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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.

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At least 1,099 records · Page 61
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Powering the Blue Economy: Progress Exploring Marine Renewable Energy Integration With Ocean Observations

The blue economy is a dynamic and rapidly growing movement that captures the interplay between economic, social, and ecological sustainability of the ocean and encompasses numerous maritime sectors and activities (e.g., commerce and trade; living resources; renewable energy; minerals, materials, and freshwater; and ocean health and data). The demand for ocean data to inform scientific, risk reduction, and national security needs is leading to a large increase in the number of deployed ocean observation and monitoring systems, most of which require increased power. Because ocean observation systems are often placed in remote locations, they primarily rely on energy storage (or in some cases in situ energy generation) to power instruments and equipment, which imposes limits on sampling rates, deployment times, and spatiotemporal resolution of data. The U.S. Department of Energy Water Power Technologies Office is exploring the potential for marine renewable energy (MRE) devices (largely wave and tidal energy converters) to provide power to support multiple blue economy opportunities. A portion of these opportunities focus on power at sea markets for providing power in off-grid and offshore locations to support a variety of ocean-based activities, including ocean observation and navigation, underwater vehicle charging, marine aquaculture, marine algae farming, and seawater mining. Initially, research has focused on better understanding how and where MRE can provide a consistent source of reliable power to extend ocean observing missions, including operation of autonomous underwater vehicles. Online surveys as well as phone and inperson interviews were conducted with experts in the field of ocean observing systems and observatories to gather end-user requirements, determine energy needs, identify opportunities for codevelopment, and pinpoint constraints for MRE to meet those needs. The surveys and interviews provided feedback on the potential for powering devices and vehicles using MRE, including identifying common themes and challenges that will inform foundational research and development steps needed to advance the integration of MRE with ocean observing systems. In most cases, additional power generation on the order of watts was identified as significantly beneficial to enhancing ocean observations capabilities.

marine renewable energy, powering the blue economy↗
DOE OSTI2020

Enabling Power at Sea: Opportunities for Expanded Ocean Observations through Marine Renewable Energy Integration

The blue economy is a dynamic and rapidly growing movement that captures the interplay between economic, social, and ecological sustainability of the ocean and encompasses numerous maritime sectors and activities (e.g., commerce and trade; living resources; renewable energy; minerals, materials, and freshwater; and ocean health and data). The demand for ocean data to inform scientific, risk reduction, and national security needs is leading to a large increase in the number of deployed ocean observation and monitoring systems, most of which require increased power. Because ocean observation systems are often placed in remote locations, they primarily rely on energy storage (or in some cases in situ energy generation) to power instruments and equipment, which imposes limits on sampling rates, deployment times, and spatiotemporal resolution of data. The U.S. Department of Energy Water Power Technologies Office is exploring the potential for marine renewable energy (MRE) devices (largely wave and tidal energy converters) to provide power to support multiple blue economy opportunities. A portion of these opportunities focus on power at sea markets for providing power in off-grid and offshore locations to support a variety of ocean-based activities, including ocean observation and navigation, underwater vehicle charging, marine aquaculture, marine algae farming, and seawater mining. Initially, research has focused on better understanding how and where MRE can provide a consistent source of reliable power to extend ocean observing missions, including operation of autonomous underwater vehicles. Online surveys as well as phone and in-person interviews were conducted with experts in the field of ocean observing systems and observatories to gather end-user requirements, determine energy needs, identify opportunities for codevelopment, and pinpoint constraints for MRE to meet those needs. The surveys and interviews provided feedback on the potential for powering devices and vehicles using MRE, including identifying common themes and challenges that will inform foundational research and development steps needed to advance the integration of MRE with ocean observing systems. In most cases, additional power generation on the order of watts was identified as significantly beneficial to enhancing ocean observations capabilities.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
NASA NTRS2021

Numerical Modeling and Design of Gaseous Propellant Acquisition System for the Triton Hopper

Triton, the largest moon around Neptune, is a captured Kuiper Belt Object with a dynamic rarified atmosphere, active geysers, and unique “cantaloupe” like terrain. Little is known about Kuiper Belt Objects in the scientific community with most of the information coming from Pluto. Currently, NASA is designing an unmanned probe to explore the atmosphere and surface of Triton. This vehicle is unique in that it repeatedly takes off and lands (hops) using nitrogen propellant collected from its surroundings on Triton. This paper presents preliminary conceptual system design and numerical modeling of the atmospheric collection process. Four concepts are presented: a cryocooler-based system, a pump-based system, a sublimation and pump-based system, and a cryocooler and sublimation system. Numerical modeling takes into account the mass and energy transfer between all the relevant nodes in the system and is able to calculate the amount of nitrogen ice collected and ice accumulation rate as a function of time for each concept. The models are ultimately used to assess the feasibility of traversing from equator to pole in under two years using a gaseous propellant acquisition system for the Hopper.

Hopper↗
NASA NTRS1974

Tracking and data system support for the Pioneer project. Pioneers 6-9, extended missions: 1 July 1972 - 1 July 1973, volume 12

The Tracking and Data System supported the deep space phases of the Pioneer 6, 7, 8, and 9 missions, with two spacecraft in an inward trajectory and two spacecraft in an outward trajectory from the earth in heliocentric orbits. During the period of this report, scientific instruments aboard each of the spacecraft continued to register information relative to interplanetary particles and fields, and radiometric data generated by the network continued to contribute to knowledge of the celestial mechanics of the solar system. In addition, to network support activity detail, network performance and special support activities are covered.

Miller, R. B.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Gaseous fuel reactors for power systems

The Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory is participating in a NASA-sponsored program to demonstrate the feasibility of a gaseous uranium fueled reactor. The work is aimed at acquiring experimental and theoretical information for the design of a prototype plasma core reactor which will test heat removal by optical radiation. The basic goal of this work is for space applications, however, other NASA-sponsored work suggests several attractive applications to help meet earth-bound energy needs. Such potential benefits are: small critical mass, on-site fuel processing, high fuel burnup, low fission fragment inventory in reactor core, high temperature for process heat, optical radiation for photochemistry and space power transmission, and high temperature for advanced propulsion systems.

Helmick, H. H.↗
DOE OSTI2021

High Data Rate Detector for Neutron Reflectometer

Neutron reflectometers are a class of instruments that employ neutron diffraction for measuring the structure of thin films. The technique provides valuable information over a wide variety of scientific and technological applications including chemical aggregation, polymer and surfactant adsorption, structure of thin film magnetic systems, biological membranes, etc. Such instruments are considered to be one of the most important in the neutron science field. Newer facilities place growing demands on the count rate capability of the specialized neutron detectors required. Proportional Technologies completed the Phase I effort successfully with a fully operational prototype detector built at PTI and tested at the CG1A neutron beam of the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR, Oak Ridge, TN). The prototype incorporated 3 panels of 14 copper-walled cells each (total of 42 cells), each lined with 1.3 μm of 10B4C. The detector was tested for efficiency, spatial resolution, count rate linearity, uniformity, overlap and scatter. Testing revealed stable operation, uniform response across cells, and successful resolution of individual cells. The maximum count rate tested in the 3 panels combined was 590 kHz, limited by a deadtime of about 1 μs in the digital electronics. The local rate measured in a single cell showed no deadtime losses up to 810 cps/mm2, indicating that a rate of 20 Mhz can be supported in the 308-cell detector planned for Phase II.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1988

The second generation intelligent user interface for the crustal dynamics data information system

For the past decade, operations and research projects that support a major portion of NASA's overall mission have experienced a dramatic increase in the volume of generated data and resultant information that is unparalleled in the history of the agency. The effect of such an increase is that most of the science and engineering disciplines are undergoing an information glut, which has occurred, not only because of the amount, but also because of the type of data being collected. This information glut is growing exponentially and is expected to grow for the foreseeable future. Consequently, it is becoming physically and intellectually impossible to identify, access, modify, and analyze the most suitable information. Thus, the dilemma arises that the amount and complexity of information has exceeded and will continue to exceed, using present information systems, the ability of all the scientists and engineers to understand and take advantage of this information. As a result of this information problem, NASA has initiated the Intelligent Data Management (IDM) project to design and develop Advanced Information Management Systems (AIMS). The first effort of the Project was the prototyping of an Intelligent User Interface (IUI) to an operational scientific database using expert systems, natural language processing, and graphics technologies. An overview of the IUI formulation and development for the second phase is presented.

Short, Nicholas, Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1988

The second generation intelligent user interface for the crustal dynamics data information system

For the past decade, operations and research projects that support a major portion of NASA's overall mission have experienced a dramatic increase in the volume of generated data and resultant information that is unparalleled in the history of the agency. The effect of such an increase is that most of the science and engineering disciplines are undergoing an information glut, which has occurred, not only because of the amount, but also because of the type of data being collected. This information glut is growing exponentially and is expected to grow for the foreseeable future. Consequently, it is becoming physically and intellectually impossible to identify, access, modify, and analyze the most suitable information. Thus, the dilemma arises that the amount and complexity of information has exceeded and will continue to exceed, using present information systems, the ability of all the scientists and engineers to understand and take advantage of this information. As a result of this information problem, NASA has initiated the Intelligent Data Management (IDM) project to design and develop Advanced Information Management (IDM) project to design and develop Advanced Information Management Systems (AIMS). The first effort of the Project was the prototyping of an Intelligent User Interface (IUI) to an operational scientific database using expert systems, natural language processing, and graphics technologies. An overview of the IUI formulation and development for the second phase is presented.

Short, Nicholas, Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1991

A guide to NASA's Pilot Land Data System (PLDS)

NASA's Pilot Land Data System (PLDS) is a distributed information management system designed to support NASA's land science community. The PLDS provides a wide range of services including management of information about scientific data, access to a library of scientific data, a data ordering capability, communications, connection to data analysis facilities, and electronic mail. The PLDS provides these services by offering the scientist the capability to search for and order data, and to communicate electronically with other scientists and computers. Three functions enable scientists to find what data are available and where they reside. The first two, Find data summaries and Read detailed descriptions give summary and detailed descriptions about data sets or groups of related data sets, science, projects, and institutions which archive land data. The third, gives information about specific pieces of data. This last function has two components, Search systemwide inventory and Search local inventory. The first component enables the user to find data elements (images, geological samples, transects, maps, etc.) that exist anywhere in the PLDS while the second has only information about data at the local site. The first enables the user to find pieces of data from several different data sets with the same temporal and spatial coverage and other elements common to most data sets, while the second allows the user to select a data set based on these descriptors and on those that are unique to a data set. The PLDS provides capabilities that enable electronic file transfers, intercomputer connection, and electronic mail. Both TCP/IP and DECnet protocols are supported via the NASA Science Internet (NIS). Access is also available through Telenet.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1976

The Use of Urban Land

Techniques for analyzing scientific information from the lunar and planetary missions now are being applied to land-resource management in and around cities. Two systems have been formalized by Jet Propulsion Laboratory and are being applied in the Los Angeles area. The first, called the 'Land Use Management Information System' incorporates maps, aerial photos, and other land data into routine city and county census records. The second system, 'multiple-input land use' combines satellite imagery with other data sources. Essentially a city street map in computer readable form, the system will help planners in traffic accident analysis, mapping, and land-record.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2003

Easy and Accessible Imaging Software

DATASTAR, Inc., of Picayune, Mississippi, has taken NASA s award-winning Earth Resources Laboratory Applications Software (ELAS) program and evolved it into a user-friendly desktop application and Internet service to perform processing, analysis, and manipulation of remotely sensed imagery data. NASA s Stennis Space Center developed ELAS in the early 1980s to process satellite and airborne sensor imagery data of the Earth s surface into readable and accessible information. Since then, ELAS information has been applied worldwide to determine soil content, rainfall levels, and numerous other variances of topographical information. However, end-users customarily had to depend on scientific or computer experts to provide the results, because the imaging processing system was intricate and labor intensive.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2011

The Invasive Species Forecasting System

The Invasive Species Forecasting System (ISFS) provides computational support for the generic work processes found in many regional-scale ecosystem modeling applications. Decision support tools built using ISFS allow a user to load point occurrence field sample data for a plant species of interest and quickly generate habitat suitability maps for geographic regions of management concern, such as a national park, monument, forest, or refuge. This type of decision product helps resource managers plan invasive species protection, monitoring, and control strategies for the lands they manage. Until now, scientists and resource managers have lacked the data-assembly and computing capabilities to produce these maps quickly and cost efficiently. ISFS focuses on regional-scale habitat suitability modeling for invasive terrestrial plants. ISFS s component architecture emphasizes simplicity and adaptability. Its core services can be easily adapted to produce model-based decision support tools tailored to particular parks, monuments, forests, refuges, and related management units. ISFS can be used to build standalone run-time tools that require no connection to the Internet, as well as fully Internet-based decision support applications. ISFS provides the core data structures, operating system interfaces, network interfaces, and inter-component constraints comprising the canonical workflow for habitat suitability modeling. The predictors, analysis methods, and geographic extents involved in any particular model run are elements of the user space and arbitrarily configurable by the user. ISFS provides small, lightweight, readily hardened core components of general utility. These components can be adapted to unanticipated uses, are tailorable, and require at most a loosely coupled, nonproprietary connection to the Web. Users can invoke capabilities from a command line; programmers can integrate ISFS's core components into more complex systems and services. Taken together, these features enable a degree of decentralization and distributed ownership that have helped other types of scientific information services succeed in recent years.

Schnase, John↗
NASA NTRS2017

Compact piezoelectric resonance mass balance for sample verification and mass quantification and mixing.

There is a need for sample verification and mass quantification of rock, soil and/or ice obtained by sample acquisition mechanisms on extraterrestrial bodies. For many scientific instruments information about the mass of the sample would aid in the interpretation of the data and help prevent the portioning system from overloading instrument ports. Additionally, on a potential sample return mission it is likely that a sample confirmation or mass determination requirement would be implemented before the spacecraft would be commanded to return to Earth or Lunar orbit. In an effort to meet these potential requirements, a piezoelectric resonance balance is being developed to measure a frequency change proportional to the sample mass change. In previous work1 we developed a resonance balance which produced large non-linear frequency changes due to the addition of a large mass. In this study we have looked at a variety of resonator geometries in an effort to linearize the frequency shift with mass. In addition, we have investigated the use of oscillator/counter circuitry to track the frequency shift of the piezoelectric mass balance. In this new design the frequency shifts automatically when a mass is placed on the balance and the counter circuit calculates the frequency shift. This frequency is then converted to a mass using calibration tables determined previously. An additional feature we have implemented is the use of a high frequency thickness mode piezoelectric resonator to mix the sample and a reactant or solvent. This allows for measuring both sample and reagent prior to ingestion by the instrument. This paper will focus on the design requirements and how they are affected by the local gravity and acoustic properties of the sample. Designs which allow for easy loading and unloading of the balance will also be discussed.

Yahnker, Christopher R.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Science Opportunities Enabled by NASA's Constellation System: Interim Report

In 2004 NASA initiated studies of advanced science mission concepts known as the Vision Missions and inspired by a series of NASA roadmap activities conducted in 2003. Also in 2004 NASA began implementation of the first phases of a new space exploration policy, the Vision for Space Exploration. This implementation effort included development of a new human-carrying spacecraft, known as Orion, and two new launch vehicles, the Ares I and Ares V rockets.collectively called the Constellation System. NASA asked the National Research Council (NRC) to evaluate the science opportunities enabled by the Constellation System (see Preface) and to produce an interim report on a short time schedule and a final report by November 2008. The committee notes, however, that the Constellation System and its Orion and Ares vehicles have been justified by NASA and selected in order to enable human exploration beyond low Earth orbit, and not to enable science missions. This interim report of the Committee on Science Opportunities Enabled by NASA s Constellation System evaluates the 11 Vision Mission studies presented to it and groups them into two categories: those more deserving of future study, and those less deserving of future study. Although its statement of task also refers to Earth science missions, the committee points out that the Vision Missions effort was focused on future astronomy, heliophysics, and planetary exploration and did not include any Earth science studies because, at the time, the NRC was conducting the first Earth science decadal survey, and funding Earth science studies as part of the Vision Missions effort would have interfered with that process. Consequently, no Earth science missions are evaluated in this interim report. However, the committee will evaluate any Earth science mission proposal submitted in response to its request for information issued in March 2008 (see Appendix A). The committee based its evaluation of the preexisting Vision Missions studies on two criteria: whether the concepts offered the potential for a significant scientific advance, and whether or not the concepts would benefit from the Constellation System. The committee determined that all of the concepts offered the possibility of a significant scientific advance, but it cautions that such an evaluation ultimately must be made by the decadal survey process, and it emphasizes that this interim report s evaluation should not be considered to be an endorsement of the scientific merit of these proposals, which must of course be evaluated relative to other proposals. The committee determined that seven of these concepts would benefit from the Constellation System, whereas four would not, but it stresses that this conclusion does not reflect an evaluation of the scientific merit of the projects, but rather an assessment of whether or not new capabilities provided by the Constellation System could significantly affect them. Some of the mission concepts, such as the Advanced Compton Telescope, already offer a significant scientific advance and fit easily within the mass and volume constraints of existing launch vehicles. Other mission concepts, such as the Palmer Quest proposal to drill through the Mars polar cap, are not constrained by the launch vehicle, but rather by other technology limitations. The committee evaluated the mission concepts as presented to it, aware nevertheless that proposing a far larger and more ambitious mission with the same science goals might be possible given the capabilities of the Ares V launch vehicle. (Such proposals can be submitted in response to the committee s request for information to be evaluated in its final report.) See Table S.1 for a summary of the Vision Missions, including their cost estimates, technical maturity, and reasons that they might benefit from the Constellation System. The committee developed several findings and recommendations.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2023

Human Landing System (HLS) Program Non-Design Driver Lunar Environments

The purpose of this white paper is to provide a source of information on lunar environments which, according to scientific and engineering consensus, should not impact human-class spacecraft design. Additionally, comparisons are shown between the Apollo missions and Artemis mission parameters for solar lighting angles at the landing sites and plasma region exposure.

HLS↗
NASA NTRS2007

Atmospheric Environments for Entry, Descent and Landing (EDL)

Scientific measurements of atmospheric properties have been made by a wide variety of planetary flyby missions, orbiters, and landers. Although landers can make in-situ observations of near-surface atmospheric conditions (and can collect atmospheric data during their entry phase), the vast majority of data on planetary atmospheres has been collected by remote sensing techniques from flyby and orbiter spacecraft (and to some extent by Earth-based remote sensing). Many of these remote sensing observations (made over a variety of spectral ranges), consist of vertical profiles of atmospheric temperature as a function of atmospheric pressure level. While these measurements are of great interest to atmospheric scientists and modelers of planetary atmospheres, the primary interest for engineers designing entry descent and landing (EDL) systems is information about atmospheric density as a function of geometric altitude. Fortunately, as described in in this paper, it is possible to use a combination of the gas-law relation and the hydrostatic balance relation to convert temperature-versus-pressure, scientific observations into density-versus-altitude data for use in engineering applications. The following section provides a brief introduction to atmospheric thermodynamics, as well as constituents, and winds for EDL. It also gives methodology for using atmospheric information to do "back-of-the-envelope" calculations of various EDL aeroheating parameters, including peak deceleration rate ("g-load"), peak convective heat rate. and total heat load on EDL spacecraft thermal protection systems. Brief information is also provided about atmospheric variations and perturbations for EDL guidance and control issues, and atmospheric issues for EDL parachute systems. Subsequent sections give details of the atmospheric environments for five destinations for possible EDL missions: Venus. Earth. Mars, Saturn, and Titan. Specific atmospheric information is provided for these destinations, and example results are presented for the "back-of-the-envelope" calculations mentioned above.

Justus, Carl G.↗
NASA NTRS2002

CICT Computing, Information, and Communications Technology Program

The CICT Program is part of the NASA Aerospace Technology Enterprise's fundamental technology thrust to develop tools. processes, and technologies that enable new aerospace system capabilities and missions. The CICT Program's four key objectives are: Provide seamless access to NASA resources- including ground-, air-, and space-based distributed information technology resources-so that NASA scientists and engineers can more easily control missions, make new scientific discoveries, and design the next-generation space vehicles, provide high-data delivery from these assets directly to users for missions, develop goal-oriented human-centered systems, and research, develop and evaluate revolutionary technology.

Larry Laufenberg↗