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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 NTRS1975

Water system virus detection

A monitoring system developed to test the capability of a water recovery system to reject the passage of viruses into the recovered water is described. A nonpathogenic marker virus, bacteriophage F2, is fed into the process stream before the recovery unit and the reclaimed water is assayed for its presence. Detection of the marker virus consists of two major components, concentration and isolation of the marker virus, and detection of the marker virus. The concentration system involves adsorption of virus to cellulose acetate filters in the presence of trivalent cations and low pH with subsequent desorption of the virus using volumes of high pH buffer. The detection of the virus is performed by a passive immune agglutination test utilizing specially prepared polystyrene particles. An engineering preliminary design was performed as a parallel effort to the laboratory development of the marker virus test system. Engineering schematics and drawings of a fully functional laboratory prototype capable of zero-G operation are presented. The instrument consists of reagent pump/metering system, reagent storage containers, a filter concentrator, an incubation/detector system, and an electronic readout and control system.

Fraser, A. S.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Burning questions for a warming and changing world: 15 unknowns in plant abiotic stress

Abstract We present unresolved questions in plant abiotic stress biology as posed by 15 research groups with expertise spanning eco-physiology to cell and molecular biology. Common themes of these questions include the need to better understand how plants detect water availability, temperature, salinity, and rising carbon dioxide (CO2) levels; how environmental signals interface with endogenous signaling and development (e.g. circadian clock and flowering time); and how this integrated signaling controls downstream responses (e.g. stomatal regulation, proline metabolism, and growth versus defense balance). The plasma membrane comes up frequently as a site of key signaling and transport events (e.g. mechanosensing and lipid-derived signaling, aquaporins). Adaptation to water extremes and rising CO2 affects hydraulic architecture and transpiration, as well as root and shoot growth and morphology, in ways not fully understood. Environmental adaptation involves tradeoffs that limit ecological distribution and crop resilience in the face of changing and increasingly unpredictable environments. Exploration of plant diversity within and among species can help us know which of these tradeoffs represent fundamental limits and which ones can be circumvented by bringing new trait combinations together. Better defining what constitutes beneficial stress resistance in different contexts and making connections between genes and phenotypes, and between laboratory and field observations, are overarching challenges.

Biochemistry & Molecular Biology↗
DOE OSTI2025

Identifying Urban Pluvial Frequency Flooding Hotspots Using the Topographic Control Index and Remote Sensing Radar Images for Early Warning Systems

Identifying areas that frequently experience post-rainfall ponding is essential for effective flood mitigation and planning. This study integrates Sentinel-1 radar imagery and the Topographic Control Index (TCI) to identify 378 flood-prone urban depressions in Beaumont, Texas. Out of 159 major rainfall events, only six had Sentinel-1 radar imagery acquired within six hours of peak rainfall, and these were used to generate the flood frequency map; the ground-based flood sensor data were used to verify that these selected events corresponded to actual peak rainfall and to validate radar-detected water pixels. Validation results showed 100% precision, 70.87% recall, an F1-score of 82.95%, and 71.32% overall accuracy. Approximately 84% of medium-to-high TCI depressions overlapped with Beaumont’s two-year inundation map, confirming a strong relationship between TCI and observed flooding. A total of 124 depressions retained significant water, and after excluding 25 engineered detention ponds, 99 natural depressions remained flood vulnerable. Among these, 74 depressions with medium or high TCI were identified as the highest-priority nuisance flooding hotspots. The results demonstrate that combining TCI with radar imagery provides a reliable and cost-effective approach for identifying areas prone to frequent urban ponding. This framework supports practical decision-making for drainage improvements, hotspot identification, and early-warning system development in urban flood-prone regions.

Sentinel-1 radar imagery↗
NASA NTRS1968

The planet Venus.

Planet Venus, discussing Mariner 5 and Venera 4 space probes, solar wind, upper atmosphere, ionosphere, atmospheric temperature and pressure and water detection

Jastrow, R.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Investigation of the environmental change pattern of Japan

The author has identified the following significant results. ERTS-1 imagery clearly identifies the relationships between the status of erosion, effluent patterns affected by the coastal current, and the cultural construction activities. Simple photographic techniques can be used for detecting water mass distribution separately from cloud cover and also noise caused by reflected sunlight from wave surfaces. Polluted water does not diffuse continuously into the oceanic water, but forms masses in the water in the Kuroshio area. The polluted or turbid water in the area just north of the Tomogashima Channel, the south outlet of the Osaka Bay, shows that the northward tidal current runs in a clockwise eddy at the tidal period when the imagery was taken. Such an eddy-like pattern of tidal current had never been revealed by conventional oceanographic data. A front between an oceanic water mass and a polluted water mass runs in a NW-SE direction in the central part of the Osaka Bay. The patterns of turbid water discharged from the Kii River and Yoshino River show a northward tidal current in the North Kii Straits. The pattern of lighter turbid or polluted water located in the northwest region of the North Kii straits suggests the existence of a clockwise eddy in the straits.

Maruyasu, T.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Viking

The Viking program, its characteristics, goals, and investigations are described. The program consists of launching two spacecraft to Mars in 1975 to soft-land on the surface and test for signs of life. Topics discussed include the launch, the journey through space, tracking, Mars orbit and landing, experiments on the search for life, imaging systems, lander camera, water detection experiments, thermal mapping, and a possible weather station on Mars.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1975

The Viking Orbiter and its Mariner inheritance

The orbiter system of the Viking spacecraft performs the functions of transporting the lander into orbit around Mars, surveying the proposed landing sites, relaying lander data to earth, and conducting independent scientific observations of Mars. The orbiter system is a semiautomatic, solar-powered, triaxially stabilized platform capable of making trajectory corrections and communicating with earth on S-band. Its instruments for visual imaging, detecting water vapor, and thermal mapping are mounted on a separate two-degree-of-freedom scan platform. Radio science is conducted at three frequencies, using the main S-band system, a separate X-band derived from the S-band, and the UHF one-way link with the lander.

Wolfe, A. E.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Viking survey paper

The paper reviews Viking injection into Mars orbit, the landing, and the Orbiter. The following Viking investigations are discussed: the search for life (photosynthetic analysis, metabolic analysis, and respiration), molecular analysis, inorganic chemistry, water detection, thermal mapping, radio science, and physical and seismic characteristics. Also considered are the imaging system, the lander camera, entry science, and Mars weather.

Soffen, G.↗
NASA NTRS1979

All-electric gas detector

Modified optoacoustic gas detector identifies gases by measuring pressure-induced voltage charge in electric signals. Can detect water vapor, atmospheric fluorocarbons, or certain nitrous or nitric compounds that indicate presence of explosives.

Margolis, J. S.↗
NASA NTRS1980

The infrared radiometer on the sounder probe of the Pioneer Venus mission

The functional aspects of the Large Probe Infrared Radiometer Instrument are presented taking into account the experiment's objective to measure the net thermal flux as the Venus Probe descended into the planet's atmosphere, as well as to detect water vapor, cloud layers and their infrared opacity. The optical elements, including the detectors are described and a brief review of the instrument's calibration is given.

Boese, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Development of the coastal zone color scanner for NIMBUS 7. Volume 1: Mission objectives and instrument description

An Earth scanning six channel (detector) radiometer using a classical Cassegrain telescope and a Wadsworth type grating spectrometer was launched aboard Nimbus 7 in order to determine the abundance or density of chlorophyll at or near the sea surface in coastal waters. The instrument also measures the sediment or gelbstroffe (yellow stuff) in coastal waters, detects surface vegetation, and measures sea surface temperature. Block diagrams and schematics are presented, design features are discussed and each subsystem of the instrument is described. A mission overview is included.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1982

OSTA-1 - The Space Shuttle's first scientific payload

The capabilities of the first Space Shuttle scientific payload for remote sensing observations of the earth are evaluated, and the instruments used are from the Office of Space and Terrestrial Applications (OSTA-1). The payload gathered 10 million square kilometers of data over the earth's oceans, 6 million square kilometers of data over land masses, and global atmospheric data on carbon monoxide concentration. Shuttle imaging radar collected data over a 10,000 km sweep from Spain to Australia, a Shuttle multispectral infrared radiometer obtained 400,000 ten-channel spectra in clear weather conditions over four continents, and the Ocean Color Experiment detected water color for interpretation of major water constituents. The mission is considered to be a success based on the amount of data collected, and scientific and technical insight gained for the development of Shuttle flight instruments.

Moore, J. W.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Proceedings of the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) Performance Evaluation Workshop

The focus of the workshop was the assessment of data quality by the AVIRIS project. Summaries of 16 of the presentations are published. The AVIRIS performance evaluation period began in June 87 with flight data collection in the eastern U.S., and continued in the west until Oct. 87, after which the instrument was returned for post flight calibration. At the beginning, the sensor met all of the spatial, spectral and radiometric performance requirements except in spectrometer D, where the signal to noise ratio was below the required value. By the end, sensor performance had deteriorated due to failure of 2 critical parts and to some design deficiences. The independent assessment by the NASA investigators confirmed the assessment by the AVIRIS project. Some scientific results were derived and are presented. These include the mapping of the spatial variation of atmospheric precipitable water, detection of shift in chlorophyll red, and mineral identification.

Vane, Gregg↗
NASA NTRS2000

A High Energy 2-microns Laser for Multiple Lidar Applications

Solid-state 2-microns laser has been receiving considerable interest because of its eye-safe property and efficient diode pump operation, It has potential for multiple lidar applications to detect water vapor. carbon dioxide and winds. In this paper, we describe a 2-microns double pulsed Ho:Tm:YLF laser and end-pumped amplifier system. A comprehensive theoretical model has been developed to aid the design and optimization of the laser performance. In a single Q-switched pulse operation the residual energy stored in the Tm atoms will be wasted. However, in a double pulses operation mode, the residual energy stored in the Tm atoms will repopulate the Ho atoms that were depleted by the extraction of the first Q-switched pulse. Thus. the Tin sensitized Ho:YLF laser provides a unique advantage in applications that require double pulse operation, such as Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL). A total output energy of 146 mJ per pulse pair under Q-switch operation is achieved with as high as 4.8% optical to optical efficiency. Compared to a single pulse laser, 70% higher laser efficiency is realized. To obtain high energy while maintaining the high beam quality, a master-oscillator-power-amplifier 2-microns system is designed. We developed an end-pumped Ho:Tm:YLF disk amplifier. This amplifier uses two diode arrays as pump source. A non-imaging lens duct is used to couple the radiation from the laser diode arrays to the laser disk. Preliminary result shows that the efficiency of this laser can be as high as 3%, a factor of three increases over side-pump configuration. This high energy, highly efficient and high beam quality laser is a promising candidate for use in an efficient, multiple lidar applications.

Yu, Jirong↗