Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “developing countries”

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.

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

At least 1,027 records · Page 57
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1980

Development of a computer program data base of a navigation aid environment for simulated IFR flight and landing studies

A general aviation single pilot instrument flight rule simulation capability was developed. Problems experienced by single pilots flying in IFR conditions were investigated. The simulation required a three dimensional spatial navaid environment of a flight navigational area. A computer simulation of all the navigational aids plus 12 selected airports located in the Washington/Norfolk area was developed. All programmed locations in the list were referenced to a Cartesian coordinate system with the origin located at a specified airport's reference point. All navigational aids with their associated frequencies, call letters, locations, and orientations plus runways and true headings are included in the data base. The simulation included a TV displayed out-the-window visual scene of country and suburban terrain and a scaled model runway complex. Any of the programmed runways, with all its associated navaids, can be referenced to a runway on the airport in this visual scene. This allows a simulation of a full mission scenario including breakout and landing.

Bergeron, H. P.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Advanced orbiting systems test-bedding and protocol verification

The Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) has begun the development of a set of protocol recommendations for Advanced Orbiting Systems (SOS). The AOS validation program and formal definition of AOS protocols are reviewed, and the configuration control of the AOS formal specifications is summarized. Independent implementations of the AOS protocols by NASA and ESA are discussed, and cross-support/interoperability tests which will allow the space agencies of various countries to share AOS communication facilities are addressed.

Noles, James↗
DOE OSTI2025

Meeting report: International soil virus conference 2024

The research field of soil viral ecology continues to advance rapidly as the roles of viruses in the functioning of soil ecosystems are increasingly recognized. To address recent developments in the field, the second International Soil Virus Conference was held in Livermore, California, USA, from June 25 to 27th, 2024, providing soil viral ecologists the opportunity to share new findings and suggest guidelines for future research, while encouraging international scientific discussion and collaboration. The meeting was held in person with sessions simultaneously streamed online. Fifty researchers attended from ten different countries and spanned a wide range of subfields and career stages. A total of 21 oral presentations were presented, followed by discussions covering key themes in soil viral research. This report summarizes the main takeaways and recommendations from the talks and discussions.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Integrated CO 2 -facilitated Hydrometallurgical and Electrochemical Technology for Sustainable Mining and Recovery of Critical Elements from Wastes and Ashes

The availability of critical materials and other metals is very important for our national security and economic growth since they are widely used in defense and energy applications including batteries and wind turbines. Unfortunately, high grade ores have become scarce and their productions is dominated by limited countries. Thus, there is a strong need to obtain these materials from domestic sources. Municipal wastes are great candidates since they often contain high concentrations of metals. Since the metals in wastes and waste ashes are not in the form found in natural ores and contain a wide range of impurities, conventional extraction processes would not be effective. Thus, our project has developed an innovative MIDAS process based on the integrated CO2-facilitated hydrometallurgical and electrochemical technology that can effectively recover critical materials and metals from waste ashes while minimizing the environmental impacts. We have (i) characterized waste ashes to understand their physico-chemical properties, (ii) developed green solvent systems for hydrometallurgical extraction of critical elements and metals from waste ashes, (iii) explored electrochemical interfaces to refine the extracted metals.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1976

United States benefits of improved worldwide wheat crop information from a LANDSAT system overview

The value of improvements in worldwide information on wheat crops provided by LANDSAT was measured in the context of world wheat markets. These benefits were based on exiting LANDSAT technical goals and assumed that information would be made available to the United States and other countries at the same time. The benefits to the United States of such public LANDSAT information on wheat crops were found to be 174 million dollars a year on the average. The benefits from improved wheat crop information compare favorably with the annual system's cost of about $62 million. A detailed empirical sample demonstration of the effect of improved information was developed. The history of wheat commodity prices for 1971-72 was reconstructed and the price changes from improved vs. historical information were compared.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2000

The Ceres S'COOL Project: Two Years After First Launch

The idea for the Students' Cloud Observations OnLine (S'COOL) project as an outreach and education element of NASA's Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) research program was conceived in late 1996 during a conversation with a middle school science teacher. S'COOL was implemented in a series of increasingly developed test phases during 1997, as the launch of the first CERES instrument approached. Even before launch, the reception of the project in schools far exceeded expectations. After several delays the first instrument, on the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) spacecraft, was launched on Thanksgiving Day, 1997. Since the first launch, development and expansion of the project has continued with expectations for launch of Terra carrying two CERES instruments into a polar orbit in mid-1998. That launch is now expected in fall 1999, and will finally provide overflight of all participating schools. In two years, the project has grown from three initial test participants to over 300 schools now participating in 23 countries on five continents. Students from first grade through university level are involved (most participants are ages 10-15). S'COOL is also being used by a few education professors to teach about Internet use in the classroom. The project continues to grow through word of mouth, presentations at teacher workshops, and now increasingly through teachers who find it during web searches. Participants in the S'COOL project are part of the CERES validation team. They provide ground truth measurements at the time the CERES instrument flies over their location, to be compared with the retrieval of cloud properties by remote sensing from CERES. Quantities reported include cloud type, height, fraction and opacity; information on contrails; surface temperature, pressure and relative humidity; and ground cover (snow/ice, wet, dry; leaves on trees or not). in addition, a comment field on the report form serves as a catch-all for all kinds of interesting observations, including similes written by some classes to describe more exactly the clouds they see. Several not totally unexpected complications with the CERES instrument and processing software mean that the CERES team has not yet reached the point of computing the cloud properties, a high level product at the end of the processing stream. However, progress is being made and we anticipate that we will soon be populating the S'COOL database with a large number of satellite retrievals for comparison with the students' observations. Some satellite retrievals from the initial test phases are already available in the database, The CERES instruments are planned to operate at least through 2006, and the S'COOL Project is planned to continue at least that long, providing motivational learning to as many students as possible. This paper reports on the first several years of the S'CCOL project. It further reports on some of the noteworthy observations and comparisons made possible by this project. Schools are often located in interesting places, in terms of the clouds found there and the satellite's ability to observe these clouds. The paper also reports on the learning opportunities delivered by this project, and on new questions about the planet and its climate which arise in the students' minds as a result of their active participation.

Chambers, Lin H.↗
NASA NTRS2008

The Project Manager Who Saved His Country

George Meade defeated Robert E. Lee, one of the greatest military leaders of all time. How did he do it? By using the skills he had learned as a project manager and outperforming Lee in all aspects of project management. Most project managers are familiar with the Project Management Institute's "Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge" (PMBOK), which identifies the skills and knowledge crucial to successful project management. Project managers need to make sure that all the elements of a project work together. They must develop and execute plans and coordinate changes to those plans. A project manager must define the scope of the work, break it into manageable pieces, verify and control what work is being done, and make sure that the work being done is essential to the project. Every project manager knows the challenges of schedule and the value of schedule slack. Project managers must get the resources they need and use them effectively. Project managers get the people they need and use their talents to achieve mission success. Projects generate huge amounts of information. A key to project success is getting sufficient and accurate information to the people who need it when they need it. Project managers must identify and quantify the risks that jeopardize project success and make plans for dealing with them. Studying Meade and Lee's performances at Gettysburg can help modern project managers appreciate, develop, and use the skills they need to be good project managers. The circumstances may be different, but the basic principles are the same. This dramatic event in American history shows how the skills of project management can be used in almost any situation. Former project manager George Meade used those skills to change the tide of the Civil War.

Baniszewski, John↗
DOE OSTI2025

POWER ELECTRONICS GRID TIED SYSTEM FINAL REPORT

Across the country, electric utilities are grappling with the persistent hurdles of integrating Distributed Energy Resources (DERs). Managing these assets safely and effectively is a complex endeavor, complicated by varying ownership structures, management philosophies, and the diversity of the technologies themselves. Consequently, the industry has seen a proliferation of bespoke system designs, control strategies, and communication frameworks—forcing utilities to spend significant time and resources developing one-off integration solutions. This project addressed these integration hurdles through a scalable demonstration of intelligent devices designed to coordinate and control diverse resources in low-voltage applications. This concept minimized the need for complex integration by transforming the separate DERs into a dispatchable virtual power plant (VPP) with integrated resiliency functions (called a Node). By collaborating with a utility partner, the project focused on developing rapidly implementable use cases that bridged the gap between theoretical control and real-world deployment

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
NASA NTRS1995

Space Science for the 21st Century: The Space Science Enterprise Strategic Plan

Throughout its history, the U.S. Space Science technologies program has been enormously productive. Its accomplishments have rewritten the textbooks. But now, the economic environment has changed dramatically. The Nation's scientific and technological goals are being reexamined and redefined.And the social contract between the scientific community and the Federal Government is being rewritten. There is an expectation that the American public should receive more direct benefits from its investment in science and technology. This Strategic Plan reflects this new paradigm. It presents a carefully selected set of new scientific initiatives that build on past accomplishments to continue NASA's excellence in Space Science. At the same time, it responds to fiscal constraints by defining a new approach to planning, developing, and operating Space Science missions. In particular, investments in new technologies will permit major scientific advances to be made with smaller, more focused, and less costly missions. With the introduction of advanced technologies, smaller does not have to mean less capable. The focus on new technologies also provides and opportunity for the Space Science program to enhance its direct contribution to the country's economic base. At the same time, the program can build on public interest to strengthen its contributions to education and scientific literacy. With this plan we are taking the first steps toward shaping the Space Science program of the 21st century. In doing so, we face major challenges. It will be a very different program than might have been envisioned even a few years ago. But it will be a program that remains at the forefront of science, technology, and education. We intend to continue rewriting the textbooks.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1996

The NASA Lewis Research Center: An Economic Impact Study

The NASA Lewis Research Center (LeRC), established in 1941, is one of ten NASA research centers in the country. It is situated on 350 acres of land in Cuyahoga County and occupies more than 140 buildings and over 500 specialized research and test facilities. Most of LeRC's facilities are located in the City of Cleveland; some are located within the boundaries of the cities of Fairview Park and Brookpark. LeRC is a lead center for NASA's research, technology, and development in the areas of aeropropulsion and selected space applications. It is a center of excellence for turbomachinery, microgravity fluid and combustion research, and commercial communication. The base research and technology disciplines which serve both aeronautics and space areas include materials and structures, instrumentation and controls, fluid physics, electronics, and computational fluid dynamics. This study investigates LeRC's economic impact on Northeast Ohio's economy. It was conducted by The Urban Center's Economic Development Program in Cleveland State University's Levin College of Urban Affairs. The study measures LeRC's direct impact on the local economy in terms of jobs, output, payroll, and taxes, as well as the indirect impact of these economic activities when they 'ripple' throughout the economy. To fully explain LeRC's overall impact on the region, its contributions in the areas of technology transfer and education are also examined. The study uses a highly credible and widely accepted research methodology. First, regional economic multipliers based on input-output models were used to estimate the effect of LERC spending on the Northeast Ohio economy. Second, the economic models were complemented by interviews with industrial, civic, and university leaders to qualitatively assess LeRC's impact in the areas of technology transfer and education.

Austrian, Ziona↗
NASA NTRS2013

Athena in 2013 and Beyond

TRISA, the U.S. Army TRADOC G2 Intelligence Support Activity, received Athena 1 in 2009. They first used Athena 3 to support studies in 2011. This paper describes Athena 4, which they started using in October 2012. A final section discusses issues that are being considered for incorporation into Athena 5 and later. Athena's objective is to help skilled intelligence analysts anticipate the likely consequences of complex courses of action that use our country's entire power base, not just our military capabilities, for operations in troubled regions of the world. Measures of effectiveness emphasize who is in control and the effects of our actions on the attitudes and well-being of civilians. The planning horizon encompasses not weeks or months, but years. Athena is a scalable, laptop-based simulation with weekly resolution. Up to three months of simulated time can pass between game turns that require user interaction. Athena's geographic scope is nominally a country, but can be a region within a county. Geographic resolution is "neighborhoods", which are defined by the user and may be actual neighborhoods, provinces, or anything in between. Models encompass phenomena whose effects are expected to be relevant over a medium-term planning horizon-three months to three years. The scope and intrinsic complexity of the problem dictate a spiral development process. That is, the model is used during development and lessons learned are used to improve the model. Even more important is that while every version must consider the "big picture" at some level of detail, development priority is given to those issues that are most relevant to currently anticipated studies. For example, models of the delivery and effectiveness of information operations messaging were among the additions in Athena 4.

Chamberlain, Robert G.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Successful First Flight of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) Super Heavy-Lift Rocket Lays Groundwork for U. S.’s Most Ambitious Missions

In late 2022, NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) super heavy-lift rocket launched for the first time. Artemis I sent an uncrewed Orion spacecraft on a 25.5-day round-trip mission to lunar orbit. The near-perfect performance laid the groundwork for the next flights and for NASA’s return of humans to the Moon. The SLS team is now preparing for the launch of Artemis II, which will be the first launch of astronauts to cislunar space since Apollo 17 in December 1972. In addition to preparations on the Artemis II launch vehicle, significant progress is being made on the hardware and software for future flights. Artemis II will include a test of a new military-grade GPS system, which will be fully utilized on Artemis III. Progress is also being made on the exploration upper stage (EUS) for the Block 1B SLS variant, which will debut on Artemis IV. New production RS-25 liquid-propellant engines will be used beginning with Artemis V. These new engines, which are in a final qualification test firing program at the time of writing, realize a cost savings of at least 30 percent and reduced production time due to streamlined manufacturing and advances in technology, including additive manufacturing. The evolved solid rocket boosters, which will debut on Artemis IX as part of the Block 2 variant, are in development now. In addition to propulsion updates, each variant of SLS maintains payload configuration flexibility and can fly crew-only, cargo-only, and crew-cargo combinations. This adaptability ensures that SLS, with its significant mass and volume capability – including the ability to launch large co-manifested payloads with Orion directly to trans-lunar injection (TLI) – can support the country’s most ambitious missions. Results from the Artemis I mission, as well as progress to the next flights and SLS variants, will be covered in the paper and presentation.

Bruce R. Askins↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Successful First Flight of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) Super Heavy-Lift Rocket: Laying Groundwork for U. S.’s Most Ambitious Missions

In late 2022, NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) super heavy-lift rocket launched for the first time. Artemis I sent an uncrewed Orion spacecraft on a 25.5-day round-trip mission to lunar orbit. The near-perfect performance laid the groundwork for the next flights and for NASA’s return of humans to the Moon. The SLS team is now preparing for the launch of Artemis II, which will be the first launch of astronauts to cislunar space since Apollo 17 in December 1972. In addition to preparations on the Artemis II launch vehicle, significant progress is being made on the hardware and software for future flights. Artemis II will include a test of a new military-grade GPS system, which will be fully utilized on Artemis III. Progress is also being made on the exploration upper stage (EUS) for the Block 1B SLS variant, which will debut on Artemis IV. New production RS-25 liquid-propellant engines will be used beginning with Artemis V. These new engines, which are in a final qualification test firing program at the time of writing, realize a cost savings of at least 30 percent and reduced production time due to streamlined manufacturing and advances in technology, including additive manufacturing. The evolved solid rocket boosters, which will debut on Artemis IX as part of the Block 2 variant, are in development now. In addition to propulsion updates, each variant of SLS maintains payload configuration flexibility and can fly crew-only, cargo-only, and crew-cargo combinations. This adaptability ensures that SLS, with its significant mass and volume capability – including the ability to launch large co-manifested payloads with Orion directly to trans-lunar injection (TLI) – can support the country’s most ambitious missions. Results from the Artemis I mission, as well as progress to the next flights and SLS variants, will be covered in the paper and presentation.

Bruce Askins↗
NASA NTRS2021

Bhutan Water Resources II: Comparing Phenology, Precipitation, and Temperature Data in Bhutan to Assist the Himalayan Environmental Rhythm Observation and Evaluation System (HEROES) Project

Bhutan is vulnerable to climate fluctuations that can affect vegetation phenology patterns. Changes in the climate have raised concerns from local farmers about altered growing seasons. In response, the DEVELOP team assessed annual vegetation phenology trends across Bhutan from 1981-2014 by comparing vegetation phenology-derived data and meteorological data. The project assessed phenology change using Vegetation Index and Phenology (VIP) Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) products from the Advanced Very High-Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) and the Terra and Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensors. We also used Climate Hazards Center Infrared Precipitation with Station (CHIRPS) precipitation data and Famine Early Warning System Network Land Data Assimilation System (FLDAS) temperature data to assess climate trends in the country. The team assessed VIP phenology data for 1981-2014 to assess trends for the start of season, day of peak, and length of season. For the main growing season, the results indicated that the start of season and day of peak were delayed, while the length of season increased by 22 days. Analysis of temperature and precipitation data for the early 1980s to present indicted that Bhutan’s temperature has become warmer and precipitation has increased. Satellite-based precipitation and temperature data were compared to in situ precipitation and temperature data, yielding high correlations for both precipitation (R=0.85) and temperature (R=0.9). The project results and methods were shared with the Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for Conservation and Environmental Research (UWICER) to help assess climate change impacts in Bhutan.

DEVELOP Tech Paper↗
DOE OSTI2026

A Mobile Hot Cell for Conditioning Disused Sealed Radioactive Sources for Storage or Transportation

An innovative Mobile Hot Cell (MHC) has been developed for conditioning Disused Sealed Radioactive Sources (DSRS) category 1 and 2 for storage or transportation. The MHC is designed to provide both Radiological and Biological containment with a maximum capacity of 1000 Ci Co60 or 5000Ci Cs137 source and can be transported via standard cargo containers. This project has been supported through the National Nuclear Safety Administration (NNSA) Offsite Source Recovery Program (OSRP). The project is intended for the international community rather than domestic although domestic use is a possibility. Many countries have significant stockpiles of these devices that are often stored in less-than-optimal circumstances. This necessitates that these devices be addressed expeditiously, and the sources secured. The MHC utilizes robotics, automation, and other non-traditional methods for disassembling, characterizing, and packaging these sources that have reached end of life or are otherwise not needed. These innovative approaches are necessary to facilitate an expedited timeline to efficiently and safely secure these sources in a non-proliferation effort. Conditioning efforts include disassembling the device such as a teletherapy head used for cancer treatment, or blood/research irradiators such that the radioactive sources may be removed safely. The sources are then characterized. Leak checks are performed, dimensions are verified, and serial numbers are confirmed. Upon completion, the sources are typically placed into a Standard Forms Capsule which is seal welded closed. It is leak tested and placed into a Long-Term Storage Shield (LTSS) which can either be secured for storage directly or loaded into an appropriate cask for transportation. Further innovations include multiple deployment scenarios that include a full deployment of MHC components, deployment of the MHC automation internal components to an existing hot cell, deployment of minimally required MHC components and incorporation of sand for shielding, and integration of the MHC for Silo Storage, or Bore Hole Storage efforts. The MHC has evolved from a very specific use case to a “Swiss Army Knife” type of a tool in that it can be readily adapted to a large variety of situations. Innovative approaches such as the use of robotics, Computer Numeric Control (CNC) machining centers, automated welding equipment, HDMI Cameras, and LED lighting are some of the developed technologies incorporated into the MHC design. Shielding is accomplished with a steel walled Base Box which is surrounded by four nesting doll shield shells which when combined limits the external dose rate to 5mr/hr when a 1000 Ci Co60 source is exposed inside.

99 - GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Drought–induced increase in tree mortality and corresponding decrease in the carbon sink capacity of Canada's boreal forests from 1970 to 2020

Canada's boreal forests, which occupy approximately 30% of boreal forests world wide, play an important role in the global carbon budget. However, there is lit tle quantitative information available regarding the spatiotemporal changes in the drought-induced tree mortality of Canada's boreal forests overall and their associ ated impacts on biomass carbon dynamics. Here, we develop spatiotemporally ex plicit estimates of drought-induced tree mortality and corresponding biomass carbon sink capacity changes in Canada's boreal forests from 1970 to 2020. We show that the average annual tree mortality rate is approximately 2.7%. Approximately 43% of Canada's boreal forests have experienced significantly increasing tree mortality trends (71% of which are located in the western region of the country), and these trends have accelerated since 2002. This increase in tree mortality has resulted in sig nificant biomass carbon losses at an approximate rate of 1.51±0.29 MgC ha -1 year -1 (95% confidence interval) with an approximate total loss of 0.46±0.09 PgC year -1 (95% confidence interval). Under the drought condition increases predicted for this century, the capacity of Canada's boreal forests to act as a carbon sink will be further reduced, potentially leading to a significant positive climate feedback effect

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2008

Marshall Space Flight Center's Impact Testing Facility Capabilities

Marshall Space Flight Center s (MSFC) Impact Testing Facility (ITF) serves as an important installation for space and missile related materials science research. The ITF was established and began its research in spacecraft debris shielding in the early 1960s, then played a major role in the International Space Station debris shield development. As NASA became more interested in launch debris and in-flight impact concerns, the ITF grew to include research in a variety of impact genres. Collaborative partnerships with the DoD led to a wider range of impact capabilities being relocated to MSFC as a result of the closure of Particle Impact Facilities in Santa Barbara, California. The Particle Impact Facility had a 30 year history in providing evaluations of aerospace materials and components during flights through rain, ice, and solid particle environments at subsonic through hypersonic velocities. The facility s unique capabilities were deemed a "National Asset" by the DoD. The ITF now has capabilities including environmental, ballistic, and hypervelocity impact testing utilizing an array of air, powder, and two-stage light gas guns to accommodate a variety of projectile and target types and sizes. Numerous upgrades including new instrumentation, triggering circuitry, high speed photography, and optimized sabot designs have been implemented. Other recent research has included rain drop demise characterization tests to obtain data for inclusion in on-going model development. The current and proposed ITF capabilities range from rain to micrometeoroids allowing the widest test parameter range possible for materials investigations in support of space, atmospheric, and ground environments. These test capabilities including hydrometeor, single/multi-particle, ballistic gas guns, exploding wire gun, and light gas guns combined with Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics Code (SPHC) simulations represent the widest range of impact test capabilities in the country.

Finchum, Andy↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

United States Spacecraft Charging Overview

The United States (US) has a strong history of spacecraft charging studies which predates the first Spacecraft Charging Technology Conference (SCTC) in 1976. Significant progress has been made since the 14th SCTC was held in the Netherlands where the US last presented a country summary to the SCTC. We present here a high-level survey of spacecraft charging work performed since 14th SCTC. Our presentation will include work from the US Space Force, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Johns Hopkins Applied Laboratory (APL), industry, and academia. We include flight contributions, latest design specifications, ground testing, modeling and simulation, model development, facilities, anomaly study advancement, and various collaborations within the US charging community.

Linda Neergaard Parker↗