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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 145 records · Page 8
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2022

Overview of the MOSAiC Expedition - Snow and Sea Ice

Year-round observations of the physical snow and ice properties and processes that govern the ice pack evolution and its interaction with the atmosphere and the ocean were conducted during the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expedition of the research vessel Polarstern in the Arctic Ocean from October 2019 to September 2020. This work was embedded into the interdisciplinary design of the five MOSAiC teams, studying the atmosphere, the sea ice, the ocean, the ecosystem and biogeochemical processes. The overall aim of the snow and sea ice observations during MOSAiC was to characterize the physical properties of the snow and ice cover comprehensively in the central Arctic over an entire annual cycle. This objective was achieved by detailed observations of physical properties, and of energy and mass balance of snow and ice. By studying snow and sea ice dynamics over nested spatial scales from centimeters to tens of kilometers, the variability across scales can be considered. On-ice observations of in-situ and remote sensing properties of the different surface types over all seasons will help to improve numerical process and climate models, and to establish and validate novel satellite remote sensing methods; the linkages to accompanying airborne measurements, satellite observations, and results of numerical models are discussed. We found large spatial variabilities of snow metamorphism and thermal regimes impacting sea ice growth. We conclude that the highly variable snow cover needs to be considered in more detail (in observations, remote sensing and models) to better understand snow-related feedback processes. The ice pack revealed rapid transformations and motions along the drift in all seasons. The number of coupled ice-ocean interface processes observed in detail are expected to guide upcoming research with respect to the changing Arctic sea ice.

snow and sea ice↗
DOE OSTI2021

Interdisciplinary Research Collaborative Trains Students to See Through Turbulent Systems

Despite the availability of interdisciplinary academic training programs, the practice of environmental science is often hampered by a lack of convergence across diverse disciplines. This gap is particularly salient in settings characterized by complex environmental issues, such as multiple-use coastal ecosystems. In response, we developed and implemented a training, research, and communication framework to provide undergraduates with an authentic operative experience working at the interface of interdisciplinary science and public decision-making within a case study of marine renewable energy. In our program, students gained hands-on experience with the scientific process and learned how to make information relevant, useful, and accessible to diverse stakeholder groups. Application of this framework demonstrates that the process of integrating data from biological (visual and acoustic monitoring of fish and marine mammals), physical (hydrodynamics), and social (local ecological knowledge) sciences can provide a more complete understanding of complex and turbulent ecosystems for better informed decision-making. We offer several recommendations to facilitate the adaptation and implementation of our interdisciplinary framework to diverse research contexts, with a focus on interdisciplinary training for the next generation of marine scientists.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2017

Synchrotron Radiation and Neutrons in Art and Archaeology (SR2A) Conference 2016

Here, the seventh edition of the international conference on Synchrotron Radiation and Neutrons in Art and Archaeology (SR2A 2016) was held September 6–8, 2016, at the Stock Exchange Room of The Art Institute of Chicago, USA. The conference was jointly organized by seven research laboratories and museums; more precisely, the Center for Scientific Studies in the Arts (NU-ACCESS) of Northwestern University, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Field Museum Chicago, the Advanced Photon Source (APS), the Oriental Institute Chicago, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and the Indianapolis Museum of Art, in close interaction with the SR2A International Committee. Nine years after the organization of the first SR2A conference in Grenoble, the Art Institute hosted the second biennial interdisciplinary meeting in the US.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1988

Structural tailoring and feedback control synthesis - An interdisciplinary approach

Structural tailoring provides an attractive method to optimize the performance of actively controlled space structures. However, the simultaneous optimization of control gains and structural properties often becomes prohibitively expensive for large systems and physical insight is often lost in the resulting control law. This paper presents a method for optimization of the closed loop structural system using only structural tailoring. Optimal Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) control theory is used with weighting matrices chosen based on physical considerations. The LQR control law depends only on two scalar gains and the structural properties. Hence, the closed loop-performance can be expressed in terms of the structural parameters. Results are given for a beam and a truss-beam to show the simplicity of the method and the importance of structural tailoring to increase dynamic performance and to reduce the control effort.

Belvin, W. Keith↗
NASA NTRS1999

Science Writer's Guide to Landsat 7

The Earth Observing System (EOS), the centerpiece of NASA's Earth science program, is a suite of spacecraft and interdisciplinary science investigations dedicated to advancing our understanding of global change. The flagship EOS satellite, Terra (formerly EOS AM-1), scheduled for launch in July 1999, will provide key measurements of the physical and radiative properties of clouds; air-land and air-sea exchanges of energy, carbon, and water; trace gases; and volcanoes. Flying in formation with Terra, Landsat 7 will make global high spatial resolution measurements of land surface and surrounding coastal regions. Other upcoming EOS missions and instruments include QuikSCAT, to collect sea surface wind data; the Stratospheric Gas and Aerosol Experiment (SAGE III), to create global profiles of key atmospheric gases; and the Active Cavity Radiometer Irradiance Monitors (ACRIM) to measure the energy output of the Sun. The second of the major, multi-instrument EOS platforms, PM-1, is scheduled for launch in 2000. Interdisciplinary research projects sponsored by EOS use specific Earth science data sets for a broader investigation into the function of Earth systems. Current EOS research spans a wide range of sciences, including atmospheric chemistry, hydrology, land use, and marine ecosystems. The EOS program has been managed since 1990 by the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., for NASA's Office of Earth Science in Washington, D. C. Additional information on the program can be found on the EOS Project Science Office Web site (http://eospso.gsfc.nasa.gov).

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1990

A prototype computer-aided modelling tool for life-support system models

Based on the canonical decomposition of physical-chemical-biological systems, a prototype kernel has been developed to efficiently model alternative life-support systems. It supports (1) the work in an interdisciplinary group through an easy-to-use mostly graphical interface, (2) modularized object-oriented model representation, (3) reuse of models, (4) inheritance of structures from model object to model object, and (5) model data base. The kernel is implemented in Modula-II and presently operates on an IBM PC.

Preisig, H. A.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Light by design: emerging frontiers in ultrafast photon sciences and light–matter interactions

Photon sciences and technologies establish the building blocks for myriad scientific and engineering frontiers in life and energy sciences. Because of their overarching functionality, the developmental roadmap and opportunities underpinned by photonics are often semiotically mediated by the delineation of subject areas of application. In this perspective article, we map current and emerging linkages between three intersecting areas of research stewarded by advanced photonics technologies, namely light by design, outlined as (a) quantum and structured photonics, (b) light–matter interactions in accelerators and accelerator-based light sources, and (c) ultrafast sciences and quantum molecular dynamics. In each section, we will concentrate on state-of-the-art achievements and present prospective applications in life sciences, biochemistry, quantum optics and information sciences, and environmental and chemical engineering, all founded on a broad range of photon sources and methodologies. We hope that this interconnected mapping of challenges and opportunities seeds new concepts, theory, and experiments in the advancement of ultrafast photon sciences and light–matter interactions. Additionally, through this mapping, we hope to inspire a critically interdisciplinary approach to the science and applications of light by design.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Building a Simplistic Automatic Extruder: Instrument Development Opportunities for the Laboratory

This work presents an automatic extruder as a research experience for undergraduate students. The system offers a user-friendly approach to preparing vesicles, such as liposomes or polymersomes, with a defined size and polydispersity properties crucial for research in biology and macromolecules. It comprises two syringe pumps connected by a membrane filter. The setup is controlled by software. Compared to manual extrusion, this automated system provides advantages, such as precisely controlled variables. The project describes a tool to enhance undergraduate learning in science and engineering laboratories. Building an automatic extruder serves as a simplified model of a complex industrial process. It offers a clear advantage: automating a well-understood manual extrusion process. To make this project accessible, it is broken down into three manageable tasks: software development, hardware assembly, and testing procedures. This breakdown describes the software created, the hardware components used, and the testing procedures conducted for this project. All project data, including software code, testing data, and procedures, are freely available online. This allows undergraduate students to not only begin their own projects but also contribute to this educational instrument’s ongoing development.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Reimagining Earth in the Earth System

Abstract Terrestrial, aquatic, and marine ecosystems regulate climate at local to global scales through exchanges of energy and matter with the atmosphere and assist with climate change mitigation through nature‐based climate solutions. Climate science is no longer a study of the physics of the atmosphere and oceans, but also the ecology of the biosphere. This is the promise of Earth system science: to transcend academic disciplines to enable study of the interacting physics, chemistry, and biology of the planet. However, long‐standing tension in protecting, restoring, and managing forest ecosystems to purposely improve climate evidences the difficulties of interdisciplinary science. For four centuries, forest management for climate betterment was argued, legislated, and ultimately dismissed, when nineteenth century atmospheric scientists narrowly defined climate science to the exclusion of ecology. Today's Earth system science, with its roots in global models of climate, unfolds in similar ways to the past. With Earth system models, geoscientists are again defining the ecology of the Earth system. Here we reframe Earth system science so that the biosphere and its ecology are equally integrated with the fluid Earth to enable Earth system prediction for planetary stewardship. Central to this is the need to overcome an intellectual heritage to the models that elevates geoscience and marginalizes ecology and local land knowledge. The call for kilometer‐scale atmospheric and ocean models, without concomitant scientific and computational investment in the land and biosphere, perpetuates the geophysical view of Earth and will not fully provide the comprehensive actionable information needed for a changing climate.

Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences↗
DOE OSTI2022

Snowmass 2021 Computational Frontier CompF03 Topical Group Report: Machine Learning

The rapidly-developing intersection of machine learning (ML) with high-energy physics (HEP) presents both opportunities and challenges to our community. Far beyond applications of standard ML tools to HEP problems, genuinely new and potentially revolutionary approaches are being developed by a generation of talent literate in both fields. There is an urgent need to support the needs of the interdisciplinary community driving these developments, including funding dedicated research at the intersection of the two fields, investing in high-performance computing at universities and tailoring allocation policies to support this work, developing of community tools and standards, and providing education and career paths for young researchers attracted by the intellectual vitality of machine learning for high energy physics.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
NASA NTRS1987

Computational mechanics and physics at NASA Langley Research Center

An overview is given of computational mechanics and physics at NASA Langley Research Center. Computational analysis is a major component and tool in many of Langley's diverse research disciplines, as well as in the interdisciplinary research. Examples are given for algorithm development and advanced applications in aerodynamics, transition to turbulence and turbulence simulation, hypersonics, structures, and interdisciplinary optimization.

South, Jerry C., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Development of Laser-induced Grating Spectroscopy for Underwater Temperature Measurement in Shock Wave Focusing Regions

In Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL) underwater shock wave focusing generates high pressures at very short duration of time inside human body. However, it is not yet clear how high temperatures are enhanced at the spot where a shock wave is focused. The estimation of such dynamic temperature enhancements is critical for the evaluation of tissue damages upon shock loading. For this purpose in the Interdisciplinary Shock Wave Research Center a technique is developed which employs laser induced thermal acoustics or Laser Induced Grating Spectroscopy. Unlike most of gasdynamic methods of measuring physical quantities this provides a non-invasive one having spatial and temporal resolutions of the order of magnitude of 1.0 mm3 and 400 ns, respectively. Preliminary experiments in still water demonstrated that this method detected sound speed and hence temperature in water ranging 283 K to 333 K with errors of 0.5%. These results may be used to empirically establish the equation of states of water, gelatin or agar cells which will work as alternatives of human tissues.

Gojani, Ardian B.↗
DOE OSTI2016

Proceedings of Synthetic Biology: Engineering, Evolution and Design (SEED) Conference 2015

Synthetic Biology is an emerging discipline that seeks to accelerate the process of engineering biology. As such, the tools are broadly applicable to application areas, including chemicals and biofuels, materials, medicine and agriculture. A characteristic of the field is to look holistically at cellular design, from sensing and genetic circuitry to the manipulation of cellular processes and actuators, to controlling metabolism, to programming multicellular behaviors. Further, the types of cells that are manipulated are broad, from in vitro systems to microbes and fungi to mammalian and plant cells and living animals. Many of the projects in synthetic biology seek to move biochemical functions across organisms. The field is highly interdisciplinary with faculty and students spread across departments that focus on engineering (biological, chemical, electrical, mechanical, civil, computer science) and basic science (biology and systems biology, chemistry, physics). While there have been many one-off workshops and meeting on synthetic biology, the 2014 Synthetic Biology: Engineering, Evolution and Design (SEED) was the first of an annual conference series that serves as a reliable place to pull together the involved disciplines in order to organize and exchange advances in the science and technology in the field. Further, the SEED conferences have a strong focus on industry, with many companies represented and actively participating. A number of these companies have started major efforts in synthetic biology including large companies (e.g., Pfizer, Novartis, Dow, Dupont, BP, Total), smaller companies have recently gone public (e.g., Amyris, Gevo, Intrexon), and many start-ups (e.g., Teslagen, Refactored Materials, Pivot, Genomatica). There are a number of loosely affiliated Synthetic Biology Centers, including ones at MIT, Boston University, UCSD, UCSF, UC-Berkeley, Imperial College, Oxford, and ETH. SEED 2015 will serve as the primary meeting at which international synthetic biology centers and related infrastructure (synthesis/software/foundries) meet to discuss technology, standards, and education. SEED2015 will be the second in an annual series of meeting held to bring researchers from industry and academia in the area of Synthetic Biology. The first SEED conference was highly successful, attracting 285 attendees with varying backgrounds from academia, industry and government. The SEED series provides leadership in the development of the field of synthetic biology and serves to broaden the participants in the field by appealing to broad sectors in industry and providing a means for young investigators and those outside of the field to participate. Further, the series closely integrates with groups such as the SBCC to provide a means by which the synthetic biology community can communicate with policy makers. Further, we will pursue making the meeting the center for the exchange of educational materials as centers for synthetic biology emerge globally. Proceedings will be published each year in the journal ACS Synthetic Biology. After each SEED meeting, surveys are distributed to assess the success of the conference and to help guide changes year-to-year. The diverse application areas further extend the expertise needed from people in areas such as plant biology, agriculture and soil science, environmental science, medicine, and the chemical industry. These areas could have a widespread impact on society in a number of ways. For example, the CRISPR/Cas9 system that serves to immunize bacteria from phage has provided the fundamental chemistry that is used to edit the genomes of diverse organisms, including human stem cells, crop plants, and livestock animals.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Space Crop Production and Interdisciplinary Teamwork

As astronauts venture farther from Earth, and stay for longer periods, the space food system will increase in importance. Crop production can supplement a packaged diet to provide additional nutrients and dietary variety for astronauts. Several unique challenges exist for growth of plants in microgravity and on other planetary surfaces and solving these requires skills and abilities from different fields as diverse as microgravity fluid physics to human behavioral and psychological health. Research on the ground and tests with the Veggie and Advanced Plant Habitat chambers on the International Space Station are allowing us to understand the impacts of gravity and spaceflight on hardware, crop growth, nutritional content, food acceptability, and the importance of plants to astronauts living and working away from our blue home planet. Working through setbacks with interdisciplinary teams is critical to make progress in this challenging applied science area.

Gioia Donna Massa↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Space Crop Production and Interdisciplinary Teamwork

As astronauts venture farther from Earth, and stay for longer periods, the space food system will increase in importance. Crop production can supplement a packaged diet to provide additional nutrients and dietary variety for astronauts. Several unique challenges exist for growth of plants in microgravity and on other planetary surfaces and solving these requires skills and abilities from different fields as diverse as microgravity fluid physics to human behavioral and psychological health. Research on the ground and tests with the Veggie and Advanced Plant Habitat chambers on the International Space Station are allowing us to understand the impacts of gravity and spaceflight on hardware, crop growth, nutritional content, food acceptability, and the importance of plants to astronauts living and working away from our blue home planet. Working through setbacks with interdisciplinary teams is critical to make progress in this challenging applied science area.

Gioia Massa↗
DOE OSTI2023

Circularity in polymers: addressing performance and sustainability challenges using dynamic covalent chemistries

The circularity of current and future polymeric materials is a major focus of fundamental and applied research, as undesirable end-of-life outcomes and waste accumulation are global problems that impact our society. The recycling or repurposing of thermoplastics and thermosets is an attractive solution to these issues, yet both options are encumbered by poor property retention upon reuse, along with heterogeneities in common waste streams that limit property optimization. Dynamic covalent chemistry, when applied to polymeric materials, enables the targeted design of reversible bonds that can be tailored to specific reprocessing conditions to help address conventional recycling challenges. In this review, we highlight the key features of several dynamic covalent chemistries that can promote closed-loop recyclability and we discuss recent synthetic progress towards incorporating these chemistries into new polymers and existing commodity plastics. Next, we outline how dynamic covalent bonds and polymer network structure influence thermomechanical properties related to application and recyclability, with a focus on predictive physical models that describe network rearrangement. Finally, we examine the potential economic and environmental impacts of dynamic covalent polymeric materials in closed-loop processing using elements derived from techno-economic analysis and life-cycle assessment, including minimum selling prices and greenhouse gas emissions. Throughout each section, we discuss interdisciplinary obstacles that hinder the widespread adoption of dynamic polymers and present opportunities and new directions toward the realization of circularity in polymeric materials.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Engage the Public in Science and Embrace Future Change with Human-Centric Stories, Art, and Imaginings

Human-centric stories that weave in real scientific data may be able to engage the public in environmental issues that do not yet directly affect them. Science fiction and artistically rendered futuristic scenarios can unleash the imagination and act as a lens to envision technological, social, and cultural aspects of transitioning to clean energy. Cultures with strong oral traditions use stories to record history, develop a shared identity, pass on environmental lessons, and prepare for future change. Through the lenses of our non-physical science disciplines (cultural anthropology and environmental sociology), we discuss challenges to communicating science, the use of narratives to illustrate ecosystem processes, and we report on a collaborative, interdisciplinary workshop and book project that is creating narratives of hope and visions for the future through inspiring art, short stories, and essays. We explore the surprising potential of 'cli-fi,' humor, games, and the research behind emotion and imagination-driven engagement. We describe methods that help people visualize their future well-being and we explore opportunities to spread those methods.

clean energy↗
NASA NTRS2011

Prospects for Interdisciplinary Science Aboard the International Space Station

The assembly of the International Space Station was completed in early 2011, and is now embarking on its first year of the coming decade of use as a laboratory. Two key types of physical science research are enabled by ISS: studies of processes that are normally masked by gravity, and instruments that take advantage of its position as a powerful platform in orbit. The absence of buoyancy-driven convection enables experiments in diverse areas such as fluids near the critical point, Marangoni convection, combustion, and coarsening of metal alloys. The positioning of such a powerful platform in orbit with robotic transfer and instrument support also provides a unique alternative platform for astronomy and physics instruments. Some of the operating or planned instruments related to fundamental physics on the International Space Station include MAXI (Monitoring all-sky X-ray Instrument for ISS), the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, CALET (Calorimetric Electron Telescope), and ACES (Atomic Clock Experiment in Space). The presentation will conclude with an overview of pathways for funding different types of experiments from NASA funding to the ISS National Laboratory, and highlights of the streamlining of services to help scientists implement their experiments on ISS.

Robinson, Julie A.↗