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The Space Science Technology and Evaluation Facility (SSTEF) is funded through the Game Changing Development program. This presentation describes the SSTEF project, collaborations and partnerships, progress made in FY22, and planned activities for FY23.
Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL) comprise a relatively small portion of a mission’s timeline, however, it is typically among the largest risks. Flying through a body’s atmosphere reliably and accurately – from orbit to ground or via aerocapture – is a critical step toward successful in situ exploration. This exhibit will highlight EDL simulation and ground test capabilities, both existing and under development, that could support mission design, risk reduction, and post-flight analysis for Planetary Science mission concepts displayed in the 2023 SMD Planetary Science Technology Showcase.
The Space Science Technology and Evaluation Facility (SSTEF) is funded through the Game Changing Development program. This presentation describes the SSTEF project, collaborations and partnerships, progress made in FY23, and planned activities for FY24.
Space Weather UnderGround (SWUG) is an educational outreach program that provides hands-on experiences in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) to high school and undergraduate students. It has three ultimate goals: 1. Educating the future STEM workforce. 2. Building a cost-effective, research-capable ground 3. magnetometer array across the United States. Collecting geomagnetic field data at high spatial resolution for heliophysics research. SWUG students build, test, and deploy the Simple Aurora Monitor (SAM)-III kit, purchased by Reeve Engineers. The SAM-III kit is a fluxgate magnetometer that measures geomagnetic field changes at a resolution of 1 nT/sec. Dr. Charles Smith initiated the SWUG program at the University of New Hampshire, and it has since expanded to Alaska and Maryland. This presentation introduces the Maryland SWUG activities. The MD-SWUG program was started in the Fall of 2022 with the goal of deploying magnetometers to the solar eclipse sites in 2023 and 2024. Two student-built magnetometers were deployed to the Southwest Research Institute and the Los Alamos National Laboratory for the 2023 annular solar eclipse, with plans to deploy at least four magnetometers to the 2024 total solar eclipse sites, including the University of Texas at Dallas. During a solar eclipse, reduced solar irradiance weakens ionospheric currents and reduces geomagnetic fields by up to 30 nT at the eclipse sites. A recent study suggested that solar eclipses impact geomagnetic fields not only along the eclipse path but also at their magnetic conjugate locations. The SWUG program will help us understand this electrodynamic coupling between the conjugate locations during a solar eclipse by providing better data coverage along the solar eclipse path.
The United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Balloon Program offers low-cost access to a near-space environment. As the science community's needs continue to evolve, the NASA Balloon Program adjusts to support the scientific community, providing enhanced capabilities across a spectrum of balloon-related disciplines. The disciplines supported by the NASA Balloon Program include astrophysics, heliophysics, planetary science, earth science, technology development, and education. A broad overview of the NASA Balloon Program that touches on critical highlights, including launch locations, standard systems, and development efforts will be presented. In addition, the specific campaigns supported from 2021 through 2023 will be discussed. The period under review witnessed significant strides in balloon technology, payload instrumentation, and mission design, all aimed at enhancing the Program's scientific capabilities—the integration of cutting-edge technologies allowed for executing ambitious missions, and fostering collaboration with domestic and international partners. Specific information on commercial satellite communications with off-the-shelf hardware will be provided. The Program's strategic goals, emphasizing its commitment to advancing atmospheric and astrophysical research, are highlighted via the GUSTO mission. The Galactic/Extragalactic ULDB Spectroscopic Terahertz Observatory or GUSTO mission was the first NASA Explorer-class mission to utilize the balloon platform. The Program is vital in supporting educational and outreach activities, fostering the next generation of scientists and engineers. Collaborative efforts with educational institutions and outreach programs have expanded public engagement and inspired students to pursue careers in STEM fields. The Program's versatility and success in facilitating groundbreaking research underscore its continued significance in advancing our understanding of the Earth and the universe.
Introduction: Presolar grains preserve isotopic, chemical and microstructural records of physical and chemical processing, and formation mechanisms within a vast range of evolved stellar systems, the interstellar medium, solar nebula and their parent bodies. These evolutionary records are preserved at the micrometric to atomic scale, requiring coordinated studies to expand our understanding of evolutionary processes occurringthroughout ours and external stellar systems [1]. NanoSIMS enabled rapid in situ identification and isotopic characterisation of presolar grains and their stellar origins using 17O/16O and 18O/16O, and 13C/12C isotopic ratios [1]. Coordination with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed crystallographic and localised contextual relationships and quantitively constrained their major and minor compositions [1]. However, trace elements cannot be quantified, the most sensitive geochemical tracers of environmental conditions, essential to unravelling the chemical record of their evolutionary pathway and parent stellar systems [2-3] . Furthermore, owing to the combination of technical limitations (only 5 – 7 isotopes can be measured per NanoSIMS run) and their small grain sizes of 100 nm < 3 μm (with rare exceptions in nanodiamonds (2 nm ≤) and SiC (< 40 μm)), the number of measurable isotopes per grain volume is limited [1,3] . Through more comprehensive isotopic studies of presolar grains, NanoSIMS studies have shown the importance of the latter, identifying Fe and Mg as important indicators of nuclear synthetic processing and their stellar origins, respectively [4- 5]. Coordination of NanoSIMS and Atom Probe Tomography (APT) revealed morphological signatures, and isotopic and chemical signatures at major to trace levels without requirements for preselection of elements [6]. However, crystallographic signatures in localized contextual relationships cannot be measured. Consequently, coordination of NanoSIMS, TEM and APT is essential to gain access to almost all contextual, structural and geochemical signatures within each presolar grain.Transmission electron microscopy requires a 100 nm thin lamella which is unstable in APT and would not produce any viable data. Atom probe tomography requires a needle-shaped specimen which when measured in TEM removes the local context, impacts the quality of the TEM diffraction images due to the shank angle of the needle, and can alter the chemistry of beam sensitive materials from the higher degree of surface exposure at the tip. To address these issues, we developed METIS-Fa (Multi-technical measurements of Electron Transparent materials using an Indium Sandwich - a FIB approach). A novel method which enables coordination of NanoSIMS, TEM and APT for generalized and targeted studies of individual grains, including beam sensitive materials, without compromising sample preparation requirements for TEM and APT. This method requires only indium and a Focus Ion Beam (FIB), minimizing the movement of fragile materials while still enabling preparation of TEM lamella into APT needles. Samples: Initial experimental development and testing of the method occurred at Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES), Johnson Space Centre (JSC), NASA and APT measurements and needle preparation occurred at JdLC, Curtin University. Synthetic silicate samples were used as analogs for presolar silicates when performing a trial run of the method. Samples were extracted from a polished thin section created at JSC, NASA, comprised of 38 wt.% Si, 17 wt.% FeO, 13 wt.% MgO, 12 wt.% Al, 11 wt.% Ca based on electron microprobe analysis (EMPA) [8] . Experimental details, pressure and temperature conditions were presented in [8] and references therein. Testing of the capability to target individual grains in mineral matrices using this method for acquisition in APT, measured matrix regions in meteoritic thin sections of primitive meteorites. These meteorites and their identified presolar grains for future targeted studies are detailed in [9]. Techniques: The TEM-FIB lamella were prepared using a FIB. An e-beam assisted pt deposition was used as a protective coating for the synthetic and meteoritic samples. When targeting individual grains, a secondary e-beam assisted pt deposition button is placed over the desired grain before the protective coating to denote its location. A JEOL 2500SE field-emission TEM was used for high-resolution imaging, energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) and electron diffraction data.TheMETIS-Fa method was experimentally designed, tested and executed using a FIB at ARES, JSCNASA. Needles for APT were prepared using the Tescan Lyra3 GM Dual Beam Focus Ion Beam (FIB) Field Emission SEM (FE-SEM) at the JdLC, Curtin University. Atom probe tomography measurements were conducted using a CAMECA Local Electrode Atom Probe, LEAP 4000X HR. Two pure indium needles were analyzed initially to constraining acquisition parameters and stability under the beam. Manual acquisition was required to maintain evaporation of specimen’s at the apex and monitor interactions with measurement parameters. Experimental Design: Indium foil is pressed onto an Al stub with a pneumatic press and mounted into the FIB adjacent to the TEM-FIB lamella of interest. Using a FIB, two indium slices (5 μm x ~300 nm x 3 μm) are extracted from indium foil and aligned with the TEM-FIB lamella before touching the TEM-FIB lamella. Each slice is then attached through cold welding to the FIB-TEM lamella. This approach eliminates the need for chemical treatments and proved effective for aligning the Indium within the region of interest for APT, holding it in place for up to 4 days during testing.Once both indium slices are attached within their pre-determined region per grain targeting requirements, they are gradually melted onto the FIB-TEM lamella.When targeting a specific grain, measurements should be taken of the pt button and its distance from edge to edge of the lamella before and after sandwiching. A secondary button should be placed over the same region after the Indium slices have been attached to improve precision when preparing APT needles. Results: Figure 1 shows two indium slices melted onto a FIB-TEM lamella, adding additional bulk for preparation into APT needles as shown in Figure 2 [7] . The latter was essential so samples could be measured in TEM and APT without compromising sample preparation requirements and consequently data quality and acquisition stability. METIS-Fa proved effective forimproving geometry. Figure 3 shows a successful APTrun of the synthetic silicate. EMPA, TEM and APTshowed no chemical alterations. During targetingtesting, a solar silicate grain was successfully identifiedand measured in TEM, and prepared into an APTneedle. However, the indium was melted too long during sample preparation, causing expansion andformation of internal porosity leading to sample loss.Conclusion: METIS-Fa greatly expands the number of isotopic and chemical signatures measured per grain volume, and enables measurements of contextual, structural, crystallographic, isotopic and geochemical signatures within individual grains. Gaining access to such a vast range of evolutionary signatures required for expanding our understanding of external stellar and planetary systems and the evolution of our solar system. This method was designed for application to a vast range of phases including being sensitive materials and thus provides a way for coordination of NanoSIMS, TEM and APT not just for the study of presolar grains and by extension primitive astromaterials, but studies in a vast range of other fields including the geosciences and material sciences.Acknowledgments: Thankyou to ARES, JSC, NASA; JdLC Curtin University and Space Science Technology Centre for the use of laboratory facilities and funding [confirm].
The Global Ecosystems Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) Lidar, is a global 3-dimensional biomass lidar instrument aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM). Its core mission is to measure the global carbon balance of Earth’s forests with 3 laser transmitters using multi-beam waveform-capture methods. GEDI’s laser transmitter concept was originally funded by NASA Goddard’s Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO) for future Earth Altimetry and Lidar missions ~ 20 years ago, and after a long road of development, the first flight-ready unit was a 10 mJ-class system for GEDI’s ISS-based specifications. Furthermore, no adjustment in drive parameters has been required nor significant decay detected after 4 years of near continuous operation of 3 on-board lasers, which were designed for a 2-year mission. We report on the GEDI laser design process, their on-orbit performance, the major lessons learned, and some critical insight into our in-house flight quality development process that enabled their delivery within budget, schedule, and low risk extended mission life capability.
The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) in collaboration with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) established a webinar series on NASA systems engineering standards and practices for the purpose of sharing knowledge in this area. UNOOSA’s “Access to Space for All” initiative provides capacity-building opportunities in space science, technology, and space applications for United Nations member states. Due to the cooperation among established space actors, the United Nations, and emerging space entities, the initiative enables students from developing countries from all over the world to carry out projects using technologies and space applications. Through NASA’s Small Spacecraft Systems Virtual Institute (S3VI), the four-part webinar series was designed to cover basic systems engineering and project management skills that are fundamental to planning, developing, and implementing an experiment or a space project and that serve as critical knowledge for those engaged in space activities, whether as a designer, builder, or manager of space infrastructure and services. The first series of webinars was convened over the course of November 2023 through February 2024.
Introduction: Lunabotics provides accredited institutions of higher learning students (vocational-technical, college, university) an opportunity to apply the NASA systems engineering process to design and build a prototype robot. This robot would be capable of performing the proposed operations on the Lunar surface in support of future Artemis mission goals. Lunabotics features a systems engineering design challenge to engage students in the next phase of hu-man space exploration supporting the Artemis missions. This two-semester event encourages students to design and build an autonomous or telerobotic robot designed to traverse the simulated Lunar surface and complete the assigned construction tasks. The number of teams accepted into this challenge is not predetermined but is based on the scores and overall quality of the Project Management Plans received and other factors. The culmination of the Lunabotics virtual challenge will be the design, build and operation of a functional prototype Lunar robot. Teams are required to submit the following: (1) Project Management Plan, (2) Systems Engineering Paper, a (3) STEM Engage-ment Report, and a (4) Proof of Life Video. This is an optional item, but to qualify for the grand prize a team must also submit a: (5) Presentation and Demonstration. Background: The NASA Lunabotics University Competition was first held in 2010 as a follow on to the NASA Regolith Excavation Challenge [1]. The high level of interest and participation from over 50 universities each year has led to a sustained annual competi-ion cadence: it has been held every May for the past 14 years [2,3]. Over 6,000 students have participated and been inspired to pursue Science, Technology, En-gineering and Mathematics careers (STEM). 2024 Competition: The necessary lunar surface tasks are evolving to meet the NASA Artemis Mission requirements. In the past Lunabotics challenges we gathered data to support Lunar mining for consuma-bles in the Lunar regolith. Now, in 2024, the task is to gather data on Lunar site preparation and construction by designing and building a robot that will traverse the chaotic Lunar terrain and construct a regolith-based berm. The goal is to build a berm structure which would be useful to the Artemis Mission for blast and ejecta protection during lunar landings and launches, shading cryogenic propellant tank farms, providing radiation protection around a nuclear power plant and other mission critical uses. Lunabotics will consist of three separate events this year. The first event is NASA’s Lunabotics Project Development Challenge, where teams submit various deliverables to be scored by judges. The second event will be the University of Central Florida (UCF) Lunabotics Qualification challenge, in the Exolith laboratory, where teams will put their de-signs to the test. The top ten scoring teams from the Qualification challenge are then invited to the third and final event, NASA’s Lunabotics On-Site Challenge at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This presentation will summarize the results and lessons learned from the NASA Lunabotics University Competition held in May 2024.
Presented at Materials Science & Technology (MS&T) 2020
Monthly highlights for February for the Nuclear Science & Technology directorate
Like many organizations and groups, the Department of Energy Environmental Management program and the nuclear industry are facing an aging employee population and record numbers of employee retirements. This 'silver tsunami' of retirees means the industry as a whole is recruiting graduates at a fast pace. So, how do we ensure the nuclear industry has a robust pipeline of graduates with the necessary background? Fluor Idaho's investment in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education programs helps promote the next generation of technical professionals, benefiting both the company and the industry. Through community outreach initiatives and student mentoring programs, Fluor Idaho promotes kids' interest in STEM. The programs are designed to spark STEM interest in grade school and then foster and grow that interest through high school and higher education. After igniting student excitement about STEM topics in school, Fluor Idaho focuses on providing work-specific opportunities including mentoring and intern programs. These programs give students a better look at real-world job opportunities while still stimulating their interest in STEM. These programs ultimately provide career opportunities for the students and a pipeline of workers. Fluor Idaho's strategy for its summer interns has been to place students in a wide variety of projects - from the commissioning of a first-of-a-kind nuclear processing facility, to operating nuclear waste management facilities, to developing computer programs and applications - and give them responsibilities that make them feel like valued contributors. This approach has created a positive and rewarding summer-intern program experience for the students. Fluor Idaho's investment in its future today is reducing the knowledge gap - or cliff - that many contractors in the nuclear industry are facing. It's a worthwhile investment that is readily visible within its many cleanup projects. The next generation of technical professionals is making an impact now - benefiting both the company and the nuclear industry. This paper will review Fluor Idaho's programs, including STEM community outreach and education and mentoring programs. It will also present statistics about the reach of those programs and their successes. (authors)
This is the FY-23 LDRD annual report. The 59 projects concluded in fiscal year 2023, highlighted in this report, represent a glimpse into the extraordinary breadth and depth of leading-edge science, technology, and engineering endeavors ongoing at INL. I invite you to explore this report thoroughly, discovering first-hand how INL's LDRD portfolio not only fosters innovation but also nurtures researcher talent, propelling us closer to realizing our vision of transforming the world's energy future and safeguarding our critical infrastructure.
An achievement report for the month of October 2023 for the Nuclear Science & Technology directorate.
Research, program, and people/leadership achievements in the Nuclear Science & Technology directorate for the month of September.
Motivating k-12 students to pick a career in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is an effort that requires consistent attention. At different points in time, STEM educators need to pivot themselves and update educational materials to consistently motivate the next generation of k-12 students to enter into STEM careers. Once they enter undergraduate education, universities need to motivate their undergraduates students to consider graduate studies to ensure qualified human resources can be developed for research, and teaching. We present in this paper, our work on developing STEM materials for k-12 students targeting grid integration of hydrogen assets. This paper also presents our work on leveraging open source distribution system model, digital real time simulation tool to create projects for undergraduate students and motivate their interest in research topics, and enter into graduate level education.
A summary of research, program and people/leadership highlights from INL's nuclear science & technology directorate for the month of July 2024.
This is the FY-24 LDRD annual report. The 62 projects concluded in fiscal year 2024, highlighted in this report, represent a glimpse into the extraordinary breadth and depth of leading-edge science, technology, and engineering endeavors ongoing at INL. I invite you to explore this report thoroughly, discovering first-hand how INL's LDRD portfolio not only fosters innovation but also nurtures researcher talent, propelling us closer to realizing our vision of transforming the world's energy future and safeguarding our critical infrastructure.