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NASA NTRS1981

Correlation function studies for snow and ice

The random medium model is used to characterize snow and ice fields in the interpretation of active and passive microwave remote sensing data. A correlation function is used to describe the random permittivity fluctuations with the associated mean and variance and correlation lengths; and several samples are investigated to determine typical correlation functions for snow and ice. It is shown that correlation functions are extracted directly from appropriate ground truth data, and an exponential correlation function is observed for snow and ice with lengths corresponding to the actual size of ice particles or air bubbles. Thus, given that a medium has spatially stationary statistics and a small medium, the random medium model can interpret remote sensing data where theoretical parameters correspond to actual physical parameters of the terrain.

Vallese, F.↗

NASA NTRS2000

Attenuation of Weather Radar Signals Due to Wetting of the Radome by Rainwater or Incomplete Filling of the Beam Volume

A search of scientific literature, both printed and electronic, was undertaken to provide quantitative estimates of attenuation effects of rainfall on weather radar radomes. The emphasis was on C-band (5 cm) and S-Band (10 cm) wavelengths. An empirical model was developed to estimate two-way wet radome losses as a function of frequency and rainfall rate for both standard and hydrophobic radomes. The model fits most of the published data within +/- 1 dB at both target wavelengths for rain rates from less than ten to more than 200 mm/hr. Rainfall attenuation effects remain under 1 dB at both frequencies regardless of radome type for rainfall rates up to 10 mm/hr. S-Band losses with a hydrophobic radome such as that on the WSR-88D remain under 1 dB up to 100 mm/hr. C-Band losses on standard radomes such as that on the Patrick AFB (Air Force Base) WSR-74C can reach as much as 5 dB at 50 mm/hr. In addition, calculations were performed to determine the reduction in effective reflectivity, Z, when a radar target is smaller than the sampling volume of the radar. Results are presented for both the Patrick Air Force Base WSR-74C and the WSR-88D as a function of target size and range.

Merceret, Francis J.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Effects of Aircraft On Aerosol Abundance in the Upper Troposphere

A significant increase in sulfuric acid aerosol concentration was detected above 10 km pressure altitude during a cross-corridor flight out of Shannon on October 23, 1997. The source of this aerosol is ascribed to commercial aircraft operations in flight corridors above 10 km, because (1) a stable atmosphere prevented vertical air mass exchanges and thus eliminated surface sources, (2) air mass back trajectories documented the absence of remote continental sources, and (3) temperature profiler data showed the tropopause at least one kilometers above flight altitude throughout the flight. Particle volatility identified 70% H2SO4, 20% (NH4)2SO4 and 10% nonvolatile aerosol in the proximity of flight corridors, and (10-30)% H2SO4, up to 50% (NH4)2SO4, and (40-60)% nonvolatile aerosols in air that was not affected by aircraft operations below 10 km. Only a very small fraction of the nonvolatile particles (determined with a condensation nucleus counter) could be morphologically identified as soot aerosol (validated by scanning electron microscopy of wire impactor samples). The newly formed H2SO4 particles did not measurably affect surface area and volume of the background aerosol due to their small size, hence did not affect radiative transfer directly.

Ferry, G. V.↗

NASA NTRS2002

Retrieval of Precipitation Profiles from Multiresolution, Multifrequency, Active and Passive Microwave Observations

In this study, a technique for estimating vertical profiles of precipitation from multifrequency, multiresolution active and passive microwave observations is investigated using both simulated and airborne data. The technique is applicable to the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite multi-frequency active and passive observations. These observations are characterized by various spatial and sampling resolutions. This makes the retrieval problem mathematically more difficult and ill-determined because the quality of information decreases with decreasing resolution. A model that, given reflectivity profiles and a small set of parameters (including the cloud water content, the intercept drop size distribution, and a variable describing the frozen hydrometeor properties), simulates high-resolution brightness temperatures is used. The high-resolution simulated brightness temperatures are convolved at the real sensor resolution. An optimal estimation procedure is used to minimize the differences between simulated and observed brightness temperatures. The retrieval technique is investigated using cloud model synthetic and airborne data from the Fourth Convection And Moisture Experiment. Simulated high-resolution brightness temperatures and reflectivities and airborne observation strong are convolved at the resolution of the TRMM instruments and retrievals are performed and analyzed relative to the reference data used in observations synthesis. An illustration of the possible use of the technique in satellite rainfall estimation is presented through an application to TRMM data. The study suggests improvements in combined active and passive retrievals even when the instruments resolutions are significantly different. Future work needs to better quantify the retrievals performance, especially in connection with satellite applications, and the uncertainty of the models used in retrieval.

Grecu, Mircea↗

NASA NTRS2012

Finding Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) Destinations for Human Exploration: Implications for Astrobiology

The current number of known potential NEA targets for HSF is limited to those objects whose orbital characteristics are similar to that of the Earth. This is due to the projected capabilities of the exploration systems currently under consideration and development at NASA. However, NEAs with such orbital characteristics often have viewing geometries that place them at low solar elongations and thus are difficult to detect from the vicinity of Earth. While ongoing ground-based surveys and data archives maintained by the NEO Program Observation Program Office and the Minor Planet Center (MPC) have provided a solid basis upon which to build, a more complete catalog of the NEO population is required to inform a robust and sustainable HSF exploration program. Since all the present NEO observing assets are currently confined to the vicinity of the Earth, additional effort must be made to provide capabilities for detection of additional HSF targets via assets beyond Earth orbit. A space-based NEO survey telescope located beyond the vicinity of the Earth, has considerable implications for planetary science and astrobiology. Such a telescope will provide foundational knowledge of our Solar System small body population and detect targets of interest for both the HSF and scientific communities. Data from this asset will yield basic characterization data on the NEOs observed (i.e., albedo, size determination, potential for volatiles and organics, etc.) and help down select targets for future HSF missions. Ideally, the most attractive targets from both HSF and astrobiology perspectives are those NEAs that may contain organic and volatile materials, and which could be effectively sampled at a variety of locations and depths. Presented here is an overview of four space-based survey concepts; any one of which after just a few years of operation will discover many highly accessible NEO targets suitable for robotic and human exploration. Such a space-based survey mission will reveal incredible returns for several disciplines including: exploration, in situ resource utilization, planetary defense, and science. Of particular, interest to the scientific

Landis, Rob↗

NASA NTRS2017

Occurrence of Radio Minihalos in a Mass-Limited Sample of Galaxy Clusters

We investigate the occurrence of radio minihalos-diffuse radio sources of unknown origin observed in the cores of some galaxy clusters-in a statistical sample of 58 clusters drawn from the Planck Sunyaev-Zeldovich cluster catalog using a mass cut (M(sub 500) greater than 6 x 10(exp 14) solar mass). We supplement our statistical sample with a similarly sized nonstatistical sample mostly consisting of clusters in the ACCEPT X-ray catalog with suitable X-ray and radio data, which includes lower-mass clusters. Where necessary (for nine clusters), we reanalyzed the Very Large Array archival radio data to determine whether a minihalo is present. Our total sample includes all 28 currently known and recently discovered radio minihalos, including six candidates. We classify clusters as cool-core or non-cool-core according to the value of the specific entropy floor in the cluster center, rederived or newly derived from the Chandra X-ray density and temperature profiles where necessary (for 27 clusters). Contrary to the common wisdom that minihalos are rare, we find that almost all cool cores-at least 12 out of 15 (80%)-in our complete sample of massive clusters exhibit minihalos. The supplementary sample shows that the occurrence of minihalos may be lower in lower-mass cool-core clusters. No minihalos are found in non-cool cores or "warm cores." These findings will help test theories of the origin of minihalos and provide information on the physical processes and energetics of the cluster cores.

catalogs↗

NASA NTRS2022

Assessing the Sampleability of Bennu’s Surface for the OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission

NASA’s first asteroid sample return mission, OSIRIS-REx, collected a sample from the surface of near-Earth asteroid Bennu in October 2020 and will deliver it to Earth in September 2023. Selecting a sample collection site on Bennu’s surface was challenging due to the surprising lack of large ponded deposits of regolith particles exclusively fine enough (≤ 2 cm diameter) to be ingested by the spacecraft’s Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism (TAGSAM). Here we describe the Sampleability Map of Bennu, which was constructed to aid in the selection of candidate sampling sites and to estimate the probability of collecting sufficient sample. “Sampleability” is a numeric score that expresses the compatibility of a given area’s surface properties with the sampling mechanism. The algorithm that determines sampleability is a best fit functional form to an extensive suite of laboratory testing outcomes tracking the TAGSAM performance as a function of four observable properties of the target asteroid. The algorithm and testing were designed to measure and subsequently predict TAGSAM collection amounts as a function of the minimum particle size, maximum particle size, particle size frequency distribution, and the tilt of the TAGSAM head off the surface. The sampleability algorithm operated at two general scales, consistent with the resolution and coverage of data collected during the mission. The first scale was global and evaluated nearly the full surface. Due to Bennu’s unexpected boulder coverage and lack of ponded regolith deposits, the global sampleability efforts relied heavily on additional strategies to find and characterize regions of interest based on quantifying and avoiding areas heavily covered by material too large to be collected. The second scale was site-specific and used higher-resolution data to predict collected mass at a given contact location. The rigorous sampleability assessments gave the mission confidence to select the best possible sample collection site and directly enabled successful collection of hundreds of grams of material.

Asteroid exploration↗

DOE OSTI2021

Fabric properties and electric efficiency limits of mechanical moisture extraction from fabrics

Residential clothes drying consume about 650 TBtu of primary energy per year in the United States, equivalent to 3% of primary residential energy consumption. There is a strong impetus to reduce the energy consumption of clothes dryers by both improving existing technology and developing alternatives that use fundamentally different drying mechanisms. Clothes drying technologies are broadly classified into either evaporative or mechanical drying. The focus of this paper is on mechanical drying, including vibrational, centrifugal, and press-based methods. In this work, the physical processes involved in these mechanical fabric drying processes were analyzed to develop general theories of mechanical cloth drying energy efficiency. Quantitative evaluation of the theories requires measured fabric properties. To accomplish this, a set of experiments was conducted on samples of a standard test fabric. The fabric was a cotton-polyester blend specified by the US Department of Energy to evaluate the standardized efficiency of all residential clothes dryers in the US. Mercury porosimetry experiments were conducted to determine the fabric pore size distribution, apparent density, and porosity. Elasticity experiments were conducted to determine the fabric’s Young’s modulus. Isostatic press experiments were conducted to establish a relationship between compression force and fabric moisture content. The data resulting from these experiments were combined with mathematical models developed in this work to calculate the theoretical maximum performance limits for mechanical drying of the standard fabric. The results of the analysis are used to make recommendations for the most promising technologies that offer the greatest potential energy savings for residential clothes drying.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

NASA NTRS1998

Surface-Correlated Nanophase Iron Metal in Lunar Soils: Petrography and Space Weathering Effects

Space weathering is a term used to include all of the processes that act on material exposed at the surface of a planetary or small body. In the case of the Moon, it includes a variety of processes that formed the lunar regolith, caused the maturation of lunar soils, and formed patina on rock surfaces. The processes include micrometeorite impact and reworking, implantation of solar wind and flare particles, radiation damage and chemical effects from solar particles and cosmic rays, interactions with the lunar atmosphere, and sputtering erosion and deposition. Space weathering effects collectively result in a reddened continuum slope, lowered albedo, and attenuated absorption features in reflectance spectra of lunar soils as compared to finely comminuted rocks from the same Apollo sites. Understanding these effects is critical in order to fully integrate the lunar sample collection with remotely sensed data from recent robotic missions (e.g., Lunar Prospector, Clementine, Galileo). Our objective is to determine the origin of space weathering effects in lunar soils through combined electron microscopy and microspectrophotometry techniques applied to individual soil particles from <20 pm size factions (dry-sieved) of mature lunar soils. It has been demonstrated that it is the finest size fraction (<25 pm) of lunar soils that dominates the optical properties of the bulk soils.

Keller, Lindsay P.↗

NASA NTRS2002

A management information system to study space diets

A management information system (MIS), including a database management system (DBMS) and a decision support system (DSS), was developed to dynamically analyze the variable nutritional content of foods grown and prepared in an Advanced Life Support System (ALSS) such as required for long-duration space missions. The DBMS was designed around the known nutritional content of a list of candidate crops and their prepared foods. The DSS was designed to determine the composition of the daily crew diet based on crop and nutritional information stored in the DBMS. Each of the selected food items was assumed to be harvested from a yet-to-be designed ALSS biomass production subsystem and further prepared in accompanying food preparation subsystems. The developed DBMS allows for the analysis of the nutrient composition of a sample 20-day diet for future Advanced Life Support missions and is able to determine the required quantities of food needed to satisfy the crew's daily consumption. In addition, based on published crop growth rates, the DBMS was able to calculate the required size of the biomass production area needed to satisfy the daily food requirements for the crew. Results from this study can be used to help design future ALSS for which the integration of various subsystems (e.g., biomass production, food preparation and consumption, and waste processing) is paramount for the success of the mission.

NASA Discipline Life Support Systems↗

DOE OSTI2024

Effects of size, geometry, and testing temperature on additively manufactured Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy

This article presents a comprehensive study concerning size and geometry effect on the ambient and high-temperature mechanical behavior of additively manufactured laser powder bed fusion Ti-6Al-4V alloy. Key mechanical property metrics are presented, including strain hardening rate, yield strength, and Young’s modulus as a function of thickness and testing temperature (ambient, 250 °C, and 450 °C). Here, the effect of specimen size on manufacturing-induced microstructural feature formation is demonstrated and discussed. A detailed analysis regarding Young’s modulus, yield strength, and strain hardening rate variation at elevated temperatures is also presented. Size effect and temperature-sensitive deformation mechanisms are linked to the underlying microstructural deformation mechanisms activated at respective temperatures. Counter-intuitively, this study determined that irrespective of the geometry, strain hardening rates increased as temperature increased. An in-depth microstructural examination is presented to explain the stated observation. The texture of Interrupted tensile test samples examined for ambient, 250 °C, and 450 °C post-yield was observed to be unchanged, indicating the strain hardening behavior was not texture dependent. Schmid factor analysis, coupled with experimental findings from previous work, was implemented to generate a hypothesis. This hypothesis suggests that the drop in critical resolved shear stress for basal and pyramidal slip systems, as temperature increases, paired with the high dislocation density of laser powder bed fusion Ti-6Al-4V, leads to dislocation entanglement and results in increased strain hardening at elevated temperatures.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2020

Comparison of Orientation Mapping in SEM and TEM

In this work, multiple experimental configurations for performing nanoscale orientation mapping are compared to determine their fidelity to the true 3D microstructure of a sample. Transmission Kikuchi Diffraction (TKD) experiments in an SEM and nanobeam diffraction (NBD) experiments in a TEM were performed on thin electrodeposited hard Au films with two different microstructures. The Au samples either have a grain size that is >50 nm or <20 nm. The same regions of the samples were measured with TKD apparatuses at 30 kV in an SEM with detectors in the horizontal and vertical configurations and in the TEM at 300 kV. Under the proper conditions, we demonstrate all three configurations can produce data of equivalent quality.Each method has strengths and challenges associated with its application and representation of the true microstructure. The conditions needed to obtain high-quality data for each acquisition method and the challenges associated with each will be discussed.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2026

Characterization of Electronic Stress-Induced Changes in Multilayer MoS 2

Transition metal dichalcogenides like molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ) are compelling for next-generation electronic devices. In this work, we investigate the impact of electronic stress on MoS 2 to illustrate that observational and phenomenological information on multiple devices can be useful to describe changes in the device, and caution against the rationalization of paltry results as representative or correlative to device behavior. Here, we stress MoS 2 by applying a sustained 20 V DC bias to study the material’s response. Post-stress electronic characterization revealed nonuniform shifts in current–voltage (I–V) behavior alongside microscale changes. Complementary mechanical, spectroscopic, and scanning microwave impedance measurements showed that stress-induced features locally modulate stiffness, surface potential, Raman intensity, and charge carrier density. We correlated I–V behavior with morphological features (wrinkles, tears, folds, height) and device-level geometry (MoS 2 overlap with electrodes, channel area, contact length) on 50 test structures across five chips to move beyond anecdotal conclusions. We found no universal correlations before DC stress. However, device-level geometry was correlated with I–V behavior after DC stress, suggesting that electrode contacts play a more dominant role than morphology in determining performance. Delamination and thinning induced by DC stress led to localized reductions in charge carrier density within the affected regions. Further, delamination and thinning appear to map to I–V device performance in a few samples, but the correlation is lost when a larger sample size is considered. This suggests significant sample-to-sample variability in surface electronic states of the test structures. We also discuss how environmental factors introduced during fabrication may contribute to the observed heterogeneous device response. Progress will require high-resolution, multimodal analysis across many samples constructed under controlled, clean conditions. By building data sets that capture variability, we can better identify the true drivers of performance.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2022

Characterization of the Emissions and Crystalline Silica Content of Airborne Dust Generated from Grinding Natural and Engineered Stones

Abstract In this study, we systematically characterized the airborne dust generated from grinding engineered and natural stone products using a laboratory testing system designed and operated to collect representative respirable dust samples. Four stone samples tested included two engineered stones consisting of crystalline silica in a polyester resin matrix (formulations differed with Stones A having up to 90wt% crystalline silica and Stone B up to 50wt% crystalline silica), an engineered stone consisting of recycled glass in a cement matrix (Stone C), and a granite. Aerosol samples were collected by respirable dust samplers, total dust samplers, and a Micro-Orifice Uniform Deposit Impactor. Aerosol samples were analyzed by gravimetric analysis and x-ray diffraction to determine dust generation rates, crystalline silica generation rates, and crystalline silica content. Additionally, bulk dust settled on the floor of the testing system was analyzed for crystalline silica content. Real-time particle size distributions were measured using an Aerodynamic Particle Sizer. All stone types generated similar trimodal lognormal number-weighted particle size distributions during grinding with the most prominent mode at an aerodynamic diameter of about 2.0-2.3 μm, suggesting dust formation from grinding different stones is similar. Bulk dust from Stone C contained no crystalline silica. Bulk dust from Stone A, Stone B, and granite contained 60, 23, and 30wt% crystalline silica, respectively. In Stones A and B, the cristobalite form of crystalline silica was more plentiful than the quartz form. Only the quartz form was detected in granite. The bulk dust, respirable dust, and total dust for each stone had comparable amounts of crystalline silica, suggesting that crystalline silica content in the bulk dust could be representative of that in respirable dust generated during grinding. Granite generated more dust per unit volume of material removed than the engineered stones, which all had similar normalized dust generation rates. Stone A had the highest normalized generation rates of crystalline silica, followed by granite, Stone B, and Stone C (no crystalline silica), which likely leads to the same trend of respirable crystalline silica (RCS) exposure when working with these different stones. Manufacturing and adoption of engineered stone products with formulations such as Stone B or Stone C could potentially lower or eliminate RCS exposure risks. Combining all the effects of dust generation rate, size-dependent silica content, and respirable fraction, the highest normalized generation rate of RCS consistently occurs at 3.2-5.6 µm for all the stones containing crystalline silica. Therefore, removing particles in this size range near the generation sources should be prioritized when developing engineering control measures.

Public, Environmental & Occupational Health↗

NASA NTRS1974

Abundance of mercury in regolith of the Sea of Fertility, Sea of Tranquillity, and Ocean of Storms

The direct determination of mercury by the atomic fluorescent method is described, involving the pulsed thermal atomization of powdered samples when the mercury is vaporized in argon at normal pressure. An increase in the mercury abundance in the regolith of the surficial layer with decrease in grain size and with variation in depth was noted, from 6 minus 1 million the surficial layer to 9 minus 1 million percent at a depth of about 30 cm. It is shown that in conditions simulating lunar day, at temperatures of 130-150 C up to 15 to 20 percent of the mercury is vaporized from a 2 mg regolith weighed sample, and thus the hypothesis is advanced that mercury is adsorbed by the surface layers of the lunar surface material during lunar night and desorbed during lunar day. The assumption is advanced that there exists a meridional mercury wind between subsolar region of the moon (heater) and the polar regions (cooler).

Belyayev, Y. I.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Solid propellant exhausted aluminum oxide and hydrogen chloride - Environmental considerations

Measurements of gaseous hydrogen chloride (HCl) and particulate aluminum oxide (Al2O3) were made during penetrations of five Space Shuttle exhaust clouds and one static ground test firing of a shuttle booster. Instrumented aircraft were used to penetrate exhaust clouds and to measure and/or collect samples of exhaust for subsequent analyses. The focus was on the primary solid rocket motor exhaust products, HCl and Al2O3, from the Space Shuttle's solid boosters. Time-dependent behavior of HCl was determined for the exhaust clouds. Composition, morphology, surface chemistry, and particle size distributions were determined for the exhausted Al2O3. Results determined for the exhaust cloud from the static test firing were complicated by having large amounts of entrained alkaline ground debris (soil) in the lofted cloud. The entrained debris may have contributed to neutralization of in-cloud HCl.

Cofer, W. R., III↗

DOE OSTI2022

Characterizing particle-based thermal storage performance using optical methods for use in next generation concentrating solar power plants

Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) generation is an attractive option for low-emission power generation; however, the high costs of thermal storage associated with concentrating solar create a large barrier for their use and adaptation into modern life. Lowering their operation costs, while maintaining high thermal storage and transfer performance is essential. Solid particle-based heat exchange systems can reduce CSP cost but are often less efficient. Efforts to increase their performance have led to use of binary size particle mixes. Presented is an optical-based thermal analysis technique used to measure near-wall thermal conductivity of particle beds essential in determining their heat exchanger efficiency. Modulated Photothermal Radiometry is used to make dynamic temperature measurements, allowing for the extraction of the most relevant thermal properties like thermal conductivity, specific heat, and effusivity. The system uses a modulated laser source causing a damped periodic heat flux, resulting in a frequency and thermal property dependent surface temperature, of which is measured using radiometry. Lock-In techniques are used to extrapolate the amplitude of the signal. Plotting the amplitude against the root angular frequency allows for effusivity measurement by ratio to a known sample. Using specific heat measurements from literature and density measurements, the thermal conductivity of the particle mixes can be calculated. The simplicity of MPTR to probe through the depth of the bed is ideal for use in CSP for dynamic thermal performance monitoring.

Corona, Javier↗

DOE OSTI2021

Plasma catalytic ammonia synthesis on Ni nanoparticles: The size effect

Herein we demonstrate the synthesis of ammonia via atmospheric DBD plasma discharge over nickel nanoparticles supported on silica. We evaluated the performance of nickel nanoparticles with average sizes of 5.6nm and 13.5 nm. The smallest nanoparticle size sample resulted in an ammonia synthesis rate at least 2 times higher than that of the larger nanoparticle size sample and nickel bulk at equimolar composition. This allowed us to observe experimentally, for the first time, the size effect in the area of plasma catalysis. Moreover, the presented results allowed us to investigate a hydrogen sink metal such as nickel under atmospheric plasma conditions and determine the gas composition that resulted beneficial for this surface chemistry.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗