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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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At least 649 records · Page 36
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2019

Test Bed for Human Performance in Mockup Suit

Crewmembers' ability to adjust to changes in gravity and sensorimotor function is essential for successful suited mobility in lunar and planetary missions. Setups for current pressurized spacesuit testing require suit technicians, specialized medical clearances, and test support personnel along with increased risk to the subject. Furthermore, suited setups constrain the types of additional hardware that can be used. A test bed was developed with the goal to evaluate human suited performance using an unpressurized Mark III mockup suit and virtual reality (VR) system. The mockup suit provides a means of performing proof-of-concept tasks for suited performance with lower time and cost demands. Additionally, VR goggles provide a means for projecting an immersive planetary environment and applying perturbations to the visuo-vestibular system with minimal equipment. Furthermore, the test bed will be developed to allow room for improvement in fidelity for future suited applications.

Beltran, Eduerdo J.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Applications of Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Systems for Deep Space Science Missions

Nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) systems occupy a unique area in the space propulsion technology landscape due to their ability to combine moderate-to-high thrust systems normally seen in chemical propulsion systems with specific impulses that are closer to those observed in some electric propulsion systems. Consequently, NTP systems have the potential to greatly expand access to deep space and can enable a variety of missions that achieve the science goals outlined in NASA’s decadal surveys. This paper leverages previous analysis performed to show the applicability of NTP systems for notional science missions, expanding the analyzed portfolio to encompass additional science mission profiles and demonstrating how the use of NTP affects various mission parameters, such as trip time and delivered mass. This paper also outlines efforts to improve the fidelity of the existing NTP design concepts and vehicles that are utilized by leveraging previous work on nuclear propulsion systems for human-Mars missions. The fidelity of the analysis in this work is improved over previous studies, permitting commensurate improvements in the analyses of previous mission concept studies –the Triton lander, the solar polar orbiter, and the interstellar medium probe missions.

Nuclear thermal propulsion↗
NASA NTRS2021

Contextual Segmentation of Fire Spotting Regions Through Satellite-Augmented Autonomous Modular Sensor Image

Globally, forest fires remain a significant threat to human and environmental wellbeing. Towards mitigating the impacts of forest fires, it is critical that accurate and updated information regarding not only the fire line, but also nearby human settlements, vegetation, and water sources is reported quickly to emergency services. However, while existing UAS-based fire detection methods are effective, they largely do not report the contextual environmental information necessary to best serve nearby communities in disaster response. Additionally, modern advancements in deep learning offer new approaches for image segmentation which may improve classification accuracy beyond current pixel-wise indices. In this work, we benchmark the performance of these modern segmentation techniques in locating both fire lines and environmental features in historical Autonomous Modular Sensor imagery. Furthermore, we augment these outputs with satellite imagery segmentation towards developing a robust contextual mapping tool for rapid emergency fire response and decision making.

Nikhil Behari↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

SIBatt-3D In-Space/On-Surface 3D Printing of Sodium Ion Batteries using ISRU Materials

Sustainable on-demand power solutions are an absolute necessity as humanity works to establish a permanent presence on the moon and make the journey to Mars. NASA’s SIBatt-3D Early Career Initiative project at MSFC is developing shape-conformable Sodium-Ion batteries that can be 3D printed in-space as needed during extended space missions. SIBatt-3D makes use of the unique advantages of 3D printing to create shape-conformable batteries with improved performance that reduce dead volume in devices and seeks to utilize materials found in Lunar/Martian regolith as feedstocks to provide sustainable power for surface operations on the Moon and Mars. SIBatt-3D’s batteries also have terrestrial implications such as improved battery safety and sustainability.

3D Printing↗
DOE OSTI2022

Automatic Waveform Quality Control for Surface Waves Using Machine Learning

Surface-wave seismograms are widely used by researchers to study Earth’s interior and earthquakes. To extract information reliably and robustly from a suite of surface waveforms, the signals require quality control screening to reduce artifacts from signal complexity and noise. This process has usually been completed by human experts labeling each waveform visually, which is time consuming and tedious for large data sets. We explore automated approaches to improve the efficiency of waveform quality control processing by investigating logistic regression, support vector machines, K-nearest neighbors, random forests (RF), and artificial neural networks (ANN) algorithms. To speed up signal quality assessment, we trained these five machine learning (ML) methods using nearly 400,000 human-labeled waveforms. The ANN and RF models outperformed other algorithms and achieved a test accuracy of 92%. We evaluated these two best-performing models using seismic events from geographic regions not used for training. The results show that the two trained models agree with labels from human analysts but required only 0.4% of the time. Although the original (human) quality assignments assessed general waveform signal-to-noise, the ANN or RF labels can help facilitate detailed waveform analysis. Our investigations demonstrate the capability of the automated processing using these two ML models to reduce outliers in surface-wave-related measurements without human quality control screening.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Improved Throughput and Analysis of Scratch Test Results via Automation and Machine Learning

A data analysis automation interface that incorporates machine learning (ML) has been developed to improve productivity, efficiency, and consistency in identifying and defining critical load values (or other values associated with optically identifiable characteristics) of a coating when a scratch test is performed. In this specific program, the machine learning component of the program has been trained to identify the Critical Load 2 (L C2 ) value by analyzing images of the scratch tracks created in each test. An optical examination of the scratch by a human operator is currently used to determine where this value occurs. However, the vagueness of the standard has led to varying interpretations and nonuniform usage by different operators at different laboratories where the test is implemented, resulting in multiple definitions of the desired parameter. Using a standard set of training and validation images to create the dataset, the critical load can be identified consistently amongst different laboratories using the automation interface without requiring the training of human operators. When the model was used in conjunction with an instrument manufacturer's scratch test software, the model produced accurate and repeatable results and defined L C2 values in as little as half of the time compared to a human operator. When combined with a program that automates other aspects of the scratch testing process usually conducted by a human operator, scratch testing and analysis can occur with little to no intervention from a human beyond initial setup and frees them to complete other work in the lab.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS2011

Development and Demonstration of Sustainable Surface Infrastructure for Moon/Mars Exploration

For long-term human exploration of the Moon and Mars to be practical, affordable, and sustainable, future missions must be able to identify and utilize resources at the site of exploration. The ability to characterize, extract, processes, and separate products from local material, known as In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU), can provide significant reductions in launch mass, logistics, and development costs while reducing risk through increased mission flexibility and protection as well as increased mission capabilities in the areas of power and transportation. Making mission critical consumables like propellants, fuel cell reagents and life support gases, as well as in-situ crew/hardware protection and energy storage capabilities can significantly enhance robotic and human science and exploration missions, however other mission systems need to be designed to interface with and utilize these in-situ developed products and services from the start or the benefits will be minimized or eliminated. This requires a level of surface and transportation system development coordination not typically utilized during early technology and system development activities. An approach being utilized by the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Canadian Space Agency has been to utilize joint analogue field demonstrations to focus technology development activities to demonstrate and integrate new and potentially game changing. mission critical capabilities that would enable an affordable and sustainable surface infrastructure for lunar and Mars robotic and human exploration. Two analogue field tests performed in November 2008 and February 2010 demonstrated first generation capabilities for lunar resource prospecting, exploration site preparation, and oxygen extraction from regolith while initiating integration with mobility, science, fuel cell power, and propulsion disciplines. A third analogue field test currently planned for June 2012 will continue and expand the fidelity and integration of these surface exploration and infrastructure capabilities while adding Mars exploration technologies, improving remote operations and control of hardware, and promoting the use of common software, interfaces, & standards for control and operation for surface exploration and science. The next field test will also attempt to include greater involvement by industry, academia, and other countries/space agencies. This paper will provide an overview of the development and demonstration approach utilized to date, the results of the previous two ISRU-focused field analogue tests in Hawaii, and the current objectives and plans for the 3rd international Hawaii analogue field test.

Sanders, Gerald B.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Daytime Cognitive Performance in Response to Sunlight or Fluorescent Light Controlling for Sleep Duration

Light is the primary synchronizer of the human circadian rhythm and also has acute alerting effects. Our study involves and comparing the alertness, performance and sleep of participants in the NASA Ames Sustainability Base, which uses sunlight as its primary light source, to in a traditional office building which uses overhead florescent lighting and varying exposure to natural light. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the use of natural lighting as a primary light source improves daytime cognitive function and promotes nighttime sleep. Participants from the Sustainability Base will be matched by gender and age to individuals working in other NASA buildings. In a prior study we found no differences in performance between those working in the Sustainability Base and those working in other buildings. Unexpectedly, we found that the average sleep duration among participants in both buildings was short, which likely obscured our ability to detect a difference the effect of light exposure on alertness. Given that such sleep deprivation has negative effects on cognitive performance, in this iteration of the study we are asking the participants to maintain a regular schedule with eight hours in bed each night in order to control for the effect of self-selected sleep restriction. Over the course of one week, we will ask the participants to wear actiwatches continuously, complete a psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) and digit symbol substitution task (DSST) three times per day, and keep daily sleepwork diaries. We hope that this study will provide data to support the idea that natural lighting and green architectural design are optimal to enhance healthy nighttime sleep patterns and daytime cognitive performance.

cognitive performance↗
NASA NTRS2018

Initial Results of the Software-Driven Navigation for Station Experiment

To enable the next generation of robotic and human exploration of the solar system, improvements are needed to enable robust and accurate autonomous navigation. The purpose of this work is to take advantage of the growth in and use of software-defined platforms to incorporate additional navigation capability on existing assets, while also incorporating with new vehicle designs. The Software-driven Navigation for Station Experiment focuses on implementing two soft solutions to this: transmitting pseudolite signals to perform ranging and Doppler measurements as part of the signal coding (similar to underlying Global Navigation Satellite System approaches), and the Multi-spacecraft Autonomous Positioning System, which uses existing communication protocols to embed navigation and timing information to be shared among all assets in a peer-to-peer network. These technologies were implemented on the SCaN Testbed onboard the International Space Station and exercised over the course of mid-June and late-July 2018. This paper will discuss the operational architecture, experiment plan, and initial results from the data collected. One of the key conclusions of this work is the strong need for stable accurate clock synchronization across the dispersed space network.

Anzalone, Evan J.↗
DOE OSTI2023

A standardized quantitative analysis strategy for stable isotope probing metagenomics

ABSTRACT Stable isotope probing (SIP) facilitates culture-independent identification of active microbial populations within complex ecosystems through isotopic enrichment of nucleic acids. Many DNA-SIP studies rely on 16S rRNA gene sequences to identify active taxa, but connecting these sequences to specific bacterial genomes is often challenging. Here, we describe a standardized laboratory and analysis framework to quantify isotopic enrichment on a per-genome basis using shotgun metagenomics instead of 16S rRNA gene sequencing. To develop this framework, we explored various sample processing and analysis approaches using a designed microbiome where the identity of labeled genomes and their level of isotopic enrichment were experimentally controlled. With this ground truth dataset, we empirically assessed the accuracy of different analytical models for identifying active taxa and examined how sequencing depth impacts the detection of isotopically labeled genomes. We also demonstrate that using synthetic DNA internal standards to measure absolute genome abundances in SIP density fractions improves estimates of isotopic enrichment. In addition, our study illustrates the utility of internal standards to reveal anomalies in sample handling that could negatively impact SIP metagenomic analyses if left undetected. Finally, we present SIPmg , an R package to facilitate the estimation of absolute abundances and perform statistical analyses for identifying labeled genomes within SIP metagenomic data. This experimentally validated analysis framework strengthens the foundation of DNA-SIP metagenomics as a tool for accurately measuring the in situ activity of environmental microbial populations and assessing their genomic potential. IMPORTANCE Answering the questions, “who is eating what?” and “who is active?” within complex microbial communities is paramount for our ability to model, predict, and modulate microbiomes for improved human and planetary health. These questions can be pursued using stable isotope probing to track the incorporation of labeled compounds into cellular DNA during microbial growth. However, with traditional stable isotope methods, it is challenging to establish links between an active microorganism’s taxonomic identity and genome composition while providing quantitative estimates of the microorganism’s isotope incorporation rate. Here, we report an experimental and analytical workflow that lays the foundation for improved detection of metabolically active microorganisms and better quantitative estimates of genome-resolved isotope incorporation, which can be used to further refine ecosystem-scale models for carbon and nutrient fluxes within microbiomes.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Continuous Ion Separations by Insertion Processes

Humanity is reliant on many important chemical separations which are performed daily at the industrial scale. With a historical dependence on thermal distillation techniques, which require large amounts of energy, chemical separations account for 10-15% of energy consumption worldwide. Membrane-based alternatives mitigate separation energy demand, yet prove challenging to scale-up and possess intrinsic limitations. Membranes usually separate species based on size and charge exclusion mechanisms. Importantly, however, improvements in the selectivity of membranes almost always leads to lower permeability. Much of the fundamental research in the field of membrane separations is focused on breaking the scaling relationship between selectivity and permeance, and improving membrane lifetime and stability. As discussed next, our group is developing electrochemically active membranes that can be actuated by application of an electric field. The long-term goal is to control selectivity and permeance.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
NASA NTRS1986

The space station: Human factors and productivity

Human factor researchers and engineers are making inputs into the early stages of the design of the Space Station to improve both the quality of life and work on-orbit. Effective integration of the human factors information related to various Intravehicular Activity (IVA), Extravehicular Activity (EVA), and teletobotics systems during the Space Station design will result in increased productivity, increased flexibility of the Space Stations systems, lower cost of operations, improved reliability, and increased safety for the crew onboard the Space Station. The major features of productivity examined include the cognitive and physical effort involved in work, the accuracy of worker output and ability to maintain performance at a high level of accuracy, the speed and temporal efficiency with which a worker performs, crewmember satisfaction with their work environment, and the relation between performance and cost.

Gillan, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Robonaut 2 - The First Humanoid Robot in Space

NASA and General Motors have developed the second generation Robonaut, Robonaut 2 or R2, and it is scheduled to arrive on the International Space Station in late 2010 and undergo initial testing in early 2011. This state of the art, dexterous, anthropomorphic robotic torso has significant technical improvements over its predecessor making it a far more valuable tool for astronauts. Upgrades include: increased force sensing, greater range of motion, higher bandwidth and improved dexterity. R2 s integrated mechatronics design results in a more compact and robust distributed control system with a faction of the wiring of the original Robonaut. Modularity is prevalent throughout the hardware and software along with innovative and layered approaches for sensing and control. The most important aspects of the Robonaut philosophy are clearly present in this latest model s ability to allow comfortable human interaction and in its design to perform significant work using the same hardware and interfaces used by people. The following describes the mechanisms, integrated electronics, control strategies and user interface that make R2 a promising addition to the Space Station and other environments where humanoid robots can assist people.

Diftler, M. A.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Post-Flight Analysis of GPSR Performance During Orion Exploration Flight Test 1

On 5 December 2014, the first test flight of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle executed a unique and challenging flight profile including an elevated re-entry velocity and steeper flight path angle to envelope lunar re-entry conditions. A new navigation system including a single frequency (L1) GPS receiver was evaluated for use as part of the redundant navigation system required for human space flight. The single frequency receiver was challenged by a highly dynamic flight environment including flight above low Earth orbit, as well as single frequency operation with ionospheric delay present. This paper presents a brief description of the GPS navigation system, an independent analysis of flight telemetry data, and evaluation of the GPSR performance, including evaluation of the ionospheric model employed to supplement the single frequency receiver. Lessons learned and potential improvements will be discussed.

Barker, Lee↗
NASA NTRS2017

Future Directions of the National Nanotechnology Initiative - NNI 2.0

The National Nanotechnology Initiative is a collaboration of 20 Federal agencies and departments with shared interests in nanotechnology research, development and commercialization. These agencies recognize that the ability to understand and exploit the novel phenomena that occur at the nanoscale will enabled the development of new materials and devices with properties and performance that far exceeds that of conventional systems. Due to the combined investments of the Federal government, now close to $24B, and those of industry, nanotechnology has moved out of the laboratory and into commercial products that are enhancing our daily lives. Nanotechnology-based discoveries are poised to revolutionize the way we diagnose and treat disease, radically improve the energy efficiency of aircraft and ground transportation systems, and will someday enable human exploration of Mars. This presentation will provide an overview of the National Nanotechnology Initiative, highlight some accomplishments in nanotechnology research and development, and discuss the future of the initiative.

nanotechnology↗
NASA NTRS2019

Flat-H Redundant Frangible Joint Design Evolution 2018: Feasibility Study Conclusions

This paper reports results of an investigation into developing a single failure tolerant pyrotechnic linear separation system which features completely redundant explosive trains suitable for human spaceflight. It is a follow up to “Flat-H Redundant Frangible Joint Design Evolution 2017” and “Flat-H Redundant Frangible Joint Evolution”. The paper chronicles the history of the redundant frangible joint development program including testing, analysis, and design improvements from 2014 to the present culminating in a successful proof-of-concept prototype. The paper describes work done to address debris control and containment of combustion products. A performance optimization strategy is presented along with optimization results. Additionally a novel containment manifold design is presented with test results.

Structures↗
NASA NTRS2007

Improvements to NASA's Debris Assessment Software

NASA's Debris Assessment Software (DAS) has been substantially revised and expanded. DAS is designed to assist NASA programs in performing orbital debris assessments, as described in NASA s Guidelines and Assessment Procedures for Limiting Orbital Debris. The extensive upgrade of DAS was undertaken to reflect changes in the debris mitigation guidelines, to incorporate recommendations from DAS users, and to take advantage of recent software capabilities for greater user utility. DAS 2.0 includes an updated environment model and enhanced orbital propagators and reentry-survivability models. The ORDEM96 debris environment model has been replaced by ORDEM2000 in DAS 2.0, which is also designed to accept anticipated revisions to the environment definition. Numerous upgrades have also been applied to the assessment of human casualty potential due to reentering debris. Routines derived from the Object Reentry Survival Analysis Tool, Version 6 (ORSAT 6), determine which objects are assessed to survive reentry, and the resulting risk of human casualty is calculated directly based upon the orbital inclination and a future world population database. When evaluating reentry risks, the user may enter up to 200 unique hardware components for each launched object, in up to four nested levels. This last feature allows the software to more accurately model components that are exposed below the initial breakup altitude. The new DAS 2.0 provides an updated set of tools for users to assess their mission s compliance with the NASA Safety Standard and does so with a clear and easy-to-understand interface. The new native Microsoft Windows graphical user interface (GUI) is a vast improvement over the previous DOS-based interface. In the new version, functions are more-clearly laid out, and the GUI includes the standard Windows-style Help functions. The underlying routines within the DAS code are also improved.

Opiela, J.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Application of Solar-Electric Propulsion to Robotic and Human Missions in Near-Earth Space

Solar-electric propulsion (SEP) is becoming of interest for application to a wide range of missions. The benefits of SEP are strongly influenced by system element performance, especially that for the power system. Solar array performance is increasing rapidly and promises to continue to do so for another 10 to 20 years (Fig. 1). At the same time, cost per watt is decreasing. Radiation hardness is increasing. New concepts for how to design a SEP are emerging. These improvements lead to changes in the best ways to apply SEP technology to missions, and broadening of the practical uses of SEP technology compared to competing technologies. This paper addresses the evolving characteristics of SEP technology from the point of view of mission design, and how mission profile characteristics can be designed to best take advantage of evolving SEP characteristics. Mission concepts include robotic lunar landers and orbiters; scientific planetary spacecraft; delivery of spacecraft to geosynchronous orbit from inclined and low-inclination launch orbits; and lunar cargo delivery from Earth orbit to lunar orbit. Expendable and re-usable SEP profiles are considered. Flight control considerations are abstracted from recent papers by the author to describe how these influence SEP design and operations.

Woodcock, Gordon↗