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NASA NTRS2007

Single-Point Access to Data Distributed on Many Processors

A description of the functions and data structures is defined that would be necessary to implement the Chapel concept of distributions, domains, allocation, access, and interfaces to the compiler for transformations from Chapel source to their run-time implementation for these concepts. A complete set of object-oriented operators is defined that enables one to access elements of a distributed array through regular arithmetic index sets, giving the programmer the illusion that all the elements are collocated on a single processor. This means that arbitrary regions of the arrays can be fragmented and distributed across multiple processors with a single point of access. This is important because it can significantly improve programmer productivity by allowing the programmers to concentrate on the high-level details of the algorithm without worrying about the efficiency and communication details of the underlying representation.

James, Mark↗

NASA NTRS2012

Explanation Capabilities for Behavior-Based Robot Control

A recent study that evaluated issues associated with remote interaction with an autonomous vehicle within the framework of grounding found that missing contextual information led to uncertainty in the interpretation of collected data, and so introduced errors into the command logic of the vehicle. As the vehicles became more autonomous through the activation of additional capabilities, more errors were made. This is an inefficient use of the platform, since the behavior of remotely located autonomous vehicles didn't coincide with the "mental models" of human operators. One of the conclusions of the study was that there should be a way for the autonomous vehicles to describe what action they choose and why. Robotic agents with enough self-awareness to dynamically adjust the information conveyed back to the Operations Center based on a detail level component analysis of requests could provide this description capability. One way to accomplish this is to map the behavior base of the robot into a formal mathematical framework called a cost-calculus. A cost-calculus uses composition operators to build up sequences of behaviors that can then be compared to what is observed using well-known inference mechanisms.

Huntsberger, Terrance L.↗

NASA NTRS2012

2011-2012 Dryden Center Innovation Fund End of the Year Report: Altitude-Compensating Rocket Nozzles

This report highlights one of the many successful projects at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center that was approved for FY12 funding under the Center Innovation Fund. This project was focused on advancing the technology readiness level of one specific type of altitude-compensating nozzle: the dual-bell rocket nozzle. When considering a rocket's performance over its entire integrated trajectory, the dual-bell nozzle has been predicted to achieve a higher total impulse over the conventional bell nozzle, which is expected to result in a greater capability of payload mass to low-Earth orbit. Although the dual-bell rocket nozzle has been thoroughly studied for several decades, this nozzle has still not been adequately tested in a relevant flight-like environment. This report provides highlights and top-level details on the FY12 feasibility effort to advance this promising technology through flight test, a collaborative effort which leverages NASA Marshall's dual-bell nozzle research and development with Dryden's expertise in propulsion-focused flight testing. To accomplish this goal, the NASA F-15B is proposed as the testbed for the initial flight-test campaign to advance this greatly needed capability.

Jones, Daniel S.↗

NASA NTRS2013

Remote Memory Access Protocol Target Node Intellectual Property

The MagnetoSpheric Multiscale (MMS) mission had a requirement to use the Remote Memory Access Protocol (RMAP) over its SpaceWire network. At the time, no known intellectual property (IP) cores were available for purchase. Additionally, MMS preferred to implement the RMAP functionality with control over the low-level details of the design. For example, not all the RMAP standard functionality was needed, and it was desired to implement only the portions of the RMAP protocol that were needed. RMAP functionality had been previously implemented in commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products, but the IP core was not available for purchase. The RMAP Target IP core is a VHDL (VHSIC Hardware Description Language description of a digital logic design suitable for implementation in an FPGA (field-programmable gate array) or ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) that parses SpaceWire packets that conform to the RMAP standard. The RMAP packet protocol allows a network host to access and control a target device using address mapping. This capability allows SpaceWire devices to be managed in a standardized way that simplifies the hardware design of the device, as well as the development of the software that controls the device. The RMAP Target IP core has some features that are unique and not specified in the RMAP standard. One such feature is the ability to automatically abort transactions if the back-end logic does not respond to read/write requests within a predefined time. When a request times out, the RMAP Target IP core automatically retracts the request and returns a command response with an appropriate status in the response packet s header. Another such feature is the ability to control the SpaceWire node or router using RMAP transactions in the extended address range. This allows the SpaceWire network host to manage the SpaceWire network elements using RMAP packets, which reduces the number of protocols that the network host needs to support.

Haddad, Omar↗

NASA NTRS2015

Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission: Precipitation Processing System (PPS) GPM Mission Gridded Text Products Provide Surface Precipitation Retrievals

In February 2015, the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission core satellite will complete its first year in space. The core satellite carries a conically scanning microwave imager called the GPM Microwave Imager (GMI), which also has 166 GHz and 183 GHz frequency channels. The GPM core satellite also carries a dual frequency radar (DPR) which operates at Ku frequency, similar to the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Precipitation Radar, and a new Ka frequency. The precipitation processing system (PPS) is producing swath-based instantaneous precipitation retrievals from GMI, both radars including a dual-frequency product, and a combined GMIDPR precipitation retrieval. These level 2 products are written in the HDF5 format and have many additional parameters beyond surface precipitation that are organized into appropriate groups. While these retrieval algorithms were developed prior to launch and are not optimal, these algorithms are producing very creditable retrievals. It is appropriate for a wide group of users to have access to the GPM retrievals. However, for researchers requiring only surface precipitation, these L2 swath products can appear to be very intimidating and they certainly do contain many more variables than the average researcher needs. Some researchers desire only surface retrievals stored in a simple easily accessible format. In response, PPS has begun to produce gridded text based products that contain just the most widely used variables for each instrument (surface rainfall rate, fraction liquid, fraction convective) in a single line for each grid box that contains one or more observations.This paper will describe the gridded data products that are being produced and provide an overview of their content. Currently two types of gridded products are being produced: (1) surface precipitation retrievals from the core satellite instruments GMI, DPR, and combined GMIDPR (2) surface precipitation retrievals for the partner constellation satellites. Both of these gridded products are generated for a.25 degree x.25 degree hourly grid, which are packaged into daily ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) files that can downloaded from the PPS FTP (File Transfer Protocol) site. To reduce the download size, the files are compressed using the gzip utility.This paper will focus on presenting high-level details about the gridded text product being generated from the instruments on the GPM core satellite. But summary information will also be presented about the partner radiometer gridded product. All retrievals for the partner radiometer are done using the GPROF2014 algorithmusing as input the PPS generated inter-calibrated 1C product for the radiometer.

precipitation↗

NASA NTRS2013

TID Test Results for 4th Generation iPad(TradeMark)

TID testing of 4th generation iPads is reported. Of iPad subsystems, results indicate that the charging circuitry and display drivers fail at lowest TID levels. Details of construction are investigated for additional testing of components.

SEE↗

NASA NTRS2018

Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Liquid and Polymer Electrolytes for Energy Storage Devices

Advancing beyond current lithium-ion technology is necessary in order to enable energy storage devices for electric airplanes. Electrolyte stability is a key limiting factor, yet the design of improved electrolytes remains a formidable challenge. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are a powerful tool for studying electrolytes, since they can be used to evaluate structural, thermodynamic, and transport properties, and can provide molecular-level detail often inaccessible to experimental techniques. Our computational materials groups at the NASA Ames Research Center has developed models and methods to accurately simulate both liquid and polymer electrolytes.We report the results from atomistic MD simulations of several electrolyte materials, with lithium salts dissolved in ionic liquids, dimethoxyethane (DME), and polyethylene oxide (PEO). For improved accuracy, we employ polarizable models, where each atom is given an environment-dependent atomic dipole. The simulations accurately predict bulk transport properties, including viscosity, diffusion, and ionic conductivity, in quantitative agreement with available experimental data. Moreover, the simulations provide important insights into the solvation structure of the lithium ions.We also report the results from coarse-grained MD simulations of polyanion electrolytes. In order to more efficiently capture the longer length- and time-scales of these systems, we employ a generic bead-spring model. These simulations provide important insight into how the polymer chain architecture and ionic interaction strengths affect the ionic aggregation behavior and cation dynamics. Despite the simplicity of the model, the simulations yield qualitative agreement with experimental data for similar systems.

Abbott, Lauren J.↗

NASA NTRS2012

Advanced Lithium Ion Venus Explorer (ALIVE)

The COncurrent Multidisciplinary Preliminary Assessment of Space Systems (COMPASS) Team partnered with the Applied Research Laboratory to perform a NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Program study to evaluate chemical based power systems for keeping a Venus lander alive (power and cooling) and functional for a period of days. The mission class targeted was either a Discovery ($500M) or New Frontiers ($750M to $780M) class mission. Historic Soviet Venus landers have only lasted on the order of 2 hours in the extreme Venus environment:temperatures of 460 degrees Centigrade and pressures of 93 bar. Longer duration missions have been studied using plutonium powered systems to operate and cool landers for up to a year. However, the plutonium load is very large. This NIAC study sought to still provide power and cooling but without the plutonium. Batteries are far too heavy but a system which uses the atmosphere (primarily carbon dioxide) and on on-board fuel to power a power generation and cooling system was sought. The resuling design was the Advanced Long-Life Lander Investigating the Venus Environment (ALIVE) Spacecraft (S/C) which burns lithium (Li) with the CO2 atmosphere to heat a Duplex Stirling to power and cool the lander for a 5-day duration (until the Li is exhausted). While it does not last years a chemical powered system surviving days eliminates the cost associated with utilizing a flyby relay S/C and allows a continuous low data rate direct to earth (DTE) link in this instance from the Ovda Regio of Venus. The five-day collection time provided by the chemical power systems also enables science personnel on earth to interact and retarget science - something not possible with an approximately 2-hour spacecraft lifetime. It also allows for contingency operations directed by the ground (reduced risk). The science package was based on that envisioned by the Venus Intrepid Tessera Lander (VITaL) Decadal Survey Study. The Li Burner within the long duration power system creates approximately 14000 W of heat. This 1300 degree Centigrade heat using Li in the bottom "ballast" tank is melted to liquid by the Venus temperature, drawn into a furnace by a wick and burned with atmospheric CO2. The Li carbonate exhaust is liquid at 1300 degrees Centigrade and being denser than Li drains into the the Li tank and solidifies. Since the exhaust product is a dense liquid no "chimney" is required which conserves the heat for the stirling power convertor. The Duplex Stirling provides about 300 W of power and removes about 300 W of heat from the avionics and heat that leaks into the 1-bar-insulated payload pressure vessel kept at 25 degrees Centigrade. The Na K radiator is run to the top of the drag flap.The ALIVE vehicle is carried to Venus via an Atlas 411 launch vehicle (LV) with a C3 of 7 km2/s2. An Aeroshell, derived from the Genesis mission, enables a direct entry into the atmosphere of Venus (-10 degrees Centigrade, 40 g max) and 6 m/s for landing (44 g) using a drag ring. For surface science and communication, a 100 WRF (WebEx Recording Format), X-Band 0.6-meter pointable DTE (Direct-to-Earth) antenna provides 2 kbps (kilobits per second) to DSN (Deep-Space Network) 34-meter antenna clusters.Table 1.1 summarizes the top-level details of each subsystem that was incorporated into the design. Cost estimates of the ALIVE mission show it at approximately $760M which puts it into the New Frontiers class.The ALIVE landed duration is only limited by the amount of Li which can be carried by the lander. Further studies are needed to investigate how additional mass can be carried, perhaps by a larger launcher and larger aeroshell.

Exploration↗

NASA NTRS2019

Fuser Deeper Dive (Mediation & Use Cases)

This presentation gets into a detailed level of how things are processed in the Fuser, providing some specific challenges and solutions.

TFMS↗

NASA NTRS2018

Overview of the Mars 2020 Parachute Risk Reduction Activity

In 2012, the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) landed safely on the surface of Mars using a supersonic Disk-Gap-Band (DGB) parachute, which was structurally qualiﬁed for ﬂight via a subsonic wind tunnel test program. Results of the Low Density Supersonic Decelerators (LDSD) program have called into question the methodology and principles that form the foundation of the MSL subsonic test program. LDSD discovered that quasi-static subsonic proof loading a parachute via ground testing may not provide canopy stresses that sufﬁciently bound the stresses experienced during a rapid supersonic inﬂation at Mars. Additionally, deeper scrutiny of the materials and structural margins present in previously successful supersonic DGBs indicated that the MSL parachute ﬂew with lowest margins of any previous parachute. These factors have increased the perceived risk of reusing a heritage MSL DGB parachute design with a subsonic test program for Mars 2020. To reduce this risk,a series of risk reduction steps were initiated starting in 2016. First, two parachute assemblies have been pursued in parallel: a Build-to-Print (BTP) MSL parachute, designed and manufactured by Pioneer Aerospace Corporation, which maintains the heritage of the successful MSL parachute, and a strengthened parachute, designed and manufactured by Airborne Systems North America, which uses higher strength materials throughout the parachute assembly but maintains the same overall size as the MSL parachute. Second, each parachute system was tested in a subsonic wind tunnel to examine the canopies in their fully inﬂated state and assess the workmanship of each canopy. Finally, full-scale parachutes from each vendor will experience at least one supersonic inﬂation at Mars relevant Mach numbers and atmospheric densities at Earth via a supersonic sounding rocket test campaign. This paper presents high-level details regarding the risk reduction strategy, the two candidate parachute conﬁgurations, the ground test program, and the supersonic ﬂight test program, and brief results from each of the test programs.

Chen, Allen↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

An Intern Experience with NASA’s Artemis Program

“3...2...1...Go For Launch”. Nasa’s Kennedy Space Center is projected to launch the first mission of theArtemis Program by the end of this year, 2021. I have had the opportunity to contribute directly to this mission through my internship with their Engineering organization from January to August of 2021.Within their Engineering organization, I am an intern for the Avionics branch. Throughout this experience I have completed two projects with one project still in progress. These projects allowed me to work directly with the Orion vehicle’s software and hardware power ups, checkouts, and tests. I became familiarized with the engineering concepts that allowed this advanced technology to perform as intended.In addition, I became acquainted with the operations and tasks that are completed during a LaunchCountdown, both at a detailed level as well as a higher managerial level. Lastly, I worked directly with the software algorithm that detects and responds to onboard faults and failures. I have analyzed and made conclusions based on data and documentation, allowing my team to benefit from a condensed, centralized informational file. In addition to my technical experience, I have learned a significant amount about how the Kennedy Space Center operates, it’s history, and the history of the agency. The education I received from the Engineering department at Texas A&M University not only allowed me to obtain this internship, but provided me with the required background in computer and electrical engineering principles to be successful in this organization.

Sarah Bianco↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Assessing the feasibility of a spaceborne 3D lightning observing concept

The distribution of electrical charge in thunderclouds results from thermodynamic, microphysical, and kinematic processes, which also modulate thunderstorm evolution. It is no surprise that the connection between lightning and these physical processes is so strong that the increase and vertical growth of lightning activity closely follows the vertical growth of the thundercloud, but unraveling these connections is not trivial and requires observations of the three-dimensional (3D) structure of electrical activity in a cloud. Ground-based 3D lightning mapping networks give excellent 3D flash-level detail but are limited to regional coverage. Satellite-based optical lightning mappers give excellent global coverage but are largely limited to 2D summaries of flash rate and radiant intensity, albeit new flash products and stereographic techniques are chipping away this limitation. New observing strategies are needed to expand and diversify the corpus of 3D lightning datasets and motivate studies that unravel connections lightning has with these key physical processes and the surrounding environment. This study examines the feasibility of using a distributed network of orbing satellites with VHF-based lightning detectors to obtain global maps of 3D lightning activity and assess efficacy of this approach for use in a new, small satellite mission concept called CubeSpark. CubeSpark combines new VHF and high-resolution, bispectral optical instruments on a constellation of low-Earth orbiting (LEO) satellites to globally map the 3D electrical structure of thunderstorms and study how it relates to thunderstorm evolution, extreme weather, nitrogen oxide production and distribution, upper atmospheric electrical phenomena, and how 3D flash observations can complement existing satellite-based lightning mappers and improve decision support tools. To locate lightning discharges, CubeSpark seeks to use the VHF time-of-arrival technique, similar to ground-based total lightning mapping networks. The vertical location accuracy of these satellite retrievals will be of poorer quality compared to a ground-based network, which has non-trivial implications for lightning flash reconstruction and lightning-based interpretations of deep convection. We adapt a Lightning Mapping Array (LMA) simulation framework to an orbiting network and use it to address feasibility of 3D lightning detection from space with particular attention to location accuracy of VHF detections of lightning in the vertical. These simulations inform a constellation design study that defines a realistic orbital configuration and depicts the global coverage for CubeSpark. Results indicate that a 3D location accuracy of <1-2 km for each dimension can be achieved across 300-500 km wide swaths, which suggests that CubeSpark can resolve the charge structure of thunderclouds from the tropics to the mid- and high- latitudes.

Lightning↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA’s Top Human System Research and Technology Needs for Mars

NASA is working with industry and international partners to return humans to the moon and eventually enable a human Mars mission. Within NASA, several organizations work together to identify, prioritize, fund, execute, and operationalize the crew health and performance (CHP) research and technology development (R&D) necessary to enable these future missions. These organizations include flight programs as well as other organizations such as the Health and Medical Technical Authority (HMTA), Human Research Program, Space Technology Mission Directorate, and System Capability Leadership Teams, each of which existed for several years prior to the creation of the Moon-to-Mars (M2M) Program Office in 2023. A variety of constructs, vocabularies, and processes exist for the management of risks and strategic planning across these organizations. For example, M2M objectives, program risks, human system risks, human research gaps, capability gaps, and envisioned futures are all constructs currently used within NASA for identifying and prioritizing R&D needs. Alignment and evolution of these strategic planning constructs is ongoing and will allow for alignment and traceability between M2M objectives and R&D investments at a detailed level. While this reorganization is ongoing, and even after it is established, there is a recognized need among stakeholder organizations to identify and communicate the highest CHP R&D priorities in a unified and digestible way that synthesizes the considerations and perspectives of the CHP community across NASA. To achieve this, the HMTA facilitated a series of group discussions with representatives of NASA’s CHP community, which culminated in a product identifying the eight highest priority mission-enabling CHP capabilities for human missions to Mars, referred to as the “Top Human System Capability Needs for Mars”. The list includes Earth-Independent Human Operations; Mars Duration Food System; Mars Duration Effects on Human Physiology; Risks Mitigations for Vehicle Atmospheres; Computational Injury & Anthropometric Models; Exploration Exercise Countermeasures; Individual Variability in Responses to Spaceflight; and Sensorimotor Countermeasures. Existing strategic planning and risk management tools and processes were considered, as well as practicalities of technical, cost, and schedule feasibility associated with potential R&D risk mitigations and technology solutions. The product is not owned by any one organization and does not replace existing strategic or program planning processes; rather it aims to complement and inform them with a unified set of community generated priorities. It is anticipated that this list will be re-evaluated periodically based on R&D progress and the evolving M2M architecture.

Life Support↗

NASA NTRS2024

NASA’s Top Human System Research and Technology Needs for Mars

NASA is working with industry and international partners to return humans to the Moon and to eventually enable humans to explore Mars. Within NASA, several organizations work together to identify, prioritize, fund, execute, and operationalize the research and technology development (R&TD) that will be necessary to enable crew health and performance (CHP) during these future missions. These organizations include flight programs, the Health and Medical Technical Authority (HMTA), the Human Research Program, the Space Technology Mission Directorate, System Capability Leadership Teams, and other organizations, many of which existed for several years prior to the creation of the Moon-to-Mars (M2M) Program Office in 2023. A variety of constructs, vocabularies, and processes exist for managing risks and supporting strategic planning across these organizations. For example, M2M objectives, program risks, human system risks, human research gaps, capability gaps, and envisioned futures are all constructs currently used within NASA to identify and prioritize R&TD needs. These strategic planning constructs are evolving to allow M2M objectives and R&TD investments to be aligned and traced at a detailed level. A recognized need exists among stakeholder organizations to identify and communicate the highest CHP R&TD priorities in a unified and digestible way that addresses the perspectives of NASA’s CHP community. To achieve this, the HMTA arranged a series of discussions with representatives of NASA’s CHP community, during which the 8 highest priority CHP capabilities that will enable human missions to Mars, referred to as the “top human system capability needs for Mars”, were identified. The list includes Earth-independent human operations; Mars-duration food system; Mars-duration effects on human physiology; risk mitigations for vehicle atmospheres; computational injury and anthropometric models; exploration exercise countermeasures; individual variability in responses to spaceflight; and sensorimotor countermeasures. Existing tools and processes for strategic planning and risk management were evaluated, as well as the technical practicalities, cost, and schedule feasibility associated with potential R&TD investments in different capability need areas. This capability needs report is not owned by any one NASA organization and does not replace existing strategic or program planning processes; rather it aims to complement and inform them with a unified set of community generated priorities. These top capability needs will be re-evaluated periodically based on R&TD progress and the evolving M2M architecture.

technology gaps↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA’s Top Human System Research and Technology Needs for Mars

technology gaps↗

DOE OSTI2024

Rancor-HUNTER: A Virtual Plant and Operator Environment for Predicting Human Performance

Advances in simulation capabilities to model physical systems have outpaced the development of simulations for humans using those physical systems. There is an argument that the infinite span of potential human behaviors inherently render human modeling more challenging than physical systems. Despite this challenge, the need for modeling humans interacting with these complex systems is paramount. As technologies have improved, many of the failure modes originating from the physical systems have been solved. This means the overall proportion of human errors has increased, such that it is not uncommon to be the primary driver of system failure in modern complex systems. Moreover, technologies such as automated systems may introduce emerging contexts that can cause new, unanticipated modes of human error. Therefore, it is now more important than ever to develop models of human behavior to realize overall system error reductions and achieve established safety margins. To support new and novel concepts of operations for the anticipated wave of advanced nuclear reactor deployments, human factors and human reliability analysis researchers need to develop advanced simulation-based approaches. This talk presents a simulation environment suitable to both collect data and then perform Monte Carlo simulations to evaluate human performance and develop better models of human behavior. Specifically, the Rancor Microworld Simulator models a complex energy production system in a simplified manner. Rancor includes computer-based procedures, which serve as a framework to automatically classify human behaviors without manual, subjective experimenter coding during scenarios. This method supports a detailed level of analysis at the task level. It is feasible for collecting large sample sizes required to develop quantitative modelling elements that have historically challenged traditional full-scope simulator study approaches. Additionally, the other portion of this experimental platform, the Human Unimodel for Nuclear Technology to Enhance Reliability (HUNTER), is presented to show how the collected data can be used to evaluate novel scenarios based on the contextual factors, or performance shaping factors, derived from Rancor simulations. Rancor-HUNTER is being used to predict operator performance with new procedures, such as results from control room modernization or new-build situations. Rancor-HUNTER is also proving a useful surrogate platform to model human performance for other complex systems.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

NASA NTRS1990

Graphical interfaces for cooperative planning systems

Based on a cognitive task analysis of 5 airline flight crews in a simulator study, researchers have designed a testbed for studying computer aids for en route flight path planning. This testbed runs on a Mac II controlling three color monitors, and is being used to study the design of aids for both dispatchers and flight crews. Specifically, the research focuses on design concepts for developing cooperative problem-solving systems. We use en route flight planning (selecting alternate routes or destinations due to unanticipated weather, traffic, malfunctions, etc.) as the context for studying the design of such systems. Researchers are currently exploring three questions in this test environment: (1) When interacting with a flight planning aid, how does the role of the pilot influence overall system performance; (2) Can the architecture for a cooperative planning system be built around Sacerdoti's (1983) concept of an abstraction hierarchy, where the pilot can interact with the system at many different levels of detail (but where the computer aid by default handles lower level details that the pilot has chosen not to deat with); and (3) Can graphical displays and direct manipulation of these displays provide perceptual enhancements (Larkin and Simon, 1987) of the pilot's problem-solving activities. Information is given in viewgraph form.

Smith, Philip J.↗

DOE OSTI2025

Reservoir Storage Capacity Change (ResCap)

Overview Storage capacity is an essential reservoir metric that is directly linked to various water management and energy objectives. Accurate reporting and tracking of change in storage over time is crucial for the safe and reliable operation of the associated dam. While storage information is available for many reservoirs through the National Inventory of Dams, additional details, e.g. water elevation levels as well as changes over time are not included. This dataset contains reservoir storage capacities based on conducted surveys in CONUS. To represent changes in a reservoir’s storage over time, the storage capacity as determined by the first and last conducted survey is listed. The level of detail of surveys can vary greatly and improved with technological advancements. Therefore, the type of survey and year when it was conducted is noted. To ensure a fair comparison of storage capacities, the water elevation level along with the corresponding operation of the dam is reported. Structural changes, e.g. heightening of a dam will have an influence on the storage capacity and are therefore also mentioned. A total of 739 different reservoir storage capacity comparisons are listed, with some reservoirs represented more than once (storage capacity comparison at different water elevation levels). Methodology Data were acquired from USBR reservoir survey reports, TWDB lake survey reports and elevation-area-capacity tables, the RSI Web Portal and the NID (USACE, 2024). Initial storage capacity along with year and type of survey record is compared to the most recent reported storage capacity, survey type and year. Comparison elevation in feet as well as comparison elevation type were either extracted from survey reports (USBR, TWDB) or the Web Portal (RSI) and in some cases cross-referenced with data from other sources (Water Management Data, USACE, Water Data for Texas, TWDB).

Chu, Antonia [ORNL] (ORCID:0009000510540427)↗