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NASA NTRS2005

Solid Freeform Fabrication of Composite-Material Objects

Composite solid freeform fabrication (C-SFF) or composite layer manufacturing (CLM) is an automated process in which an advanced composite material (a matrix reinforced with continuous fibers) is formed into a freestanding, possibly complex, three-dimensional object. In CLM, there is no need for molds, dies, or other expensive tooling, and there is usually no need for machining to ensure that the object is formed to the desired net size and shape. CLM is a variant of extrusion-type rapid prototyping, in which a model or prototype of a solid object is built up by controlled extrusion of a polymeric or other material through an orifice that is translated to form patterned layers. The second layer is deposited on top of the first layer, the third layer is deposited on top of the second layer, and so forth, until the stack of layers reaches the desired final thickness and shape. The elements of CLM include (1) preparing a matrix resin in a form in which it will solidify subsequently, (2) mixing the fibers and matrix material to form a continuous pre-impregnated tow (also called "towpreg"), and (3) dispensing the pre-impregnated tow from a nozzle onto a base while moving the nozzle to form the dispensed material into a patterned layer of controlled thickness. When the material deposited into a given layer has solidified, the material for the next layer is deposited and patterned similarly, and so forth, until the desired overall object has been built up as a stack of patterned layers. Preferably, the deposition apparatus is controlled by a computer-aided design (CAD) system. The basic CLM concept can be adapted to the fabrication of parts from a variety of matrix materials. It is conceivable that a CLM apparatus could be placed at a remote location on Earth or in outer space where (1) spare parts are expected to be needed but (2) it would be uneconomical or impractical to store a full inventory of spare parts. A wide variety of towpregs could be prepared and stored on spools until needed. Long-shelf-life towpreg materials suitable for such use could include thermoplastic-coated carbon fibers and metal-coated SiC fibers. When a spare part was needed, the part could be fabricated by CLM under control by a CAD data file; thus, the part could be built automatically, at the scene, within hours or minutes.

Wang, C. Jeff↗

NASA NTRS2014

File Specification for the 7-km GEOS-5 Nature Run, Ganymed Release Non-Hydrostatic 7-km Global Mesoscale Simulation

This document describes the gridded output files produced by a two-year global, non-hydrostatic mesoscale simulation for the period 2005-2006 produced with the non-hydrostatic version of GEOS-5 Atmospheric Global Climate Model (AGCM). In addition to standard meteorological parameters (wind, temperature, moisture, surface pressure), this simulation includes 15 aerosol tracers (dust, sea-salt, sulfate, black and organic carbon), O3, CO and CO2. This model simulation is driven by prescribed sea-surface temperature and sea-ice, daily volcanic and biomass burning emissions, as well as high-resolution inventories of anthropogenic sources. A description of the GEOS-5 model configuration used for this simulation can be found in Putman et al. (2014). The simulation is performed at a horizontal resolution of 7 km using a cubed-sphere horizontal grid with 72 vertical levels, extending up to to 0.01 hPa (approximately 80 km). For user convenience, all data products are generated on two logically rectangular longitude-latitude grids: a full-resolution 0.0625 deg grid that approximately matches the native cubed-sphere resolution, and another 0.5 deg reduced-resolution grid. The majority of the full-resolution data products are instantaneous with some fields being time-averaged. The reduced-resolution datasets are mostly time-averaged, with some fields being instantaneous. Hourly data intervals are used for the reduced-resolution datasets, while 30-minute intervals are used for the full-resolution products. All full-resolution output is on the model's native 72-layer hybrid sigma-pressure vertical grid, while the reduced-resolution output is given on native vertical levels and on 48 pressure surfaces extending up to 0.02 hPa. Section 4 presents additional details on horizontal and vertical grids. Information of the model surface representation can be found in Appendix B. The GEOS-5 product is organized into file collections that are described in detail in Appendix C. Additional details about variables listed in this file specification can be found in a separate document, the GEOS-5 File Specification Variable Definition Glossary. Documentation about the current access methods for products described in this document can be found on the GEOS-5 Nature Run portal: http://gmao.gsfc.nasa.gov/projects/G5NR. Information on the scientific quality of this simulation will appear in a forthcoming NASA Technical Report Series on Global Modeling and Data Assimilation to be available from http://gmao.gsfc.nasa.gov/pubs/tm/.

GEOS-5↗

NASA NTRS2003

Buried and Visible Impact Basin Distribution on Mars: Comparison with Magnetization, Gravity and Crustal Thickness Models

The large population of buried impact basins found in MOLA elevation data on Mars provides compelling evidence for a pre-Noachian crust below the oldest visible Early Noachian surface units, and lowland crust below the younger plains that is Early Noachian in age, older than much of the visible highlands, but not as old as the buried pre-Noachian highlands. The large (D greater than 200 km) buried basins are suggested by Quasi-Circular Depressions (QCDs) that are not apparent in image data, and include features up to 3000 lun diameter in both the lowlands (Utopia) and highlands (a newly found "Ares Basin"). There are about a dozen QCDs larger than 1000 km diameter. We have placed these large features in a relative age sequence based on superimposed smaller QCD. Only the youngest and most obvious of these (Hellas, Argyre, Isidis) lack magnetic anomalies within their main rings. These all have an N(200) cumulative crater density of less than 2.5. Somewhat older lowland-making basins (Utopia, Chryse, Acidalia) with an N(200) age of approximately 3.0, have weak magnetic anomalies, and the oldest, most subdued basins (including Ares) with N(200) greater than 3.5 have many strong magnetic anomalies within their main ring. These older basins likely formed before the main magnetic field died. We have compared our inventory of large QCDs with the distribution of gravity anomalies and with a crustal thickness model which shows many roughly circular areas of thinner crust completely or partly surrounded by narrow regions of thicker crust. These have the structure expected for impact basins, and many of them do correspond to the visible or buried QCDs we previously identified. But there are cases where the crustal thickness feature is offset from the QCD found in topography alone, and there are also several, sometimes large examples of such features which do not coincide with QCDs previously identified. For example, we find several likely buried basins revealed in the crustal thickness data in the Arcadia and Amazonis regions which we did not previously identify, including several features in the 600-1200 km diameter range.

Frey, Herbert↗

DOE OSTI2026

Neural Posterior Estimation for Scalable and Accurate Inverse Parameter Inference in Li-Ion Batteries

Diagnosing the internal state of Li-ion batteries is critical for battery research, operation of real-world systems, and prognostic evaluation of remaining lifetime. By using physics-based models to perform probabilistic parameter estimation via Bayesian calibration, diagnostics can account for the uncertainty due to model fitness, data noise, and the observability of any given parameter. However, Bayesian calibration in Li-ion batteries using electrochemical data is computationally intensive even when using a fast surrogate in place of physics-based models, requiring many thousands of model evaluations. A fully amortized alternative is neural posterior estimation (NPE). NPE shifts the computational burden from the parameter estimation step to data generation and model training, reducing the parameter estimation time from minutes to milliseconds, enabling real-time applications. The present work shows that NPE can infer parameters equally or more accurately than Bayesian calibration, even if it leads to higher voltage reconstruction errors. We also demonstrate that the higher computational costs for data generation are tractable even in high-dimensional cases (ranging from 6 to 27 estimated parameters). The NPE method also offers several interpretability advantages over Bayesian calibration, such as local parameter sensitivity to specific regions of the voltage curve. The NPE method is demonstrated using an experimental fast charge dataset, with parameter estimates validated against measurements of loss of lithium inventory and loss of active material. The implementation is made available in a companion repository (https://github.com/NatLabRockies/BatFIT).

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

DOE OSTI2020

SRS Composite Analysis Monitoring Plan (FY2019 Model Validation)

Using a projected end-state date of 2065 (SRNS 2015b), the Savannah River Site (SRS) Composite Analysis (CA) modeling for each facility and waste site began on the inventory year assigned to it so that source depletion and radionuclide transport out of the system could be appropriately captured. Some SRS waste sites that have already achieved their end states (i.e. end-state inventories and end-state configuration) are currently contributing to the potential off-site public dose through source release, groundwater transport, discharge to on-site surface streams, and stream transport to the CA point of assessments (POAs). The inventory year assigned to these waste sites is 2002 or before. This means that SRS CA results from 2002 and beyond are a reasonable representation for these waste sites that have already achieved their end states and are currently contributing to the potential off-site public dose. The SRS Annual Environmental Report (AER) monitoring can differentiate and separate liquid pathway data allowing the data representing only waste sites at their end state to be produced. Because the SRS CA has projected reasonable end-state impacts from 2002 and beyond, and the AER monitoring can differentiate and separate operating and end-state contributions to annual liquid pathway release, an opportunity exists to use the AER monitoring data to validate the SRS CA model. The CA model validation program uses a graded and systematic approach for taking corrective action, starting with an SRS established administrative dose limit of 15 mrem/yr, below which no action is required. Based on the location of the 2010 SRS CA POAs, the only potential exposure pathway for the public is through surface water. The completion of the FY2019 CA model validation indicates that the SRS CA projected dose, while generally conservative, provides a reasonable representation of the maximum annual doses. These doses are well below the administrative limit; therefore, no additional action is required.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

DOE OSTI2022

Model Validation for the FY2021 SRS Composite Analysis Monitoring Plan

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

DOE OSTI2023

Integrated Process Optimization for Biochemical Conversion

This research is motivated by the challenges faced during biomass processing in bioenergy plants. It has been observed that variations in biomass characteristics, such as moisture, ash, and carbohydrate contents cause variations in feeding of the system which led to underutilization of equipment and the reactor. The objective of this research is to ensure a continuous flow of biomass to the reactor in plants that use the biochemical conversion process to generate liquid fuels. The overall goal is to lower the cost of producing biofuels, which could lead to improving US’s energy independency and growing US’s rural economy. The research team developed analytical models, such as discrete element method (DEM) models and mathematical models. The DEM models are unit-level models that explicitly capture biomass characteristics and quantify the impacts of biomass characteristics on bulk material properties and the performance of specific equipment. The mathematical models are system-level models that capture the impacts of system infeed rate, equipment processing rate, storage location and capacity, and biomass characteristics on system throughput. The functional relations predicting the bulk material properties from DEM models are incorporated to the mathematical models. The models developed were validated and evaluated using data collected at Idaho National Laboratory’s biomass processing facility. Via these models, we identified process control strategies that ensure a continuous flow of biomass to the reactor, while meeting the requirements of biochemical conversion process. Our analysis indicates that sequencing of biomass bales based on moisture level, and carbohydrate contents could have a positive impact on reducing processing time and inventory level and increasing throughput rate. Short bale sequences that repeat frequently, seem to have the greatest impact on improving system’s performance. Based on our experiments, the total annual system operating costs reduced by 20-30%, and the maximum inventory level reduced by 3 to 4 times. The operating costs include the annual equipment amortization cost and processing cost. The implementation of the models developed requires the use of standardized bale format, Radio Frequency Identification technology, sensing and real time monitoring of material attributes, automated material handling equipment, and automated process control. The scope of the model proposed can be extended to include the whole supply chain. The supply chain models help identify how many bales of different biomass feedstock to purchase given biomass availability in the region, biomass price and quality, and the biomass processing capabilities of the biorefinery. Thus, the outcomes of supply chain models can be used to inform the design of long-term contracts among farmers and the biorefinery.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Life Cycle Analysis of Natural Gas Extraction and Power Generation: U.S. 2020 Emissions Profile

This analysis expands upon previous life cycle analyses (LCAs) of natural gas systems performed by the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL). It provides a complete inventory of emissions to air and water, water consumption, and land use change. These environmental burdens are detailed for all supply chain steps from natural gas production through natural gas distribution. This package includes the report, the NETL Natural Gas Model, and appendices that include several Excel workbooks and a python script to provide transparent access to the calculations and resulting data.<p>To access the NETL Natural Gas Lifecycle model, visit https://doi.org/10.18141/2476250.</p><p>To access the 2020 Report Appendices, visit https://doi.org/10.18141/2438472.</p>

03 NATURAL GAS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Life Cycle Analysis of Natural Gas Extraction and Power Generation: U.S. 2020 Emissions Profile

This analysis expands upon previous life cycle analyses (LCAs) of natural gas systems performed by the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL). It provides a complete inventory of emissions to air and water, water consumption, and land use change. These environmental burdens are detailed for all supply chain steps from natural gas production through natural gas distribution. This package includes the report, the NETL Natural Gas Model, and appendices that include several Excel workbooks and a python script to provide transparent access to the calculations and resulting data. This is revision 1 of the 2024 study (published December 17, 2024 and updated on January 24, 2025) and corrects a modeling error in natural gas composition. See the errata on page 2 for more information.

03 NATURAL GAS↗

NASA NTRS1982

Thematic mapper data quality and performance assessment in renewable resource/agricultural remote sensing

A "quick look" investigation of the initial LANDSAT-4, thematic mapper (TM) scene received from Goddard Space Flight Center was performed to gain early insight into the characteristics of TM data. The initial scene, containing only the first four bands of the seven bands recorded by the TM, was acquired over the Detroit, Michigan, area on July 20, 1982. It yielded abundant information for scientific investigation. A wide variety of studies were conducted to assess all aspects of TM data. They ranged from manual analyses of image products to detect obvious optical, electronic, or mechanical defects to detailed machine analyses of the digital data content for evaluation of spectral separability of vegetative/nonvegetative classes. These studies were applied to several segments extracted from the full scene. No attempt was made to perform end-to-end statistical evaluations. However, the output of these studies do identify a degree of positive performance from the TM and its potential for advancing state-of-the-art crop inventory and condition assessment technology.

Erickson, J. D.↗

NASA NTRS1991

A comparison of photointerpretation and ground measurements of forest structure

Traditional forest inventory methods are compared with photointerpreted results. The accuracy of photointerpretation for forest-type classification is assessed in test locations in northern California. If the accuracy of photointerpretation is not sufficiently high, then the traditional practice of comparing satellite classification to photointerpretation is not justified. If this hypothesis is true, it is speculated that spectral analysis of advanced digital satellite data (SPOT and TM) can be used in conjunction with ancillary ground data to produce forest classifications of the same or better accuracy than by traditional photointerpretation techniques. Results of the accuracy assessment of three levels of classification - species, size class, and density - are presented in tables.

Biging, Greg S.↗

NASA NTRS2010

Ares I-X: First Step in a New Era of Exploration

Since 2005, NASA's Constellation Program has been designing, building, and testing the next generation of launch and space vehicles to carry humans beyond low-Earth orbit (LEO). On October 28, 2009, the Ares Projects successfully launched the first suborbital development flight test of the Ares I crew launch vehicle, Ares I-X, from Kennedy Space Center (KSC). Although the final Constellation Program architecture is under review, data and lessons obtained from Ares I-X can be applied to any launch vehicle. This presentation will discuss the mission background and future impacts of the flight. Ares I is designed to carry up to four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). It also can be used with the Ares V cargo launch vehicle for a variety of missions beyond LEO. The Ares I-X development flight test was conceived in 2006 to acquire early engineering, operations, and environment data during liftoff, ascent, and first stage recovery. Engineers are using the test flight data to improve the Ares I design before its critical design review the final review before manufacturing of the flight vehicle begins. The Ares I-X flight test vehicle incorporated a mix of flight and mockup hardware, reflecting a similar length and mass to the operational vehicle. It was powered by a four-segment SRB from the Space Shuttle inventory, and was modified to include a fifth, spacer segment that made the booster approximately the same size as the five-segment SRB. The Ares I-X flight closely approximated flight conditions the Ares I will experience through Mach 4.5, performing a first stage separation at an altitude of 125,000 feet and reaching a maximum dynamic pressure ("Max Q") of approximately 850 pounds per square foot. The Ares I-X Mission Management Office (MMO) was organized functionally to address all the major test elements, including: first stage, avionics, and roll control (Marshall Space Flight Center); upper stage simulator (Glenn Research Center); crew module/launch abort system simulator (Langley Research Center); and ground systems and operations (KSC). Interfaces between vehicle elements and vehicle-ground elements, as well as environment analyses were performed by a systems engineering and integration team at Langley. Experience and lessons learned from these integrated product teams area are already being integrated into the Ares Projects to support the next generation of exploration launch vehicles.

Davis, Stephan R.↗

NASA NTRS2015

Transmission X-ray Diffraction (XRD) Patterns Relevant to the MSL Chemin Amorphous Component: Sulfates And Silicates

The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) CheMin instrument on the Curiosity rover is a transmission X-ray diffractometer (Co-Kalpha radiation source and a approx.5deg to approx.52deg 2theta range) where the analyzed powder samples are constrained to have discrete particle diameters <150 microns by a sieve. To date, diffraction patterns have been obtained for one basaltic soil (Rocknest (RN)) and four drill fines of coherent rock (John Klein (JK), Cumberland (CB), Windjana (WJ), and Confidence Hills (CH)). The CheMin instrument has detected and quantified the abundance of both primary igneous (e.g., feldspar, olivine, and pyroxene) and secondary (e.g., Ca-sulfates, hematite, akaganeite, and Fe-saponite) minerals. The diffraction patterns of all CheMin samples are also characterized by a broad diffraction band centered near 30deg 2theta and by increasing diffraction intensity (scattering continuum) from approx.15deg to approx.5deg, the 2theta minimum. Both the broad band and the scattering continuum are attributed to the presence of an XRD amorphous component. Estimates of amorphous component abundance, based on the XRD data itself and on mass-balance calculations using APXS data crystalline component chemistry derived from XRD data, martian meteorites, and/or stoichiometry [e.g., 6-9], range from approx.20 wt.% to approx.50 wt.% of bulk sample. The APXSbased calculations show that the amorphous component is rich in volatile elements (esp. SO3) and is not simply primary basaltic glass, which was used as a surrogate to model the broad band in the RN CheMin pattern. For RN, the entire volatile inventory (except minor anhydrite) is assigned to the amorphous component because no volatile-bearing crystalline phases were reported within detection limits [2]. For JK and CB, Fesaponite, basanite, and akaganeite are volatile-bearing crystalline components. Here we report transmission XRD patterns for sulfate and silicate phases relevant to interpretation of MSL-CheMin XRD amorphous components.

Morris, R. V.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Argon Isotopic Constraints on Planetary Degassing and the Evolution of Earth's Atmosphere: Insights from K-bearing Phases

An enduring question in planetary science is the nature of volatile degassing from rocky planets during their evolution. The reactive nature of planetary volatiles (e.g. H2O, CO2, N, H) make them difficult to directly track through time. Noble gases, like argon, can act as passive tracers of planetary processes, with isotopic ratios providing clues on planetary volatile inventories and fluxes. Previous studies [e.g. 1, 2] use Earth’s argon degassing history to constrain the growth of continental crust. However, that record is limited to the modern 40Ar/36Ar ratio of 298.56 [3] and three time slices recorded in hydrothermal quartz of the Archean Dresser formation [1]: from ~143 (3.5 Ga) to ~212 (2.7 Ga). Due to the paucity of data, partly a result of using nominally K-free minerals, the temporal evolution of atmospheric 40Ar/36Ar remains poorly constrained. K-bearing phases from igneous rocks, forming at high temperature and upper mantle or crustal conditions, are rarely considered viable for recording ancient atmospheric 40Ar/36Ar values. We show that this possible and a potential path to more precise records of ancient atmosphere by leveraging the radiogenic endmember of isotope correlation diagrams. An isochron of coeval biotite grains from the Bushveld Complex [4], with little indication of alteration or excess 40Ar, yield an initial 40Ar/36Ar value that matches the atmospheric 40Ar/36Ar value of ~228 at 2055 Ma in the model of [2]. In addition, new multi-mineral data from the Palisade Sill also match the modelled 40Ar/36Ar value of ~293 at 202 Ma, providing another tie point in the late Triassic. Combined, the Bushveld and Palisades samples provide two new constraints on the ancient atmosphere and help define the history of planetary degassing. These results demonstrate the possibility of accurately and precisely obtaining atmospheric information from igneous rocks, not exclusively K-free phases, thus providing a surplus of ways to reconstruct planetary atmospheres and processes. A robust atmospheric 40Ar/36Ar history also has practical uses and we explore the systematic offsets that arise from using a modern 40Ar/36Ar value in 40Ar/39Ar age calculations of old samples.

J. B. Setera↗

DOE OSTI2023

Battery state-of-health diagnostics during fast cycling using physics-informed deep-learning

Rapid, in-situ Li-ion battery state-of-health (SOH) quantification is challenging. Li-ion battery aging can vary significantly with chemistry, operating conditions, cycling demands, electrode design, and operation history. As a cell ages, optimal and safe operating conditions need to be adapted to account for battery degradation by tracking critical aging modes such as loss-of-lithium-inventory (LLI), loss-of-active-material (LAM) in either electrode, and/or impedance rise. This manuscript describes a framework for identifying battery aging modes in-operando using fast-rate voltage charge/discharge responses. The framework uses a physically based Li-ion battery model to produce synthetic high-rate responses at aged states. The aging model is calibrated against experimental data from cells with different electrode loadings and cycled under a variety of fast-charging conditions (1 h, 15 min, 10 min, and 7 min charging). The synthetically generated high-rate responses at aged states are then used to train a deep-learning model to identify real cell state-of-health from fast charge/discharge battery voltage responses. The synthetically trained deep-learning model performance is validated by comparing to standard incremental capacity analysis and half-cell measurements. Finally, the framework demonstrates the benefits of using high-rate physics-based models to generate synthetic data for training deep-learning models.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

DOE OSTI2025

Hanford 200 West Area Flowsheet Data to Support Waste Treatment and Disposal Request for Proposal

This report documents the 200 West Area (200W) flowsheet supplemental data needed to support the Request for Proposal (RFP) to procure onsite and/or offsite treatment and disposal capabilities for West Area pretreated1 tank waste (PTW). The data provided in this document is based on the results of a 200W flowsheet model run evaluating single-shell tank (SST) retrievals for all S, SX, and U Farms, except for Tank S-112, which was retrieved in March of 2007 (HNF-EP-0182, Waste Tank Summary Report for Month End August 31, 2024). The evaluation also includes the waste inventory in double-shell tanks (DSTs) in SY Farm.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

DOE OSTI2021

Where Is the Water? Jupiter-like C/H Ratio but Strong H{sub 2}O Depletion Found on τ Boötis b Using SPIRou

The present-day envelope of gaseous planets is a relic of how these giant planets originated and evolved. Measuring their elemental composition therefore presents a powerful opportunity to answer long-standing questions regarding planet formation. Obtaining precise observational constraints on the elemental inventory of giant exoplanets has, however, remained challenging owing to the limited simultaneous wavelength coverage of current space-based instruments. Here, we present thermal emission observations of the nontransiting hot Jupiter τ Boo b using the new wide wavelength coverage (0.95–2.50 μm) and high spectral resolution (R = 70,000) CFHT/SPIRou spectrograph. By combining a total of 20 hr of SPIRou data obtained over five nights in a full atmospheric retrieval framework designed for high-resolution data, we constrain the abundances of all the major oxygen- and carbon-bearing molecules and recover a noninverted temperature structure using a new free-shape, nonparametric temperature–pressure profile retrieval approach. We find a volume mixing ratio of log(CO) = -2.46{sub -0.29}{sup +0.25} and a highly depleted water abundance of less than 0.0072 times the expected value for a solar composition envelope. Combined with upper limits on the abundances of CH{sub 4}, CO{sub 2}, HCN, TiO, and C{sub 2}H{sub 2}, this results in a gas-phase C/H ratio of 5.85{sub -2.82}{sup +4.44} × solar, consistent with the value of Jupiter, and an envelope C/O ratio robustly greater than 0.60, even when taking into account the oxygen that may be sequestered out of the gas phase. Combined, the inferred supersolar C/H, O/H, and C/O ratios on τ Boo b support a formation scenario beyond the water snowline in a disk enriched in CO owing to pebble drift.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

NASA NTRS2012

Life-Cycle Assessments of Selected NASA Ground-Based Test Facilities

In the past two years, two separate facility-specific life cycle assessments (LCAs) have been performed as summer student projects. The first project focused on 13 facilities managed by NASA s Aeronautics Test Program (ATP), an organization responsible for large, high-energy ground test facilities that accomplish the nation s most advanced aerospace research. A facility inventory was created for each facility, and the operational-phase carbon footprint and environmental impact were calculated. The largest impacts stemmed from electricity and natural gas used directly at the facility and to generate support processes such as compressed air and steam. However, in specialized facilities that use unique inputs like R-134a, R-14, jet fuels, or nitrogen gas, these sometimes had a considerable effect on the facility s overall environmental impact. The second LCA project was conducted on the NASA Ames Arc Jet Complex and also involved creating a facility inventory and calculating the carbon footprint and environmental impact. In addition, operational alternatives were analyzed for their effectiveness at reducing impact. Overall, the Arc Jet Complex impact is dominated by the natural-gas fired boiler producing steam on-site, but alternatives were provided that could reduce the impact of the boiler operation, some of which are already being implemented. The data and results provided by these LCA projects are beneficial to both the individual facilities and NASA as a whole; the results have already been used in a proposal to reduce carbon footprint at Ames Research Center. To help future life cycle projects, several lessons learned have been recommended as simple and effective infrastructure improvements to NASA, including better utility metering and data recording and standardization of modeling choices and methods. These studies also increased sensitivity to and appreciation for quantifying the impact of NASA s activities.

Sydnor, George Honeycutt↗