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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 127 records · Page 7

Evaluation of low wing-loading fuel conservative, short-haul transports

Fuel conservation that could be attained with two technology advancements, Q fan propulsion system and active control technology (ACT) was studied. Aircraft incorporating each technology were sized for a Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) field length of 914 meters (3,000 feet), 148 passengers, and a 926 kilometer (500 nautical mile) mission. The cruise Mach number was .70 at 10100 meter (33,000 foot) altitude. The improvement resulting from application of the Q fan propulsion system was computed relative to an optimized fuel conservative transport design. The performance improvements resulting from application of ACT technology were relative to the optimized Q fan propulsion system configuration.

Pasley, L. H.↗

A proposed definition for a pitch attitude target for the microburst escape maneuver

The Windshear Training Aid promulgated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) defines the practical recovery maneuver following a microburst encounter as application of maximum thrust accompanied by rotation to an aircraft-specific target pitch attitude. In search of a simple method of determining this target, appropriate to a variety of aircraft types, a computer simulation was used to explore the suitability of a pitch target equal in numerical value to that of the angle of attack associated with stall warning. For the configurations and critical microburst shears simulated, this pitch target was demonstrated to be close to optimum.

Bray, Richard S.↗

Kennedy Space Center ITC-1 Internship Overview

As an intern for Priscilla Elfrey in the ITC-1 department, I was involved in many activities that have helped me to develop many new skills. I supported four different projects during my internship, which included the Center for Life Cycle Design (CfLCD), SISO Space Interoperability Smackdown, RTI Teacher Mentor Program, and the Discrete Event Simulation Integrated Visualization Environment Team (DIVE). I provided the CfLCD with web based research on cyber security initiatives involving simulation, education for young children, cloud computing, Otronicon, and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education initiatives. I also attended STEM meetings regarding simulation courses, and educational course enhancements. To further improve the SISO Simulation event, I provided observation feedback to the technical advisory board. I also helped to set up a chat federation for HLA. The third project involved the RTI Teacher Mentor program, which I helped to organize. Last, but not least, I worked with the DIVE team to develop new software to help visualize discrete event simulations. All of these projects have provided experience on an interdisciplinary level ranging from speech and communication to solving complex problems using math and science.

Ni, Marcus↗

Concerning the relationship between evapotranspiration and soil moisture

The relationship between the evapotranspiration and soil moisture during the drying, supply-limited phase is studied. A second scaling parameter, based on the evapotranspirational supply and demand concept of Federer (1982), is defined; the parameter, referred to as the threshold evapotranspiration, occurs in vegetation-covered surfaces just before leaf stomata close and when surface tension restricts moisture release from bare soil pores. A simple model for evapotranspiration is proposed. The effects of natural soil heterogeneities on evapotranspiration computed from the model are investigated. It is observed that the natural variability in soil moisture, caused by the heterogeneities, alters the relationship between regional evapotranspiration and the area average soil moisture.

Wetzel, Peter J.↗

Small Business Innovations

Under an Army Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant, Symbiotics, Inc. developed a software system that permits users to upgrade products from standalone applications so they can communicate in a distributed computing environment. Under a subsequent NASA SBIR grant, Symbiotics added additional tools to the SOCIAL product to enable NASA to coordinate conventional systems for planning Shuttle launch support operations. Using SOCIAL, data may be shared among applications in a computer network even when the applications are written in different programming languages. The product was introduced to the commercial market in 1993 and is used to monitor and control equipment for operation support and to integrate financial networks. The SBIR program was established to increase small business participation in federal R&D activities and to transfer government research to industry. InQuisiX is a reuse library providing high performance classification, cataloging, searching, browsing, retrieval and synthesis capabilities. These form the foundation for software reuse, producing higher quality software at lower cost and in less time. Software Productivity Solutions, Inc. developed the technology under Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) projects funded by NASA and the Army and is marketing InQuisiX in conjunction with Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). The SBIR program was established to increase small business participation in federal R&D activities and to transfer government research to industry.

Source record↗

Hyperspectral Remote Sensing and Ecological Modeling Research and Education at Mid America Remote Sensing Center (MARC): Field and Laboratory Enhancement

The purpose of this project was to establish a new hyperspectral remote sensing laboratory at the Mid-America Remote sensing Center (MARC), dedicated to in situ and laboratory measurements of environmental samples and to the manipulation, analysis, and storage of remotely sensed data for environmental monitoring and research in ecological modeling using hyperspectral remote sensing at MARC, one of three research facilities of the Center of Reservoir Research at Murray State University (MSU), a Kentucky Commonwealth Center of Excellence. The equipment purchased, a FieldSpec FR portable spectroradiometer and peripherals, and ENVI hyperspectral data processing software, allowed MARC to provide hands-on experience, education, and training for the students of the Department of Geosciences in quantitative remote sensing using hyperspectral data, Geographic Information System (GIS), digital image processing (DIP), computer, geological and geophysical mapping; to provide field support to the researchers and students collecting in situ and laboratory measurements of environmental data; to create a spectral library of the cover types and to establish a World Wide Web server to provide the spectral library to other academic, state and Federal institutions. Much of the research will soon be published in scientific journals. A World Wide Web page has been created at the web site of MARC. Results of this project are grouped in two categories, education and research accomplishments. The Principal Investigator (PI) modified remote sensing and DIP courses to introduce students to ii situ field spectra and laboratory remote sensing studies for environmental monitoring in the region by using the new equipment in the courses. The PI collected in situ measurements using the spectroradiometer for the ER-2 mission to Puerto Rico project for the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) Airborne Simulator (MAS). Currently MARC is mapping water quality in Kentucky Lake and vegetation in the Land-Between-the Lakes (LBL) using Landsat-TM data. A Landsat-TM scene of the same day was obtained to relate ground measurements to the satellite data. A spectral library has been created for overstory species in LBL. Some of the methods, such as NPDF and IDFD techniques for spectral unmixing and reduction of effects of shadows in classifications- comparison of hyperspectral classification techniques, and spectral nonlinear and linear unmixing techniques, are being tested using the laboratory.

Cetin, Haluk↗

IT Security Support for the Spaceport Command Control System Development

My job title is IT Security support for the Spaceport Command & Control System Development. As a cyber‐security analyst it is my job to ensure NASA's information stays safe from cyber threats, such as, viruses, malware and denial-of-service attacks by establishing and enforcing system access controls. Security is very important in the world of technology and it is used everywhere from personal computers to giant networks ran by Government agencies worldwide. Without constant monitoring analysis, businesses, public organizations and government agencies are vulnerable to potential harmful infiltration of their computer information system. It is my responsibility to ensure authorized access by examining improper access, reporting violations, revoke access, monitor information request by new programming and recommend improvements. My department oversees the Launch Control System and networks. An audit will be conducted for the LCS based on compliance with the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) and The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). I recently finished analyzing the SANS top 20 critical controls to give cost effective recommendations on various software and hardware products for compliance. Upon my completion of this internship, I will have successfully completed my duties as well as gain knowledge that will be helpful to my career in the future as a Cyber Security Analyst.

IT Security↗

Georgia Disasters II: Evaluating the Impacts of Hurricane Irma on Georgia Heirs Property Owners Using NASA Earth Observations

Heirs property owners are especially vulnerable to natural and manmade disasters. This group of people have inherited property left with no clear title and thus have unclear group ownership with the other legal owners, which are all spouses, children, etc. of past owners. After Hurricane Irma made landfall in Georgia in September of 2017, heirs property owners became more likely to be denied access to federal relief due to the legal status of their property title. To observe how this group was impacted by Hurricane Irma, the NASA DEVELOP team partnered with The Georgia Heirs Property Law Center (The Center), a non-profit law firm that works with heirs properties owners. The team used computer assisted mass appraisal (CAMA) data to identify likely heirs property owners. They cross referenced this map with a flood map produced with surface reflectance and backscatter imagery from Landsat 8 OLI, Sentinel-2 MSI, and Sentinel-1 C-SAR, sensors to identify communities in need of relief or assistance. The flood extent maps were validated against United States Geological Survey (USGS) Hurricane Irma High Water Mark in situ data taken the same day Irma crossed into Georgia. To further evaluate the impacted group, the team correlated the flood and heirs property likelihood maps to FEMA denials based on titles issues. The team’s end products were handed off to the Georgia Heirs Property Law Center for use in community outreach, educational materials, and to help direct where The Center can work to prioritize its limited legal resources.

Shakirah Rogers↗

Flight Test Results of an Angle of Attack and Angle of Sideslip Calibration Method Using Output-Error Optimization

As part of a joint partnership between the NASA Aviation Safety Program (AvSP) and the University of Tennessee Space Institute (UTSI), research on advanced air data calibration methods has been in progress. This research was initiated to expand a novel pitot-static calibration method that was developed to allow rapid in-flight calibration for the NASA Airborne Subscale Transport Aircraft Research (AirSTAR) facility. This approach uses Global Positioning System (GPS) technology coupled with modern system identification methods that rapidly computes optimal pressure error models over a range of airspeed with defined confidence bounds. Subscale flight tests demonstrated small 2-σ error bounds with significant reduction in test time compared to other methods. Recent UTSI full scale flight tests have shown airspeed calibrations with the same accuracy or better as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) accepted GPS 'four-leg' method in a smaller test area and in less time. The current research was motivated by the desire to extend this method for inflight calibration of angle of attack (AOA) and angle of sideslip (AOS) flow vanes. An instrumented Piper Saratoga research aircraft from the UTSI was used to collect the flight test data and evaluate flight test maneuvers. Results showed that the output-error approach produces good results for flow vane calibration. In addition, maneuvers for pitot-static and flow vane calibration can be integrated to enable simultaneous and efficient testing of each system.

Siu, Marie-Michele↗

Cultivating an Emergent Earth Observation Analytics Ecosystem in the Cloud

A diverse set of data analytics systems for Earth Observations are sprouting up in the Earth Science community, with a wealth of processing algorithms and analysis methods. There is a similar wealth of data resources available via myriad data providers and clearinghouses, including large institutional systems like the Earth Observing System Data and Information System, Comprehensive Large Scale Array-data Stewardship System, and Federated Earth Observation Missions gateway. With Earth system science driving a need to work with more datasets together, and the community developing more analysis tools (some of them dataset-specific), how can we develop analysis workflows that incorporate far-flung datasets and leverage analysis resources from multiple organizations? Cloud computing points the way toward a solution in two different respects. Firstly, the access to and abstraction of virtually unlimited storage and computing power provides an environment that enables more straightforward means of pulling datasets and analysis resources together. Just as importantly, however, cloud computing serves as an example of an "ecosystem" of interoperating services, since the essence of cloud computing is the presentation of all resources as a service, from hardware to infrastructure to platform to software. This enables the combination of off-the-shelf, diverse services to construct entire systems that emerge out of an equally diverse community of architects and developers. This approach can be similarly applied to the data and analysis resources in the Earth Observation community. By exposing these resources via well understood services, and consuming resources in the same way, different organizations can construct bespoke analysis workflows and systems for their own purposes. The key leap the community needs to make is to develop analysis systems in components that interact with other components via services. The result would be a rich ecosystem of analytics components that can be combined to analyze datasets at scale and in conjunction with other datasets from other sources.

chaos↗

Study of the cerrado vegetation in the Federal District area from orbital data

The physiognomic units of cerrado in the area of Distrito Federal (DF) were studied through the visual and automatic analysis of products provided by Multispectral Scanning System (MSS) of LANDSAT. The visual analysis of the multispectral images in black and white, at the 1:250,000 scale, was made based on the texture and tonal patterns. The automatic analysis of the compatible computer tapes (CCT) was made by means of IMAGE-100 system. The following conclusions were obtained: (1) the delimitation of cerrado vegetation forms can be made by the visual and automatic analysis; (2) in the visual analysis, the principal parameter used to discriminate the cerrado forms was the tonal pattern, independently of the year's seasons, and the channel 5 gave better information; (3) in the automatic analysis, the data of the four channels of MSS can be used in the discrimination of the cerrado forms; and (4) in the automatic analysis, the four channels combination possibilities gave more information in the separation of cerrado units when soil types were considered.

Dejesusparada, N.↗

Biological Research and Space Health Enabled by Machine Learning to Support Deep Space Missions

A key science goal of the NASA “Moon to Mars” campaign is to understand how biology responds to the Lunar, Martian, and deep space environments in order to advance fundamental knowledge, reduce risk, and support safe, productive human space missions. Through the powerful emerging computer science approaches of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), a paradigm shift has begun in biomedical science and engineered astronaut health systems, to enable Earth-independence and autonomy of mission operations. We present a decadal view of AI/ML architecture to support deep space mission goals, developed in concert with leaders in the field. We describe current AI/ML methods to support 1) fundamental biology, 2) in situ analytics, 3) high performance computing hardware, 4) automated science, 5) self-driving labs, 6) remote data management, 7) integrated real-time mission biomonitoring, and 8) a Precision Space Health system. Cutting-edge AI/ML approaches that can be integrated to support these domains include active learning, explainable AI, adaptive learning, causal inference, knowledge graphs, federated learning, transfer learning, and large language models. Finally, we present results from several current ML projects that are underway in the field to address key challenges of small sample n, high feature count, heterogeneity, and sparse data. These include 1) connecting omics data to phenotypic data using an ensemble model to infer causality of spaceflight rodent liver health disruption, 2) usage of explainable ML to interrogate the muscular underpinnings of spaceflight muscle atrophy, 3) ML models analyzing and determining directed acyclic graphs of human space health risk leveraging rodent bone datasets, 4) usage of large pre-trained models connecting biomedical knowledgebases with small spaceflight datasets to understand gene-to-gene interaction networks, and 5) a suite of benchmarked open science datasets (spaceflight mouse liver; radiation DNA damage) enabling programmers to identify the best ML algorithms to answer space biological science questions.

space biology↗

Biological Research and Space Health Enabled by Machine Learning to Support Deep Space Missions

A key science goal of the NASA “Moon to Mars” campaign is to understand how biology responds to the Lunar, Martian, and deep space environments in order to advance fundamental knowledge, reduce risk, and support safe, productive human space missions. Through the powerful emerging computer science approaches of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), a paradigm shift has begun in biomedical science and engineered astronaut health systems, to enable Earth-independence and autonomy of mission operations. We present a decadal view of AI/ML architecture to support deep space mission goals, developed in concert with leaders in the field. We describe current AI/ML methods to support 1) fundamental biology, 2) in situ analytics, 3) high performance computing hardware, 4) automated science, 5) self-driving labs, 6) remote data management, 7) integrated real-time mission biomonitoring, and 8) a Precision Space Health system. Cutting-edge AI/ML approaches that can be integrated to support these domains include active learning, explainable AI, adaptive learning, causal inference, knowledge graphs, federated learning, transfer learning, and large language models. Finally, we present results from several current ML projects that are underway in the field to address key challenges of small sample n, high feature count, heterogeneity, and sparse data. These include 1) connecting omics data to phenotypic data using an ensemble model to infer causality of spaceflight rodent liver health disruption, 2) usage of explainable ML to interrogate the muscular underpinnings of spaceflight muscle atrophy, 3) ML models analyzing and determining directed acyclic graphs of human space health risk leveraging rodent bone datasets, 4) usage of large pre-trained models connecting biomedical knowledgebases with small spaceflight datasets to understand gene-to-gene interaction networks, and 5) a suite of benchmarked open science datasets (spaceflight mouse liver; radiation DNA damage) enabling programmers to identify the best ML algorithms to answer space biological science questions.

space biology↗

A Conservation Strategy for the Florida Scrub-Jay on John F. Kennedy Space Center/Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge: An Initial Scientific Basis for Recovery

The Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) is an indicator of ecosystem integrity of Florida scrub, an endangered ecosystem that requires frequent fire. One of the largest populations of this federally threatened species occurs on John F. Kennedy Space Center/Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Population trends were predicted using population modeling and field data on reproduction and survival of Florida Scrub-Jays collected from 1988 - 1995. Analyses of historical photography indicated that habitat suitability has been declining for 30 years. Field data and computer simulations suggested that the population declined by at least 40% and will decline by another 40% in 1 0 years, if habitat management is not greatly intensified. Data and computer simulations suggest that habitat suitability cannot deviate greatly from optimal for the jay population to persist. Landscape trajectories of vegetation structure, responsible for declining habitat suitability, are associated with the disruption of natural fire regimes. Prescribed fire alone can not reverse the trajectories. A recovery strategy was developed, based on studies of Florida Scrub-Jays and scrub vegetation. A reserve design was formulated based on conservation science principles for scrub ecosystems. The strategy emphasizes frequent fire to restore habitat, but includes mechanical tree cutting for severely degraded areas. Pine thinning across large areas can produce rapid increases in habitat quality. Site-specific strategies will need to be developed, monitored, and modified to achieve conditions suitable for population persistence.

Breininger, D. R.↗

Improving NASA Earth Science Data and Information Access Through Natural Language Processing Based Data Analysis and Visualization

NASA: The Research Access initiative is part of the agency's framework for increasing public access to scientific publications and digital scientific data. The initiative follows the release of White House Office of Science and Technology Policy's (OSTP) memorandum "Increasing Access to the Results of Federally Funded Research," to ensure federally funded research is available to the public within one year of publication. NASA answered the mandate by creating an agency plan entitled "NASA Plan for Increasing Access to the Results of Scientific Research" and associated policy, NPD 2230.1, Research Data and Publication Access. Principles in NASA SMD Strategic Plan for Scientific Data and Computing: Continued free and open access to scientific data for any use. Improved ease of use and discoverability. Enhanced science applications and new use cases. Incorporates best practices and "state of the art" through partnerships. Earth Data and Systems are Evolving: Increasing archive and file sizes. More complicated data structures. More user-friendly and data services. What is the future direction?

Liu, Zhong↗

Ranger's Legacy

With its Landsat satellites, development of sensors, and advancement of processing techniques, NASA provided the initial technology base for another Earth-benefit application of image processing, Earth resources survey by means of remote sensing. Since each object has its own unique "signature," it is possible to distinguish among surface features and to generate computer-processed imagery identifying specific features of importance to resource managers. This capability, commercialized by Perceptive Scientific Instruments, Inc., offers practical application in such areas as agricultural crop forecasting, rangeland and forest management, land use planning, mineral and petroleum exploration, map making, water quality evaluation and disaster assessment. Major users of the technology have been federal, state, and local governments, but it is making its way into commercial operations, for example, resource exploration companies looking for oil, gas and mineral sources, and timber production firms seeking more efficient treeland management. Supporting both government and private users is a small industry composed of companies producing the processing hardware software. As is the case in the medical application, many of these companies are direct offspring of NASA's work.

Source record↗

Neutron Characterization for Additive Manufacturing

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is leveraging decades of experience in neutron characterization of advanced materials together with resources such as the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) and the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) shown in Fig. 1 to solve challenging problems in additive manufacturing (AM). Additive manufacturing, or three-dimensional (3-D) printing, is a rapidly maturing technology wherein components are built by selectively adding feedstock material at locations specified by a computer model. The majority of these technologies use thermally driven phase change mechanisms to convert the feedstock into functioning material. As the molten material cools and solidifies, the component is subjected to significant thermal gradients, generating significant internal stresses throughout the part (Fig. 2). As layers are added, inherent residual stresses cause warping and distortions that lead to geometrical differences between the final part and the original computer generated design. This effect also limits geometries that can be fabricated using AM, such as thin-walled, high-aspect- ratio, and overhanging structures. Distortion may be minimized by intelligent toolpath planning or strategic placement of support structures, but these approaches are not well understood and often "Edisonian" in nature. Residual stresses can also impact component performance during operation. For example, in a thermally cycled environment such as a high-pressure turbine engine, residual stresses can cause components to distort unpredictably. Different thermal treatments on as-fabricated AM components have been used to minimize residual stress, but components still retain a nonhomogeneous stress state and/or demonstrate a relaxation-derived geometric distortion. Industry, federal laboratory, and university collaboration is needed to address these challenges and enable the U.S. to compete in the global market. Work is currently being conducted on AM technologies at the ORNL Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF) sponsored by the DOE's Advanced Manufacturing Office. The MDF is focusing on R&D of both metal and polymer AM pertaining to in-situ process monitoring and closed-loop controls; implementation of advanced materials in AM technologies; and demonstration, characterization, and optimization of next-generation technologies. ORNL is working directly with industry partners to leverage world-leading facilities in fields such as high performance computing, advanced materials characterization, and neutron sciences to solve fundamental challenges in advanced manufacturing. Specifically, MDF is leveraging two of the world's most advanced neutron facilities, the HFIR and SNS, to characterize additive manufactured components.

Watkins, Thomas↗

Propulsion Flight Research at NASA Dryden From 1967 to 1997

From 1967 to 1997, pioneering propulsion flight research activities have been conceived and conducted at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center. Many of these programs have been flown jointly with the United States Department of Defense, industry, or the Federal Aviation Administration. Propulsion research has been conducted on the XB-70, F-111 A, F-111E, YF-12, JetStar, B-720, MD-11, F-15, F- 104, Highly Maneuverable Aircraft Technology, F-14, F/A-18, SR-71, and the hypersonic X-15 airplanes. Research studies have included inlet dynamics and control, in-flight thrust computation, integrated propulsion controls, inlet and boattail drag, wind tunnel-to-flight comparisons, digital engine controls, advanced engine control optimization algorithms, acoustics, antimisting kerosene, in-flight lift and drag, throttle response criteria, and thrust-vectoring vanes. A computer-controlled thrust system has been developed to land the F-15 and MD-11 airplanes without using any of the normal flight controls. An F-15 airplane has flown tests of axisymmetric thrust-vectoring nozzles. A linear aerospike rocket experiment has been developed and tested on the SR-71 airplane. This paper discusses some of the more unique flight programs, the results, lessons learned, and their impact on current technology.

Burcham, Frank W., Jr.↗