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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Status of the SABRE South experiment at the Stawell underground physics laboratory

The SABRE (Sodium iodide with Active Background REjection) experiments aim to detect an annual rate modulation from dark matter interactions in ultra-high purity NaI(Tl) crystals. The SABRE South experiment is located at the Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory (SUPL), Australia, and is the first deep underground laboratory in the Southern Hemisphere. SABRE South is designed to disentangle seasonal or site-related effects from the dark matter-like modulated signal first observed by DAMA/LIBRA in the Northern Hemisphere using an active veto and muon detection system. It is a partner to the SABRE North effort at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS). SABRE South is instrumented with ultra-high purity NaI(Tl) crystals immersed in a linear alkyl benzene (LAB) based liquid scintillator veto, further surrounded by passive steel and polyethylene shielding and a plastic scintillator muon veto. Significant work has been undertaken to understand the experimental backgrounds and performance of the crystals. The SABRE South experiment is under construction, and will be commissioned from late 2022 to early 2023. We will present the final design of SABRE South, the status of its construction, its expected background, and its sensitivity to a DAMA/LIBRA like modulation. We will also present recent quenching factor measurements of sodium nuclear recoils in NaI(Tl) crystals measured at the Heavy Ion Accelerator Facility, and a report on the status of SUPL.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2022

Sampling and Analysis Plan for Partial Closure of Solid Waste Management Unit #16; Addendum Part I for Delineating BH-056

On July 11, 2022, Sandia National Laboratories in California (SNL/CA) submitted a Response to Regional Water Quality Control Board Comments on Soil Sampling Results for Closure of a Portion of SWMU #16 in response to the February 16,2022 San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board’s (SFRWQCB) letter requesting supporting information for the recommended closure of 7,700 linear feet of abandoned sewer lines. On August 18, 2022, SFRWQCB further requested a Sampling and Analysis Plan (SAP) for additional “step-out” sampling to delineate the potential presence of benzidine near borehole BH-056, which is located near the former sewer line. SNL/CA is in the process of contracting Weiss Associates (Weiss) to perform and oversee the boring, sampling, analysis, and report development to determine the potential presence and extent of benzidine. This document outlines the work that is anticipated, including the development of the SAP, to complete the investigation and submit a final report to the SFRWQCB. The work proposed by Weiss provides an estimated schedule for completing the investigation and developing the addendum Part II SAP for the project. In addition, Weiss provided a preliminary estimate of the sample locations (see Attachment A) which serve as addendum Part I of the SAP requested by the SFRWQCB. The contractor will submit the addendum Part II SAP, to satisfy the SFRWQCB requirement, before proceeding with any work.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Using culture‐independent methods to link active compound‐specific carbon degradation to greenhouse gas production and recycling in natural populations of permafrost microbes

Under this project we conducted one scouting field trip (2019) and two fieldworks (2021, 2022) in Ny-Alesund, Svalbard. The project supported seven PhD students, six undergraduate research assistants, three Postdoctoral research associates and one Research Professor. The project supported travel and fieldwork for three international students. This project has produced 49 conference presentations/posters, 18 peer-reviewed journal articles published at time of preparation of this report, while 6 journal articles are still at different stages of review process, 1 outreach website and 2 YouTube videos. In addition, the PIs gave many seminars to other universities and research institutions.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

INTERFUEL: FY22 Federal Fleet Reporting [Slides]

This presentation presents an overview of and timeline for coming changes to how federal agencies with motor vehicles will submit required information about the motor vehicles, fueling centers, and electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) inventory through the Federal Automotive Statistical Tool (FAST). The presentation provides information on changes throughout the FAST system as well as changes planned for implementation in FY 2023 and later. This presentation is intended for delivery via WebEx/GoToMeeting at the September 14, 2022 meeting of the DOE-sponsored INTERFUEL working group. FAST is a web-based information management tool developed and maintained by Idaho National Laboratory and funded by GSA's Office of Government-wide Policy and DOE's Federal Energy Management Program.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Deep learning of electrochemical CO 2 conversion literature reveals research trends and directions

Large-scale and openly available material science databases are mainly composed of computer simulation results rather than experimental data. Some examples include the Materials Project, Open Quantum Materials Database, and Open Catalyst 2022. Unfortunately, building large-scale experimental databases remains challenging due to the difficulties in consolidating locally distributed datasets. In this work, focusing on the catalysis literature of CO 2 reduction reactions (CO 2 RRs), we present a machine learning (ML)-based protocol for selecting highly relevant papers and extracting important experimental data. First, we report a document embedding method (Doc2Vec) for collecting papers of greatest relevance to the specific target domain, which yielded 3154 CO 2 RR-related papers from six publishers. Next, we developed named entity recognition (NER) models to extract twelve entities related to material names (catalyst, electrolyte, etc.) and catalytic performance (Faradaic efficiency, current density, etc.). Further, among several tested models, the MatBERT-based approach achieved the highest accuracy, with an average F1-score of 90.4% and an F1-score of 95.2% in a boundary relaxation evaluation scheme. The accurate and accelerated NER-based data extraction from a large volume of catalysis literature enables temporal trend analyses of the CO 2 RR catalysts, products, and performances, revealing the potentially effective material space in CO 2 RRs. While this work demonstrates the effectiveness of our ML-based text mining methods for specifically CO 2 RR literature, the methods and approach are applicable to and may be used to accelerate the development of other catalytic chemical reactions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

The rebrightening of a ROSAT -selected tidal disruption event: repeated weak partial disruption flares from a quiescent galaxy?

The ROSAT-selected tidal disruption event (TDE) candidate RX J133157.6-324319.7 (J1331) was detected in 1993 as a bright [0.2–2 keV flux of (1.0 ± 0.1) × 10 -12 erg s -1 cm -2 ], ultra-soft (kT = 0.11 ± 0.03 keV) X-ray flare from a quiescent galaxy (z = 0.051 89). During its fifth all-sky survey (eRASS5) in 2022, Spectrum-Roentgen-Gamma (SRG)/ eROSITA detected the repeated flaring of J1331, where it had rebrightened to an observed 0.2–2 keV flux of (6.0 ± 0.7) × 10 -13 erg s -1 cm -2 , with spectral properties (kT = 0.115 ± 0.007 keV) consistent with the ROSAT-observed flare ~30 yr earlier. In this work, we report on X-ray, ultraviolet, optical, and radio observations of this system. During a pointed XMM observation ~17 d after the eRASS5 detection, J1331 was not detected in the 0.2–2 keV band, constraining the 0.2–2 keV flux to have decayed by a factor of ≳40 over this period. Given the extremely low probability (~5 × 10 -6 ) of observing two independent full TDEs from the same galaxy over a 30 yr period, we consider the variability seen in J1331 to be likely caused by two partial TDEs involving a star on an elliptical orbit around a black hole. J1331-like flares show faster rise and decay time-scales [$\mathcal {O}(\mathrm{d})$] compared to standard TDE candidates, with negligible ongoing accretion at late times post-disruption between outbursts.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Performance enhancement of direct-drive shock-augmented ignition inertial fusion implosions through shock timing optimization

Shock-augmented ignition (SAI) [R. H. H. Scott et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 129, 195001 (2022)] is an alternative inertial confinement fusion concept that is designed to achieve high energy gain by combining improved resilience to instabilities with enhanced fuel compression. In SAI, lower implosion velocities can improve hydrodynamic stability and limited laser intensities reduce the excitation of detrimental laser-plasma instabilities, enabling greater areal density accumulation. Here we report an experimental investigation of SAI using a series of warm D 2 implosions. By timing the augmenting shock to arrive at the implosion center immediately prior to peak compression, the areal density and hot-spot pressure increase by 50% and 112%, respectively, relative to unoptimized designs. Ignition-scale simulations reproduce the observed timing dependence and demonstrate the potential of SAI for inertial fusion energy.

Direct drive↗
DOE OSTI2022

Experiment Logistics for an International Blind Intercomparison Exercise for Nuclear Accident Dosimetry at Godiva-IV

This document is the Experimental Set-up and Design (CED-3A) Report for IER-538, “Full Dosimetry Exercise Around Godiva Reactors” The report discusses the structure of the exercise consisting of two critical excursions, identifying the participating laboratories and their points of contact. The report also includes details of all dosimetry each laboratory will submit to be placed in proximity to Godiva-IV on aluminum plates or BOMAB phantoms. Each laboratory list the counting and spectroscopy equipment to be utilized at the LLNL NAD Laboratory in Mercury. The exercise is tentatively scheduled for one week in fiscal year 2022.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Chapter 7.1: Microalgae

Microalgae is a unique biomass resource that does not need to compete for land and water with other biomass feedstocks because it can be cultivated on low-quality unencumbered land using noncompetitive water types including saline and wastewater. It is included as a complementary resource alongside other biomass feedstocks reported in this study, albeit at higher biomass production costs reflective of more capital-intensive farming operations than typical for terrestrial biomass. Higher biomass costs can be offset by the potential to produce value-added coproducts unique to compositional constituents of microalgae. Relative to BT16, this chapter reflects the latest analysis from the 2022 Algae Harmonization Update, which uses the latest parameterized and high-performing saline algal strain, second-generation carbon capture of point-source waste CO2 and high-pressure pipeline transport resolved to specific point-source types, saline water sourcing up to 40,000 mg/L total dissolved solids for source and makeup water salinity, blowdown water treatment and recycle, and brine disposal handling. National-scale algal biomass availability potential was calculated at 152 million tons/yr ash-free dry weight (AFDW) (191 million tons/yr dry weight) at an average biomass productivity of 26.2 g/m2 -day AFDW (about 50 tons/acre/yr dry weight).1 The algal biomass was cultivated on 3.9 million acres of multi-criteria screened and potentially available land for CONUS and fixed 268 million tons of waste CO2 based on biomass uptake. The algae biomass can be produced at an average MBSP of $674/ton AFDW ($536/ton dry weight) in 2020 dollars,2 corresponding to a total energy potential of 3.3 quads/yr at an average MBSP of $31.2/MMBtu (higher-heating-value [HHV] basis).

algae↗
DOE OSTI2023

TRACER Carbonaceous Aerosols Thrust – University of California, Davis Field Campaign Report

The broader U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility’s TRacking Aerosol Convection interactions ExpeRiment (TRACER) campaign aims to increase our understanding of convective cloud life cycles and aerosol-convection interactions. Our TRACER Carbonaceous Aerosols Thrust-University of California, Davis (TRACER-CAT-UCDavis) study complemented these broader aims by characterizing and quantifying the optical properties and composition of carbonaceous aerosols during part of the TRACER intensive sampling period (July 1- July 31, 2022) at the first ARM Mobile Facility (AMF1) main site (M1) in La Porte, Texas. Our measurements complemented the suite of instrumentation already provided by the AMF1, expanding the capabilities through deployment of unique, state-of-the-science instrumentation. The instrumentation included: (i) two cavity-attenuated phase shift spectroscopy single-scatter albedo (CAPS-SSA) instruments operating at 530 nm and 630 nm, and that were modified to characterize particle light absorption, extinction, and scattering at elevated humidities; (ii) the UC Davis dual-wavelength cavity ringdown-photoacoustic spectrometer (CRD-PAS), which characterizes dry particle extinction and absorption at 405 nm and 532 nm; (iii) a soot particle aerosol mass spectrometer (SP-AMS) that operated in “laser only” mode that characterized the size-dependent compositions of black carbon (BC)-containing particles; (v) a thermal denuder, to remove coatings on particles; and (vi) a scanning electrical mobility sizer (SEMS), to characterize particle mobility diameters from 10-1300 nm. Our measurements occurred alongside complementary observations made by Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) during the TRACER-CAT-LANL study, including a humidified CAPS-SSA instrument operating at 450 nm. Our primary scientific interest is in understanding the relationship between particle composition and light absorption, with a particular focus on the influence of water uptake. While it is known that coatings on BC can enhance absorption, the extent to which this occurs in the atmosphere and the specific role that water plays as a coating remain unclear. The TRACER-CAT-UCDavis measurements were made with near-complete coverage for the CRD-PAS, SP-AMS, and SEMS throughout the intensive period. The UC Davis humidified CAPS-SSA instruments had significant challenges with operation owing to the demanding conditions (large temperature fluctuations, high humidity), exacerbated by supply chain issues that delayed resolution of these challenges. However, the humidified CAPS-SSA instrument operated by LANL operated throughout the intensive period with near-complete coverage. The dry light extinction measurements from the CRD-PAS measurements and the LANL CAPS-SSA exhibited a good correlation, although the CAPS-SSA systematically measured greater extinction values than expected. While all instruments, with the exception of an aerodynamic particle sizer (APS), measured behind a common particulate matter (PM)2.5 μm cyclone, the greater extinction measured by the LANL CAPS-SSA compared to the CRD-PAS may have resulted from different losses of larger particles in the sampling lines from the cyclone to the instruments; the tubing length was shorter from the cyclone to the LANL CAPS-SSA, consistent with this idea. A summary of the TRACER-CAT-UCDavis measurements, along with some of the TRACER-CAT-LANL measurements, are shown in the figure below. Notably, there were periods when the contributions of presumed dust were substantial and even dominated the observed light extinction and absorption. Also, there was a clear shift in the behavior of submicron particles from before July 16, 2022 to after, with the prior period exhibiting regular episodes of new particle formation and the latter period exhibiting rapid variations in the concentrations of small particles.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Utility and Industry Perceptions of Control Room Modernization Over the Last 10 Years

Within the current United States (U.S.) nuclear power fleet, main control room modernization (CRM) is an important step towards cost savings. In recent decades, plants have been engaged in upgrades to varying degrees. This process requires a nuanced, balanced, and timely approach that ensures continued safety and long-term sustainability. In 2012 a survey was issued to individuals from the nuclear industry to learn their perspectives on a range of CRM issues. The survey targeted the benefits and challenges for utilities undertaking this process, including the main drivers and barriers to technology upgrades, regulatory compliance, and the effects these factors have on concepts of operations, strategic approaches, and staffing. In 2022, the survey was issued again to understand whether CRM perceptions had changed in the last 10 years. Our findings identify changes in industry thinking from a decade ago. Here we reveal perspective shifts that represent increased optimism and, in some instances, increased doubt regarding the opportunities and challenges inherent in CRM and implementation. We also report nuanced differences in CRM perspectives between utility and surrounding nuclear industry respondents.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2024

Error field detection and correction studies towards ITER operation

In magnetic fusion devices, error field (EF) sources, spurious magnetic field perturbations, need to be identified and corrected for safe and stable (disruption-free) tokamak operation. Within Work Package Tokamak Exploitation RT04, a series of studies have been carried out to test the portability of the novel non-disruptive method, designed and tested in DIII-D (Paz-Soldan et al 2022 Nucl. Fusion62 126007), and to perform an assessment of model-based EF control strategies towards their applicability in ITER. In this paper, the lessons learned, the physical mechanism behind the magnetic island healing, which relies on enhanced viscous torque that acts against the static electro-magnetic torque, and the main control achievements are reported, together with the first design of the asynchronous EF correction current/density controller for ITER.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Spatial Study 2021: Sample-Based Surface Water Chemistry and Organic Matter Characterization across Watersheds in the Yakima River Basin, Washington, USA (v3)

This dataset supports a broader study examining the drivers of spatial variability in sediment respiration rates in the Yakima River Basin. The dataset provides geochemistry and organic matter characterization data generated from samples collected during the same two-week period at 47 sites within multiple rivers throughout the Yakima River Basin in Washington, USA. Related sensor data are published at https://data.ess-dive.lbl.gov/datasets/doi:10.15485/1892054. This data package was originally published September 2022. It was updated May 2023 (modified files) and November 2024 (new and modified files). See the change history section in the readme for more details. This dataset is comprised of one main data folder containing (1) file-level metadata; (2) data dictionary; (3) field metadata; (4) dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC; reported as non-purgeable organic carbon; NPOC), total nitrogen (TN), total suspended solids (TSS), ions, and benzene polycarboxylic acid (BPCA) concentration and stable isotope data; (5) averaged values from water chemistry data; (6) surface water sampling protocol; (7) sensor protocol (8) readme; (9) methods codes; (10) international generic-sample number (IGSN) mapping file; and (11) folder of high resolution characterization of organic matter via 12 Tesla Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICR-MS) through the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL; https://www.pnnl.gov/environmental-molecular-sciences-laboratory). This folder contains two subfolders, one containing the .xml data files and the other containing instructions for using Formultitude (https://github.com/PNNL-Comp-Mass-Spec/Formultitude) and an R script to process the data based on the user's specific needs. All files are .csv, .pdf, .R, .ref, or .xml. We thank the United States Forest Service, Washington Department of Natural Resources, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Washington State Parks, Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, and Cowiche Canyon Conservancy for access to field locations where these samples were collected. We also thank the Yakama Nation Tribal Council and Yakama Nation Fisheries for working with us to facilitate sample collection and optimization of data usage according to their values and worldview.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2019

2018 NISAR Applications Workshop: Forest and Disturbance; Workshop Report

Forest lands cover the globe and are important sources for providing ecosystem services including: carbon sequestration, biodiversity, timber, air and water quality. As such, counties around the world have dedicated programs for managing them. Accurate and timely information concerning the status of these forests (moisture, biomass, disturbance type, etc.) is essential to those Nations’ human and ecological health as well as economy. The joint NASA/US Forest Service workshop focused on arming forest land managers with observations and remote sensing information from the upcoming NASA-ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) (NISAR) satellite mission (expected to launch early 2022). Participants included representatives from different US Federal Agencies, private sector, and non-governmental organizations (NGO) that are key players in facilitating integration of Earth Observations (EO) into forest management and decision support workflows. They included scientists, technicians, and program managers with a responsibility for data acquisition and exploitation such as product development, delivery, and use, and capacity building. Discussions were held over two days to convey the broader forest and disturbance community information needs for various representative participants and programs and to facilitate the delivery of NISAR mission geospatial products and observational capabilities. Case studies were presented to demonstrate the current state of practice in the use of SAR remote sensing for applications of direct importance to forest and disturbance land management community. Eleven organizations presented their information requirements in response to a set of questions provided by the NASA team, then the NASA team responded by describing the degree to which NISAR could meet these requirements. Discussion ensued about needed data product specifications to increase utility (e.g., projection, latency, etc.), tools and capacity building. The general findings of this workshop were that (a) NISAR observations will be particularly useful to the global forest carbon and disturbance monitoring applications, but that certain data product design decisions (projections and radiometric and terrain corrections) need to be considered to increase utility; b) the biomass and disturbance detection algorithms meet many of the community needs, however there are other information products of value (e.g., soil moisture or disturbance classification, not just detection) and all products should be compliant with existing community standards for reporting uncertainty; c) providing SAR education to the community will be key specifically thinking about putting the information first and the SAR theory second, providing a simple guide of standard data processing steps (e.g., dB (decibel) to power conversion and speckle filtering); d) the community needs a user-friendly interface for finding free, archived data over their geographic regions of interest; e) user-friendly tools that connect to open-sources GIS (Global Information System) software (e.g., QGIS (Quantum GIS)) that include a graphical user interface (GUI) for SAR processing that enables both download and cloud processing. To integrate these findings and prepare the community before NISAR launches, it was suggested that there be a dedicated NISAR Forest and Disturbance Applications Working Group (as per the specifications in the NISAR Utilization Plan). After launch, it was decided that the community continue capacity building activities.

Stavros, Natasha↗
DOE OSTI2023

Investigating the Impacts of Outdoor Lighting (Final Report)

This report documents the research associated with the Depart of Energy supported project “Investigating the Health Impact of Outdoor Lighting.” This project was developed to consider how alternative solid state lighting options, particularly the spectral power distribution, effected the hormone melatonin which ultimately could lead to potential health issues. The project also provides an opportunity to gather other secondary data with respect to visual performance in a controlled environment. These tasks were developed to consider how alternative solid state lighting applications impacted performance. This report is a complete documentation of the tasks undertaken as part of this project. The report includes a literature review and consideration of the background data which are part of this field of study as well as a documentation of the methods developed as part of the project. The melatonin results, the primary dependent variable are included in the attached peer-review paper that has been recent published (Gibbons et al., 2022). Our discussion of these results are included in that publication. Other results from this project will be documented in one or more future publications.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2023

Texas Instrument DRV8881 2.5A Dual H-Bridge Motor Driver Heavy-Ion Single-Event Effects Test Report

The purpose of this test was to characterize the single-event effects (SEE) susceptibility of the Texas Instrument (TI) DRV8881 2.5A Dual H-Bridge Motor Driver. The device’s output was monitored for changes during exposure to heavy-ions at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) 88-inch Cyclotron. The main goal of testing was to test for destructive SEEs. Nondestructive SEEs were recorded during testing but not fully characterized. Testing was performed on November 9th and 11th, 2022.

Thomas A. Carstens↗
DOE OSTI2025

Data for Stetten et al. (2025), "Biogeochemical controls on iron speciation and cycling across upland to shoreline gradients in freshwater and estuarine coastal soils (Lake Erie and Chesapeake Bay, United States)"

Coastal environments are dynamic interfaces that mediate carbon and nutrient exchanges between terrestrial landscapes and open waters, but it is unclear how biogeochemical reactions, in particular iron (Fe) redox transformations, affect the understanding and prediction of coastal ecosystem functions. This dataset includes measurements from two freshwater sites in the Western and Central basins of Lake Erie (Ohio, United States) and two estuarine sites in the Chesapeake Bay (Maryland, United States); the analytical results were reported by Stetten et al. (2025) in Science of the Total Environment. It was produced as part of the COMPASS-FME project, which seeks to advance a scalable, predictive understanding of the fundamental biogeochemical processes, ecological structure, and ecosystem dynamics that distinguish coastal terrestrial-aquatic interfaces from the purely terrestrial or aquatic systems to which they are coupled. The sites were sampled in November 2022 (CRC), December 2022 (MSM), February 2023 (GCW), and March 2023 (OWC); site codes follow those used by Pennington et al. (2025).The dataset consists of the following soil data:- Solid data (Fe concentration, etc.)- Porewater data (sulfate, sulfide, etc.)- Linear combination fitting results of X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectra; i.e., quantitative results of the oxidation state of Fe, indicated as a proportion of pure Fe(III) and Fe(II) model compounds- Linear combination fitting results of EXAFS (extended X-ray absorption fine structure) spectra, indicated as proportion of of Fe-model compounds (illite, smectite, etc.)Each data type has a single file in comma-separated value (CSV) format. No special software is required to read it.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2024

Integration of Automated Systems Test Campaign NC-IAS

NASA’s 2022 strategic plan included the goal to catalyze economic growth and drive innovation in the aviation industry, and to address challenges in air transportation and airspace management within the National Airspace System (NAS). The Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) specifically was tasked with leading aviation innovation to enable safe and sustainable air transportation through revolutionary vehicle advances and efficient flight operations. As a part of meeting these objectives and advancing air mobility concepts, NASA initiated the National Campaign (NC) in the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Project within the Airspace Operations and Safety Program (AOSP). The NC was designed to support operational demonstrations with industry as well as the research and development needed to support NASA-led research flight demonstrations. Within NC, the Integration of Automated Systems (IAS), an NC activity, tested and evaluated flight deck automation and airspace operations management functions needed to enable Urban Air Mobility (UAM) operations. This was accomplished through a partnership with Sikorsky Aircraft (specifically Sikorsky Innovations), a Lockheed Martin company, and DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), by leveraging two automation-enabled helicopters equipped with unique capabilities that enabled NASA to develop and test two-ship conflict encounters to demonstrate flight path management and hazard avoidance technologies. The enabler in this testing was NASA-developed “Middleware” (MW) software (also known as Expandable Variable Autonomy Architecture, or EVAA), which among other things allowed multiple algorithms to be incorporated into one software build that was hosted on the dissimilar-type Sikorsky helicopters. The IAS test campaign period of performance was from March 2022 through October 2023 and was structured as a phased, or spiral, approach that ultimately led to the first-ever demonstration of two-ship UAM/AAM operations designed to safely choreograph specific conflict encounters and mission scenarios to test the research algorithms for strategic and tactical aircraft deconfliction. Lessons learned are included in the body of the report. Data collected will be used to inform FAA and industry standards groups on the increasingly automated systems needed for future AAM operations. The test encounters developed for these flight tests were proven to be highly predictable, repeatable, and safely exercised flight path planning and Detect and Avoid (DAA) algorithms. These same test encounters should be leveraged by future flight test campaigns to verify that operational safety is not compromised as the AAM architecture matures. Next steps include repeating similar encounters using unmanned aircraft carrying DAA sensors in the National Airspace.

AAM↗