to perform Research, Development, and Demonstration (RD&D) activities for advanced fuel forms (including cladding) to enhance the performance and safety of the nation’s current and future reactors; enhance proliferation resistance of nuclear fuel; effectively utilize nuclear energy resources; and address the longer-term waste management challenges. This includes development of a state-of-the art Research and Development (R&D) infrastructure to support the use of a “goal-oriented science-based approach.” In support of the Fuel Cycle Research and Development (FCRD) program, AFC is responsible for developing advanced fuels technologies to support the various fuel cycle options defined in the Department of Energy (DOE) Nuclear Energy Research and Development Roadmap, Report to Congress, April 2010. AFC uses a “goal-oriented, science-based approach” aimed at a fundamental understanding of fuel and cladding fabrication methods and performance under irradiation, enabling the pursuit of multiple fuel forms for future fuel cycle options. This approach includes fundamental experiments, theory, and advanced modeling and simulation. The modeling and simulation activities for fuel performance are carried out under the Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation (NEAMS) program, which is closely coordinated with AFC. In this report, the word “fuel” is used generically to include fuels, targets, and their associated cladding materials. R&D of light water reactor (LWR) fuels with enhanced accident tolerance is also conducted by AFC. These fuel systems are designed to achieve significantly higher fuel and plant performance to allow operation to significantly higher burnup, and to provide enhanced safety during design basis and beyond design basis accident conditions. The overarching goal is to develop advanced nuclear fuels and materials that are robust, have high performance capability, and are more tolerant to accident conditions than traditional fuel systems. AFC management and integration activities included continued support for international collaborations, primarily with France, Japan, the European Union, Republic of Korea, and China, as well as various working group and expert group activities in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD-NEA) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Three industry-led Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) and two university-led Integrated Research Projects (IRPs), funded in 2013, made significant progress in fuels and materials development. All are closely integrated with AFC and Accident Tolerant Fuels (ATF) research. Accomplishments made during fiscal year (FY) 2014 are highlighted in this report, which focuses on completed work and results. The process details leading up to the results are not included; however, the lead technical contact is provided for each section.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Advanced Fuels Campaign 2016 Accomplishments

AFC management and integration activities in FY-16 included continued support for international collaborations, primarily with France, Japan, the European Union, Republic of Korea, and China, as well as various working group and expert group activities in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD-NEA) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Three industry-led Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) and two university-led Integrated Research Projects (IRPs) funded in 2013, made significant progress in fuels and materials development. All are closely integrated with AFC and accident-tolerant fuels (ATF) research. Accomplishments made during FY-16 are highlighted in this report, which focuses on completed work and results.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Advanced Fuels Campaign 2017 Accomplishments

AFC management and integration activities in FY-17 included continued support for international collaborations, primarily with France, Japan, the European Union, Republic of Korea, and China, as well as various working group and expert group activities in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD-NEA) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Three industry-led Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) and two university-led Integrated Research Projects (IRPs) funded in 2013, made significant progress in fuels and materials development. All are closely integrated with AFC and accident-tolerant fuels (ATF) research. Accomplishments made during FY-17 are highlighted in this report, which focuses on completed work and results.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Metalliferous Coals of Cretaceous Age: A Review

Critical elements in coal and coal-bearing sequences (e.g., Li, Sc, V, Ga, Ge, Se, Y and rare earth elements, Zr, Nb, Au, Ag, platinum group elements, Re, and U) have attracted great attention because their concentrations in some cases may be comparable to those of conventional ore deposits. The enrichment of critical elements in coals, particularly those of Carboniferous-Permian and Cenozoic ages, have generally been attributed to within-plate (plume-related) volcanism and associated hydrothermal activity. However, Cretaceous coals are not commonly rich in critical elements, with the exception of some (e.g., Ge and U) in localised areas. This paper globally reviewed metalliferous coals from Siberia, the Russian Far East, Mongolia, South America, the United States and Mexico, Canada (Alberta and British Columbia), China, Africa, and Australasia (Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia, Northern Territory, New Zealand, Nelson, West Coast, Canterbury, Otago, and Southland). The world-class Ge-U or Ge deposits in North China, Mongolia, and Siberia are the only commercially significant representatives of the Cretaceous metalliferous coals, which are related to bio-chemical reduction of oxidized meteoric, hydrothermal, or sea waters by organic matter of the peat bogs. The common Cretaceous coals worldwide are generally not rich in critical elements because intensive igneous activity led to extensive acidification of terrestrial and marine waters, which are responsible for the low coal metallogenesis during the Cretaceous period, especially the Early Cretaceous time.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Evidence of the Involvement of a Cyclase Gene in the Biosynthesis of Ochratoxin A in Aspergillus carbonarius

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a well-known mycotoxin with wide distribution in food and feed. Fungal genome sequencing has great utility for identifying secondary metabolites gene clusters for known and novel compounds. A comparative analysis of the OTA-biosynthetic cluster in A. steynii, A. westerdijkiae, A. niger, A. carbonarius, and P. nordicum has revealed a high synteny in OTA cluster organization in five structural genes (otaA, otaB, ota, otaR1, and otaD). Moreover, a recent detailed comparative genome analysis of Aspergilli OTA producers led to the identification of a cyclase gene, otaY, located in the OTA cluster between the otaA and otaB genes, encoding for a predicted protein with high similarity to SnoaLs domain. These proteins have been shown to catalyze ring closure steps in the biosynthesis of polyketide antibiotics produced in Streptomyces. In the present study, we demonstrated an upregulation of the cyclase gene in A. carbonarius under OTA permissive conditions, consistent with the expression trends of the other OTA cluster genes and their role in OTA biosynthesis by complete gene deletion. Our results pointed out the involvement of a cyclase gene in OTA biosynthetic pathway for the first time. They represent a step forward in the understanding of the molecular basis of OTA biosynthesis in A. carbonarius.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1997

Sofia Science Working Group

The purpose of this grant was to enable the Principal Investigator (P.I.) to travel to and participate in the meetings and activities of the NASA SOFIA Science Working Group (SSWG), and to spend time working on some of the associated technical issues relating to the SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) project. The SOFIA Science Working Group was established to help develop the plans and specifications for the next-generation airborne observatory ("SOFIA"), which is now under development. The P.I. was asked to serve on the SSWG due to his experience in airborne astronomy: he has developed several astronomical instruments for the Kuiper Airborne Observatory NASA's previous airborne astronomy platform (which was decommissioned in 1995 in preparation for SOFIA). SOFIA, which will be a 747 SP aircraft carrying a 2.7 meter diameter telescope, is a joint project sponsored by NASA and DLR (the German space agency), and is now under development by a consortium including Universities Space Research Association (USRA), Raytheon, Sterling Software, and United Airlines. Further details on the SOFIA project can be found on the internet at http: //sofia. arc. nasa. gov. Rather than develop the SOFIA observatory in-house, NASA decided to privatize the project by issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP). The respondents to this RFP were consortia of private organizations which together had the required facilities and expertise to be able to carry out the project; the winner was the group led by USRA. One of the main roles of the SSWG was to help develop the technical specifications for the SOFIA observatory. In particular, the SSWG provided advice to NASA on the specifications that were written into the RFP, particularly those which had an important impact on the scientific productivity of the observatory. These specifications were discussed at the meetings of the SSWG, which were held primarily at NASA/Ames (in California) and at NASA Headquarters (in Washington DC). Apart from these meetings, members of the SSWG were expected to perform more detailed analyses of the impact of certain parameters and specifications on the performance of astronomical instruments. The SSWG ended its activities with the selection of the USRA team in January 1997.

Zmuidzinas, J.↗
NASA NTRS1997

SOFIA Science Working Group

The SOFIA Science Working Group was established to help develop the plans and specifications for the next-generation airborne observatory ("SOFIA"), which is now under development. The P.I. has developed several astronomical instruments for the Kuiper Airborne Observatory, NASA's previous airborne astronomy platform (which was decommisioned in 1995 in preparation for SOFIA). SOFIA, which will be a 747 SP aircraft carrying a 2.7 meter diameter telescope, is a joint project sponsored by NASA and DLR (the German space agency), and is now under development by a consortium including Universities Space Research Association (USRA), Raytheon, Sterling Software, and United Airlines. Rather than develop the SOFIA observatory in-house, NASA decided to privatize the project by issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP). The respondents to this RFP were consortia of private organizations which together had the required facilities and expertise to be able to carry out the project; the winner was the group led by USRA. One of the main roles of the SSWG was to help develop the technical specifications for the SOFIA observatory. In particular, the SSWG provided advice to NASA on the specifications that were written into the RFP, particularly those which had an important impact on the scientific productivity of the observatory. These specifications were discussed at the meetings of the SSWG, which were held primarily at NASA/Ames (in California) and at NASA Headquarters (in Washington DC). Apart from these meetings, members of the SSWG were expected to perform more detailed analyses of the impact of certain parameters and specifications on the performance of astronomical instruments. The SSWG ended its activities with the selection of the USRA team in January 1997.

Zmuldzinas, J.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) Handbook

The purpose of this document is to provide program/project teams necessary instruction and guidance in the best practices for Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and WBS dictionary development and use for project implementation and management control. This handbook can be used for all types of NASA projects and work activities including research, development, construction, test and evaluation, and operations. The products of these work efforts may be hardware, software, data, or service elements (alone or in combination). The aim of this document is to assist project teams in the development of effective work breakdown structures that provide a framework of common reference for all project elements. The WBS and WBS dictionary are effective management processes for planning, organizing, and administering NASA programs and projects. The guidance contained in this document is applicable to both in-house, NASA-led effort and contracted effort. It assists management teams from both entities in fulfilling necessary responsibilities for successful accomplishment of project cost, schedule, and technical goals. Benefits resulting from the use of an effective WBS include, but are not limited to: providing a basis for assigned project responsibilities, providing a basis for project schedule development, simplifying a project by dividing the total work scope into manageable units, and providing a common reference for all project communication.

Source record↗