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NASA NTRS2020

The Mitigating Effects of Artificial gravity on Microgravity

The effects of microgravity on the human body can be debilitating however, the use of artificial gravity has the potential to completely mitigate these effects. Developing an artificial gravity habitation spacecraft concept could have positive effects on the astronauts spending long durations in space. Researching the past and upcoming artificial gravity concepts was accomplished using resources provided by my mentors, i.e. NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS), human research roadmap, and the Aerospace Research Central (ARC) in coordination with other academic sources and research papers. This research has been accomplished over a several week period that looks at past artificial gravity concepts and the implications of instituting them or new designs in the future. Also, the research examines how to improve future artificial gravity concepts by applying what we know about past designs and what we are creating today. The expected outcomes of artificial gravity are that the health risks imposed on astronauts due to not being in Earth’s gravity environment for long duration space missions will decrease. No other microgravity mitigation technique addresses neurological problems such as fluid shift and VIIP syndrome as they only address physical conditions with exercise and supplements Another outcome is that using artificial gravity should reduce the long-term health effects that happen after the astronauts return to Earth because they will not be exposed to microgravity for as long. The real outcomes should be similar, if not the same, as the expected outcomes mentioned above. This process of creating artificial gravity aboard spacecrafts has potential to create a plethora of positive outcomes. The research completed will contribute to NASA’s missions and goals because the information gathered directly relates to the goal of sending humans to Mars and beyond and the research looks at how to solve one of the major problems associated with achieving that goal soon: microgravity. This research will contribute to NASA’s mission of sending astronauts to Mars, with a lower risk assessment, because artificial gravity will potentially mitigate the health risks (VIIP syndrome) associated with long duration in space flight.

Elizabeth Anne Westfall↗
NASA NTRS2020

Land-cover Change in the Caucasus Mountains Since 1987 Based on the Topographic Correction of Multi-temporal Landsat Composites

Mountainous regions are changing rapidly across the world due to both land-use change and climate change. Given the importance of mountainous regions for ecosystem services and endemic biodiversity, monitoring these changes is essential. Satellite data provide a great resource to map land-cover change in mountainous regions, however mapping is especially challenging there because topographic complexity affects reflectance. The so called ‘topographic effect’ has been successfully corrected for in case studies of small areas, but a comparison of large-area classifications and land-cover change analyses with and without topographic correction is missing. Here, we performed a long-term land-cover change assessment for a large mountainous region, i.e., the Caucasus Mountains with topographic correction. Our two goals were 1) to examine the effect of topographic correction on land-cover classification for a large mountainous region, and 2) to assess land-cover changes since 1987 across the Caucasus based on the full Landsat archive. Both the complex topography and the history of land-use changes, especially after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, make the Caucasus Mountains an ideal study area to understand topographic effects on large-area land-cover mapping for the last three decades. First, we compared a non-topographically-corrected Landsat classification for 2015 with a classification that was topographically-corrected with an enhanced C-correction for the same year and assessed the accuracy of both. Second, we derived topographically-corrected Landsat classifications for six dates to assess changes in cropland and forest from 1987 to 2015, based on class probabilities and post-classification comparisons. In regard to our first goal, topographic correction improved the overall accuracy of the classification only by 2% (from 79 to 81%), but disagreement rates were as high as 100% in mountainous regions, especially among forest types. In regard to our second goal, we found that cropland loss was the most prevalent change process since 1987. Cropland loss was particularly widespread in Georgia and Armenia until 2000, and in Azerbaijan until 2005. The North Caucasus (the Russian Federation) had more stable cropland over time, most likely due to different land reforms after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the prevalence of flat landscapes and very fertile soils, which make cultivation easier than in the South Caucasus. Rates of forest change throughout the Caucasus Mountains were surprisingly low, with forest loss and forest gain was most likely due to cropland abandonment and less grazing pressure. Our results highlight both the importance and the feasibility of topographic correction for accurate large-area land-cover classifications in steep terrain.

Large-area mapping↗
NASA NTRS2020

Terrestrial Planets Comparative Climatology (TPCC) mission concept

The authors and co-signers of the Terrestrial Planets Comparative Climatology (TPCC) mission concept white paper advocate that planetary science in the next decade would greatly benefit from comparatively studying the fundamental behavior of the atmospheres of Venus and Mars, contemporaneously and with the same instrumentation, to capture atmospheric response to the same solar forcing, and with a minimum of instrument-related variability. NASA’s vision is to understand the effects of the Sun on the solar system and the potential for life elsewhere (Obj,1.1 of [1]). This vision directly motivates the study of terrestrial climate histories and evolution, with the ultimate goal of understanding what factors allow the emergence and sustainability of life/biosphere. It is widely accepted that Venus, Mars, and Earth were formed at the same time and in the same neighborhood of the solar nebula [2,3], and had water—a necessary ingredient for life. In spite of strong overlap in the atmospheric composition of these planets, their current climatic states are vastly different. While Earth retains water, both Mars and Venus’ surfaces are now dry. The manner in which these terrestrial bodies evolved, and whether Mars or Venus currently hosts or previously hosted life, are fundamental mysteries in planetary science. As such, the TPCC mission concept has been developed.The TPCC guiding science goals are:(1) to understand Venus’ evolutionary history compared to Mars and Earth, and (2) to elucidate the driving forces and mechanisms of global circulation at Mars and Venus. These goals address the science question: Why have Mars’ and Venus’ climates evolved so differently from each other and from Earth’s? Furthermore, a greater depth of understanding our own solar system, enables us to understand the variability and likelihood of habitable conditions within extra-solar planetary systems.We suggest a mission architecture and payload that would determine the noble gas content and isotopic ratios, including the D/H ratio, at Venus with sufficient accuracy to identify the timeline of Venus’ climatic evolution for comparison with Mars. In addition, our concept would systematically “follow the energy” at Mars and Venus, in order to establish how solar forcing on the two atmospheric systems leads to the current balance of dynamical, chemical, and radiative processes responsible for each planet’s climatic state.This would include acquisition of the first global atmospheric wind profiles on either planet;global, continuous profiles of aerosols, gases, and water vapor at vertical resolutions higher than any previous mission;and regular UV and IR night glow observations tracking global circulation on both planets.To increase the fidelity of the planned planetary comparisons, the TPCC mission concept baseline (estimated to be New Frontiers Class)would send a single spacecraft to visit one planet and then the next, allowing measurements of each planet with the same instrumentation within similar parts of the solar cycle. The concept uses commercial solar-electric propulsion (SEP; e.g., [4])similar to the Psyche mission [5], plus a probesent deep into Venus’ atmosphere(e.g., LLISSE concept; [6]).Alternatively, “twin” spacecraft (with added probe to the Venus craft),developed at the same time,and launched close in time,would increase the overlap in operation periods and should also be studied. Either architecture is a timely alternative to independently developed and launched spacecraft payloads, which ultimately are more costly and difficult to inter-calibrate.

Leslie K. Tamppari↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Moon to Mars Planetary Autonomous Construction Technology (MMPACT) Lunar Surface Construction Activity at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

Introduction: The goal of the Moon to Mars Planetary Autonomous Construction Technology (MMPACT) Project at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is to develop, deliver, and demonstrate on-demand capabilities to protect astronauts and create infrastructure elements on the lunar surface via construction of landing pads, habitats, shelters, roadways, berms, and blast shields using lunar regolith-based materials. MSFC has strong collaborations with industry, academia, and other NASA Centers to accomplish this goal. The MMPACT project consists of three elements. The first focuses on the development of an autonomous construction system. The second focuses on construction feedstock materials development. The third element focuses on the development of a microwave sintering construction capability. The team plans to demonstrate construction on a small Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) lander in the 2025 timeframe, with a future goal of constructing a subscale landing pad in 2028-2029.The MMPACT project is funded through the Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative, which is part of the Space Technology Mission Directorate. Technology Development: The MMPACT team will evaluate multiple autonomous construction and microwave construction technologies, materials, and construction element forms. Selected technologies will be matured; processes and operations will be defined for the two flight missions. Evaluations of materials, as well as the technology itself, will be demonstrated in simulated lunar environments as part of the technology maturation process. The team is keenly aware of the properties of the lunar environment. Its temperature swings, negligible exosphere, and unprepared site foundations factor into the materials for both construction and hardware, the concept of operations, and the technology’s interdependencies. Materials: The team is looking at materials that can be produced from in-situ resources in an effort to make lunar construction cost-effective. The particular focus of the materials team is cementitious materials, metals, and sintered and melted regolith. These materials will be studied for tensile, compressive, and flexural strength. They will also be tested for their ability to handle thermal swings and vacuum. They will be fully characterized using various microscopy techniques to examine micro-structures, chemistry, and crystal formation. Interdependencies: There are many interdependencies that MMPACT has already identified. These include: •Excavation interface •Regolith feedstock beneficiation •Regolith feedstock storage and provision •Requirements for structures •Site-to-site mobility systems •Availability of lunar simulant •Lander off-loading capabilities •Navigation systems •Power •Regolith composition and mineralogy •Lander specifications •Communication protocols Technology developments in these additional areas would be beneficial to MMPACT.

Moon to Mars Planetary Autonomous Construction Tec↗
NASA NTRS2019

An Updated Optical Design for the Off-Plane Grating Rocket Experiment

The Off-plane Grating Rocket Experiment (OGRE) is a soft X-ray spectroscopy suborbital rocket payload designed to obtain the highest-resolution soft X-ray spectrum of Capella to date. With a spectral resolution goal of R(lambda/delta lambda) > 2000 at select wavelengths in its 10-55 A bandpass of interest, the payload will be able to study the line-dominated spectrum of Capella in unprecedented detail. To achieve this performance goal, the payload will employ three key technologies: mono-crystalline silicon X-ray mirrors developed at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, reflection gratings manufactured at The Pennsylvania State University, and electron-multiplying CCDs developed by The Open University and XCAM Ltd. In this document, an updated optical design that can achieve the performance goal of the OGRE spectrometer and a new grating alignment concept to realize this optical design are described.

Benjamin D. Donovan↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Behavioral Health and Performance Operations and Research in Human Spaceflight

There are two distinct functions of the Behavioral Health and Performance (BHP) specialists at NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC), with a shared goal of promoting optimal performance during all mission phases, beginning with selection to the NASA Astronaut Corps through training for and completing a spaceflight mission. The BHP Operations team is active in areas such as selection, training, routine behavioral healthcare services, and work-rest schedule. The BHP Laboratory is engaged in research in space and analog platforms to address the risks and other challenges associated with future deep space missions. Their research focuses on topics that align with the NASA Human Research Program’s Human Factors Behavioral Performance Element goals. This panel will provide details of recent work by BHP Operations and the BHP Laboratory at NASA JSC, and will demonstrate their shared goals, and contributions toward, optimizing performance and maintaining the behavioral health and well-being of astronauts during all mission phases.In 2020-2021, NASA engaged another astronaut applicant screening process to identify its 23rd group of astronaut candidates. The BHP Operations team completed a significant amount of work to evaluate applicants and provide valuable input to the Astronaut Selection Board and the Aerospace Medical Board. One presentation will provide an overview of the work completed by BHP; and one presentation will discuss a critical competency important for successful job performance of the astronauts – Team Orientation. The former will summarize aspects of BHP’s Select-in and Select-out process and provide lessons learned for future selection cycles; the latter will briefly discuss the competencies of BHP’s applicant screening work, with focus on the importance of Team Orientation and the challenges of its measure. A third presentation will provide an overview of BHP’s current fatigue management work with astronauts and mission-critical operators at JSC (e.g., flight directors, pilots), and provide a look at the direction these fatigue management services may take in future exploration missions. Two other presentations will focus on the research completed by the BHP Lab to measure in a standardized way the critical aspects of behavioral health and well-being. One of the presentations will provide an overview of the Exploration Measures being collected during all space and analog missions, and the importance these objective measures have for future research and operations. The final presentation will summarize analyses completed with these measures, as they have been harmonized across both ISS and Analog missions.

Gary Beven↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Crater Retention Observations of the Crater Floor–Fractured Rough Unit in Jezero Crater

A main goal of the Mars2020 Perseverance Rover mission is to provide a compelling suite of samples for eventual return to Earth [1]. A high priority goal for Mars Sample Return is calibrating Mars’ crater retention isochrons that are used to date geologic surfaces and events across the planet [2]. Several factors are necessary to consider what type of rock would be most useful for this purpose: ability to retain craters across a large exposure, access to drillable outcrop, identifiable stratigraphic context, and understanding why this specific rock type preferentially retains crater morphology. Now that we’ve seen the surface and sampled some of the main constituent outcrops on the Crater Floor – Fractured Rough unit [3, Simon et al, this conference] (Figure 1), we can begin assessing which rocks can help us achieve this important goal to not only understand the age relationships between stratigraphic units in Jezero crater, but also improve age estimates across Mars.

Mars 2020↗
NASA NTRS2020

Mars 2020: Mission, Science Objectives and Build

If all goes according to plan, in February 2021, NASA will land the Mars 2020 Rover on the surface of Mars. Mars 2020 is the latest in a series of unmanned Martian robotic rover missions that are part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the planet. The mission seeks to address high-priority goals for Mars exploration, including answering questions about the potential for past life on Mars. Mars 2020 will look for evidence of habitable conditions on Mars in the ancient past, as well as look for signs of past microbial life itself. The mission also seeks to understanding the geological history and evolution of the planet, and to prepare for future robotic and human exploration. The Mars 2020 spacecraft and rover borrow heavily from the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission and Curiosity rover which landed on Mars in 2012. This reliance on proven technology helps reduce mission risk and cost. Mars 2020 does contain new technology, including a drill for coring samples from Martian rock and soil and a Sample Caching System for gathering, storing and preserving samples for possible future return to Earth. In this paper, we will review the primary goals of the Mars 2020 Mission and look at the reasons for choosing Jezero Crater as the landing site. We will discuss the design and build of the Mars 2020 Spacecraft system and its similarities and differences with Mars Science Laboratory and the Curiosity Rover. We will also review the Mars 2020 Scientific Instrument Suite and their goals. Finally, we will review the Return Sample Contamination Control requirements and the design choices that were made to facilitate meeting these requirements.

Soares, Carlos E.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Clothes Cleaning Research for Space Exploration

As the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) plans to establish a sustainable presence on the Moon to prepare for missions to Mars, there is an increased need to find effective and sustainable laundry solutions that are compatible with space travel and reduce the need for clothing resupply. Research and development to overcome resource constraints in space can lead to new products and practices on Earth. This paper describes a collaboration between NASA and Procter & Gamble (P&G) to advance their individual goals as well as provide additional benefits to humanity through more sustainable use of resources. In particular, the two organizations have been working together since August 2020 to advance state-of-the-art, environmentally friendly laundry solutions. Both traditional and novel approaches are being considered and held up against strict resource constraints that may exist in space missions or on Earth in the future. The results of this work are expected to contribute to NASA’s strategic goal of extending human presence deeper into space and to the Moon for sustainable long-term exploration and utilization. Likewise, the collaboration will advance one of P&G’s 2030 corporate sustainability goals by promoting water savings among its 5 billion consumers.

laundry↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

DIP Overview

NASA will visit Boeing in Fairfax, VA to share an overview of the Digital Information Platform (DIP) and the digital aviation services that can be enabled from the data discovered on the platform. The goal is to walk though the goals, objectives and concept as well as the problem statements under consideration for a flight deck service to improve airspace operational efficiency for long-haul oceanic flights. Potential digital service capabilities will be discussed with goal to solicit input from Boeing attendees.

Digital Information Platform↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The Big Plunge at Venus: The DAVINCI Descent Phase

DAVINCI (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging) was selected as one of two new Discovery missions in summer of 2021 with the primary goals to study how the Venus atmosphere formed and changed over time. DAVINCI does this by making in situ measurements of the atmosphere, taking images below the cloud layer during the descent phase, and imaging the surface and clouds during two flyby science opportunities. The Descent Sphere is neither designed nor required to land on the surface so all critical science data must be taken and transmitted to a relay spacecraft prior to impact. This architecture drives the mission to a carefully-crafted concept of operations; deployments, instrument operations, and communications are choreographed to ensure the right data is gathered at the right altitude given the uncertainties in the trajectory and timeline. A complex flow of analyses and tests throughout development will validate the system’s ability to execute the mission goals. In the end DAVINCI will be ready for its one hour of descent time to meet its driving science goals.

DAVINCI↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Promoting Collaborative Open Science through the Stakeholder Engagement Program

Since 2016, the Satellite Needs Working Group (SNWG), an initiative of the U.S. Group on Earth Observations (USGEO), has surveyed federal agencies biennially to identify their satellite Earth observation needs. Coordinating with the agencies, NASA-led assessment teams work to identify solutions for each expressed need. Solutions to a need can involve existing data products or even the formation of new data products and technologies, such as the Harmonized Landsat Sentinel-2 (HLS) product and the Catalog of Archived Sub-Orbital Earth Science Investigations (CASEI). To enhance community engagement with these new data products and technologies, the SNWG Management Office’s Stakeholder Engagement Program (SEP) was established. The SEP within NASA’s Interagency Implementation and Advanced Concepts Team (IMPACT) at Marshall Space Flight Center has three goals: to increase awareness of the SNWG survey and its outcomes, to ensure training coordination and outreach efforts supporting integration and use of SNWG solutions, and to enhance coordination among solution development teams, NASA’s Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs), SNWG stakeholders, and end user communities. These goals align with NASA Earth Science Data System’s (ESDS) Open Science initiative by establishing a collaborative community focused on enhancing scientific research at diverse levels of understanding. This presentation will highlight SEP’s facilitation of these open science goals through its support in SNWG’s past and current survey cycles as well as its plans for future involvement.

Jenny Wood↗
NASA NTRS2022

NIAC Phase-2 Final Report for Astrophysics and Technical Lab Studies of a Solar Neutrino Spacecraft Detector

The Sun provides all the energy that our planet needs for life and has been doing so for five billion years. Understanding our Sun and its interior is one of the major goals of the NASA Science program. Still this is a very difficult task because very little makes it directly out of the Sun’s interior. The energy we see today, that warms the Earth, was made 50,000 to 80,000 years ago and is only now coming to the surface to make light. However, neutrinos penetrate matter almost without interaction and make it to Earth in only eight minutes from creation. Since neutrinos interact only weakly they are hard to detect; never-the-less within the last ten years neutrino detectors on Earth have started to reliably detect neutrinos from the fusion reactions in the interior of the Sun and scientists have started to use this information to investigate the Sun’s nuclear furnace. Changes in solar neutrino flux make it advantageous to take a neutrino detector into space since the solar neutrino intensity changes dramatically as the inverse square of the distance from the Sun, by five orders of magnitude when going from the Earth to the Sun. Launch of a neutrino detector into space toward the Sun will: a) aim to significantly increase the neutrino flux 10,000x allowing for a smaller detector which improves detector energy resolution and performance, b) attempt to completely eliminate background terrestrial neutrino sources for improved measurement accuracy, and c) conduct unique science experiments near the Sun not achievable with much larger detectors on the Earth. NASA's interest in deep space exploration has been a key factor in its unmanned spacecraft development and launch of exploration science satellites and spacecraft. NASA has done exceptional experiments in space where science benefits from the unique platform of spacecraft that provides unprecedented views. For example, the Hubble Space Telescope is really a small and very common instrument, but when it is put into an orbit high above the Earth, it becomes one of the most powerful optical observatories man has ever made. Moving neutrino observations to space is the next obvious step. The concept of putting a neutrino detector in close orbit of the sun is completely unexplored and innovative. Its scientific return is to vastly enhance the understanding of the solar interior which is a NASA major goal as stated in the decadal survey. Preliminary calculations show that such a spacecraft if properly shielded, can operate in this environment both taking data of neutrino interactions which can be distinguished from random background rates of solar Electromagnetic emissions, Galactic charged cosmic-ray, and gamma-rays by using a double pulsed signature. The NIAC Phase-1 simulations have shown this idea to be very successful in eliminating background and identifying the neutrino interaction signal, hence this spacecraft detector concept once demonstrated to be Technical Readiness Level 7 and flight mission-ready would enable a whole new type of mission to explore and study our Sun, in details that could neither be done with the largest neutrino detectors on Earth nor other types of space-craft measurements that are not using neutrino detection. Our goal in this NIAC Phase-2 was to take the detector simulation ideas and construct a prototype for testing in the lab with tagged sources to evaluate and demonstrate that the performance in the simulations are borne out by a prototype.

Neutrino↗
NASA NTRS2022

Microgreens Root Zone/Shoot Zone Partitioned Planting Box

To enable sustainable food production in future human exploration missions, plant growth is being studied by the Space Crop Production Team at KSC. Microgreens are good candidates for food supplements and contain specific nutrients that are lacking in the prepackaged diet, including vitamin C and vitamin K. Because they are densely sown, typical growth methods do not allow the ability to distinguish between the levels of evaporation from the rooting substrate and transpiration from the leaves. With larger plants, the root and shoot zone can be separated to distinguish these fluxes and accurate transpiration measurements of plant canopies are feasible. Furthermore, separation of the root and shoot zone may also be beneficial when harvesting microgreens in microgravity as it may reduce microbial contamination of the edible biomass by the roots, which have high microbial loads. Using a root and shoot separator box when harvesting may help with microbial contamination, but these tiny plants are challenging to handle in microgravity, so harvest management remains an open question. The innovation proposed here is a microgreen root/shoot partitioned planting box, which offers a solution to these challenges with accurate gas exchange measurements and a safe microgreen harvest in low gravity environments. Being able to measure transpiration of a microgreen canopy will be important for modeling plant growth in reduced gravity environments, so the first objective was to develop a planting unit with a seal between the root zone and the shoot zone. With an unsuitable harvesting technique, freshly harvested microgreens may add debris to the cabin, so the second objective was to test different harvesting techniques and management approaches associated with this innovation. These two objectives were pursued in parallel since many goals were the same: develop a planting unit that 1) separates the shoots from the roots, 2) allows acceptable germination rate, and 3) allows for seedlings to emerge and develop. What differed was the need to have a seal, which was only applicable for our gas exchange goal, and the need to have an embedded harvesting mechanism and bagging method which only applied to our harvesting goal. Testing of the various harvesting mechanisms and bagging methods was performed during a series of parabolic flights. All parabolic flight procedures took place inside a rented secondary containment chamber (e.g., glovebox) that was developed by the University of Louisville specifically for experiments involving fluids and other materials that may become airborne during reduced gravity flight. Three different harvesting methods and two different bagging collection methods were tested for microgreens. A third bagging method was initially tested but found to be unsuitable. Human factors were also taken into consideration, to identify which harvest and bagging collection methods would be easiest to use with favorable results in microgravity. Three parabolic flight tests were performed in total, one in November 2021 and two in December 2021.

Gioia Massa↗
NASA NTRS2014

Testing Mars Exploration Rover-Inspired Operational Strategies for Semi-Autonomous Rovers on the Moon Ii: the GeoHeuristic Operational Strategies Test in Alaska

We used MER-derived semi-autonomous rover science operations strategies to determine best practices suitable for remote semi-autonomous lunar rover geology. Two field teams studied two glacial moraines as analogs for potential ice-bearing lunar regolith. At each site a Rover Team commanded a human rover to execute observations based on common MER sequences; the resulting data were used to identify and characterize targets of interest. A Tiger Team followed the Rover Team using traditional terrestrial field methods, and the results of the two teams were compared. Narrowly defined goals that can be addressed using cm-scale or coarser resolution may be met sufficiently by the operational strategies adapted from MER survey mode. When reconnaissance is the primary goal, the strategies tested are necessary but not sufficient. Further, there may be a set of optimal observations for such narrowly defined, hypothesis-driven science goals, such that collecting further data would result in diminishing returns. We confirm results of previous tests that indicated systematic observations might improve efficiency during strategic planning, and improve science output during data analysis. This strategy does not markedly improve the rate at which a science team can ingest data to feed back into tactical decision-making. Other methods should be tested to separate the strategic and tactical processes, and to build in time for data analysis.

MER↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The Big Plunge at Venus: The DAVINCI Descent Phase

DAVINCI (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging) was selected as one of two new Discovery missions in summer of 2021 with the primary goals are to study how the Venus atmosphere formed and changed over time. DAVINCI does this by making in situ measurements of the atmosphere and taking images below the cloud layer during the descent phase. The probe is neither designed nor required to land on the surface so all critical science data must be taken and transmitted to a relay spacecraft prior to impact. This architecture drives the mission to a carefully-crafted concept of operations; deployments, instrument operations, and communications are choreographed to ensure the right data is gathered at the right altitude given the uncertainties in the trajectory and timeline. A complex flow of analyses and tests throughout development will validate the system’s ability to execute the mission goals. In the end, DAVINCI will be ready for the one opportunity at one hour of descent time to meet its driving science goals.

DAVINCI↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

AIAA ASCEND 2023 Panel Session Proposal: Community Perspectives on Establishing a Government-Funded National Laboratory in a Commercially-Driven LEO Ecosystem

AIAA ASCEND 2023 Panel Session Proposal: Community Perspectives on Establishing a Government-Funded National Laboratory in a Commercially-Driven LEO Ecosystem Submitted by the NASA Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy March 8, 2023 Session Format: Panel Session Topic: Expanding and Evolving the Space Economy Session Title: Community Perspectives on Establishing a Government-Funded National Laboratory in a Commercially-Driven LEO Ecosystem Short Session Description: NASA is preparing for the retirement of the ISS and transition of government-sponsored low-Earth orbit (LEO) activities to Commercial LEO Destinations (CLDs), which includes a government-funded national lab. This transition necessitates new models to connect government-funded users of the LEO environment to CLDs. This panel will highlight updates on what may constitute a national laboratory, share perspectives from members of LEO user communities, and open the discussion for additional comments. Requested Session Duration: 90 minutes Extended Session Description: NASA is preparing for the retirement of the ISS and transition of low-Earth orbit (LEO) activities to Commercial LEO Destinations (CLDs), including planning for a national laboratory. This transition necessitates new models for connecting government-funded users of the LEO environment to CLDs. NASA has made progress on models and a stepwise strategy to enable this national laboratory. This session will discuss guiding national strategies and highlight perspectives on what constitutes a national laboratory from current user communities. A NASA panel participant will introduce the rationale for continuing a national laboratory utilizing CLDs and speak on progress-to-date. This includes furthering national priorities to continue a space-based microgravity national laboratory. It also may include a brief overview of a study conducted by NASA which elucidates a trade space of models for a national laboratory and highlights from an interagency working group on microgravity for additional context. A moderator and five panelists representing diverse LEO user communities will then share perspectives on topics relating to this new dynamic ecosystem, expectations for models and activities, and other thoughts on NASA’s progress. Panelists may consist of members from the following communities: NASA, other U.S. government agencies, startups, small businesses, academia, and non-profits. The panel then plans to open discussion to the audience for questions, input, and additional feedback. Session Goal(s)/Outcome(s): By hosting a panel session, NASA aims to accomplish two goals. First, NASA wishes to update the community on progress towards establishing a national laboratory in low-Earth orbit. This includes sharing key perspectives heard from stakeholder communities. The second goal is to highlight the collaborative nature of such an undertaking and to facilitate additional discussion with other current and future users of the LEO community. Participants (not exhaustive): Erica Rodgers; Robyn Gatens

Erica Marie Rodgers Heusinkveld↗
NASA NTRS2023

The Faraday Effect Tracker of Coronal and Heliospheric Structure (FETCH) Instrument

There continue to be open questions regarding the solar wind and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). For example: how do magnetic fields within CMEs and corotating/stream interaction regions (CIRs/SIRs) evolve in the inner heliosphere? What is the radially distributed magnetic profile of shock-driving CMEs? What is the internal magnetic structure of CMEs that cause magnetic storms? It is clear that these questions involve the magnetic configurations of solar wind and transient interplanetary plasma structures, for which we have limited knowledge. In order to better understand the origin of the magnetic field variability in steady-state structures and transient events, it is necessary to probe the magnetic field in Earth-directed structures/disturbances. This is the goal of the Multiview Observatory for Solar Terrestrial Science (MOST) mission (Gopalswamy et al., 2022). For MOST to answer the aforementioned questions, we propose the instrument concept of the Faraday Effect Tracker of Coronal and Heliospheric structures (FETCH), a simultaneous quad-line-of-sight polarization radio remote-sensing instrument. With FETCH, spacecraft radio beams passing through the Sun–Earth line offer the possibility of obtaining information of plasma conditions via analysis of radio propagation effects such as Faraday rotation and wave dispersion, which provide information of the magnetic field and total electron content (TEC). This is the goal of the FETCH instrument, one of ten instruments proposed to be hosted on the MOST mission. The MOST mission will provide an unprecedented opportunity to achieve NASA’s heliophysics science goal to “explore and characterize the physical processes in the space environment from the Sun” (Gopalswamy et al., 2022).

Solar corona↗