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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Cyber-Physical Power Systems Protection: The Byzantine Cybersecurity Framework

Cybersecurity of smart grids have been topic of much interest in recent years. As this critical infrastructure operation increases dependency on automated processes and controls, exposure to cyber-physical threats become inevitable. Considering cyber-physical security of the grid, much focus of attention has been made towards smart grids real-time monitoring solutions, including the state estimation process. Analyzing the relevant literature, one can note though that seldom research has been done on cyber-physical security of smart grids protection systems. Protection systems have intangible value towards grid reliability. This paper presents a cybersecurity framework for smart grids protection systems. A physics-based inspired machine learning solution is at the core process of the framework. Processed relay inputs and outputs are used by a deep predictive coding network. Formal models, a quasi-static state estimator, provides an oracle when low confidence decision is reached. Evolving knowledge is derived through reinforcement learning. Implementation aspects considering the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Electricity Infrastructure Operations Center are presented. Built as an extra control layer to protection systems, without hard-to-derive parameters, highlights potential aspects towards real-life applications.

Bretas, Arturo Suman↗
NASA NTRS1992

Metallic threaded composite fastener

A metallic threaded composite fastener, particularly suited for high temperature applications, has a body member made of high temperature resistant composite material with a ceramic coating. The body member has a head portion configured to be installed in a countersunk hole and a shank portion which is noncircular and tapered. One part of the shank may be noncircular and the other part tapered, or the two types of surface could be combined into a frustum of a noncircular cone. A split collar member made of high strength, high temperature tolerant metal alloy is split into two halves and the interior of the halves are configured to engage the shank. The exterior of the collar has a circumferential groove which receives a lock ring to secure the collar halves to the shank. In the assembled condition torque may be transmitted from the body to the split collar by the engaged noncircular portions to install and remove the fastener assembly into or from a threaded aperture and shear loads in the collar threads are transferred to the shank tapered portion as a combination of radial compression and axial tension loads. Thus, tension loads may be applied to the fastener shank without damaging the ceramic coating.

Dunn, Thomas J.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Secure Peer-to-Peer Networks for Scientific Information Sharing

The most common means of remote scientific collaboration today includes the trio of e-mail for electronic communication, FTP for file sharing, and personalized Web sites for dissemination of papers and research results. With the growth of broadband Internet, there has been a desire to share large files (movies, files, scientific data files) over the Internet. Email has limits on the size of files that can be attached and transmitted. FTP is often used to share large files, but this requires the user to set up an FTP site for which it is hard to set group privileges, it is not straightforward for everyone, and the content is not searchable. Peer-to-peer technology (P2P), which has been overwhelmingly successful in popular content distribution, is the basis for development of a scientific collaboratory called Scientific Peer Network (SciPerNet). This technology combines social networking with P2P file sharing. SciPerNet will be a standalone application, written in Java and Swing, thus insuring portability to a number of different platforms. Some of the features include user authentication, search capability, seamless integration with a data center, the ability to create groups and social networks, and on-line chat. In contrast to P2P networks such as Gnutella, Bit Torrent, and others, SciPerNet incorporates three design elements that are critical to application of P2P for scientific purposes: User authentication, Data integrity validation, Reliable searching SciPerNet also provides a complementary solution to virtual observatories by enabling distributed collaboration and sharing of downloaded and/or processed data among scientists. This will, in turn, increase scientific returns from NASA missions. As such, SciPerNet can serve a two-fold purpose for NASA: a cost-savings software as well as a productivity tool for scientists working with data from NASA missions.

Karimabadi, Homa↗
NASA NTRS1940

A Flight Investigation of Exhaust-heat De-icing

The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics conducted exhaust-heat de-icing tests in flight to provide data needed in the application of this method. The capacity to extract heat from the exhaust gas for de-icing purposes, the quantity of heat required, and other factors were examined. The results indicate that a wing-heating system employing a spanwise exhaust tube within the leading edge of the wing removed 30 to 35 percent of the heat from exhaust gas entering the wing. Data are given from which the heat required for ice prevention can be calculated. Sample calculations have been made on the basis of existing engine power/wing area ratios to show that sufficient heating can be obtained for ice protection on modern transportation airplanes, provided that uniform distribution of the heat can be secured.

Jones, Alun R↗
NASA NTRS2015

Analyzing Cyber Security Threats on Cyber-Physical Systems Using Model-Based Systems Engineering

The spectre of cyber attacks on aerospace systems can no longer be ignored given that many of the components and vulnerabilities that have been successfully exploited by the adversary on other infrastructures are the same as those deployed and used within the aerospace environment. An important consideration with respect to the mission/safety critical infrastructure supporting space operations is that an appropriate defensive response to an attack invariably involves the need for high precision and accuracy, because an incorrect response can trigger unacceptable losses involving lives and/or significant financial damage. A highly precise defensive response, considering the typical complexity of aerospace environments, requires a detailed and well-founded understanding of the underlying system where the goal of the defensive response is to preserve critical mission objectives in the presence of adversarial activity. In this paper, a structured approach for modeling aerospace systems is described. The approach includes physical elements, network topology, software applications, system functions, and usage scenarios. We leverage Model-Based Systems Engineering methodology by utilizing the Object Management Group's Systems Modeling Language to represent the system being analyzed and also utilize model transformations to change relevant aspects of the model into specialized analyses. A novel visualization approach is utilized to visualize the entire model as a three-dimensional graph, allowing easier interaction with subject matter experts. The model provides a unifying structure for analyzing the impact of a particular attack or a particular type of attack. Two different example analysis types are demonstrated in this paper: a graph-based propagation analysis based on edge labels, and a graph-based propagation analysis based on node labels.

MBSE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Uncovering Hidden Entanglement in Twin Beams

Proper characterization of quantum correlations in multimode optical quantum states is critical for applications in quantum information science. However, standard entanglement measurements can lead to incomplete state reconstruction and characterization. Here, we implement a resonator-based detection system that reveals entanglement between sideband modes of twin beams, achieving full tomography and retrieving often ignored quantum correlations. Unlike standard spectral measurements such as homodyne detection, resonator detection can independently address the sidebands of each beam, thereby accessing these hidden correlations. Additionally, we show how phase shifts between the carrier and the sideband modes of the involved fields redistribute information and modify the observation of entanglement for different witnesses. The ability of the resonant detection to independently address sideband modes of entangled states can contribute to enhancing the capacity for secure communication and quantum networking protocols.

Rincon Celis, Raul [University of Sao Paulo, Brazi↗
NASA NTRS2021

Small-Body Proximity Operations & TAG: Navigation Experiences & Lessons Learned from the OSIRIS-REx Mission

On October 20th, 2020, the nearly two-year proximity operations campaign for the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security–Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx)mission at the near-Earth asteroid (101955) Bennu culminated in a successful Touch-and-Go (TAG) sample collection event. Navigation performance was a significant driver for flight activities at Bennu, which consisted of multiple phases geared towards characterizing the asteroid, selecting a sample site, and safely guiding the spacecraft to and from the surface in order to collect at least 60 g of pristine regolith. The entire operations team gained a tremendous amount of experience operating in the challenging small body environment and overcame many challenges. In this paper, we summarize navigation-focused experiences and lessons learned from OSIRIS-REx proximity operations at Bennu that are applicable to future missions to small asteroids, comets, and planetary moons. Areas of focus include staffing and organization, ground system infrastructure, mission phase planning, navigation operations, and spacecraft and payload considerations.

Kenneth M. Getzandanner↗
DOE OSTI2025

Mechanical and Thermal Characterization of Additively Manufactured Carbon/Nylon 12 and Carbon/PEEK Composites

This study explores additive manufacturing of carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites using the Composite-Based Additive Manufacturing (CBAM) process. Carbon/Nylon 12 and Carbon/PEEK composites were fabricated and evaluated through mechanical (compression, tensile, flexural, and impact) and thermal (DSC and TGA) tests. Carbon/PEEK exhibited superior mechanical performance, with 97.5% higher tensile strength, 79.8% higher elastic modulus, and 59.6% higher flexural strength compared to Carbon/Nylon 12. Thermal testing showed that Carbon/PEEK had higher thermal stability, beginning degradation at 350 °C versus 298 °C for Carbon/Nylon. These results indicate that CBAM-fabricated Carbon/PEEK composites are suitable for applications requiring high strength and temperature resistance.

Additive manufacturing↗
DOE OSTI2024

Anomaly Detection in Connected and Autonomous Vehicle Trajectories Using LSTM Autoencoder and Gaussian Mixture Model

Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs) technology has the potential to transform the transportation system. Although these new technologies have many advantages, the implementation raises significant concerns regarding safety, security, and privacy. Anomalies in sensor data caused by errors or cyberattacks can cause severe accidents. To address the issue, this study proposed an innovative anomaly detection algorithm, namely the LSTM Autoencoder with Gaussian Mixture Model (LAGMM). This model supports anomalous CAV trajectory detection in the real-time leveraging communication capabilities of CAV sensors. The LSTM Autoencoder is applied to generate low-rank representations and reconstruct errors for each input data point, while the Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) is employed for its strength in density estimation. The proposed model was jointly optimized for the LSTM Autoencoder and GMM simultaneously. The study utilizes realistic CAV data from a platooning experiment conducted for Cooperative Automated Research Mobility Applications (CARMAs). The experiment findings indicate that the proposed LAGMM approach enhances detection accuracy by 3% and precision by 6.4% compared to the existing state-of-the-art methods, suggesting a significant improvement in the field.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
NASA NTRS2011

GLobal Integrated Design Environment

The GLobal Integrated Design Environment (GLIDE) is a collaborative engineering application built to resolve the design session issues of real-time passing of data between multiple discipline experts in a collaborative environment. Utilizing Web protocols and multiple programming languages, GLIDE allows engineers to use the applications to which they are accustomed in this case, Excel to send and receive datasets via the Internet to a database-driven Web server. Traditionally, a collaborative design session consists of one or more engineers representing each discipline meeting together in a single location. The discipline leads exchange parameters and iterate through their respective processes to converge on an acceptable dataset. In cases in which the engineers are unable to meet, their parameters are passed via e-mail, telephone, facsimile, or even postal mail. The result of this slow process of data exchange would elongate a design session to weeks or even months. While the iterative process remains in place, software can now exchange parameters securely and efficiently, while at the same time allowing for much more information about a design session to be made available. GLIDE is written in a compilation of several programming languages, including REALbasic, PHP, and Microsoft Visual Basic. GLIDE client installers are available to download for both Microsoft Windows and Macintosh systems. The GLIDE client software is compatible with Microsoft Excel 2000 or later on Windows systems, and with Microsoft Excel X or later on Macintosh systems. GLIDE follows the Client-Server paradigm, transferring encrypted and compressed data via standard Web protocols. Currently, the engineers use Excel as a front end to the GLIDE Client, as many of their custom tools run in Excel.

Kunkel, Matthew↗
NASA NTRS2021

Tonlé Sap Food Security and Agriculture II: Evaluating Changes in Ecosystem Vitality and Freshwater Healthin the Tonlé Sap Basin using Remotely Sensed Data

The Tonlé Sap Lake and river basin in central Cambodia provide critical ecosystem services to the region, including fisheries, agricultural irrigation, hydropower, and biodiverse habitats. Deforestation, increased pumping for farming, and effects of climate change such as droughts and forest fires threaten the health of the lake and food security in the region. This project built upon the previous term through a partnership with Conservation International (CI), the Cambodian Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, and the Tonlé Sap Authority to assess ecosystem vitality and implement CI’s Freshwater Health Index (FHI) tool, in an effort to prioritize resource expenditure and highlight areas of concern. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related travel restrictions, partners had not been able to readily collect in situ data for the past year, which make up the majority of FHI inputs. To help fill this data gap, we developed a methodology for using Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite data to calculate groundwater storage depletion, and a Python Application Programming Interface for processing and formatting remotely-sensed data for the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model. We then used SWAT to model nutrient flows and of phosphorous, nitrogen and suspended sediments amounts in the basin from October 2000 to December 2020. These outputs served as inputs for the FHI and provided policy makers with robust monitoring information to aid decision-making in the area and safeguard the lake’s vital fisheries and biodiversity.

Justine Spore↗
DOE OSTI2023

Optimization Algorithm for Criticality Experiment Design Using Whisper

Many criticality experiments performed to aid in nuclear data evaluation are designed to maximize the sensitivity of the system’s effective neutron multiplication factor to a certain nuclide reaction pair over an energy region of interest. This is typically done by evaluating possible designs in a transport code such as MCNP and selecting the one with the highest desired sensitivity. A designer has many tools to try to maximize this sensitivity such as different moderators, reflectors, fuels, and geometries. This balancing act of identifying a critical and maximally sensitive system become very computationally expensive as more variables are added and higher precisions are desired. In order to identify these optimal configurations more efficiently a Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm coupled with MCNP has been developed by Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). This algorithm has been used to design two upcoming criticality experiments that will be performed at the National Criticality Experiments Research Center (NCERC), located at the Nevada National Security Site, and operated by LANL, the only general-purpose critical experiments laboratory in the United States. PSO uses a population (swarm) of candidate solutions (particles) on a search space of dimensions such as moderator and reflector thicknesses or enrichments and concentrations. These particles move around the search space from generation to generation according to simple rules. Eventually, the swarm converges on the configuration that is both critical and maximally sensitive to a piece of nuclear data. PSO is well suited for criticality experiments as the algorithm is agnostic to the underlying physics, meaning it is effective on many different experimental setups. This algorithm has been modified to maximize the nuclear data similarity coefficient between an application case and an experiment aimed at replicating the application case using WHISPER, a nuclear criticality safety analysis tool. This allows for the efficient design of critical experiments informed by nuclear data sensitives.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

UrbanPop: A spatial microsimulation framework for exploring demographic influences on human dynamics

Ensuring the social equity of planning measures in social systems requires an understanding of human dynamics, particularly how individual relationships, activities, and interactions intersect with individual needs. Spatial microsimulation models (SMSMs) support planning for human security goals by representing human dynamics through realistic, georeferenced synthetic populations, that a) provide a complete representation of social systems while b) also protecting individual privacy. In this paper, we present UrbanPop, an open and reproducible SMSM framework for analysis of human dynamics with high spatial, temporal, and demographic resolution. UrbanPop creates synthetic populations of demographically detailed worker and student agents, positioning them first at probable nighttime locations (home), then moving them to probable daytime locations (work/school). Summary aggregations of these populations match the granular detail available at the census block group level in the American Community Survey Summary File (SF), providing realistic approximations of the actual population. UrbanPop users can select particular demographic traits important in their application, resulting in a highly tailored agent population. We first lay out UrbanPop's baseline methodology, including population synthesis, activity modeling, and diagnostics, then demonstrate these capabilities by developing case studies of shifting population distributions and high-risk populations in Knox County, TN during the global COVID-19 pandemic.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Depolymerizable and recyclable luminescent polymers with high light-emitting efficiencies

Luminescent polymers are of great interest in a number of photonic technologies, including electroluminescence, bioimaging, medical diagnosis, bio-stimulation and security signage. Incorporating depolymerizability and recyclability into luminescent polymers is pivotal for promoting their sustainability and minimizing their environmental impacts at the end of the product lifecycle, but existing strategies often compromise the light-emitting efficiencies. Here, in this study, we develop a strategy that utilizes cleavable moiety to create depolymerizable and recyclable thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) polymers without compromising their high light-emitting efficiencies. The electroluminescent devices based on the TADF polymers achieved a high external quantum efficiency of up to 15.1 %. The TADF polymers can be depolymerized under either mild acidic or heating conditions, with precise control of the kinetics, and the obtained pure monomers can potentially be isolated and repolymerized for subsequent life applications. This work promotes the end-of-life environmental friendliness and circularity of luminescent materials, paving the way to a sustainable photonic industry. Developing depolymerizable and recyclable polymers with high light-emitting efficiencies is of vital importance for sustainable photonic technologies, but remains challenging. Here the authors design a strategy to develop such polymers based on the use of controllable cleavable moiety.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Tailoring Microbial Fitness Through Computational Steering and CRISPRi-Driven Robustness Regulation

The widespread application of genetically modified microorganisms (GMMs) across diverse sectors underscores the pressing need for robust strategies to mitigate the risks associated with their potential uncontrolled escape. This study merges computational modeling with CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) to refine GMM metabolic robustness. Utilizing ensemble modeling, we achieved high-throughput in silico screening for enzymatic targets susceptible to expression alterations. Translating these insights, we developed functional CRISPRi, boosting fitness control via multiplexed gene knockdown. Our method, enhanced by an insulator-improved gRNA structure and an off-switch circuit controlling a compact Cas12m, resulted in rationally engineered strains with escape frequencies below National Institutes of Health standards. The effectiveness of this approach was confirmed under various conditions, showcasing its ability for secure GMM management. This research underscores the resilience of microbial metabolism, strategically modifying key nodes to halt growth without provoking significant resistance, thereby enabling more reliable and precise GMM control. A record of this paper's transparent peer review process is included in the supplemental information.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

EKAT v.1.0

E3SM Kokkos Application Toolkit (EKAT) is a collection of C++, Fortran, and CMake utilities for providing a single implementation of common kernels based on the Kokkos programming model. The library contains utilities for vectorization, tridiagonal linear system solvers, and linear interpolation as well as some general-purpose utilities such as testing utilities, parameter lists, representation of physical units, and additional interfaces. The goal is to provide a centralized implementation for high-performance computing structures and common utilities that reduce code duplication and streamline maintenance efforts. Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525. SAND2022-1327 O

Bertagna, Luca↗
DOE OSTI2024

Quantum for Energy Systems and Technologies

Quantum Information Science (QIS) is expected to profoundly change the practice of science and engineering in the coming decades. QIS technology exploits quantum phenomena for performing tasks that are impossible to do today and is a rapidly progressing field, fueled by large investments from the private sector and governments. Its importance to the U.S. economy and national security is underscored by the National Quantum Initiative Act (NQIA) passed in December 2018, which creates a coordinated multiagency program to support research and training in QIS. After the NIQA signed into law, NETL has launched an initiative to apply QIS to problems encountered in energy technology development. In Jan. 2020, an Quantum for Energy Systems & Technologies (QUEST) working group was formed to establish a workforce capable of developing, reviewing, managing, and advising on QIS-related technologies for NETL and FECM. Since then, the QUEST team have been working on developing quantum sensing technology and performing quantum computing to solve energy-related problems. This poster summarized the QUEST team’s activities & accomplishments on QIS targeting energy-related applications.

Paudel, Hari P.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Hybrid Network Architectures for the Next Generation NAS

To meet the needs of the 21st Century NAS, an integrated, network-centric infrastructure is essential that is characterized by secure, high bandwidth, digital communication systems that support precision navigation capable of reducing position errors for all aircraft to within a few meters. This system will also require precision surveillance systems capable of accurately locating all aircraft, and automatically detecting any deviations from an approved path within seconds and be able to deliver high resolution weather forecasts - critical to create 4- dimensional (space and time) profiles for up to 6 hours for all atmospheric conditions affecting aviation, including wake vortices. The 21st Century NAS will be characterized by highly accurate digital data bases depicting terrain, obstacle, and airport information no matter what visibility conditions exist. This research task will be to perform a high-level requirements analysis of the applications, information and services required by the next generation National Airspace System. The investigation and analysis is expected to lead to the development and design of several national network-centric communications architectures that would be capable of supporting the Next Generation NAS.

Madubata, Christian↗