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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 NTRS2000

Research Opportunities on the Low Temperature Microgravity Physics Facility (LTMPF) on the International Space Station

The Low Temperature Microgravity Physics Facility (LTMPF) is a state-of-the-art facility for long duration science Investigations whose objectives can only be achieved in microgravity and at low temperature. LTMPF consists of two reusable, cryogenic facilities with self-contained electronics, software and communication capabilities. The Facility will be first launched by Japanese HIIA Rocket in 2003 and retrieved by the Space Shuttle, and will have at least five months cryogen lifetime on the Japanese Experiment Module Exposed Facility (JEM EF) of the International Space Station. A number of high precision sensors of temperature, pressure and capacitance will be available, which can be further tailored to accommodate a wide variety of low temperature experiments. This paper will describe the LTMPF and its goals and design requirements. Currently there are six candidate experiments in the flight definition phase to fly on LTMPF. Future candidate experiments will be selected through the NASA Research Announcement process. Opportunities for utilization and collaboration with international partners will also be discussed. This work is being carried out by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology under contract to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The work was funded by NASA Microgravity Research Division.

Liu, Feng-Chuan↗
NASA NTRS2010

Adaptive Numerical Algorithms in Space Weather Modeling

Space weather describes the various processes in the Sun-Earth system that present danger to human health and technology. The goal of space weather forecasting is to provide an opportunity to mitigate these negative effects. Physics-based space weather modeling is characterized by disparate temporal and spatial scales as well as by different physics in different domains. A multi-physics system can be modeled by a software framework comprising of several components. Each component corresponds to a physics domain, and each component is represented by one or more numerical models. The publicly available Space Weather Modeling Framework (SWMF) can execute and couple together several components distributed over a parallel machine in a flexible and efficient manner. The framework also allows resolving disparate spatial and temporal scales with independent spatial and temporal discretizations in the various models. Several of the computationally most expensive domains of the framework are modeled by the Block-Adaptive Tree Solar wind Roe Upwind Scheme (BATS-R-US) code that can solve various forms of the magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) equations, including Hall, semi-relativistic, multi-species and multi-fluid MHD, anisotropic pressure, radiative transport and heat conduction. Modeling disparate scales within BATS-R-US is achieved by a block-adaptive mesh both in Cartesian and generalized coordinates. Most recently we have created a new core for BATS-R-US: the Block-Adaptive Tree Library (BATL) that provides a general toolkit for creating, load balancing and message passing in a 1, 2 or 3 dimensional block-adaptive grid. We describe the algorithms of BATL and demonstrate its efficiency and scaling properties for various problems. BATS-R-US uses several time-integration schemes to address multiple time-scales: explicit time stepping with fixed or local time steps, partially steady-state evolution, point-implicit, semi-implicit, explicit/implicit, and fully implicit numerical schemes. Depending on the application, we find that different time stepping methods are optimal. Several of the time integration schemes exploit the block-based granularity of the grid structure. The framework and the adaptive algorithms enable physics based space weather modeling and even forecasting.

Toth, Gabor↗
NASA NTRS2001

Physics of Colloids in Space (PCS) Flight Hardware Developed

investigation that will be located in an Expedite the Process of Experiments to Space Station (EXPRESS) Rack. The investigation will be conducted in the International Space Station U.S. laboratory, Destiny, over a period of approximately 10 months during the station assembly period from flight 6A through flight UF-2. This experiment will gather data on the basic physical properties of colloids by studying three different colloid systems with the objective of understanding how they grow and what structures they form. A colloidal suspension consists of fine particles (micrometer to submicrometer) suspended in a fluid for example, paints, milk, salad dressings, and aerosols. The long-term goal of this investigation is to learn how to steer the growth of colloidal suspensions to create new materials and new structures. This experiment is part of a two-stage investigation conceived by Professor David Weitz of Harvard University along with Professor Peter Pusey of the University of Edinburgh. The experiment hardware was developed by the NASA Glenn Research Center through contracts with Dynacs, Inc., and ZIN Technologies.

Koudelka, John M.↗
NASA NTRS1976

An Atmospheric Cloud Physics Laboratory for the Space Laboratory

Results of research and engineering analyses to date show that it is feasible to develop and fly on the first Spacelab mission a multipurpose laboratory in which experiments can be performed on the microphysical processes in atmospheric clouds. The paper presents a series of tables on the Atmospheric Cloud Physics Laboratory, with attention given to experiment classes, the preliminary equipment list (particle generators, optical and imaging devices, particle detectors and characterizers, etc.), initial equipment (scientific equipment subsystems and flight support subsystems), and scientific functional requirements (the expansion chamber, the continuous flow diffusion chamber, the static diffusion chamber, the humidifier, and particle generators).

Smith, R.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Space Rocks Tell Their Secrets: Space Science Applications of Physics and Chemistry for High School and College Classes

As the scientific community studies Mars remotely for signs of life and uses Martian meteorites as its only available samples, teachers, students, and the general public continue to ask, "How do we know these meteorites are from Mars?" This question sets the stage for a three-lesson instructional package Space Rocks Tell Their Secrets. Expanding on the short answer "It's the chemistry of the rock", students are introduced to the research that reveals the true identities of the rocks. Since few high school or beginning college students have the opportunity to participate in this level of research, a slide presentation introduces them to the labs, samples, and people involved with the research. As they work through the lessons and interpret real data, students realize that the research is an application of basic science concepts they should know, the electromagnetic spectrum and isotopes. They can understand the results without knowing how to do the research or operate the instruments.

Lindstrom, M. M.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Space Rocks Tell Their Secrets: Space Science Applications of Physics and Chemistry for High School and College Classes: Update

As the scientific community studies Mars remotely for signs of life and uses Martian meteorites as its only available samples, teachers, students, and the general public continue to ask, How do we know these meteorites are from Mars? This question sets the stage for a six-lesson instructional package Space Rocks Tell Their Secrets. Expanding on the short answer It s the chemistry of the rock , students are introduced to the research that reveals the true identities of the rocks. Since few high school or beginning college students have the opportunity to participate in this level of research, a slide presentation introduces them to the labs, samples, and people involved with the research. As they work through the lessons and interpret authentic data, students realize that the research is an application of two basic science concepts taught in the classroom, the electromagnetic spectrum and isotopes.

Lindstrom, M. M.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Space Rocks Tell Their Secrets: Space Science Applications of Physics and Chemistry for High School and College Classes. Update.

As the scientific community studies Mars remotely for signs of life and uses Martian meteorites as its only available samples, teachers, students, and the general public continue to ask, "How do we know these meteorites are from Mars?" This question sets the stage for a six-lesson instructional package Space Rocks Tell Their Secrets. Expanding on the short answer "It's the chemistry of the rock", students are introduced to the research that reveals the true identities of the rocks. Since few high school or beginning college students have the opportunity to participate in this level of research, a slide presentation introduces them to the labs, samples, and people involved with the research. As they work through the lessons and interpret authentic data, students realize that the research is an application of two basic science concepts taught in the classroom, the electromagnetic spectrum and isotopes. Additional information is included in the original extended abstract.

Lindstrom, M. M.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Electrical behavior of a Shuttle Electrodynamic Tether System /SETS/

Many novel electrodynamic and space plasma physics experiments can be done from the space shuttle using a gravity gradient stabilized subsatellite tethered 10-30 km above the Orbiter via a long, conducting wire which is insulated from the ionospheric plasma. This system, called the Shuttle Electrodynamic Tether System (SETS), is described in the present paper with emphasis upon the various electrical processes which determine its coupling to the ambient plasma. The three most important physical effects include sheath formation and electron collection by the subsatellite, the generation of a large emf through the orbital motion of the tether across geomagnetic field lines, and the active ejection of electrons from the Orbiter into the surrounding ionosphere. An electrical circuit analogy is presented for SETS together with a brief outline of possible areas related to the artificial generation of magnetohydrodynamic waves.

Banks, P. M.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Skylab results - Review and outlook

In the history of space flight, Project Skylab marks the transition from short manned flights to long-time manned orbital operations, from single-purpose spacecraft to multipurpose space stations, and from a time of space exploration to a time of space utilization. In the present paper, some of the Skylab scientific programs in the areas of solar physics, stellar astronomy, space physics, earth observations, life sciences, and materials sciences are reviewed. Visible, UV, and X-ray observations showed the sun's surface to be far more active and more differentiated than was earlier assumed. The unexpected apparition of the comet Kohoutek provided valuable information on the composition of cometary nuclei and tails. Pictures taken with earth-looking cameras have provided insight into specific data analysis and assessment problems. Results of the materials science program offer much promise for future work.

Stuhlinger, E.↗
NASA NTRS1986

A practical assessment of spectral accuracy for hyperbolic problems with discontinuities

Physical and transform space filtering has been applied to the Fourier spectral collocation solution of the constant coefficient scalar wave equation with a discontinuous initial condition. High order accuracy can be extracted from the unfiltered solution. Smooth, high order Fourier space filtering gives expected polynomial order solutions away from the discontinuity. Spectral accuracy is observed with the physical space filter of Gottlieb and Tadmor.

Kopriva, David A.↗
NASA NTRS1987

A practical assessment of spectral accuracy for hyperbolic problems with discontinuities

Physical and transform space filtering has been applied to the Fourier spectral collocation solution of the constant coefficient scalar wave equation with a discontinuous initial condition. High order accuracy can be extracted from the unfiltered solution. Smooth, high order Fourier space filtering gives expected polynomial order solutions away from the discontinuity. Spectral accuracy is observed with the physical space filter of Gottlieb and Tadmor.

Kopriva, David A.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Very-Low-Frequency transmitters bifurcate energetic electron belt in near-earth space

Very-Low-Frequency (VLF) transmitters operate worldwide mostly at frequencies of 10–30 kilohertz for submarine communications. While it has been of intense scientific interest and practical importance to understand whether VLF transmitters can affect the natural environment of charged energetic particles, for decades there remained little direct observational evidence that revealed the effects of these VLF transmitters in geospace. Here we report a radially bifurcated electron belt formation at energies of tens of kiloelectron volts (keV) at altitudes of ~0.8–1.5 Earth radii on timescales over 10 days. Using Fokker-Planck diffusion simulations, we provide quantitative evidence that VLF transmitter emissions that leak from the Earth-ionosphere waveguide are primarily responsible for bifurcating the energetic electron belt, which typically exhibits a single-peak radial structure in near-Earth space. Since energetic electrons pose a potential danger to satellite operations, our findings demonstrate the feasibility of mitigation of natural particle radiation environment.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Earth's Energy Imbalance More Than Doubled in Recent Decades

Abstract Global warming results from anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions which upset the delicate balance between the incoming sunlight, and the reflected and emitted radiation from Earth. The imbalance leads to energy accumulation in the atmosphere, oceans and land, and melting of the cryosphere, resulting in increasing temperatures, rising sea levels, and more extreme weather around the globe. Despite the fundamental role of the energy imbalance in regulating the climate system, as known to humanity for more than two centuries, our capacity to observe it is rapidly deteriorating as satellites are being decommissioned.

Mauritsen, Thorsten [Department of Meteorology and↗
DOE OSTI2025

Dark kinetic heating of exoplanets and brown dwarfs

Dark kinetic heating of neutron stars has been previously studied as a promising dark matter detection avenue. Kinetic heating occurs when dark matter is sped up to relativistic speeds in the gravitational well of high-escape velocity objects, and deposits kinetic energy after becoming captured by the object, thereby increasing its temperature. We show that dark kinetic heating can be significant even in objects with low-escape velocities, such as exoplanets and brown dwarfs, increasing the discovery potential of such searches. This can occur if there is a long-range dark force, creating a “dark escape velocity”, leading to heating rates substantially larger than those expected from neutron stars. We consequently set constraints on dark sector parameters using Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer and JWST data on Super-Jupiter WISE 0855-0714, and map out future sensitivity to the dark matter scattering cross section below 10 −40 cm 2 . We compare dark kinetic heating rates of other lower escape velocity objects such as the Earth, Sun, and white dwarfs, finding complementary kinetic heating signals are possible depending on particle physics parameters.

Astrophysics↗
DOE OSTI2023

Energy transfer of imbalanced Alfvénic turbulence in the heliosphere

Imbalanced Alfvénic turbulence is a universal process playing a crucial role in energy transfer in space, astrophysical, and laboratory plasmas. A fundamental and long-lasting question about the imbalanced Alfvénic turbulence is how and through which mechanism the energy transfers between scales. Here, we show that the energy transfer of imbalanced Alfvénic turbulence is completed by coherent interactions between Alfvén waves and co-propagating anomalous fluctuations. These anomalous fluctuations are generated by nonlinear couplings instead of linear reflection. We also reveal that the energy transfer of the waves and the anomalous fluctuations is carried out mainly through local-scale and large-scale nonlinear interactions, respectively, responsible for their bifurcated power-law spectra. This work unveils the energy transfer physics of imbalanced Alfvénic turbulence, and advances the understanding of imbalanced Alfvénic turbulence observed by Parker Solar Probe in the inner heliosphere.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Magnetic Field Reconstruction for a Realistic Multi-Point, Multi-Scale Spacecraft Observatory

Future in situ space plasma investigations will likely involve spatially distributed observatories comprised of multiple spacecraft, beyond the four and five spacecraft configurations currently in operation. Inferring the magnetic field structure across the observatory, and not simply at the observation points, is a necessary step towards characterizing fundamental plasma processes using these unique multi-point, multi-scale data sets. We propose improvements upon the classic first-order reconstruction method, as well as a second-order method, utilizing magnetometer measurements from a realistic nine-spacecraft observatory. The improved first-order method, which averages over select ensembles of four spacecraft, reconstructs the magnetic field associated with simple current sheets and numerical simulations of turbulence accurately over larger volumes compared to second-order methods or first-order methods using a single regular tetrahedron. Using this averaging method on data sets with fewer than nine measurement points, the volume of accurate reconstruction compared to a known magnetic vector field improves approximately linearly with the number of measurement points.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1975

Physical characteristics of interplanetary space

The Sun The properties of interplanetary space are determined, to a considerable extent, by the central body of the solar system-the Sun which is the source of powerful streams of corpuscular and electromagnetic radiation, and is responsible for the structure of the interplanetary magnetic fields. Many phenomena on the Earth are closely related to processes occurring on the Sun. The mechanism of this relationship is not yet fully understood, but it is clear that the solar wind, the corpuscular streams, and short-wave electromagnetic radiation of the Sun play a prominent role in these processes. Before describing the manifestations of Sun-Earth relationships, the elements of solar activity should be discussed.

S. N. Vernov↗