SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “resource potential”

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.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 919 records · Page 51

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Advancements in Lunar Dust Mitigation and Leveraging the Contamination Control Community

Lunar Dust Contamination: As we get closer to putting landers, rovers, payloads, and astronauts on the Moon, dust mitigation is becoming more critical than ever. To address the many challenges of dust mitigation on the surface, engineers and scientists are looking at various technologies that may have relevance for the contamination control community. This includes active, passive, architectural, and operational solutions. There have been advances in coatings for dust mitigation at NASA and through commercial partnerships (see Wiesner, Wohl, et al). There have been advancements to previous solutions as well as novel solutions to address dust mitigation on the surface and on-orbit. There have been several efforts to better understand the effectiveness of various terrestrial and dust mitigation solutions with much of this data published in recent years. In the area of dust mitigation, dust contamination or infiltration refers to the impingement or contact of planetary dust with items not normally dusty and whose operation may therefore be compromised. Recent Advancements in Dust Mitigation: Dust mitigation strategies are becoming more common for hardware heading to the Moon, with most major programs implementing lunar dust contamination requirements for human health and equipment. In the last couple of years, NASA has created more guidance to assist hardware developers with dust mitigation. This includes NASA-STD-1008 (Classifications and Requirements for Testing Systems and Hardware to be Exposed to Dust in Planetary) and NASA TP 20220018746 (Lunar Dust Mitigation Guide and Reference). Several projects are testing hardware in relevant dusty environments to understand their tolerance to lunar dust. There has been a significant increase in the amount of testing with lunar simulants, with the NASA Simulant Advisory Committee serving a resource for NASA and our partners. There are new solutions for detecting and monitoring the dust internally and externally. Learning from the contamination control community: In addition to sharing potentially relevant solutions at the workshop, the dust mitigation community is also interested in learning from the contamination control community on ways to address lunar dust. For instance, a major aspect of managing the dust is monitoring and detection. This is critical for understanding when maintenance is needed and to inform future missions. Another challenge of working with lunar dust is quantifying and characterizing the smallest of particles. There are also challenges in modeling lunar dust and its behavior. The dust mitigation community can also leverage lessons learned from the planetary protection community.

dust mitagation↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Medical Resource Set Bulky Item Trade Space Analysis for Spaceflight Medical Risk

The NASA engineering community utilizes event-driven and fault-tree probabilistic techniques to classify risks in the space environment by taking advantage of the inherent knowledge of complex spaceflight system design and testing to quantify failure risk. In harmonizing the risk of human space flight, answering the question of ‘How do we balance health, performance and resource risks with other engineering risks on long duration space missions?’ remains a deeply challenging and largely qualitative practice. The Medical Extensible Dynamic Probabilistic Risk Assessment Tool (MEDPRAT) is one aspect of the efforts by NASA’s Human Research Program (HRP) to quantitatively assess the impact of health and performance risk. One of MEDPRAT’s key features is its high degree of computational efficiency. Coupled with the HRP High Performance Compute cluster located at NASA’s Glenn Research Center, MEDPRAT runs millions of simulated missions in a matter of minutes. This degree of computational efficiency provides the novel opportunity to explore the relationship between medical set mass, volume, and medical resource size. Of particular interest for future human spaceflight missions are ‘bulky’ items, medical resources like devices, which occupy a large portion of the small, allocated mass and volume for the medical set leaving less room for other resources. This talk will present results showing the quantitative impact of forced inclusion of several bulky items across a variety of medical kit constraints, and the effect that a potential research investment into reducing the bulky item mass and volume may have on risk.

Lauren Mcintyre↗

NASA NTRS2025

ACROSS: Enabling Time Domain and Multi-Messenger Astrophysics

The U.S. Astro2020 Decadal Survey recommended an investment in Time Domain and Multi-Messenger Astrophysics (TDAMM) as the top-priority sustaining activity in space for the coming decade. One aspect of NASA’s response to this rec-ommendation is a pilot project, the Astrophysics Cross-Observatory Science Support (ACROSS) Initiative, designed to provide support to both missions and observers as they pursue TDAMM science. In this talk, we present our observations of needs in the community and initial plans for ACROSS activities, including services to facilitate and improve cross-mission follow-up planning and execution; a multi-messenger web portal with links to existing mission resources, community tools, and information tar-geted for TDAMM General Observers; development of "Smart Target of Opportunity submission page" proof-of-concepts; and ongoing development of a potential TDAMM general observing competitive grant solicitation. While the initial focus has been to en-hance coordination between NASA missions, we are eager to work with ground-based and international partners as well. We invite discussion with both missions and ob-servers to better understand their needs and concerns as ACROSS progresses. Here we present our efforts on the web-portal and API, along with our development to support NASA’s BurstCube mission.

T B Humensky↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

ISRU Evaluation of Artemis Campaign Sites: Considerations and Methodology

The Artemis campaign has stated goals of ‘sustainable exploration’ [1] which includes In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU). The selection of the lunar polar region for Artemis was in part due to the identification of water in permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) which is of both scientific and exploration interest. The potential use of this water (as is, or as oxygen/hydrogen) for NASA and commercial applications, such as refueling vehicles, for power systems, or supplying life support consumables, is reflected in NASA’s Moon to Mars objectives (LI-7) [2]. These objectives also specify the need to locate and characterize the lunar water such that a water ‘reserve’ can be identified (AS-3). While infusion of ISRU capabilities is not planned for Artemis III, it is an opportunity to collect information to identify water reserves for later Artemis and commercial use. Selection of an Artemis III site with ISRU consideration will help advance the infusion of ISRU into later missions.

In situ resource utilization↗

NASA NTRS2000

Space Resources Development: The Link Between Human Exploration and the Long-Term Commercialization of Space

In a letter to the NASA Administrator, Dan Goldin, in January of 1999, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) stated the following . OMB recommends that NASA consider commercialization in a broader context than the more focused efforts to date on space station and space shuttle commercialization. We suggest that NASA examine architectures that take advantage of a potentially robust future commercial infrastructure that could dramatically lower the cost of future human exploration." In response to this letter, the NASA Human Exploration and Development of Space (HEDS) Enterprise launched the BEDS Technology & Commercialization Initiative (HTCI) to link technology and system development for human exploration with the commercial development of space to emphasize the "D" (Development) in BEDS. The development of technologies and capabilities to utilize space resources is the first of six primary focus areas in this program. It is clear that Space Resources Development (SRD) is key for both long-term human exploration of our solar system and to the long-term commercialization of space since: a) it provides the technologies, products, and raw materials to support efficient space transportation and in-space construction and manufacturing, and b) it provides the capabilities and infrastructure to allow outpost growth, self-sufficiency, and commercial space service and utility industry activities.

Sanders, Gerald B.↗

NASA NTRS2012

Regolith Derived Heat Shield for Planetary Body Entry and Descent System with In Situ Fabrication

This NIAC project investigated an innovative approach to provide heat shield protection to spacecraft after launch and prior to each EDL thus potentially realizing significant launch mass savings. Heat shields fabricated in situ can provide a thermal-protection system for spacecraft that routinely enter a planetary atmosphere. By fabricating the heat shield with space resources from materials available on moons and asteroids, it is possible to avoid launching the heat-shield mass from Earth. Regolith has extremely good insulating properties and the silicates it contains can be used in the fabrication and molding of thermal-protection materials. Such in situ developed heat shields have been suggested before by Lewis. Prior research efforts have shown that regolith properties can be compatible with very-high temperature resistance. Our project team is highly experienced in regolith processing and thermal protection systems (TPS). Routine access to space and return from any planetary surface requires dealing with heat loads experienced by the spacecraft during reentry. Our team addresses some of the key issues with the EDL of human-scale missions through a highly innovative investigation of heat shields that can be fabricated in space by using local resources on asteroids and moons. Most space missions are one-way trips, dedicated to placing an asset in space for economical or scientific gain. However, for human missions, a very-reliable heat-shield system is necessary to protect the crew from the intense heat experienced at very high entry velocities of approximately 11 km/s at approximately Mach 33 (Apollo). For a human mission to Mars, the return problem is even more difficult, with predicted velocities of up to 14 km/s, at approximately Mach 42 at the Earth-atmosphere entry. In addition to human return, it is very likely that future space-travel architecture will include returning cargo to the Earth, either for scientific purposes or for commercial reasons. Platinum, titanium, helium 3, and other metals, elements and minerals are all high-value commodities in limited supply on Earth, and it may be profitable to mine these substances throughout the Solar System and return them to Earth, if an economical method can be found. To date, several private corporations have been launched to pursue these goals. Because the heat shield is the last element to be used in an Earth-return mission, a high penalty is paid in the propellant mass required to carry the heat shield to the destination and back. If the heat shield could be manufactured in space, and then outfitted on the spacecraft prior to the reentry at Earth, then significant propellant and mass savings could be achieved during launch and space operations. Preliminary mission architecture scenarios are described, which explain the potential benefits that may be derived from using an in-situ fabricated regolith heat shield. In order to prove that this is a feasible technology concept, this project successfully fabricated heat shield materials from mineral simulant materials of lunar and Martian regolith by two methods: 1) Sintering and 2) Binding the simulant with a "room-temperature vulcanizing" (RTV) silicone formulated to withstand high temperatures. Initially a third type of fabrication was planned using the hot waste stream from regolith ISRU processes. This fabrication method was discarded since the resulting samples would be too dense and brittle for heat shields. High temperature flame tests at KSC and subsequent arc jet tests at Ames Research Center (ARC) have proved promising. These coupon tests show favorable materials properties and have the potential to be a new way of fabricating heat shields for space entry into planetary atmospheres.

Hogue, Michael D.↗

NASA NTRS2013

Regolith Derived Heat Shield for Planetary Body Entry and Descent System with In Situ Fabrication

Hogue, Michael D.↗

NASA NTRS2015

Opportunities and Strategies for Testing and Infusion of ISRU in the Evolvable Mars Campaign

HE Evolvable Mars Campaign (EMC) is developing the plans and systems needed for a robust, evolutionary strategy to explore cis-lunar space, the Mars sphere of influence (including the moons of Mars), and the surface of Mars. Recently, the emphasis of NASA's plans has changed to focus on the prolonged pioneering of space, rather than focusing on a single crewed mission as the ultimate goal. A sustainable, pioneering vision of space would include in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) in multiple forms and at multiple destinations: atmospheric capture of Mars CO2 and/or volatiles for consumables and propellants, regolith for bulk and refined materials, and in-situ manufacturing at the Moon, Mars, and other bodies. These resources would enable a reduction in the logistical needs from Earth for future missions, thus preparing the way for a sustained presence on Mars. Although the EMC initially relies only on propellant production for the Mars ascent vehicle via ISRU, one of its primary objectives is to prospect at every EMC destination to understand the potential for ISRU; this will permit true pioneering to be enabled after the first crew arrives at Mars. Recent and ongoing analysis has considered the possible prospecting measurements that can be performed at the asteroid returned to cis-lunar space by the Asteroid Robotic Redirect Mission (ARRM), at the lunar surface, at Phobos and Deimos, and on the surface of Mars to identify available resources for future use. These opportunities will be available on missions currently in the Evolvable Mars Campaign construct, and will also facilitate the testing and demonstration of resource acquisition, processing, storage, and useage technologies that can play a role in later missions. This analysis has also led to the identification of several objectives that should be targeted during the missions building up to and including the initial crewed missions. These objectives are mapped to strategies for incorporating ISRU to support resource cycle closure and reduce mass requirements from Earth. This analysis has yielded engineering constraints, based on ISRU, that impact the evaluation of landing sites for missions to the surface of Mars. The terrain of a particular site must be sufficiently flat to permit ISRU systems, as well as ancillary systems such as power and propellant storage tanks, to be landed, moved into position, set up, and operated. Water must be accessible in a form that can be acquired via ISRU, in quantities that align with demands. The chosen method of acquiring and processing water should align with the available resources at a particular site, and that site must have sufficient quantities to meet the requirements (based on crew consumables and propellant demands). Lower altitude landing sites are preferred, as the increase in density can facilitate carbon dioxide acquisition from the atmosphere. Another preference is for sites with a greater ability to move regolith for civil engineering purposes; for example, this would be conducive to both bulk regolith uses (such as the manufacture of berms), and processed regolith uses (such as microwave sintering).

Evolvable Mars Campaign↗

NASA NTRS2009

Use of NASA Satellite Data in Aiding Mississippi Barrier Island Restoration Projects

This presentation discusses a NASA Stennis Space Center project in which NASA-supported satellite and aerial data is being used to aid state and federal agencies in restoring the Mississippi barrier islands. Led by the Applied Science and Technology Project Office (ASTPO), this project will produce geospatial information products from multiple NASA-supported data sources, including Landsat, ASTER, and MODIS satellite data as well as ATLAS multispectral, CAMS multispectral, AVIRIS hyperspectral, EAARL, and other aerial data. Project objectives include the development and testing of a regional sediment transport model and the monitoring of barrier island restoration efforts through remote sensing. Barrier islands provide invaluable benefits to the State of Mississippi, including buffering the mainland from storm surge impacts, providing habitats for valuable wildlife and fisheries habitat, offering accessible recreational opportunities, and preserving natural environments for educating the public about coastal ecosystems and cultural resources. Unfortunately, these highly valued natural areas are prone to damage from hurricanes. For example, Hurricane Camille in 1969 split Ship Island into East and West Ship Island. Hurricane Georges in 1998 caused additional land loss for the two Ship Islands. More recently, Hurricanes Ivan, Katrina, Rita, Gustav, and Ike impacted the Mississippi barrier islands. In particular, Hurricane Katrina caused major damage to island vegetation and landforms, killing island forest overstories, overwashing entire islands, and causing widespread erosion. In response, multiple state and federal agencies are working to restore damaged components of these barrier islands. Much of this work is being implemented through federally funded Coastal Impact Assessment and Mississippi Coastal Improvement programs. One restoration component involves the reestablishment of the island footprints to that in 1969. Our project will employ NASA remote sensing data and products to support these federally funded efforts on multiple fronts. Landsat and ASTER data is being analyzed to assess changes in barrier island land cover over the last 35 years. ASTER, SRTM, and EAARL terrain products and other NASA airborne imagery are being applied in assessing changes in barrier island geomorphology and geospatial extent. MODIS data is being examined as a tool for sediment transport modeling by supplying geospatial data that quantifies in-water sediment concentrations. MODIS satellite data is being assessed for monitoring changes in the spatial extent of individual barrier islands. Results thus far indicate that NASA data products are useful in assessing barrier island conditions and changes. This value is enhanced with additional historical geospatial data, commercial high resolution satellite data, other non-NASA aerial imagery, and field survey data. The project s products are relevant to the Gulf of Mexico Alliance priority issues, including coastal habitat conservation, restoration and coastal community resilience. Such products will be available to state and federal agencies involved with coastal restoration. Potential end-users of these products include the National Park Service, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Environmental Protection Agency, Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, and Mississippi Department of Marine Resources.

Giardino, Marco↗

NASA NTRS2025

Limitations and Feasibility of Mini X-Ray Devices in Space Environments

LIMITATIONS AND FEASIBILITY OF MINI X-RAY DEVICES IN SPACE ENVIRONMENTS As space exploration advances toward long-duration missions, reliable medical diagnostic tools become increasingly critical. The miniature x-ray (XR) technology demonstrations by the Exploration Medical Capability (ExMC) and the Exploration Medical Integrated Product Team (XMIPT) aim to assess the feasibility and utility of miniature XR devices in spaceflight. This abstract explores the limitations of current miniature XR systems, the challenges of training crew members, the potential role of clinical decision support systems (CDSS), and the feasibility of ground-based image interpretation. We also propose the integration of miniature XR into other ExMC efforts aimed at identifying the capabilities and resources needed for future exploration class missions. One of the primary challenges with miniature XR devices is the ability to achieve specific anatomical views, particularly in the confined and weightless conditions of a spacecraft. Operators may struggle to acquire diagnostic-quality images when space is limited for proper patient positioning and the volume of the imaging device. Since space radiation and detector limitations may further impact image quality, the flexibility of the operating procedures of these devices will be critical for their success in space applications. CHALLENGES IN TRAINING CREW TO OPERATE IMAGING DEVICES Training in the skills necessary to acquire diagnostic-quality scans may be a barrier for non-clinician crewmembers. The curriculum developed for crew medical officers (CMOs) will require simplification and adaptation to fit into the highly truncated pre-flight training period. Therefore, hands-on familiarization and simulation, both pre-flight and just-in-time training during missions, will be crucial to ensuring the crew can operate the devices in real-life situations. The ability to adjust acquisition parameters must be simplified or made automatic through exam selections on equipment user interfaces, and subject and operator positioning should be assisted with laser guidance and pictorial guides. POTENTIAL FOR CDSS OR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)-ASSISTED CDSS CDSS and AI-assisted CDSS offer significant promise in assisting crew members with limited medical training. These systems could provide real-time feedback on image quality and interpretation, helping to mitigate the risks of human error during space missions. Integrating procedural guidance tools, such as virtual and augmented reality, will support crewmembers in accurately positioning patients and obtaining high-quality images. However, the success of such systems will depend on the development of robust training datasets, integration with spaceflight-rated hardware, and the medical decision-making capabilities of operators. FEASIBILITY OF GROUND INTERPRETATION AND DATA TRANSMISSION Reliance on ground-based interpretation may prove difficult for acute care during exploration class-missions due to delays in transmission with increasing distance from Earth or complete communication blackout periods. In such instances where immediate interpretation for clinical intervention is required, crew must be able to interpret the images independently or utilize AI-based assistance to do so. File sizes for XR exams can also be large if numerous images are acquired and bandwidth constraints may limit data transmissions for both radiography and ultrasound exams. FUTURE WORK AND INTEGRATION INTO THE EVIDENCE LIBRARY Future work proposes integrating miniature XR devices into NASA’s Evidence Library to address medical conditions identified as significant contributors to crew morbidity and mortality. The possibility of combining miniature XR with other imaging modalities, such as ultrasound devices, is also under investigation. In conclusion, while miniature XR technology holds potential for extraterrestrial medical systems, there are significant challenges to overcome. Training, integration of AI tools, dedicated exam protocols for microgravity, and improved data transmission systems will be key to realizing the full benefits of miniature XR technology in space.

A M Nelson↗

NASA NTRS1974

Computer and photogrammetric general land use study of central north Alabama

The object of this report is to acquaint potential users with two computer programs, developed at NASA, Marshall Space Flight Center. They were used in producing a land use survey and maps of central north Alabama from Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS) digital data. The report describes in detail the thought processes and analysis procedures used from the initiation of the land use study to its completion, as well as a photogrammetric study that was used in conjunction with the computer analysis to produce similar land use maps. The results of the land use demonstration indicate that, with respect to computer time and cost, such a study may be economically and realistically feasible on a statewide basis.

Jayroe, R. R.↗

NASA NTRS1990

NASA applications project in Miami County, Indiana

This project was designed to acquaint county government officials and their clientele with remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) products that contain information about land conditions and land use. The specific project objectives are: (1) to investigate the feasibility of using remotely sensed data to identify and quantify specific land cover categories and conditions for purposes of tax assessment, cropland area measurements, and land use evaluation; (2) to evaluate the use of remotely sensed data to assess soil resources and conditions which affect productivity; (3) to investigate the use of satellite remote sensing data as an aid in assessing soil management practices; and (4) to evaluate the market potential of products derived from the above projects.

Johannsen, Chris J.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Coproduction of volatiles and metals from extraterrestrial materials

Two main efforts in support of the general goals of SERC/culpr are presented. Investigations of processes for the coproduction of metals from extra-terrestrial materials in conjunction with plausible schemes for oxygen extraction continue. The principal emphasis was on the extraction and purification of iron from the ilmenite reduction process for oxygen, from the cathode metal deposits made in the magma electrolysis process for oxygen, and from native ferrous metal alloys on the moon and asteroids. All work on the separation and purification of ferrous metals was focussed upon the gaseous carbonyl process, a scheme that involves only temperatures attainable by passive thermal control. The exploration of a variety of schemes was initiated, involving the use of several different propulsion options and both propulsive and aerobraking capture at earth, for return of extraterrestrial resources to earth orbits. In addition, the search for new opportunities in space resource utilization continues. Examples include the continuation of work underway on: (1) the feasibility of locating solar power satellites in highly eccentric earth orbit; (2) the energetics of extracting the potential clean fusion fuel He-3 from the atmosphere for return to earth; and (3) the utility of a nuclear steam rocket (using non-terrestrial water as the working fluid) for transportation in the inner solar system.

Lewis, John S.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Space Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Test Facilities Subpanel

On 20 Jul. 1989, in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing, President George Bush proclaimed his vision for manned space exploration. He stated, 'First for the coming decade, for the 1990's, Space Station Freedom, the next critical step in our space endeavors. And next, for the new century, back to the Moon. Back to the future. And this time, back to stay. And then, a journey into tomorrow, a journey to another planet, a manned mission to Mars.' On 2 Nov. 1989, the President approved a national space policy reaffirming the long range goal of the civil space program: to 'expand human presence and activity beyond Earth orbit into the solar system.' And on 11 May 1990, he specified the goal of landing Astronauts on Mars by 2019, the 50th anniversary of man's first steps on the Moon. To safely and ever permanently venture beyond near Earth environment as charged by the President, mankind must bring to bear extensive new technologies. These include heavy lift launch capability from Earth to low-Earth orbit, automated space rendezvous and docking of large masses, zero gravity countermeasures, and closed loop life support systems. One technology enhancing, and perhaps enabling, the piloted Mars missions is nuclear propulsion, with great benefits over chemical propulsion. Asserting the potential benefits of nuclear propulsion, NASA has sponsored workshops in Nuclear Electric Propulsion and Nuclear Thermal Propulsion and has initiated a tri-agency planning process to ensure that appropriate resources are engaged to meet this exciting technical challenge. At the core of this planning process, NASA, DOE, and DOD established six Nuclear Propulsion Technical Panels in 1991 to provide groundwork for a possible tri-agency Nuclear Propulsion Program and to address the President's vision by advocating an aggressive program in nuclear propulsion. To this end the Nuclear Electric Propulsion Technology Panel has focused it energies; this final report summarizes its endeavor and conclusions.

Allen, George C.↗

NASA NTRS1998

New Space Industries for the Next Millennium

New Space Industries For the Next Millennium is a final report of the findings from the New Space Industries Workshop held in Washington, DC, in February 1998. The primary purpose of this workshop was to identify what must be done to develop new markets, and to generate plans, milestones and new organizational relationships designed to facilitate the goal of space development. This document provides a summary report on the results of that workshop and is not intended as a statement of NASA or government policy. Previous studies had shown great potential for the development of new markets in space (e.g., travel and entertainment, space solar power, satellite and space transfer services, research and development in space, space manufacturing, and space resources), and a great need for coordination and formation of infrastructures (e.g., space transportation, space business parks, and space utilities), to facilitate the growth of new space businesses. The New Space Industries Workshop brought together government, academia, and industry participants from several previous studies and other professionals interested in the development of space for commercial purposes. Their participation provided input into the role of government and industry in space development as well as the technology needs that will enable space development. The opening of the frontier of space, not just to government missions but to private individuals and commercial business, is a challenge of overarching importance. It is our hope that the workshop and this final report continue in earnest the process of identifying and overcoming the barriers to large-scale public access and development of space in the early years of the next century.

Smitherman, D. V., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1998

Benefits of Government Incentives for Reusable Launch Vehicle Development

Many exciting new opportunities in space, both government missions and business ventures, could be realized by a reduction in launch prices. Reusable launch vehicle (RLV) designs have the potential to lower launch costs dramatically from those of today's expendable and partially-expendable vehicles. Unfortunately, governments must budget to support existing launch capability, and so lack the resources necessary to completely fund development of new reusable systems. In addition, the new commercial space markets are too immature and uncertain to motivate the launch industry to undertake a project of this magnitude and risk. Low-cost launch vehicles will not be developed without a mature market to service; however, launch prices must be reduced in order for a commercial launch market to mature. This paper estimates and discusses the various benefits that may be reaped from government incentives for a commercial reusable launch vehicle program.

Shaw, Eric J.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Corals from Space

The goal of this research is to monitor the health and vigor of coral reef ecosystems, and their sensitivity to natural and anthropogenic climate changes. To achieve these lofty goals, this research is investigating the feasibility of using spaceborne high-resolution spectrometers (on the US Landsat, French Systeme Probatoire pour l'Observation de la Terre [SPOT] and/or the Indian Resources Satellite [IRS 1C & 1D] spacecraft) to first map the aerial extent of coral reef systems, and second separate the amount of particular corals. If this is successful, we could potentially provide a quantum leap in our understanding of coral reef systems, as well as provide much needed baseline data to measure future changes in global coral reef ecosystems. In collaboration with Tomas Tomascik, Yann Morel, and other colleagues, a series of experiments were planned to coordinate in situ coral observations, high-resolution spaceborne imagery (from Landsat, SPOT, and, possibly, IRS IC spacecraft), and NASA Space Shuttle photographs and digital images. Our eventual goal is to develop "coral health algorithms" that can be used to assess time series of imagery collected from satellite sensors (Landsat since 1972, SPOT since 1986) in concert with in situ observations. The bad news from last year was that from 1997 to mid- 1998, the extreme cloudiness over southeast Asia due to prolonged smoke from El Nino-related fires and the economic chaos in this region frustrated both our space and reef-based data collection activities. When this volatile situation stabilizes, we will restart these activities. The good news was that in collaboration with Al Strong at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) we had an exciting year operationally using the NOAA's Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer sensor derived sea surface temperature products to warn of coral "bleaching" at many locations throughout the tropics. Data from NOAA's satellites showed that during the El Nino of 1997 and the first half of 1998, more ocean area in the tropics experienced exceptionally high sea surface temperatures, or "hot spots," than have been observed in any fall year since the El Nino of 1982. From January to July, the coral bleaching events were concentrated in the Southern Hemisphere (during its warm season). Since July 1998, the reports of extensive coral bleaching have again spread into regions of the Northern Hemisphere following abnormally high sea surface temperatures, especially around the Philippines and throughout the Caribbean Basin, Bahamas, Bermuda and Florida Keys. These El Nino induced events clearly demonstrated that corals are the "canaries of the marine ecosystem," highly sensitive to short-term natural climate events (El Nino), and should be monitored as measures of longer-term environmental and climate change. Additional information is contained in the original.

Patzert, William C.↗

NASA NTRS2014

The Combustion Experiment on the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) Instrument Suite on the Curiosity Rover

The combustion experiment on the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) suite on Curiosity will heat a sample of Mars regolith in the presence of oxygen and measure composition of the evolved gases using quadrupole mass spectrometry (QMS) and tunable laser spectrometry (TLS). QMS will enable detection of combustion products such as CO, CO2, NO, and other oxidized species, while TLS will enable precise measurements of the abundance and carbon isotopic composition (delta(sup 13)C) of the evolved CO2 and hydrogen isotopic composition (deltaD) of H2O. SAM will perform a two-step combustion to isolate combustible materials below approx.550 C and above approx.550 C. The combustion experiment on SAM, if properly designed and executed, has the potential to answer multiple questions regarding the origins of volatiles seen thus far in SAM evolved gas analysis (EGA) on Mars. Constraints imposed by SAM and MSL time and power resources, as well as SAM consumables (oxygen gas), will limit the number of SAM combustion experiments, so it is imperative to design an experiment targeting the most pressing science questions. Low temperature combustion experiments will primarily target the quantification of carbon (and nitrogen) contributed by SAM wet chemistry reagants MTBSTFA (N-Methyl-N-tert-butyldimethylsilyltrifluoroacetamide) and DMF (Dimethylformamide), which have been identified in the background of blank and sample runs and may adsorb to the sample while the cup is in the Sample Manipulation System (SMS). In addition, differences between the sample and "blank" may yield information regarding abundance and delta(sup 13)C of bulk (both organic and inorganic) martian carbon. High temperature combustion experiments primarily aim to detect refractory organic matter, if present in Cumberland fines, as well as address the question of quantification and deltaD value of water evolution associated with hydroxyl hydrogen in clay minerals.

Mars↗