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

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At least 1,657 records · Page 92
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2019

MEDLI2 Flight Heat Flux Sensor Environment and Planetary Protection Testing

Mars 2020 will fly the Mars Entry, Descent, and Landing Instrumentation II (MEDLI2) sensor suite consisting of a total of seventeen instrumented thermocouple sensor plugs, eight pressure transducers, two total heat flux sensors, and one radiometer embedded in the thermal protection system (TPS). Of the MEDLI2 instrumentation, eleven instrumented thermocouple plugs and seven pressure transducers will be installed on the heatshield of the Mars 2020 vehicle while the rest will be installed on the backshell. The goal of the MEDLI2 instrumentation is to directly inform the large performance uncertainties that contribute to the design and validation of a Mars entry system. A better understanding of the entry environment and TPS performance could lead to reduced design margins enabling greater payload mass-fraction and smaller landing ellipses. The MEDLI2 total heat flux sensors and radiometer are new instruments that were not flown on the Mars Science Laboratory mission. These sensors directly measure the surface heat flux and radiation at specific backshell locations. The total heat flux sensors use a Schmidt-Boelter sensing element. The radiometer version uses a sapphire window placed over the Schmidt-Boelter sensing element to separate the radiative component of the total heat flux. MEDLI2 recently planned and executed protoflight environmental testing as well planetary protection measures on the flight and flight-spare total heat flux sensors and radiometers. This testing is required to provide confidence in the performance of the flight-lot sensors when exposed to flight-like environments, and to reduce the risk of biological contamination on the planet of Mars with microbes from Earth.

MEDLI2 FLIGHT HEAT FLUX SENSOR ENVIRONMENT AND PLA↗
NASA NTRS2019

Heatshield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology (HEEET) Thermal Protection System (TPS)

Starting in 2013 and completing in 2019, the Heatshield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology (HEEET) project has been working to mature a 3-D Woven Thermal Protection System (TPS) to Technical Readiness Level (TRL) 6 to support future NASA missions to destinations with extreme entry environments such as Venus, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and high-speed sample return missions to Earth. A key aspect of the project has been the building and testing of a 1-meter base diameter Engineering Test Unit (ETU) representative of what could be used for a Saturn probe. This paper provides a high-level overview of the HEEET project including manufacturing and testing of the ETU for structural model verification, establish system capability and verify manufacturing workmanship.

Extreme Entry Environment↗
NASA NTRS2019

Heatshield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology (HEEET) Thermal Protection System (TPS)

Over the last 5 years, the Heatshield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology (HEEET) project has been working to mature a 3-D Woven Thermal Protection System (TPS) to Technical Readiness Level (TRL) 6 to support future NASA missions to destinations with extreme entry environments such as Venus, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and high speed sample return missions to Earth. A key aspect of the project has been the building and testing of a 1-meter base diameter Engineering Test Unit (ETU) representative of what could be used for a Saturn probe. This paper provides a high level overview of the HEEET project including manufacturing and testing of the ETU which has been subjected to mission relevant thermal and mechanical loads, to verify structural models, establish system capability and verify manufacturing workmanship.

TPS↗
NASA NTRS1996

Effects of Electrostatically Charged Dust on Solar Array Performance in a Simulated Mars Environment

The environment near the Martian surface consists of a low-pressure carbon dioxide atmosphere which probably contains airborne electrostatically charged dust particles. It has been hypothesized that this dust might be attracted to operating solar cells, consequently obscuring light and reducing solar array power output. Results are presented of experiments of a simulated Mars environment.

mars↗
NASA NTRS2020

Investigating Mercury's Environment with the Two-Spacecraft BepiColombo Mission

The ESA-JAXA BepiColombo mission will provide simultaneous measurements from two spacecraft, offering an unprecedented opportunity to investigate magnetospheric and exospheric dynamics at Mercury as well as their interactions with the solar wind, radiation, and interplanetary dust. Many scientific instruments onboard the two spacecraft will be completely, or partially devoted to study the near-space environment of Mercury as well as the complex processes that govern it. Many issues remain unsolved even after the MES-SENGER mission that ended in 2015. The specific orbits of the two spacecraft, MPO and Mio, and the comprehensive scientific payload allow a wider range of scientific questions to be addressed than those that could be achieved by the individual instruments acting alone, or by previous missions. These joint observations are of key importance because many phenomena in Mercury’s environment are highly temporally and spatially variable. Examples of possible coordinated observations are described in this article, analysing the required geometrical conditions, pointing, resolutions and operation timing of different BepiColombo instruments sensors.

Mercury's environment↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Constraining Venus Cloud Habitability: Earth's Aerobiosphere as an Analogue Environment

The potential habitability of Venus's cloud and haze layers has been debated for decades, with interest fueled by observations including disequilibria in atmospheric chemistry, strongly UV-absorbing particles, and (most recently) a controversial phosphine detection. Venus cloud temperature and pressure are clement by Earth standards; however, the calculated high acid activity and low water activity may exceed the limits of Earth biochemistry, based on observed life in extreme environments. A significant challenge in understanding Venus's habitability is the lack of an appropriate terrestrial analogue environment. Life has not been found in hydrothermal systems approaching Venus aerosol acidities, but these systems also contain high levels of other harsh solutes. Earth's stratospheric sulfate layer is a partial match in terms of acidity, desiccation, size, and isolation from the surface, but the few samples returned from these altitudes have yielded only sparse, inactive cells. Earth's tropospheric cloud droplets have an active microbial presence, but are larger and far more water-rich than Venus aerosols; tropospheric times aloft are also similar to microbial generation times, making Earth's aerobiosphere dependent on continuous surface replenishment. Direct detection of potential biosignatures from a single transect is challenging; Earth's cloud microbiota yields 102 - 108 viable cells per mL, equivalent to one per 103 - 109 particles, with highly dynamic and heterogeneous distribution. The most important in situ measurement for Venus cloud habitability is detailed aerosol composition: confirmation of acid and water activity, presence of potentially bioavailable nutrients and energy, and potential presence of organic matter. Modeling Venus cloud aerosol residence time in comparison to periodic influxes of water and photochemical energy, and thus the ability of an ecosystem to maintain itself over time, would also address a significant habitability constraint particular to aerobiospheres.

Venus↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

UASs in the VOG/Edge/FOG Sensor Web Environment

This paper will describe the evolution of information collection, derivation and delivery mechanisms in sensor webs utilizing Uninhabited Aerial Systems (UAS).We will discuss the movement to "Fog Computing", also known as Edge Computing. Fog Computing facilitates the distribution of common operations and networking between edge devices and cloud computing facilities, optimizing the production of actionable intelligence. Initially, UASs utilized onboard data collection as standard, with minimal data downloaded directly. Information products were derived in conventional computational environments, generally desk top computers, and information products made available to the Science Community in weeks or months. With the increased availability, and increasingly lower costs, of beyond line of sight (BLOS) satellite based communication, transmission rates and data volumes increased, and processing migrated to Cloud based services. Contemporary UASs are moving some of that information product derivation to on vehicle services, and are creating a distributed Cloud/Fog environment. The Author will describe the technological advances that have made this possible, including low power multi-core Central Processing Units (CPU), and, more recently, the availability of high end Graphical Processing Units (GPU) that consume only a few watts. Intelligent system software, leveraging these hardware advances, finally allows for information product generation on-board, rather than simple data collection. Additionally, intelligent flight control systems now support mutual vehicle to vehicle collaboration, allowing UASs to create ad-hoc sensor webs on demand, as required. Also discussed will be the lessons learned by the Authors' development of data systems for NASA's large High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) UASs like Predator and Global Hawk, and how those lessons are being applied to other UAS development This paper will focus on applications, rather a deep dive into the technology, and will highlight improving data management through these new technologies.

UAS↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Ground Testing of an Oxygen Concentrator in a Simulated International Space Station (ISS) Cabin Environment

The method for supplying medical oxygen to respiratorily-compromised astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) and in future Orion missions consists of drawing oxygen from high pressure oxygen tanks. An Oxygen Concentrator Module (OCM) is a device that pulls in ambient air and separates out the nitrogen, resulting in a high concentration oxygen source. This technology has the potential to eliminate resupply and oxygen-enrichment issues associated with using high pressure oxygen tanks and become an alternative technology to support medical oxygen operations for future exploration missions. In this study, we test the long-term performance of a Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) OCM in a simulated ISS cabin environment. Humidified air, carbon dioxide, and fifteen representative trace contaminants are continuously injected through a enclosed test chamber where the OCM is challenged. This study included the first successful demonstration of the Trace Gas Injection System (TGIS), which reliably and continuously produced ISS levels of trace contaminants, carbon dioxide, and humidity in an enclosed environment. The TGIS is a new and unique ground capability with significant implications for Test Readiness Level (TRL) advancement of COTS items and Government Furnished Equipment (GFE). This study demonstrated that the tested OCM reliably delivers enriched oxygen mostly at desired performance specifications. This study also demonstrated that the OCM does not inadvertently concentrate trace gases in its oxygen product stream, as detectable concentrations of trace contaminants in the oxygen product stream were at all times below the simulated ISS levels.

medical oxygen↗
NASA NTRS2023

The Living With a Star Space Environment Testbed Payload

The objectives, instrumentation, methods and data leading up to launch of the NASA Living With a Star (LWS) Space Environment Testbed (SET) payload onboard the Air Force Research Laboratory Demonstration and Science Experiments (DSX) spacecraft are described. The experiments characterize the space radiation environment and how it affects hardware performance. The payload consists of a compact space weather instrument and a carrier containing four board experiments.

Demonstration and Science Experiments (DSX)↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Ground Testing of an Oxygen Concentrator in a Simulated International Space Station (ISS) Cabin Environment

The method for supplying medical oxygen to respiratorily-compromised astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) and in future Orion missions consists of drawing oxygen from high pressure oxygen tanks. An Oxygen Concentrator Module (OCM) is a device that pulls in ambient air and separates out the nitrogen, resulting in a high concentration oxygen source. This technology has the potential to eliminate resupply and oxygen-enrichment issues associated with using high pressure oxygen tanks and become an alternative technology to support medical oxygen operations for future exploration missions. In this study, we test the long-term performance of a Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) OCM in a simulated ISS cabin environment. Humidified air, carbon dioxide, and fifteen representative trace contaminants are continuously injected through an enclosed test chamber where the OCM is challenged. This study included the first successful demonstration of the Trace Gas Injection System (TGIS), which reliably and continuously produced ISS levels of trace contaminants, carbon dioxide, and humidity in an enclosed environment. The TGIS is a new and unique ground capability with significant implications for Test Readiness Level (TRL) advancement of COTS items and Government Furnished Equipment (GFE). This study demonstrated that the tested OCM reliably delivers enriched oxygen mostly at desired performance specifications. This study also demonstrated that the OCM does not inadvertently concentrate trace gases in its oxygen product stream, as detectable concentrations of trace contaminants in the oxygen product stream were at all times below the simulated ISS levels.

medical oxygen↗
NASA NTRS2023

A Nowcasting Approach for Low Earth Orbit Hyperspectral Infrared Soundings Within the Convective Environment

Low Earth orbit (LEO) hyper-spectral infrared (IR) sounders have significant yet untapped potential for characterizing thermodynamic environments of convective initiation and ongoing convection. While LEO soundings are of value to weather forecasters, the temporal resolution needed to resolve the rapidly evolving thermodynamics of the convective environment is limited. We have developed a novel nowcasting methodology to extend snapshots of LEO soundings forward in time up to six hours to create a product available within National Weather Service systems for user assessment. Our methodology is based on parcel forward-trajectory calculations from the satellite observing time to generate future soundings of temperature (T) and specific humidity (q) at regularly gridded intervals in space and time. The soundings are based on NOAA-Unique Combined Atmospheric Processing System (NUCAPS) retrievals from the Suomi NPP and NOAA-20 satellite platforms. The tendencies of derived convective available potential energy (CAPE) and convective inhibition (CIN) are evaluated against gridded, hourly accumulated rainfall obtained from the Multi-Radar Multi-Sensor (MRMS) observations for 24 hand-selected cases over the Contiguous United States. Areas with forecast increases in CAPE (reduced CIN) are shown to be associated with areas of precipitation. The increases in CAPE and decreases in CIN are largest for areas that have the heaviest precipitation and are statistically significant compared to areas without precipitation. These results imply that adiabatic parcel advection of LEO satellite sounding snapshots forward in time are capable of identifying convective initiation over an expanded temporal scale compared to soundings used only during the LEO satellite overpass time.

North America↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Promoted Combustion Behavior of 316 Stainless Steel and 6061 Aluminum Alloys in Elevated Pressure Nitrox Environments

Promoted combustion testing (outlined in the ASTM G124 “Standard Test Method for Determining the Combustion Behavior of Metallic Materials in Oxygen Enriched Atmospheres”) refers to a useful testing method to evaluate how metallic materials will behave when combusted in environments with high oxygen concentrations, elevated pressure, or both. These tests yield data which is useful for engineers and scientists from a variety of industries who need and rely on oxygen systems. Oxygen Compatibility Assessments (OCA’s) are vital for ensuring that materials will be safe for use, and these assessments rely on data from OCA’s or interpolation if a desired pressure/concentration is outside of previously tested bounds. It was identified that these bounds leave out significant areas of data for materials which are tested at high pressures (above 1500 psi) and variable oxygen concentrations (with nitrogen as the diluent gas). For this reason, the authors posited that conducting promoted combustion testing on materials above 1500 psi and in various concentrations of oxygen would be incredibly useful in future analyses for oxygen compatibility with similar environments (such as breathing air) as well as for further understanding of how materials behave at very high pressures (such as 10000 psi). Two materials were selected which are commonly used in industry today - 316 stainless steel and 6061 aluminum – and they were tested and analyzed for the purposes of this study.

oxygen compatibility↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Evaluation Of Corrosion-Resistant Alloys for Use in Acidic and Marine Launch Environments at NASA Kennedy Space Center: 20-Year Study

After the completion of an initial three-year study to qualify corrosion-resistant stainless steel tubing for use in NASA Kennedy Space Center’s acidic and marine launch environment, test specimens remained exposed at the KSC Beachside Atmospheric Corrosion Test Site for long-term exposure. NASA KSC’s lifetime requirement for most ground support equipment is twenty years. After twenty-one years of marine exposure, NASA KSC took the unique opportunity to reevaluate the tubing after long-term exposure to better understand the corrosion resistance of these alloys as they reached their expected lifetime requirement. Metallurgical and corrosion analysis was performed on the CRES tubing components and the alloys were rated on performance. A summary of CRES alloy tubing corrosion-related performance after 20 years of exposure in a marine launch environment is presented in this work.

NASA KSC↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Durability of Passive Thermal Control Materials Exposed to Low Earth Orbit Environment

Spacecraft components for passive thermal control need to resist degradation in the space environment. The Materials on International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) 11th, 15th, and 16th flights and the Materials Exposure and Technology Innovation in Space (METIS) 1st and 2nd flights exposed a variety of materials to the low Earth orbital environment. Materials discussed in this presentation include chemical conversion coatings per MIL-DTL-5541, thermal control coatings, and thermal protection materials for high temperature applications. Space environmental and molecular contamination effects on optical properties are reviewed. Future MISSE and METIS experiments are discussed.

space environment↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Capabilities for Long-Duration Landers in Extreme Environments

Missions to the surface of planets that experience high temperatures, like Venus or Mercury, have had limited consideration and development in recent decades partially because of the extreme temperatures and environments the planets experience. In the case of Mercury this is up to 430C for nearly 30 days and for Venus almost 60 days at 460C. Several landers have been sent to Venus many decades ago but 127 minutes was the longest any operated on the surface. Venus, and Mercury, hold many mysteries and successful surface missions will result in compelling new science that will have significant bearing on us here on Earth. To enable this compelling new science, NASA has been developing capabilities for a small lander that is designed to operate for months in the extreme temperatures found on Venus and Mercury. The capabilities promise to enable new missions not yet considered. This work summarizes technical advances that are preparing us for long-duration (months) operations in extreme environments on other planets.

Extreme Environment Lander↗
DOE OSTI2013

Built Environment Energy Analysis Tool Overview (Presentation)

This presentation provides an overview of the Built Environment Energy Analysis Tool, which is designed to assess impacts of future land use/built environment patterns on transportation-related energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The tool can be used to evaluate a range of population distribution and urban design scenarios for 2030 and 2050. This tool was produced as part of the Transportation Energy Futures (TEF) project, a Department of Energy-sponsored multi-agency project initiated to pinpoint underexplored strategies for abating GHGs and reducing petroleum dependence related to transportation.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Monitoring Wildlife Interactions with Their Environment: An Interdisciplinary Approach

In a rapidly changing world, wildlife ecologists strive to correctly model and predict complex relationships between animals and their environment, which facilitates management decisions impacting public policy to conserve and protect delicate ecosystems. Recent advances in monitoring systems span scientific domains, including animal and weather monitoring devices and landscape classification mapping techniques. The current challenge is how to combine and use detailed output from various sources to address questions spanning multiple disciplines. WolfScout wildlife and weather tracking system is a software tool capable of filling this niche. WolfScout automates integration of the latest technological advances in wildlife GPS collars, weather stations, drought conditions, and severe weather reports, and animal demographic information. The WolfScout database stores a variety of classified landscape maps including natural and manmade features. Additionally, WolfScout’s spatial database management system allows users to calculate distances between animals’ location and landscape characteristics, which are linked to the best approximation of environmental conditions at the animal’s location during the interaction. Through a secure website, data are exported in formats compatible with multiple software programs including R and ArcGIS. The WolfScout design promotes interoperability in data, between researchers, and software applications while standardizing analyses of animal interactions with their environment.

Spatial database management system, Wildlife, Weat↗
DOE OSTI2016

Diamond-based radiation detectors for very high dose rate environments- 16207

Diamond detectors offer a novel technology allowing the non-destructive assay of highly radioactive environments in the civil nuclear sector. Four detectors of different manufacturing origins have been characterised using dark current measurements and dose rate response in controlled environments. Results show the electrode material and contacts to the electrode are critical in achieving a reliable and stable detection device. This work demonstrates that diamond detectors offer considerable promise for civil nuclear applications, where high dose rate measurements are required. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗