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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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DOE OSTI2020

Search for Electron Neutrino Anomalies with the MicroBooNE Detector

The Micro Booster Neutrino Experiment (MicroBooNE) is a Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LArTPC) located in the Booster Neutrino Beam at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. The experiment was devised to investigate a series of observed anomalies concerning short-baseline neutrino oscillation physics. The LArTPC technology enables the experiment to study neutrino-argon scattering with unprecedented detail.This thesis presents a cosmic-ray characterisation and rate measurement. The understanding of cosmic activity in the detector - MicroBooNE's dominant background - is then used to develop cosmic rejection tools. A flavour-agnostic neutrino selection is constructed, which forms the cornerstone of this and further analyses. Inclusive muon and electron charged-current neutrino interaction selections with unprecedented purity and efficiency are presented.The first fully-automated characterisation of electron neutrinos in a muon neutrino beam with the LArTPC detector technology is performed. The Booster Neutrino Beam has an energy peaking around 1GeV and an intrinsic electron content of approximately 0.5%. The analysis investigates electrons produced in charged-current electron neutrino interactions. The kinematics of the electrons are measured along with comparisons to simulation. Most of the systematic uncertainties are constrained using a data-driven sample of charged-current muon neutrino events. The measurement of electron neutrinos originating from the Booster Neutrino Beam is a crucial component towards understanding the nature of the observed excess of low-energy electromagnetic-like events at its predecessor, MiniBooNE.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2021

Report on the LLNL Global Full-waveform Inversion Workflow and Progress

LLNL has developed the SPiRaL global seismic tomography model based upon millions of body wave travel times and surface wave dispersion curves in the period range of 25-200 seconds (Simmons et al., 2021). The motivation to construct the SPiRaL model (which stands for S-, P-, Rayleigh, and Love waves) is based upon the guidance provided by a 3-D model workshop held in Berkeley in 2007 and documented in a paper by Zucca et al. (2009). It was concluded in Zucca et al. (2009) that a “practical and obtainable” model is one that predicts body wave travel times for event location while also predicting surface wave velocities for moment tensor estimation. We have largely followed that guidance which has led to the construction of SPiRaL. Looking forward, we now seek to improve the global model through full waveform inversion (FWI). This necessitates the development/customization of an efficient and flexible modeling workflow to automate the process using LLNL’s supercomputing platforms. This report briefly outlines the work that being performed at LLNL to develop the necessary tools and framework to update the SPiRaL global model with full waveform information.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

NASA NTRS1980

Construction and assembly of large space structures

Three aspects of the construction and assembly of large space structures, namely transportation costs, human productivity in space and the source of materials (lunar vs terrestrial), are considered. Studies on human productivity have been so encouraging that the cost of human labor is now regarded as much less important than transportation costs. It is pointed out that these costs, although high, are extremely demand-sensitive. Even with high demand, however, the construction of several large systems would warrant the use of lunar materials and space manufacturing. The importance of further research is stressed in order to establish the optimum tradeoff between automation and manual assembly.

Mar, J. W.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Automated analyzer for aircraft measurements of atmospheric methane and total hydrocarbons

An automated methane/total hydrocarbon analyzer is presented, which can produce alternate methane/total hydrocarbon measurements every 7 seconds to provide the spatial resolution required for regional hydrocarbon measurements at aircraft speeds. The construction and sampling techniques developed for the aircraft mounted system are discussed. A technique to periodically measure atmosphere oxygen is incorporated into the analyzer to ensure accurate hydrocarbon measurements, and a data collection methodology is developed to minimize errors resulting from changes in flame ionization detector sensitivity at different altitudes. Aircraft data acquired at the 1979 Southeastern Virginia Urban Plume Study are also presented, which illustrate the application of the instrument to a troposphere pollution plume.

Cofer, W. R., III↗

NASA NTRS1987

Operator function modeling: An approach to cognitive task analysis in supervisory control systems

In a study of models of operators in complex, automated space systems, an operator function model (OFM) methodology was extended to represent cognitive as well as manual operator activities. Development continued on a software tool called OFMdraw, which facilitates construction of an OFM by permitting construction of a heterarchic network of nodes and arcs. Emphasis was placed on development of OFMspert, an expert system designed both to model human operation and to assist real human operators. The system uses a blackboard method of problem solving to make an on-line representation of operator intentions, called ACTIN (actions interpreter).

Mitchell, Christine M.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Design and implementation of Ada programs to facilitate automated testing

An automated method utilized to test the software components of COMPASS, an interactive computer aided scheduling system, is presented. Each package of this system introduces a private type, and works to construct instances of that type, along with read and write routines for that type. Generic procedures that can generate test drivers for these functions are given and show how the test drivers can read from a test data file the functions to call, the arguments for those functions, what the anticipated result should be, and whether an exception should be raised for the function given the arguments.

Dean, Jack↗

NASA NTRS1993

The WorkPlace distributed processing environment

Real time control problems require robust, high performance solutions. Distributed computing can offer high performance through parallelism and robustness through redundancy. Unfortunately, implementing distributed systems with these characteristics places a significant burden on the applications programmers. Goddard Code 522 has developed WorkPlace to alleviate this burden. WorkPlace is a small, portable, embeddable network interface which automates message routing, failure detection, and re-configuration in response to failures in distributed systems. This paper describes the design and use of WorkPlace, and its application in the construction of a distributed blackboard system.

Ames, Troy↗

NASA NTRS1993

Considerations regarding the deployment of hypermedia at JSC

Electronic documents and systems are becoming the primary means of managing information for ground and space operations at NASA. These documents will utilize hypertext and hypermedia technologies to aid users in structuring and accessing information. Documents will be composed of static and dynamic data consisting of user-defined annotations and hypermedia links. The report consists of three major sections. First, it provides an overview of hypermedia and surveys the use of hypermedia throughout JSC. Second, it briefly describes a prototypical hypermedia system that was developed in conjunction with this work. This system was constructed to demonstrate various hypermedia features and to serve as a platform for supporting the electronic documentation needs for the MIDAS system developed by the Intelligent Systems Branch of the Automation and Robotics Division (Pac92). Third, it discusses emerging hypermedia technologies which have either been untapped by vendors or present significant challenges to the Agency.

Kacmar, Charles J.↗

NASA NTRS1997

Surface Development and Test Facility (SDTF) New R&D Simulator for Airport Operations

A new simulator, the Surface Development and Test Facility (SDTF) is under construction at the NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California. Jointly funded by the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and NASA, the SDTF will be a testbed for airport surface automation technologies of the future. The SDTF will be operational in the third quarter of 1998. The SDTF will combine a virtual tower with simulated ground operations to allow evaluation of new technologies for safety, effectiveness, reliability, and cost benefit. The full-scale level V tower will provide a seamless 360 degree high resolution out-the-window view, and a full complement of ATC (air traffic control) controller positions. The imaging system will be generated by two fully-configured Silicon Graphics Onyx Infinite Reality computers, and will support surface movement of up to 200 aircraft and ground vehicles. The controller positions, displays and consoles can be completely reconfigured to match the unique layout of any individual airport tower. Dedicated areas will accommodate pseudo-airport ramp controllers, pseudo-airport operators, and pseudo-pilots. Up to 33 total personnel positions will be able to participate in simultaneous operational scenarios. A realistic voice communication infrastructure will emulate the intercom and telephone communications of a real airport tower. Multi-channel audio and video recording and a sophisticated data acquisition system will support a wide variety of research and development areas, such as evaluation of automation tools for surface operations, human factors studies, integration of terminal area and airport technologies, and studies of potential airport physical and procedural modifications.

Dorighi, Nancy S.↗

NASA NTRS2008

UAVSAR Flight-Planning System

A system of software partly automates planning of a flight of the Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) -- a polarimetric synthetic-aperture radar system aboard an unpiloted or minimally piloted airplane. The software constructs a flight plan that specifies not only the intended flight path but also the setup of the radar system at each point along the path.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2008

Cassini's Maneuver Automation Software (MAS) Process: How to Successfully Command 200 Navigation Maneuvers

To keep Cassini on its complex trajectory, more than 200 orbit trim maneuvers (OTMs) have been planned from July 2004 to July 2010. With only a few days between many of these OTMs, the operations process of planning and executing the necessary commands had to be automated. The resulting Maneuver Automation Software (MAS) process minimizes the workforce required for, and maximizes the efficiency of, the maneuver design and uplink activities. The MAS process is a well-organized and logically constructed interface between Cassini's Navigation (NAV), Spacecraft Operations (SCO), and Ground Software teams. Upon delivery of an orbit determination (OD) from NAV, the MAS process can generate a maneuver design and all related uplink and verification products within 30 minutes. To date, all 112 OTMs executed by the Cassini spacecraft have been successful. MAS was even used to successfully design and execute a maneuver while the spacecraft was in safe mode.

Yang, Genevie Velarde↗

DOE OSTI2025

Extraction and Analysis of Time Series Data from Building Automation Systems Using Large Language Models

Semantic schemas like Haystack 4, Brick and ASHRAE standard 223 enable the structured, standardized, and machine-readable representation of building data, facilitating interoperability, data integration, and advanced analytics. However, extracting information from these models requires specialized expertise in SPARQL and other programming languages, skills that are not commonly found among building professionals. Recent advancements in Large Language Models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, enable the construction of queries using natural language, making it easier for individuals to interact with these systems in a manner that resembles everyday speech. However, these methods have not yet been tested on building semantic ontologies. This paper introduces a novel workflow and tool for enabling users to ask questions about a specific building's data, using natural language and receive answers automatically generated by GPT-4o. Our approach integrates semantic ontologies with advanced LLM capabilities to automate three critical steps: (1) generating SPARQL queries to retrieve time series references from ontological models, (2) extracting the corresponding time series data from the Building Automation System, and (3) performing computations and visualizations tailored to the user's query. The proposed method simplifies access to BAS data, allowing both domain experts and non-specialists to conduct sophisticated analyses without needing extensive technical knowledge of semantic web technologies. By demonstrating this pipeline, we facilitate more accessible and scalable data-driven decision-making in building operations and management.

Mulayim, Ozan Baris↗

DOE OSTI2025

Extraction and Analysis of Time Series Data from Building Automation Systems Using Large Language Models

Mulayim, Ozan Baris↗

NASA NTRS1999

On the Use of CAD-Native Predicates and Geometry in Surface Meshing

Several paradigms for accessing CAD geometry during surface meshing for CFD are discussed. File translation, inconsistent geometry engines and non-native point construction are all identified as sources of non-robustness. The paper argues in favor of accessing CAD parts and assemblies in their native format, without translation, and for the use of CAD-native predicates and constructors in surface mesh generation. The discussion also emphasizes the importance of examining the computational requirements for exact evaluation of triangulation predicates during surface meshing. The native approach is demonstrated through an algorithm for the generation of closed manifold surface triangulations from CAD geometry. CAD parts and assemblies are used in their native format, and a part's native geometry engine is accessed through a modeler-independent application programming interface (API). In seeking a robust and fully automated procedure, the algorithm is based on a new physical space manifold triangulation technique specially developed to avoid robustness issues associated with poorly conditioned mappings. In addition, this approach avoids the usual ambiguities associated with floating-point predicate evaluation on constructed coordinate geometry in a mapped space. The technique is incremental, so that each new site improves the triangulation by some well defined quality measure. The algorithm terminates after achieving a prespecified measure of mesh quality and produces a triangulation such that no angle is less than a given angle bound, a or greater than pi - 2alpha. This result also sets bounds on the maximum vertex degree, triangle aspect-ratio and maximum stretching rate for the triangulation. In addition to the output triangulations for a variety of CAD parts, the discussion presents related theoretical results which assert the existence of such an angle bound, and demonstrate that maximum bounds of between 25 deg and 30 deg may be achieved in practice.

Aftosmis, M. J.↗

DOE OSTI2026

Field Validation of a Grid-Interactive Efficient Building Software Solution

The U.S. General Services Administration's (GSA's) Green Proving Ground (GPG) program, in partnership with the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), completed a field study of a Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings (GEB) software solution. The study focused on a single testbed facility to test the GEB functionality of the software solution, along with other features. The testbed facility - a courthouse - is a common building type in GSA's vast building portfolio, offering potentially impactful findings on a scalable level. The study evaluated Prescriptive Data's technology, Nantum OS, a connected building operating system ("GEB Solution") which aggregates multiple sources of previously siloed building data and combines that data with external sources, such as weather information or utility signals, into a single integrated platform. A GEB Solution is a type of Energy Management Information System (EMIS). EMIS is defined as a system of devices, data services, and software applications that communicates with any building system or third-party data source to aggregate and transform data into new capabilities to aid in the optimization of energy use at the building, campus, or agency level. This specific GEB Solution is an EMIS with ASO, automated system optimization, offering supervisory control of certain aspects of the Building Automation System (BAS). Multiple features were evaluated including, but not limited to, Continuous Demand Management to avoid setting new monthly kilowatt (kW) peaks, energy efficiency for reduction of kilowatt hours (kWh) and natural gas consumption, and automated demand response (ADR) for purposes of lowering demand during a utility called Demand Response (DR) event. The testbed facility was the Foley Federal Building and US Courthouse ("Foley Federal Building") located in Las Vegas, NV. This is a 209,496 sq. ft. building constructed in the 1960s with major renovations in 2004. The facility was a good candidate due to the large prevalence of office and courthouse spaces in the GSA portfolio of buildings. It also has many features which allow integration into and control of the building and a strong facilities team to assist with the study. Quantitative and qualitative performance objectives were developed using GSA's GPG GEB project template along with input from the vendor and building facility staff; these are outlined in Table 1. The quantitative performance objectives focused on continuous demand management, energy efficiency, and automated demand response. The qualitative performance objectives focused on the ease of installation and commissioning as well as the operability of the GEB solution. Other performance metrics that are reported on include carbon reduction, cost effectiveness, and occupant acceptance.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE OSTI2026

Data for A Generalized Platform for Artificial Intelligence-powered Autonomous Protein Engineering

Proteins are the molecular machines of life with numerous applications in energy, health, and sustainability. However, engineering proteins with desired functions for practical applications remains slow, expensive, and specialist-dependent. Here we report a generally applicable platform for autonomous enzyme engineering that integrates machine learning and large language models with biofoundry automation to eliminate the need for human intervention, judgement, and domain expertise. Requiring only an input protein sequence and a quantifiable way to measure fitness, this automated platform can be applied to engineer a wide array of proteins. As a proof of concept, we engineer Arabidopsis thaliana halide methyltransferase (AtHMT) for a 90-foldimprovement in substrate preference and 16-fold improvement in ethyl-transferase activity, along with developing a Yersinia mollaretii phytase (YmPhytase) variant with 26-fold improvement in activity at neutral pH. This is accomplished in four rounds over 4 weeks, while requiring construction and characterization of fewer than 500 variants for each enzyme. This platform for autonomous experimentation paves the way for rapid advancements across diverse industries, from medicine and biotechnology to renewable energy and sustainable chemistry.

AI/ML↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Autonomous In-space Construction, Maintenance, and Reconfiguration Using Programmable Meta-Material

NASA ARC's Coded Structures Laboratory (CSL) is developing autonomous construction, maintenance, and reconfiguration technologies to meet long-duration and deep space infrastructure needs, in accordance with long-term NASA goals of "in-space reliance" and "mass-less exploration." We seek to achieve these capabilities by utilizing a "programmable meta-material" approach that integrates emerging advances in materials (mechanical meta-materials), manufacturing (cooperative mobile robotics), and autonomy (multi-agent planning algorithms). Through the ARMADAS project, we have shown assembly of high-performance engineered cellular materials using multiple cooperating mobile robotic assemblers. In this paper, we describe how such a programmable meta-material architecture may shift the paradigm of how we design, build, manufacture, and operate future space infrastructure and assets. The core of a programmable meta-material architecture consists of 3 main technology sub-areas: the structure, the assembly agents, and the assembly algorithms. We co-design these systems to ensure an adaptable system that can create and reconfigure structures from a base set of building block components. From this core technology, we can branch out and expand the capability of the system through additional secondary component types and robotic agents to perform activities such as inspections, maintenance, repair, payload installation, or perform power and communications interconnect. As these technologies mature, future designers will be able to utilize the system to rapidly integrate and operate assets in space or on planetary surfaces from a set of well-tested part library, or create their own modules to integrate into the system. A core trait to the development of this system is the automation approach. Because of the modular and functional discrete (pixel-like) nature of the structural system, a diverse set of powerful algorithms for analysis, planning, and simulation can be adapted and leveraged to optimize construction, maintenance, and dynamic reorganization (as hardware with programmable form and function). With an ability to free the design space from launch vehicle constraints and fundamentally shift how a mission is designed and conducted, we discuss the influence of a programmable meta-material architecture on mission design, build, and operations. For the "design phase", we discuss project lifecycle effects, costs, time, and performance. For the "build phase", we discuss reusability, ISRU, manufacturing, material logistics, and scalability. And for "operations", we discuss autonomy, maintenance and upgrades, reliability, and reconfiguration. Autonomy and modularity are the primary enabling traits of this system. Engineering systems that utilize a modular and reconfiguration building block approach such as digital communication and computation systems, currently lead all other areas of technology in size and complexity scalability. NASA is extending the benefits and flexibility of digital systems to hardware systems, to optimize materials lifecycle management and expand our space exploration mission capabilities.

in space assembly↗

NASA NTRS2000

NASA Out-of-Autoclave Process Technology Development

Polymer matrix composites (PMCS) will play a significant role in the construction of large reusable launch vehicles (RLVs), mankind's future major access to low earth orbit and the international space station. PMCs are lightweight and offer attractive economies of scale and automated fabrication methodology. Fabrication of large RLV structures will require non-autoclave methods which have yet to be matured including (1) thermoplastic forming: heated head robotic tape placement, sheet extrusion, pultrusion, molding and forming; (2) electron beam curing: bulk and ply-by-ply automated placement; (3) RTM and VARTM. Research sponsored by NASA in industrial and NASA laboratories on automated placement techniques involving the first 2 categories will be presented.

Johnston, Norman, J.↗