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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2021

Developing a Sustainable, User-Friendly Literature Database to Support the Microgravity Simulation Support Facility (MSSF) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC)

Established in 2017, the Microgravity Simulation Support Facility (MSSF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center is the only centralized, dedicated facility supporting ground microgravity research in the United States. The MSSF offers the research community the ability to conduct simulated microgravity research with experimental conditions functionally resembling those aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and in other flight-based experimental environments. Since its inception, the MSSF has supported numerous studies and has since collected an extensive library of relevant and pertinent literature. The goal of our research was to develop and implement a sustainable, user-friendly literature database to better house this literature at the MSSF. To achieve this, our team focused on sorting, optimizing, and analyzing preexisting literature libraries to determine a best suitable and sustainable platform for the MSSF. After establishing initial database platforms, the team worked to develop descriptive and structural metadata categories to best sort the literature, which was followed by rigorous testing and optimization of the database as it was implemented. The MSSF has now been outfitted with a reliable, accessible database that effectively houses literature and provides diverse analysis to the user. Our team is continuing to test and update our platform and parameters as we aim for the formal implementation, expansion, and evolution of our database to better sustain future research ventures at the MSSF and beyond.

Database Development↗
NASA NTRS2020

Agriculture's Historic Twin-Challenge Toward Sustainable Water Use and Food Supply for All

A sustainable and just future, envisioned by the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, puts agricultural systems under a heavy strain. The century-old quandary to provide ever-growing human populations with sufficient food takes on a new dimension with the recognition of environmental limits for agricultural resource use. To highlight challenges and opportunities toward sustainable food security in the twenty first century, this perspective paper provides a historical account of the escalating pressures on agriculture and freshwater resources alike, supported by new quantitative estimates of the ascent of excessive human water use. As the transformation of global farming into sustainable forms is unattainable without a revolution in agricultural water use, water saving and food production potentials are put into perspective with targets outlined by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The literature body and here-confirmed global estimates of untapped opportunities in farm water management indicate that these measures could sustainably intensify today's farming systems at scale. While rigorous implementation of sustainable water withdrawals (SDG 6.4) might impinge upon 5% of global food production, scaling-up water interventions in rainfed and irrigated systems could over-compensate such losses and further increase global production by 30% compared to the current situation (SDG 2.3). Without relying on future technological fixes, traditional on-farm water and soil management provides key strategies associated with important synergies that needs better integration into agro-ecological landscape approaches. Integrated strategies for sustainable intensification of agriculture within planetary boundaries are a potential way to attain several SDGs, but they are not yet receiving attention from high-level development policies.

sustainable development goals↗
DOE OSTI2024

Incorporating energy justice and equity objectives in power system models

Ensuring an equitable energy transition requires models and tools that can account for equity and energy justice goals. Power system models (PSMs) are widely used throughout industry, government, and academia to simulate or optimize the operations and planning of current and future electricity systems under different scenarios, parameter assumptions and policy frameworks. These models are important tools that allow users to understand how the power system may evolve under different future conditions, but importantly, they are also used to inform policy implementation and investment decisions across all aspects of the power system. However, existing models seldom include energy justice considerations and therefore energy justice priorities are not reflected in the policies and other decision-making processes that are informed by these models. The purpose of this review is to provide a framework that energy modelers can draw upon to integrate energy justice and equity goals into PSMs. To this end, 99 papers that examine the intersection of energy justice and power system models are summarized and ten core aspects of the power system that can impact energy justice outcomes, and therefore require new modeling approaches, are identified. This review then establishes key current practices, challenges, and opportunities associated with capturing energy justice considerations in power system models across these ten aspects. This review concludes by proposing four key research directions that should be pursued to improve the representation of energy justice and equity in power system modeling. Finally, this review also addresses challenges raised by United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 7, which aims to ensure affordable energy access to everyone and Sustainable Development Goal 13, which aims to take urgent action to address climate change.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
NASA NTRS2022

Premature Deaths in Africa Due to Particulate Matter Under High and Low Warming Scenarios

Sustainable development and climate change mitigation can provide enormous public health benefits via improved air quality, especially in polluted areas. We use the latest state-of-the-art composition-climate model simulations to contrast human exposure to fine particulate matter in Africa under a “baseline” scenario with high material consumption, population growth, and warming to that projected under a sustainability scenario with lower consumption, population growth, and warming. Evaluating the mortality impacts of these exposures, we find that under the low warming scenario annual premature deaths due to PM2.5 are reduced by roughly 515,000 by 2050 relative to the high warming scenario (100,000, 175,000, 55,000, 140,000, and 45,000 in Northern, West, Central, East, and Southern Africa, respectively). This reduction rises to ∼800,000 by the 2090s, though by that time much of the difference is attributable to the projected differences in population. By contrast, during the first half of the century benefits are driven predominantly by emissions changes. Depending on the region, we find large intermodel spreads of ∼25%–50% in projected future exposures owing to different physics across the ensemble of 6 global models. The spread of projected deaths attributable to exposure to fine particulate matter, including uncertainty in the exposure-response function, are reduced in every region to ∼20%–35% by the non-linear exposure-response function. Differences between the scenarios have an even narrower spread of ∼5%–25% and are highly statistically significant in all regions for all models. These results provide valuable information for policy-makers to consider when working toward climate change mitigation and sustainable development goals.

PM2.5↗
DOE OSTI2025

Rising infrastructure inequalities accompany urbanization and economic development

Impending global urban population growth is expected to occur with considerable infrastructure expansion. However, our understanding of attendant infrastructure inequalities is limited, highlighting a critical knowledge gap in the sustainable development implications of urbanization. Using satellite data from 2000 to 2019, we examine country-level population-adjusted biases in infrastructure distribution within and between regions of varying urbanization levels and derive four key findings. First, we find long-run positive associations between infrastructure inequalities and both urbanization and economic development. Second, our estimates highlight increasing infrastructure inequalities across most of the countries examined. Third, we find greater future infrastructure inequality increases in the global south, where inequalities will rise more in countries with substantial urban primacy. Fourth, we find that infrastructure inequality may evolve differently than economic inequalities. Overall, advancing sustainable development vis-à-vis urbanization and economic development will require intentional infrastructure planning for spatial equity.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
NASA NTRS2019

TPSAS-NF1676L-32493-DND

The Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) System Engineering Office (SEO) has supported the Open Data Cube (ODC) initiative to provide a data architecture solution that has value to its global users and increases the impact of EO satellite data. ODC is an open-source platform for processing satellite data. We have developed software products and tools around the core ODC that would help users perform machine learning on EO satellite data. The recent United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Agenda provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and for the planet, considering our current situation and helping to create a plan. The core of this agenda is a set of seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which represent an urgent call for action by all countries - both developed and developing - in a global partnership. The CEOS SEO team has recently developed and released a set of innovative Jupyter notebooks addressing UN SDGs 6.6.1 (spatial extents of water-related ecosystems), 11.3.1 (ratio of land consumption rate to population growth rate), and 15.3.1 (proportion of land that is degraded over total land area). These notebooks empower users by providing features that will assist with streamlining analysis ready data retrieval, processing, and visualization. We have recently incorporated several machine learning techniques in these notebooks. In this paper, we present the lessons learned from our experience on classifying land using supervised and unsupervised machine learning techniques using ODC framework for UN SDGs. We identify the current limitations of ODC to seamlessly support machine learning techniques. We propose features that would help machine learning, specifically within the ODC framework. We propose a thematic indexing/loading of data for both unsupervised learning as well as data annotation/labeling pipeline. Currently, ODC supports machine learning by separating data-management from the analysis process. It works as a mechanism to load cubes of data. ODC does not natively support features that are vital in machine learning such as validation splits, fair/balanced sampling, establishing load size constraints, etc. We believe that our proposed features will empower users by providing features that bring machine learning techniques closed to ODC. Enhancements to ODC to better accommodate machine learning techniques can assist in fulfilling UN SDGs such as 6.3.2, 6.4.2, 6.6.1, 11.3.1, 14.1.1, 15.1.1, 15.3.1, and 15.4.2.

Syed R Rizvi↗
NASA NTRS2007

Use of Remote Sensing for Decision Support in Africa

Over the past 30 years, the scientific community has learned a great deal about the Earth as an integrated system. Much of this research has been enabled by the development of remote sensing technologies and their operation from space. Decision makers in many nations have begun to make use of remote sensing data for resource management, policy making, and sustainable development planning. This paper makes an attempt to provide a survey of the current state of the requirements and use of remote sensing for sustainable development in Africa. This activity has shown that there are not many climate data ready decision support tools already functioning in Africa. There are, however, endusers with known requirements who could benefit from remote sensing data.

Policelli, Frederick S.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Sustainable urban transformations based on integrated microgrid designs

The impacts of natural hazards on infrastructure, enhanced by climate change, are increasingly more severe emphasizing the necessity of resilient energy grids. Microgrids, tailored energy systems for specific neighbourhoods and districts, play a pivotal role in sustaining energy supply during main grid outages. These solutions not only mitigate economic losses and well-being disruptions against escalating hazards but also enhance city resilience in alignment with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11. However, disregarding socioeconomic factors in defining microgrid boundaries risks perpetuating inequalities and impeding progress towards other SDG 11 targets, including fair democratic participation. Our approach integrates social and technical indicators to bolster urban microgrid planning. Through a case study in a US county, we illustrate how integrated microgrid planning effectively intertwines urban resilience, well-being and equity while promoting sustainable development. This study underscores the importance of integrated microgrid planning for sustainable and resilient urban transformation amid environmental and societal challenges.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2025

Building partnerships for development of sustainable energy systems with atmospheric measurements

Atmospheric dynamics often play a critical role in the sustainability and reliability of diverse forms of energy production. This is especially true for the growing number of renewable energy deployments that harness aspects of the environment for power production. While the University of Memphis has a strong research background in energy systems, we have little experience working with the Earth and Environmental Systems Science Division (EESSD) and their associated User Facilities. Of particular interest to us is the Atmospheric Science Research and the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility to address surface-boundary layer interactions and physical phenomena. One of the major challenges for understanding and developing energy systems and management platforms is accurate modeling/forecasting of atmospheric conditions across disparate spatial and temporal scales. These conditions are often required to understand the lowest levels of the atmospheric boundary layer, but are also important to understand higher atmospheric conditions where aerosols affect cloud development. The objective of this work was to develop partnerships with national laboratories for collaboration on environmental science and its intersection with sustainable energy systems, as well as to leverage the ARM user facility data repositories to enhance our research capabilities in energy systems and their inter-dependence on environmental systems for future engagement with EESSD. Specifically, we accomplished these objectives by (1) developing collaborations with Oakridge National Laboratory ARM Data Science and Integration Group which resulted in student internships, (2) employed ARM data to develope modeling of the atmospheric boundary layer optical turbulence, and (3) optimally-sized large-scale renewable energy systems and their associated energy storage systems with ARM repository data.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
NASA NTRS2010

Workshop Report On Sustainable Urban Development

The key workshop goal was to explore and document how NASA technologies, such as remote sensing, climate modeling, and high-end computing and visualization along with NASA assets such as Earth Observing Satellites (EOS) and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) can contribute to creating and managing a sustainable urban environment. The focus was on the greater Bay Area, but many aspects of the workshop were applicable to urban management at the local, regional and global scales. A secondary goal was to help NASA better understand the problems facing urban managers and to make city leaders in the Bay Area more aware of NASA's capabilities. By bringing members of these two groups together we hope to see the beginnings of new collaborations between NASA and those faced with instituting sustainable urban management in Bay Area cities.

Langhoff, Stephanie↗
NASA NTRS2011

Summary Report for National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA) and Centro Para Prevencao da Poluicao (C3P) 2011 International Workshop on Environment and Alternative Energy

The C3P &. NASA International Workshop on Environment and Alternative Energy was held on November 15-18, 2011 at the European Space Agency (ESA)'s Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, The Netherlands. The theme of the workshop was "Global Collaboration in Environmental and Alternative Energy Strategies". The workshop was held at ESTEC's conference center. More than 110 individuals from eleven countries attended the workshop. For the first time since the inception of NASA-C3P workshops, a full day was dedicated to a student session. Fifteen students from around the globe gave oral presentations along with poster displays relating to the latest technologies in environmental and alternative energy strategies. Judges from NASA, C3P and ESA awarded plaques to the top three students. In addition to the students, thirty eight U.S. and international subject matter experts presented on the following general environmental-related topics: (1) Hazardous materials management and substitution in support of space operations (2) Emerging renewable and alternative energy technologies (3) Sustainable development and redevelopment (4) Remediation technologies and strategies The workshop also included a panel discussion on the topic of the challenges of operating installations across borders. Throughout the workshop, attendees heard about the scope of environmental and energy challenges that industry and governments face. They heard about technologies for increasing energy efficiency and increasing use of renewable energy. They learned about ways companies and government agencies are using materials, processes, goods and services in a manner more respectful with the environment and in compliance with health and safety rules. The concept of partnerships and their inherent benefits was evidenced throughout the workshop. Partnering is a key aspect of sustainability because sustainable development is complicated. Through formal presentations and side discussions, attendees commented on the need for continued exploration of joint projects of mutual interest.

Greene, Brian↗
NASA NTRS2012

The Princess Elisabeth Station

Aware of the increasing impact of human activities on the Earth system, Belgian Science Policy Office (Belspo) launched in 1997 a research programme in support of a sustainable development policy. This umbrella programme included the Belgian Scientific Programme on Antarctic Research. The International Polar Foundation, an organization led by the civil engineer and explorer Alain Hubert, was commissioned by the Belgian Federal government in 2004 to design, construct and operate a new Belgian Antarctic Research Station as an element under this umbrella programme. The station was to be designed as a central location for investigating the characteristic sequence of Antarctic geographical regions (polynia, coast, ice shelf, ice sheet, marginal mountain area and dry valleys, inland plateau) within a radius of 200 kilometers (approx.124 miles) of a selected site. The station was also to be designed as "state of the art" with respect to sustainable development, energy consumption, and waste disposal, with a minimum lifetime of 25 years. The goal of the project was to build a station and enable science. So first we needed some basic requirements, which I have listed here; plus we had to finance the station ourselves. Our most important requirement was that we decided to make it a zero emissions station. This was both a philosophical choice as we thought it more consistent with Antarctic Treaty obligations and it was also a logistical advantage. If you are using renewable energy sources, you do not have to bring in all the fuel.

Berte, Johan↗
DOE OSTI2025

Agrivoltaics as a climate-smart and resilient solution for midday depression in photosynthesis in dryland regions

Global projections of increased temperature and aridity have exacerbated concerns over our potential to achieve Sustainable Development Goals associated with food, energy, and water futures. We evaluated the implications of an agrivoltaics approach—combining agriculture and solar photovoltaics—on the microclimate growing conditions of crop species. While agrivoltaics is being explored globally for its potential to reduce soil evaporation rates and impact yield, empirical research on the mechanistic drivers of the potential for agrivoltaics is needed. Agrivoltaics mitigated the midday depression in photosynthesis experienced by crops grown in hot and arid environments, which led to reduced water stress, equal or greater daily carbon assimilation, and equal or greater yield across all crops. Our findings indicate agrivoltaics could be a climate-smart agricultural approach, and the diurnal resolution of our data points towards mechanisms for optimizing agrivoltaic designs to align with Sustainable Development Goals for food and energy production and water savings.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Pulse Electrodeposition for Carbonate-Rich Deposits from Seawater

Seawater electrodeposition is gaining renewed interest in the context of sustainable development, both to build climate-resilient coastal infrastructure and for ocean-based decarbonization applications. Most of the applications benefit from CaCO 3 -rich deposits, but constant-voltage electrodeposition results in a mixture of CaCO 3 and Mg(OH) 2 , especially at higher voltages where precipitation rates are more desirable. The use of pulse voltages can help control interfacial pH that dictates the precipitation reactions. Here, we explore the use of pulse electrodeposition as a function of pulse frequency and duty cycle to control deposit composition. The most CaCO 3 -rich deposits were obtained under 10 Hz frequency and 10% duty cycle conditions for the voltage window investigated (-0.8 V to -1.2 V vs. SCE). While pulsing the voltage increases the amount of CaCO 3 deposited, the energy required per gram of CaCO 3 is significantly higher (14.5×) when compared to the base case of applying a constant voltage of -0.8 V vs. SCE. Further optimization of pulse conditions, electrode materials, and system configuration could lead to finding parameters that result in exclusively carbonate deposits without compromising precipitation rates, which may prove to be more useful for corrosion protection, coastal infrastructure, and other applications in sustainable development.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2015

Peregrine Sustainer Motor Development

The Peregrine sounding rocket is an in-house NASA design that provides approximately 15 percent better performance than the motor it replaces. The design utilizes common materials and well-characterized architecture to reduce flight issues encountered with the current motors. It engages NASA design, analysts, test engineers and technicians, ballisticians, and systems engineers. The in-house work and collaboration within the government provides flexibility to efficiently accommodate design and program changes as the design matures and enhances the ability to meet schedule milestones. It provides a valuable tool to compare industry costs, develop contracts, and it develops foundational knowledge for the next generation of NASA engineers.

Brodell, Chuck↗
NASA NTRS2017

DEEP SPACE INDUSTRIALIZATION: Key To Sustainable Exploration, Development and Settlement of the Solar System

Recent developments related to deep space exploration and development have raised the question of whether the paradigm shift that many people have been expecting, from space exploration to space development and industrialization, is finally occurring. These recent events include Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) announcement that they have been contacted by two wealthy individuals who would like to travel around the Moon within the next two years and a recently reported story of Jeff Bezos’ proposal to the Trump Administration to offer cargo delivery services to the Lunar surface (Blue Moon) by mid 2020 as part of a public/private partnership with NASA. In addition Bob Bigelow, founder of Bigelow Aerospace, has announced the capability and desire to put a crewed space station in orbit around the Moon in this same 2020 time period. Moon Express has also recently announced that they are fully funded for their attempt to land their robotic probe on the lunar surface at the end of this year, not only to win the Google Lunar XPrize but also to jump start their lunar mining efforts. On the international front the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg has established a 200 million euro fund to invest in space mining companies with the aim of making Luxembourg the European leader in deep space commerce. To date they have made investments in two companies; Deep Space Industries and Planetary Resources both of which were established to prospect and mine near Earth asteroids. Other counties such as India, China, Japan and even Israel are eying this high frontier for deep space commerce. This paper will explore how these developments could help enable this deep space industrialization and jumpstart a thriving deep space economy. The role that NASA and the US government can and should play in this effort and the role of public/private partnerships will also be discussed. Finally, what these developments could lead to over the next 10-15 years will be analysed and the potential size of this deep space economy will be estimated.

Pittman, Robert B.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Near-infrared spectroscopy as a green analytical tool for sustainable biomass characterization for biofuels and bioproducts: An overview

Biomass, a widely used renewable energy source, requires characterization to optimize biofuel and bioproduct processes, customize feedstocks, and ensure economic and environmental sustainability. Conventional wet-chemistry methods for biomass analysis are slow, expensive, and require significant reagents and skilled personnel. In contrast, near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, a faster, cost-effective, and reagent-free green technology, enables non-destructive biomass analysis with minimal sample preparation. This study provides an overview of the fundamentals of NIR spectroscopy and explores its recent applications for analyzing various biomass properties important to the biofuel and bioproduct industry. The study also critically evaluates the challenges and opportunities of using NIR spectroscopy for biomass analysis. This review aims to guide future research for rapid and high throughput characterization of biomass in the biomass industry, supporting the United Nations’ sustainable development goal (SDG) 7: producing affordable and sustainable energy.

Biofuels↗
DOE OSTI2024

A Framework Using Applied Process Analysis Methods to Assess Water Security in the Vu Gia–Thu Bon River Basin, Vietnam

The Vu Gia–Thu Bon (VG–TB) river basin is facing numerous challenges to water security, particularly in light of the increasing impacts of climate change. These challenges, including salinity intrusion, shifts in rainfall patterns, and reduced water supply in downstream areas, are of great concern. This study comprehensively assessed the current state of water security in the basin using robust statistical analysis methods such as the Process Analysis Method (PAM), SMART principle, and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). This resulted in the development of a comprehensive assessment framework for water security in the VG–TB river basin. This framework identified five key dimensions, with basin development activities (0.32), the ability to meet water needs (0.24), and natural disaster resilience (0.19) being the most crucial and water resource potential being the least crucial (0.11) according to the AHP methodology. The latter also highlighted 15 indicators, four of which are particularly influential, including waste resources (0.54), flood (0.53), water storage capacity (0.45), and basin governance (0.42). Furthermore, 28 variables with high weight factors were identified. This framework aligns with the UN-Water water security definition and addresses the global water sustainability criteria outlined in Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG6). It enables the computation of a comprehensive Water Security Index (WSI) for specific regions, providing a strong foundation for decision-making and policy formulation. It aims to enhance water security in the context of climate change and support sustainable basin development, thereby guiding future research and policy decisions in water resource management.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗