NASA ASRS: Reports of HazMat Incidents
This presentation reviews voluntary safety reports received by NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System pertaining to Hazardous Materials.
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This presentation reviews voluntary safety reports received by NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System pertaining to Hazardous Materials.
This report summarizes the work performed under NASA contract NNC16CA19C from May 2, 2017 through April 2, 2018. This work is directed toward meeting the goals of the associated NASA NRA and, of course, the requirements of the contract. In brief, the goals are: (1) Over 47% beginning of life cell efficiency at 5 AU and -125 °C (2) Over 32% end of life efficiency at the blanket level at 50 W m-2, -125 °C and 4E15 1 MeV e cm-2 (3) Over 8 W kg-1 at EOL for the entire array including structure, deployment, and pointing mechanisms using beginning of life performance. (4) A stowed packaging density of greater than 66 kW m-3 (5) An ability to survive launch and numerous deploy retract cycles without degradation (6) An output higher than 300 V (7) An ability to operate in a plasma generated by xenon thrusters, typically 1E8 cm-3 ions with an average energy of 2 eV (8) A design compatible with electrostatic and magnetic cleanliness (9) Record breaking inverted metamorphic (IMM) 6 junction solar cells (10) IMM solar cells that have no anomalous flat spot behavior at low irradiance and low temperature (11) A mock-up production line for the low-cost manufacture of spacecraft blanket arrays. The Option I phase of the project continued efforts, started in the base-phase, to eliminate or reduce to very low levels the flat spots that reduce power to an unacceptable value in a significant percentage of cells and to reduce outgassing contamination of the concentrators to acceptable levels. Option I adds tasks to increase the efficiency of IMM cells from those produced in the Base Phase, to eliminate delamination of the coatings that were present in previous versions of the concentrator mirrors, to evaluate pressure sensitive adhesive as a method of fixing solar cell assemblies to blankets, to design a magnetically clean brake for ROSA, to test the robustness of a sample blanket in deploy and retract, to test for the adequate performance of a blanket in vibration and thermal environments, and to define the capital equipment needed to optimize production of the Transformational Array. 5 Work for this Final Report showed that the greatest likely improvement in the solar cells would be by emphasizing the effort for the IMM4 solar cells and stopping work on other IMM cells. For this phase, the solar cell work was primarily on the IMM4 cells with little work on IMM5 and none on IMM6 cells.
Attention, awareness, and understanding of the flight crew are a critical contributor to safety and the flight deck plays a critical role in supporting these cognitive functions. Changes to the flight deck need to be evaluated for whether the changed device provides adequate support for these functions. This report describes a set of diverse evaluation methods. The report recommends designing the interface-evaluation to span the phases of the device development, from early to late, and it provides methods appropriate at each phase. It describes the various ways in which an interface or interface component can fail to support awareness as potential issues to be assessed in evaluation. It summarizes appropriate methods to evaluate different issues concerning inadequate support for these functions, throughout the phases of development.
In an engineering note published in the Journal of Aircraft in the year 2000, Thomas A. Zeiler made generally known that some of the early works on aeroelastic flutter by Theodore Theodorsen and I.E. Garrick (NACA Report Nos. 496, 685, and 741) contained numerical errors in some of their numerical examples. Some of the plots containing numerical errors were later reproduced in two classic aeroelasticity texts (BAH and BA). Because these foundational papers and texts are often used in graduate courses on aeroelasticity, Zeiler recommended that an effort be undertaken to employ the computational resources available today (digital computers) to recompute the example problems in these early works and to publish the results to provide a complete and error-free set of numerical examples. This paper presents recomputed theoretical results contained in NACA Report No. 685 (NACA 685), “Mechanism of Flutter, A Theoretical and Experimental Investigation of the Flutter Problem,” by Theodore Theodorsen and I.E. Garrick. The recomputations were performed employing the solution method described in NACA 685, but using modern computational tools. With some exceptions, the magnitudes and trends of the original results were in good-to-excellent agreement with the recomputed results, a surprising but gratifying result considering that the NACA 685 results were computed “by hand” using pencil, paper, slide rules, and mechanical calculators called comptometers. Checks on the recomputations (about 25% were checked) were performed using the so-called 𝑝𝑝-method of flutter solution. In all cases, including those where the original and recomputed results differed significantly, the checks were in excellent agreement with the recomputed results.
This Operations, Maintenance, and Monitoring Report documents groundwater interim measure activities from March 30, 2019 through December 31, 2019 at the Area South of K7-516 site located at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida. An air sparge (AS) system consisting of 16 AS wells was installed along the Barge Canal in 2012 to be protective of the Outstanding Florida Waters (OFW). The AS system was expanded in 2015 by installing 40 AS wells to remediate the hot spot (HS) area. Additional expansion activities were performed in 2018 through the installation of eight additional AS wells along the Barge Canal. Currently 24 OFW and 40 HS AS wells are in operation. This report includes performance monitoring events for the OFW and HS areas, along with an annual Interim Groundwater Monitoring (IGWM) event in the Western Area. The 516S site has been designated Solid Waste Management Unit 100 under KSC’s Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Corrective Action program. This document was prepared by Tetra Tech, Inc., for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity Contract 80KSC019D0011/80KSC019F0068. The OFW and HS AS systems are meeting the performance criteria and IM objectives of preventing contaminant migration and remediating groundwater within the treatment zone. Team consensus was reached to continue operation of the combined OFW and HS AS systems (Meeting Minute 2002-M02, Decisions 2002-D06, D09 and D04). Team consensus was also reached to continue semi-annual OFW performance monitoring and annual monitoring for the IGWM Western Area for the same wells sampled during 2019 events. In the eastern area, MW13, MW14, and MW15 will be reduced from semi-annual to annual frequency. For the HS Area, team consensus was reached to continue the current annual/biennial monitoring program (Meeting Minute 2002-M02, Decisions 2002-D02, D03, D05, D07 and D08).
This a report on JAXA’s Kibo Robot Programing Challenge (RPC) Checkout activity which took place on 2020-05-21. This activity is an on-orbit test for the upcoming competition organized by JAXA and to be ran by September 2020. It aimed to check the multiple aspects of the operation of Bumble in support of this competition. The activity had three primary objectives: a) verification of four different positions to be visited during the competition, namely Start Position, P1, P2, and P3, b) demonstration of Bumble autonomously moving from the Start Position to P3 without keep-in/keep-out zones and c) demonstration of Bumble autonomously moving from the Start Position to P3 with JAXA’s defined keep-in/keep-out zones. The report emphasizes the confirmation of JAXA’s previously calculated and commanded coordinates for each position and the Astrobee Facilities Team (AFT) estimation of new coordinates in case those coordinates did not match JAXA’s desired target positions per ground and crew procedures. Four estimated coordinates are proposed and various suggestions on operation procedures are given to improve the maneuverability of Bumble during the actual day of the competition.
This report is part of a series of reports that address flight deck design and evaluation, written as a response to loss of control accidents. In particular, this activity is directed at failures in airplane state awareness in which the pilot loses awareness of the airplane’s energy state or attitude and enters an upset condition. The Commercial Aviation Safety Team (CAST) created a team to analyze a set of incidents and accidents associated with the flight crew’s loss of awareness of aircraft attitude or energy state. The CAST activity focused on a set of 18 loss of control (LOC) accidents and incidents. In those events, the pilot seemed to lose awareness of the state of the airplane, especially related to its energy state or its attitude. To understand the roots of that loss of awareness, we analyzed the events in relation to a set of factors that were present in many of them. We show how these factors contributed to lost awareness. Then, we use that understanding to identify potentially useful changes to the flight deck interface and how those flight deck changes could be evaluated.
This paper reports on thestatus of Mars Pathfinder's drive to space qualify its flight system for launch on December 2, 1996 under a cost cap- in particular how the project is dealing with qualification fo its entry, descent and landing event and the surface operations phase as well as the normal launch and space flight phases. It also reports on its landing site selection and science plan.
This is the preliminary report which is based on the flash memory reliability studies conducted during the first year (2008) of the multi-year NEPP task. The report outlines the technology and reliability challenges for advanced flash memory technologies, summarizes the test results and analyses of reliability characterizations performed on the selected flash memory devices during 2008, and provides the preliminary thoughts on the risk mitigation approaches on using advanced flash memory technologies for space applications.
This document serves as the fiscal year end report for the NEPP scaled complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) task. Much of the effort this year focused on development of test capability and initial collection of data on SDRAM devices. Since the system has only just begun (in the last four weeks) to gather data, this report focuses on the test system and preliminary results.
The NASA JPL and JPL_OUROCEAN RDACs continued their scientific contributions to GHRSST community for providing valuable GHRSST Level-2 and Level-4 products, of which the MUR and Terra MODIS L2P have been listed at the top 10 most active GHRSST data in 2018 (See GDAC Report in these proceedings). The JPL RDAC has continually produced the MODIS Aqua/Terra L2P, VIIRS L2P and MUR L4 datasets, while JPL_OUROCEAN RDAC has produced and supported the G1SST L4 dataset. The report will also discuss NASA contributions to the COVERAGE project and the US GHRSST community in general.
This report documents a test of aircraft exhaust nozzle designs applicable to commercial supersonic aircraft as envisioned in the 2025-2035 time frame. The test is primarily intended to provide data about the noise such aircraft would produce during landing and takeoff (LTO) operation, specifically the jet noise component of this noise. The tests were conducted at the NASA Glenn Research Center’s Aero-Acoustic Propulsion Laboratory in March 2020. The tests used the High-Flow Jet Exhaust Rig in the Nozzle Acoustic Test Rig which simulates the flow from a dual-stream turbofan engine in a flight stream. Seven exhaust configurations were tested with various combinations of internal mixer and external plug, and covered engine cycles having nozzle pressures from 1.5 to 2.3 at a flight speed of Mach 0.3. A few unheated flow conditions were also tested to tie results to other baseline test results. Data acquired and included in this report are 1) far-field acoustic spectra, 2) phased array measurements of noise source distributions, and 3) background-oriented schlieren of the flow near the nozzles. These data, along with the nozzle geometry in CAD format, are given as Appendices and are available online.
This report details the observations from a two-day virtual workshop, held May 12-13, 2020, focused on whether, and how, artificial intelligence (AI) could assist humans in strategic planning, specifically in science and technology prioritization. The participants identified several “key challenges” that AI might tackle in this area. To further understand the value of these key challenges the workshop then developed related test cases that would demonstrate specifically how AI/machine learning (ML) could provide assistance to humans. Approximately 40 subject matter experts (SMEs), with backgrounds in AI, strategic planning for science, and scientific data, were gathered for the conference. This report collates the details of the output of the workshop. The “best” test cases include (in no particular order):Use of AI to assist in selecting Decadal Survey priorities. * Use of AI to identify new, or previously unidentified, science topics for prioritization. * Using AI to better label and increase discoverability of scientific literature and proposals. * Use of AI to enhance current observation capabilities for scientific missions. * Using AI to mitigate biases in selection of proposal reviewers and membership of advisory committees. Examination of these test cases indicates that Natural Language Processing (NLP) is a common capability found in most of the ”best” (top-rated) test cases and is a valuable, multi-purpose tool which enables ML in this area.
The NASA SIO demonstration flight of April 3, 2020 represents a successful culmination of 18 months of coordinated effort between GA-ASI, NASA, the FAA, Collins Aerospace, and Honeywell Aerospace to operate a Medium Altitude, Long Endurance (MALE) Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) safely in the National Airspace System (NAS) using industry leading prototype technologies. The GA-ASI team consisted of technical experts, program managers, engineers, mechanics, flight technicians, flight crews, and numerous other subject matter experts. This final report describes the most significant and potentially impactful aspects of the planning, integration, test, and flight aspects of this effort. GA-ASI successfully integrated the key technologies needed for UAS to fly in the NAS onto our prototype SkyGuardian UAS, which was designed to meet the most stringent airworthiness standards applicable to an aircraft of its size category. A proven Detect and Avoid (DAA) system, developed by GA-ASI and utilizing Honeywell Aerospace technology was integrated onto SkyGuardian for the first time, along with datalink radios from Collins Aerospace that meet the new civil standard for Control and Non-Payload Communication (CNPC) links. GA-ASI also obtained approvals from the FAA and FCC to operate the reconfigured UAS. The SIO demonstration flight represented a commercial aerial surveying operation conducted at medium altitude (>10,000ft above mean sea level). The aircraft’s onboard sensors were used to capture photographic, infrared and radar imagery of public and commercial infrastructure and land, and to subsequently produce the types of data products that would provide business value to potential customers. These survey services would supplement or replace services currently provided by manned airplanes and helicopters, small drones or satellites. A “virtual” mission was also planned, to show what additional survey data could have been captured during the flight if additional sensors had been installed on the aircraft’s external hardpoints. This revision of the final report focuses on information of value to the wider UAS community, and avoids propriety data to facilitate broad dissemination. It also includes a description of GA-ASI’s engagement with the FAA following the SIO flight, which led to the award of an updated Special Airworthiness Certificate in the Experimental Category (SAC-EC) and a Certificate of Waiver or Authorization (COA) allowing operation of the SkyGuardian UAS using its DAA system to satisfy right-of-way rules, instead of a chase plane. The associated operational limitations are described to illustrate the further steps that would be needed to remove those limitations for unhindered commercial operations.
Annual report for the NCERA-101 committee on Controlled Environment Agriculture Technology and Use. This report will be submitted and posted on a public website, www.controlledenvironments.org
This Interim Groundwater Monitoring (IGWM) Report presents the findings of the IGWM activities conducted during the 2021 reporting period at the Fluid Servicing Road Area (FSRA) of Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida. The IGWM program was implemented at sites where active remediation was not occurring to monitor and track plume footprints and concentrations. FSRA is located east of the Vehicle Assembly Building and includes Components Cleaning Facility (CCF) also known as Solid Waste Management Unit (SWMU) 030; Converter Compressor Building (CCB) also known as SWMU 089; Area South of K7-516 (516S) also known as SWMU 100; Propellants Support Building Area (PSBA) also known as SWMU 102; and Former Drum Storage Area (FDSA) also known as SWMU 037.
This Air Sparge (AS) System Construction Completion and Performance Monitoring Report (CC-PMR) presents field implementation activities, as well as Year 1 operation, maintenance, and monitoring (OM&M) activities and performance monitoring results for the AS Interim Measure (IM) at the Hypergol Maintenance Facility North (HMFN) at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida. The timeframe for activities included in this report extends from December 2019 to August 2021.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) Phase II and III Solid Waste Management Unit (SWMU) Assessment (SA) and Confirmatory Sampling (CS) were conducted at the John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Potential Release Location (PRL) 237, located in Merritt Island, Brevard County, Florida for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) under Contract 80KSC019D0010/80KSC019F0289. A Phase I SA and CS Report was previously submitted that identified 33 locations of concern (LOCs) at KSC associated with the storage, use, or release of materials containing PFAS. The objectives of the Phase II and III SA and CS were to: - Complete site and source characterization of identified LOCs; - Identify areas of potential concern (AOPCs) where past or present activities may have resulted in a release of PFAS to the environment; - Qualitatively characterize migration potential of released PFAS to environmental media (primarily soil, groundwater, surface water, and sediment); and - Identify potential receptors for exposure to PFAS-impacted environmental media. Surface water samples were collected from LOCs/AOPCs and locations on the KSC periphery during PFAS CS Phases I, II and III. Including duplicate samples, 143 environmental samples were analyzed for 14 PFAS compounds and 104 environmental samples were analyzed for 18 PFAS compounds. Ten of the analytes on the 14 compound list were detected at least once in surface water at KSC, with a wide range in magnitude of detections. The State of Florida has surface water screening levels (SWSLs) for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) in surface water, both for human and ecological receptors. The human health screening levels are lower than the ecological ones and are used in this report. PFOA was not detected in surface water at concentrations exceeding the SWSL at any LOC or Area of Potential Concern (AOPC). PFOS was detected in surface water at concentrations exceeding the SWSL at 28 LOCs/AOPCs, plus 42 locations on the KSC periphery. The data suggest a wide distribution of PFAS, particularly PFOS, in surface water but the sources of surface water contamination are not yet adequately understood. Sediment samples were collected during Phases II and III but not Phase I. Including duplicate samples, 104 environmental samples were analyzed for 14 PFAS compounds and 10 environmental samples were analyzed for 18 PFAS compounds. Twelve compounds were detected in sediment at KSC, with a wide range in magnitude of detections. There are currently no screening levels or cleanup target levels (CTLs) for sediment. The need to delineate and further characterize PFAS in sediment will be evaluated for those sites that move forward into Site Assessment. Groundwater samples were collected via DPT from LOCs/AOPCs and locations on the KSC periphery during PFAS CS Phases I, II and III. Including duplicate samples, 812 environmental DPT groundwater samples were analyzed for 14 PFAS compounds and 247 environmental samples were analyzed for 18 PFAS compounds. Twelve of the 14 compounds were detected in groundwater at KSC, with a wide range in magnitude of detections. The State of Florida has provisional groundwater cleanup target levels (GCTLs) for PFOA, PFOS and the additive concentration of PFOA+PFOS. PFOA was detected in groundwater at concentrations exceeding its provisional GCTL at 16 LOCs/AOPCs, with no exceedances on the KSC periphery. PFOS was detected in groundwater at concentrations exceeding its provisional GCTL at 30 LOCs/AOPCs, plus two locations on the KSC periphery. PFOA+PFOS was detected in groundwater at concentrations exceeding the provisional GCTL at 31 LOCs/AOPCs, plus two locations on the KSC periphery. Soil samples were collected during Phases II and III but not Phase I. Including duplicate samples, 292 environmental samples were analyzed for 14 PFAS compounds and 80 environmental samples were analyzed for 18 PFAS compounds. Fourteen compounds were detected in soil at KSC, with a wide range in magnitude of detections. The State of Florida has provisional soil cleanup target levels (SCTLs) for PFOA and PFOS. There were no PFOA results above its provisional SCTL. There was one LOC with a result above the provisional SCTL for residential settings. Recommendations are presented for each LOC and AOPC.