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NASA NTRS2019

The HST Lightcurve of (486958) 2014 MU69

We report Hubble Space Telescope (HST) lightcurve observations of the New Horizons spacecraft encounter Kuiper Belt object (KBO) (486958) 2014 MU69 acquired near opposition in July 2017. In order to plan the optimum flyby sequence the New Horizons mission planners needed to learn as much as possible about the target in advance of the encounter. Specifically, from lightcurve data, encounter timing could be adjusted to accommodate a highly elongated, binary, or rapidly rotating target. HST astrometric (Porter et al., 2018) and stellar occultation (Buie et al., 2018) observations constrained MU69's orbit and diameter (21–41 km for an albedo of 0.15–0.04), respectively. Photometry from the astrometric dataset suggested a variability of ≥0.3 mags, but they did not determine the period or provide shape information. To that end we strategically spaced 24 HST orbits over 9 days to investigate rotation periods from approximately 2–100 h and to better constrain the lightcurve amplitude. Until New Horizons detected MU69 in its optical navigation images beginning in August 2018, this HST lightcurve campaign provided the most accurate photometry to date. The mean variation in our data is 0.15 magnitudes which suggests that MU69 is either nearly spherical (a:b axis ratio of 1:1.15), or its pole vector is pointed near the line of sight to Earth; this interpretation does not preclude a near-contact binary or bi-lobed object. However, image stacks do conclude that MU69 does not have a binary companion ≥2000 km with a sensitivity to 29th magnitude (an object a few km in size for an albedo of 0.04–0.15). Our data are not of sufficient signal to noise to uniquely determine the period or amplitude, however, they did provide the necessary information for spacecraft planning. We report with confidence that MU69 is not both rapidly rotating and highly elongated (which we define as a lightcurve amplitude ≥ 0.5 magnitude). Since this paper is being published post fly-by, we note that our results are consistent with the fly-by imagery and orientation of MU69 (Stern et al., 2019). The combined dataset also suggests that within the KBO lightcurve literature there are likely other objects which share a geometric configuration like MU69 resulting in an underestimate of the contact binary fraction for the Cold Classical Kuiper Belt.

S D Benecchi↗

NASA NTRS2017

Efficient Planning of Wind-Optimal Routes in North Atlantic Oceanic Airspace

The North Atlantic oceanic airspace (NAT) is crossed daily by more than a thousand flights, which are greatly affected by strong jet stream air currents. Several studies devoted to generating wind-optimal (WO) aircraft trajectories in the NAT demonstrated great efficiency of such an approach for individual flights. However, because of the large separation norms imposed in the NAT, previously proposed WO trajectories induce a large number of potential conflicts. Much work has been done on strategic conflict detection and resolution (CDR) in the NAT. The work presented here extends previous methods and attempts to take advantage of the NAT traffic structure to simplify the problem and improve the results of CDR. Four approaches are studied in this work: 1) subdividing the existing CDR problem into sub-problems of smaller sizes, which are easier to handle; 2) more efficient data reorganization within the considered time period; 3) problem localization, i.e. concentrating the resolution effort in the most conflicted regions; 4) applying CDR to the pre-tactical decision horizon (a couple of hours in advance). Obtained results show that these methods efficiently resolve potential conflicts at the strategic and pre-tactical levels by keeping the resulting trajectories close to the initial WO ones.

Rodionova, Olga↗

NASA NTRS1980

Space Shuttle/Orbiter EVA and EVA provisions

EVA objectives, procedures, and equipment for the Shuttle are reviewed. The EVA will occur as a planned excursion, to complete a mission objective, or on a contingency basis as support for the mission or to effect repairs to the Orbiter or its payload. Configurations for the placement of the airlock for EVA with and without Spacelab payloads are discussed, along with the various EVA tasks which could be expected as necessary for mission completion. Handholds have been placed in strategic positions on the RMS and along the payload doors, and a safety tether has been incorporated with line extension out to 25 ft. Off-the-shelf tools such as needlenose pliers, forceps, diagonal cutters, etc. are carried as standard equipment for the repair of malfunctioning equipment and doorlatches. Finally, attention is given to EVA lighting, communication, life-support, and work station restraint systems.

Goodman, J. R.↗

DOE OSTI2026

Utility Managed Distributed Energy Resources Intelligent Community - UDERMS iCommunity (Final Technical Report)

The Utility Managed Distributed Energy Resources Intelligent Community (UDERMS iCommunity) project, led by PacifiCorp and supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building Technologies Office (Award No. DEEE0009782), aimed to demonstrate an integrated, utility-managed “behind-the-meter” distributed energy resource (DER) program connecting multifamily, commercial, institutional, and industrial buildings to deliver grid services and improve energy efficiency.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2024

Strategic Siting of Direct Air Capture Facilities in the United States

Direct air capture (DAC) systems that capture carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) directly from the atmosphere are garnering considerable attention for their potential role as negative emission technologies in achieving net-zero CO 2 emission goals. Common DAC technologies are based either on liquid–solvent (L-DAC) or solid–sorbent (S-DAC) to capture CO 2 . A comprehensive multi-factor comparative economic analysis of the deployment of L-DAC and S-DAC facilities across various United States (U.S.) cities is presented in this paper. The analysis considers the influence of various factors on the favorability of DAC deployment, including local climatic conditions such as temperature, humidity, and CO 2 concentrations; the availability of energy sources to power the DAC system; and costs for the transport and storage of the captured CO 2 along with the consideration of the regional market and policy drivers. The deployment analysis in over 70 continental U.S. cities shows that L-DAC and S-DAC complement each other spatially, as their performance and operational costs vary in different climates. L-DAC is more suited to the hot, humid Southeast, while S-DAC is preferrable in the colder, drier Rocky Mountain region. Strategic deployment based on regional conditions and economics is essential for promoting the commercial adoptability of DAC, which is a critical technology to meet the CO 2 reduction targets.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

NASA NTRS2015

Robotic Reconnaissance Missions to Small Bodies and Their Potential Contributions to Human Exploration

Introduction: Robotic reconnaissance missions to small bodies will directly address aspects of NASA's Asteroid Initiative and will contribute to future human exploration. The NASA Asteroid Initiative is comprised of two major components: the Grand Challenge and the Asteroid Mission. The first component, the Grand Challenge, focuses on protecting Earth's population from asteroid impacts by detecting potentially hazardous objects with enough warning time to either prevent them from impacting the planet, or to implement civil defense procedures. The Asteroid Mission involves sending astronauts to study and sample a near- Earth asteroid (NEA) prior to conducting exploration missions of the Martian system, which includes Phobos and Deimos. The science and technical data obtained from robotic precursor missions that investigate the surface and interior physical characteristics of an object will help identify the pertinent physical properties that will maximize operational efficiency and reduce mission risk for both robotic assets and crew operating in close proximity to, or at the surface of, a small body. These data will help fill crucial strategic knowledge gaps (SKGs) concerning asteroid physical characteristics that are relevant for human exploration considerations at similar small body destinations. Small Body Strategic Knowledge Gaps: For the past several years NASA has been interested in identifying the key SKGs related to future human destinations. These SKGs highlight the various unknowns and/or data gaps of targets that the science and engineering communities would like to have filled in prior to committing crews to explore the Solar System. An action team from the Small Bodies Assessment Group (SBAG) was formed specifically to identify the small body SKGs under the direction of the Human Exploration and Operations Missions Directorate (HEOMD), given NASA's recent interest in NEAs and the Martian moons as potential human destinations [1]. The action team organized the SKGs into four broad themes: 1) Identify human mission targets; 2) Understand how to work on and interact with the small body surface; 3) Understand the small body environment and its potential risk/benefit to crew, systems, and operational assets; and 4) Understand the small body resource potential. Each of these themes were then further subdivided into categories to address specific SKG issues. Robotic Precursor Contributions to SKGs: Robotic reconnaissance missions should be able to address specific aspects related to SKG themes 1 through 4. Theme 1 deals with the identification of human mission targets within the NEA population. The current guideline indicates that human missions to fastspinning, tumbling, or binary asteroids may be too risky to conduct successfully from an operational perspective. However, no spacecraft mission has been to any of these types of NEAs before. Theme 2 addresses the concerns about interacting on the small body surface under microgravity conditions, and how the surface and/or sub-surface properties affect or restrict the interaction for human exploration. The combination of remote sensing instruments and in situ payloads will provide good insight into the asteroid's surface and subsurface properties. SKG theme 3 deals with the environment in and around the small body that may present a nuisance or hazard to any assets operating in close proximity. Impact and surface experiments will help address issues related to particle size, particle longevity, internal structure, and the near-surface mechanical stability of the asteroid. Understanding or constraining these physical characteristics are important for mission planning. Theme 4 addresses the resource potential of the small body. This is a particularly important aspect of human exploration since the identification and utilization of resources is a key aspect for deep space mission architectures to the Martian system (i.e., Phobos and Deimos). Conclusions: Robotic reconnaissance of small bodies can provide a wealth of information relevant to the science and planetary defense of NEAs. However, such missions to investigate NEAs can also provide key insights into small body strategic knowledge gaps and contribute to the overall success for human exploration missions to asteroids.

Abell, P. A.↗

DOE OSTI2025

NREL's Journey with HPC in the Cloud and Hybrid Computing

This is a planned lightning talk at the NLIT Summit 2025 conference. This would serve as somewhat of a progress update to the presentation I gave at re:Invent 2024 back in November which can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=2133&v=NMq3kL9qObU&feature=youtu.be (my section begins at the included timestamp value). This presentation discusses our usage of Cloud-hosted HPC systems, and in what circumstances they benefit our researchers strategically. We have been making incremental progress in this area since that recording, so for this presentation I would include our latest experiences and observations as we are beginning to implement a hybrid HPC solution. We're in the midst of a cross-team effort of implementing a prototype hybridization solution which would allow users to strategically burst jobs to the cloud. In this talk for NLIT, I would detail lessons-learned, non-starters, architecture diagrams, and other implementation details that may benefit those interested as we continue our experimentation. Our prototype may not be complete by the time of this presentation, but even in the discovery phase of our anticipated design we've discovered a lot of information from others who have worked on hybrid solutions that are worth sharing.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

NASA NTRS1993

NPS alternate techsat satellite, design project for AE-4871

This project was completed as part of AE-4871, Advanced Spacecraft Design. The intent of the course is to provide experience in the design of all the major components in a spacecraft system. Team members were given responsibility for the design of one of the six primary subsystems: power, structures, propulsion, attitude control, telemetry, tracking and control (TT&C), and thermal control. In addition, a single member worked on configuration control, launch vehicle integration, and a spacecraft test plan. Given an eleven week time constraint, a preliminary design of each subsystem was completed. Where possible, possible component selections were also made. Assistance for this project came principally from the Naval Research Laboratory's Spacecraft Technology Branch. Specific information on components was solicited from representatives in industry. The design project centers on a general purpose satellite bus that is currently being sought by the Strategic Defense Initiative.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2009

Probabilistic Risk Assessment for Decision Making During Spacecraft Operations

Decisions made during the operational phase of a space mission often have significant and immediate consequences. Without the explicit consideration of the risks involved and their representation in a solid model, it is very likely that these risks are not considered systematically in trade studies. Wrong decisions during the operational phase of a space mission can lead to immediate system failure whereas correct decisions can help recover the system even from faulty conditions. A problem of special interest is the determination of the system fault protection strategies upon the occurrence of faults within the system. Decisions regarding the fault protection strategy also heavily rely on a correct understanding of the state of the system and an integrated risk model that represents the various possible scenarios and their respective likelihoods. Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) modeling is applicable to the full lifecycle of a space mission project, from concept development to preliminary design, detailed design, development and operations. The benefits and utilities of the model, however, depend on the phase of the mission for which it is used. This is because of the difference in the key strategic decisions that support each mission phase. The focus of this paper is on describing the particular methods used for PRA modeling during the operational phase of a spacecraft by gleaning insight from recently conducted case studies on two operational Mars orbiters. During operations, the key decisions relate to the commands sent to the spacecraft for any kind of diagnostics, anomaly resolution, trajectory changes, or planning. Often, faults and failures occur in the parts of the spacecraft but are contained or mitigated before they can cause serious damage. The failure behavior of the system during operations provides valuable data for updating and adjusting the related PRA models that are built primarily based on historical failure data. The PRA models, in turn, provide insight into the effect of various faults or failures on the risk and failure drivers of the system and the likelihood of possible end case scenarios, thereby facilitating the decision making process during operations. This paper describes the process of adjusting PRA models based on observed spacecraft data, on one hand, and utilizing the models for insight into the future system behavior on the other hand. While PRA models are typically used as a decision aid during the design phase of a space mission, we advocate adjusting them based on the observed behavior of the spacecraft and utilizing them for decision support during the operations phase.

dynamic fault trees↗

NASA NTRS2024

Integrated Systems Engineering, Safety, Reliability and Risk Management – Minimizing Black Swan Events

This paper examines key barriers that can possibly inhibit safe and reliable mission execution and, in the worst case, result in loss of human life due to many unknown contributory factors that can lead to Black Swan events. Some of the representative contributory factors include decision errors, overconfidence and a host of common causes including cultural and human factors. Decisions are always easy to criticize in hindsight when more information is available after a major accident. Depending on the type and complexity of the project and/or mission, the catastrophic risks of drifting into failure can be alleviated by implementing uniquely and strategically tailored Integrated-System-of-Systems, dynamic, risk-informed decision management processes. This paper presents some of the lessons learned from James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), NASA’s Human Space Flight program, and industry that provide motivation to organizations working on mega-complex missions to prudently accomplish targeted mission success. These lessons are important for future human Lunar, Mars and Beyond missions planned to be pursued by NASA through a public-private partnership using nimble but effective safety-conscious, proven sound engineering practices including implementation of integrated risk mitigation practices.

SLS↗

NASA NTRS2002

ANTS: Applying A New Paradigm for Lunar and Planetary Exploration

ANTS (Autonomous Nano- Technology Swarm), a mission architecture consisting of a large (1000 member) swarm of picoclass (1 kg) totally autonomous spacecraft with both adaptable and evolvable heuristic systems, is being developed as a NASA advanced mission concept, and is here examined as a paradigm for lunar surface exploration. As the capacity and complexity of hardware and software, demands for bandwidth, and the sophistication of goals for lunar and planetary exploration have increased, greater cost constraints have led to fewer resources and thus, the need to operate spacecraft with less frequent human contact. At present, autonomous operation of spacecraft systems allows great capability of spacecraft to 'safe' themselves and survive when conditions threaten spacecraft safety. To further develop spacecraft capability, NASA is at the forefront of development of new mission architectures which involve the use of Intelligent Software Agents (ISAs), performing experiments in space and on the ground to advance deliberative and collaborative autonomous control techniques. Selected missions in current planning stages require small groups of spacecraft weighing tens, instead of hundreds, of kilograms to cooperate at a tactical level to select and schedule measurements to be made by appropriate instruments onboard. Such missions will be characterizing rapidly unfolding real-time events on a routine basis. The next level of development, which we are considering here, is in the use of autonomous systems at the strategic level, to explore the remote terranes, potentially involving large surveys or detailed reconnaissance.

Clark, P. E.↗

NASA NTRS2008

Statistical Methodologies to Integrate Experimental and Computational Research

Development of advanced algorithms for simulating engine flow paths requires the integration of fundamental experiments with the validation of enhanced mathematical models. In this paper, we provide an overview of statistical methods to strategically and efficiently conduct experiments and computational model refinement. Moreover, the integration of experimental and computational research efforts is emphasized. With a statistical engineering perspective, scientific and engineering expertise is combined with statistical sciences to gain deeper insights into experimental phenomenon and code development performance; supporting the overall research objectives. The particular statistical methods discussed are design of experiments, response surface methodology, and uncertainty analysis and planning. Their application is illustrated with a coaxial free jet experiment and a turbulence model refinement investigation. Our goal is to provide an overview, focusing on concepts rather than practice, to demonstrate the benefits of using statistical methods in research and development, thereby encouraging their broader and more systematic application.

Parker, P. A.↗

NASA NTRS2016

The NOAA Satellite Observing System Architecture Study

NOAA is beginning a study, the NOAA Satellite Observing System Architecture (NSOSA) study, to plan for the future operational environmental satellite system that will follow GOES and JPSS, beginning about 2030. This is an opportunity to design a modern architecture with no pre-conceived notions regarding instruments, platforms, orbits, etc. The NSOSA study will develop and evaluate architecture alternatives to include partner and commercial alternatives that are likely to become available. The objectives will include both functional needs and strategic characteristics (e.g., flexibility, responsiveness, sustainability). Part of this study is the Space Platform Requirements Working Group (SPRWG), which is being commissioned by NESDIS. The SPRWG is charged to assess new or existing user needs and to provide relative priorities for observational needs in the context of the future architecture. SPRWG results will serve as input to the process for new foundational (Level 0 and Level 1) requirements for the next generation of NOAA satellites that follow the GOES-R, JPSS, DSCOVR, Jason-3, and COSMIC-2 missions.

Value Model↗

DOE OSTI2024

Assessing the Solar Photovoltaic Potential in Puerto Rican Brownfields and Reservoirs: Analysis and Modeling [Slides]

This study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) evaluates the potential for solar photovoltaic (PV) development on brownfields and reservoirs in Puerto Rico. Redeveloping these sites offers significant benefits, such as expanding energy infrastructure, supporting environmental remediation, and enhancing community revitalization. The study identifies up to 3.3 gigawatts (GW) of solar PV capacity, including 213 megawatts (MW) on closed landfills, 1-2.5 GW on contaminated sites, 78 MW on decommissioned plants, 21-50 MW on transmission line rights-of-way, and 636 MW on waterbodies for floating PV. This research highlights the strategic importance of investments and regulatory support to achieve Puerto Rico's goal of 100% clean energy by 2050.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2024

Assessing the Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Potential in Puerto Rican Brownfields and Reservoirs: Detailed Results and Methodology Annex [Slides]

This is the technical annex for "Assessing the Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Potential in Puerto Rican Brownfields and Reservoirs." This study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) evaluates the potential for solar photovoltaic (PV) development on brownfields and reservoirs in Puerto Rico. Redeveloping these sites offers significant benefits, such as expanding energy infrastructure, supporting environmental remediation, and enhancing community revitalization. The study identifies up to 3.3 gigawatts (GW) of solar PV capacity, including 213 megawatts (MW) on closed landfills, 1-2.5 GW on contaminated sites, 78 MW on decommissioned plants, 21-50 MW on transmission line rights-of-way, and 636 MW on waterbodies for floating PV. This research highlights the strategic importance of investments and regulatory support to achieve Puerto Rico's goal of 100% clean energy by 2050.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

NASA NTRS2019

In-Flight Evaluation of the Traffic Aware Planner on the NASA HU-25A Guardian Aircraft

NASA’s Traffic Aware Planner (TAP) software is a research-prototype decision support tool that provides pilots with time- and fuel-saving route recommendations that optimize their current trajectory. The software runs on a first-of-a-kind system architecture onboard three aircraft in revenue service conducting operational evaluations with a major domestic airline. Therefore, significant NASA-internal testing is required prior to releasing the software to the partner airline. This paper describes a flight test plan that exercises the functionality of the TAP software in a representative operational environment, describes the system architecture developed and implemented for the NASA Langley HU-25A Guardian aircraft to support the test objectives, presents outcomes of the flight test campaign, and discusses use cases that demonstrate the value of flight testing for this activity.Research into flight path optimization of transport aircraft conducted by the National Aeronautics and SpaceAdministration (NASA) has produced an operational concept known as Traffic Aware Strategic Aircrew Requests(TASAR) [1, 2]. This near-term concept [3] provides the aircrew with a flight deck decision support tool known asthe Traffic Aware Planner (TAP). The TAP software leverages a growing number of information sources on the flightdeck to make time- and fuel-saving route optimization recommendations to the aircrew while en route. The aircrewcan then use the suggestions provided by the tool to make route change requests with a greater likelihood of acceptanceby air traffic control (ATC). Since TASAR is a concept intended for the current operational environment, it isintentionally designed to have no safety-critical impact or require any changes to current Federal AviationAdministration (FAA) rules and procedures [4, 5].The research prototype TAP system [6–8], explained further in Section III.C, continually incorporates up-to-dateaircraft state data from onboard avionics, as well as the latest position of surrounding traffic, the most recent windforecast, and the most recent convective weather forecast, in order to calculate candidate trajectory modifications thatimprove upon the current active route. These trajectories account for user-selectable objective functions [3] of reducedfuel burn, reduced flight time, or an airline-derived combination of factors known as trip cost. Previous analyses andsimulations have estimated substantial savings for airlines employing this technique within the U.S. National AirspaceSystem (NAS) [9–11]. Operational evaluations with Alaska Airlines seek to validate these projected benefits usingmeasured data while simultaneously providing benefits to the airline [12, 13].The TAP software has undergone a number of human-in-the-loop simulations [14] and flight test activities[15–17] in order to validate the operational concept, evaluate human factors considerations (e.g., workload, usability,distraction, etc.), and to assess the ability of the software to function in a representative operational environment (e.g.,connected to live avionics data, using in-flight internet connectivity, etc.). However, these simulations and flight testcampaigns did not account for the hardware architecture implemented on the three aircraft for Alaska Airlines’operational evaluations of the TAP software. Therefore, a need was identified to thoroughly test the functionality ofthe software in a similar hardware architecture to that of the partner airline’s aircraft. Information regarding testapparatus and environments used to evaluate TAP prior to testing on the HU-25A can be found in reference [18].A campaign of flight trials on a NASA aircraft, the HU-25A Guardian, was conducted to ensure that the researchprototype TAP system functions well in a configuration similar to the Alaska Airlines aircraft prior to deployment.This airborne, networked environment enables an assessment of the operational factors unique to the flight environment. Additionally, this activity evaluated the effectiveness and benefit of new TAP functionality andoperation in a relevant flight environment while allowing the rapid prototyping of new concepts and features.This paper is organized as follows: Section II discusses the details of the flight test plan, flight profiles, and theduties of personnel involved with conducting flight operations. Section III describes the test platform, avionicsequipage, and system architecture. Section IV presents a discussion of results, and Section V contains concludingremarks.

Underwood, Matthew C.↗

DOE OSTI2023

Roadmap for IES Modeling and Simulation Activities: Update 2023

Since inception of the DOE-NE Integrated Energy Systems (IES) program, several program and modeling visions and roadmaps have been published. In 2020, a last comprehensive roadmap for the DOE-NE Integrated Energy Systems program was published. In 2017, a separate modeling and simulation capability development plan was published that was extensively updated in 2022. The current report incrementally updates the 2022 modeling and simulation capability roadmap. This is not a new report, but individual sections have been updated to reflect recent accomplishments and new directions of the program. The role of modeling and simulation within IES is to support the demonstration of new coupled integrated technologies along every step of the technology maturation from the strategic analysis of preferred system architecture to preliminary design, to laboratory testing, up to full commercial testing and integration. To achieve this role, modeling and simulation must be able to assess the technical performance and the economic viability of potential IES. Also, modeling and simulation must provide support for experimental evaluations (i.e., support component design and real-time operations of experimental demonstration systems). Finally, modeling and simulation can help scale-up experimental systems to the final commercial systems. This report details the current state of the modeling and simulation efforts within IES for the above-mentioned areas, provides a gap analysis, and proposes next steps for a time horizon over the next years.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

NASA NTRS2005

MSL Project Update

Mars Science Lab (MSL) Project activities over the last 3-4 months focused on: a) Payload accommodation; b) Flight system architecture definitization; c) Program architecture support. Baseline project concept is to develop and fly two identical vehicles with launches in 2009 and 2011: a) Significant programmatic uncertainty remains due to NASA strategic issues (Shuttle Return to flight, Hubble servicing, CEV, etc.); b) Final "decisions" on future program not likely for 3-4 months; c) To maintain viability for a 2009 launch, the project must rapidly move into implementation mode despite this uncertainty. Near term activities: a) Converge baseline flight system architecture & instrument accommodation - June; b) Instrument accomodation reviews (IARs) are completed for DAN, MSSS instruments; c) Develop project-wide implementation plan & integrated schedule - June; d) Conduct grassroots cost exercise - July/August; e) Hold Preliminary Mission System Review - September.

Mars↗