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NASA NTRS2019

Detector Based Calibration of a Portable Imaging Spectrometer for CLARREO Pathfinder Mission

The Climate Absolute Refractivity and Reflectance Observatory (CLARREO) Pathfinder (CPF) mission is being developed to demonstrate SI-traceable retrievals of reflectance at unprecedented accuracies for global satellite observations. An Independent Calibration of the CPF sensor using the Goddard Laser for Absolute Measurement of Radiance (GLAMR) is planned to allow validation of CPF accuracies. GLAMR is a detector-based calibration system relies on a set of NIST-calibrated transfer radiometers to assess the spectral radiance from the GLAMR sphere source to better than 0.3 % (k=2). The current work describes the calibration of the Solar, Lunar Absolute Reflectance Imaging Spectroradiometer (SOLARIS) that was originally developed as a calibration demonstration system for the CLARREO mission and is now being used to assess the independent calibration being developed for CPF. The methodology for the radiometric calibration of SOLARIS is presented as well as results from the GLAMR-based calibration of SOLARIS. The portability of SOLARIS makes it capable of collecting field measurements of earth scenes and direct solar and lunar irradiance similar to those expected during the on-orbit operation of the CPF sensor. Results of SOLARIS field measurements are presented. The use of SOLARIS in this effort also allows the testing protocols for GLAMR to be improved and the field measurements by SOLARIS build confidence in the error budget for GLAMR calibrations. Results are compared to accepted solar irradiance models to demonstrate accuracy values giving confidence in the error budget for the CLARREO reflectance retrieval.

Aytac, Yigit↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Modeling and Analysis of Stirling Power Convertors

Modeling and Analysis of Stirling Power Convertors Luis A. Rodriguez1 Steven M. Geng, Terry V. Reid, Scott D. Wilson NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH, 44135, USA NASA Glenn’s Thermal Energy Conversion Branch is supporting the development of the next generation free-piston Stirling power convertors. American Superconductor (AMSC) and Sunpower Inc. are the two firms under contract to develop the Flexure Isotope Stirling Convertor (FISC) and the Sunpower Robust Stirling Convertor (SRSC), respectively. To comprehend and forecast convertor performance, Sage, ANSYS® Maxwell, and ANSYS® Fluent were used to model the Stirling thermodynamic cycle, alternator electromagnetics, and piston and displacer dynamics. I. Introduction Stirling convertors are being developed by NASA as a potential steady source of electrical power for NASA’s future scientific space missions. Currently, NASA Glenn Research Center has two corporations under contract, American Superconductor (AMSC) and Sunpower Inc., for the development of the next generation of free-piston Stirling convertors for dynamic radioisotope power systems. AMSC is developing the Flexure Isotope Stirling Convertor (FISC), which uses flexures to prevent side motion and rubbing of the piston. Similarly, Sunpower Inc, is developing the Sunpower Robust Stirling Convertor (SRSC). The SRSC uses gas bearings to prevent radial contact of the moving piston. As convertor development continues, it is increasingly important to understand and predict the interactions of components in the system, how they respond to one another, and how they perform as a response to changes in operating conditions. A suitable and enlightening way to demonstrate and foresee these interactions is with the use of accurate modeling software. Sage, ANSYS® Maxwell, and ANSYS® Fluent are the current modeling tools used by NASA to analytically determine convertor performance. Sage is a one-dimensional object-oriented commercial software package used for modeling and optimizing Stirling convertors for Dynamic Radioisotope Power Systems (DRPS) and it is one of the most accurate Stirling convertor codes in use by NASA. This code is the successor to GLIMPS (Globally-Implicit Stirling Cycle Simulation) and GLOP (GLIMPS Optimization) software created by Gedeon Associates [1]. Model input parameters are typically material/gas type, component physical dimensions, temperatures, frequency, charge pressure, and number of time/space nodes. Sage is used to model both the FISC’s and SRSC’s Stirling cycle thermodynamics and piston/displacer dynamics. Performance maps were created and analyzed for both power systems to better understand the relationship between the following conditions: cold-end temperature, hot-end temperature, piston/displacer amplitudes, pressure drop, and thermal input power. The synergy between these conditions will help determine parameter sensitivity. ANSYS® Maxwell was used to create a three-dimensional (3-D) axisymmetric model for both FISC and SRSC alternators. The significant physical components included in each model are the magnets, magnet carrier, outer/inner laminations, and the coil. Inputs to the model are piston amplitude, piston frequency, alternator load, coil resistance, tuning capacitance, and specific material properties. The alternator models calculate terminal voltage, current, piston/current phase, voltage/current phase, coil inductance, terminal power and efficiency. The RI2 losses, core (hysteresis and eddy) losses, and magnet/can eddy losses are also a part of the final results. ANSYS® Fluent is used to build 3-D computational fluid dynamic (CFD) models to examine the Stirling cycle thermodynamics for both the FISC and SRSC systems. Three-dimensional Computer Aided Design (CAD) models were used to create the physical components of each convertor. Steady-state simulations were conducted for hardware testing, prediction of environmental losses during testing, and generation of radiation look-up tables. The model inputs to the aforementioned analysis are the material properties and boundary thermal conditions. The steady-state model calculates temperature and heat flow distributions. Transient 3-D calculations were also part of the CFD analysis. In this study a physically reduced version of the FISC is used to obtain a prediction of available engine power. For the gas bearing SRSC, the transient effort is used to obtain a prediction of bearing pad performance and its sensitivity to micro-channel geometric variation. The model inputs to the transient simulations are the piston amplitude, displacer amplitude, frequency, displacer/piston phase angle, dynamic deforming CFD grid, temperature boundary conditions, and user defined files describing motion profile of piston/displacer. The results of the model are temperature distributions, heat distributions, and PV power produced at pre-determined conditions.

Luis A Rodriguez↗

NASA NTRS1988

Design and manufacture of solid ZrO2 electrolyte

The following project assignment was given to the students: 'design and build a suitable YSZ solid electrolyte cell. Describe advantages of the design and fabrication method. Finally, to the limits of available resources, fabricate the design. Explain why it would be superior to other designs.' Clemson University students definitely benefitted from this experience with USRA/NASA. The challenge that this project gave the students was both exciting and attention-getting. Students spent far more time per credit hour on this project than on their other course. This project advanced the art of making efficient oxygen generators as well. Clemson students are now well on the way to designing a solid electrolyte with a large active surface area and comparatively small volume. Previous devices have had to endure the limitation of using only simple shapes such as tubes. The results of this project have demonstrated that better configurations are not only possible but practical.

Source record↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Enabling a Voice Management System for Space Applications

The sustainable missions beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO) envisioned for NASA’s Artemis program will require autonomous capabilities. Moreover, Artemis mission crews will need a means to efficiently interact with a spacecraft’s autonomous systems. This interaction can be facilitated by voice and speech communications because voice-based controls enable users to interact hands- and eyes-free, allowing the user to better focus on critical tasks. The goal of our project was to explore the knowledge and technology needed to successfully design effective Voice User Interfaces (VUIs) for autonomous systems utilizing Human Centered Design (HCD) principles. The focus of the human factors’ aspect of engineering, pays close attention to psychological and physiological principles in the development of autonomous crew operation systems. A main objective was to understand how a crew member, through voice interaction, could efficiently and intuitively communicate with a notional autonomous vehicle system manager. This project was a part of the NASA Moon to Mars eXploration Systems and Habitation (M2M X-Hab) 2020 Academic Innovation Challenge. The work from the BLiSS Team, at the University of Michigan, resulted in the design of a system persona, Diego, to which an astronaut may quickly build trust with autonomous systems, to alleviate known stressors on mental health expected during long duration space missions. Optimal software to facilitate integration of the system persona into a reference Lunar orbiting Gateway station was defined. Additionally, a Speech to Text (STT) system and a Graphical User Interface (GUI) that could be implemented in future missions was developed on an Internet of Things (IOT) platform. The Voice User Interface (VUI) design for the M2M X-Hab 2020 project leveraged previous technology developed by the BLiSS team to incorporate a voice-based interface into NASA’s Platform for Autonomous Systems (NPAS) software. This required technologies to convert voice to text, conduct semantic interpretations, and convert responses from the autonomous system to text and to speech; additionally, the spacecraft background noise environment was assessed, a noise mitigation technique was developed, and a relatable personality for the autonomous system was developed in order to facilitate human-like conversations. The success of our effort was largely due to the diversity of the team that included expertise in Space Systems Engineering, Human Computer Interaction, Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science, Biomedical Engineering, and Applied Physics. The diverse perspectives fostered elaborate discussions, resulting in the conception of three main subsystems: (1) User-System, (2) NPAS-System, and (3) Environment-System. The VUI was unique and had to be efficient and intuitive. For this project, 5 subteams were formed, each with a separate objective, Voice Design team, Background Noise Mitigation team, Software Integration team and Graphical User Interface team. The BLiSS team crafted a personality for the VUI to enable human-like conversation and drive user adoption and trust. User surveys were completed and used to help determine the required VUI system personality traits by capturing perspectives and expectations of prospective “Artemis Generation Astronauts”. To further simulate human-like conversations, the system had to be able to quickly interpret user speech and be able to integrate with NASA’s NPAS platform for quick and reliable information transfer. The outcomes of our research were: (1) a working prototype user interface, that is compatible with NASA’s NPAS platform; (2) software that demonstrates the ability of the VUI system to interpret user requests and respond appropriately; (3) the capability to implement fully expanded conversations between user and system using intuitive communication in four request categories; and (4) software and hardware recommendations that optimize the system’s ability to operate in a noisy environment. Our research has laid the foundation for the development of VUI’s for autonomy, and provides a baseline for future VUI developments.

Voice user interface↗

NASA NTRS2022

Accurate Modeling of Lyα Profiles and their Impact on Photolysis of Terrestrial Planet Atmospheres

Accurately measuring and modeling the Lyα (Lyα; λ1215.67 Å) emission line from low-mass stars is vital for our ability to build predictive high energy stellar spectra, yet interstellar medium (ISM) absorption of this line typically prevents model-measurement comparisons. Lyα also controls the photodissociation of important molecules, like water and methane, in exoplanet atmospheres such that any photochemical models assessing potential biosignatures or atmospheric abundances require accurate Lyα host star flux estimates. Recent observations of three early M and K stars (K3, M0, M1) with exceptionally high radial velocities (>100 km s −1 ) reveal the intrinsic profiles of these types of stars as most of their Lyα flux is shifted away from the geocoronal line core and contamination from the ISM. These observations indicate that previous stellar spectra computed with the PHOENIX atmosphere code have underpredicted the core of Lyα in these types of stars. With these observations, we have been able to better understand the microphysics in the upper atmosphere and improve the predictive capabilities of the PHOENIX atmosphere code. Since these wavelengths drive the photolysis of key molecular species, we also present results analyzing the impact of the resulting changes to the synthetic stellar spectra on observable chemistry in terrestrial planet atmospheres.

Sarah Peacock↗

NASA NTRS2012

Expanding AirSTAR Capability for Flight Research in an Existing Avionics Design

The NASA Airborne Subscale Transport Aircraft Research (AirSTAR) project is an Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) test bed for experimental flight control laws and vehicle dynamics research. During its development, the test bed has gone through a number of system permutations, each meant to add functionality to the concept of operations of the system. This enabled the build-up of not only the system itself, but also the support infrastructure and processes necessary to support flight operations. These permutations were grouped into project phases and the move from Phase-III to Phase-IV was marked by a significant increase in research capability and necessary safety systems due to the integration of an Internal Pilot into the control system chain already established for the External Pilot. The major system changes in Phase-IV operations necessitated a new safety and failsafe system to properly integrate both the Internal and External Pilots and to meet acceptable project safety margins. This work involved retrofitting an existing data system into the evolved concept of operations. Moving from the first Phase-IV aircraft to the dynamically scaled aircraft further involved restructuring the system to better guard against electromagnetic interference (EMI), and the entire avionics wiring harness was redesigned in order to facilitate better maintenance and access to onboard electronics. This retrofit and harness re-design will be explored and how it integrates with the evolved Phase-IV operations.

Laughter, Sean A.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Atmospheric flow over two-dimensional bluff surface obstructions

The phenomenon of atmospheric flow over a two-dimensional surface obstruction, such as a building (modeled as a rectangular block, a fence or a forward-facing step), is analyzed by three methods: (1) an inviscid free streamline approach, (2) a turbulent boundary layer approach using an eddy viscosity turbulence model and a horizontal pressure gradient determined by the inviscid model, and (3) an approach using the full Navier-Stokes equations with three turbulence models; i.e., an eddy viscosity model, a turbulence kinetic-energy model and a two-equation model with an additional transport equation for the turbulence length scale. A comparison of the performance of the different turbulence models is given, indicating that only the two-equation model adequately accounts for the convective character of turbulence. Turbulence flow property predictions obtained from the turbulence kinetic-energy model with prescribed length scale are only insignificantly better than those obtained from the eddy viscosity model. A parametric study includes the effects of the variation of the characteristics parameters of the assumed logarithmic approach velocity profile. For the case of the forward-facing step, it is shown that in the downstream flow region an increase of the surface roughness gives rise to higher turbulence levels in the shear layer originating from the step corner.

Bitte, J.↗

NASA NTRS2003

Nanotechnology: A Vast Field for the Creative Mind

Nanotechnology is a rapidly developing field worldwide. Nanotechnology is the development of smart systems for many different applications by building from the molecular level up. Current research, sponsored by The National Nanotechnology Alliance in the US will be described. Future needs in manpower of different disciplines will be discussed. Nanotechnology is a field of research that could allow developing countries to establish a technological infrastructure. The nature of nanotechnology requires professionals in many areas, such as engineers, chemists, physicists, mathematicians, computer scientists, materials scientists, etc. One of the materials that provide unique properties for nanotechnology is carbon nanotubes. At Goddard we have develop a process to produce nanotubes at lower costs and without metal catalysts which will be of great importance for the development of new materials for space applications and others outside NASA. Nanotechnology in general is a very broad and exciting field that will provide the technologies of tomorrow including biomedical applications for the betterment of mankind. There is room in this area for many researchers all over the world. The key is collaboration, nationally and internationally.

Benavides, Jeannette↗

NASA NTRS2002

Robust Low Cost Liquid Rocket Combustion Chamber by Advanced Vacuum Plasma Process

Next-generation, regeneratively cooled rocket engines require materials that can meet high temperatures while resisting the corrosive oxidation-reduction reaction of combustion known as blanching, the main cause of engine failure. A project was initiated at NASA-Marshal Space Flight Center (MSFC) to combine three existing technologies to build and demonstrate an advanced liquid rocket engine combustion chamber that would provide a 100 mission life. Technology developed in microgravity research to build cartridges for space furnaces was utilized to vacuum plasma spray (VPS) a functional gradient coating on the hot wall of the combustion liner as one continuous operation, eliminating any bondline between the coating and the liner. The coating was NiCrAlY, developed previously as durable protective coatings on space shuttle high pressure fuel turbopump (HPFTP) turbine blades. A thermal model showed that 0.03 in. NiCrAlY applied to the hot wall of the combustion liner would reduce the hot wall temperature 200 F, a 20% reduction, for longer life. Cu-8Cr-4Nb alloy, which was developed by NASA-Glenn Research Center (GRC), and which possesses excellent high temperature strength, creep resistance, and low cycle fatigue behavior combined with exceptional thermal stability, was utilized as the liner material in place of NARloy-Z. The Cu-8Cr-4Nb material exhibits better mechanical properties at 650 C (1200 F) than NARloy-Z does at 538 C (1000 F). VPS formed Cu-8Cr-4Nb combustion chamber liners with a protective NiCrAlY functional gradient coating have been hot fire tested, successfully demonstrating a durable coating for the first time. Hot fire tests along with tensile and low cycle fatigue properties of the VPS formed combustion chamber liners and witness panel specimens are discussed.

Holmes, Richard↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Evaluation of Response Surface Experiment Designs for Distributed Propulsion Aircraft Aero-Propulsive Modeling

Modern distributed hybrid and electric propulsion aircraft, including vertical, short, and conventional takeoff and landing configurations, exhibit significant aero-propulsive complexity and a large number of interacting test factors. This paper presents the development and evaluation of experiment designs for aero-propulsive characterization of distributed propulsion aircraft. Five different foundational response surface designs are evaluated to inform the development of two sequential design approaches tailored to complex aircraft aerodynamic characterization experiments. The first approach, which builds on sequential face-centered central composite designs, has been used previously to develop aero-propulsive models for complex aircraft using wind tunnel testing. The second approach is a new design strategy leveraging a regular I-optimal and nested I-optimal design that was developed for this study. The two sequential design strategies are compared for experiments with a large number of test factors using pre-experiment design evaluation metrics, as well as modeling results obtained from simulated wind tunnel data for the NASA LA-8 aircraft. The design evaluation metrics show that the sequential I-optimal base design has higher statistical power, lower correlation among candidate regressors, lower prediction variance, and more precise parameter estimates. The simulated wind tunnel experiments conducted using each design reveal that the sequential I-optimal base design has better predictive capability with fewer test points. The experiment design and evaluation procedures are described in detail to inform future aerodynamic characterization experiments for complex aircraft.

design of experiments↗

NASA NTRS2014

Use of Semantic Technology to Create Curated Data Albums

One of the continuing challenges in any Earth science investigation is the discovery and access of useful science content from the increasingly large volumes of Earth science data and related information available online. Current Earth science data systems are designed with the assumption that researchers access data primarily by instrument or geophysical parameter. Those who know exactly the data sets they need can obtain the specific files using these systems. However, in cases where researchers are interested in studying an event of research interest, they must manually assemble a variety of relevant data sets by searching the different distributed data systems. Consequently, there is a need to design and build specialized search and discover tools in Earth science that can filter through large volumes of distributed online data and information and only aggregate the relevant resources needed to support climatology and case studies. This paper presents a specialized search and discovery tool that automatically creates curated Data Albums. The tool was designed to enable key elements of the search process such as dynamic interaction and sense-making. The tool supports dynamic interaction via different modes of interactivity and visual presentation of information. The compilation of information and data into a Data Album is analogous to a shoebox within the sense-making framework. This tool automates most of the tedious information/data gathering tasks for researchers. Data curation by the tool is achieved via an ontology-based, relevancy ranking algorithm that filters out nonrelevant information and data. The curation enables better search results as compared to the simple keyword searches provided by existing data systems in Earth science.

Ramachandran, Rahul↗

NASA NTRS2014

Use of Semantic Technology to Create Curated Data Albums

One of the continuing challenges in any Earth science investigation is the discovery and access of useful science content from the increasingly large volumes of Earth science data and related information available online. Current Earth science data systems are designed with the assumption that researchers access data primarily by instrument or geophysical parameter. Those who know exactly the data sets they need can obtain the specific files using these systems. However, in cases where researchers are interested in studying an event of research interest, they must manually assemble a variety of relevant data sets by searching the different distributed data systems. Consequently, there is a need to design and build specialized search and discovery tools in Earth science that can filter through large volumes of distributed online data and information and only aggregate the relevant resources needed to support climatology and case studies. This paper presents a specialized search and discovery tool that automatically creates curated Data Albums. The tool was designed to enable key elements of the search process such as dynamic interaction and sense-making. The tool supports dynamic interaction via different modes of interactivity and visual presentation of information. The compilation of information and data into a Data Album is analogous to a shoebox within the sense-making framework. This tool automates most of the tedious information/data gathering tasks for researchers. Data curation by the tool is achieved via an ontology-based, relevancy ranking algorithm that filters out non-relevant information and data. The curation enables better search results as compared to the simple keyword searches provided by existing data systems in Earth science.

Ramachandran, Rahul↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Performance and Accuracy Assessment of Line Marching Algorithm Computations Utilizing GPUs Within a Predictive GNSS Quality Service

This paper presents a detailed analysis of the accuracy and performance of line marching algorithms executing on a GPU. In the context of an accurate Global Navigation Satellite System(GNSS) quality of service simulation, horizon sky-plots are a useful tool to determine satellite visibility in the presence of obstructions from objects, such as buildings or dense foliage. In order to accurately model satellite visibility at a point of interest on a map, a horizon plot can identify the viewing angles at which objects are blocking the sky. This computation requires traversing a line starting at the point of interest on a 2D altitude map, moving outward for every azimuth angle. To explore the performance of this computation, we propose a new dynamic stopping condition for the traversal of the line, benefiting from objects close to the point of interest. We compare the accuracy of common line marching algorithms, and consider their parallel performance when developed in CUDA. We find that our proposed stopping condition for line marching provides a significant improvement in performance in urban canyon sky-plots, as compared to previous work. Additionally, these results show that simpler algorithms, such as the digital differential analyzer line algorithm, are better suited for GPUs than more sophisticated schemes such as Bresenham’s algorithm, specifically in the context of sky-plothorizon computations. The trade-off between accuracy and performance is analyzed and providing guidance that depends on the targeted goal of the GNSS application.

GNSS↗

NASA NTRS2023

Shoshone River Water Resources II: Quantifying Sediment Input in the Shoshone River in Wyoming using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool for Enhanced Water Quality Monitoring

The Willwood Dam, an irrigation diversion dam located on the Shoshone River (Wyoming, USA), has faced ongoing issues with sediment accumulation and needs frequent sediment flushing to remain operable. However, high suspended sediment levels during flushing events have negatively impacted downstream aquatic ecology and recreational opportunities. To address these problems, DEVELOP partnered with the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, Shoshone River Partners, and United States Geologic Survey. During term one, the team developed a workflow to map turbidity using PlanetScope imagery, analyze time series precipitation data, and create landcover maps. For this term, we focused on three methods to gain a better understanding of sediment sources: 1) improving remote sensing of turbidity, 2) modeling sediment transport within the watershed using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), and 3) conducting a snow cover time series analysis using Suomi NPP VIIRS imagery. Through remote sensing, we found Dry Creek/Homesteader Creek and Penney Gulch/Rough Gulch had the highest concentration sediment plumes. The SWAT+ model created a high-resolution grid model of the watershed, identifying high sedimentation in the western and southern subbasins but displayed low-correlated calibration and validation results due to limited observed data. We analyzed the snow cover extent alongside other hydrologic variables and found that snow melt events correlated with increases in suspended sediment concentration and turbidity values. Coupling remote sensing with hydrological modeling will give watershed managers a new perspective on high-priority regions for implementation of remediation to reduce the sediment build-up at the Willwood Dam.

Suspended Sediment↗

NASA NTRS2008

RF MEMS Switches with SiC Microbridges for Improved Reliability

Radio frequency (RF) microelectromechanical (MEMS) switches offer superior performance when compared to the traditional semiconductor devices such as PIN diodes or GaAs transistors. MEMS switches have a return loss (RL) better than -25 dB, negligible insertion loss (IL), isolation better than -30 dB, and near zero power consumption. However, RF MEMS switches have several drawbacks the most serious being long-term reliability. The ability for the switch to operate for millions or even billions of cycles is a major concern and must be addressed. MEMS switches are basically grouped in two categories, capacitive and metal-to-metal contact. The capacitive type switch consists of a movable metal bridge spanning a fixed electrode and separated by a narrow air gap and thin insulating material. The metal-to-metal contact type utilizes the same basic design but without the insulating material. After prolonged operation the metal bridges, in most of these switches, begin to sag and eventually fail to actuate. For the metal-to-metal type, the two metal layers may actually fuse together. Also if the switches are not packaged properly or protected from the environment moisture may build up and cause stiction between the top and bottom electrodes rendering them useless. Many MEMS switch designs have been developed and most illustrate fairly good RF characteristics. Nevertheless very few have demonstrated both great RF performance and ability to perform millions/billions of switching cycles. Of these, nearly all are of metal-to-metal type so as the frequency increases RF performance decreases.

Scardelletti, Maximilian C.↗

NASA NTRS2019

Creating Data-Driven Vector Visualizations of Satellite Orbit Tracks Using NASA GIBS and Worldview

NASA Earth Observing System (EOS) currently operates dozens of remote sensing satellites, many of which can be viewed directly in NASA’s open-source Worldview application. Much of this satellite imagery can be viewed in near-real time as it is processed and served by NASA’s Global Imagery Browse Service (GIBS). To better educate users on the time and location of imagery, GIBS serves orbit track specific layers for each satellite. Worldview has historically served these layers as raster images but recent updates have enabled the application to now serve these layers using vector tiles. With the release of Worldview v3.0, orbit track layers can be displayed using mapbox vector tiles (MVT). This visualization format allows users to not only view and change the color of orbit track layers, as they could do previously with rasters, but also inspect individual vector points and filter layers by specific parameters such as time. The data contained within a MVT is further enhanced in Worldview with the combination of a JSON description file served from GIBS used to describe the MVT data. This presentation will provide an overview of the process of consuming orbit track vector tiles and data files from GIBS using a pipeline to configure, build and ultimately display the orbit tracks in Worldview. Furthermore, the presentation aims to describe how others can leverage our open-source code to display and enhance vector layers in their own applications.

Rice, Zachary↗

NASA NTRS2023

Flight Surgeon Survey Results Review: Long-Duration Artemis Medical System ConOps

Background: The Artemis Mission Functional Medical Concept of Operation (ConOp) is an operational document that describes the functional medical capabilities and concept of operations for early Artemis missions of around 30 days duration. It is currently under revision for longer missions (180+ days), aiming to build a foundational diagnostic and treatment capabilities list considering mission parameters, crew selection and training, and mass/volume constraints. An interview of NASA operational flight surgeons was completed to start the revision of the medical ConOp. Methods: In the survey, 20 experienced NASA flight surgeons responded to 57 standardized questions covering 17 categories, 22 questions of which were covered in this analysis including 4 categories: Cardiovascular, Catastrophic Situations, Pulmonary, and Respiratory/O2 Support. These results were categorized into recommendations and observations. The recommendations were used to objectively quantify the responses to look for consensus, differences and uncertainty among responses. The observations remain important but were not included in this review. Analysis: Regarding questions related to changes in medical conditions treated for long-duration missions, percentage of “No Change” responses varied from 20% to 75%. In the “Change” treatment plan responses, a variety of recommendations were made, which were further made into graphics for better illustration. Additionally, recommendations on capability questions in multiple systems were visualized altogether in one product. Discussion: This work demonstrates the importance of collaboration and thorough analysis amongst experienced NASA flight surgeons for helping establish medical systems and contributing to the likelihood of mission success during Artemis long-duration missions. Through this review, we were able to identify some positive attributes as well as areas for improvement, which will facilitate further discussions.

Andrew Bushong↗

NASA NTRS2009

Ares V: Shifting the Payload Design Paradigm

NASA is designing the Ares V heavy-lift cargo launch vehicle to send more crew and cargo to more places on the lunar surface than the 1960s-era Saturn V and to provide ongoing support for a permanent lunar outpost. This uncrewed cargo vehicle is designed to operate together with the Ares I crew vehicle (Figure 1). In addition to this role, however, its unmatched mass and volume capability represent a national asset for exploration, science, and commerce. The Ares V also enables or significantly enhances a large class of space missions not thought possible by scientists and engineers since the Saturn V program ended over 30 years ago. Compared to current systems, it will offer approximately five times the mass and volume to most orbits and locations. This should allow prospective mission planners to build robust payloads with margins that are three to five times the industry norm. The space inside the planned payload shroud has enough usable volume to launch the volumetric equivalent of approximately 10 Apollo Lunar Modules or approximately five equivalent Hubble Space Telescopes. This mass and volume capability to low-Earth orbit (LEO) enables a host of new scientific and observation platforms, such as telescopes, satellites, planetary and solar missions, as well as being able to provide the lift for future large in-space infrastructure missions, such as space based solar power and mining, Earth asteroid defense, propellant depots, etc. In addition, payload designers may also have the option of simplifying their designs or employing Ares V s payload as dumb mass to reduce technical and operational risk. The Ares V team is engaging the potential payload community now, two to three years before System Requirements Review (SRR), in order to better understand the additional requirements from the payload community that could be accommodated in the Ares V design in its conceptual phase. This paper will discuss the Ares V reference mission and capability, as well as its potential to perform other missions in the future.

Sumrall, Phil↗