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NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Understanding the Feasibility of MAB Phase Structures for Lunar Applications

During the ten-week internship, my work focused on synthesis, characterization, and tailoring the flowability of the MAB phase powders for improving the surface finish and decreasing porosity of 3D-printed MAB phase structures. My mentor for the project was Dr. Samuel Hocker from NASA Langley and my faculty advisor was Dr. Surojit Gupta from the University of North Dakota. I also collaborated with Daniel Trieff from the University of North Dakota in developing characterization paradigm of 3D printed samples. The microencapsulation was performed via novel solvent casting-based microencapsulation process pioneered in UND, wherein a polymer (PLA, PHA) was dissolved into dichloromethane and precipitated onto the surface of the MoAlB particles. Two 100mL samples of microencapsulated powder was outsourced to Particle Technology Labs for flowability testing along with a 100mL control sample to determine if microencapsulation is a valid method for improving the flowability. The microencapsulated powders were characterized using SEM, Differential Scanning Calorimetry, and optical microscopy. The SEM images showed no change between the pure and microencapsulated powders. The optical microscopy analysis indicated a reduction in reflectivity for the PLA microencapsulated powders as well as hydrophobic properties. Both results suggest that microencapsulation was successful as PLA is a hydrophobic polymer and the change in reflectivity could be a result of the light being dispersed through the polymer coating. A reflectivity analysis will be done to bring more perspective to these observations. If powder flowability is improved, then the project will move forward with testing the printability of the microencapsulated powders and characterizing the structures using the designed characterization protocol. We are waiting for the DSC results. The characterization protocol for the 3D-printed MAB structures included a visual inspection of the plates to rule out any samples that had spalled or delaminated, optical microscopy to document surface features, porosity, and decomposition, and cleaning of the plates using an ultrasonic bath in preparation for SEM, EDS, and profilometry analyses.

MAB Phase↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Natural Language Processing Methods for Air Traffic Management Text and Speech Data

This presentation discusses two efforts of the NARI AI/ML Intern team during the Fall 2021 OSTEM Internship term. For Letters of Agreement (LoA), we have studied how LoAs are structured and explored the question ‘What is an LoA constraint?’ To do this, our approach is data-driven, iterative, and assisted by machine learning when available. In this presentation, we will walk through our tasks of manually scanning through documents, performing a preliminary entity labelling task, and our unsupervised analysis on LoA procedures sections. After this research phase, we define the smallest constraint unit in an LoA, and start to perform entity extraction. Looking towards constraint extraction, we are also exploring the use of a one-class support vector machine (OneClassSVM) model to identify patterns within the data. The second effort of our team this term is focused on Air Traffic Control System Command Center (ATCSCC) advisory meetings, and the subsequent advisory documents that get published from their content. These advisory documents are important to give readily accessible summaries of daily operations, so that data centers, airline officials, and other stakeholders can easily understand the context of these meetings in real time. In applying machine learning to this scenario, two natural language processing tasks are used. First is developing machine learning models to convert the meeting speech data into text. With this text, use of extractive and abstractive text summarization models are used to automatically generate preliminary versions of the advisory documents.

Natural Language Processing↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Bridging Opportunity Gaps Through Professional Development

Here we describe our progress on building informed professional development resources for students in the planetary sciences. The resources have been instituted within the Lunar and Planetary Institute’s Summer Internship Program.

E G Rivera-valentin↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Gaps List Space Crop Production Interview Evaluation

The product of a summer internship at KSC evaluating the space crop production gaps list. Slides have previosuly gone through export control. This is a lightning talk for the NC Space grant symposium.

Chloe Alexander↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Small Satellite-sized Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerators for Interplanetary Science Missions

To make the most of ridesharing opportunities, small satellite (SmallSat) mission designers endeavor to pack as much payload into a SmallSat-class form factor as possible. The mass and volume constraints of this smaller vehicle class present a challenge for interplanetary mission sets that require a means of achieving orbit insertion at their destination of interest. For a fully propulsive orbit insertion design, this may translate to the propellant mass being a significant fraction of the overall vehicle mass and prolonged insertion time. Aerocapture is a single quick maneuver that can significantly reduce the required propellant mass for orbit insertion. Because aerocapture uses a planet’s atmosphere to achieve the necessary change in velocity, a protective aeroshell is needed. The constraints imposed on secondary payloads render traditional rigid aeroshells mass and space prohibitive for the SmallSat class of vehicles; thus, warranting consideration of deployable designs that can be stowed compactly until needed for atmospheric entry. The Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD) is a deployable aeroshell that leverages inflatable toroids to achieve the large drag area needed for aerodynamic deceleration. While the technology is currently being analyzed for Mars human-scale missions, it has the potential applicability for interplanetary SmallSat-scale missions as well. This paper highlights a study conducted during an internship at NASA Langley Research Center to investigate the feasibility of using a scaled-down HIAD design in SmallSat aerocapture missions. Several scaling methodologies are investigated including use of parametric models and direct computer-aided design (CAD) model scaling. Candidate HIAD configurations that conform to secondary payload adapter requirements are identified. The Program to Optimize Simulated Trajectories II (POST2) is utilized to conduct orbit insertion performance and trajectory sensitivity studies using the candidate configurations at Earth, Venus, and Mars. The results of the study indicate that multiple SmallSat-sized HIAD designs, targeting a range of SmallSat payload classes, are feasible for planetary aerocapture missions to Mars and Venus as well as Earth-based aerocapture missions.

Shelly C. Mann↗

NASA NTRS2022

A Systems Model for System-Wide Safety Safety Demonstrator (SD-1): Wildfire Response Operations

The aim of this internship-based project was to contribute to the ongoing development of a systems model for System-Wide Safety’s first Technical Challenge 5 (TC5) series Safety Demonstrator (SD-1), which will be a demonstration of an In-Time Aviation Safety Management System (IASMS) in emerging wildfire response operations. Using Models-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) principles to develop the model, I organized and traced previously collected stakeholder needs from the Spring 2022 NASA System-Wide Safety Wildland Firefighting Operations Virtual Workshop (https://nari.arc.nasa.gov/sws-wildfire) to system elements, creating connections which can be used in the future by the project engineers to identify and address requirements gaps throughout the system design process. I also identified and modeled preliminary use case scenarios for aerial assets in the demonstrator and, building on previously produced preliminary high-level models of the 8 SD-1 Services, Functions, and Capabilities (SFCs) and their IASMS data flows, worked to model the Real-Time Risk Assessment (RTRA) tool as an implementation of Risk Assessment and Management that can take in multiple sets of data monitored by SFCs. Project deliverables include stakeholder requirements tables and matrices and systems model diagrams produced with MagicDraw software in the SysML Systems Modeling Language, with eventual plans to connect model diagrams to a Department of Defense Operational Viewpoint (OV-1) graphic, a high-level operational concept graphic that will be used to visualize the SD-1 scenarioin a future phase. The system model serves to provide a common understanding of the scope of and activities necessary for the completion of SD-1,and traces how stakeholder needs are to be addressed.

model-based systems engineering↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Small Satellite-sized Hypersonic Inflatable Decelerators for Interplanetary Science Missions

To take full advantage of our increased access to space, through reduced launch costs that ridesharing opportunities present, innovative and lower cost options for interplanetary exploration are needed. Capitalizing on the technology miniaturization trends and the SmallSat class of vehicles could provide advancements for interplanetary space exploration. Presented here, are the results of a feasibility study conducted during an internship at NASA Langley Research Center that explored the use of a SmallSat-sized Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD) to enable interplanetary orbital science missions via aerocapture.

Shelly C. Mann↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Small Satellite-sized Hypersonic Inflatable Decelerators for Interplanetary Science Missions

Shelly C. Mann↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Evaluating The Relationships Between Supine Propriorception Assessments with Upright Functional Mobility and Balance Tests

INTRODUCTION Upon return to Earth, spaceflight sensorimotor adaptations can result in impaired posture and locomotion [1], [2], and current exercise countermeasures in the International Space Station are not sufficient to maintain sensorimotor function. In-flight countermeasures and assessment tools for sensorimotor function are needed to mitigate risks associated with mission-critical task performance upon return to Earth or arrival to 0.38 G on Mars. One proposed countermeasure for proprioceptive deconditioning includes training on a tilt board device [3], which will be tested in an upcoming bed rest study. In preparation for the said study, the objective of this pilot study is to compare performance in supine proprioceptive assessments to performance in functional upright activities. The results are intended to guide the selection of supine assessment tools for the upcoming bedrest study and the development of future inflight proprioceptive training and assessment tools for exploration missions. METHODS Seventeen healthy participants (8 males and 9 females, 27.9 ± 8.5 years) provided informed consent as approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at NASA. A horizontal air-bearing sled was used to provide a proprioceptive challenge in a supine body orientation, allowing for mediolateral motion with minimal friction during supine stance [4]. Participants were loaded axially (30 to 60% body weight) with their feet on a vertically oriented tilt board and instructed to perform supine assessment activities using custom software that displays a cursor controlled by tilting the tilt board. In a single-leg static activity on the tilt board (TB-St), performance was measured as the percent time spent on a center target during a 30-second trial. During a two-feet dynamic activity on the tilt board (TB-Dy), performance was measured as the number of targets captured in 30 seconds. These supine tasks were compared to performance during two upright activities used to represent upright performance: completion time for a functional mobility task (FMT) [2],[5] and a performance score from force plate sway data during 30-second single-leg upright standing (USL). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION A Spearman's rank-order correlation was run to assess the relationship between upright and supine assessments. There were statistically significant, strong correlations between scores for the FMT and each TB activity, including TB-St, rs(17) = 0.50, p<0.05, TB-Dy3, rs(17) = 0.73, p<0.001, and TB-Dy9, rs(15) = 0.53, p<0.05. There were no statistically significant correlations between USL and each TB activity. Despite a lack of correlation with upright single-leg balance, the ability of the TB to indicate upright performance in the FMT is promising, as this task is a standard post-flight measure designed to characterize locomotor dysfunction [2], [5]. CONCLUSION These efforts will inform the selection of an appropriate sensorimotor assessment method for the upcoming bed rest study and similar future studies. While current work uses a bed rest analog to develop these technologies, future work aims to prepare capabilities for future in-flight sensorimotor training and assessment to mitigate the risks of proprioception impairment after spaceflight. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This work was supported by the University Space Research Association Internship Program. REFERENCES [1] Mulavara A.P. et al (2018) Med Sci Sports Exerc, 50(9), 1961-1980. [2] Mulavara A.P. et al (2010) Exp Brain Res, 202(3), 649-659. [3] Macaulay T.R. et al (2021) Front. Syst. Neurosci., 15, 658-985. [4] Goel R. et al (2017) Front. Syst. Neurosci, 11. [5] Koppelmans V. et al (2013) BMC Neurology, 12.

R Bellisle↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA's Quesst Mission Status

Construction of NASA’s X-59 low-boom aircraft is nearing completion with its first flight scheduled within the next several months. The X-59 will be the low-boom noise source for a series of community noise surveys across the USA. The goal of NASA’s Quesst Mission is to collect and correlate noise and perceptual response data to low-loudness sonic booms so that the current prohibition on commercial supersonic aircraft flight overland can be reconsidered. This presentation describes the current state and future plans for the Quesst Mission and Commercial Supersonic Technology. Employment and internship opportunities for students and graduates are also outlined.

X-59↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Impact of Simulated Galactic Cosmic Radiation and Hindlimb Unloading on the Mouse Adrenal Gland Morphology and Histology

Stress related impact of Galactic Cosmic Radiation (GCR) combined with microgravity in space are concerns for astronauts going beyond the Van Allen belts on their way to the Moon and Mars. The adrenal gland is the central endocrine tissue involved in stress management, adrenal hormones regulate the immune system, cellular and tissue metabolism, and glucose and sodium balances. Adult (6 m old) female (n=18) and male (n=18) C57BL/6J mice were divided evenly into 6 treatment groups (control, hindlimb unloading (HU), irradiated (IR), HU+IR, group house control, and group house IR). Adrenals were dissected and fixed for 24 h in 4% paraformaldehyde, followed by transfer to 70% EtOH, and shipment to KUMC. Adrenals were then embedded in paraffin and serial sectioned and 4 central sections from each were stained with H&E, prior to imaging on a Nikon 80i microscope. Whole adrenal cross section area, medullary area, and cortex area were determined. General adrenal gland morphology and histology did not appear to be affected by hindlimb unloading or GCR exposure. Total cross-sectional area, medullary region, and cortex of the adrenal were not different across treatment groups. Male adrenal cross-sectional areas are half the size of the female adrenals, due to a difference in cortex area. In conclusion, simulated microgravity and GCR did not dramatically affect the adrenal gland histology or size. Support from Accelerate Cancer Education Internship Program (KUCC) and KINBRE Summer Scholars Program (KUMC) and NASA Human Research Program (HRP) Human Factors Behavioral Performance Element Grant 18 18FLAG 2 0028

radiation↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA’s Student Airborne Science Activation for Minority Serving Institutions: Inaugural Program, Educational Outcomes, and Lessons Learned

The NASA Student Airborne Science Activation (SaSa) for Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) held its inaugural summer research program for early career undergraduates interested in the Geosciences. SaSa is a NASA Science Activation funded 8-week summer internship program. Twenty-four first- and second-year undergraduates from MSIs across the U.S. participated in the summer program - June 6 to July 29, 2022. Students had the opportunity to gain hands-on research experience in all components of an airborne science campaign including flying on-board a NASA research aircraft to collect atmospheric measurements. Students conducted independent research projects related to the atmosphere, ocean, and geosciences that feed into NASA’s broader Earth Science Division’s and Decadal Survey goals using air quality, meteorological, and oceanic measurements from surface, airborne, and satellite-based observations. The program split its time between partner institution, University of Maryland Baltimore County and NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia. Students also made site visits at partner institutions, including: Hampton University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State University, Howard University, and Coppin State University and attended lectures from visiting faculty and NASA Subject Matter Experts. Students were guided on their research projects by near-peer graduate mentors, SaSa program leadership, co-Is at partner institutions, and NASA scientists to address two major research themes: 1) how human-caused air pollution has human and environmental implications, and 2) how large-scale meteorological factors influence local weather conditions. Students sorted into research groups, based on sub-discipline areas in the Geosciences, including: “Clouds, Aerosols and Radiation”, “Meteorology and Planetary Boundary Layer”, “Air Quality: Particle Pollution and Trace Gases”, and “Air-Water-Land Interface”. Their research was presented as 3-minute lightning talks and in-person poster presentations at a close-out event at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The students’ inter- and trans-disciplinary research experiences centered in the use of multiple ground, airborne, and satellite remote sensing NASA Earth Science Division assets. Providing a unique experience aligned to recognize the societal benefits that NASA contributes in the areas of resource management, air quality monitoring and policy decisions, energy and weather predictions, and research on the Earth’s climate. The SaSa program aims to increase the number of students from MSIs that identify as underrepresented or underserved individuals in the Geosciences discipline, Earth System Science graduate programs, and the NASA workforce. A summary of the summer research program, educational, scientific, and programmatic outcomes, as well as lessons learned will be presented.

NASA↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

From the Ground Up: Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment III on the International Space Station (SAGE III/ISS) Comparison of Vertical Profiles with 2022 Student Airborne Research Program (SARP) In Situ Data

The Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment III (SAGE III) instrument, installed on the International Space Station (ISS) in 2017, has completed over five years of data collection and the accompanying production of science data products. SAGE III/ISS is a solar and lunar occultation instrument that scans the light from the Sun and Moon through the limb of the Earth’s atmosphere to produce vertical profiles of aerosol, ozone, water vapor, and other trace gasses. This year provided the unique opportunity to compare in situ data collected during the NASA Student Airborne Research Program (SARP) summer airborne campaign with data collected by SAGE III/ISS on coincident overpasses. SARP, a summer internship program typically for rising undergraduate seniors, provides students with an opportunity to gain hands-on experience making earth system measurements using NASA’s airborne science platforms. The NASA DC-8 flying laboratory collected in-situ measurements of ozone and other trace gasses during the summer 2022 SARP campaign. While the general focus with SARP is on the airborne research component, this year, a suite of 10 ozonesonde launches spatially and temporally co-located with the research flights collected atmospheric state and in-situ ozone measurements from inland southern California. This presentation shows the results of comparing SAGE III/ISS vertical profiles with those of in situ data collected during the summer 2022 SARP campaign.

In Situ↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Exploring the Relationship Between Science Funding and Science Productivity on Extended Missions

Introduction: The goal of this summer internship research project was to explore the relationship between the level of funding for science team research and science productivity for planetary spaceflight missions. The productivity and funding for the prime and extended missions were compared when possible. Determining the actual rather than anecdotal relationship between the level of science team funding and their productivity will help determine the adequacy of science team funding. Additionally, determining whether productivity increases or decreases over time (within missions, or within the years between different missions) provides insights into ongoing trends. This project was conducted using data from 11 extended missions within the Planetary Science Division. The main goals of this project were to 1) quantify the level of productivity of the science team during the extended portion of each mission, 2) compare the level of productivity between different types of missions, and 3) compare the level of productivity between the prime missions and extended missions. Methodology: The central metric enters around the “publication rate” of each mission. This rate is normalized in a variety of ways, including the number of publications per year, per Co-I, and per instruments. For the most part, this data was attainable through mission websites, team rosters, and data collected from previous projects. The publication data for this project utilized the SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System, and it consisted of a search for any papers from the extended mission that had a co-investigator as an author. The time period for these searches also included an additional two years after the end of the extended mission to account for additional time it typically takes to finish data analysis and publish papers. Data from prime missions was collected from a previous project that measured similar metrics for the same missions. When comparing the different types of missions, three factors were used: mission size, dates of the prime and extended missions, and the type of the mission (rover, flyby, orbiter, or lander). To determine mission size, missions were compared by the number of Co-I’s on the mission, the number of instruments in the payload, and the mission class. Findings: On average, prime mission publication rates were generally higher than those of extended missions. Out of the nine missions used for this comparison, six had a higher prime mission publication rate and three had a higher extended mission publication rate. This distinction was interesting to observe, but it should be noted that the methodology for determing the number of published papers differed for the prime missions and the extended missions Discovery missions were found to be the most scientifically productive. Additionally, more recent extended missions tend to possess greater productivity. When comparing missions of different types, it was found that orbiters were much more productive than other types of missions. Future Work: There are a number of opportunities to extend and improve on this project in the future. Even though the metrics used were the same, the prime mission data could be recollected from the same sources as the extended mission data (Astrophysics Data System) to insure greater consistency. The impact level of the publications could also be accounted for, and financial data could be used to compare teams with different levels of funding. Additionally, more missions could be examined to increase the sample size of these comparisons, especially the comparison of different mission types which had an incredibly small sample size for some categories.

Cameron Maxwell Thompson↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Examining the Trends in Financial Support Given to Science Teams for Data Analysis in Mission Proposals

Introduction: The goal of this summer internship research project was to analyze trends in financial support proposed for the science teams of planetary missions. The analysis focuses on the funding for Co-Investigators (Co-Is) to conduct research and/or data analysis needed to achieve the science objectives of the mission. The operational portion of the missions after launch (i.e., Phase E, including cruise and prime operations at the final destination) were examined since that is when the bulk of research is funded and conducted. The objectives of the project were to determine the average level of support for Co-Investigators, identify variation between mission competitions and over time, and determine the relationship between mission type and the amount of support requested. Methodology: This project was conducted using data from 90 proposals submitted to six mission competitions in the Discovery and New Frontiers programs. The level of support for Co-Is was determined by examining Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) 4 (Science Analysis) for Phase E, which was further subdivided into cruise and prime operations. This data represents a proxy rather than the actual funding Co-Is receive to perform research and data analysis because not every dollar in WBS 4 is spent on this activity. Therefore, the proxy obtained in this research represents an overestimate of the funds allocated to Co-Is for research and data analysis. Findings: Analysis shows that on average a Co-I receives approximately four full years of support spread across the entirety of Phase E for science analysis. The variation among proposed missions is less than expected given the variety of factors that are expected to drive this metric (length of mission, mission type, etc.). Additionally, the level of requested support for Co-Is has been remarkably consistent across every variable considered (by competition, over time, by mission type) over the six competitions and nearly 20 years spanned by this project. This remains true for cruise, primary operations, and all of Phase E. Conclusions: A remarkable amount of science is accomplished by the science teams of planetary missions. However, a surprisingly small amount of funding is requested to support the science analysis driving this productivity, both in terms of absolute magnitude of funding and as a portion of total mission cost. This suggests improvements are needed to refine the estimates of Co-I support and/or that Co-Is rely on other funding sources to conduct their research. Better estimates can be determined by engaging directly with Co-Is and NASA centers to obtain data as well as finding other data sources. Additionally, NASA could consider mandating improved reporting of requested funding levels in mission competitions.

E Murray↗

NASA NTRS2023

Application of Bioengineering in Space Exploration - Sleep Study System

Bioengineering has spread roots far and wide among the needs of space exploration. The field creates many of paths to generate information from a variety of sources. One such source is the astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS). As of now the investigation is focused on the quality of sleep of crew members during a long duration flight. Our team is investing time into a piece of hardware’s comfort, waste, and operability. The hardware was not originally designed for space; therefore, the device must be modified to function at a optimal level in space. The design not made for space has generated some ailments, such as discomfort and decreased mobility. A function of the internship was to produce designs that would manage the wires to increase mobility and comfort. The wires excess slack was reduced by the part that was designed. The piece was adjustable, so the patient may adjust the system to their comfort and space compatible material was used. This product will help control the direction and length of the wires, thereby aiding in comforting the patient. This multifaceted design may be used in future for all other wire management for wearable biomedical sensor on orbit.

Biomedical↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

A Monte Carlo Based Ray Tracing Tool for Evaluating Wolter-Type Prescriptions

Evaluating Wolter-like X-ray mirror prescriptions via ray tracing is useful for selecting and optimizing the right mirror prescriptions for a specified application. Moreover, incorporating real metrology data into a ray trace and simulating point spread functions (PSF) allows for performance predictions representative of real manufacturing errors and tolerances. In fulfillment of an internship project, an X-ray ray trace routine using a Monte-Carlo method has been developed to examine different Wolter-like prescriptions and characterize their theoretical performances over a specified field of view. This routine includes the ability to use real metrology data to evaluate the impact of figure error on imaging performance. As a test case, the Marshall Grazing Incidence X-ray Spectrometer (MaGIXS) Wolter-I mirror prescription and an equivalent Wolter-Schwarzschild prescription were traced and imaging performance of a specified field of view were mapped. Here we present the approach used in this routine, showcase example results, and discuss future goals for expanding the routine to address azimuthally varying figure errors and surface roughness.

X-ray optics↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Space Grant Final Paper

The purpose of this internship was to begin the development of an APK that would subscribe to NavCam and video stream via UDP. This project involved having the Astrobee Robot Software installed, the Astrobee Android Repository, and the use of an android emulator. While the final APK currently cannot stream via UDP, it can still subscribe to the topic, which for me was already a challenge.

Astrobee↗