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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 73 records · Page 4

Earth Observatory Satellite system definition study. Report 5: System design and specifications. Volume 5: Specification for EROS operations control center

The functional, performance, and design requirements for the Operations Control Center (OCC) of the Earth Observatory Satellite (EOS) system are presented. The OCC controls the operations of the EOS satellite to acquire mission data consisting of: (1) thematic mapper data, (2) multispectral scanner data on EOS-A, or High Resolution Pointable Imager data on EOS-B, and (3) data collection system (DCS) data. The various inputs to the OCC are identified. The functional requirements of the OCC are defined. The specific systems and subsystems of the OCC are described and block diagrams are provided.

Source record↗

The effects of clutter-rejection filtering on estimating weather spectrum parameters

The effects of clutter-rejection filtering on estimating the weather parameters from pulse Doppler radar measurement data are investigated. The pulse pair method of estimating the spectrum mean and spectrum width of the weather is emphasized. The loss of sensitivity, a measure of the signal power lost due to filtering, is also considered. A flexible software tool developed to investigate these effects is described. It allows for simulated weather radar data, in which the user specifies an underlying truncated Gaussian spectrum, as well as for externally generated data which may be real or simulated. The filter may be implemented in either the time or the frequency domain. The software tool is validated by comparing unfiltered spectrum mean and width estimates to their true values, and by reproducing previously published results. The effects on the weather parameter estimates using simulated weather-only data are evaluated for five filters: an ideal filter, two infinite impulse response filters, and two finite impulse response filters. Results considering external data, consisting of weather and clutter data, are evaluated on a range cell by range cell basis. Finally, it is shown theoretically and by computer simulation that a linear phase response is not required for a clutter rejection filter preceeding pulse-pair parameter estimation.

Davis, W. T.↗

Acoustic interactions between an altitude test facility and jet engine plumes: Theory and experiments

The overall objective of the described effort was to develop an understanding of the physical mechanisms involved in the flow/acoustic interactions experienced in full-scale altitude engine test facilities. This is done by conducting subscale experiments and through development of a theoretical model. Model cold jet experiments with an axisymmetric convergent nozzle are performed in a test setup that stimulates a supersonic jet exhausting into a cylindrical diffuser. The measured data consist of detailed flow visualization data and acoustic spectra for a free and a ducted plume. It is shown that duct resonance is most likely responsible by theoretical calculations. Theoretical calculations also indicate that the higher discrete tones observed in the measurements are related to the screech phenomena. Limited experiments on the sensitivity of a free 2-D, C-D nozzle to externally imposed sound are also presented. It is shown that a 2-D, C-D nozzle with a cutback is less excitable than a 2-D C-D nozzle with no cutback. At a pressure ratio of 1.5 unsteady separation from the diverging walls of the nozzle is noticed. This separation switches from one wall to the opposite wall thus providing an unsteady deflection of the plume. It is shown that this phenomenon is related to the venting provided by the cutback section.

Ahuja, K. K.↗

Auburn Micrometeoroid Impact Test Data Analysis

This presentation provides an overview and summary of micrometeoroid impact testing performed by Auburn University and an analysis of the test results. The testing at Auburn utilized existing facilities at Auburn to generate hypervelocity impacts into multiple layers of thin Kapton films representative of the NASA concept for the NGST sunshield. The test data consists of impactor particle mass and velocity, and for each film layer, the number and size of holes generated by the initial impact and resulting impact debris. The analysis consists of combining the test data with existing impact effects models and the micrometeoroid environment at the L2 operating location of NGST to predict sunshield degradation.

Perrygo, Charles↗

IceVal DatAssistant: An Interactive, Automated Icing Data Management System

As with any scientific endeavor, the foundation of icing research at the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) is the data acquired during experimental testing. In the case of the GRC Icing Branch, an important part of this data consists of ice tracings taken following tests carried out in the GRC Icing Research Tunnel (IRT), as well as the associated operational and environmental conditions documented during these tests. Over the years, the large number of experimental runs completed has served to emphasize the need for a consistent strategy for managing this data. To address the situation, the Icing Branch has recently elected to implement the IceVal DatAssistant automated data management system. With the release of this system, all publicly available IRT-generated experimental ice shapes with complete and verifiable conditions have now been compiled into one electronically-searchable database. Simulation software results for the equivalent conditions, generated using the latest version of the LEWICE ice shape prediction code, are likewise included and are linked to the corresponding experimental runs. In addition to this comprehensive database, the IceVal system also includes a graphically-oriented database access utility, which provides reliable and easy access to all data contained in the database. In this paper, the issues surrounding historical icing data management practices are discussed, as well as the anticipated benefits to be achieved as a result of migrating to the new system. A detailed description of the software system features and database content is also provided; and, finally, known issues and plans for future work are presented.

Levinson, Laurie H.↗

CyberGAN: Generating High-fidelity Cybersecurity Data With Generative Adversarial Networks

Machine learning for cyber defense offers the promise of detecting adversarial activity against the ground data systems managing critical space assets. A fundamental challenge facing machine learning research in cybersecurity is the lack of high-fidelity, shareable datasets for robust evaluation and testing of machine learning-based solutions. High-fidelity, real-world datasets are necessary for reliable benchmarking of nominal system behavior and malicious activity. Unfortunately, such realistic datasets of both nominal and adversarial activity are rarely shared publicly by data owners due to security and privacy concerns. Besides, the available adversarial data is sparse, which makes training models on malicious activity much harder. This situation has impeded and continues to impede the research and successful adoption of machine learning methods for cyber defense. Researchers have dealt with this problem by generating data within a low-fidelity lab environment, using classified and thus unshareable datasets, or downloading low-fidelity public datasets made available by others. We propose an innovative solution to the problem by employing machine learning methods to generate high-fidelity data. Specifically, we propose the use of Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) to generate high-fidelity data for cybersecurity purposes. GANs have found successful image processing and natural language applications, but have not yet been investigated for cyber data generation. Our proposed approach first involves training the `discriminator' network of the GAN with a sample of real-world data consisting of malicious and nominal samples. We then use the `generator' network to generate new high-fidelity data samples consisting of an appropriate mix of malicious and nominal activity. We demonstrate applications of our architecture by generating high-fidelity cybersecurity data containing both malicious and nominal samples. We thoroughly evaluate the fidelity of our generated data using heuristics and evaluate its usefulness for machine learning applications using three different datasets. Overall, our approach results in high-fidelity, shareable datasets.

Zhang, Yuening↗

The upper mantle beneath the Cascade Range: A comparison with the Gulf of California

Seismograms from 22 earthquakes along the northeast Pacific rim recorded in southern California form the data set for investigation of the upper mantle beneath the Cascade Range-Juan de Fuca region, a transitional area encompassing both very young ocean floor and a continental margin. These data consist of 853 seismograms (6 deg delta 42 deg) which produce 1068 travel times and 40 ray parameter estimates. These data are compared directly to another large suite of records representative of structure beneath the Gulf of California, an active spreading center. The spreading center model, GCA, was used as a starting point in WKBJ synthetic seismogram modeling and perturb GCA until the northeast Pacific data are matched. Application of wave field continuation to these two groups of data provides checks on model's consistency with the data as well as an estimate of the resolvability of differences between the two areas. Differences between the models derived from these two data sets are interpretable in terms of lateral structural variation beneath the two regimes.

Walck, M. C.↗

Machine learning models of intermittent operation of RO wellhead water treatment for salinity reduction and nitrate removal

Machine learning models were developed for intermittent multi-mode operation of a wellhead reverse osmosis water purification and desalination system to predict salt passage, nitrate passage, and permeate flux. The models, based on long short-term memory (LSTM) recurrent neural network (RNN) architecture, included an attention mechanism to increase model performance in proximity of the regulatory limit for nitrate. Training and testing of the models for the Startup, Production, Shutdown and Flushing operational modes were based on operational data (consisting of 22 process variables per data sample) acquired every 2–5 s over a six-month period. The significant sets of model input attributes for the different operational modes were assessed via Spearman ranking correlation, Self-Organizing Map (SOM) analysis and feed forward feature selection (FFFS). Although the variability of nitrate passage, salt passage and permeate flux was significant over the four operational modes, prediction performance for the three outcomes were with R2 and Average Absolute Relative Error (AARE) of 0.78–0.95 and 2.96–6.16 %, respectively. Model updates post membrane elements replacement demonstrated similar levels of prediction accuracy. The study results suggest that there is merit in exploring the utility of multi-mode models for sensor fault detection, data imputation, and for potential use in model-predictive control.

Intermittent RO operation↗

IceVal DatAssistant: An Interactive, Automated Icing Data Management System

As with any scientific endeavor, the foundation of icing research at the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) is the data acquired during experimental testing. In the case of the GRC Icing Branch, an important part of this data consists of ice tracings taken following tests carried out in the GRC Icing Research Tunnel (IRT), as well as the associated operational and environmental conditions during those tests. Over the years, the large number of experimental runs completed has served to emphasize the need for a consistent strategy to manage the resulting data. To address this situation, the Icing Branch has recently elected to implement the IceVal DatAssistant automated data management system. With the release of this system, all publicly available IRT-generated experimental ice shapes with complete and verifiable conditions have now been compiled into one electronically-searchable database; and simulation software results for the equivalent conditions, generated using the latest version of the LEWICE ice shape prediction code, are likewise included and linked to the corresponding experimental runs. In addition to this comprehensive database, the IceVal system also includes a graphically-oriented database access utility, which provides reliable and easy access to all data contained in the database. In this paper, the issues surrounding historical icing data management practices are discussed, as well as the anticipated benefits to be achieved as a result of migrating to the new system. A detailed description of the software system features and database content is also provided; and, finally, known issues and plans for future work are presented.

Levinson, Laurie H.↗

Synthesis of regional crust and upper-mantle structure from seismic and gravity data

Available seismic and ground based gravity data are combined to infer the three dimensional crust and upper mantle structure in selected regions. This synthesis and interpretation proceeds from large-scale average models suitable for early comparison with high-altitude satellite potential field data to more detailed delineation of structural boundaries and other variations that may be significant in natural resource assessment. Seismic and ground based gravity data are the primary focal point, but other relevant information (e.g. magnetic field, heat flow, Landsat imagery, geodetic leveling, and natural resources maps) is used to constrain the structure inferred and to assist in defining structural domains and boundaries. The seismic data consists of regional refraction lines, limited reflection coverage, surface wave dispersion, teleseismic P and S wave delay times, anelastic absorption, and regional seismicity patterns. The gravity data base consists of available point gravity determinations for the areas considered.

Alexander, S. S.↗

Tsunami Early Warning From Global Navigation Satellite System Data Using Convolutional Neural Networks

Abstract We investigate the potential of using Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) observations to directly forecast full tsunami waveforms in real time. We train convolutional neural networks to use less than 9 min of GNSS data to forecast the full tsunami waveforms over 6 hr at select locations, and obtain accurate forecasts on a test data set. Our training and test data consists of synthetic earthquakes and associated GNSS data generated for the Cascadia Subduction Zone using the MudPy software, and corresponding tsunami waveforms in Puget Sound computed using GeoClaw. We use the same suite of synthetic earthquakes and waveforms as in earlier work where tsunami waveforms were used for forecasting, and provide a comparison. We also explore varying the number of GNSS stations, their locations, and their observation durations.

Rim, Donsub↗

Radionuclide Screening Analysis and Transport Parameters for Pahute Mesa Detonations, Nevada National Security Site

A “screening analysis” is implemented at Pahute Mesa (PM), Nevada National Security Site (NNSS), to determine subsets of the 43 radionuclides listed in the radionuclide inventory of Finnegan et al. (2016) that are of relevance or potential relevance to the hydrologic source term (HST) for assessment of radionuclide transport in groundwater. Consideration is added to how levels of contamination are defined and whether any other radionuclides not in the inventory are relevant to the HST. A model is developed to estimate a range of possible source concentrations in groundwater that account for uncertainty in partitioning into melt glass and sorption into surrounding rock of the exchange zone for the 82 PM underground nuclear tests detonated in vertical shafts. The model also accounts for the varied hydrogeochemical settings. Transport parameters needed for the screening model calculations are developed from databases for hydrogeologic units, chemistry, mineralogy, fracture spacing, fracture aperture, fracture openness, matrix porosity, bulk density, saturation, and alteration. Of key importance is consideration of diagenetic zonation of the mineralogy related to hydrothermal alteration. The screening analysis compares model results with available groundwater radiochemistry data. Consistency between screening model results and available data helps validate the model for application to all 43 radionuclides, most of which have no measurements or only non-detect measurements of concentration in groundwater. The screening analysis determines that ten radionuclides – tritium, Sr-90, I-129, Cs-137, U-232, U-233, U-234, U-238, and the total of Pu-239 and Pu-240 are relevant to the HST. Determination of relevance is primarily based on data and/or model results indicating source concentration exceeding a maximum contaminant level (MCL) out to 100 years since the time of detonation. U-238 is relevant to assessment of contamination relative to MCLs for uranium and gross alpha particle activity. Five other radionuclides – C-14, Cl-36, Tc-99, Np-237, and Pu-238 – are determined potentially relevant to the HST based on a 0.1 MCL threshold. The screening analysis recommends additional attention to the natural daughter radionuclides of the uranium series (U-238) and thorium series (Th-232) decay chains, particularly Ra-226 and Ra-228, that were not included the inventory.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗

Statistical fatigue of unnotched composite laminates

A general analytical, phenomenological model is developed for characterizing fatigue damage accumulation in unnotched composite laminates, and experimental results are used to evaluate the model. The fatigue model, which is developed for various types of cyclic loadings, is based on the assumption that the residual strength reduction is a monotonically decreasing function of the fatigue life. Parameters are determined from baseline test data consisting of one set of residual strength data, one set of static strength data, and one set of constant amplitude fatigue life data. Once the parameters are determined, the model is able to predict: (1) the statistical distribution of the fatigue life, and the residual strength under constant and variable amplitude loads, and (2) the effect of periodic proof tests, without any additional experimental data. Experimental test results show that predictions made from the present model agree quite well with the experimental results. The model is also applicable to fatigue of bonded or bolted composite joints.

Yang, J. N.↗

Time Domain Tool Validation Using ARES I-X Flight Data

The ARES I-X vehicle was launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) on October 28, 2009 at approximately 11:30 EDT. ARES I-X was the first test flight for NASA s ARES I launch vehicle, and it was the first non-Shuttle launch vehicle designed and flown by NASA since Saturn. The ARES I-X had a 4-segment solid rocket booster (SRB) first stage and a dummy upper stage (US) to emulate the properties of the ARES I US. During ARES I-X pre-flight modeling and analysis, six (6) independent time domain simulation tools were developed and cross validated. Each tool represents an independent implementation of a common set of models and parameters in a different simulation framework and architecture. Post flight data and reconstructed models provide the means to validate a subset of the simulations against actual flight data and to assess the accuracy of pre-flight dispersion analysis. Post flight data consists of telemetered Operational Flight Instrumentation (OFI) data primarily focused on flight computer outputs and sensor measurements as well as Best Estimated Trajectory (BET) data that estimates vehicle state information from all available measurement sources. While pre-flight models were found to provide a reasonable prediction of the vehicle flight, reconstructed models were generated to better represent and simulate the ARES I-X flight. Post flight reconstructed models include: SRB propulsion model, thrust vector bias models, mass properties, base aerodynamics, and Meteorological Estimated Trajectory (wind and atmospheric data). The result of the effort is a set of independently developed, high fidelity, time-domain simulation tools that have been cross validated and validated against flight data. This paper presents the process and results of high fidelity aerospace modeling, simulation, analysis and tool validation in the time domain.

Hough, Steven↗

Space‐Based Observations for Understanding Changes in the Arctic‐Boreal Zone

A recent, interdisciplinary survey of more than 40 international remote sensing experts reviewed the strengths and limitations of current space-based observational capabilities of the Arctic Boreal Zone (ABZ) and made recommendations for improving upon these current capabilities (Duncan et al., 2019). General recommendations focused on the complementarity of sub-orbital and satellite observations, the need for measurement continuity, and the importance of stakeholder engagement. The development of a comprehensive and robust sub-orbital portion of an ABZ observing network can act to fill some temporal gaps in satellite coverage, provide detail unobtainable from space, and is necessary for validation and interpretation of satellite data. A priority across all types of observations is the continuation, enhancement, and/or creation of long-term, multi-satellite, climate-quality, and self-consistent data records of ABZ components, such as surface temperature, energy fluxes, or sea ice extent and volume, for improved determination of trends. Long-term passive satellite observations currently represent the only feasible option for monitoring change of the ABZ at broad spatial scales required to address pressing science challenges. Active sensors are particularly attractive for the ABZ as they do not depend on reflected sunlight and so join passive microwave sensors in having a significant advantage over passive visible and infrared sensors in the low-light conditions that are typical of the ABZ for several months of the year. Application of consistent retrieval algorithms to multiple data sets, as well as careful characterization of satellite instruments and their temporal evolution, helps to ensure data quality and consistency. Among the needs ranked as “Most Important” are those associated with gaining a process-based understanding of the ABZ carbon cycle and hydrologic cycle (which includes sea level rise) as they have the potential to affect a large portion of Earth’s population.

Remote sensing↗

PV backsheets survey protocol: A framework for geo-spatial field surveys for bulk material characterization and reliability analysis applied across 41 PV systems

As widespread adoption of photovoltaic (PV) technologies continues, understanding the lifetime of modules is paramount to the viability of the industry as an environmentally conscious alternative to traditional energy generation. Although power degradation can affect the total energy production of a module over its lifetime, module safety failures necessitate the removal of a module leading to a loss of not only the particular asset, but the earning potential of the device. Therefore, it is critical to ensure that the components that provide essential safety functions for PV module operate for their entire rated lifetime. PV backsheets provide necessary electrical insulation to the completed device and failure of this component is cause for a immediate removal of the module. Degradation of the PV module backsheet has led to module safety failures in large-scale installations, costing millions of dollars in damages and lost potential revenue. The spatio-temporal degradation of fielded PV modules is important to study in order to identify which modules within installations are experiencing the greatest exposure conditions and in turn have the highest chance of failure. This paper describes a comprehensive field survey protocol developed for monitoring PV module backsheet performance using solely non-destructive methods in commercial PV fields. The protocol establishes a field naming convention, sampling method, data handling requirements, and measurement procedures. By ensuring consistent data collection practices, the field survey protocol enables research groups to obtain data of uniform quality on backsheet performance over multiple years and locations. In this study, the developed protocol was implemented at forty-one PV sites. Eight different types of airside layer backsheet materials including poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), acrylic PVDF, poly(tetrafluoroethylene-co-hexafluoropropylene-co-vinylidene fluoride) (THV), poly(vinyl fluoride) (PVF), poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), fluoroethylene vinyl ether (FEVE), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), and glass were identified using attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy. The field survey results show that the spatial distribution of degradation indicators are non-uniform within a particular module, individual site, and across site locations. The degradation of PV modules increased in severity for modules mounted at the edge of rows (across a field) and near the junction box (within a module). This study demonstrates the sensitivity of material performance to exposure length across different materials and climates.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Search for topological defect dark matter with a global network of optical magnetometers

Ultralight bosons such as axion-like particles are viable candidates for dark matter. They can form stable, macroscopic field configurations in the form of topological defects that could concentrate the dark matter density into many distinct, compact spatial regions that are small compared with the Galaxy but much larger than the Earth. Here we report the results of the search for transient signals from the domain walls of axion-like particles by using the global network of optical magnetometers for exotic (GNOME) physics searches. We search the data, consisting of correlated measurements from optical atomic magnetometers located in laboratories all over the world, for patterns of signals propagating through the network consistent with domain walls. The analysis of these data from a continuous month-long operation of GNOME finds no statistically significant signals, thus placing experimental constraints on such dark matter scenarios.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Experimental Study for Validation of Resilient Response of Controls - Thrust 2 Controls Assessment

The focus of this project is to design, execute, and analyze experiments around resilience response. As part of the Resilience through Data-Driven, Intelligently Designed Control (RD2C) initiative, this project builds upon the previously designed control algorithms and experiments. It designs detailed uses cases to test RD2C-developed mitigation schemes in specific realistic scenarios, analyze and save the measurement data sets. Having a high-confidence and consistent data set is crucial for identifying relevant metrics to describe the system resilience in specific real-life-like scenarios of power grid operation.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗