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Energy storage at all timescales, including the seasonal scale, plays a pivotal role in enabling increased penetration levels of wind and solar photovoltaic energy sources in power systems.
Family 1 Coenzyme A transferases (CtfAB) from the extremely thermophilic bacterium, Thermosipho melanesiensis, has been used for in vivo acetone production up to 70°C. This enzyme has tentatively been identified as the rate-limiting step, due to its relatively low-binding affinity for acetate. However, existing kinetic and mechanistic studies on this enzyme are insufficient to evaluate this hypothesis. Here, kinetic analysis of purified recombinant T. melanesiensis CtfAB showed that it has a ping-pong bi-bi mechanism typical of Coenzyme A (CoA) transferases with Km values for acetate and acetoacetyl-CoA of 85 mM and 135 μM, respectively. Product inhibition by acetyl-CoA was competitive with respect to acetoacetyl-CoA and non-competitive with respect to acetate. Crystal structures of wild-type and mutant T. melanesiensis CtfAB were solved in the presence of acetate and in the presence or absence of acetyl-CoA. These structures led to a proposed structural basis for the competitive and non-competitive inhibition of acetyl-CoA: acetate binds independently of acetyl-CoA in an apparent low-affinity binding pocket in CtfA that is directly adjacent to a catalytic glutamate in CtfB. Similar to other CoA transferases, acetyl-CoA is bound in an apparent high-affinity binding site in CtfB with most interactions occurring between the phospho-ADP of CoA and CtfB residues far from the acetate binding pocket. This structural-based mechanism also explains the organic acid promiscuity of CtfAB. High-affinity interactions are predominantly between the conserved phospho-ADP of CoA, and the variable organic acid binding site is a low-affinity binding site with few specific interactions.
Most of the investigated overmoded relativistic backward wave oscillators (RBWOs) are azimuthally symmetric; thus, they are designed through two dimensional (2-D) particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations. However, 2-D PIC simulations cannot reveal the effect of asymmetric modes on beam-wave interaction. In order to investigate whether asymmetric mode competition needs to be considered in the design of overmoded RBWOs, a numerical method of determining the composition of both symmetric and asymmetric modes in three dimensional (3-D) PIC simulations is introduced in this paper. The 2-D and 3-D PIC simulation results of an X-band overmoded RBWO are analyzed. Our analysis indicates that the 2-D and 3-D PIC simulation results of our device are quite different due to asymmetric mode competition. In fact, asymmetric surface waves, especially EH{sub 11} mode, can lead to serious mode competition when electron beam propagates near the surface of slow wave structures (SWSs). Therefore, additional method of suppressing asymmetric mode competition, such as adjusting the reflections at both ends of SWSs to decrease the Q-factor of asymmetric modes, needs to be utilized in the design of overmoded RBWOs. Besides, 3-D PIC simulation and modes decomposition are essential for designing overmoded RBWOs.
Technoeconomic and life-cycle analyses are presented for catalytic conversion of ethanol to fungible hydrocarbon fuel blendstocks, informed by advances in catalyst and process development. Whereas prior work toward this end focused on 3-step processes featuring dehydration, oligomerization, and hydrogenation, the consolidated alcohol dehydration and oligomerization (CADO) approach described here results in 1-step conversion of wet ethanol vapor (40 wt% in water) to hydrocarbons and water over a metal-modified zeolite catalyst. A development project increased liquid hydrocarbon yields from 36% of theoretical to >80%, reduced catalyst cost by an order of magnitude, scaled up the process by 300-fold, and reduced projected costs of ethanol conversion 12-fold. Current CADO products conform most closely to gasoline blendstocks, but can be blended with jet fuel at low levels today, and could potentially be blended at higher levels in the future. Operating plus annualized capital costs for conversion of wet ethanol to fungible blendstocks are estimated at $2.00/GJ for CADO today and $1.44/GJ in the future, similar to the unit energy cost of producing anhydrous ethanol from wet ethanol ($1.46/GJ). Including the cost of ethanol from either corn or future cellulosic biomass but not production incentives, projected minimum selling prices for fungible blendstocks produced via CADO are competitive with conventional jet fuel when oil is $100 per barrel but not at $60 per barrel. However, with existing production incentives, the projected minimum blendstock selling price is competitive with oil at $60 per barrel. Life-cycle greenhouse gas emission reductions for CADO-derived hydrocarbon blendstocks closely follow those for the ethanol feedstock.
YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ coated conductors (CCs) have achieved high critical current densities (J c ) that can be further increased through the introduction of additional defects using particle irradiation. However, these gains are accompanied by increases in the flux creep rate, a manifestation of competition between the different types of defects. In this paper, we study this competition to better understand how to design pinning landscapes that simultaneously increase J c and reduce creep. CCs grown by metal organic deposition show non-monotonic changes in the temperature-dependent creep rate, S(T). Notably, in low fields, there is a conspicuous dip to low S as the temperature (T) increases from ~20 to ~65 K. Oxygen-, proton-, and Au-irradiation substantially increase S in this temperature range. Focusing on an oxygen-irradiated CC, we investigate the contribution of different types of irradiation-induced defects to the flux creep rate. Specifically, we study S(T) as we tune the relative density of point defects to larger defects by annealing both an as-grown and an irradiated CC in O 2 at temperatures T A = 250 °C–600 °C. Finally, we observe a steady decrease in S(T > 20 K) with increasing T A , unveiling the role of pre-existing nanoparticle precipitates in creating the dip in S(T) and point defects and clusters in increasing S at intermediate temperatures.
This paper proposes a novel game-theoretic model for peer-to-peer (P2P) energy trading among the prosumers in a community. The buyers can adjust the energy consumption behavior based on the price and quantity of the energy offered by the sellers. There exist two separate competitions during the trading process: 1) price competition among the sellers; and 2) seller selection competition among the buyers. The price competition among the sellers is modeled as a noncooperative game. The evolutionary game theory is used to model the dynamics of the buyers for selecting sellers. Moreover, an M-leader and N-follower Stackelberg game approach is used to model the interaction between buyers and sellers. Two iterative algorithms are proposed for the implementation of the games such that an equilibrium state exists in each of the games. The proposed method is applied to a small community microgrid with photo-voltaic and energy storage systems. Simulation results show the convergence of the algorithms and the effectiveness of the proposed model to handle P2P energy trading. The results also show that P2P energy trading provides significant financial and technical benefits to the community, and it is emerging as an alternative to cost-intensive energy storage systems.
The shifts in adaptive strategies revealed by ecological succession and the mechanisms that facilitate these shifts are fundamental to ecology. These adaptive strategies could be particularly important in communities of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) mutualistic with sorghum, where strong AMF succession replaces initially ruderal species with competitive ones and where the strongest plant response to drought is to manage these AMF. Although most studies of agriculturally important fungi focus on parasites, the mutualistic symbionts, AMF, constitute a research system of human-associated fungi whose relative simplicity and synchrony are conducive to experimental ecology. First, we hypothesize that, when irrigation is stopped to mimic drought, competitive AMF species should be replaced by AMF species tolerant to drought stress. We then, for the first time, correlate AMF abundance and host plant transcription to test two novel hypotheses about the mechanisms behind the shift from ruderal to competitive AMF. Surprisingly, despite imposing drought stress, we found no stress-tolerant AMF, probably due to our agricultural system having been irrigated for nearly six decades. Remarkably, we found strong and differential correlation between the successional shift from ruderal to competitive AMF and sorghum genes whose products (i) produce and release strigolactone signals, (ii) perceive mycorrhizal-lipochitinoligosaccharide (Myc-LCO) signals, (iii) provide plant lipid and sugar to AMF, and (iv) import minerals and water provided by AMF. These novel insights frame new hypotheses about AMF adaptive evolution and suggest a rationale for selecting AMF to reduce inputs and maximize yields in commercial agriculture.
Plants can influence soil microbes through resource acquisition and interference competition, with consequences for ecosystem function such as nitrification. However, how plants alter soil conditions to influence nitrifiers and nitrification rates remains poorly understood, especially in the subsoil. Here, coupling the 15N isotopic pool dilution technique, high throughput sequencing and in situ soil O2 monitoring, we investigated how a deep-rooted perennial grass, miscanthus, versus an adjacent shallow-rooted turfgrass reference shapes nitrifier assembly and function along 1 m soil profiles. In topsoil, the suppression of ammonia (NH3) oxidizing archaea (AOA) and gross nitrification rates in miscanthus relative to the reference likely resulted from nitrifiers being outcompeted by plant roots and heterotrophic bacteria for ammonium (NH4+). The stronger tripartite competition under miscanthus may have been caused in part by the lower soil organic matter (SOM) content, which supported lower gross nitrogen (N) mineralization, the major soil process that produces NH4+. In contrast, below 10 cm soil depth, significantly greater gross nitrification rates were observed in miscanthus compared to the reference. This was likely driven by the significantly lower oxygen (O2) in miscanthus than reference subsoil, which selected against aerobic heterotrophic bacteria but in favor of AOA. Overall, we found that plants can regulate AOA community structure and function through different mechanisms in topsoil and subsoil, with suppression of nitrification in topsoil and enhancement of nitrification in subsoil.
To continue the momentum for cost reduction in solar technologies, DOE recently established 2030 cost targets for that would make solar one of the lowest-cost sources of new electricity in the United States. The potential impacts of achieving the 2030 cost targets for solar photovoltaics (PV) were recently explored in a related publication, which found significant potential for solar PV deployment and generation, particularly when coupled with low-cost storage. Building on this previous report, the present analysis evaluates the potential impacts of simultaneously achieving the 2030 cost targets for both PV and concentrating solar power with thermal energy storage (CSP-TES) systems in the contiguous United States, with a detailed evaluation of the role that CSP-TES plays in realizing those impacts. The evolution of the contiguous U.S. electricity system is evaluated with NREL's Renewable Energy Deployment System (ReEDS) model, which has been specifically designed to represent the time and locational value of renewable generation technologies in the U.S. power system. This analysis suggests achievement of the SunShot cost targets for CSP-TES might lead to dramatic growth in CSP-TES capacity, with accelerated deployment after the 2030 target is achieved. Based on our representation of the 2030 cost targets in ReEDS, economically-competitive CSP-TES could primarily be deployed in a dispatch able, high-capacity factor configuration, which allows it to provide valuable services to the power sector and results in a generation profile for CSP-TES that is complementary to that of variable PV. Aggressive cost reductions for CSP-TES could also make such a configuration economically competitive across the contiguous United States, which is a a result that warrants additional analysis in terms of potential siting, permitting, regulatory, and construction challenges in these new regions and markets. The modeled capacity expansion of both CSP-TES and PV in our scenarios that achieve the 2030 cost targets requires most growth in transmission capacity at a pace that is consistent with historical buildout rates, and could result in reduced electricity prices and power system costs, water usage, and air emissions. Finally, sensitivity analysis suggests that the cumulative capacity and geographic extent of CSP-TES deployment in our low-cost solar scenarios is highly sensitive to the post-2030 cost reductions for CSP-TES and future price of natural gas, and that significant competition exists among renewable energy and energy storage technologies, assuming aggressive cost reductions for each. For example, significant competition between CSP-TES and PV with battery storage indicates the similar role that these systems play in capacity planning and grid operations, as well as the fact that low-cost battery storage would help improve the capacity value of low-cost PV into the future.
Several sector-wide economic factors have continued to affect the economics of the Navajo Generating Station (NGS), the largest coal plant in the western United States. Like coal plants nationwide, NGS continues to face economic competition from combined-cycle natural gas (CCNG) generators. Had power generated by NGS been replaced with additional production from the area's lower-cost CCNG units, generation costs might have been $\$$98 million lower from 2015 through 2018. Renewable energy trends appear to be independent of the economic competition between NGS and CCNG plants in the region. Integrating wind and solar resources would likely remain the same with or without NGS. If the Navajo and Hopi tribes aim to encourage renewable energy development on their reservations, they can reasonably anticipate a surge in renewable energy development until 2019 and a lull in new activity shortly after that. Demand for new renewables might be more price-sensitive, federal subsidies could be diminished, and competition among developers might be more rigorous. Access to major transmission could be a competitive advantage for the tribes, in the event that NGS retires.
GE Research and its partner Prolec GE have proposed a novel and breakthrough concept to improve the flexibility and interchangeability of large power transformers (LPTs). LPTs refer in this report to transformers with a power rating equal or greater than 100 MVA. The concept consists of a 3-phase autotransformer bank having one specified high voltage side (HV) voltage and three configurable low voltage side (LV) voltage taps. Moreover, the leakage impedance is adjustable offline using taps which allows to accommodate short-circuit requirements for a wide range of LPTs applications. The research performed aimed to develop and validate a cost-effective design of a flexible LPT and to demonstrate its competitiveness with the LPT fleet currently in operation in the U.S. The concept is intended for the long-term replacement of existing LPTs. In this project, the U.S based population of LPTs was analyzed to determine their commonality in power, voltage classes, and impedance range. Up to 9,700 units, currently deployed in the NERC’s Eastern and Western interconnection regions, were evaluated. This analysis yielded the specifications of two flexible LPTs to be designed to demonstrate the manufacturability and competitiveness of the concept: a 345 kV, 230 MVA and a 230 kV, 100 MVA LPTs. The two LPTs are both configurable to 161 kV, 138 kV, and 115 kV on the LV side and allow leakage impedance variation between 4% and 14%. The design output showed that the flexible LPT is manufacturable and competitive with conventional LPT. The proposed design has a power efficiency of 99.5% and a total active part weight increase ranging only between 15% and 28% relative to conventional LPTs it can be substituted with. Indeed, for the flexible LPT, the higher the LV side voltage is, the higher is its power rating. Hence, flexible LPTs are more competitive when compared with the largest conventional LPT they can replace. Power systems analyses were carried out to evaluate the performance of the flexible LPT when replacing an existing conventional LPT. These analyses showed that short-circuit and inrush currents will remain respectively within 15% and 9.4% of their original levels suggesting that no substations equipment is likely to be replaced due the installation of the flexible LPT. In addition, the analyses showed that the transient overvoltage anticipated at the impedance configuration switch will be manageable and will not pose any particular risk during lightning or switching events. This research proved that the deployment of flexible LPTs in the U.S power grid can greatly improve the grid reliability and its resiliency especially in the event of the loss of multiple LPTs. Moreover, the concept can significantly help reduce LPTs’ spare inventory by providing a high spare coverage level. The performed analysis showed that the designed 345 kV flexible LPT can serve as a spare for up to 34 units currently in operation in the U.S while the designed 230 kV flexible LPT can replace up to 101 units. Flexible LPTs offer new opportunities to U.S utilities to improve interchangeability of LPTs in the transmission system and to better strategize the upcoming renewal of about 70% of the population of LPTs anticipated to retire within the next two decades.
With increased penetration of subsidized variable renewable energy (VRE) resources and competition from low natural gas prices, existing light water reactor (LWR) nuclear power plants (NPPs) are struggling to remain economically competitive. This work examines the potential economic competitiveness of various thermal energy storage (TES) technologies when coupled directly or indirectly with a NPP. To highlight their relative economic competitiveness, we contrast several energy storage solutions in stochastic dispatch optimization. We leverage data from recent work analyzing a range of TES technologies with varying capital costs, performance, and technology readiness level (TRL) to establish our case. We explore inserting these technologies into an electricity market with existing nuclear generation and large projected variable renewable energy (VRE) penetration. Although these technologies' projected capital costs may make them unlikely candidates in their current state, this analysis demonstrates a high-fidelity techno-economic analysis of energy storage. Furthermore, as the projected cost of energy storage technologies evolves, this analysis sets a precedent for similar future investigations. One region with projected trends that may be unfavorable for existing nuclear capacity is the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) market. New York state’s baseload generation has been historically provided by fossil-fired and nuclear assets. However, amid economic pressures from subsidized VREs and low natural gas prices, the state has recently deactivated Indian Point nuclear power plant units 2 and 3. Furthermore, the state plans to meet its zero-emission generation target by 2040 by replacing fossil-fired capacity with significant investments in VRE resources like wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery storage. Increased intermittent resource penetration lowers the baseload power requirement, adding further economic pressure to the state’s three remaining NPPs still in operation. With three NPPs still in operation in New York, this work analyzes potential economic benefits to NPPs on the New York grid when directly or indirectly coupled with various TES technologies. This work requires two modeling steps to analyze the potential economic benefits of various system configurations of the TES directly or indirectly coupled with nuclear. First, this analysis leverages capacity expansion modeling by experts at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). Using their deterministic capacity expansion model, U.S. Regional Economy, Greenhouse Gas, and Energy (US-REGEN), EPRI analysts evaluated the capacity and generation evolution of the New York state energy market under four projection scenarios. These four projection scenarios were developed to represent the potential evolution of the capacity and generation in NYISO from 2015 to 2050 under various economic, technology, and policy constraints. The results from these capacity expansion models are then used as boundary conditions in the second modeling step. The second modeling step uses the Holistic Energy Resource Optimization Network (HERON) for a set of stochastic techno-economic analyses (STEAs) to investigate the potential increase in the economic viability of various configurations of the TES. With no current capacity expansion capabilities, HERON takes the data generated from US-REGEN for 2050 to generate synthetic load, solar, and wind data. Then HERON economically optimizes the capacity and dispatch of the various TES configurations. The potential economic benefit is the differential net present value (NPV) of the TES configurations from the no-TES baseline. As a stochastic techno-economic analysis package, HERON introduces uncertainty into the economic metrics, while US-REGEN trades resolution for reduced computational complexity. Using HERON also allows the modeling of direct thermal coupling, a feature not common in capacity and dispatch models. As expected, with high capital costs, the costs of introducing energy storage for all the technologies considered outweighed the potential economic benefit of this strategy for flexible plant operation. The benefit of this analysis is primarily in demonstrating a workflow that examines innovative solutions to increase NPP revenue via TES coupling. HERON’s stochastic capacity and dispatch optimization process used in this work has proven an effective tool in observing and evaluating the impact of introducing storage technologies in a grid energy system.
The purpose of this report is to collate information and findings from recent studies conducted by national and international bodies/institutes to identify approaches for maintaining/enhancing the role of nuclear energy in the current and future energy mix of the United States. This report shows how nuclear generation grew quickly to provide 20% of U.S. electricity, sustaining that level for three decades without the benefit of new construction, but is now projected to decline going forward. Nuclear construction costs in the U.S. spiraled out of control, ending construction for two decades and the recent resumption of construction has continued the pattern of schedule delays and cost overruns. However, nuclear operations exhibited strong learning, achieving and sustaining the highest capacity factor of any electricity generation technology and license extensions and uprates have sustained nuclear market share. The share of nuclear energy in the U.S. electricity market is projected to decline by ~1/3rd over the next 30 years The report provides an overview of how the markets work in theory and in practice. It indicates how market deregulation and clean energy policies have created conditions where nuclear plants are being retired for economic rather than technical reasons. The report also shows how many of the markets do not in practice have free competition but instead have outcomes that are being determined more and more by policy instead of market forces. While electricity costs from existing nuclear plants are low, electricity from new builds is projected to be too expensive to be competitive head-to-head with natural gas, even for nth-of-a-kind costs. Wind and solar energy have enjoyed an extended period of sustained subsidy. This protected environment has resulted in a sustained reduction in plant level costs to the point that some of these Variable Renewable Energy (VRE) technologies are becoming competitive even if their direct subsidies are removed. But plant level costs underestimate total VRE costs which include a number of system-level externalities. The incremental system value of additional VRE capacity was shown to decline as market share increases, with solar value declining more quickly than wind. The report closes with examination of a possible future for nuclear generation as part of deep decarbonization of the electricity sector. This approach avoids direct competition with natural gas. The two options for achieving 100% decarbonization are to use only renewables or to use all zero emissions technologies, and the report shows the second approach is much less expensive than the first.
Updating the Hanford Reach fall Chinook salmon productivity analysis to include seven additional years of data (BY 2010–2016), including three years of record escapements (>150,000 adults), reaffirmed the highly productive nature of this population and the positive effect of flow fluctuation constraints as implemented at Priest Rapids Dam by the VBSA and HRFCPP. The addition of several years of high escapements also revealed that competition among juveniles (and not spawning habitat limitations) is likely the mechanism driving density dependence in the Hanford Reach. The addition of the high escapement brood years also provided evidence for the high recruitment capacity of the population. As such, the WDFW may consider increasing the maximum escapement goal from 42,000 adults to 49,000 adults, which would be more in-line with SMSY as estimated from this update. Given the in-river protections that are in place as part of the HRFCPP, ocean conditions appear to be the primary factor controlling adult production. Therefore, the success of any additional management actions taken in freshwater are likely to be dependent on survival in the ocean. As such, the most effective management actions may be those that limit juvenile competition and density dependent growth effects in the Hanford Reach. Limiting competition would be expected to increase growth, resulting in larger smolts that would be less likely to suffer size-dependent mortality in the marine environment, even during years of poor ocean conditions. Increasing terminal harvest rates when high escapements are anticipated (from downstream dam counts) is one management option that could help to curtail juvenile competition.
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory hosted an intern-based web application development contest in the summer of 2016 centered around developing novel chemical surveillance applications to aid in health situational awareness. Making up the three teams were three graduate students (n=9) from various US schools majoring in non-public health domains, such as computer science and user design. The interns successfully developed three applications that demonstrated a value-add to chemical surveillance—ChemAnalyzer (text analytics), RetroSpect (retrospective analysis of chemical events),and ToxicBusters (geo-based trend analytics). These applications will be the basis for the first chemical surveillance application to be incorporated into the DTRA Biosurveillance Ecosystem (BSVE).Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), on behalf the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA; project number CB10190), hosts an annual intern- based web app development contest. Previous competitions have focused on mobile biosurveillance. The 2016 competition pivoted away from biosurveillance to focus on addressing challenges within the field of chemical surveillance and increasing public health chemical situational awareness. The result of the app will be integrated within the DTRA BSVE. PNNL hosted nine graduate interns for a 10-week period in the summer of 2016 as participants in a summer web application development contest. Students were drawn from such fields as software engineering and user experience and design and placed into three teams of three students. The challenge presented to the interns was to design and develop a fully-functional web application that would address a critical need within the chemical surveillance community. The interns developed their own ideas (vetted by PNNL and DTRA), discovered and integrated their own data sources, and produced their own visualizations and analytics, independent of any assistance outside of that provided in an advisory capacity. The competition end with a judging event with a panel of subject matter experts and cash awards were distributed to the teams. Each team produced a unique application. Although there was mild overlap between some of the ideas, the applications were developed independently and each reflected the unique contributions of the teams. ChemAnalyzer is a text-analytics platform designed to facilitate more data-driven decision, given a corpus of text data about a chemical event. Their platform provided the ability to automatically identify and highlight key words in documents related to chemical events. The keywords are drawn from an ontology installed with the system, as well as any user-identified keywords. The ChemAnalyzer team finished in third place. The RetroSpect team developed a visual analytic tool for performing retrospective analysis and monitoring of chemical events. Their app provided the ability to search and analyze past events, as well as visualization of state and county information for the recorded chemical events. The RetroSpect team finished in second place. The Toxic busters team - the winners of the competition - created a geo-based situational awareness tool for tracking chemical events. Their app featured an updateable map overlay, search functionality for finding specific or related events, incident and city/state/national-level statistics and trends, as well as news and social media integration based on keywords related to chemical surveillance. Each of the apps developed by the teams provides value to an analyst tasked with monitoring chemical events. The apps integrated unique data sources to provides a full picture of a chemical event, and its effects upon the surrounding population. This integrated analytics provides a valuable benefit over existing workflows, where analysts must monitor news, social, and other information sources manually for real-time information. The apps developed by these interns are designed to enable identification and analysis of the incident as quickly as possible, allowing for more timely assessments of the incident and its impacts. The web app development contest provided a unique opportunity for students to learn about the emerging needs in chemical surveillance as it relates to health situational awareness. Students were drawn from a variety of fields and were tasked with developing novel web apps addressing some of the most pressing challenges in the field of chemical surveillance. The ideas generated by the students will help form the basis for future chemical surveillance application development to be integrated with the DTRABSVE.
An appraisal was made of advanced portable and emergency life support systems concepts for space station, space shuttle, lunar base, and Mars EVA missions. Specifications are given, and the methodology is described. Subsystem studies and systems integration efforts are summarized. Among the conclusions are the following: (1) For long duration missions, a configuration incorporating a regenerable CO2 control subsystem and a thermal control subsystem utilizing a minimum of expendables decreases the vehicle penalty of present configurations. (2) For shorter duration missions, a configuration incorporating an expendable water thermal control subsystem is the most competitive subsystem; regenerable CO2 control subsystems if properly developed are competitive with nonregenerable counterparts. (3) The CO2 reduction and oxygen reclamation withing the parent vehicle is only competitive when there are three or more parent vehicle resupply periods. (4) For long duration emergency systems of one hour or more, inherent redundancy within the primary configuration to provide emergency thermal control is the most competitive approach.
This summer I have been working with the N.A.S.A. Project at Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) under the title of Exploring Aeronautics Project Leader. The class that I have worked with is comprised of students that will enter the eighth grade in the fall of 2004. The program primarily focuses upon math proficiency and individualized class projects. My duties have encompassed both realms. During the first 2-3 weeks of my internship, I worked at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) researching, organizing, and compiling information for weekly Scholastic Challenges and the Super Scholastic Challenge. I was able to complete an overview of Scholastic Challenge and staff responsibilities regarding the competition; a proposal for an interactive learning system, Quizdom; a schedule for challenge equipment, as well as a schedule listing submission deadlines for the staff. Also included in my tasks, during these first 2-3 weeks, were assisting Tammy Allen and Candice Thomas with the student application review and interview processes for student applicants. For the student and parent orientation, I was assigned publications and other varying tasks to complete before the start of the program. Upon the commencement of the program, I changed location from NASA GRC to Tri-C Metro Campus, where student classes for the Cleveland site are held. During the duration of the program, I work with the instructor for the Exploring Aeronautics class, kkkk, assisting in classroom management, daily attendance, curriculum, project building, and other tasks as needed. These tasks include the conducting of the weekly competition, known as Scholastic Challenge. As a Project Leader, I am also responsible for one subject area of the Scholastic Challenge aspect of the N.A.S.A. Project curriculum. Each week I have to prepare a mission that the participants will take home the following Monday and at least 10 questions that will be included in the pool of questions used for the Scholastic Challenge competition on Thursdays. For at least one of these competitions, I must compile all mission and question information submitted by the staff, distribute missions to the students, and enter questions into Jeopardy formatted PowerPoint presentation. Unique to the N.A.S.A. Project are its Saturday sessions and opportunities for field trips. As a Project Leader, I am required to attend all field trips and Saturday sessions held for participants and their parent(s)/guardian(s). The Saturday sessions do not require my assistance because they are facilitated by a contracting company, Imhotep. This leaves my duties to observation unless instructed otherwise.
The Iowa State University team, Team LunaCY, is composed of the following sub-teams: the main student organization, the Lunabotics Club; a senior mechanical engineering design course, ME 415; a senior multidisciplinary design course, ENGR 466; and a senior design course from Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. Team LunaCY designed and fabricated ART-E III, Astra Robotic Tractor- Excavator the Third, for the team's third appearance in the NASA Lunabotic Mining competition. While designing ART-E III, the team had four main goals for this year's competition:to reduce the total weight of the robot, to increase the amount of regolith simulant mined, to reduce dust, and to make ART-E III autonomous. After many designs and research, a final robot design was chosen that obtained all four goals of Team LunaCY. A few changes Team LunaCY made this year was to go to the electrical, computer, and software engineering club fest at Iowa State University to recruit engineering students to accomplish the task of making ART-E III autonomous. Team LunaCY chose to use LabView to program the robot and various sensors were installed to measure the distance between the robot and the surroundings to allow ART-E III to maneuver autonomously. Team LunaCY also built a testing arena to test prototypes and ART-E III in. To best replicate the competition arena at the Kennedy Space Center, a regolith simulant was made from sand, QuickCrete, and fly ash to cover the floor of the arena. Team LunaCY also installed fans to allow ventilation in the arena and used proper safety attire when working in the arena . With the additional practice in the testing arena and innovative robot design, Team LunaCY expects to make a strong appearance at the 2012 NASA Lunabotic Mining Competition. .