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At least 1,063 records · Page 59

Data and Reasoning Fabric (DRF)

A Data & Reasoning Fabric (DRF) is envisioned to enable the full potential of air mobility by providing all data and reasoning where they are needed. The DRF provides a marketplace based on an open foundational ecosystem of data and reasoning exchange between the many systems that must seamlessly interplay to manage the complex and dense airspace operations required to achieve advanced air mobility goals. The DRF marketplace is decentralized and will not be owned by any single party. To deliver reference designs and development environments that catalyze broad private and public sector buy-in and self-sustaining development of DRF and associated standards, DRF activities will collaboratively test these technologies, open standards and architectures, and an integrated framework with end-users.

Aeronautics↗

Data and Reasoning Fabric (DRF)

A Data & Reasoning Fabric (DRF) is envisioned to enable the full potential of air mobility by providing all data and reasoning where they are needed. The DRF provides a marketplace based on an open foundational ecosystem of data and reasoning exchange between the many systems that must seamlessly interplay to manage the complex and dense airspace operations required to achieve advanced air mobility goals. The DRF marketplace is decentralized and will not be owned by any single party. To deliver reference designs and development environments that catalyze broad private and public sector buy-in and self-sustaining development of DRF and associated standards, DRF activities will collaboratively test these technologies, open standards and architectures, and an integrated framework with end-users. (13.21 run time Video of presentation)

Aeronautics↗

Overview of the Research Aircraft for eVTOL Enabling techNologies (RAVEN) Activity

The Research Aircraft for eVTOL Enabling techNologies (RAVEN) activity is a collaboration between Georgia Tech and NASA to design and develop a 1,000 lb gross weight class eVTOL research aircraft. The vision for RAVEN is that the aircraft will serve as a “flying laboratory” for enduring research and technology development applications across the realm of eVTOL technologies. A major goal of RAVEN is to disseminate the aircraft design geometry and data from flight tests for the benefit of the broader aeronautics community. Initial research applications will include flight dynamics, controls, acoustics, and automation/autonomy. The aircraft is based on the airframe of a fixed-wing experimental homebuilt airplane that will be modified to incorporate a distributed propulsion system, battery system, fly-by-wire flight control system, and avionics to enable remotely piloted operation. The aircraft is being designed to use commercial off-the-shelf components to the maximum extent practicable to save costs and to accelerate the development schedule without compromising the goal of publishing design geometry and test data. The RAVEN activity is also focused on workforce development by training the next generation of aerospace engineers in eVTOL technologies.

eVTOL↗

Preliminary Results From GMAO’s JEDI Based Ocean/Sea-ice Data Assimilation System

Preparations for GMAO’s transition to next generation coupled DA framework includes MOM6 for the ocean and CICE6 for sea ice, alongside assembling the data assimilation systems. The coupled DA system will primarily rely on the Joint Effort for Data Assimilation Integration (JEDI) and involves the use of the Sea-ice Ocean and Coupled Analysis (SOCA) package. The early stages of the work involved developing a coupled, cycling (ocean-only) DA workflow named “Swell”. Some other highlights from this transdisciplinary work: Collaborated with NOAA/EMC to ensure direct comparisons using the same observations and time (July -September 2021) during model development. Conducted in-kind work with the JCSDA to improve various JEDI components. Swell coupled DA framework will be used to assimilate observations from NASA’s PACE and SWOT missions

Dorukhan Ardag↗

Leveraging the 2024 Solar Eclipse to Enhance Science Learning through Citizen Science

The solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, provided a rare and compelling opportunity for educators and students to engage in hands-on citizen science. Two NASA Science Activation projects GLOBE Mission Earth (GME) and NASA Earth Science Education Collaborative (NESEC) partnered together to provide a unique professional development experience for educators interested in the eclipse. They invited educators to participate in a specialized 5-week online workshop designed to engage the educators in Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) citizen science about the eclipse. The workshop was designed to support their certification as GLOBE educators and develop their knowledge, skills, and confidence in conducting a GLOBE investigation. Over 60 educators from across the United States took part in this workshop, which focused on investigating the eclipse by collecting and analyzing atmospheric data. The GLOBE Program promotes environmental and scientific literacy by enabling participants to collect Earth science data and contribute it to a global database accessible for research. The 2024 GLOBE Eclipse workshop trained educators in specific GLOBE protocols—Clouds, Air Temperature, and Surface Temperature—using the GLOBE Eclipse tool integrated into the GLOBE Observer app. This training was supplemented with guidance on engaging students in authentic scientific research and creating research posters to present their findings. The workshop aimed to enhance educators’ skills and confidence in integrating GLOBE protocols into their teaching practices. It addressed several key areas outlined in the National Academies' report on Learning through Citizen Science, including scientific context, nature of participation, and project infrastructure. Educators learned about the atmospheric effects of solar eclipses and were trained to use scientific tools and data analysis methods relevant to their research. They also engaged in live sessions and asynchronous activities, practicing data collection and analysis with real-time feedback. Survey results from the workshop highlighted that participants were primarily motivated by the desire to better use data in their classrooms and improve their proficiency with the GLOBE Observer app. Post-workshop evaluations showed significant increases in educators' confidence regarding their ability to conduct and guide scientific research. Participants reported feeling well-prepared to use the GLOBE Observer app for data collection and were successful in integrating their eclipse observations into classroom activities. Participants also valued the opportunity to contribute to authentic science through GLOBE, which involved observing atmospheric changes such as air temperature fluctuations and cloud cover alterations during the eclipse. The success of the workshop is evident in the increased confidence and skill levels of educators, as well as the publication of research posters on the GLOBE Mission Earth Student Research webpage.This session will discuss how the GLOBE Eclipse workshop series effectively utilized the unique context of the solar eclipse to enhance science education through citizen science. By adhering to the principles outlined in the Learning through Citizen Science framework, the workshop successfully engaged educators and students in meaningful scientific practices, demonstrating the potential of citizen science to enrich science education and foster a deeper understanding of Earth systems.

Jessica Taylor↗

Enabling Open and Interoperable Science: Multi-Omics Data Processing Platform with NASA GeneLab Standardized Bioinformatics Workflows for Space and Earth Research

Multi-omics biological data continues to be generated at an astounding pace. Genomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, and proteomics, or collectively known as multi-omics data, are used to assess biological functions, and provide invaluable insights into human, animal, plant, and environmental health both on Earth and in Space. Despite the abundance of these valuable data, the need for bioinformatics expertise, particularly as it relates to the niche filed of space biology, and a lack of accessible resources for processing these data limit their usefulness in deriving biological insights. The NASA Open Science Data Repository (OSDR) provides access to omics data from various spaceflight and analog studies. To enhance the accessibility and reusability of these data, GeneLab (part of OSDR) designs and implements standardized, community-driven, open-source bioinformatics workflows to transform raw omics data into standardized processed data. Currently, GeneLab-processed data from hundreds of space studies have been reused for meta-analyses. This has led to new insights and scientific publications that extend beyond the initial research, thereby enriching our understanding of molecular-scale biological responses to the space environment. To make these bioinformatics workflows open and accessible, GeneLab teamed up with DOE-funded initiatives, including the National Microbiome Data Collaborative (NMDC), to create the NASA EDGE [Empowering the Development of Genomics Expertise] Bioinformatics web-based platform. NASA EDGE utilizes shared compute resources to run the GeneLab standardized bioinformatics workflows, which eliminates the need for researchers to have their own high performance computing cluster. The web-based platform makes complicated biological analyses incredibly easy to perform, thus expanding the reach of these analyses to bioinformatics novices, students, and even citizen scientists enabling them to contribute to scientific discoveries and progress. The authors will demonstrate how the NASA EDGE platform can be used to process microbial omics data hosted on OSDR as well as user-generated omics datasets using GeneLab’s standard workflows.

Amanda M. Saravia-Butler↗

Fast 3D Net Expeditions: Tools for Effective Scientific Collaboration on the World Wide Web

Two new technologies, the FASTexpedition and Remote FAST, have been developed that provide remote, 3D (three dimensional), high resolution, dynamic, interactive viewing of scientific data. The FASTexpedition permits one to access scientific data from the World Wide Web, take guided expeditions through the data, and continue with self controlled expeditions through the data. Remote FAST permits collaborators at remote sites to simultaneously view an analysis of scientific data being controlled by one of the collaborators. Control can be transferred between sites. These technologies are now being used for remote collaboration in joint university, industry, and NASA projects. Also, NASA Ames Research Center has initiated a project to make scientific data and guided expeditions through the data available as FASTexpeditions on the World Wide Web for educational purposes. Previously, remote visualization of dynamic data was done using video format (transmitting pixel information) such as video conferencing or MPEG (Motion Picture Expert Group) movies on the Internet. The concept for this new technology is to send the raw data (e.g., grids, vectors, and scalars) along with viewing scripts over the Internet and have the pixels generated by a visualization tool running on the viewers local workstation. The visualization tool that is currently used is FAST (Flow Analysis Software Toolkit). The advantages of this new technology over using video format are: (1) The visual is much higher in resolution (1280x1024 pixels with 24 bits of color) than typical video format transmitted over the network. (2) The form of the visualization can be controlled interactively (because the viewer is interactively controlling the visualization tool running on his workstation). (3) A rich variety of guided expeditions through the data can be included easily. (4) A capability is provided for other sites to see a visual analysis of one site as the analysis is interactively performed. Control of the analysis can be passed from site to site. (5) The scenes can be viewed in 3D using stereo vision. (6) The network bandwidth for the visualization using this new technology is much smaller than when using video format. (The measured peak bandwidth used was 1 Kbit/sec whereas the measured bandwidth for a small video picture was 500 Kbits/sec.) This talk will illustrate the use of these new technologies and present a proposal for using these technologies to improve science education.

Watson, Val↗

Spaceship Earth: A partnership in curriculum writing

As the Apollo astronauts left Earth to venture onto the surface of another planetary body, they saw their home planet in a new global perspective. Unmanned NASA missions have given us a closer look at all the other planets in our solar system and emphasized the uniqueness of Earth as the only place in our solar system that can sustain life as we know it. Spaceship Earth is a new science curriculum which was developed to help students and teachers to explore the Earth, to see it in the global perspective, and to understand the relationships among life, the planet, and the sun. Astronaut photographs, especially shuttle pictures, are used as groundbased studies to help students to understand global Earth Science and integrate various aspects of physical, life, and social science. The Spaceship Earth curriculum was developed at by a team of JSC scientists working in collaboration with teachers from local school districts. This project was done under the auspices of Partner-In-Space, a local non-profit organization dedicated to improving science education and our general knowledge of space. The team met once a month for a year then assembled the curriculum during the summer. The project is now in the testing stage as the teachers try it out in their classrooms. It was supported by the Texas Education Agency and will be offered by the State of Texas as a supplemental curriculum for statewide use. Because the curriculum was developed by teachers, it is self contained and the lessons are easy to implement and give students concrete experiences. The three sub-units follow in a logical order, but may be used independently. If they are used separately, they may be tied together by the teacher returning to the basic theme of the global Earth as each unit is completed.

Lindstrom, Marilyn M.↗

Vision for Cross-Center MSBE Collaboration on the Gateway Program

Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) can be a challenge when there is only one modeler and one model involved. For the Gateway Program, due to its unique acquisition approach, the modeling efforts involve multiple NASA centers with each developing their own models. Every additional model to be integrated compounds the difficulties, necessitating stronger ontologies and explicitly defined interfaces between models. To help facilitate this integration, a vision of collaboration between centers is in its beginning stages. This vision includes looking at models as systems themselves and developing their own use cases, requirements and interfaces between each of them. The goal of this presentation is to share the Gateway Program's cross-center vision for model collaboration, the lessons learned in developing and implementing that vision for the various system engineering products needed to satisfy life cycle review criteria and how treating models as systems helped in these efforts.

Crane, Jeremiah↗

Fast Light Optical Gyroscopes

Next-generation space missions are currently constrained by existing spacecraft navigation systems which are not fully autonomous. These systems suffer from accumulated dead-reckoning errors and must therefore rely on periodic corrections provided by supplementary technologies that depend on line-of-sight signals from Earth, satellites, or other celestial bodies for absolute attitude and position determination, which can be spoofed, incorrectly identified, occluded, obscured, attenuated, or insufficiently available. These dead-reckoning errors originate in the ring laser gyros themselves, which constitute inertial measurement units. Increasing the time for standalone spacecraft navigation therefore requires fundamental improvements in gyroscope technologies. One promising solution to enhance gyro sensitivity is to place an anomalous dispersion or fast light material inside the gyro cavity. The fast light essentially provides a positive feedback to the gyro response, resulting in a larger measured beat frequency for a given rotation rate as shown in figure 1. Game Changing Development has been investing in this idea through the Fast Light Optical Gyros (FLOG) project, a collaborative effort which began in FY 2013 between NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center (AMRDEC), and Northwestern University. MSFC and AMRDEC are working on the development of a passive FLOG (PFLOG), while Northwestern is developing an active FLOG (AFLOG). The project has demonstrated new benchmarks in the state of the art for scale factor sensitivity enhancement. Recent results show cavity scale factor enhancements of approx.100 for passive cavities.

Smith, David D.↗

Implementation and Initial Validation of a 100-Kilowatt Class Nested-Channel Hall Thruster

The X3 is a 100-kilowatt class nested-channel Hall thruster developed by the Plasmadynamics and Electric Propulsion Laboratory at the University of Michigan in collaboration with the Air Force Research Laboratory and NASA. The cathode, magnetic circuit, boron nitride channel rings, and anodes all required specific design considerations during thruster development, and thermal modeling was used to properly account for thermal growth in material selection and component design. A number of facility upgrades were required at the University of Michigan to facilitate operation of the X3. These upgrades included a re-worked propellant feed system, a completely redesigned power and telemetry break-out box, and numerous updates to thruster handling equipment. The X3 was tested on xenon propellant at two current densities, 37% and 73% of the nominal design value. It was operated to a maximum steady-state discharge power of 60.8 kilowatts. The tests presented here served as an initial validation of thruster operation. Thruster behavior was monitored with telemetry, photography and high-speed current probes. The photography showed a uniform plume throughout testing. At constant current density, reductions in mass flow rate of 18% and 26% were observed in the three-channel operating configuration as compared to the superposition of each channel running individually. The high-speed current probes showed that the thruster was stable at all operating points and that the channels influence each other when more than one is operating simultaneously. Additionally, the ratio of peak-to-peak AC-coupled discharge current oscillations to mean discharge current did not exceed 51% for any operating points reported here, and did not exceed 17% at the higher current density.

High Power↗

Accelerating the Deployment of Space-Based Quantum Sensors

The Space Science and Technology Partnership Forum (S&T Forum), comprised of an interagency team from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Reconnaissance Office, and the United States Space Force, presents findings and recommendations from a study on the state of quantum sensors for space applications, enabling component technologies, facilities, and developers across government, industry, and academia. The following five areas of quantum sensing technology (listed in alphabetical order) were identified as being of near-term interest to all three S&T Forum agencies: atomic clocks, atom interferometers, quantum magnetometers, Rydberg sensors, and single photon detectors. This paper focuses on two recommendations: 1) increased collaboration between the S&T Forum, industry, and academia on the development of enabling components for the five quantum sensing technology areas, and 2) challenges and future opportunities to take quantum sensors from the laboratory to space. Through this study, the S&T Forum found a diverse and broad community of quantum sensing developers in the United States that are leading efforts in research, testing, manufacturing, and qualification of quantum sensors and their enabling component technologies. There are common needs across quantum sensing technology areas. To address the common needs, the S&T Forum agencies are encouraged to utilize existing models and mechanisms to enable co-development of enabling component technologies and to explore new avenues for engagement with the quantum sensing community.

Grace C Ray↗

Accelerating the Deployment of Space-Based Quantum Sensors

The Space Science and Technology Partnership Forum (S&T Forum), comprised of an interagency team from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Reconnaissance Office, and the United States Space Force, presents findings and recommendations from a study on the state of quantum sensors for space applications, enabling component technologies, facilities, and developers across government, industry, and academia. The following five areas of quantum sensing technology (listed in alphabetical order) were identified as being of near-term interest to all three S&T Forum agencies: atomic clocks, atom interferometers, quantum magnetometers, Rydberg sensors, and single photon detectors. This paper focuses on two recommendations: 1) increased collaboration between the S&T Forum, industry, and academia on the development of enabling components for the five quantum sensing technology areas, and 2) challenges and future opportunities to take quantum sensors from the laboratory to space. Through this study, the S&T Forum found a diverse and broad community of quantum sensing developers in the United States that are leading efforts in research, testing, manufacturing, and qualification of quantum sensors and their enabling component technologies. There are common needs across quantum sensing technology areas. To address the common needs, the S&T Forum agencies are encouraged to utilize existing models and mechanisms to enable co-development of enabling component technologies and to explore new avenues for engagement with the quantum sensing community.

Grace C Ray↗

The Design and Implementation of NASA's Advanced Flight Computing Module

This paper describes a working flight computer Multichip Module developed jointly by JPL and TRW under their respective research programs in a collaborative fashion. The MCM is fabricated by nCHIP and is packaged within a 2 by 4 inch Al package from Coors. This flight computer module is one of three modules under development by NASA's Advanced Flight Computer (AFC) program. Further development of the Mass Memory and the programmable I/O MCM modules will follow. The three building block modules will then be stacked into a 3D MCM configuration. The mass and volume of the flight computer MCM achieved at 89 grams and 1.5 cubic inches respectively, represent a major enabling technology for future deep space as well as commercial remote sensing applications.

computer design space applications multichip modul↗

Application of dexterous space robotics technology to myoelectric prostheses

Future space missions will require robots equipped with highly dexterous robotic hands to perform a variety of tasks. A major technical challenge in making this possible is an improvement in the way these dexterous robotic hands are remotely controlled or teleoperated. NASA is currently investigating the feasibility of using myoelectric signals to teleoperate a dexterous robotic hand. In theory, myoelectric control of robotic hands will require little or no mechanical parts and will greatly reduce the bulk and weight usually found in dexterous robotic hand control devices. An improvement in myoelectric control of multifinger hands will also benefit prosthetics users. Therefore, as an effort to transfer dexterous space robotics technology to prosthetics applications and to benefit from existing myoelectric technology, NASA is collaborating with the Limbs of Love Foundation, the Institute for Rehabilitation and Research, and Rice University in developing improved myoelectric control multifinger hands and prostheses. In this paper, we will address the objectives and approaches of this collaborative effort and discuss the technical issues associated with myoelectric control of multifinger hands. We will also report our current progress and discuss plans for future work.

Hess, Clifford↗

Space Technology Mission Directorate Game Changing Development Program FY2015 Annual Program Review: Advanced Manufacturing Technology

The Advance Manufacturing Technology (AMT) Project supports multiple activities within the Administration's National Manufacturing Initiative. A key component of the Initiative is the Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office (AMNPO), which includes participation from all federal agencies involved in U.S. manufacturing. In support of the AMNPO the AMT Project supports building and Growing the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation through a public-private partnership designed to help the industrial community accelerate manufacturing innovation. Integration with other projects/programs and partnerships: STMD (Space Technology Mission Directorate), HEOMD, other Centers; Industry, Academia; OGA's (e.g., DOD, DOE, DOC, USDA, NASA, NSF); Office of Science and Technology Policy, NIST Advanced Manufacturing Program Office; Generate insight within NASA and cross-agency for technology development priorities and investments. Technology Infusion Plan: PC; Potential customer infusion (TDM, HEOMD, SMD, OGA, Industry); Leverage; Collaborate with other Agencies, Industry and Academia; NASA roadmap. Initiatives include: Advanced Near Net Shape Technology Integrally Stiffened Cylinder Process Development (launch vehicles, sounding rockets); Materials Genome; Low Cost Upper Stage-Class Propulsion; Additive Construction with Mobile Emplacement (ACME); National Center for Advanced Manufacturing.

Vickers, John↗

High Efficiency Space Power Systems Project Advanced Space-Rated Batteries

Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) has an agreement with China National Offshore Oil Corporation New Energy Investment Company, Ltd. (CNOOC), under the United States-China EcoPartnerships Framework, to create a bi-national entity seeking to develop technically feasible and economically viable solutions to energy and environmental issues. Advanced batteries have been identified as one of the initial areas targeted for collaborations. CWRU invited NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) personnel from the Electrochemistry Branch to CWRU to discuss various aspects of advanced battery development as they might apply to this partnership. Topics discussed included: the process for the selection of a battery chemistry; the establishment of an integrated development program; project management/technical interactions; new technology developments; and synergies between batteries for automotive and space operations. Additional collaborations between CWRU and NASA GRC's Electrochemistry Branch were also discussed.

Reid, Concha M.↗