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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 757 records · Page 42
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2012

Next Generation Life Support Project Status

Next Generation Life Support (NGLS) is one of several technology development projects sponsored by NASA s Game Changing Development Program. The NGLS Project is developing life support technologies (including water recovery and space suit life support technologies) needed for humans to live and work productively in space. NGLS has three project tasks: Variable Oxygen Regulator (VOR), Rapid Cycle Amine (RCA) swing bed, and Alternative Water Processor (AWP). The RCA swing bed and VOR tasks are directed at key technology needs for the Portable Life Support System (PLSS) for an Advanced Extravehicular Mobility Unit, with focus on test article development and integrated testing in an Advanced PLSS in cooperation with the Advanced Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) Project. An RCA swing-bed provides integrated carbon dioxide removal and humidity control that can be regenerated in real time during an EVA. The VOR technology will significantly increase the number of pressure settings available to the space suit. Current space suit pressure regulators are limited to only two settings whereas the adjustability of the advanced regulator will be nearly continuous. The AWP effort, based on natural biological processes and membrane-based secondary treatment, will result in the development of a system capable of recycling wastewater from sources expected in future exploration missions, including hygiene and laundry water. This paper will provide a status of technology development activities and future plans.

Barta, Daniel J.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Operational Characteristics Identification and Simulation Model Verification for Incheon International Airport

Incheon International Airport (ICN) is one of the hub airports in East Asia. Airport operations at ICN have been growing more than 5% per year in the past five years. According to the current airport expansion plan, a new passenger terminal will be added and the current cargo ramp will be expanded in 2018. This expansion project will bring 77 new stands without adding a new runway to the airport. Due to such continuous growth in airport operations and future expansion of the ramps, it will be highly likely that airport surface traffic will experience more congestion, and therefore, suffer from efficiency degradation. There is a growing awareness in aviation research community of need for strategic and tactical surface scheduling capabilities for efficient airport surface operations. Specific to ICN airport operations, a need for A-CDM (Airport - Collaborative Decision Making) or S-CDM(Surface - Collaborative Decision Making), and controller decision support tools for efficient air traffic management has arisen since several years ago. In the United States, there has been independent research efforts made by academia, industry, and government research organizations to enhance efficiency and predictability of surface operations at busy airports. Among these research activities, the Spot and Runway Departure Advisor (SARDA) developed and tested by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is a decision support tool to provide tactical advisories to the controllers for efficient surface operations. The effectiveness of SARDA concept, was successfully verified through the human-in-the-loop (HITL) simulations for both spot release and runway operations advisories for ATC Tower controllers of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) in 2010 and 2012, and gate pushback advisories for the ramp controller of Charlotte/Douglas International Airport (CLT) in 2014. The SARDA concept for tactical surface scheduling is further enhanced and is being integrated into NASA's Airspace Technology Demonstration - 2 (ATD-2) project for technology demonstration of Integrated Arrival/Departure/Surface (ADS) operations at CLT. This study is a part of the international research collaboration between KAIA (Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement)/KARI (Korea Aerospace Research Institute) and NASA, which is being conducted to validate the effectiveness of SARDA concept as a controller decision support tool for departure and surface management of ICN. This paper presents the preliminary results of the collaboration effort. It includes investigation of the operational environment of ICN, data analysis for identification of the operational characteristics of the airport, construction and verification of airport simulation model using Surface Operations Simulator and Scheduler (SOSS), NASA's fast-time simulation tool.

scheduling↗
NASA NTRS2016

Funding and Strategic Alignment Guidance for Infusing Small Business Innovation Research Technology Into Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate Projects at Glenn Research Center for 2015

This report is intended to help NASA program and project managers incorporate Glenn Research Center Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR)/(STTR) technologies into NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD) programs and projects. Other Government and commercial project managers can also find this useful. Introduction Incorporating Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)-developed technology into NASA projects is important, especially given the Agency's limited resources for technology development. The SBIR program's original intention was for technologies that had completed Phase II to be ready for integration into NASA programs, however, in many cases there is a gap between Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) 5 and 6 that needs to be closed. After SBIR Phase II projects are completed, the technology is evaluated against various parameters and a TRL rating is assigned. Most programs tend to adopt more mature technologies-at least TRL 6 to reduce the risk to the mission rather than adopt TRLs between 3 and 5 because those technologies are perceived as too risky. The gap between TRLs 5 and 6 is often called the "Valley of Death" (Figure 1), and historically it has been difficult to close because of a lack of funding support from programs. Several papers have already suggested remedies on how to close the gap (Refs. 1 to 4).

infusion; space transportation;life support system↗
NASA NTRS2017

NASA Cryocooler Technology Developments and Goals to Achieve Zero Boil-Off and to Liquefy Cryogenic Propellants for Space Exploration

NASA's interest in human exploration of Mars has driven it to invest in 20K cryocooler technology to achieve zero boil-off of liquid hydrogen and 90K cryocooler technology to achieve zero boil-off liquid oxygen or liquid methane as well as to liquefy oxygen or methane that is produced on the surface of Mars. These investments have demonstrated efficiency progress, mass reductions, and integration insights. A history of the application of cryocooler technology to zero boil-off propellant storage is presented. A trade space on distributed cooling is shown, along with the progress of reverse turbo-Brayton cycle cryocoolers, where the specific power and specific mass have dropped, decreasing the mass and power of these cryocoolers. Additionally, the cryocooler technology advancements of recuperators and compressors are described. Finally, NASA's development ideas with respect to zero boil-off technology are discussed.

zero boil-off↗
NASA NTRS2017

NASA Cryocooler Technology Developments and Goals to Achieve Zero Boil-Off and to Liquefy Cryogenic Propellants for Space Exploration

NASAs interest in human exploration of Mars has driven it to invest in 20K cryocooler technology to achieve zero boil-off of liquid hydrogen and 90K cryocooler technology to achieve zero boil-off liquid oxygen or liquid methane as well as to liquefy oxygen or methane that is produced on the surface of Mars. These investments have demonstrated efficiency progress, mass reductions, and integration insights. A history of the application of cryocooler technology to zero boil-off propellant storage is presented. A trade space on distributed cooling is shown, along with the progress of reverse turbo-Brayton cycle cryocoolers, where the specific power and specific mass have dropped, decreasing the mass and power of these cryocoolers. Additionally, the cryocooler technology advancements of recuperators and compressors are described. Finally, NASAs development ideas with respect to zero boil-off technology are discussed.

reverse turbo-Brayton cycle cryocooler↗
NASA NTRS2023

Science Objectives for Human Exploration of Mars Workshop Report

The Science Objectives for Human Exploration of Mars Workshop was held in Denver, Colorado on May 4–6, 2022. The workshop was co-sponsored by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate and the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate to actively engage the planetary science community to determine what planetary science should be done by human crews on the martian surface and how those science objectives can be achieved. Sessions at the Science Objectives for Human Exploration of Mars Workshop were organized around specific planetary science objectives and mission architecture concepts that were identified during the workshop as the highest priority for human exploration. The intent of this workshop was to synthesize a notional, integrated concept of operations for each scenario to aid in planning and refining the mission architecture for the first human mission to Mars. Results from the Planetary Decadal Survey Report were released xx days before the workshop and were briefed to workshop participants who incorporated the findings in the discussions. With the Artemis missions, humans will return to the Moon using innovative technologies to explore the lunar surface. We will apply what we learn about exploration architecture, surface infrastructure, and science and exploration operations on and around the Moon to conduct successful missions with the first astronauts to Mars. A human mission to Mars will be a landmark achievement and a golden opportunity to make groundbreaking scientific discoveries on Mars. The potential scope of the science activities and impact of achieving those objectives are extraordinary.

Mars↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

iMETRO (Integrated Mobile Evaluation Testbed for Robotics Operations) Facility

Exploration crew time in space is precious – every hour could yield immense scientific discovery. However, overhead tasks such as logistics, maintenance, and assembly greatly limit crew time available for science and exploration. Robotic remote operations capabilities offer a solution, but operating mobile dexterous robots in human centered environments presents many unknowns and challenges, therefore testing is needed. iMETRO is a NASA JSC robotics test facility for terrestrial robotic technology adaptation for space exploration use cases, including logistics, maintenance, and science utilization. iMETRO focuses on Intra-Vehicular task environments, such as surface habitats, pressurized rover cabins, and space station modules (both Gateway & LEO). Its goal is to advance the Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) of remote space robot operations systems with Earth supervision.

Robotics↗
NASA NTRS2006

Mission Control Technologies: A New Way of Designing and Evolving Mission Systems

Current mission operations systems are built as a collection of monolithic software applications. Each application serves the needs of a specific user base associated with a discipline or functional role. Built to accomplish specific tasks, each application embodies specialized functional knowledge and has its own data storage, data models, programmatic interfaces, user interfaces, and customized business logic. In effect, each application creates its own walled-off environment. While individual applications are sometimes reused across multiple missions, it is expensive and time consuming to maintain these systems, and both costly and risky to upgrade them in the light of new requirements or modify them for new purposes. It is even more expensive to achieve new integrated activities across a set of monolithic applications. These problems impact the lifecycle cost (especially design, development, testing, training, maintenance, and integration) of each new mission operations system. They also inhibit system innovation and evolution. This in turn hinders NASA's ability to adopt new operations paradigms, including increasingly automated space systems, such as autonomous rovers, autonomous onboard crew systems, and integrated control of human and robotic missions. Hence, in order to achieve NASA's vision affordably and reliably, we need to consider and mature new ways to build mission control systems that overcome the problems inherent in systems of monolithic applications. The keys to the solution are modularity and interoperability. Modularity will increase extensibility (evolution), reusability, and maintainability. Interoperability will enable composition of larger systems out of smaller parts, and enable the construction of new integrated activities that tie together, at a deep level, the capabilities of many of the components. Modularity and interoperability together contribute to flexibility. The Mission Control Technologies (MCT) Project, a collaboration of multiple NASA Centers, led by NASA Ames Research Center, is building a framework to enable software to be assembled from flexible collections of components and services.

Trimble, Jay↗
NASA NTRS1993

Operator Performance Support System (OPSS)

In the complex and fast reaction world of military operations, present technologies, combined with tactical situations, have flooded the operator with assorted information that he is expected to process instantly. As technologies progress, this flow of data and information have both guided and overwhelmed the operator. However, the technologies that have confounded many operators today can be used to assist him -- thus the Operator Performance Support Team. In this paper we propose an operator support station that incorporates the elements of Video and Image Databases, productivity Software, Interactive Computer Based Training, Hypertext/Hypermedia Databases, Expert Programs, and Human Factors Engineering. The Operator Performance Support System will provide the operator with an integrating on-line information/knowledge system that will guide expert or novice to correct systems operations. Although the OPSS is being developed for the Navy, the performance of the workforce in today's competitive industry is of major concern. The concepts presented in this paper which address ASW systems software design issues are also directly applicable to industry. the OPSS will propose practical applications in how to more closely align the relationships between technical knowledge and equipment operator performance.

Conklin, Marlen Z.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Automatic Inspection of Aircraft Using Open-Architecture Robotic Platforms

Aging aircraft structures and composite materials are requiring rapid inspection of large areas. Removal from the aircraft for NDE at an inspection facility is not economical as compared to field inspection. Detection and characterization of defects are labor intensive, time consuming and when the process is manual the results are subjected to human error. These limitations of NDE created a need for portable, user friendly inspection systems that can rapidly scan large areas of complex structures and locate all the detrimental material conditions. Addressing this need has been an evolutionary process that followed the technology trend, and unique devices were developed to allow rapid field inspection. This development involves multi-disciplinary approaches to integrate NDE, telerobotics, neural networks, advanced materials science, imbedded computing and automated control. These efforts have led to the development of various portable inspection systems and the current trend is towards fully automatic systems that will operate autonomously.

Bar-Cohen, Yoseph↗
NASA NTRS2000

Global Interoperability of High Definition Video Streams Via ACTS and Intelsat

In 1993, a proposal at the Japan.-U.S. Cooperation in Space Program Workshop lead to a subsequent series of satellite communications experiments and demonstrations, under the title of Trans-Pacific High Data Rate Satellite Communications Experiments. The first of which is a joint collaboration between government and industry teams in the United States and Japan that successfully demonstrated distributed high definition video (HDV) post-production on a global scale using a combination of high data rate satellites and terrestrial fiber optic asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) networks. The HDV experiment is the first GIBN experiment to establish a dual-hop broadband satellite link for the transmission of digital HDV over ATM. This paper describes the team's effort in using the NASA Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) at rates up to OC-3 (155 Mbps) between Los Angeles and Honolulu, and using Intelsat at rates up to DS-3 (45 Mbps) between Kapolei and Tokyo, with which HDV source material was transmitted between Sony Pictures High Definition Center (SPHDC) in Los Angeles and Sony Visual Communication Center (VCC) in Shinagawa, Tokyo. The global-scale connection also used terrestrial networks in Japan, the States of Hawaii and California. The 1.2 Gbps digital HDV stream was compressed down to 22.5 Mbps using a proprietary Mitsubishi MPEG-2 codec that was ATM AAL-5 compatible. The codec: employed four-way parallel processing. Improved versions of the codec are now commercially available. The successful post-production activity performed in Tokyo with a HDV clip transmitted from Los Angeles was predicated on the seamless interoperation of all the equipment between the sites, and was an exciting example in deploying a global-scale information infrastructure involving a combination of broadband satellites and terrestrial fiber optic networks. Correlation of atmospheric effects with cell loss, codec drop-out, and picture quality were made. Current efforts in the Trans-Pacific series plan to examine the use of Internet Protocol (IP)-related technologies over such an infrastructure. The use of IP allows the general public to be an integral part of the exciting activities, helps to examine issues in constructing the solar-system internet, and affords an opportunity to tap the research results from the (reliable) multicast and distributed systems communities. The current Trans- Pacific projects, including remote astronomy and digital library (visible human) are briefly described.

Hsu, Eddie↗
NASA NTRS2015

Voxel Advanced Digital-Manufacturing for Earth and Regolith in Space Project

A voxel is a discrete three-dimensional (3D) element of material that is used to construct a larger 3D object. It is the 3D equivalent of a pixel. This project will conceptualize and study various approaches in order to develop a proof of concept 3D printing device that utilizes regolith as the material of the voxels. The goal is to develop a digital printer head capable of placing discrete self-aligning voxels in additive layers in order to fabricate small parts that can be given structural integrity through a post-printing sintering or other binding process. The quicker speeds possible with the voxel 3D printing approach along with the utilization of regolith material as the substrate will advance the use of this technology to applications for In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU), which is key to reducing logistics from Earth to Space, thus making long-duration human exploration missions to other celestial bodies more possible.

Technology Portfolio System↗
NASA NTRS2023

Information Systems Technology for NASA Earth Systems Digital Twins (ESDT)

The term “Digital Twin” was first used in 2002 for product lifecycle management. Since then, Digital Twin concepts have been proposed in various domains until very recently for Earth Science. For NASA’s Advanced Information Systems Technology (AIST) Program, an Earth System Digital Twin (ESDT) is defined as composed of three components: 1. A Digital Replica, i.e., an integrated picture of the past and current states of Earth systems 2. Forecasting capabilities, providing an integrated picture of how Earth systems will evolve in the future from the current state 3. Impact Assessment capabilities, providing an integrated picture of how Earth systems could evolve under different hypothetical what-if scenarios. Developing such a vision will require technologies related to: integrating continuous observations from various disparate sources; developing frameworks that builds on inter-connected models; improving the speed and accuracy of integrated prediction, analysis and visualization capabilities (e.g., by using machine learning); and utilizing causality and uncertainty quantification to improve our understanding of the evolution of Earth Science systems as a function of their interactions with other Earth and human systems. In addition, AIST is also investigating interoperability standards to federate multiple Digital Twins, as well as computational resources required by those systems.

Earth Science Remote Sensing; Information Systems↗
DOE OSTI2024

Generative AI for Power Grid Operations

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has captured into the mainstream, demonstrating capabilities that once belonged solely to the realm of human cognition. From defeating world champions in complex games to generating human-quality text and images, Generative AI has proven its potential to revolutionize countless industries. The electric power grid is no exception. Generative AI's ability to process vast amounts of data rapidly, assist decision support and identify patterns could significantly enhance power grid operations. For example, Generative AI could improve state estimation where measurements are not available or integrate renewable energy sources more efficiently with probabilistic forecasting. The key contributions of this whitepaper are outlined below: (1) Comprehensive overview of Generative AI's applications in power grid operations: It highlights the opportunities in areas such as forecasting, state estimation, and demonstrating the potential for enhancing efficiency, reliability, and resilience. (2) Expanding Generative AI's impact through synergies with emerging technologies: The paper introduce NREL developed eGridGPT and explores how AI orchestration, multi-agent systems, and Digital Twins can collaborate to optimize grid operations, addressing the complexities of a decarbonized and electrified future. (3) In-depth analysis of challenges in implementing Generative AI: This includes considerations like data availability and quality, model validation, certification, and ethical concerns, ensuring responsible AI deployment. (4) Emphasizing human-AI collaboration: The whitepaper underscores the importance of trustworthy, transparency, and explainability in AI systems to promote seamless interaction between human operators and AI, ultimately improving decision-making. (5) Exploring future research and development: It identifies critical areas for further advancement to fully realize Generative AI's potential in power grid operations. This whitepaper serves as a valuable resource for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers looking to harness Generative AI for a more reliable, stable, and cost-effective power grid.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2026

Industrial Adoption of Carbon Nanotubes

Over the past 30 years, carbon nanotubes have emerged as one of the most exciting classes of nanomaterials due to their unique physicochemical properties. While challenges in nanotube synthesis and processing initially hindered their adoption, many of these barriers have since been addressed by research and manufacturing advances, resulting in substantial industrial application of nanotubes across multiple sectors. However, much of this progress is not known in the academic community. This perspective discusses the current landscape and outlook of industrial integration of carbon nanotubes and key factors mediating widespread integration across all major material-related areas of human activity.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

Resource for the Development of Biomedical Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) Final Report

The NIH Research Resource for Biomedical AMS was originally funded at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in 1999 to develop and apply the technology of accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) in broad- based biomedical research. The Resource’s niche is to fill needs for ultra high sensitivity quantitation when isotope-labeled agents are used. The Research Resource’s Technology Research and Development (TR&D) efforts will focus on the needs of the biomedical research community in the context of seven Driving Biomedical Projects (DBPs) that will drive the Center’s technical capabilities through three core TR&Ds. We will expand our present capabilities by developing a fully integrated HPLC AMS to increase our capabilities for metabolic measurements, we will develop methods to understand cellular processes and we will develop and validate methods for the application of AMS in human studies, which is a growing area of demand by collaborators and service users. In addition, we will continue to support new and ongoing collaborative and service projects that require the capabilities of the Resource. The Center will continue to train researchers in the use of the AMS capabilities being developed, and the results of all efforts will be widely disseminated to advance progress in biomedical research. Towards these goals, our specific aims are to:1.) Increase the value and information content of AMS measurements by combining molecular speciation with quantitation of defined macromolecular isolates. Specifically, develop and validate methods for macromolecule labeling, characterization and quantitation.2.) Develop and validate methods and strategies to enable AMS to become more broadly used in human studies. Specifically, demonstrate robust methods for conducting pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamics studies in humans and model systems.3.) Increase the accessibility of AMS to the Biomedical research community and the throughput of AMS through direct coupling to separatory instruments.4.) Provide high throughput 14C BioAMS analysis for collaborative and service clients.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2021

Detection Technologies for Reactive Oxygen Species: Fluorescence and Electrochemical Methods and Their Applications

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been found in plants, mammals, and natural environmental processes. The presence of ROS in mammals has been linked to the development of severe diseases, such as diabetes, cancer, tumors, and several neurodegenerative conditions. The most common ROS involved in human health are superoxide (O 2 •-), hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), and hydroxyl radicals (•OH). Organic and inorganic molecules have been integrated with various methods to detect and monitor ROS for understanding the effect of their presence and concentration on diseases caused by oxidative stress. Among several techniques, fluorescence and electrochemical methods have been recently developed and employed for the detection of ROS. This literature review intends to critically discuss the development of these techniques to date, as well as their application for in vitro and in vivo ROS detection regarding free-radical-related diseases. Moreover, important insights into and further steps for using fluorescence and electrochemical methods in the detection of ROS are presented.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1991

Operational perspectives for performing microgravity science in orbit

The combination of automation and operator-based technologies is discussed with respect to orbital microgravity experiments in order to optimize the performance and results. A list of five design objectives is presented, and each item is examined in terms of on-orbit flight history to identify relevant examples. It is suggested that human factors be considered in hardware design and that in-flight maintenance operations be considered an integral part of a program. The operational design can produce more effective results when it is established for 'failures' and mission success operations. The design must also be approached in terms of both the limitations and advantages of microgravity. The overarching theme of the investigation is that the mix of automation and operator interaction should be optimized by automating routine tasks and using the operator for critical assessments.

Dunbar, Bonnie J.↗