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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 1,153 records · Page 64

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NASA NTRS1975

Development of lightweight reinforced plastic laminates for spacecraft interior applications

Lightweight, Kevlar - reinforced laminating systems that are non-burning, generate little smoke in the space shuttle environment, and are physically equivalent to the fiberglass/polyimide system used in the Apollo program for non-structural cabin panels, racks, etc. Resin systems representing five generic classes were screened as matrices for Kevlar 49 reinforced laminates. Of the systems evaluated, the polyimides were the most promising with the phenolics a close second. Skybond 703 was selected as the most promising resin candidate. With the exception of compression strength, all program goals of physical and mechanical properties were exceeded. Several prototype space shuttle mobility and translation handrail segments were manufactured using Kevlar/epoxy and Kevlar-graphite/epoxy. This application shows significant weight savings over the baseline aluminum configuration used previous. The hybrid Kevlar-graphite/epoxy is more suitable from a processing standpoint.

Hertz, J.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Boundary-fitted curvilinear coordinate systems for solution of partial differential equations on fields containing any number of arbitrary two-dimensional bodies

A method is presented for automatic numerical generation of a general curvilinear coordinate system with coordinate lines coincident with all boundaries of a general multi-connected two-dimensional region containing any number of arbitrarily shaped bodies. No restrictions are placed on the shape of the boundaries, which may even be time-dependent, and the approach is not restricted in principle to two dimensions. With this procedure the numerical solution of a partial differential system may be done on a fixed rectangular field with a square mesh with no interpolation required regardless of the shape of the physical boundaries, regardless of the spacing of the curvilinear coordinate lines in the physical field, and regardless of the movement of the coordinate system in the physical plane. A number of examples of coordinate systems and application thereof to the solution of partial differential equations are given. The FORTRAN computer program and instructions for use are included.

Thompson, J. F.↗

DOE OSTI2021

Urban Green Spaces, Greenness Exposure and Species Richness in Residential Environments and Relations with Physical Activity and BMI in Portuguese Adolescents

Environmental factors play an important role in obesity-related behaviors. Evidence indicates significant associations between weight and urban green spaces in adults, but it is not clear whether this relationship applies to adolescents. Therefore, our aim was to determine the associations between urban green spaces, greenness exposure and species richness in residential environments with physical activity and body mass index. Sixty-two adolescents between 12 and 18 years of age answered a self-administered questionnaire, providing information on height, weight, age, sex and home address. Data on socioeconomic deprivation were obtained from the European Index of Deprivation for Small Portuguese Areas. Physical activity levels were assessed using accelerometers. Urban green space counts and the normalized difference vegetation index values were measured using buffers along the roads with distances of 300, 500, 1000 and 1500 m from each participant’s residence. To quantify the species richness, the species richness index was used. Linear regression models were fitted to analyze whether urban green spaces, exposure to green spaces and species richness counts for each distance were associated with physical activity and self-reported body mass index. We did not find significant associations between the independent variables and the probability of overweight or obesity. The relationship between environmental variables, adolescents’ physical activity and body weight seems to be complex and further studies may contribute to better understanding of the topic.

Melo, Juliana (ORCID:0000000301275340)↗

NASA NTRS2002

Space Magnets Attracting Interest on Earth: Applications of Physical and Biological Techniques In the Study of Gravisensing and Response System of Plants

The BioTube/Magnetic Field Apparatus (MFA) research is designed to provide insight into the organization and operation of the gravity sensing systems of plants and other small organisms. This experiment on STS-107 uses magnetic fields to manipulate sensory cells in plant roots, thus using magnetic fields as a tool to study gravity-related phenomena. The experiment will be located in the SPACEHAB module and is about the size of a household microwave oven. The goal of the experiment is to improve our understanding of the basic phenomenon of how plants respond to gravity. The BioTube/MFA experiment specifically examines how gravitational forces serve as a directional signal for growth in the low-gravity environment of space. As with all basic research, this study will contribute to an improved understanding of how plants grow and will have important implications for improving plant growth and productivity on Earth. In BioTube/MFA, magnetic fields will be used to determine whether the distribution of subcellular starch grains, called amyloplasts, within plant cells predicts the direction in which roots will grow and curve in microgravity.

Karl H Hasenstein↗

NASA NTRS2019

CALET Results After Three Years on Orbit on the International Space Station

The CALorimetric Electron Telescope (CALET) is an astroparticle physics experiment installed on the International Space Station since August 2015. The CALET mission was conceived to address several outstanding questions of high-energy astroparticle physics, like indirect detection of dark matter, the origin of cosmic rays (CRs), their mechanisms of acceleration and galactic propagation, the presence of possible nearby astrophysical CR sources. That can be achieved by precise measurements of the fluxes of CR electrons and gamma-rays up to the unexplored region above 1 TeV, and the energy spectra and composition of CR nuclei from a few tens of GeV to hundreds of TeV. In order to perform these observations, the instrument combines a thick total absorption PWO crystal calorimeter for energy measurement, a scintillator hodoscope for charge identi cation and thin imaging tungsten-scintillating fiber calorimeter providing accurate particle tracking and complementary charge measurement. In this paper, we will present an overview of the main CALET results based on the data collected in the first three years of the mission.

P Maestro↗

DOE OSTI2025

Particle production as a function of charged-particle flattenicity in 𝑝⁢𝑝 collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV

This paper reports the first measurement of the transverse momentum (𝑝 T ) spectra of primary charged pions, kaons, (anti)protons, and unidentified particles as a function of the charged-particle flattenicity in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ =13 TeV. Flattenicity is a novel event shape observable that is measured in the pseudorapidity intervals covered by the V0 detector, 2.8 < 𝜂 < 5.1 and −3.7 < 𝜂 < −1.7. According to QCD-inspired phenomenological models, it shows sensitivity to multiparton interactions and is less affected by biases toward larger 𝑝 T due to local multiplicity fluctuations in the V0 acceptance than multiplicity. The analysis is performed in minimum-bias (MB) as well as in high-multiplicity events up to 𝑝 T = 20 GeV/⁢𝑐. The event selection requires at least one charged particle produced in the pseudorapidity interval |𝜂| < 1. The measured 𝑝 T distributions, average 𝑝 T , kaon-to-pion and proton-to-pion particle ratios, presented in this paper, are compared to model calculations using pythia 8 based on color strings and EPOS LHC. The modification of the 𝑝 T -spectral shapes in low-flattenicity events that have large event activity with respect to those measured in MB events develops a pronounced peak at intermediate 𝑝 T (2 < 𝑝 T < 8 GeV/𝑐), and approaches the vicinity of unity at higher 𝑝 T . The results are qualitatively described by pythia, and they show different behavior than those measured as a function of charged-particle multiplicity based on the V0M estimator.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

NASA NTRS1997

Future Vision for NASA Ground Systems

The NASA Space Operations System (NSOS) is defined as the people (organization), processes, services, tools, amd physical elements that do space operations for NASA Missions.

network control center low earth orbit network dee↗

NASA NTRS2014

Guided Wave Propagation Study on Laminated Composites by Frequency-Wavenumber Technique

Toward the goal of delamination detection and quantification in laminated composites, this paper examines guided wave propagation and wave interaction with delamination damage in laminated carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites using frequency-wavenumber (f-kappa) analysis. Three-dimensional elastodynamic finite integration technique (EFIT) is used to acquire simulated time-space wavefields for a CFRP composite. The time-space wavefields show trapped waves in the delamination region. To unveil the wave propagation physics, the time-space wavefields are further analyzed by using two-dimensional (2D) Fourier transforms (FT). In the analysis results, new f-k components are observed when the incident guided waves interact with the delamination damage. These new f-kappa components in the simulations are experimentally verified through data obtained from scanning laser Doppler vibrometer (SLDV) tests. By filtering the new f-kappa components, delamination damage is detected and quantified.

Tian, Zhenhua↗

NASA NTRS2021

Genomic Changes Driven by Radiation-Induced DNA Damage and Microgravity in Human Cells

The space environment consists of a complex mixture of different types of ionizing radiation and altered gravity that represents a threat to humans during space missions. In particular, individual radiation sensitivity is strictly related to the risk of space radiation carcinogenesis. Therefore, in view of future missions to the Moon and Mars, there is an urgent need to estimate as accurately as possible the individual risk from space exposure to improve the safety of space exploration. In this review, we survey the combined effects from the two main physical components of the space environment, ionizing radiation and microgravity, to alter the genetics and epigenetics of human cells, considering both real and simulated space conditions. Data collected from studies on human cells are discussed for their potential use to estimate individual radiation carcinogenesis risk from space exposure.

space radiation↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Enabling Mission Flexibility to Battery Driven Deep Space Endeavors With Generalized Battery-Health-Monitoring Using Physics-Based and Data-Driven Reduced-Order Models

The needs and requirements for an electrochemical energy storage for deep space exploration is well explored. It is often understood that different mission sites and environmental conditions require different battery chemistries or technologies. Additionally, various engineering solutions are deployed to overcome specific chemical challenges. One often overlooked need is the “health” monitoring of an electrochemical storage system. The term generalized health monitoring, as envisioned in this work, refers to the monitoring of various aspects such as electrode health, electrolyte health, reaction pathway health, cooling system health, sensor health, and BMS health [1]. Generalized health monitoring allows mission leads, engineers, and scientists to incorporate flexibility in mission designs, make on-the-fly mission changes, and extend the duration of science missions. Moreover, it enables automation and data-driven decision-making without compromising safety and performance. Recently, our group developed a hierarchy of thermal reduced-order models (TROM) by combining a physics-based modeling approach and data-driven model reduction techniques applied to flight data [2]. The resulting TROMs were found to be not only accurate but also identifiable from the flight data. Consequently, the coefficient of variance of the model parameters is small over the course of hundreds of flights, allowing for monitoring the parameter evolution trajectories as the battery ages and degrades. These parameters constitute the metrics of the generalized health of a battery. Monitoring their evolution allows such models to be used for anomaly detection and prognostics, improving early detection of abnormal behavior and thus enabling timely maintenance, longer battery life, and enhanced battery safety. For this presentation, the practicality of the thermal model will be validated on a pack of 14cells under various topology configurations such as 1S14P, 2P7S, 7S2P, and 1P14S. It is well known that manufacturing and non-uniform aging lead to variability in the performance of a cell, which is exacerbated by cell balancing during active load. Additionally, in extreme scenarios, the paramount objective is to complete the mission, regardless of the stresses on the battery. Topology-induced balancing issues further stress the battery. The goal of this study is to determine if the noise (identifiability) in the reduced-order thermal model parameters is sensitive to topology, cell spacing, cooling strategy, and manufacturing or age variability. The variability in cells is considered by assuming a multimodal distribution for microscopic parameters of a cell (such as porosity, tortuosity, reaction kinetics, volumetric thermal conductivity, and volumetric heat capacity). The compounded effect of manufacturing variability, topological selection, cooling strategies, and cell balancing ages each cell in a battery differently. The study aims to clarify whether the challenge in extracting maximum information depends on the minimum number of sensors or models used for data extraction.

Automation↗

NASA NTRS2004

Quantitative Aspects of Space Weathering: Implications for Regolith Breccia Meteorites and Asteroids

Space weathering is defined as the physical and optical changes incurred by material exposed to the space environment. Through studies of lunar soils, these changes are becoming well understood. However, the effects of space weathering are dependent on the physical environment to which the host materials are exposed, and thus, the effects will likely vary from body to body. The optical effects of space weathering result from nanophase iron (npFe(sup 0)) created during micrometeorite bombardment and solar wind sputtering. In the asteroid belt, bodies are farther from the sun than our Moon, and are widely known to incur less solar wind implantation and sputtering. The velocity of impacts is smaller resulting in less melting and vaporization, and therefore fewer space weathering products. The impact rate in the asteroid belt is greater, which will result in more comminution, further diluting any weathering products. Ergo, asteroidal regoliths should contain fewer space weathering products than lunar soils. However, even very small degrees of space weathering can have dramatic consequences for the optical properties of soils. A discussion on the optical effects of space weathering is presented.

Noble, S. K.↗

NASA NTRS1980

An analytical transformation technique for generating uniformly spaced computational mesh

An analytical transformation method which can map arbitrary physical coordinate grid distribution into desired computational coordinate with uniform grid distribution is derived. The transformation function and its higher derivatives are differentiable. Salient features include; (1) precise control of grid sizes; (2) more than one location of clustered grids; (3) exact positioning of particular computational nodes in the physical plane; and (4) ensuring several patches of uniformly spaced grids in the physical plane for the higher accuracies (such as at the boundaries), etc., while keeping the variation of grid spacing continuous to avoid numerical instability.

Oh, Y. H.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Research in space science and technology

Progress in various space flight research programs is reported. Emphasis is placed on X-ray astronomy and interplanetary plasma physics. Topics covered include: infrared astronomy, long base line interferometry, geological spectroscopy, space life science experiments, atmospheric physics, and space based materials and structures research. Analysis of galactic and extra-galactic X-ray data from the Small Astronomy Satellite (SAS-3) and HEAO-A and interplanetary plasma data for Mariner 10, Explorers 47 and 50, and Solrad is discussed.

Beckley, L. E.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Opportunities for commercial participation in microgravity material processing

The existing facilities and procedures for materials processing in space are described. The role of NASA and the government in stimulating the commercialization of space are discussed. The physics of the different experiments is studied in order to identify the relationship between power and time. A list of the physical and engineering requirements for proposed materials processing payloads is presented. The use of the Space Shuttle and Space Station for materials processing experiments and the development of techniques to realize the full potential of the Shuttle and Station capabilities are examined. NASA provides drop tube and drop tower facilities for research on materials and low gravity materials experiments are being conducted using aircraft in parabolic flight. The applications of the Materials Experiment Assembly, the Spacelab module, the Shuttle middeck, and Get-Away Special for materials processing are considered.

Taylor, K. R.↗

DOE OSTI2024

Jacobian-scaled K-means clustering for physics-informed segmentation of reacting flows

This work introduces Jacobian-scaled K-means (JSK-means) clustering, which is a physicsinformed clustering strategy centered on the K-means framework. The method allows for the injection of underlying physical knowledge into the clustering procedure through a distance function modification: instead of leveraging conventional Euclidean distance vectors, the JSKmeans procedure operates on distance vectors scaled by matrices obtained from dynamical system Jacobians evaluated at the cluster centroids. The goal of this work is to show how the JSKmeans algorithm - without modifying the input dataset - produces clusters that capture regions of dynamical similarity, in that the clusters are redistributed towards high-sensitivity regions in phase space and are described by similarity in the source terms of samples instead of the samples themselves. The algorithm is demonstrated on a complex reacting flow simulation dataset (a channel detonation configuration), where the dynamics in the thermochemical composition space are known through the highly nonlinear and stiff Arrhenius-based chemical source terms. Interpretations of cluster partitions in both physical space and composition space reveal how JSK-means shifts clusters produced by standard K-means towards regions of high chemical sensitivity (e.g., towards regions of peak heat release rate near the detonation reaction zone). Furthermore, the findings presented here illustrate the benefits of utilizing Jacobian-scaled distances in clustering techniques, and the JSK-means method in particular displays promising potential for improving former partition-based modeling strategies in reacting flow (and other multi-physics) applications.

Clustering↗

NASA NTRS2015

Exercise Equipment Usability Assessment for a Deep Space Concept Vehicle

With international aspirations to send astronauts to deep space, the world is now faced with the complex problem of keeping astronauts healthy in unexplored hostile environments for durations of time never before attempted by humans. The great physical demands imparted by space exploration compound the problem of astronaut health, as the astronauts must not only be healthy, but physically fit upon destination arrival in order to perform the scientific tasks required of them. Additionally, future deep space exploration necessitates the development of environments conducive to long-duration habitation that would supplement propulsive vehicles. Space Launch System (SLS) core stage barrel sections present large volumes of robust structure that can be recycled and used for long duration habitation. This assessment will focus on one such conceptual craft, referred to as the SLS Derived Habitat (SLS-DH). Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC) Advanced Concepts Office (ACO) has formulated a high-level layout of this SLS-DH with parameters such as floor number and orientation, floor designations, grid dimensions, wall placement, etc. Yet to be determined, however, is the layout of the exercise area. Currently the SLS-DH features three floors laid out longitudinally, leaving 2m of height between the floor and ceilings. This short distance between levels introduces challenges for proper placement of exercise equipment such as treadmills and stationary bicycles, as the dynamic envelope for the 95th percentile male astronauts is greater than 2m. This study aims to assess the optimal equipment layout and sizing for the exercise area of this habitat. Figure 1 illustrates the layout of the DSH concept demonstrator located at MSFC. The exercise area is located on the lower level, seen here as the front half of the level occupied by a crew member. This small volume does not allow for numerous or bulky exercise machines, so the conceptual equipment has been limited to a treadmill and stationary bicycle. With the most current treadmill aboard the International Space Station (ISS), the Combined Operational Load-Bearing External Resistance Treadmill (COLBERT), being located in an International Standard Payload Rack (ISPR), the bottom of the conceptual treadmill features a height of 38in. Making the treadmill flush with the floor would be impossible in this rack configuration, as the distance from the outer wall of the spacecraft to the bottom floor would be too shallow. From preliminary sizing, the 38in required for the bottom of the treadmill combined with a 78in operational envelope for a 95th percentile may not be accommodated in the exercise area in a vertical orientation. Figure 2 demonstrates the volume required (in maroon) for an ISPR-bound treadmill in the concept demonstrator. Early indications as seen in this figure indicate that the crew members would contact the ceiling in such an arrangement. An assessment will be conducted to evaluate various orientations of exercise equipment in the concept demonstrator. Orientations to be tested include putting the bottom of the treadmill on the wall, having the treadmill at an angle in the floor both horizontally and vertically, and having a shorter (non-rack bound) treadmill in a vertical orientation on the floor. This assessment will yield findings regarding sizing of the area and how well participants feel they could exercise in such an environment. Due to the restrictions of assessing a microgravity vehicle in a normal-gravity environment, simulations in MSFC's Virtual Environments Lab (VEL) may be necessary. Final deliverables will include recommendations regarding the location and size of possible exercise equipment aboard the SLS-Derived DSH.

Rhodes, Brooke M.↗

NASA NTRS2007

NASA Langley's Approach to the Sandia's Structural Dynamics Challenge Problem

The objective of this challenge is to develop a data-based probabilistic model of uncertainty to predict the behavior of subsystems (payloads) by themselves and while coupled to a primary (target) system. Although this type of analysis is routinely performed and representative of issues faced in real-world system design and integration, there are still several key technical challenges that must be addressed when analyzing uncertain interconnected systems. For example, one key technical challenge is related to the fact that there is limited data on target configurations. Moreover, it is typical to have multiple data sets from experiments conducted at the subsystem level, but often samples sizes are not sufficient to compute high confidence statistics. In this challenge problem additional constraints are placed as ground rules for the participants. One such rule is that mathematical models of the subsystem are limited to linear approximations of the nonlinear physics of the problem at hand. Also, participants are constrained to use these models and the multiple data sets to make predictions about the target system response under completely different input conditions. Our approach involved initially the screening of several different methods. Three of the ones considered are presented herein. The first one is based on the transformation of the modal data to an orthogonal space where the mean and covariance of the data are matched by the model. The other two approaches worked solutions in physical space where the uncertain parameter set is made of masses, stiffnesses and damping coefficients; one matches confidence intervals of low order moments of the statistics via optimization while the second one uses a Kernel density estimation approach. The paper will touch on all the approaches, lessons learned, validation 1 metrics and their comparison, data quantity restriction, and assumptions/limitations of each approach. Keywords: Probabilistic modeling, model validation, uncertainty quantification, kernel density

Horta, Lucas G.↗

DOE OSTI2026

Role of ion acoustic instability in magnetic reconnection

We report on a first-principles numerical study of magnetic reconnection in plasmas with different initial ion-to-electron temperature ratios. In cases where this ratio is significantly below unity, we observe intense wave activity in the diffusion region, driven by the ion-acoustic instability. Our analysis shows that the dominant macroscopic effect of this instability is to drive substantial ion heating. In contrast to earlier studies reporting significant anomalous resistivity, we find that anomalous contributions due to the ion-acoustic instability are minimal. These results shed light on the dynamical impact of this instability on reconnection processes, offering new insights into the fundamental physics governing collisionless reconnection.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗