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At least 631 records · Page 35

R-Gentic-SEAM Interface and Harmonization

SEAM is a useful resource for model-based radiation hardness assurance but can be technically challenging for new users. R-Gentic is a NASA developed website that aims at assisting engineers better understand the radiation concerns in their EEE parts. This work aims at providing an update on an ongoing effort to interface R-Gentic with SEAM. Once integration is completed, R-Gentic can be used to seed new SEAM projects, making project creation easier and more accessible.

Procedures↗

California Student Get Away Special Payload GAS-450

The California Student Get Away Special Payload GAS-450, recently went into orbit on the STS-57 Mission, Space Shuttle, Endeavour, 21 June 1993, 6:14 AM and landed on the 29 June 1993 at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). Fifty students from 13 California Central Coast Schools and one in San Francisco designed and built 13 active experiments (6 modules) for this mission. Preliminary analysis of our completely reusable payload bus system indicated that the structure, power system, microprocessor, and sensor systems in each experiment module worked flawlessly. The experiments themselves performed exceptionally well with a 60 percent success ratio. The students are thoroughly documenting their own experiments and results via a standard research paper guideline generated by the GAS-450 technical staff. Lessons learned (program management and technical) are documented at the end of the paper. If any other organization needs payload/experiment development or NASA documentation assistance, then please contact us. We can help make your idea a space tested reality. Three years of intense effort culminated on 3 February 1993, the GSFC field operations team at Kennedy Space Center performed the final pressure decay and electrical tests upon the fully integrated GAS-450 flight canister. Subsequently, the payload was integrated with its parent GAS Bridge Assembly in mid-February and the bridge was transferred to the KSC orbiter team in late February 1993. The STS-57 mission originally scheduled to launch on the 29 April 1993 slipped until 21 June 1993. Our Payload shared the cargo bay with ten other GAS Canisters, the EUREKA experiment, the SHOOT experiment, and the SPACEHAB-1 module. The SIL technical staff retrieved the GAS-450 payload after flight from the NASA Spin Test Facility at KSC and shipped it back to California on the 22 July 1993 for student analysis at Allan Hancock College this summer.

Ray, Glen↗

Earth Observations to Assess Impact of Hurricane Katrina on John C. Stennis Space Center

The peril from hurricanes to Space Operations Centers is real and is forecast to continue; Katrina, Rita, and Wilma of 2005 and Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne of 2004 are sufficient motivation for NASA to develop a multi-Center plan for preparedness and response. As was demonstrated at SSC (Stennis Space Center) in response to Hurricane Katrina, NASA Centers are efficiently activated as local command centers, playing host to Federal and State agencies and first responders to coordinate and provide evacuation, relocation, response, and recovery activities. Remote sensing decision support provides critical insight for managing NASA infrastructure and for assisting Center decision makers. Managers require geospatial information to manage the federal city. Immediately following Katrina, SSC s power and network connections were disabled, hardware was inoperative, technical staff was displaced and/or out of contact, and graphical decision support tools were non-existent or less than fully effective. Despite this circumstance, SSC EOC (Emergency Operations Center) implemented response operations to assess damage and to activate recovery plans. To assist Center Managers, the NASA ASP (Applied Sciences Program) made its archive of high-resolution data over the site available. In the weeks and months after the immediate crisis, NASA supplemented this data with high-resolution, post-Katrina imagery over SSC and much of the affected coastal areas. Much of the high-resolution imagery was made available through the Department of Defense Clear View contract and was distributed through U.S. Geological Survey Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science "Hurricane Katrina Disaster Response" Web site. By integrating multiple image data types with other information sources, ASP applied an all-source solutions approach to develop decision support tools that enabled managers to respond to critical issues, such as expedient access to infrastructure and deployment of resources, provision of temporary shelter, logistical control of critical supplies, and the mobilization and coordination of assets from ground crews to aircraft/airspace management. Furthermore, ASP developed information products that illustrate risks to SSC's infrastructure from surge, inundation, and flood. Current plans include developing wind-risk prototype products for refinement and adoption into EOC plans.

Graham, William D.↗

Advanced transportation system studies technical area 2(TA-2): Heavy lift launch vehicle development: Executive summary - volume 1

The purpose of the TA-2 contract was to provide advanced launch vehicle concept definition and analysis to assist NASA in the identification of future launch vehicle requirements. Contracted analysis activities included vehicle sizing and performance analysis, subsystem concept definition, propulsion subsystem definition (foreign and domestic), ground operations and facilities analysis, and life cycle cost estimation. This document is part of the final report for the TA-2 contract. The final report consists of three volumes: Volume 1 is the Executive Summary, Volume 2 is Technical Results, and Volume 3 is Program Cost Estimates. The document-at-hand, Volume 1, provides a summary description of the technical activities that were performed over the entire contract duration, covering three distinct launch vehicle definition activities: heavy-lift (300,000 pounds injected mass to low Earth orbit) launch vehicles for the First Lunar Outpost (FLO), medium-lift (50,000-80,000 pounds injected mass to low Earth orbit) launch vehicles, and single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) launch vehicles (25,000 pounds injected mass to a Space Station orbit).

McCurry, J.↗

Economic analysis of precious metal recovery from electronic waste through gas-assisted microflow extraction

The recycling of end-of-life (EoL) electronic products is motivated by the enormous investment of resources in their creation and the environmental concerns associated with electronic waste (e-waste). Hydrometallurgical methods that utilize conventional leaching and solvent extraction are often applied to extract target materials from e-waste; however, these techniques have significant technical and economic limitations when extracting high-value, low concentration metals from complex waste streams. This study proposes and evaluates a novel process based on gas-assisted microflow extraction (GAME) that efficiently recovers precious metals from waste printed circuit boards (WPCBs). Further, an economic analysis is conducted to verify the economic feasibility of the GAME-based process at an industrial scale. The economic outputs are further investigated to identify the most cost-effective production strategies, particularly with respect to the plant feedstock rate. It is envisioned that this study may establish a paradigm for making economically-informed decisions for sustainable technologies.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Modeling of Particle Thermal Energy Reservoir for Solar Industrial Process Heat (Final Technical Report)

Industrial process heat is a leading source of carbon emissions in the United States. To achieve decarbonization goals and reduce costs, solar industrial process heat (SIPH) systems have been investigated as a means of providing a carbon-free heat supply. Particle thermal energy storage (TES) could supplement solar resources (i.e., concentrating solar thermal and photovoltaics) to enable a high capacity factor (> 90%), carbon-free heat source. Particle TES has been considered due to its low-cost storage medium and capability to support a wide range of temperatures. This report provides technical details of developing a component and system modeling tool for a unique particle TES platform to assist the adoption of SIPH technology.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Small Business Innovation Research. Program solicitation. Closing date: July 21, 1992

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) invites small businesses to submit Phase 1 proposals in response to its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program Solicitation 92-1. Firms with research or research and development capabilities (R/R&D) in science or engineering in any of the areas listed are encouraged to participate. This, the tenth annual SBIR solicitation by NASA, describes the program, identifies eligibility requirements, describes the proposal evaluation and award selection process, and provides other information to assist those interested in participating in NASA's SBIR program. It also identifies, in Section 8.0, the technical topics and subtopics in which SBIR Phase 1 proposals are solicited in 1992. These topics and subtopics cover a broad range of current NASA interests but do not necessarily include all areas in which NASA plans or currently conducts research. The NASA SBIR program seeks innovative approaches that respond to the needs, technical requirements, and new opportunities described in the subtopics. The focus is on innovation through the use of emerging technologies, novel applications of existing technologies, exploitation of scientific breakthroughs, or new capabilities or major improvements to existing technologies. NASA plans to select about 320 high-quality research or research and development proposals for Phase 1 contract awards on the basis of this Solicitation. Phase 1 contracts are normally six months in duration and funded up to $50,000, including profit. Selections will be based on the competitive merits of the offers and on NASA needs and priorities.

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Recent Advances in Model-Assisted Probability of Detection

The increased role played by probability of detection (POD) in structural integrity programs, combined with the significant time and cost associated with the purely empirical determination of POD, provides motivation for alternate means to estimate this important metric of NDE techniques. One approach to make the process of POD estimation more efficient is to complement limited empirical experiments with information from physics-based models of the inspection process or controlled laboratory experiments. The Model-Assisted Probability of Detection (MAPOD) Working Group was formed by the Air Force Research Laboratory, the FAA Technical Center, and NASA to explore these possibilities. Since the 2004 inception of the MAPOD Working Group, 11 meetings have been held in conjunction with major NDE conferences. This paper will review the accomplishments of this group, which includes over 90 members from around the world. Included will be a discussion of strategies developed to combine physics-based and empirical understanding, draft protocols that have been developed to guide application of the strategies, and demonstrations that have been or are being carried out in a number of countries. The talk will conclude with a discussion of future directions, which will include documentation of benefits via case studies, development of formal protocols for engineering practice, as well as a number of specific technical issues.

Thompson, R. Bruce↗

Geology of the Southern Utopia Planitia Highland-Lowland Boundary Plain: Second Year Results and Third Year Plan

The southern Utopia highland-lowland boundary (HLB) extends >1500 km westward from Hyblaeus Dorsa to the topographic saddle that separates Isidis and Utopia Planitiae. It contains bench-like platforms that contain depressions, pitted cones (some organized into arcuate chains and thumb-print terrain), isolated domes, buried circular depressions, ring fractures, polygonal fractures, and other locally- to regionally-dispersed landforms [1-2]. The objective of this map project is to clarify the geologic evolution of the southern Utopia Planitia HLB by identifying the geologic, structural, and stratigraphic relationships of surface materials in MTMs 10237, 15237, 20237, 10242, 15242, 20242, 10247, 15247, and 20247. The project was originally awarded in April, 2007 and is in its final year of support. Mapping is on-schedule and formal map submission will occur by December, 2009, with finalization anticipated by April, 2010. Herein, we (1) review specifics regarding mapping data and methods, (2) present nomenclature requests that we feel will assist with unit descriptions, (3) describe Year 2 mapping and science accomplishments, and (4) outline Year 3 technical and managerial approaches for finalizing the geologic map.

Skinner, J. A., Jr.↗

A review of some problems in global-local stress analysis

The various types of local-global finite-element problems point out the need to develop a new generation of software. First, this new software needs to have a complete analysis capability, encompassing linear and nonlinear analysis of 1-, 2-, and 3-dimensional finite-element models, as well as mixed dimensional models. The software must be capable of treating static and dynamic (vibration and transient response) problems, including the stability effects of initial stress, and the software should be able to treat both elastic and elasto-plastic materials. The software should carry a set of optional diagnostics to assist the program user during model generation in order to help avoid obvious structural modeling errors. In addition, the program software should be well documented so the user has a complete technical reference for each type of element contained in the program library, including information on such topics as the type of numerical integration, use of underintegration, and inclusion of incompatible modes, etc. Some packaged information should also be available to assist the user in building mixed-dimensional models. An important advancement in finite-element software should be in the development of program modularity, so that the user can select from a menu various basic operations in matrix structural analysis.

Nelson, Richard B.↗

Machine Learning Accelerates Innovation in Perovskite Manufacturing Scale-up (Final Technical Report (FTR))

We propose to address the challenge of the vast parameter space associated with perovskite manufacturing optimization, by developing a machine learning (ML)-assisted optimization framework for a scalable perovskite PV manufacturing tool. This framework will be interpretable, sequential, and rapidly adaptable to upgraded systems (e.g., via transfer learning). The tool is an open-air rapid spray plasma process (RSPP) of perovskite films, which has already been established at Stanford and is a unique platform to test and deploy the proposed ML-guided framework because the RSPP technique is able to conduct optimization experiments with a high throughput, and easily adjust a wide range of process variables.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Computer-Assisted Search Of Large Textual Data Bases

"QA" denotes high-speed computer system for searching diverse collections of documents including (but not limited to) technical reference manuals, legal documents, medical documents, news releases, and patents. Incorporates previously available and emerging information-retrieval technology to help user intelligently and rapidly locate information found in large textual data bases. Technology includes provision for inquiries in natural language; statistical ranking of retrieved information; artificial-intelligence implementation of semantics, in which "surface level" knowledge found in text used to improve ranking of retrieved information; and relevance feedback, in which user's judgements of relevance of some retrieved documents used automatically to modify search for further information.

Driscoll, James R.↗

Commercializing Defense Technologies and Helping Defense Firms Succeed in Commercial Markets: A Report on the Objectives, Activities, and Accomplishments of the TAP-IN Program

Technology Access for Product Innovation (TAP-IN), the largest technology deployment project funded by TRP, was competitively selected through a national solicitation for proposals. TAP-IN was created to help companies access and apply defense technologies and help defense-dependent companies enter new commercial markets. Defense technologies included technologies developed by DoD, DOE, NASA, and their contractors. TAP-IN was structured to provide region-based technology access services that were able to draw on technology resources nationwide. TAP-IN provided expert assistance in all stages of the commercialization process from concept through prototype design to capital sourcing and marketing strategy. TAP-IN helped companies locate new technology, identify business partners, secure financing, develop ideas for new products, identify new markets, license technology, solve technical problems, and develop company-specific applications of federal technology. TAP-IN leveraged NASA's existing commercial technology network to create an integrated national network of organizations that assisted companies in every state. In addition to NASA's six regional technology transfer centers (RTTCs), TAP-IN included business and technology development organizations in every state, the Industrial Designers Society of America, and the Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC).

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Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program FY 2020 Annual Summary of Completed Projects

ORNL has established a program with four complementary subprograms to meet its LDRD objectives and to fulfill the particular needs of the laboratory. A provision for multiple routes of access to ORNL LDRD funds maximizes the likelihood that novel ideas with scientific and technological merit will be recognized and supported. The ORNL LDRD Program comprises the following four subprograms: 1) The Director’s R&D Program supports projects that advance research frontiers, capabilities, and expertise at ORNL in key strategic areas. 2) The Seed Program supports innovative high-risk/high-reward research to the proof-of-principle stage. 3) The Strategic Hire Program supports the research of key new staff whose expertise and capabilities address a critical strategic need for the laboratory. 4) The Distinguished Staff Fellowships assist the laboratory in bringing in exceptional early-career scientists to refresh and expand its scientific and technical expertise. The total ORNL LDRD Program budget authorized by DOE for FY 2020 was $\$$55 million. FY 2020 allocations totaled $\$$52.5 million and supported 153 projects. An additional $\$$95,827 was allocated to administrative costs for conducting proposal reviews. Overall, 96.4% of the allocated funds were spent. The expenditure of $\$$50.6 million was about 3.2% of the laboratory’s total budget of $\$$1,572 million for operating and capital expenses, which is well below the maximum of 6% allowed by DOE Order 413.2C and is in accordance with Section 309 of Division D of the Consolidated Appropriations Act.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

ARCADE Analysis Methods & Validation Pathway

The Advanced Reactor Cyber Analysis and Development Environment (ARCADE) provides an automated analysis system which supports risk-informed performance based (RIPB) evaluations of nuclear control systems. Every possible cyber threat which could lead to consequence is identified by simulating the unsafe control action sequences which transform digital harm into physical harm. Eliminating the simulation of complex digital cyber attack chains cuts out unnecessary computational overhead and focuses directly on the physics of cyber-physical attacks. This focus enables designers to make informed decisions which can entirely eliminate categories of cyber threats against advanced reactors through the physical nature of the plant design. This narrowing of cyber threat against nuclear power plants through the physics of the system is intended to make any remaining threat management and cost efficient. This is the goal of the Tiered Cyber Analysis (TCA) outlined in NRC Draft Regulation Guide (RG) 5.96, which provides a RIPB cybersecurity approach for new reactors. ARCADE has been custom developed to meet the demands of the rigorous analysis required in Tier 1 of the TCA, which forms the foundation of the TCA process. Currently, ARCADE is still under development, but has made significant leaps in capability. A pilot analysis on the opensource Asherah simulator was performed which demonstrated key functionality goals. The next stage of ARCADE development involves improvements to the applications which support the analysis system, and enabling the analysis system to utilize the full suite of unsafe control action simulations. Since the analysis method’s core functions are complete, validation of the analysis method will be started concurrent to the next development stages. The automated analysis ARCADE will provide can radically change the cybersecurity design process for advanced reactors, reducing the cost of security implementation while enhancing cyber resilience. The pathway for ARCADE’s development to this goal has become much clearer. The majority of technical hurdles have been cleared, and the remaining development needs have been solidified. ARCADE is now capable of assisting the advanced reactor design process and directly support advanced reactor industry RIPB practices.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Formal verification of a fault tolerant clock synchronization algorithm

A formal specification and mechanically assisted verification of the interactive convergence clock synchronization algorithm of Lamport and Melliar-Smith is described. Several technical flaws in the analysis given by Lamport and Melliar-Smith were discovered, even though their presentation is unusally precise and detailed. It seems that these flaws were not detected by informal peer scrutiny. The flaws are discussed and a revised presentation of the analysis is given that not only corrects the flaws but is also more precise and easier to follow. Some of the corrections to the flaws require slight modifications to the original assumptions underlying the algorithm and to the constraints on its parameters, and thus change the external specifications of the algorithm. The formal analysis of the interactive convergence clock synchronization algorithm was performed using the Enhanced Hierarchical Development Methodology (EHDM) formal specification and verification environment. This application of EHDM provides a demonstration of some of the capabilities of the system.

Rushby, John↗

NetView technical research

This is the Final Technical Report for the NetView Technical Research task. This report is prepared in accordance with Contract Data Requirements List (CDRL) item A002. NetView assistance was provided and details are presented under the following headings: NetView Management Systems (NMS) project tasks; WBAFB IBM 3090; WPAFB AMDAHL; WPAFB IBM 3084; Hill AFB; McClellan AFB AMDAHL; McClellan AFB IBM 3090; and Warner-Robins AFB.

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