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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 1,315 records · Page 73
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2011

Launch Pad Escape System Design (Human Spaceflight)

A launch pad escape system for human spaceflight is one of those things that everyone hopes they will never need but is critical for every manned space program. Since men were first put into space in the early 1960s, the need for such an Emergency Escape System (EES) has become apparent. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has made use of various types of these EESs over the past 50 years. Early programs, like Mercury and Gemini, did not have an official launch pad escape system. Rather, they relied on a Launch Escape System (LES) of a separate solid rocket motor attached to the manned capsule that could pull the astronauts to safety in the event of an emergency. This could only occur after hatch closure at the launch pad or during the first stage of flight. A version of a LES, now called a Launch Abort System (LAS) is still used today for all manned capsule type launch vehicles. However, this system is very limited in that it can only be used after hatch closure and it is for flight crew only. In addition, the forces necessary for the LES/LAS to get the capsule away from a rocket during the first stage of flight are quite high and can cause injury to the crew. These shortcomings led to the development of a ground based EES for the flight crew and ground support personnel as well. This way, a much less dangerous mode of egress is available for any flight or ground personnel up to a few seconds before launch. The early EESs were fairly simple, gravity-powered systems to use when thing's go bad. And things can go bad very quickly and catastrophically when dealing with a flight vehicle fueled with millions of pounds of hazardous propellant. With this in mind, early EES designers saw such a passive/unpowered system as a must for last minute escapes. This and other design requirements had to be derived for an EES, and this section will take a look at the safety design requirements had to be derived for an EES, and this section will take a look at the safety design aspects for a launch pad escape system.

Maloney, Kelli↗
DOE OSTI2025

SPARC - Plans for a New Critical Experiment Facility with a Horizontal Split Table

Several critical experiment facilities, sometimes referred to as zero power reactor facilities, have provided crucial data to aid understanding and validate nuclear-physics models since the beginning of nuclear technology. Indeed, the first man-made reactor, Chicago Pile-1, was essentially this type of reactor. However, there was a downturn in nuclear technology development toward the turn of the millennium, and the need for these specialized research facilities waned. Now there are few of these experimental facilities operational in the world and those that remain have relatively small critical assembly machines. The need for criticality safety benchmark experiments at intermediate neutron energy levels and the modern resurgence of interest in advanced reactors designs, many of which do not have historical precedents in terms of nuclear fuel composition, moderator, and coolant combinations, all combine to create a substantial need for a critical experiment facility with a large horizontal split-table (HST) machine. A HST machine is used to arrange two separate and subcritical parts of a core assembly, bring them together in a precise manner to achieve criticality using remote controls, and separate them to achieve a subcritical configuration again. A new effort was recently performed to develop user needs for a HST, assess candidate locations at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), and develop a plan for deployment. This project is referred to as the System Physics Advanced Reactor Critical facility (SPARC). A few months after this assessment began, and shortly after as a viable pathway was emerging, a series of important presidential executive orders were issued to revitalize nuclear energy in the United States (U.S.). The relevance of SPARC to these executive orders was immediately apparent. The far-reaching potential of SPARC to these executive orders will reside in its ability to produce data which facilitates licensing of advanced nuclear reactor designs while reducing uncertainties to help increase energy production alongside new criticality safety data to enable more efficient nuclear fuel manufacture, transport, and storage.

22 - GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Synthetic active liquid crystals powered by acoustic waves.

Active nematic materials combine orientational order with activity at the microscopic level. Current experimental realizations of active nematics include vibrating elongated particles, cell layers, suspensions of elongated bacteria, and a mixture of bio-filaments with molecular motors. The majority of active nematics are of biological origin. The realization of a fully synthetic active liquid crystal comprised of a lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal energized by ultrasonic waves, is reported. This synthetic active liquid crystal is free from biological degradation and variability, exhibits phenomenology associated with active nematics, and enables precise and rapid activity control over a significantly extended range. It is demonstrated that the energy of the acoustic field is converted into microscopic extensile stresses disrupting long-range nematic order and giving rise to an undulation instability and proliferation of topological defects. The emergence of unconventional free-standing persistent vortices in the nematic director field at high activity levels is revealed. The results provide a foundation for the design of externally energized active liquid crystals with stable material properties and tunable topological defect dynamics crucial for the realization of reconfigurable microfluidic systems.

active matter↗
DOE OSTI2024

A soft departure from jamming: the compaction of deformable granular matter under high pressures

Here, the high-pressure compaction of three-dimensional granular packings is simulated using a bonded particle model (BPM) to capture linear elastic deformation. In the model, grains are represented by a collection of point particles connected by bonds. A simple multibody interaction is introduced to control Poisson's ratio and the arrangement of particles on the surface of a grain is varied to model both high- and low-frictional grains. At low pressures, the growth in packing fraction and coordination number follows the expected behavior near jamming and exhibit friction dependence. As the pressure increases, deviations from the low-pressure power-law scaling emerge after the packing fraction grows by approximately 0.1 and results from simulations with different friction coefficients converge. These results are compared to predictions from traditional discrete element method simulations which, depending on the definition of packing fraction and coordination number, may only differ by a factor of two. As grains deform under compaction, the average volumetric strain and asphericity, a measure of the change in the shape of grains, are found to grow as power laws and depend heavily on the Poisson's ratio of the constituent solid. Larger Poisson's ratios are associated with less volumetric strain and more asphericity and the apparent power-law exponent of the asphericity may vary. The elastic properties of the packed grains are also calculated as a function of packing fraction. In particular, we find the Poisson's ratio near jamming is 1/2 but decreases to around 1/4 before rising again as systems densify.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1993

The national geomagnetic initiative

The Earth's magnetic field, through its variability over a spectrum of spatial and temporal scales, contains fundamental information on the solid Earth and geospace environment (the latter comprising the atmosphere, ionosphere, and magnetosphere). Integrated studies of the geomagnetic field have the potential to address a wide range of important processes in the deep mantle and core, asthenosphere, lithosphere, oceans, and the solar-terrestrial environment. These studies have direct applications to important societal problems, including resource assessment and exploration, natural hazard mitigation, safe navigation, and the maintenance and survivability of communications and power systems on the ground and in space. Studies of the Earth's magnetic field are supported by a variety of federal and state agencies as well as by private industry. Both basic and applied research is presently supported by several federal agencies, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) (through the Navy, Air Force, and Defense Mapping Agency). Although each agency has a unique, well-defined mission in geomagnetic studies, many areas of interest overlap. For example, NASA, the Navy, and USGS collaborate closely in the development of main field reference models. NASA, NSF, and the Air Force collaborate in space physics. These interagency linkages need to be strengthened. Over the past decade, new opportunities for fundamental advances in geomagnetic research have emerged as a result of three factors: well-posed, first-order scientific questions; increased interrelation of research activities dealing with geomagnetic phenomena; and recent developments in technology. These new opportunities can be exploited through a national geomagnetic initiative to define objectives and encourage coordination of efforts among federal and state agencies, academic institutions, and industry to systematically characterize the spatial and temporal behavior of the Earth's magnetic field on local, regional, and global scales in order to understand the physical processes in the solid earth and geospace environment, and to apply this understanding to a variety of scientific problems and to technical and societal needs.

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DOE OSTI2024

Post-processing of phase change material in a zero-change commercial silicon photonic process

Integration of phase change material (PCM) with photonic integrated circuits can transform large-scale photonic systems by providing non-volatile control over phase and amplitude. The next generation of commercial silicon photonic processes can benefit from the addition of PCM to enable ultra-low power, highly reconfigurable, and compact photonic integrated circuits for large-scale applications. Despite all the advantages of PCM-based photonics, today’s commercial foundries do not provide them in their silicon photonic processes yet. We demonstrate the first-ever electrically programmable PCM device that is monolithically post-processed in a commercial foundry silicon photonics process using a few fabrication steps and coarse-resolution photolithography. These devices achieved 1.4 dB/μm of amplitude switching contrast using a thin layer of 12.5 nm GeSbTe in this work. We have also characterized the reconfiguration speed as well as repeatability of these devices over 20,000 switching cycles. Our solution enables non-volatile photonic VLSI systems that can be fabricated at low cost and high reliability in a commercial foundry process, paving the way for the development of non-volatile programmable photonic integrated circuits for a variety of emerging applications.

Optics↗
DOE OSTI2023

Hierarchical thermal-conductive polymer nanocomposites for thermal management

Managing heat in electrical conductors is a major challenge to meet the demands for sustainable energy use and electrical reliability, most notably power electronics and energy-critical electrical machines. Achieving such disparate functionalities, such as high temperature thermal and electrical reliability, require rational design and manufacturing of thermal conductor material and its hierarchical structures. Here we present hierarchical thermal-conductive nanocomposites, consisting of nanostructured ceramic conformal coating and aligned ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene fiber, to tailor heat dissipation in electric conductors. The hybrid aligned thermal interface exhibits a highly desirable temperature dependent anisotropic high thermal conductivity with 0.98W m –1 K –1 and dielectric strength with 3.4. In addition, electrically insulating thermal interfaces demonstrate high-performing and reliable electrical systems under the dynamic load conditions. The surface temperature of heterogeneous ceramic-polymer encapsulated conductor is 17.8 °C lower than that of polymer-encapsulated conductor at the same electrical load. Consequently, the findings shown here hold great promises for directing heat extraction in electrical machine systems, advancing thermal management for emerging electronic applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1996

The Implementation and Evaluation of the Emergency Response Dose Assessment System (ERDAS) at Cape Canaveral Air Station/Kennedy Space Center

The Emergency Response Dose Assessment System (ERDAS) is a system which combines the mesoscale meteorological prediction model RAMS with the diffusion models REEDM and HYPACT. Operators use a graphical user interface to run the models for emergency response and toxic hazard planning at CCAS/KCS. The Applied Meteorology Unit has been evaluating the ERDAS meteorological and diffusion models and obtained the following results: (1) RAMS adequately predicts the occurrence of the daily sea breeze during non-cloudy conditions for several cases. (2) RAMS shows a tendency to predict the sea breeze to occur slightly earlier and to move it further inland than observed. The sea breeze predictions could most likely be improved by better parameterizing the soil moisture and/or sea surface temperatures. (3) The HYPACT/REEDM/RAMS models accurately predict launch plume locations when RAMS winds are accurate and when the correct plume layer is modeled. (4) HYPACT does not adequately handle plume buoyancy for heated plumes since all plumes are presently treated as passive tracers. Enhancements should be incorporated into the ERDAS as it moves toward being a fully operational system and as computer workstations continue to increase in power and decrease in cost. These enhancements include the following: activate RAMS moisture physics; use finer RAMS grid resolution; add RAMS input parameters (e.g. soil moisture, radar, and/or satellite data); automate data quality control; implement four-dimensional data assimilation; modify HYPACT plume rise and deposition physics; and add cumulative dosage calculations in HYPACT.

Evans, Randolph J.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Chemochromic Hydrogen Leak Detectors

At NASA, hydrogen safety is a key concern for space shuttle processing. Leaks of any level must be quickly recognized and addressed due to hydrogen s lower explosion limit. Chemo - chromic devices have been developed to detect hydrogen gas in several embodiments. Because hydrogen is odorless and colorless and poses an explosion hazard, there is an emerging need for sensors to quickly and accurately detect low levels of leaking hydrogen in fuel cells and other advanced energy- generating systems in which hydrogen is used as fuel. The device incorporates a chemo - chromic pigment into a base polymer. The article can reversibly or irreversibly change color upon exposure to hydrogen. The irreversible pigment changes color from a light beige to a dark gray. The sensitivity of the pigment can be tailored to its application by altering its exposure to gas through the incorporation of one or more additives or polymer matrix. Furthermore, through the incorporation of insulating additives, the chemochromic sensor can operate at cryogenic temperatures as low as 78 K. A chemochromic detector of this type can be manufactured into any feasible polymer part including injection molded plastic parts, fiber-spun textiles, or extruded tapes. The detectors are simple, inexpensive, portable, and do not require an external power source. The chemochromic detectors were installed and removed easily at the KSC launch pad without need for special expertise. These detectors may require an external monitor such as the human eye, camera, or electronic detector; however, they could be left in place, unmonitored, and examined later for color change to determine whether there had been exposure to hydrogen. In one type of envisioned application, chemochromic detectors would be fabricated as outer layers (e.g., casings or coatings) on high-pressure hydrogen storage tanks and other components of hydrogen-handling systems to provide visible indications of hydrogen leaks caused by fatigue failures or other failures in those systems. In another type of envisioned application, chemochromic detectors of this type could be optoelectronically instrumented for monitoring to provide measured digital indications of color changes indicative of the presence of hydrogen.

Roberson, Luke↗
DOE OSTI2020

In-situ fabrication and transport properties of (111) Y 2 Ir 2 O 7 epitaxial thin film

We report on the successful fabrication of (111) oriented thin films of pyrochlore iridate Y 2 Ir 2 O 7 by means of solid phase epitaxy. Essentially, we developed an entirely in situ annealing protocol, which is superior to the conventional ex-situ routine that requires multi-hour annealing to stabilize the proper pyrochlore structure. The morphological quality of the films has been confirmed by x-ray diffraction, reflectivity, and reciprocal space mapping, demonstrating their high crystallinity with a pure pyrochlore phase and an expected epitaxial relation to the substrate. Strikingly, below the magnetic phase transition, the temperature dependence of resistivity shows a power-law behavior with the power exponent of similar to 3/2, characteristic of a Weyl semimetal in the presence of impurities and electron-electron correlations. Finally, below 10K, the magneto-transport measurements reveal the emergence of a non-saturated negative magnetoresistance up to 9T with a small "valley" around zero field. These findings are further interpreted in relation to the weak anti-localization effect and the non-collinear antiferromagnetic ordering on the Ir sublattice.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Rapid simulations of hyperspectral near-field images of three-dimensional heterogeneous surfaces

The scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscope (s-SNOM) has emerged as a powerful tool for resolving nanoscale inhomogeneities in laterally heterogeneous samples. However, most analytical models used to predict the scattering near-field signals are assuming homogenous landscapes (bulk materials), resulting in inconsistencies when applied to samples with more complex configurations. In this work, we combine the point-dipole model (PDM) to the finite-element method (FEM) to account for the lateral and vertical heterogeneities while keeping the computation time manageable. Full images, spectra, or hyperspectral line profiles can be simulated by calculating the self-consistent dipole radiation demodulated at higher harmonics of the tip oscillation, mimicking real experimental procedures. Using this formalism, we clarify several important yet puzzling experimental observations in near-field images on samples with rich typography and complex material compositions, heterostructures of two-dimensional material flakes, and plasmonic antennas. The developed method serves as a basis for future investigations of nano-systems with nontrivial topography.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS2012

CloudSat Anomaly Recovery and Operational Lessons Learned

In April 2011, NASA's pioneering cloud profiling radar satellite, CloudSat, experienced a battery anomaly that placed it into emergency mode and rendered it operations incapable. All initial attempts to recover the spacecraft failed as the resultant power limitations could not support even the lowest power mode. Originally part of a six-satellite constellation known as the "A-Train", CloudSat was unable to stay within its assigned control box, posing a threat to other A-Train satellites. CloudSat needed to exit the constellation, but with the tenuous power profile, conducting maneuvers was very risky. The team was able to execute a complex sequence of operations which recovered control, conducted an orbit lower maneuver, and returned the satellite to safe mode, within one 65 minute sunlit period. During the course of the anomaly recovery, the team developed several bold, innovative operational strategies. Details of the investigation into the root-cause and the multiple approaches to revive CloudSat are examined. Satellite communication and commanding during the anomaly are presented. A radical new system of "Daylight Only Operations" (DO-OP) was developed, which cycles the payload and subsystem components off in tune with earth eclipse entry and exit in order to maintain positive power and thermal profiles. The scientific methodology and operational results behind the graduated testing and ramp-up to DO-OP are analyzed. In November 2011, the CloudSat team successfully restored the vehicle to consistent operational collection of cloud radar data during sunlit portions of the orbit. Lessons learned throughout the six-month return-to-operations recovery effort are discussed and offered for application to other R&D satellites, in the context of on-orbit anomaly resolution efforts.

cloud profiling radar satellite↗
DOE OSTI2026

Architecting the Third Dimension of Electrochemical Energy Storage

Three-dimensional (3D) architectural design has emerged as a powerful strategy to push electrochemical energy storage (EES) devices beyond the intrinsic limitations of conventional two-dimensional (2D) electrodes. While planar architectures enable high packing density and mature manufacturing, they suffer from limited ion transport and low active-material loading. In contrast, 3D architectures introduce low-tortuosity networks and high surface area that enhance charge and mass transport while supporting thick, high mass-loading electrodes. However, their practicality remains hindered by challenges in volumetric density, mechanical stability, and large-scale manufacturability. Here, this Perspective examines the key evaluation and design principles that govern 3D device performance. We discuss the fundamental trade-offs between porosity, volumetric density, and mechanical stability that shape 3D design and highlight emerging strategies for integrating materials engineering, structural optimization, device integration, computational modeling, and scalable manufacturing. By aligning structural functionality with manufacturability, 3D architectures can evolve from laboratory prototypes to commercially viable energy storage systems.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Imaging local discharge cascades for correlated electrons in WS 2 /WSe 2 moiré superlattices

Transition metal dichalcogenide moiré heterostructures provide an ideal platform to explore the extended Hubbard model, where long-range Coulomb interactions play a critical role in determining strongly correlated electron states. This has led to experimental observations of Mott insulator states at half filling as well as a variety of extended Wigner crystal states at different fractional fillings. However, a microscopic understanding of these emerging quantum phases is still lacking. Here we describe a scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) technique for the local sensing and manipulation of correlated electrons in a gated WS 2 /WSe 2 moiré superlattice, which enables the experimental extraction of fundamental extended Hubbard model parameters. We demonstrate that the charge state of the local moiré sites can be imaged by their influence on the STM tunnelling current. In addition to imaging, we are also able to manipulate the charge state of correlated electrons. When we ramp the bias on the STM tip, there is a local discharge cascade of correlated electrons in the moiré superlattice, which allows us to estimate the nearest-neighbour Coulomb interaction. Two-dimensional mapping of the moiré electron charge states also enables us to determine the on-site energy fluctuations at different moiré sites. Furthermore, our technique should be broadly applicable to many semiconductor moiré systems, offering a powerful tool for the microscopic characterization and control of strongly correlated states in moiré superlattices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Manufacturing Supply Chain Development for Modular Solar-Thermochemical Conversion Platform - CRADA 387 (Final Report)

Modular chemical process intensification (MCPI) is an emerging field where chemical processing is performed using small-scale modular equipment instead of conventional large centralized chemical plants. Conventional chemical plants benefit from economies of scale that encourage scale-up to ever larger plants. A goal of MCPI is to develop technology that intensifies processing so that equipment can be dramatically smaller and integrated into modular systems. Scale-up occurs by adding more modules in parallel rather than making the equipment larger. A key concept is that equipment and modules can ultimately be cheaper by leveraging economies of mass production, analogous to the automotive industry, in manufacturing the equipment. This project made significant progress toward this outcome by meeting the RAPID institute metric to reduce equipment cost by 20% for each doubling in manufacturing volume. The MCPI application was thermochemical technology that is being commercialized by STARS Technology Corporation, one of the CRADA partners. The technology converts solar and renewable power to chemical energy to produce renewable hydrogen, fuels, and chemicals. The benefit to the public is reduction in greenhouse gases that are contributing to climate change. The project transitioned the steam methane reforming (SMR) reactor from conventional fabrication methods to additive manufacturing (AM) direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) process. This is projected to reduce the cost of making a reactor by 58% when producing 100 reactors per year. Innovations in the DMLS process produced a patented design that reduces reactor weight by 60%. Reductions in material costs and processing time extend the DMLS advantage to higher production volumes. The new design promises to be 38% cheaper than the conventional processes at 1000 units per year. The resulting 87% reduction in the steam methane reforming (SMR) module cost in scaling from current costs meets the RAPID metric. The project was successful in producing and testing the first ever additively manufactured SMR reactors. A reactor achieved over 82% efficiency in converting electric power to chemical energy, which is a world record for an inductively heated SMR. The project has contributed to the design and assembly of a first demonstration plant that is headed to a hydrogen bus filling station in Thousand Palms, CA.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2026

DER Cybersecurity Standards: Assessment and Gap Analysis

The purpose of this report is to share the comprehensive gap analysis of existing cybersecurity standards applicable to Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) within the electric power sector. This analysis aims to identify critical deficiencies in current standards, assess their alignment with industry needs, and provide actionable recommendations for enhancing cybersecurity measures. The scope encompasses various DER technologies, including solar, wind, energy storage, and hydrogen fuel cells, and emphasizes the significance of establishing robust cybersecurity frameworks and standards to safeguard these increasingly integrated systems. The report provides valuable insights for stakeholders in the DER ecosystem, including manufacturers, utilities, and regulators. It underscores the importance of continued development and refinement of cybersecurity standards to keep up with the technical advances in DERs and associated cybersecurity challenges. The analysis evaluated IEC, IEEE, ISA, ISO, and UL standards relevant to DER cybersecurity. Standards were assessed on their coverage of key requirements including data availability, integrity, confidentiality, access control, authentication, encryption, and system hardening. For each standard, the analysis assessed its alignment with current industry practices, regulatory compliance, effectiveness in addressing known risks, coverage of emerging risks, and how it promotes interoperability. The evaluation also considered potential integration challenges and barriers to adoption.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
NASA NTRS2009

Providing Oxygen for the Crew of a Lunar Outpost

Oxygen (O2) is obviously essential for human space missions, but it is important to examine all the different ways it will be used and the potential sources that it may come from. This effort will lead to storage and delivery requirements and help to determine the optimum architecture from an overall systems engineering point of view. Accounting for all the oxygen in a Lunar Outpost mission includes meeting the metabolic needs of the crew while in the surface Habitat, leakage through the Habitat or Pressurized Rover walls, recharge of the space suit backpack and emergency situations. Current plans indicate that both primary and secondary O2 bottles for the space suit will be filled to a pressure of 20.7 MPa (3000 psia). Other uses of O2 require much lower pressure. Sources of O2 at a Lunar Outpost include compressed or liquefied O2 brought along specifically for life support, scavenged O2 from the Lander propulsion system, recovered O2 from waste water or exhaled carbon dioxide and O2 mined from the moon itself. Previously, eight technology options were investigated to provide the high pressure space suit O2. High pressure O2 storage was treated as the baseline technology and compared to the other seven. The other seven were cryogenic storage followed by high pressure vaporization, scavenging liquid oxygen (LOX) from Lander followed by vaporization, LOX delivery followed by sorption compression, low pressure water electrolysis followed by mechanical compression, high pressure water electrolysis, sharing a high pressure electrolyzer with a regenerative fuel cell power system, and making use of In- Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU). This system-level analysis was conducted by comparing equivalent system mass of the eight technologies in open and closed loop life support architectures. The most promising high pressure O2 generation technologies were recommended for development. Updates and an expansion of the earlier study have been made and the results are reported in this paper. Examples of recent analyses include feasibility of recovering space suit purge O2 in a Pressurized Rover and using sub-critical LOX for primary supply while using high-pressure gaseous O2 as the secondary supply for the space-suit. Preliminary analysis on scavenging LOX from the Lander and delivering it to the Habitat has also been incorporated into this integrated lunar fluids analysis

Ewert, Michael K.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Technologies Render Views of Earth for Virtual Navigation

On a December night in 1995, 159 passengers and crewmembers died when American Airlines Flight 965 flew into the side of a mountain while in route to Cali, Colombia. A key factor in the tragedy: The pilots had lost situational awareness in the dark, unfamiliar terrain. They had no idea the plane was approaching a mountain until the ground proximity warning system sounded an alarm only seconds before impact. The accident was of the kind most common at the time CFIT, or controlled flight into terrain says Trey Arthur, research aerospace engineer in the Crew Systems and Aviation Operations Branch at NASA s Langley Research Center. In situations such as bad weather, fog, or nighttime flights, pilots would rely on airspeed, altitude, and other readings to get an accurate sense of location. Miscalculations and rapidly changing conditions could contribute to a fully functioning, in-control airplane flying into the ground. To improve aviation safety by enhancing pilots situational awareness even in poor visibility, NASA began exploring the possibilities of synthetic vision creating a graphical display of the outside terrain on a screen inside the cockpit. How do you display a mountain in the cockpit? You have to have a graphics-powered computer, a terrain database you can render, and an accurate navigation solution, says Arthur. In the mid-1990s, developing GPS technology offered a means for determining an aircraft s position in space with high accuracy, Arthur explains. As the necessary technologies to enable synthetic vision emerged, NASA turned to an industry partner to develop the terrain graphical engine and database for creating the virtual rendering of the outside environment.

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