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At least 703 records · Page 39

Standard Measures During Spaceflight

The key goal of the Spaceflight Standard Measures project is to ensure that a set of measures, representing the Human Research Program’s key risks and acquired with minimal impact on time and resources, is consistently captured from crewmembers through the end of the International Space Station (ISS) Program. Data collected under the Spaceflight Standard Measures project include assessments of sleep/wake cycles, cognition, immune status and function, general blood and urine chemistry (urine is collected only before flight and after landing), microbiome composition (gastrointestinal tract, saliva, and body surface), cardiovascular structure and function (carotid intima-media thickness, orthostatic responses), sensorimotor function, and team processes. Data is collected once or twice before the flight (180 and 90 days before launch), twice during the 6-month missions (fight day 30 and 30 days before return to Earth) with the exception of actigraphy, which is recorded continuously during the mission, and during two-week periods before and after the mission. In this presentation, we will review the data collected to date on twelve ISS crew members. These data are placed in the NASA Life Sciences Data Archive and are available for occupational surveillance (using non-identifiable data) Institutional Review Board-approved data sharing requests, and retrospective data requests. This data repository enables high-level monitoring of the effectiveness of countermeasures and meaningful interpretation of health and performance outcomes for various mission durations. The knowledge gained from this project informs and supports future hypothesis-driven research that will enable the success of planetary missions.

G R Clement↗

Standard Measures During Spaceflight

The goal of the Spaceflight Standard Measures project is to ensure that a set of measures, representing the Human Research Program’s key risks and acquired with minimal impact on time and resources, is consistently captured from crewmembers through the end of the International Space Station (ISS) Program. Data collected under the Spaceflight Standard Measures project include assessments of sleep/wake cycles, cognition, immune status and function, general blood and urine chemistry (urine is collected only before flight and after landing), microbiome composition (gastrointestinal tract, saliva, and body surface), cardiovascular structure and function (carotid intima-media thickness, orthostatic responses), sensorimotor function, sleep quality, and team processes. Data is collected once or twice before the flight (180 and 90 days before launch), twice during the 6-month missions (flight day 30 and 30 days before return to Earth) with the exception of actigraphy, which is recorded during two-week periods before, during, and after the mission. In this presentation, we will review the data collected to date on 31 ISS crewmembers. These data are placed in the NASA Life Sciences Portal (NLSP) and are available for occupational surveillance (using non-identifiable data), Institutional Review Board-approved data sharing requests, and retrospective data requests. This data repository enables high-level monitoring of the effectiveness of countermeasures and meaningful interpretation of health and performance outcomes for various mission durations. The knowledge gained from this project informs and supports future hypothesis-driven research that will enable the success of planetary missions.

G R Clement↗

Micrometeoroid and Orbital Debris (MMOD) Shield Ballistic Limit Analysis Program

This software implements penetration limit equations for common micrometeoroid and orbital debris (MMOD) shield configurations, windows, and thermal protection systems. Allowable MMOD risk is formulated in terms of the probability of penetration (PNP) of the spacecraft pressure hull. For calculating the risk, spacecraft geometry models, mission profiles, debris environment models, and penetration limit equations for installed shielding configurations are required. Risk assessment software such as NASA's BUMPERII is used to calculate mission PNP; however, they are unsuitable for use in shield design and preliminary analysis studies. The software defines a single equation for the design and performance evaluation of common MMOD shielding configurations, windows, and thermal protection systems, along with a description of their validity range and guidelines for their application. Recommendations are based on preliminary reviews of fundamental assumptions, and accuracy in predicting experimental impact test results. The software is programmed in Visual Basic for Applications for installation as a simple add-in for Microsoft Excel. The user is directed to a graphical user interface (GUI) that requires user inputs and provides solutions directly in Microsoft Excel workbooks.

Ryan, Shannon↗

Acoustic Detection Of Loose Particles In Pressure Sensors

Particle-impact-noise-detector (PIND) apparatus used in conjunction with computer program analyzing output of apparatus to detect extraneous particles trapped in pressure sensors. PIND tester essentially shaker equipped with microphone measuring noise in pressure sensor or other object being shaken. Shaker applies controlled vibration. Output of microphone recorded and expressed in terms of voltage, yielding history of noise subsequently processed by computer program. Data taken at sampling rate sufficiently high to enable identification of all impacts of particles on sensor diaphragm and on inner surfaces of sensor cavities.

Kwok, Lloyd C.↗

Making Human Spaceflight as Safe as Possible

We articulated the safety hierarchy a little over two years ago, as part of our quest to be the nation s leader in safety and occupational health, and in the safety of the products and services we provide. The safety hierarchy stresses that we are all accountable for assuring that our programs, projects, and operations do not impact safety or health for the public, astronauts and pilots, employees on the ground, and high-value equipment and property. When people are thinking about doing things safely, they re also thinking about doing things right. And for the past couple of years, we ve had some pretty good results. In the time since the failures of the Mars 98 missions that occurred in late 1999, every NASA spacecraft launch has met the success objectives, and every Space Shuttle mission has safely and successfully met all mission objectives. Now I can t say that NASA s safety program is solely responsible for these achievements, but, as we like to say, "mission success starts with safety." In the future, looking forward, we will continue to make spaceflight even safer. That is NASA s vision. That is NASA s duty to both those who will travel into space and the American people who will make the journey possible.

Gregory, Frederick D.↗

Aircraft Engine Particle Emissions during the 2023 NASA-Boeing ecoDemonstrator Field Measurements

Aerosol aircraft emissions are responsible for the formation of contrail cirrus clouds which can alter Earth’s radiation and water budgets exerting substantial effects on climate. However, at present, the impact of aviation on climate forcing remaining uncertain. Recently, NASA has collaborated with Boeing ecoDemonstrator program to improve the understanding of air traffic emissions and the impact of different jet fuel compositions on contrail microphysics. As part of the program, in October 2023 the NASA DC-8 aircraft was used to sample engine exhausts emitted by a Boeing ecoDemonstrator Explorer 737-10 burning sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and conventional jet fuel over the north western US. In this study, we present unique observations of aerosols properties relevant for contrail-cirrus cloud formation collected during the 2023 ecoDemonstrator research flights and we will discuss the variations of key microphysical contrail parameters in function of different jet fuel compositions and engine conditions.

Francesca Gallo↗

Revisiting the West Clearwater Lake Impact Structure, Canada

The West and East Clearwater Lake impact structures are two of the most distinctive and recognizable impact structures on Earth. Known regionally as the "Clearwater Lake Complex", these structures are located in northern Quebec, Canada (56 deg 10 N, 74 deg 20 W) approximately 125 km east of Hudson Bay. The currently accepted diameters are 36 km and 26 km for the West and East structures, respectively. Long thought to represent a rare example of a double impact, recent age dating has called this into question with ages of approximately 286 Ma and approximately 460-470 Ma being proposed for the West and East structures, respectively. Relatively little is known about the East Clearwater Lake structure. There is no surface exposure and what information there is comes from geophysics and two drill cores obtained in the 1960s. In contrast, the West Clearwater Lake structure is relatively well preserved with large ring of islands in the approximately 30 km diameter lake. Much of the work done on West Clearwater stems from field investigations carried out in 1977 driven by the Apollo program, with a focus on the impact melt rocks and other impactites, which are well exposed on the ring of islands. To our knowledge, the Clearwater Lake impact structures have not been the focus of detailed impact geology field investigations since the 1977 expedition and the only geological map that exists is from the 1960s and is at the reconnaissance level. Our knowledge of impact cratering processes have increased substantially since this time, as have the analytical techniques available for samples. This provided the motivation for a joint Canadian-US-UK expedition to the West Clearwater Lake impact structure in August and September 2015, under the auspices of the FINESSE (Field Investigations to Enable Solar System Science and Exploration) project, part of NASA's Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI). We focus here on the impactites of the West Clearwater Lake impact structure. Other ongoing studies, also presented at this conference, focus on central uplift formation, the impact-generated hydrothermal system, xxxx and using WCIS as an analog test site for crew studies of sampling protocols].

West Clearwater Lake↗

Best Practices to Support EMIS Operation at Federal Facilities

The Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) promotes best practices for impactful utilization of Energy Management Information Systems (EMIS) at federal facilities, as detailed in the EMIS Technical Resources Report. A series of best practices documents was created by FEMP to help accelerate the market adoption and use of EMIS in the federal sector. This document highlights best practices for supporting EMIS use at federal facilities.

EMIS↗

Feasibility of combining linear theory and impact theory methods for the analysis and design of high speed configurations

The aerodynamic influence coefficients calculated using an existing linear theory program were used to modify the pressures calculated using impact theory. Application of the combined approach to several wing-alone configurations shows that the combined approach gives improved predictions of the local pressure and loadings over either linear theory alone or impact theory alone. The approach not only removes most of the short-comings of the individual methods, as applied in the Mach 4 to 8 range, but also provides the basis for an inverse design procedure applicable to high speed configurations.

Brooke, D.↗

Geometric programming design of spacecraft protective structures to defeat earth-orbital space debris

A unique methodology providing global optimization of spacecraft protective structures is presented. The Geometric Programming optimization technique, which has a long history of application to structural design problems, is employed to minimize spacecraft weight of protective structural systems exposed to meteoroid and space debris hypervelocity impacts. The space debris and meteoroid environment are defined followed by the formulation of the general weight objective function. The Wilkinson, Burch, and Nysmith hypervelocity impact predictor models are then used in example cases to display Geometric Programming capabilities. Results show that global nonlinear design optimization can be performed for hypervelocity impact models that follow the Geometric Programming form.

Mog, Robert A.↗

Integrated Ground Operations Demonstration for Responsive Space Access

The NASA Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) program has a three year project to develop and demonstrate technologies to fundamentally change the way ground servicing activities support future access to space architectures. The AES Integrated Ground Operation Demonstration Units (IGODU) project has created two test beds for investigating and maturing two key elements of spaceport processing activities. The first is the GODU Integrated Refrigeration and Storage test bed that is demonstrating zero-loss storage of liquid hydrogen propellants and studying the storage and transfer of densified propellants. The second activity is the GODU Autonomous Control test bed that is implementing health management technologies and autonomous control capability of the propellant loading process to reduce the standing army of experts historically needed to ensure safe propellant loading operations. This presentation will give an overview of the activities at the Kennedy Space Center on these two test beds and its potential impact on future access to space programs.

ground operational support system↗

Aircraft configuration optimization including optimized flight profiles

The Flight Optimization System (FLOPS) is an aircraft configuration optimization program developed for use in conceptual design of new aircraft and in the assessment of the impact of advanced technology. The modular makeup of the program is illustrated. It contains modules for preliminary weights estimation, preliminary aerodynamics, detailed mission performance, takeoff and landing, and execution control. An optimization module is used to drive the overall design and in defining optimized profiles in the mission performance. Propulsion data, usually received from engine manufacturers, are used in both the mission performance and the takeoff and landing analyses. Although executed as a single in-core program, the modules are stored separately so that the user may select the appropriate modules (e.g., fighter weights versus transport weights) or leave out modules that are not needed.

Mccullers, L. A.↗

Space Radiation and Central Nervous System Impacts: NASA Standards and Evidence

It is well understood that large radiation localized doses to the brain cause clinically significant impacts to the central nervous system in human populations. However, the effects in adults exposed to lower doses remain unclear due to lack of data in relevant human cohorts. The impact of exposure to high-energy particles is even less understood. NASA’s Human Research Program relies heavily on model systems to characterize the impacts of the space radiation environment on the human brain and how potential changes may effect mission success and long term health and well-being. Animal, cellular, and molecular experiments implicate multiple – and possibly related – mechanisms that mediate impacts to the central nervous system in model systems including, but not limited to inflammation, immune responses, oxidative stress, metabolism, myelination, molecule transport, electrophysiology, and a variety of “omic” changes. While animal studies demonstrate potential changes across a number of cognitive and behavioral domains the direct applicability to the astronaut population remains unclear. Furthermore data access experiments and model systems can be inconsistent and dependent on multiple experimental variables indicating a clear need for robust validation. To minimize potential impacts to astronauts NASA limits dose to the CNS based on a combination of terrestrial epidemiology informed by experimental evidence in model systems. To date no recommendations have been provided by the National Committee on Radiation Protection and Measurements. This presentation will provide an overview of NASA’s current dose limits for CNS exposure to space radiation as well as highlights of the current state of evidence and ongoing research.

S Robin Elgart↗

Data from: No‐till establishment improves the climate benefit of bioenergy crops on marginal grasslands

Expanding biofuel production is expected to accelerate the conversion of unmanaged marginal lands to meet biomass feedstock needs. Greenhouse gas production during conversion jeopardizes ensuing climate benefits, but most research to date has focused only on conversion to annual crops and only following tillage. Here we report the global warming impact of converting USDA Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) grasslands to three types of bioenergy crops using no-till (NT) versus conventional tillage (CT). In three CRP fields planted to continuous corn, switchgrass, or restored prairie we established replicated NT and CT plots. For the two years following an initial soybean year in all fields, we found that, on average, NT conversion reduced nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions by 50% and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 20% compared to CT conversion. Differences were higher in year 1 than in year 2 in the continuous corn field, and in the two perennial systems the differences disappeared after year 1. In all fields net CO2 emissions (as measured by eddy covariance) were positive for the first two years following CT establishment, but following NT establishment net CO2 emissions were close to zero or negative, indicating net C sequestration. Overall, NT improved the global warming impact of biofuel crop establishment following CRP conversion by over 20-fold compared to CT (-6.01 Mg CO2e ha-1 yr-1 for NT vs. -0.25 Mg CO2e ha-1 yr-1 for CT, on average). We also found that IPCC estimates of N2O emissions (as measured by static chambers) greatly underestimated actual emissions for converted fields regardless of tillage. Policies should encourage adoption of NT for converting marginal grasslands to perennial bioenergy crops in order to reduce carbon debt and maximize climate benefits.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

No–till establishment improves the climate benefit of bioenergy crops on marginal grasslands

Expanding biofuel production is expected to accelerate the conversion of unmanaged marginal lands to meet biomass feedstock needs. Greenhouse gas production during conversion jeopardizes the ensuing climate benefits, but most research to date has focused only on conversion to annual crops and only following tillage. Here we report the global warming impact of converting USDA Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) grasslands to three types of bioenergy crops using no–till (NT) vs. conventional tillage (CT). We established replicated NT and CT plots in three CRP fields planted to continuous corn, switchgrass, or restored prairie. For the 2 yr following an initial soybean year in all fields, we found that, on average, NT conversion reduced nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions by 50% and CO 2 emissions by 20% compared with CT conversion. Differences were higher in Year 1 than in Year 2 in the continuous corn field, and in the two perennial systems the differences disappeared after Year 1. In all fields net CO 2 emissions (as measured by eddy covariance) were positive for the first 2 yr following CT establishment, but following NT establishment net CO 2 emissions were close to zero or negative, indicating net C sequestration. Overall, NT improved the global warming impact of biofuel crop establishment following CRP conversion by over 20–fold compared with CT (–6.01 Mg CO 2 e ha –1 yr –1 for NT vs. –0.25 Mg CO 2 e ha –1 yr –1 for CT, on average). We also found that Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates of N 2 O emissions (as measured by static chambers) greatly underestimated actual emissions for converted fields regardless of tillage. Policies should encourage adoption of NT for converting marginal grasslands to perennial bioenergy crops to reduce C debt and maximize climate benefits.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Southern Impact Testing Alliance (SITA)

Efforts to form this Alliance began in 2008 to showcase the impact testing capabilities within the southern United States. Impact testing customers can utilize SITA partner capabilities to provide supporting data during all program phases-materials/component/ flight hardware design, development, and qualification. This approach would allow programs to reduce risk by providing low cost testing during early development to flush out possible problems before moving on to larger scale1 higher cost testing. Various SITA partners would participate in impact testing depending on program phase-materials characterization, component/subsystem characterization, full-scale system testing for qualification. SITA partners would collaborate with the customer to develop an integrated test approach during early program phases. Modeling and analysis validation can start with small-scale testing to ensure a level of confidence for the next step large or full-scale conclusive test shots. Impact Testing Facility (ITF) was established and began its research in spacecraft debris shielding in the early 1960's and played a malor role in the International Space Station debris shield development. As a result of return to flight testing after the loss of STS-107 (Columbia) MSFC ITF realized the need to expand their capabilities beyond meteoroid and space debris impact testing. MSFC partnered with the Department of Defense and academic institutions as collaborative efforts to gain and share knowledge that would benefit the Space Agency as well as the DoD. MSFC ITF current capabilities include: Hypervelocity impact testing, ballistic impact testing, and environmental impact testing.

Hubbs, Whitney↗

Shallow drilling in the 'Bunte Breccia' impact deposits, Ries Crater, Germany

The paper is a field report concerning a shallow core drilling program in the multicolored breccia deposits which constitute 90% of all the impact breccias beyond the outer rim of the Ries, a 26-km-diam impact crater. About 480 m of core was recovered from 11 locations with radial ranges between 16.5 and 35 km from the crater center. The cores consist of breccias, whose components are derived from the crater itself and the terrain outside the crater. The local components dominate the breccias at the larger ranges, and possibly constitute more than 90% of the breccia volume at the greatest distances investigated. The great depth of the Bunte Breccia (84 m at 27 km range), together with the preponderance of local components, necessitates an emplacement mechanism that ploughed up and mixed the crater surroundings to depths greater than 50 m.

Hoerz, F.↗