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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 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Exploring the Potential of Hydrogen as a Lift Gas for Nasa’s Scientific Balloon Program

The United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Balloon Program has a rich history of conducting scientific research in the stratosphere, offering a unique platform for experiments in the near-space environment. One critical component of these high-altitude balloons is the choice of lift gas, which is pivotal to achieving the desired altitude and, thus, mission objectives. Traditionally, helium has been the preferred lift gas due to its inert properties and safety considerations. However, the increasing demand and limited global helium reserves have prompted NASA to explore alternative lift gases, with hydrogen emerging as the most logical choice. Hydrogen boasts several advantages, including its abundant availability, cost-effectiveness, and enhanced lift capability compared to helium. Moreover, it can support a wide range of scientific payloads, enabling extended mission durations and increased payload capacities, ultimately strengthening the program’s scientific potential. However, adopting hydrogen as a lift gas is not without challenges. Safety concerns, especially during the launch and recovery phases, are paramount. NASA and the other major players in the scientific ballooning community have been developing stringent safety protocols and engineering solutions to mitigate these risks. This development includes specialized support systems, leak detection mechanisms, and enhanced launch and recovery procedures. Additionally, environmental considerations must be carefully evaluated. Hydrogen release has the potential to increase concentrations of various greenhouse gases, and its usage must be balanced against the benefits it offers to scientific research and exploration. This paper delves into the ongoing research and development efforts to ensure balloon-based research’s long-term sustainability and its ability to continue pushing the boundaries of scientific discovery. This research demonstrates NASA’s commitment to innovation, safety, and environmental responsibility while maintaining its mission to advance our understanding of the Earth and the cosmos.

balloon↗
DOE OSTI2020

Global Security & Strategic Partnership Programs

Long, proud history of expertise in uranium, lithium, high explosives, assembly/disassembly, and nuclear security and a vital part of today’s nuclear security enterprise Integral role in sustaining U.S. nuclear deterrent and reducing global nuclear threats with unique security and nonproliferation research capabilities NN and GSP Missions Bring Fresh Ideas and Solves Important National Security Problems NN and GSP Missions Keep Our Technology and People Sharp and Ready for New Challenges

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗
DOE OSTI2025

Transforming Energy Through Computational Excellence: A View From NREL

At the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)—a U.S. Department of Energy laboratory—computational science, high-performance computing, applied mathematics, advanced computer science, visualization, and data play a pivotal role in advancing energy abundance, affordability, security, and reliability. From fundamental scientifc discovery to systems engineering and analysis, NREL researchers tackle market-relevant challenges to develop solutions for an independent energy system that is reliable, resilient and secure. Collaborative partnerships with industry, government, and academia ensure that our research remains cutting edge, impactful, applicable, and aligned with real-world energy needs. This special issue of Computing in Science & Engineering highlights exemplary NREL projects where computational tools and methodologies drive discovery and accelerate innovation in scalable and integrated energy systems. The featured articles explore the role of computational modeling, high-performance computing, generative AI, and adaptive computing in advancing independent energy solutions, optimizing sustainability research, and enhancing decision-making for energy solutions using a broad mix of energy technologies. Here, these contributions demonstrate how NREL’s computational research bridges the gap between theoretical advancements and practical implementation, emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration and a commitment to innovation, with a focus on translating computational excellence into real-world impact, thus accelerate progress toward national energy goals. By showcasing cutting-edge research at the intersection of computational science and energy systems, this issue aims to inspire and inform researchers, practitioners, and policymakers dedicated to shaping a more reliable energy future.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
NASA NTRS2012

NASA GSFC Space Weather Center - Innovative Space Weather Dissemination: Web-Interfaces, Mobile Applications, and More

The NASA GSFC Space Weather Center (http://swc.gsfc.nasa.gov) is committed to providing forecasts, alerts, research, and educational support to address NASA's space weather needs - in addition to the needs of the general space weather community. We provide a host of services including spacecraft anomaly resolution, historical impact analysis, real-time monitoring and forecasting, custom space weather alerts and products, weekly summaries and reports, and most recently - video casts. There are many challenges in providing accurate descriptions of past, present, and expected space weather events - and the Space Weather Center at NASA GSFC employs several innovative solutions to provide access to a comprehensive collection of both observational data, as well as space weather model/simulation data. We'll describe the challenges we've faced with managing hundreds of data streams, running models in real-time, data storage, and data dissemination. We'll also highlight several systems and tools that are utilized by the Space Weather Center in our daily operations, all of which are available to the general community as well. These systems and services include a web-based application called the Integrated Space Weather Analysis System (iSWA http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov), two mobile space weather applications for both IOS and Android devices, an external API for web-service style access to data, google earth compatible data products, and a downloadable client-based visualization tool.

Maddox, Marlo↗
DOE OSTI2025

LLGoMAX : Enhancing Industry-Standard Tools for AC Optimal Unit Commitment

In 2018, the Advanced Research Project Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) launched the Grid Optimization Competition (GOC) [1], a series of competitive challenges intended to accelerate innovation in decision support software used to schedule power grid operations, making them as efficient as possible, while respecting operational constraints of power equipment and operational security. This report covers the participation of the LLGoMAX team—a collaboration of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and ECCO International, Inc.—in Challenge 3 of the competition.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
NASA NTRS1981

Restructuring the US telecommunications industry - Impact on innovation

The Communications Act of 1934, which regulates the United States telecommunications industry, is becoming less able to deal with the changes brought by modern technology. Therefore, proposals are being made to restructure the industry. Breaking up AT&T into smaller firms would have only minor effects, since its ratio of R and D to sales has been near the median for large telephone companies. Restructuring AT&T into subsidiaries dealing at arms' length might cause a reordering of priorities toward more directly marketable and useful products, but too extensive a break-up could endanger Bell Labs' commitment to basic research. Regulation leads a firm to ignore true social value of possible products, expand into low profit markets, and favor capital-intensive over labor-intensive innovation. If regulatory lag occurs, a firm will produce cost-reducing innovation in order to increase its profit.

Agnew, C. E.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Aerospace Technology Innovation

Whether finding new applications for existing NASA technologies or developing unique marketing strategies to demonstrate them, NASA's offices are committed to identifying unique partnering opportunities. Through their efforts NASA leverages resources through joint research and development, and gains new insight into the core areas relevant to all NASA field centers. One of the most satisfying aspects of my job comes when I learn of a mission-driven technology that can be spun-off to touch the lives of everyday people. NASA's New Partnerships in Medical Diagnostic Imaging is one such initiative. Not only does it promise to provide greater dividends for the country's investment in aerospace research, but also to enhance the American quality of life. This issue of Innovation highlights the new NASA-sponsored initiative in medical imaging. Early in 2001, NASA announced the launch of the New Partnerships in Medical Diagnostic Imaging initiative to promote the partnership and commercialization of NASA technologies in the medical imaging industry. NASA and the medical imaging industry share a number of crosscutting technologies in areas such as high-performance detectors and image-processing tools. Many of the opportunities for joint development and technology transfer to the medical imaging market also hold the promise for future spin back to NASA.

Turner, Janelle↗
NASA NTRS2004

Surface-Satellite Measurements for Atmospheric Radiative Transfer (SMART)and Chemical, Optical and Microphysical Measurements of In-Situ Troposphere (COMMIT) Research Activities

The GSFC SMART consists of a suite of remote sensing instruments, including many commercially available radiometers, spectrometer, interferometer, and three in-house developed inskuments: micro-pulse lidar (MPL), scanning microwave radiometer (SMiR), and sun-sky-surface photometer (S(sup 3)). SMART cover the spectral range from UV to microwave, and passive to active remote sensing. This is to enrich the EOS-like research activities (i.e., EOS validation, innovative investigations, and long-term local environmental observations). During past years, SMART has been deployed in many NASA supported field campaigns to collocate with satellite nadir overpass for intercomparisons, and for initializing model simulations. Built on the successful experience of SMART, we are currently developing a new ground-based in-situ sampling package, COMMIT, including measurements of trace gases (CO, SO2, NOx, and O3,) concentrations, fine/coarse particle sizers and chemical composition, single- and three-wavelength nephelometers, and surface meteorological probes. COMMIT is built for seeking a relationship between surface in-situ measurements and boundary layer characteristics. This is to enrich EOS-like research on removing boundary layer signal from the entire column from space observation - to deduce the stable (less variability) free-troposphere observations. The COMMIT will try its best to link the chemical, microphysical, and optical properties of the boundary layer with radiation. The next major activities for SMART-COMMIT are scheduled for 2004-2006 in BASE-ASIA and EAST-AIRE. The expected close collaboration of BASE-ASIA with various research projects in Asia (i.e., ABC in South Asia, led by Ramanathan et al.; EAST-AIRE in East Asia, led by Li et al.; and APEX in Northeast Asia, led by Nakajima et al.) will definitely provide a better understanding of the impact of the biomass burning and air pollutants on regional-to-global climate, hydrological and carbon cycles, and tropospheric chemistry in Asia.

Tsay, Si-Chee↗
NASA NTRS2016

NASA's Public Participation Universe: Why and How the U.S. Space Agency Is Democratizing Its Approaches to Innovation

This paper analyzes NASA's increasing effort to invite greater public participation in its techno scientific work through open innovation methodologies. First we examine why NASA has expanded its use of these approaches, noting the roles of an intertwined set of forcing functions including budget constraints, the availability of technological resources, and committed individuals. Next we outline the strategies the agency has invoked to engage the public in research, technology development, and other activities to advance and shape NASA's mission. As we show, promoting greater public involvement has entailed facilitating the NASA workforce's familiarity with open innovation approaches as well as developing projects and creating outreach strategies appropriate to the envisioned participant base. We then discuss the wide variety of outcomes NASA's open innovation initiatives have yielded in support of NASA research and development objectives as well as benefits to participants and others. We conclude with a discussion of the remaining barriers to the use of open innovation techniques as a standard practice and the strategies in work to overcome those barriers so the full potential of a democratized approach to innovation can be realized.

open innovation↗
NASA NTRS1999

Johnson Space Center Research and Technology Report

As the principle center for NASA's Human Exploration and Development of Space (HEDS) Enterprise, the Johnson Space Center (JSC) leads NASA's development of human spacecraft, human support systems, and human spacecraft operations. To implement this mission, JSC has focused on developing the infrastructure and partnerships that enable the technology development for future NASA programs. In our efforts to develop key technologies, we have found that collaborative relationships with private industry and academia strengthen our capabilities, infuse innovative ideas, and provide alternative applications for our development projects. The American public has entrusted NASA with the responsibility for space--technology development, and JSC is committed to the transfer of the technologies that we develop to the private sector for further development and application. It is our belief that commercialization of NASA technologies benefits both American industry and NASA through technology innovation and continued partnering. To this end, we present the 1998-1999 JSC Research and Technology Report. As your guide to the current JSC technologies, this report showcases the projects in work at JSC that may be of interest to U.S. industry, academia, and other government agencies (federal, state, and local). For each project, potential alternative uses and commercial applications are described.

Pido, Kelle↗
NASA NTRS2004

Johnson Space Center Research and Technology Annual Report 1998-1999

As the principle center for NASA's Human Exploration and Development of Space (HEDS) Enterprise, the Johnson Space Center (JSC) leads NASA development of human spacecraft, human support systems, and human spacecraft operations. An important element in implementing this mission, JSC has focused on developing the infrastructure and partnerships that enable the technology development for future NASA programs. In our efforts to develop key technologies, we have found that collaborative relationships with private industry and academia strengthen our capabilities, infuse innovative ideas, and provide alternative applications for our development projects. The American public has entrusted NASA with the responsibility for space technology development, and JSC is committed to the transfer of the technologies that we develop to the private sector for further development and application. It is our belief that commercialization of NASA technologies benefits both American industry and NASA through technology innovation and continued partnering. To this end, we present the 1998-1999 JSC Research and Technology Report. As your guide to the current JSC technologies, this report showcases the projects in work at JSC that may be of interest to U.S. industry, academia, and other government agencies (federal, state, and local). For each project, potential alternative uses and commercial applications are described. To aid in your search, projects are arranged according to the Major Product Groups used by CorpTech to classify and index types of industry. Some projects fall into multiple categories and are placed under the predominant category, for example, an artificial intelligence project is listed under the Computer Software category, while its function is to automate a process (Automation category).

Abbey, George W. S.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Space Station: Leadership for the Future

No longer limited to occasional spectaculars, space has become an essential, almost commonplace dimension of national life. Among other things, space is an arena of competition with our allies and adversaries, a place of business, a field of research, and an avenue of cooperation with our allies. The space station will play a critical role in each of these endeavors. Perhaps the most significant feature of the space station, essential to its utility for science, commerce, and technology, is the permanent nature of its crew. The space station will build upon the tradition of employing new capabilities to explore further and question deeper, and by providing a permanent presence, the station should significantly increase the opportunities for conducting research in space. Economic productivity is, in part, a function of technical innovation. A major thrust of the station design effort is devoted to enhancing performance through advanced technology. The space station represents the commitment of the United States to a future in space. Perhaps most importantly, as recovery from the loss of Challenger and its crew continues, the space station symbolizes the national determination to remain undeterred by tragedy and to continue exploring the frontiers of space.

Martin, Franklin D.↗
NASA NTRS1998

BioSIGHT: Interactive Visualization Modules for Science Education

Redefining science education to harness emerging integrated media technologies with innovative pedagogical goals represents a unique challenge. The Integrated Media Systems Center (IMSC) is the only engineering research center in the area of multimedia and creative technologies sponsored by the National Science Foundation. The research program at IMSC is focused on developing advanced technologies that address human-computer interfaces, database management, and high- speed network capabilities. The BioSIGHT project at IMSC is a demonstration technology project in the area of education that seeks to address how such emerging multimedia technologies can make an impact on science education. The scope of this project will help solidify NASA's commitment for the development of innovative educational resources that promotes science literacy for our students and the general population as well. These issues must be addressed as NASA marches towards the goal of enabling human space exploration that requires an understanding of life sciences in space. The IMSC BioSIGHT lab was established with the purpose of developing a novel methodology that will map a high school biology curriculum into a series of interactive visualization modules that can be easily incorporated into a space biology curriculum. Fundamental concepts in general biology must be mastered in order to allow a better understanding and application for space biology. Interactive visualization is a powerful component that can capture the students' imagination, facilitate their assimilation of complex ideas, and help them develop integrated views of biology. These modules will augment the role of the teacher and will establish the value of student-centered interactivity, both in an individual setting as well as in a collaborative learning environment. Students will be able to interact with the content material, explore new challenges, and perform virtual laboratory simulations. The BioSIGHT effort is truly cross-disciplinary in nature and requires expertise from many areas including Biology, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Education, and the Cognitive Sciences. The BioSIGHT team includes a scientific illustrator, educational software designer, computer programmers as well as IMSC graduate and undergraduate students. Our collaborators include TERC, a research and education organization with extensive k-12 math and science curricula development from Cambridge, MA.; SRI International of Menlo Park, CA.; teachers and students from local area high schools (Newbury Park High School, USC's Family of Five schools, Chadwick School, and Pasadena Polytechnic High School).

Wong, Wee Ling↗
NASA NTRS2012

Optimize Use of Space Research and Technology for Medical Devices

systems, and cutting-edge component technologies to conduct a wide range of scientific observations and measurements. These technologies are also considered for practical applications that benefit society in remarkable ways. At NASA Goddard, the technology transfer initiative promotes matching technologies from Earth and space science needs to targeted industry sectors. This requires clear knowledge of industry needs and priorities and social demands. The process entails matching mature technologies where there are known innovation challenges and good opportunities for matching technology needs. This requires creative thinking and takes commitment of time and resources. Additionally, we also look at applications for known hot industry or societal needs. Doing so has given us occasion to host discussions with representatives from industry, academia, government organizations, and societal special interest groups about the application of NASA Goddard technologies for devices used in medical monitoring and detection tools. As a result, partnerships have been established. Innovation transpired when new products were enabled because of NASA Goddard research and technology programs.

Optimize↗
NASA NTRS2001

Spinoff 2001: Special Millennium Feature

For the past 43 years, NASA has devoted its facilities, labor force, and expertise to sharing the abundance of technology developments used for its missions with the nation's industries. These countless technologies have not only successfully contributed to the growth of the U.S. economy, but also to the quality of life on Earth. For the past 25 years, NASA's Spinoff publication has brought attention to thousands of technologies, products, and services that were developed as a direct result of commercial partnerships between NASA and the private business sector. Many of these exciting technologies included advances in ceramics, computer technology, fiber optics, and remote sensing. New and ongoing research at the NASA field centers covers a full spectrum of technologies that will provide numerous advantages for the future, many of which have made significant strides in the commercial market. The NASA Commercial Technology Network plays a large role in transferring this progress. By applying NASA technologies such as data communication, aircraft de-icing technologies, and innovative materials to everyday functions, American consumers and the national economy benefit. Moving forward into the new millennium, these new technologies will further advance our country's position as the world leader in scientific and technical innovation. These cutting-edge innovations represent the investment of the U.S. citizen in the Space Program. Some of these technologies are highlighted in Spinoff 2001, an example of NASA's commitment to technology transfer and commercialization assistance. This year's issue spotlights the commercial technology efforts of NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center. Kennedy's extensive network of commercial technology opportunities has enabled them to become a leader in technology transfer outreach. This kind of leadership is exemplified through Kennedy's recent partnership with the State of Florida, working toward the development of the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory. The new laboratory is the first step toward the development of a proposed 400-acre Space Commerce Park, located at Kennedy Space Center. Spinoff, once again, successfully showcases the variety of commercial successes and benefits resulting from the transfer of NASA technology to private industry. It is with great pride and pleasure that we present Spinoff 2001 with a Special Millennium Feature. With help from U.S. industry and commercial technology programs, NASA will continue to assist in the presentation of innovative new products to our nation.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1998

BioSIGHT: Interactive Visualization Modules for Science Education

Redefining science education to harness emerging integrated media technologies with innovative pedagogical goals represents a unique challenge. The Integrated Media Systems Center (IMSC) is the only engineering research center in the area of multimedia and creative technologies sponsored by the National Science Foundation. The research program at IMSC is focused on developing advanced technologies that address human-computer interfaces, database management, and high-speed network capabilities. The BioSIGHT project at is a demonstration technology project in the area of education that seeks to address how such emerging multimedia technologies can make an impact on science education. The scope of this project will help solidify NASA's commitment for the development of innovative educational resources that promotes science literacy for our students and the general population as well. These issues must be addressed as NASA marches toward the goal of enabling human space exploration that requires an understanding of life sciences in space. The IMSC BioSIGHT lab was established with the purpose of developing a novel methodology that will map a high school biology curriculum into a series of interactive visualization modules that can be easily incorporated into a space biology curriculum. Fundamental concepts in general biology must be mastered in order to allow a better understanding and application for space biology. Interactive visualization is a powerful component that can capture the students' imagination, facilitate their assimilation of complex ideas, and help them develop integrated views of biology. These modules will augment the role of the teacher and will establish the value of student-centered interactivity, both in an individual setting as well as in a collaborative learning environment. Students will be able to interact with the content material, explore new challenges, and perform virtual laboratory simulations. The BioSIGHT effort is truly cross-disciplinary in nature and requires expertise from many areas including Biology, Computer Science Electrical Engineering, Education, and the Cognitive Sciences. The BioSIGHT team includes a scientific illustrator, educational software designer, computer programmers as well as IMSC graduate and undergraduate students.

Wong, Wee Ling↗
DOE OSTI2025

Restructuring and Optimizing Reactor Building Lifting Processes & Designing a Solution for an Overhead Door Handling Forklift Attachment

This poster presents two innovative projects aimed at enhancing operational efficiency and safety at the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) Complex. The first project focuses on restructuring the existing lift book used for hoisting operations within the ATR Reactor Building. The current lift book, a cumbersome 150+ page document, is being transformed into a more efficient format using charts that allow for quick identification of maximum lift heights based on object footprint and weight. This new method also considers various parameters such as floor integrity and reactor status, dividing entries into four distinct charts to improve usability and safety during lifts. The second project involves designing a specialized forklift attachment for handling an overhead door at the ATR Reactor Building. The attachment is engineered to securely lift and lower a 1200lb, 14ft long door, ensuring safe replacement operations. The design process included research on forklift attachment codes, modeling in Autodesk Inventor, and testing through Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and hand calculations to confirm the attachment's structural integrity. Future work includes completing detailed drawings and an Engineering Calculations Analysis and Review (ECAR) document to proceed with manufacturing and assembly. Together, these projects demonstrate a commitment to optimizing reactor building operations through innovative engineering solutions and safety considerations.

42 - ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2025

Scalable Unit Commitment with Security Constrained AC Power Flow via ADMM and Hybrid Modeling Strategies

This research introduces a more efficient way to optimize power grid operations, breaking the problem into manageable steps and using advanced mathematical techniques to speed up calculations. By incorporating smart heuristics, improved preprocessing, and contingency analysis, the approach allows operators to make better decisions faster. These innovations enhance our understanding of how to optimize energy generation, making it possible to anticipate failures before they happen, reduce system costs, and improve overall grid performance. Ultimately, this research helps bridge the gap between theoretical models and real-world applications, paving the way for a smarter, more resilient power grid. This research directly benefits the public by making electricity more affordable, reliable, and sustainable. By improving how power grids schedule and distribute electricity, the project helps energy providers reduce operational costs, which can lead to lower electricity prices for consumers. Additionally, the ability to predict and prevent power system failures enhances grid reliability, reducing the likelihood of blackouts that can disrupt homes, businesses, and critical infrastructure such as hospitals. From an environmental perspective, optimizing power generation reduces energy waste and lowers carbon emissions, contributing to cleaner air and a more sustainable energy system. Furthermore, with extreme weather events becoming more frequent, these advancements make the power grid more resilient, ensuring communities are better prepared for emergencies and natural disasters. By strengthening the nation's energy infrastructure, this research plays a crucial role in improving economic stability, public safety, and environmental sustainability.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗