Communicating with Light: A New Dawn in the Information Age
Oral presentation to the HKN student leadership summit on space communications technology development and laser communications.
laser communications↗
SEARCH · Engineering Papers
Results for “Summit”
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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Keck Interferometer status and plans
Keck Interferometer is a NASA-funded project to combine the two 10 m Keck telescopes for high sensitivity near-infrared fringe visibility measurements, nulling interferometry at 10 µm to measure the quantity of exozodiacal emission around nearby stars, and differential-phase measurements to detect "hot-Jupiters" by their direct emission. Recent activity has included formal visibility mode commissioning, as well as science observations, and we briefly review some of the significant technical aspects and updates to the system. We have also completed laboratory development of the nuller. The nuller uses two modified Mach-Zehnder input nullers, a Michelson cross combiner, and a 10 µm array camera to produce background-limited null measurements. To provide required temporal stability for the nuller, the system incorporates end-to-end laser metrology with phase referencing from two 2.2 µm fringe trackers. The nuller recently completed its pre-ship review and is being installed on the summit. After nuller integration and test, the differential phase mode will be deployed, which uses a 2-5 µm fringe detector in combination with a precision path length modulator and a vacuum delay line for dispersion control.
Akeson, Rachel L.↗
Evolving the Design of a Volcanic Monitoring UAS over Several Flight Campaigns
A multi-organization effort has been underway for several years to develop and validate the use of small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for volcanic monitoring. The overall goal is to develop the aircraft, supporting systems, concept of operations, scientific payloads and regulatory framework to allow regular and reliable sampling in challenging and dynamic atmospheric conditions around volcanic summits. Central to this effort has been the development and refinement of the “S2” aircraft, which contains a tightly integrated system consisting of the airframe, avionics, and payload sensors specifically designed to measure atmospheric properties around volcanic plumes. The aircraft has a 3-meter wingspan and can carry a 2.3 kg payload for up to 100 km while operating at altitudes up to 6,000 m. To date, the system has been flown in Costa Rica to sample CO2 gases around Turrialba Volcano (Costa Rica), in Hawaii to assess the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea with several different sensors, and is currently planned for deployment in Alaska for gas sampling and photogrammetry at Makushin Volcano. Before and after each deployment, all aspects of the system and concept of operations (CONOPS) were extensively examined and modified to improve the safety and performance. This has culminated in the upcoming deployment which will fly up to 30 km - beyond visual line of sight for the first time. This expansion of the operational range through additional safety features and redundancy will pave the way for monitoring and accessing areas that were previously very difficult to reach from both a technical and regulatory perspective. These developments can be extended to a variety of missions requiring UAS for atmospheric sampling, specifically ones that would benefit from beyond visual line of sight operations or flights into harsh or difficult atmospheric environments.
UAS↗
Computational Investigation of the Effect of Chemistry on Mars Retropropulsion Environments using a Massively Parallel GPU Approach
In this work, we investigate the effects of chemistry on a human-scale Mars lander concept using scale-resolving computational fluid dynamics (CFD) with finite-rate chemistry and a graphics processing unit (GPU)-enabled implementation of the NASA FUN3D flow solver, enabling run-times of a few days for the simulations presented. Simulations are carried out on Summit at Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility using thousands of GPUs. Retropropulsion ground tests require significant compromises on physical scale, instrumentation, configuration, and environments. Ground tests of retropropulsion configurations thus far have neglected effects of chemistry due to physical constraints of wind tunnel models and facilities; most experiments use inert simulant gases at low temperatures. As such, a strong reliance on high-fidelity computational analyses such as those presented in this work is required to expand the knowledge of retropropulsion aerodynamics. An overview of the GPU approach will be presented. Results are compared to a previous scaled perfect gas (air) campaign.
retropropulsion↗
Building a Sustainable Human Presence on the Moon and Mars
Presentation to the New Horizons Summit regarding Artemis, the Moon to Mars Planetary Autonomous Construction Technology (MMPACT), In-Space Manufacturing (ISM), and Outfitting.
Sustainable↗
Are the Surface Textures of Pluto’s Wright Mons and its Surroundings Exogenic?
The Wright Mons region of Pluto remains one of the most intriguing and enigmatic landscapes on the planet. Wright Mons is a large mountain ~150 km across that rises ~4 km above its surroundings, sports a central depression that is ~45 km across and ~4 km deep, and was tentatively assigned a cryovolcanic origin immediately following the New Horizons encounter in 2015 (Fig. 1) [1,2,3]. But the absence of obvious lateral flow features and the lack of unambiguously diagnostic characteristics of calderas or vents within the central depression have challenged the development of specific formation hypotheses. The pervasive cover of pillow-like hummocks, typically 7-20 km across, on the flanks and surroundings of Wright Mons have naturally figured into various working explanations for the formation of this region (Fig. 2). Individual hummocks themselves are covered by a km-scale blocky (or coalescing short ridge) texture. The similarity in size and shape of the convex hummocks and the style of their organization, such as forming avaguely concentric fabric near the summit, potentially lend themselves to an endogenic origin.
Jeffrey M Moore↗
Importance of Sulfur for Phosphorus Mobility on the Martian Surface
Sulfur and phosphorus were mobile on the martian surface, and we present evidence that sulfate was likely a control on phosphate mobility. Mobility of the two elements on the martian surface is crucial for the habitability of Mars because their availability for biochemical reactions and biological structures is a major constraint on life. In the sedimentary rocks of Gale crater, the rover Curiosity has discovered evidence of mobile S and P with the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer (APXS). Sulfur-rich fluids are evident in ubiquitous Ca-sulfate veins that crosscut the bedrock. Compelling evidence of P mobility is in nodules, veins, crusts, and haloes with P2O5 enrichments (1.5-7.5 wt%) relative to the median bedrock (0.9-1.2 wt%) and average basaltic crust (~0.9 wt%). We have investigated phosphorus mobility in Hawaiian analogues, where the primary P2O5 (0.2-2.1 wt%) is contained in Ca-apatite. Four relevant processes have emerged: (1) In open-system, circumneutral regolith weathering profiles, we found up to 40% of the P was leached over 10s-100s ka. (2) Natural acid-sulfate alteration at the Maunakea summit resulted in the dissolution of apatite and mobilization of phosphate 10s-1000s µm to rock surfaces where it formed Al-phosphates and substituted into crystalline sulfates (alunite and jarosite). (3) Experimental results indicate that basaltic sediment chemisorbs phosphate (pH < 7). (4) In experimental systems containing water, basaltic sediment, and a starting pH = 2-7, phosphate has higher solubility in chloride-rich fluids, but significantly lower solubility in sulfate-rich fluids. For example, in water doped with phosphate (~100-500 mg/L), ~60-80% of the PO43- was removed from the sulfate-rich fluid, whereas ~20% of the PO43- was removed from the Cl-rich and pure water fluids (likely via adsorption). Gypsum precipitated from the sulfate-rich fluids; the fate of phosphate in the solid residue is unconfirmed. The potential for phosphate incorporation in martian sulfates is reflected in the enrichment of P2O5 in Gale Ca-sulfate veins, based on preliminary analyses of APXS data. Models for the mobility of phosphorus in Gale crater should consider these conflicting P characteristics: (1) P solubility may have been inhibited by sulfate and (2) P¬ is enriched in diagenetic features and was therefore mobile.
Jeff A. Berger↗
Imdr Regio: The Geology of A Possible Active Hot Spot on Venus and A Target for Future Exploration By the ESA Envision Mission.
With Venus being the focus of future new missions like ESA’s EnVision, we need to look for target sites for future investigations on Venus. The different instruments will help to study the planet in a unprecedented detail. In particular, the VenSAR instrument will map the 20% of the surface of Venus at a resolution of 5 to 10 meters/pixel, so it gets crucial to select what areas of Venus deserve to be targeted for such a high-resolution mapping. We propose here Imdr Regio as a good candidate location for combined high resolution SAR mapping and for study with the rest of the mission instruments (e.g., Subsurface Radar Sounder). Imdr Regio is a large topographic rise that extends approximately from 35ºS-50ºS and 195ºE-225ºE between the volcanic plains of Helen, Nsomeka and Wawalag Planitiae. Imdr Regio was classified as a volcano-dominated topographic rise with a minimum-maximum diameter of 1200-1400 km and a swell height of 1.6 km. The southeast of Imdr Regio is dominated by Idunn Mons (46.5ºS/214.5ºE). Studies using the 1 µm (derived) surface emissivity from the Venus Express mission of the volcanic flows surrounding Idunn Mons suggest that high emissivity values in the volcano flanks are related to relatively unweathered basaltic rock and therefore indicative of a recent or even ongoing volcanic activity. We have carried out geologic mapping in the area to constrain volcanic and tectonic structures, and the geologic history of the large topographic rise. This geologic mapping reveals that different styles of volcanism are present across Imdr Regio and that this volcanic activity takes place in all the hot spot in close relation with the formation of a rift throughout all time represented by in the area. The first stages on the evolution of this large volcano are characterized by the formation of a radial fracture system and contemporaneous large sheet flows. These large sheet flows are locally difficult to distinguish from regional plains and are also deformed by regional N-trending wrinkle ridges. After this initial phase, multiple overlapping digitate flow units form the flanks and summit of the volcano and are contemporaneous with NW-SE trending fractures and graben of Olapa Chasma, a rift system that cross the topographic rise. To the northwest another large volcano also presents a system of radial fractures but lacks clear large sheet flows. Numerous pit chains are associated to fractures and graben, suggesting that transport of magma under the surface is important. The geologic history based on the mapping suggests that activity in Imdr Regio started with the emplacement of a plume/diapir in the southeast, which resulted in the formation of a radial dyke system and the emplacement of large sheet flows in Idunn Mons. The presence of other large volcanoes to the northwest suggests the presence of another magmatic source (plume or diapir). After this initial stage, volcanism continues in Idunn Mons and activity in the topographic rise is strongly related to the formation of Olapa Chasma. Rift-related volcanic flows postdate these other volcanoes and are contemporaneous with the late activity in Idunn Mons. Monogenetic volcanism is present in the rift and in all the units that are in the area.
I. López↗
Tenets of Lunar EVAs for Artemis III
The purpose of these top level EVA tenets for Artemis III is to capture and promote EVA planning principles which drive decisions before and during the mission that are related to mission timeline, contingencies, and how risks are balanced. The tenets listed below are not shown in a priority order. (Reference Artemis III Mission Planning Summit, Action 27, 3/9/2023).
EVA↗
AI/ML to Accelerate Digital Transformation of National Airspace System
These slides are to be presented virtually at AI/ML Technology Leadership Summit - Improving Predictions, Strengthening Decisions on June 27th.
Swati Saxena↗
Investigation of Hardware and Instrumentation to Measure Hand Grasp Activity with the Spacesuit Gloves
Introduction: During the 2022 suited injury summit, it was hypothesized that there will be concerns for hand and glove injuries for future exploration space missions, especially given the fact that the “total number of Extravehicular activity (EVA) hours and frequency” for lunar surface missions is expected to vastly increase [1]. It has been reported that the hands experienced the greatest “absolute numbers” of reported injuries and far exceeds other injuries during EVA [1, 2]. It was reported that the most fatiguing part of the surface EVA was the repetitive gripping tasks [3]. It was recommended that a “glove sub-team” be created to look at possible injury mechanism and mitigation strategies. Some of the recommendations that were suggested [1] are as follows: examine hand fatigue, utilize motion capture, examine the duration and frequency of hand movements, and identify frequent hand motions. We started assessing hardware and instrumentation to measure hand grasp activity in the pressurized glove environment. The purpose of this test was to perform a hardware evaluation for motion capture (MoCap) gloves obtained from StretchSense (Auckland, New Zealand). The specific gloves used were the Pro Fidelity and SuperSplay to determine the repeatability, reliability, feasibility, and useability inside of a pressurized gloved environment. Methods: The MoCap gloves were customized (e.g., battery/Bluetooth pack relocated to upper arm) to better suit the pressurized testing environment and protect the subject from unintentional injury (Fig. 1). Fourteen total subjects from different demographics (i.e., gender and pressurized glove experience level) participated in this test series. Testing included one session each of a baseline data collection (NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) building 21) and a spacesuit glove box (Fig. 2 at JSC building 7 room 2027) data collection (under vacuum down to 4.3 psid), where each session lasted 3-5 hours. Controlled and reproducible tasks to systematically evaluate the repeatability and reliability of the hardware were performed during baseline data collection. Additionally, subjects performed simulated EVA-like tasks in a pressurized gloved environment. For all sessions, MoCap gloves were placed on each of the subjects’ hands and the signal from it, or the raw capacitance (Fig. 3), was analysed. The raw capacitance was used to estimate the open and closed hand states between the testing conditions and allow us to provide an offset caused by the pressurized environment. Results & Discussion: Initial observation with the bare hands (baseline) condition showed that the MoCap gloves appeared to track grasping and releasing of the fingers (opening and closing fist) with both high- and low-speed conditions, while adduction and abduction of the fingers were not relatively tracked. A hardware evaluation was done outside of the glove box to assess the reliability and repeatability of the MoCap glove. In one task, a point force was applied to various locations on the back of the hand. When the point force was applied to the space between the 1st digit and the pointer finger, there was a noticeable distortion to the MoCap data. Another task examining an increasing force from a 10 lb. sandbag applied to the back of the hand while lying flat on a table, showed a constant flat line with only a distortion when the weight was increased or added to the back of the hand. Fig. 3 shows an object relocation task where you can see when each individual finger “opened” and “closed” (changed position) when picking up and setting down the dumbbell. When the fingers were stationary, the signal remained relatively flat compared to the peaks and valleys that can be observed in Fig. 3. This study showed promising results and imperative input into an attempt to discriminate between hand states across various functional tasks and should be evaluated with context to the repeatability and reliability outcomes. Depending on the task done inside of the pressurized glove box environment and outside, the results appear to be affected by many different factors (i.e., drift, pressure, hand size, etc.). Significance: If this hardware proves to be reliable and repeatable in determining the open and closed hand states then this may provide critical insight into assisting in the characterization of the pressurized gloved environment and the effect on crew member exertion level. Ultimately, this tool will provide useful data for quantifying the repetitive nature of EVA training and tasks. Acknowledgments: The authors would like to acknowledge the NASA Mars Campaign Office for providing funding for this research. Lastly, thanks to all the engineers and technicians at NASA JSC who helped with this data collection. References: [1] Reiber, et al. (2022), NASA/TM-20220007605; [2] Scheuring, et al. (2009), Av., Sp., and Envir. Med. 80(2). [3] Scheuring, et al. (2007), NASA/TM–2007–214755.
Rachel L Thompson↗
Identifying Sources of Sulfate Preserved in High Elevation Lava Tubes From Mauna Loa, Hawaii
Volcanic sulfates record a history of their formation pathways in their triple oxygen isotope compositions, making them a powerful target for understanding atmospheric chemistry. To understand how these isotopic signals may be preserved in sulfate minerals, we investigate multiple O and S isotopes of thenardite, mirabilite, and gypsum from in a Mars analog environment: a pair of lava tubes near the summit of Mauna Loa, Hawaii. Based on 16 O-, 17 O- 18 O compositions, the primary oxygen sources for sulfates in the lava tube are atmospheric oxygen (O 2 ), peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), and ozone (O 3 ). We suggest the isotopic signature of O 2 originates from combustion of reduced sulfur gases and/or elemental sulfur at the eruptive source or within the lava tube soon after skylight collapse. Sulfate with isotopic signatures of peroxide and ozone are typically expected from aqueous reactions in cloud droplets. Chemical modeling indicates the observed proportion of ozone sourced sulfate requires pH greater than ~5.4, higher than measured cloud water pH, instead suggesting the observed O 3 signature could not have formed in cloud water droplets. We interpret that sulfate possessing an ozone signature in the lava tube sulfates formed on wetted surfaces of the lava tubes with alkalinity from alteration of basaltic glass. Furthermore, the oxygen and sulfur isotopes of the sulfate are uncorrelated. Multiple sulfur isotopes ( 32 S- 33 S- 34 S- 36 S) from the Mauna Loa sulfates are consistent with ocean island basalt from Pitcairn, suggesting the sulfate-sulfur has not been modified compared to its volcanic source. The findings of this study indicate that oxidation by ozone plays a key role in the formation of sulfate within lava tubes. We also find that combustion is a significant pathway toward sulfuric acid formation in volcanic environments. Similar signatures should be expected on other planets if volcanism is a significant sulfate source, as has been suggested for Mars. If true, sulfates in returned samples from Mars may hold key information on pO 2 , pCO 2 and planetary scale oxygen fluxes at the time of sulfate formation.
Justin Hayles↗
Responsible Exploration Preserving the Cosmos for Tomorrow
This submittal encompasses NASA presentations to be shared at the forthcoming Trilateral S&MA Summit at ESRIN in Frascati, Italy. This event is an annual meeting comprised of SMA leadership and supporting staff from NASA, ESA, and JAXA. The Trilateral Parties discuss current and future areas of cooperation in areas of Safety & Mission Assurance.
trilateral↗
Terrestrial Analogue Studies from ISRO’s Venus Mission Perspective: Polarimetric Radar Properties of Hawaiian Lava Flows
Detection of present and past volcanism on Venus is one of the major goals of the proposed ISRO’s Venus orbiter mission. The S-band, high-resolution (40 m/pixel) fully Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PolSAR) instrument on this mission [1] may have the capabilities to detect volcanism within the mission lifetime using repeated PolSAR imagery, and possibly SAR Interferometry (InSAR, experimental mode). The global mapping efforts of Venus by Magellan mission has enabled comprehensive mapping of lava flows and indicated that Venus has an extensive history of volcanism, the ages of which are largely unknown (e.g. [2]). While Magellan radar emissivity data (e.g. [3, 4]) and Near Infrared emissivity data from VIRTIS [5] suggested the occurrence of recent episodes of volcanic activity (e.g. Maat Mons and Ganis Chasma), as well as the presence of stratigraphically young lava flows (e.g. Idunn Mons), measuring changes in radar backscatter amplitude alone to identify lava flows has many challenges. Although very large changes in the shape of the terrain can be observed in radar backscatter amplitude changes (e.g. [6]), smaller, or relatively flat lava flows are difficult to detect. Previous terrestrial studies suggest that PolSAR and InSAR techniques are very effective for mapping lava flows (e.g. [7-9]), and can be used when changes cannot be distinguished in radar backscatter images. We use the unvegetated lava flows on Hawaiʻi island as a terrestrial analogue to study Venus lava flows for the following reasons: (a) It is extensively studied at several wavelengths commonly used in remote sensing studies (including PolSAR and InSAR methods); and (b) it is a volcanically active area with new lava flows frequently covering older emplaced flows. To investigate the surface roughness, texture, and fine-grained mantling associated with Mauna Loa and Kilauea lava flows, we utilize C- and L-band PolSAR datasets obtained from RISAT-1A (EOS-4) and ALOS PALSAR missions respectively. In particular, we will use the quad-polarized backscatter and polarimetric parameters to characterize the texture of the terrestrial lava flows to understand whether the Venus crust is continuously disrupted during flow emplacement. While some previous studies (e.g. [10, 11]) suggested that surface roughness of most of the Venus flows is comparable to that of terrestrial pāhoehoe flows, other studies indicated that fractal dimensions of some large lava flows on Venus imply high eruption rates which favour the formation of a’a flows (e.g. [12]). We will also analyse the terrestrial flows for the presence/absence of pyroclastic mantling as radar-bright diffuse deposits near the summit regions of some coronae on Venus have been proposed to be young pyroclastics, and possible evidence of a renewed epoch of mantle volcanism that taps into deeper volatiles [13]. A recent study using EOS-4 RISAT-1 data of a part of fresh Mauna Loa lava flows (2022 eruption) emphasizes the ability of fully polarimetric SAR data to understand the diversity of physical properties (e.g. texture and morphology) associated with them (Sreejith et al. 2024); and we will apply similar methods to the PolSAR data obtained from ISRO’s Venus mission for our proposed objectives.
Sriram S Bhiravarasu↗
POWER's Journey and Roadmap: Where Have We Been and Where Are We Going?
This is a keynote presentation for the NASA LaRC's POWER (Prediction of Worldwide Energy Resources) Project's Global Summit to be held from November 6-7 as a on-line interactive webinar. This presentation presents a quick overview of the POWER project, the most recent accomplishments and the an overview of POWER's initiatives in 2025 and beyond.
remote sensing↗
Harmonizing Food Systems Emissions Accounting for More Effective Climate Action
Food systems—encompassing activities in food production, land-use change, supply chains and waste management—contribute significantly to climate change. Recent estimates indicate that food systems produce over 30% of annual anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (about 20% of CO 2 , 50% of CH 4 , and 75% of N 2 O), with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimating a notably broad range of 23%–42% of global GHG emissions. This paper synthesizes current research on the contributions of food systems to climate change, highlights challenges in quantifying their impact and proposes a harmonized accounting framework for more effective climate action. We recommend that an expert committee aligned with the IPCC develop guidance for food systems emissions accounting in four key areas, including: (1) defining system boundaries and nomenclature; (2) developing protocols to allocate broader sectoral emissions to food systems; (3) prioritizing critical areas for research into activity data and emissions factors; and (4) developing a balanced framework for evaluating the impact of mitigation interventions in light of other food systems imperatives. The committee should be integrated into two key international policy processes—the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the United Nations Food Systems Summit—to support coordinated action towards global net-zero goals. Guidance from the committee could significantly improve the ability of governments, companies, and researchers to estimate, report, monitor and ultimately reduce the climate impacts of food systems.
GHG accounting↗
Alcoa and ArcelorMittal
Profile story on Alcoa and ArcelorMittal for the American Energy and Manufacturing Competitiveness Summit.
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗