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At least 685 records · Page 38

U.S. Supersonic Commercial Aircraft: Assessing NASA's High Speed Research Program

The legislatively mandated objectives of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) include "the improvement of the usefulness, performance, speed, safety, and efficiency of aeronautical and space vehicles" and "preservation of the United States' preeminent position in aeronautics and space through research and technology development related to associated manufacturing processes." Most of NASA's activities are focused on the space-related aspects of these objectives. However, NASA also conducts important work related to aeronautics. NASA's High Speed Research (HSR) Program is a focused technology development program intended to enable the commercial development of a high speed (i.e., supersonic) civil transport (HSCT). However, the HSR Program will not design or test a commercial airplane (i.e., an HSCT); it is industry's responsibility to use the results of the HSR Program to develop an HSCT. An HSCT would be a second generation aircraft with much better performance than first generation supersonic transports (i.e., the Concorde and the Soviet Tu-144). The HSR Program is a high risk effort: success requires overcoming many challenging technical problems involving the airframe, propulsion system, and integrated aircraft. The ability to overcome all of these problems to produce an affordable HSCT is far from certain. Phase I of the HSR Program was completed in fiscal year 1995; it produced critical information about the ability of an HSCT to satisfy environmental concerns (i-e., noise and engine emissions). Phase II (the final phase according to current plans) is scheduled for completion in 2002. Areas of primary emphasis are propulsion, airframe materials and structures, flight deck systems, aerodynamic performance, and systems integration.

Source record↗

Direct Broadcast Satellite: Radio Program

NASA is committed to providing technology development that leads to the introduction of new commercial applications for communications satellites. The Direct Broadcast Satellite-Radio (DBS-R) Program is a joint effort between The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and The United States Information Agency/Voice of America (USIA/VOA) directed at this objective. The purpose of this program is to define the service and develop the technology for a direct-to-listener satellite sound broadcasting system. The DBS-R Program, as structured by NASA and VOA, is now a three-phase program designed to help the U.S. commercial communications satellite and receiver industry bring about this new communications service. Major efforts are being directed towards frequency planning hardware and service development, service demonstration, and experimentation with new satellite and receiver technology.

Hollansworth, James E.↗

Joint University Program for Air Transportation Research, 1983

The research conducted during 1983 under the NASA/FAA sponsored Joint University Program for Air Transportation Research is summarized. The material was presented at a conference held at the Federal Aviation Administration Technical Center, Altantic City, New Jersey, December 16, 1983. The Joint University Program is a coordinated set of three grants sponsored by NASA Langley Research Center and the Federal Aviation Administration, one each with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ohio University, and Princeton University. Completed works, status reports, and bibliographies are presented for research topics, which include navigation, guidance, control, and display concepts. An overview of the year's activities for each of the universities is also presented.

Morrell, Frederick R.↗

Risk-based area of review estimation in overpressured reservoirs to support injection well storage facility permit requirements for CO 2 storage projects

This paper by the Energy & Environmental Research Center presents a workflow and modeling approach for delineating a risk-based area of review (AOR) to support a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Class VI permit for a carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) storage project. The approach combines semianalytical solutions for estimating formation fluid leakage through a hypothetical leaky wellbore with the results of numerical reservoir simulations to define the AOR. The modeling utilizes 1) semianalytical solutions from the peer-reviewed literature for formation fluid leakage through abandoned wellbores by Raven (1990) and Avci (1994), 2) a FORTRAN model compiled and described in Cihan et al. (2011, 2012) called ASLMA (Analytical Solution for Leakage in Multilayered Aquifers), and 3) a computational framework for estimating a risk-based AOR first proposed by Oldenburg et al. (2014, 2016). Therefore, the approach builds upon well-established research and underlying hydrogeological principles that have been upheld for nearly three decades. Moreover, the ASLMA model has been broadly applied to an array of storage projects. The work presented herein extends these earlier works using a custom wrapper written in the software environment, R (R Core Team, 2020), which was developed to perform multiple runs of the ASLMA model using given ranges for one or more input parameters. In addition, the current work simulates the pressure buildup within the storage reservoir in response to CO 2 injection using a compositional simulator to better accommodate the temporospatial evolution of pressure buildup within the storage reservoir that is more accurately modeled using a heterogeneous geologic model and a compositional simulator that accounts for the multiphase interactions. The workflow is demonstrated using a case study for a 180,000-metric-ton-per-year storage project located in the PCOR (Plains CO 2 Reduction) Partnership region. For the storage project evaluated here, under the scenario where the leaky wellbore is open to a saline aquifer (thief zone) between the overlying seal (cap rock) and the underground sources of drinking water (USDW), the risk-based AOR essentially collapses to the areal extent of the CO 2 plume in the storage reservoir because the pressure buildup in the storage reservoir beyond the CO 2 plume is insufficient to drive formation fluids up a hypothetical leaky wellbore into the USDW. However, even under the conservative assumption that the leaky wellbore is not open to a thief zone, beyond the areal extent of the CO 2 plume, the incremental leakage is less than 400 m 3 over 20 years, which represents ~0.0001% or less of the total volume of water contained within the USDW rock volume. As discussed in the text, the threshold criterion for defining the risk-based AOR is site-specific and should be informed by the results of the sensitivity analysis and available site characterization data. The approach outlined in this paper is designed to be protective of USDWs and, therefore, comply with the Safe Drinking Water Act requirements and provisions for the U.S. EPA Class VI Underground Injection Control (UIC) Program (Class VI Rule) and North Dakota Administrative Code Chapter 43-05-01.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Global Distribution of EMIC Waves and Its Association to Subauroral Proton Precipitation During the 27 May 2017 Storm: Modeling and Multipoint Observations

Recent simulation studies using the RAM-SCB model showed that proton precipitation contributes significantly to the total energy flux deposited into the subauroral ionosphere thereby affecting the magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling. Here, in this study, we use the BATS-R-US + RAM-SCB model to understand the evolution of ElectroMagnetic Ion Cyclotron (EMIC) waves in the inner magnetosphere, their correspondence to the proton precipitation into the subauroral ionosphere, and to assess the performance of the model in reproducing the EMIC wave-particle interactions. During the 27 May 2017 storm, Arase and RBSP-A satellites observed typical signatures of EMIC waves in the inner magnetosphere. Within this interval, Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/MetOp satellites observed significant proton precipitation in the dusk-midnight sector. Simulation results show that H- and He-band EMIC waves are excited within regions of strong temperature anisotropy near the plasmapause. The simulated growth rates of EMIC waves show a similar trend to that of the EMIC wave power observed by the Arase and RBSP-A satellites, suggesting that the model can reproduce the EMIC wave activity qualitatively. The simulated H-band waves in the dusk sector are stronger than He-band waves possibly due to the presence of excess protons in the boundary conditions obtained from the BATS-R-US code. The precipitating proton fluxes reproduced by the simulation with EMIC waves are found to agree reasonably well with the DMSP and NOAA/MetOp satellite observations. It is suggested that EMIC wave scattering of ring current ions can account for proton precipitation observed by the DMSP and MetOp satellites during the 27 May 2017 storm.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Comparison and calibration of dose delivered by 137 Cs and x-ray irradiators in mice

Objective. The Office of Radiological Security, U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration, is implementing a radiological risk reduction program which seeks to minimize or eliminate the use of high activity radiological sources, including 137 Cs, by replacing them with non-radioisotopic technologies, such as x-ray irradiators. The main goal of this paper is to evaluate the equivalence of the dose delivered by gamma- and x-ray irradiators in mice using experimental measurements and Monte Carlo simulations. We also propose a novel biophantom as an in situ dose calibration method. Approach. We irradiated mouse carcasses and 3D-printed mouse biophantoms in a 137 Cs irradiator (Mark I-68) and an x-ray irradiator (X-Rad320) at three voltages (160 kVp, 225 kVp and 320 kVp) and measured the delivered radiation dose. A Geant4-based Monte Carlo model was developed and validated to provide a comprehensive picture of gamma- and x-ray irradiation in mice. Main Results. Our Monte Carlo model predicts a uniform dose delivered in soft-tissue for all the explored irradiation programs and in agreement with the absolute dose measurements. Our Monte Carlo model shows an energy-dependent difference between dose in bone and in soft tissue that decreases as photon energy increases. Dose rate depends on irradiator and photon energy. We observed a deviation of the measured dose from the target value of up to –9% for the Mark I-68, and up to 35% for the X-Rad320. The dose measured in the 3D-printed phantoms are equivalent to that in the carcasses within 6% uncertainty. Significance. Our results suggest that 320 kVp irradiation is a good candidate to substitute 137 Cs irradiation barring a few caveats. There is a significant difference between measured and targeted doses for x-ray irradiation that suggests a strong need for in situ calibration, which can be achieved with 3D-printed mouse biophantoms. A dose correction is necessary for bone doses, which can be provided by a Monte Carlo calculation. Lastly, the biological implications of the differences in dose rates and dose per photon for the different irradiation methods should be carefully assessed for each small-animal irradiation experiment.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

Performance Portable Graphics Processing Unit Acceleration of a High-Order Finite Element Multiphysics Application

The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) will soon have in place the El Capitan exascale supercomputer, based on advanced micro devices (AMD) graphics processing units (GPUs). As part of a multiyear effort under the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASC) program, we have been developing marbl, a next generation, performance portable multiphysics application based on high-order finite elements. In previous years, we successfully ported the Arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE), multimaterial, compressible flow capabilities of marbl to nvidia GPUs as described in Vargas et al. Here, in this paper, we describe our ongoing effort in extending marbl's GPU capabilities with additional physics, including multigroup radiation diffusion and thermonuclear burn for high energy density physics (HEDP) and fusion modeling. We also describe how our portability abstraction approach based on the raja Portability Suite and the mfem finite element discretization library has enabled us to achieve high performance on AMD based GPUs with minimal effort in hardware-specific porting. Throughout this work, we highlight numerical and algorithmic developments that were required to achieve GPU performance.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Los Alamos National Laboratory Release of Cesium-137 Corrective Action Plan

This Corrective Action Plan (CAP) was developed by a team chartered by John Sarrao, Deputy Director for Science, Technology, and Engineering (DDSTE), to review and respond to the findings of the Joint National Nuclear Security Administration/Triad National Security (NNSA/Triad) Investigation Team (JIT) Joint Investigation Report for the “Sealed Source Recovery at the University of Washington Harborview Training and Research Facility Results in Release of Cesium-137 on May 2, 2019,” dated March 30, 2020. On May 2, 2019, International Isotopes, Inc. (INIS), a subcontractor to Triad National Security, LLC, inadvertently breached a sealed cesium-137 source at the University of Washington (UW), Harborview Medical Center Research and Training (HRT) building in downtown Seattle while attempting to recover the source for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Off-Site Source Recovery Program (OSRP). The source breach resulted in contamination of personnel and the HRT building, as well as a release of radioactive material to the environment

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗

National Security Research Center 2021 Strategic Plan

The National Security Research Center (NSRC) is a dynamic organization staffed with an expert, highly trained experts. The NSRC opened its doors in June 2019, making it one of the newest large organizations at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). It supports a broad range of researchers within the LANL Weapons Program, customers across other National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) labs and sites, and partners in the Department of Defense (DoD). The maintenance and growth of the NSRC necessitate strategy and foresight. The NSRC leadership has developed a series of strategic goals through discussions with NSRC staff, customers, LANL leadership, and similar research institutions around the country to guide the NSRC leadership in moving the Center forward over the next five years.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

Field Validation of a Building Operating System Platform

The U.S General Services Administration's (GSA's) Green Proving Ground program, in partnership with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. completed a large pilot study of an Energy Management Information Systems (EMIS) with Automated System Optimization (ASO). Four test bed facilities, each with different building characteristics and systems, were chosen for the implementation of cloud-based EMIS with ASO. Depending on functionality, this tool can be extremely effective in energy management and energy optimization in buildings. The capabilities evaluated in the pilot ranged from energy savings and energy consumption predictions to evaluations of user acceptance, operability, and ease of installation. This report presents the methodology, lessons learned and best practices, and deployment recommendations for the GSA's portfolio of commercial office space, comprising more than 8,500 properties.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE-NOAA Marine Cloud Brightening (Workshop Report 2022)

Marine Cloud Brightening (MCB) refers to the deliberate injection of aerosol particles into marine clouds to increase their reflection of solar radiation to temporarily cool the planet while decarbonization efforts are pursued. A workshop was conducted to assess the state of knowledge in the field of MCB, and to provide a possible research path toward reducing unknowns in key components of the underlying physical science. This three-day workshop took place in April 2022 and was jointly sponsored by Department of Energy (DOE)’s Atmospheric System Research (ASR) program and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The workshop focused on identifying key physical science knowledge gaps necessary to answer the following driving questions: 1) Is MCB feasible over sufficiently large regions and is implementation practicable for long-enough durations to avert the worst impacts of global warming? 2) If practicable, what will be the regional impacts of such MCB interventions? 3) Do we have adequate systems in place to detect and quantify the effects of such interventions? 4) What physical and engineering science challenges must be resolved satisfactorily before we can consider embarking on MCB?

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE-NOAA Marine Cloud Brightening Workshop

Marine Cloud Brightening (MCB) refers to the deliberate injection of aerosol particles into marine clouds to increase their reflection of solar radiation to temporarily cool the planet while decarbonization efforts are pursued. A workshop was conducted to assess the state of knowledge in the field of MCB, and to provide a possible research path toward reducing unknowns in key components of the underlying physical science. This three-day workshop took place in April 2022 and was jointly sponsored by Department of Energy (DOE)’s Atmospheric System Research (ASR) program and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The workshop focused on identifying key physical science knowledge gaps necessary to answer the following driving questions: 1. Is MCB feasible over sufficiently large regions and is implementation practicable for long-enough durations to avert the worst impacts of global warming? 2. If practicable, what will be the regional impacts of such MCB interventions? 3. Do we have adequate systems in place to detect and quantify the effects of such interventions? 4. What physical and engineering science challenges must be resolved satisfactorily before we can consider embarking on MCB?

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Women as a force multiplier for bringing nuclear forensic capabilities to the international stage

In 2009, the U.S. Department of Energy / National Nuclear Security Administration’s (DOE/NNSA) Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation (DNN) Program initiated a new nuclear forensics outreach effort under its Confidence Building Measures Program. Little did they know that the timing could not have been better. This article focuses on the early years (2009-2015) of the NNSA’s international nuclear forensics outreach, specifically the efforts and experiences of the women who helped establish this program, building it from a fledgling bilateral effort into an enduring technical capacity provider engaging with dozens of countries and multilateral organizations. At the onset of the program, nuclear forensics was an emerging priority within the U.S. Government and receiving increased focus from international organizations through high-level diplomatic efforts such as the Nuclear Security Summit and Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism. Additionally, working-level initiatives were gaining traction through the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Nuclear Forensics International Technical Working Group. Over the next six years, a small team comprised of a uniquely large number of women NNSA federal, contract, and national laboratory staff served as key leaders engaging with the international community to strengthen global technical nuclear forensics capacity and best practices. The program continues today under the Nuclear Smuggling Detection and Deterrence Program as Investigation Support. The experiences shared here detail a unique time period when the new technical discipline of nuclear forensics was beginning to mature and gain international traction. The authors have made every effort to remember history correctly and be as inclusive as possible. A wealth of training, guidance, and exercises documentation was developed in the 2009-2015 timeframe, much of which still serves as the foundation for today’s even more extensive program and community of dedicated technical and diplomatic practitioners.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗

A section 110 evaluation of the 10,500-foot blast line civil effects structures and military trenches associated with the apple-2 test, area 1, nevada national security site, nye county, nevada

The U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Field Office (NNSA/NFO) has tasked Desert Research Institute (DRI) with identifying and evaluating additional resources that contribute to the significance of the Apple-2 Historic District as part of a Section 110 effort. Apple-2 was a 1955 atmospheric test in which the Federal Civil Defense Administration (FCDA) conducted an extensive civil effects program named Operation Cue. The objective of Operation Cue was to understand the blast and thermal effects of the test by using a simulated community of residential buildings, industrial structures, utilities, and commercial equipment arranged at various distances from ground zero (GZ). Military operations conducted by the Department of Defense (DoD) as part of the Desert Rock VI exercise were also associated with the Apple-2 test. The Apple-2 Historic District was originally defined in 2000 by Johnson and Edwards as 15 highly visible contributing elements dispersed across the landscape. Since its original recording, DRI has conducted additional archival research and this report details the identification and evaluation results of testing-related material remains at a distance of 10,500 ft from the Apple-2 GZ. Between 2017 and 2020, DRI conducted fieldwork at 10,500 ft from the Apple-2 GZ, revisited previously recorded contributing elements, and identified and evaluated newly recorded resources associated with Operation Cue as well as DoD operations. In total, DRI revisited or newly identified 15 principal resources. Of these, 13 are located within the historic district and contribute to the district’s significance. A set of military trenches and the associated material remains are discontiguous from the district, but also contribute to the district’s significance.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Low Yield Nuclear Monitoring Physics Experiment 1 – Integrated Data Acquisition System Design and Initial Observations

The report documents the design of the Integrated Data AcQuisition (IDAQ) system and observations recorded during the first in a series of underground chemical explosions conducted on the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) in southern Nevada. Experiments are funded as part of Low Yield Nuclear Monitoring (LYNM) research and development within the United States National Nuclear Security Administration NA-22 nuclear non-proliferation program. The series is part of the broader Physical Experiment 1 (PE1) being conducted in and around the P-tunnel facility on the NNSS. Each explosive experiment utilizes several tons of comp-B to generate signals recorded by a broad suite of instrumentation. The IDAQ serves as the backbone for all subsurface instrumentation providing precise time synchronization, remote control, data exfiltration and backup, along with recording several sensing modalities throughout the underground complex that includes ground motion, environmental conditions, and electromagnetic signals.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗

Women as a Force Multiplier for Bringing Nuclear Forensic Capabilities to the International Stage

In 2009, the US Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA’s) Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Program initiated a new nuclear forensics outreach effort under its Confidence Building Measures Program. Little did they know that the timing could not have been better. This article focuses on the early years (2009–2015) of the NNSA’s international nuclear forensics outreach, specifically the efforts and experiences of the women who helped establish this program, building it from a fledgling, bilateral effort into an enduring technical capacity provider engaging with dozens of countries and multilateral organizations. At the onset of the program, nuclear forensics was an emerging priority within the US Government and receiving increased focus from international organizations through high-level diplomatic efforts such as the Nuclear Security Summit and Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism. Additionally, working-level initiatives were gaining traction through the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Nuclear Forensics International Technical Working Group. Over the next 6 years, a small team comprising a uniquely large number of women NNSA federal, contract, and national laboratory staff served as key leaders engaging with the international community to strengthen global technical nuclear forensics capacity and best practices. The program continues today under the Nuclear Smuggling Detection and Deterrence Program as Investigation Support. The experiences shared here detail a unique time period when the new technical discipline of nuclear forensics was beginning to mature and gain international traction. The authors have made every effort to remember history correctly and be as inclusive as possible. A wealth of training, guidance, and exercise documentation was developed in the 2009–2015 time frame, much of which still serves as the foundation for today’s even more extensive program and community of dedicated technical and diplomatic practitioners.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗

Self erecting manned space laboratory

The Langley Research Center of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is currently involved in several research programs on manned orbital space stations. This research effort is focused on seeking out and solving the problems which lie in the way of the eventual development of such a vehicle for use as a space laboratory. In conducting this research activity, it has been necessary to consider many vehicle configuration designs and operational concepts in some detail. The Langley Research Center space station study program has been in progress for several years, and it was consisted of both in-house activities and contracted efforts with industry. In the early Langley Research Center studies, only zero-gravity configurations were considered; however, the requirement for artificial gravity simulation for experimental purposes was soon added. Human factors considerations indicated that large diameter vehicles with slow rotational velocities generally permit the most comfortable living conditions for the crew. The configurations which were studied were required to be compatible with the planned launch vehicles such as Saturn, and manned spacecraft such as Mercury.

Manned Orbital Space Station (MOSS)↗