Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Human System”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,225 records · Page 68
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

MSD CoP Webinar: "Generative agents: A new frontier for representing human actors and their behavior in MSD models"

Context: This webinar was hosted by the MultiSector Dynamics Community of Practice (MSD CoP; https://multisectordynamics.org). Talk #1: Behavioral Generative Agents for Energy Operations Presenter: Dr. Cong Chen (Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College) Abstract: Accurately modeling consumer behavior in energy operations remains challenging due to inherent uncertainties, behavioral complexities, and limited empirical data. This talk introduces a novel approach leveraging generative agents--artificial agents powered by large language models--to realistically simulate customer decision-making in dynamic energy operations. Talk #2: Simulating multiple human perspectives in socio-ecological systems using large language models Presenter: Dr. Yongchao Zeng (Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research, Atmospheric Environmental Research (IMK-IFU) of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany) Abstract: Understanding socio-ecological systems requires insights from diverse stakeholder perspectives. This talk describes a novel simulation system called HoPeS (Human-oriented Perspective Shifting). HoPeS enables model users to not only explore simulated socio-ecological systems (SESs) from a third-person observer's perspective but also take any of the simulated stakeholder roles, like playing an RPG game. By shifting multiple perspectives, model users can reflect and integrate the situated knowledge learned through the participatory simulation, approximating a more holistic and less biased understanding of SESs. Moderators: Jim Yoon (MSD CoP Human Systems Modeling Working Group Co-Chair); Stefano Galelli (MSD CoP Using AI to Enhance MSD Research Working Group Co-Chair); Patrick M. Reed (MSD CoP Facilitation Team) This webinar was held on: November 13th, 2025 from 12-1 PM EST.

Artificial Intelligence↗
NASA NTRS1998

Integration of Biological, Physical/Chemical and Energy Efficient Systems in the CELSS Antarctic Analog: Performance of Prototype Systems and Issues for Life Support

The Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS) Antarctic Analog Project (CAAP) is a joint endeavor between the National Science Foundation, Office of Polar Programs (NSF-OPP), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The fundamental objective is to develop, deploy, and operate a testbed of advanced life support technologies at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station that enable the objectives of both the NSF and NASA. The functions of food production, water purification, and waste treatment, recycle, and reduction provided by CAAP will improve the quality of life for the South Pole inhabitants, reduce logistics dependence, enhance safety, and minimize environmental impacts associated with human presence on the polar plateau. Because of the analogous technical, scientific, and mission features with Planetary missions, such as a mission to Mars, CAAP provides NASA with a method for validating technologies and overall approaches to supporting humans. Prototype systems for waste treatment, water recycle, resource recovery and crop production are being evaluated in a testbed at Ames Research Center. The combined performance of these biological and physical/chemical systems as an integrated function in support of the human habitat will be discussed. Overall system performance will be emphasized. The effectiveness and efficiency of component technologies will be discussed in the context of energy and mass flow within the system and contribution to achieving a mass and energy conservative system. Critical to the discussion are interfaces with habitat functions outside of the closed-loop life support: the ability of the system to satisfy the life support requirements of the habitat and the ability to define input requirements. The significance of analog functions in relation to future Mars habitats will be discussed.

Bubenheim, David L.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Evaluation of Multiple Flow Constrained Area Capacity Setting Methods for Collaborative Trajectory Options Program

The purpose of this study was to compare flow constrained area (FCA) capacity setting methods for Collaborative Trajectory Options Program (CTOP) as they pertain to the Integrated Demand Management (IDM) concept. IDM uses flow balancing to manage air traffic across multiple FCAs with a common downstream constraint, as well as constraints at the respective FCA locations. FCA capacity rates can be set manually, but generating capacities for multiple, interdependent FCAs could potentially over-burden a user. A new enhancement to CTOP called the FCA Balance Algorithm (FBA) was developed at NASA Ames Research Center to improve the process of allocating capacity across multiple flow constrained segments in the airspace. The FBA evaluates the predicted demand and capacity across multiple FCAs and dynamically generates capacity settings for the FCAs that best meet capacity limits for all identified constraints. In a human-in-the-loop simulation study, both manual and automated capacity setting methods were evaluated in terms of their overall feasibility using measures of system performance, human performance, and qualitative feedback. Subject matter experts were asked to use three different methods to allocate capacity to three FCAs, either (1) by manually setting capacity for every 60-minute time window, (2) by manually setting capacity for every 15-minute time window, or (3) by using the FBA capability to automatically generate capacity settings. Results showed no significant differences in terms of overall system performance, indicated by similar ground delay and airport throughput numbers between methods. However, differences in individual strategies afforded by the manual methods allowed some participants to achieve system-wide delay that was much lower than the average. The FBA was the fastest method of capacity setting, and it received the lowest subjective rating scores on physical task load, mental task load, task difficulty and task complexity out of the three methods. Finally, participants explained through qualitative feedback that there were many benefits to using the FBA, such as ease of use, accuracy, and low risk of human input error. Participants did not experience the same limitations with the FBA that they did with the manual methods, such as reduced accuracy in the 60-minute manual condition, or high complexity in the 15-minute/manual condition. These results suggest that the FBA automation enhancement to CTOP maintains system performance while improving human performance. Therefore, the FBA could be introduced as a way to mitigate operator workload while planning a CTOP.

NextGen↗
NASA NTRS2018

Evaluation of Multiple Flow Constrained Area Capacity Setting Methods for Collaborative Trajectory Options Program

The purpose of this study was to compare flow constrained area (FCA) capacity setting methods for Collaborative Trajectory Options Program (CTOP) as they pertain to the Integrated Demand Management (IDM) concept. IDM uses flow balancing to manage air traffic across multiple FCAs with a common downstream constraint, as well as constraints at the respective FCA locations. FCA capacity rates can be set manually, but generating capacities for multiple, interdependent FCAs could potentially over-burden a user. A new enhancement to CTOP called the FCA Balance Algorithm (FBA) was developed at NASA Ames Research Center to improve the process of allocating capacity across multiple flow constrained segments in the airspace. The FBA evaluates the predicted demand and capacity across multiple FCAs and dynamically generates capacity settings for the FCAs that best meet capacity limits for all identified constraints. In a human-in-the-loop simulation study, both manual and automated capacity setting methods were evaluated in terms of their overall feasibility using measures of system performance, human performance, and qualitative feedback. Subject matter experts were asked to use three different methods to allocate capacity to three FCAs, either (1) by manually setting capacity for every 60-minute time window, (2) by manually setting capacity for every 15-minute time window, or (3) by using the FBA capability to automatically generate capacity settings. Results showed no significant differences in terms of overall system performance, indicated by similar ground delay and airport throughput numbers between methods. However, differences in individual strategies afforded by the manual methods allowed some participants to achieve system-wide delay that was much lower than the average. The FBA was the fastest method of capacity setting, and it received the lowest subjective rating scores on physical task load, mental task load, task difficulty and task complexity out of the three methods. Finally, participants explained through qualitative feedback that there were many benefits to using the FBA, such as ease of use, accuracy, and low risk of human input error. Participants did not experience the same limitations with the FBA that they did with the manual methods, such as reduced accuracy in the 60-minute manual condition, or high complexity in the 15-minute/manual condition. These results suggest that the FBA automation enhancement to CTOP maintains system performance while improving human performance. Therefore, the FBA could be introduced as a way to mitigate operator workload while planning a CTOP.

NextGen↗
NASA NTRS2025

Human Spaceflight Applications of Novel Miniature X-Ray Technologies

INTRODUCTION: Radiography (XR) has long been a cornerstone of terrestrial medical imaging, though it has not yet been used in the spaceflight environment. Medical systems for human spaceflight missions are constrained by mass, volume, and power, and until recently, XR systems have been considered too large and power-consuming for spaceflight diagnostic and therapeutic applications. However, the rise of commercial spaceflight and NASA’s refocused efforts on returning crews to the Moon for long-duration missions have introduced a higher degree of medical risk to human spaceflight and require a re-evaluation when optimizing medical system design. Over the last decade, XR devices have miniaturized while maintaining good diagnostic and therapeutic sensitivity and specificity, making new in-flight medical and non-medical XR applications a possibility. Initial research identified several medical conditions where miniature XR would be beneficial for the diagnosis and/or management of medical conditions arising in space, though a more in-depth analysis is required to identify whether XR may add value to the management of such conditions. With this presentation, we aim to introduce the potential utility of miniature XR, review prior work highlighting where XR may be beneficial, and evaluate how miniature XR may reduce medical risk in human spaceflight missions. METHODS: IMPACT (Informing Mission Planning via Analysis of Complex Tradespaces) is a risk assessment tool developed by NASA to advance exploration mission medical system design by quantitatively estimating mission medical risk. IMPACT v1.0 includes a novel evidence library baselined to exploration environments, an expanded list of 119 medical conditions, medical capabilities and resources critical for management of these medical conditions, and the ability for rapid and iterative analysis in the setting of modifiable design reference missions (DRMs). Our first analysis identified which of the 119 medical conditions XR had diagnostic or therapeutic utility for. Subject matter experts (SMEs) recorded which XR views would be performed under ideal terrestrial circumstances for diagnosis/management of each condition, as well as which views are pragmatic for spaceflight limitations. A second analysis utilized IMPACT to identify significant conditions that contribute greatest to medical risk during a notional long-duration Lunar orbit and Lunar surface DRM. Medical system risk estimates include loss of crew life (LOCL), need for return to definitive care (RTDC; medical evacuation), and an estimate of crew task time affected (TTA). Using a standardized semi-quantitative scoring methodology, a deeper evaluation of each of the most significant medical conditions was performed. Data from both of these separate analyses were used to hypothesize what ideal and pragmatic XR studies may impact clinical management of the most significant conditions predicted to lead to medical risk. RESULTS: Approximately 1/3 of the IMPACT conditions were identified as being more effectively or comprehensively assessed or treated with the addition of miniature XR technology. The resulting conditions benefitting diagnostically and therapeutically from XR are revealed, as well as the ideal and pragmatic XR views and medical procedures benefitting from XR. The conditions of clinical significance and those most contributing to risk are also displayed. Among the conditions that contribute greatest to LOCL, four conditions for which XR may improve the diagnosis and management of include: decompression sickness, traumatic shock, dental abscess, and respiratory failure. Among conditions that contributed to RTDC, the evaluation and management of wrist fracture is likely improved by XR. For conditions leading to crew TTA, evaluation and management of EVA shoulder injuries, upper and lower extremity strains, back strains, and EVA hand injuries are likely improved by XR. DISCUSSION: Miniature XR in spaceflight has the potential to improve the evaluation and management of a substantial portion of conditions that most contribute to medical risk. This presentation is an introduction to the possibilities miniature XR provides for future human spaceflight missions and subsequent presenters will expand on potential applications in more detail. LEARNING OBJECTIVES: 1) Understand the previous limitations of using radiography in the management of spaceflight medical conditions; 2) Evaluate the findings from the IMPACT tool analysis, which allows quantification of the benefit miniature XR could provide for managing high-risk medical conditions in long-duration lunar orbit and surface missions, focusing on improvements in crew health outcomes; 3) Analyze case studies where miniature XR technology could reduce the medical risks associated with spaceflight missions, specifically in diagnosing and managing conditions such as decompression sickness, traumatic shock, and EVA-related injuries.

A Anderson↗
NASA NTRS2022

Regenerative Life Support Systems for Exploration Habitats: Unique Capabilities and Challenges to Enable Long-Duration-Mission Habitats Beyond Low Earth Orbit

The Artemis I launch of NASA’s Space Launch System and Orion crew vehicle will mark a major milestone in the agency’s efforts to return humans to the Moon. Work is underway on the Human Landing System that will carry the next astronauts to the lunar surface, and the lunar orbiting Gateway that will host science and serve as a platform to support sustained human presence on the Moon and ultimately crewed missions to Mars. Two decades of continuous human presence on the International Space Station has provided a wealth of experience operating, upgrading, and demonstrating advanced Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (Regen ECLSS). However, habitats that enable sustained lunar surface presence and transit to Mars will encounter many unique conditions and challenges. System characteristics including reliability, maintainability, mass, and power become significantly more critical. Operating environments associated with lower total pressure, low gravity, contingency protocols, and extensive un-crewed and dormant periods impose additional functionality requirements and alter the performance of certain critical systems. Integration and combined operations with other elements such as orbiting outposts, logistics suppliers, and mobility platforms impact capability and interface requirements. Limits on allocated water and oxygen consumable mass influence the need for higher levels of water and oxygen recovery from waste products. Impacts and challenges these unique exploration circumstances impose on the suite of Regen ECLSS systems are explored and discussed herein.

David F Howard↗
DOE OSTI2020

Quantitative Analysis of the Effects of Natural and Human Factors on a Hydrological System in Zhangweinan Canal Basin

Drought is a water deficit state caused by large-scale climate change that cannot be avoided by a water resource management system. Water scarcity refers to the unsustainable utilization of water resources over a long time, which is the result of water management policies. However, water deficits caused by drought and water scarcity often occur simultaneously and are indistinguishable. This study proposes a model-based simulation framework that can quantitatively distinguish natural factors (drought) from human factors (water scarcity) in a hydrological system. The simulation was applied to the Zhangweinan Canal Basin, based on the runoff sequences from 1950 to 2004. The results show that the runoff curve number, soil depth, soil available water, soil evaporation compensation coefficient, base runoff α coefficient and the maximum canopy interception have the highest sensitivity to runoff, and that the calibrated and validated SWAT model can effectively simulate the runoff process in the Zhangweinan Canal Basin and similar areas. Abrupt changes in human activities in 1975 and water scarcity led to the disappearance of the summer peak runoff period in both wet and dry years. Human factors are the main reason for the change in the hydrological system in the study area; the runoff loss caused by human factors is four times that caused by natural factors according to the proposed variable threshold. This study proposes a model-based simulation framework that can help water resource managers to distinguish the effects of drought and water scarcity in water-stressed areas and adjust management accordingly.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Identifying Human Factors Research for Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Advanced Air Mobility

This paper identifies some of the key human factors (HF) challenges when integrating Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) into the civil airspace. Unique HF considerations—those which are derived from the key differentiating aspects of UAS/AAM compared to conventional aviation—are the primary basis for identifying HF research opportunities. By identifying what makes UAS and AAM fundamentally different from conventional aviation, from a human integration perspective, HF research can be targeted to effectively inform best practices, standards, policy, guidance, and regulations associated with aircraft and air traffic systems and operations. HF research areas are discussed within the following topic areas: Sustained low-altitude operations; loss of natural sensing; novel aircraft; novel operations; link management and lost link; link performance; distributed pilot teams; and increased automation. The identified research descriptions are intended to serve as illustrative examples of what research is fundamental, and why. They are not intended to prescribe, prioritize or exclude research.

AAM↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

International Space Station as a Testbed for Exploration Environmental Control and Life Support Systems - 2021 Status

Human exploration missions beyond low earth orbit, such as NASA’s Artemis Program, present significant challenges to spacecraft system design and supportability. A particularly challenging area is the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) that maintains a habitable and life-sustaining environment for crewmembers. NASA is utilizing the experience gained from its current and prior spaceflight programs to mature life support technologies for exploration missions to deep space. The intent is to establish a portfolio of life support system capabilities with proven performance and reliability to enable human exploration missions and reduce risk to success of those missions. As a fully operational human-occupied platform in microgravity, the International Space Station (ISS) presents a unique opportunity to act as a testbed for exploration-class ECLSS, such that these systems may be tested, proven, and refined for eventual deployment on deep space human exploration missions. This paper will provide an updated status on the testbed development including hardware and ISS vehicle integration progress to date as well as future plans for efforts to design, select, build, test and fly Exploration ECLSS on the ISS.

Laura A Shaw↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

International Space Station as a Testbed for Exploration Environmental Control and Life Support Systems - 2022 Status

Human exploration missions beyond low earth orbit, such as NASA’s Artemis Program, present significant challenges to spacecraft system design and supportability. A particularly challenging area is the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) that maintains a habitable and life-sustaining environment for crewmembers. NASA is utilizing the experience gained from its current and prior spaceflight programs to mature life support technologies for exploration missions to deep space. The intent is to establish a portfolio of life support system capabilities with proven performance and reliability to enable human exploration missions and reduce risk to success of those missions. As a fully operational human-occupied platform in microgravity, the International Space Station (ISS) presents a unique opportunity to act as a testbed for exploration-class ECLSS, such that these systems may be tested, proven, and refined for eventual deployment on deep space human exploration missions. This paper will provide an updated status on the testbed development including hardware and ISS vehicle integration progress to date as well as future plans for efforts to design, select, build, test and fly Exploration ECLSS on the ISS.

ECLSS↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

International Space Station as a Testbed for Exploration Environmental Control and Life Support Systems - 2023 Status

Human exploration missions beyond low earth orbit, such as NASA’s Artemis Program, present significant challenges to spacecraft system design and supportability. A particularly challenging area is the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) that maintains a habitable and life-sustaining environment for crewmembers. NASA is utilizing the experience gained from its current and prior spaceflight programs to mature life support technologies for exploration missions to deep space. The intent is to establish a portfolio of life support system capabilities with proven performance and reliability to enable human exploration missions and reduce risk to success of those missions. As a fully operational human-occupied platform in microgravity, the International Space Station (ISS) presents a unique opportunity to act as a testbed for exploration-class ECLSS, such that these systems may be tested, proven, and refined for eventual deployment on deep space human exploration missions. This paper will provide an updated status on the testbed development including hardware and ISS vehicle integration progress to date as well as future plans for efforts to design, select, build, test and fly Exploration ECLSS on the ISS.

ECLSS↗
NASA NTRS2024

International Space Station as a Testbed for Exploration Environmental Control and Life Support Systems - 2024 Status

Human exploration missions beyond low earth orbit, such as NASA’s Artemis Program, present significant challenges to spacecraft system design and supportability. A particularly challenging area is the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) that maintains a habitable and life-sustaining environment for crewmembers. NASA is utilizing the experience gained from its current and prior spaceflight programs to mature life support technologies for exploration missions to deep space. The intent is to establish a portfolio of life support system capabilities with proven performance and reliability to enable human exploration missions and reduce risk to success of those missions. As a fully operational human-occupied platform in microgravity, the International Space Station (ISS) presents a unique opportunity to act as a testbed for exploration-class ECLSS, such that these systems may be tested, proven, and refined for eventual deployment on deep space human exploration missions. This paper will provide an updated status on the testbed development including hardware and ISS vehicle integration progress to date as well as future plans for efforts to design, select, build, test and fly Exploration ECLSS on the ISS.

ECLSS↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

International Space Station as a Testbed for Exploration Environmental Control and Life Support Systems – 2024 Status

Human exploration missions beyond low Earth orbit, such as NASA’s Artemis Program, present significant challenges to spacecraft system design and supportability. A particularly challenging area is the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) that maintains a habitable and life-sustaining environment for crewmembers. NASA is utilizing the experience gained from its current and prior spaceflight programs to mature life support technologies for exploration missions to deep space. The intent is to establish a portfolio of life support system capabilities with proven performance and reliability to enable human exploration missions and reduce risk to success of those missions. As a fully operational human-occupied platform in microgravity, the International Space Station (ISS) presents a unique opportunity to act as a testbed for exploration-class ECLSS, such that these systems may be tested, proven, and refined for eventual deployment on deep space human exploration missions. This paper will provide an updated status on the testbed development, including hardware and ISS vehicle integration progress to date, as well as future plans for efforts to design, select, build, test, and fly Exploration ECLSS on the ISS.

ECLSS↗
NASA NTRS1987

NAECON 87; Proceedings of the IEEE National Aerospace and Electronics Conference, Dayton, OH, May 18-22, 1987. Volumes 1, 2, 3, & 4

The present conference discusses topics in VLSI components and their packaging, signal processing, uses of cartographic data, data transmission, advanced avionics architectures, fiber-optics, information control and display, image processing, airborne radar and fire control, navigation, air data, Kalman filtering, power generation and control, spacecraft power structures, aircraft flying qualities, flight management, fault-tolerant computer architectures, actuation technologies, self-repairing flight control system technology, multivariable control, stability and control methods, and AFTI/F-16 flight test reports. Also discussed are the ADA/JOVIAL language and its applications, software acquisition and testing, advanced software concepts, software management, computer graphics and visual systems softwear, ADA in embedded avionics, 16- and 32-bit architectures, voice interaction applications, human/machine systems analysis, human factors and AI, mental workloads and displays, pilot acceleration protection research, communications system technology, space communications, reliability and maintainability, managerial techniques, engineering management, EM compatibility and nuclear hardening, expert systems, AI language/knowledge representation, expert system implementation, machine vision/optical processing, and advanced AI concepts and architectures.

Avionics↗
NASA NTRS2014

Practicing for Mars: The International Space Station (ISS) as a Testbed

Allows demonstration and development of exploration capabilities to help accomplish future missions sooner with less risk to crew and mission Characteristics of ISS as a testbed High fidelity human operations platform in LEO: Continuously operating habitat and active laboratory. High fidelity systems. Astronauts as test subjects. Highly experienced ground operations teams. Offers a controlled test environment.: Consequences to systems performance and decision making not offered in ground analogs International participation. Continuously improving system looking for new technology and ideas to improve operations. Technology Demos & Critical Systems Maturation. Human Health and Performance. Operations Simulations and Techniques. Exploration prep testing on ISS has been ongoing since 2012. Number of tests increasing with each ISS expedition. One Year Crew Expedition starting in Spring 2015. ROSCOSMOS and NASA are partnering on the Participating Crew are Mikhail Kornienko and Scott Kelly Majority of testing is an extension of current Human Biomedical Research investigations Plan for extending & expanding upon current operations techniques and tech demo studies ESA 10 Day Mission in Fall 2015 ESA astronaut focus on testing exploration technologies Many more opportunities throughout the life of ISS! 4/24/2014 david.h.korth@nasa.gov 4 Exploration testing

Korth, David H.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Water System Architectures for Moon and Mars Bases

Water systems for human bases on the moon and Mars will recycle multiple sources of wastewater. Systems for both the moon and Mars will also store water to support and backup the recycling system. Most water system requirements, such as number of crew, quantity and quality of water supply, presence of gravity, and surface mission duration of 6 or 18 months, will be similar for the moon and Mars. If the water system fails, a crew on the moon can quickly receive spare parts and supplies or return to Earth, but a crew on Mars cannot. A recycling system on the moon can have a reasonable reliability goal, such as only one unrecoverable failure every five years, if there is enough stored water to allow time for attempted repairs and for the crew to return if repair fails. The water system that has been developed and successfully operated on the International Space Station (ISS) could be used on a moon base. To achieve the same high level of crew safety on Mars without an escape option, either the recycling system must have much higher reliability or enough water must be stored to allow the crew to survive the full duration of the Mars surface mission. A three loop water system architecture that separately recycles condensate, wash water, and urine and flush can improve reliability and reduce cost for a Mars base.

moon base↗
NASA NTRS2017

Lightning NOx Estimates from Space-Based Lightning Imagers

The intense heating of air by a lightning channel, and subsequent rapid cooling, leads to the production of lightning nitrogen oxides (NOx = NO + NO2) as discussed in Chameides [1979]. In turn, the lightning nitrogen oxides (or "LNOx" for brevity) indirectly influences the Earth's climate because the LNOx molecules are important in controlling the concentration of ozone (O3) and hydroxyl radicals (OH) in the atmosphere. Climate is most sensitive to O3 in the upper troposphere, and LNOx is the most important source of NOx in the upper troposphere at tropical and subtropical latitudes; hence, lightning is a useful parameter to monitor for climate assessments. The National Climate Assessment (NCA) program was created in response to the Congressionally-mandated Global Change Research Act (GCRA) of 1990. Thirteen US government organizations participate in the NCA program which examines the effects of global change on the natural environment, human health and welfare, energy production and use, land and water resources, human social systems, transportation, agriculture, and biological diversity. The NCA focuses on natural and human-induced trends in global change, and projects major trends 25 to 100 years out. In support of the NCA, the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) continues to assess lightning-climate inter-relationships. This activity applies a variety of NASA assets to monitor in detail the changes in both the characteristics of ground- and space- based lightning observations as they pertain to changes in climate. In particular, changes in lightning characteristics over the conterminous US (CONUS) continue to be examined by this author using data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Lightning Imaging Sensor. In this study, preliminary estimates of LNOx trends derived from TRMM/LIS lightning optical energy observations in the 17 yr period 1998-2014 are provided. This represents an important first step in testing the ability to make remote retrievals of LNOx from a satellite-based lightning sensor. As is shown, the methodology can also be directly applied to more recently launched lightning mappers, such as the Geostationary Lightning Mapper, and the International Space Station LIS.

Koshak, William J.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Lunar Surface Cargo Offloading Concepts

A sustainable presence on the lunar surface will serve as a vital training ground and technology demonstration test site in preparation for future human missions to Mars. Robotic lunar surface campaigns will focus on the exploration of resources providing information on the availability and extraction of usable resources, such as oxygen and water, and prepare the surface for a sustained human presence. Landers, outfitted with sensor packages, will be used to conduct risk-reduction activities and aid in the development of technologies prior to the crewed lunar missions that drive the need to for a logistics supply chain that requires offloading. A series of landers will be required on other planetary surfaces to build up the capabilities, capitalizing on those resources, required for sustained human presence. In each of those landers will be cargo including ascent vehicles, habitats, supplies, science packages, spare parts, fluids commodities for fuel and life support, and others varying in volume and ranging from mass in hundreds of kilograms to an estimated 6-14 metric tons to support Human Landing Systems and surface logistics requirements. This paper will examine the challenge of offloading examples of these cargo elements from different categories of landers on the lunar surface using a variety of methodologies. Challenges on the lunar surface arise with the conditions present (thermal, lighting, communications, regolith consistency), the desire to minimize mass of all landed systems, the desire to perform much of the activities with limited to minimal human interaction, and the overall configuration of the landers that are responsible for landing the cargo.

Lunar↗