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He, Yubin

Publications and source records attributed to He, Yubin.

At least 19 records

A self-healing plastic ceramic electrolyte by an aprotic dynamic polymer network for lithium metal batteries

Abstract Oxide ceramic electrolytes (OCEs) have great potential for solid-state lithium metal (Li 0 ) battery applications because, in theory, their high elastic modulus provides better resistance to Li 0 dendrite growth. However, in practice, OCEs can hardly survive critical current densities higher than 1 mA/cm 2 . Key issues that contribute to the breakdown of OCEs include Li 0 penetration promoted by grain boundaries (GBs), uncontrolled side reactions at electrode-OCE interfaces, and, equally importantly, defects evolution (e.g., void growth and crack propagation) that leads to local current concentration and mechanical failure inside and on OCEs. Here, taking advantage of a dynamically crosslinked aprotic polymer with non-covalent –CH 3 ⋯CF 3 bonds, we developed a plastic ceramic electrolyte (PCE) by hybridizing the polymer framework with ionically conductive ceramics. Using in-situ synchrotron X-ray technique and Cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (Cryo-TEM), we uncover that the PCE exhibits self-healing/repairing capability through a two-step dynamic defects removal mechanism. This significantly suppresses the generation of hotspots for Li 0 penetration and chemomechanical degradations, resulting in durability beyond 2000 hours in Li 0 -Li 0 cells at 1 mA/cm 2 . Furthermore, by introducing a polyacrylate buffer layer between PCE and Li 0 -anode, long cycle life >3600 cycles was achieved when paired with a 4.2 V zero-strain cathode, all under near-zero stack pressure.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

A Self-Healing, Flowable, Yet Solid Electrolyte Suppresses Li-Metal Morphological Instabilities

In this article, lithium metal (Li 0 ) solid-state batteries encounter implementation challenges due to dendrite formation, side reactions, and movement of the electrode–electrolyte interface in cycling. Notably, voids and cracks formed during battery fabrication/operation are hot spots for failure. Here, a self-healing, flowable yet solid electrolyte composed of mobile ceramic crystals embedded in a reconfigurable polymer network is reported. This electrolyte can auto-repair voids and cracks through a two-step self-healing process that occurs at a fast rate of 5.6 µm h -1 . A dynamical phase diagram is generated, showing the material can switch between liquid and solid forms in response to external strain rates. The flowability of the electrolyte allows it to accommodate the electrode volume change during Li 0 stripping. Simultaneously, the electrolyte maintains a solid form with high tensile strength (0.28 MPa), facilitating the regulation of mossy Li 0 deposition. The chemistries and kinetics are studied by operando synchrotron X-ray and in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Solid-state NMR reveals a dual-phase ion conduction pathway and rapid Li + diffusion through the stable polymer-ceramic interphase. This designed electrolyte exhibits extended cycling life in Li 0 –Li 0 cells, reaching 12 000 h at 0.2 mA cm -2 and 5000 h at 0.5 mA cm -2 . Furthermore, owing to its high critical current density of 9 mA cm -2 , the Li 0 –LiNi 0.8 Mn 0.1 Co 0.1 O 2 (NMC811) full cell demonstrates stable cycling at 5 mA cm -2 for 1100 cycles, retaining 88% of its capacity, even under near-zero stack pressure conditions.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Making Plasticized Polymer Electrolytes Stable Against Sodium Metal for High‐Energy Solid‐State Sodium Batteries

Abstract Solid polymer electrolytes based on plastic crystals are promising for solid‐state sodium metal (Na 0 ) batteries, yet their practicality has been hindered by the notorious Na 0 ‐electrolyte interface instability issue, the underlying cause of which remains poorly understood. Here, by leveraging a model plasticized polymer electrolyte based on conventional succinonitrile plastic crystals, we uncover its failure origin in Na 0 batteries is associated with the formation of a thick and non‐uniform solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) and whiskery Na 0 nucleation/growth. Furthermore, we design a new additive‐embedded plasticized polymer electrolyte to manipulate the Na 0 deposition and SEI formulation. For the first time, we demonstrate that introducing fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) additive into the succinonitrile‐plasticized polymer electrolyte can effectively protect Na 0 against interfacial corrosion by facilitating the growth of dome‐like Na 0 with thin, amorphous, and fluorine‐rich SEIs, thus enabling significantly improved performances of Na//Na symmetric cells (1,800 h at 0.5 mA cm −2 ) and Na//Na 3 V 2 (PO 4 ) 3 full cells (93.0 % capacity retention after 1,200 cycles at 1 C rate in coin cells and 93.1 % capacity retention after 250 cycles at C/3 in pouch cells at room temperature). Our work provides valuable insights into the interfacial failure of plasticized polymer electrolytes and offers a promising solution to resolving the interfacial instability issue.

Zou, Peichao↗

Making Plasticized Polymer Electrolytes Stable Against Sodium Metal for High‐Energy Solid‐State Sodium Batteries

Solid polymer electrolytes based on plastic crystals are promising for solid-state sodium metal (Na 0 ) batteries, yet their practicality has been hindered by the notorious Na 0 -electrolyte interface instability issue, the underlying cause of which remains poorly understood. Here, in this study, by leveraging a model plasticized polymer electrolyte based on conventional succinonitrile plastic crystals, we uncover its failure origin in Na 0 batteries is associated with the formation of a thick and non-uniform solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) and whiskery Na 0 nucleation/growth. Furthermore, we design a new additive-embedded plasticized polymer electrolyte to manipulate the Na 0 deposition and SEI formulation. For the first time, we demonstrate that introducing fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) additive into the succinonitrile-plasticized polymer electrolyte can effectively protect Na 0 against interfacial corrosion by facilitating the growth of dome-like Na 0 with thin, amorphous, and fluorine-rich SEIs, thus enabling significantly improved performances of Na//Na symmetric cells (1,800 h at 0.5 mA cm −2 ) and Na//Na 3 V 2 (PO 4 ) 3 full cells (93.0 % capacity retention after 1,200 cycles at 1 C rate in coin cells and 93.1 % capacity retention after 250 cycles at C/3 in pouch cells at room temperature). Our work provides valuable insights into the interfacial failure of plasticized polymer electrolytes and offers a promising solution to resolving the interfacial instability issue.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Transition from Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann to Arrhenius Ion-Conducting Behavior in Poly(Ethyl Acrylate)-Based Solid Polymer Electrolytes via Succinonitrile Plasticizer Addition

Solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) offer potential advantages over liquid electrolytes, including flexibility, safety, and processability. However, they suffer from low room-temperature ionic conductivity. Recently, it has been reported a poly(ethyl acrylate) based (polyEA) SPE, by incorporating 50 wt% of succinonitrile (SN) solid plasticizer, 30 wt% of lithium salt and 5 wt% of fluoroethylene carbonate additive, which achieves a high room-temperature ionic conductivity of 1.01 × 10 −3 S cm −1 (Nat. Nanotechnol, 2022, 17, 768-776). This novel SPE exhibits stability against Li 0 and anodic stability up to 4.9 V vs Li + /Li. However, the specific mechanism responsible for its high ionic conductivity remains elusive. In this work, by adjusting the weight ratio of SN in the SPE, a transition from Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann to Arrhenius ion-conducting behavior is observed. It is demonstrated that the addition of SN leads to the gradual decoupling of Li-ion from the polymer backbone and its coordination with SN, as revealed by 6 Li solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. As a result, Li-ion migration primarily occurs through SN rather than the segmental motion of the polymer backbone. Performances of the SPE in Cu||Li, Li||Li and a LiFePO 4 ||Li pouch cells are shown to demonstrate the commercial viability of this SPE in Li 0 -anode solid-state batteries.

Electrochemistry↗

Anion-tethered Single Lithium-ion Conducting Polyelectrolytes through UV-induced Free Radical Polymerization for Improved Morphological Stability of Lithium Metal Anodes

Single Li + ion conducting polyelectrolytes (SICs), which feature covalently tethered counter-anions along their backbone, have the potential to mitigate dendrite formation by reducing concentration polarization and preventing salt depletion. However, due to their low ionic conductivity and complicated synthetic procedure, the successful validation of these claimed advantages in lithium metal (Li 0 ) anode batteries remains limited. In this study, we fabricated a SIC electrolyte using a single-step UV polymerization approach. The resulting electrolyte exhibited a high Li + transference number (t + ) of 0.85 and demonstrated good Li + conductivity (6.3×10 -5 S/cm at room temperature), which is comparable to that of a benchmark dual ion conductor (DIC, 9.1×10 -5 S/cm). Benefitting from the high transference number of SIC, it displayed a three-fold higher critical current density (2.4 mA/cm 2 ) compared to DIC (0.8 mA/cm 2 ) by successfully suppressing concentration polarization-induced short-circuiting. Additionally, the t + significantly influenced the deposition behavior of Li0, with SIC yielding a uniform, compact, and mosaic-like morphology, while the low t + DIC resulted in a porous morphology with Li 0 whiskers. Using the SIC electrolyte, Li 0 ||LiFePO 4 cells exhibited stable operation for 4500 cycles with 70.5 % capacity retention at 22 °C.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Anion-tethered Single Lithium-ion Conducting Polyelectrolytes through UV-induced Free Radical Polymerization for Improved Morphological Stability of Lithium Metal Anodes

Single Li + ion conducting polyelectrolytes (SICs), which feature covalently tethered counter-anions along their backbone, have the potential to mitigate dendrite formation by reducing concentration polarization and preventing salt depletion. However, due to their low ionic conductivity and complicated synthetic procedure, the successful validation of these claimed advantages in lithium metal (Li 0 ) anode batteries remains limited. In this study, we fabricated a SIC electrolyte using a single-step UV polymerization approach. The resulting electrolyte exhibited a high Li + transference number (t + ) of 0.85 and demonstrated good Li + conductivity (6.3×10 -5 S/cm at room temperature), which is comparable to that of a benchmark dual ion conductor (DIC, 9.1×10 -5 S/cm). Benefitting from the high transference number of SIC, it displayed a three-fold higher critical current density (2.4 mA/cm 2 ) compared to DIC (0.8 mA/cm 2 ) by successfully suppressing concentration polarization-induced short-circuiting. Additionally, the t + significantly influenced the deposition behavior of Li 0 , with SIC yielding a uniform, compact, and mosaic-like morphology, while the low t + DIC resulted in a porous morphology with Li 0 whiskers. In conclusion, using the SIC electrolyte, Li 0 ||LiFePO 4 cells exhibited stable operation for 4500 cycles with 70.5 % capacity retention at 22 °C.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Tension‐Induced Cavitation in Li‐Metal Stripping

Abstract Designing stable Li metal and supporting solid structures (SSS) is of fundamental importance in rechargeable Li‐metal batteries. Yet, the stripping kinetics of Li metal and its mechanical effect on the supporting solids (including solid electrolyte interface) remain mysterious to date. Here, through nanoscale in situ observations of a solid‐state Li‐metal battery in an electron microscope, two distinct cavitation‐mediated Li stripping modes controlled by the ratio of the SSS thickness ( t ) to the Li deposit's radius ( r ) are discovered. A quantitative criterion is established to understand the damage tolerance of SSS on the Li‐metal stripping pathways. For mechanically unstable SSS ( t / r < 0.21), the stripping proceeds via tension‐induced multisite cavitation accompanied by severe SSS buckling and necking, ultimately leading to Li “trapping” or “dead Li” formation; for mechanically stable SSS ( t / r > 0.21), the Li metal undergoes nearly planar stripping from the root via single cavitation, showing negligible buckling. This work proves the existence of an electronically conductive precursor film coated on the interior of solid electrolytes that however can be mechanically damaged, and it is of potential importance to the design of delicate Li‐metal supporting structures to high‐performance solid‐state Li‐metal batteries.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Localized Hydrophobicity in Aqueous Zinc Electrolytes Improves Zinc Metal Reversibility

The rechargeability of aqueous zinc metal batteries is plagued by parasitic reactions of the zinc metal anode and detrimental morphologies such as dendritic or dead zinc. To improve the zinc metal reversibility, hereby we report a new solution structure of aqueous electrolyte with hydroxyl-ions scavengers and hydrophobicity localized in solvent clusters. In this work we show that although hydrophobicity sounds counterintuitive for an aqueous system, hydrophilic pockets may be encapsulated inside a hydrophobic outer layer and a hydrophobic anode-electrolyte interface can be generated through the addition of a cation-philic, strongly anion-phobic, and OH - -reactive diluent. The localized hydrophobicity enables less active water and less absorbed water on the Zn anode surface, which suppresses the parasitic water reductions; while the hydroxyl-ion-scavenging functionality further minimizes undesired passivation layer formation, thus leading to superior reversibility (an average Zn plating/stripping efficiency of 99.72% for 1000 cycles) and lifetime (80.6% capacity retention after 5000 cycles) of zinc batteries.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Dual Passivation of Cathode and Anode through Electrode–Electrolyte Interface Engineering Enables Long-Lifespan Li Metal–SPAN Batteries

The reliability and durability of lithium metal (Li 0 )–sulfur batteries are largely limited by the undesired Li 0 plating-stripping irreversibility and the detrimental polysulfide dissolution, yet approaches that can simultaneously address the above anodic and cathodic problems are scarce. In this study, we report the stable operation of a Li 0 -SPAN (sulfurized polyacrylonitrile) battery via an anode–cathode dual-passivation approach. By combination of a fluorinated localized high concentration electrolyte (LHCE) and a Li 3 N-forming additive (TMS-N 3 ), robust and highly conductive electrode passivation layers are formed in situ on the surface of both the Li 0 anode and the SPAN cathode. The resulting highly reversible, dendrite-free, and high-density Li 0 plating morphology enables a high Coulombic efficiency of 99.4%. Advanced tender energy X-ray spectroscopy also reveals the eliminated Li 2 S formation and minimized polysulfide dissolution in SPAN cathodes, leading to a high capacity of 580 mAh/g SPAN and stable cycling with negligible capacity decay (0.7%) for 800 cycles. This electrode–electrolyte interphase engineering strategy has tackled the major limitations of Li–S batteries in both ether- and carbonate-based electrolyte systems and under a wide temperature range from –10 to +50 °C, thus providing insightful guidelines for the rational design of highly durable and high-energy-density Li 0 -S batteries.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Characterization of the structure and chemistry of the solid–electrolyte interface by cryo-EM leads to high-performance solid-state Li-metal batteries

Solid-state lithium-metal (Li 0 ) batteries are gaining traction for electric vehicle applications because they replace flammable liquid electrolytes with a safer, solid-form electrolyte that also offers higher energy density and better resistance against Li dendrite formation. Solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) are highly promising candidates because of their tunable mechanical properties and easy manufacturability; however, their electrochemical instability against lithium metal (Li 0 ), mediocre conductivity, and poorly understood Li 0 /SPE interphases have prevented extensive application in real batteries. In particular, the origin of the low Coulombic efficiency (CE) associated with SPEs remains elusive, as the debate continues as to whether it originates from unfavored interfacial reactions or lithium dendritic growth and dead lithium formation. In this work, we use state-of-the-art cryo-electromicroscopy (cryoEM) imaging and spectroscopic techniques to characterize the structure and chemistry of the interface between Li 0 and a polyacrylate-based SPE. Contradicting the conventional knowledge, we find that no protective interphase forms, owing to the sustained reactions between deposited Li dendrites and polyacrylic backbones and succinonitrile plasticizer. Due to the reaction induced volume change, large amounts of cracks form inside the Li dendrites with a stress corrosion-cracking behavior, indicating that Li0cannot be passivated in this SPE system. Based on this observation, we then introduce additive engineering leveraging on the knowledge of liquid electrolytes, and demonstrate that the Li 0 surface can be effectively protected against corrosion using fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC), leading to densely packed Li 0 domes with conformal and stable solid-electrolyte interphases (SEIs) films. Owing to the high room temperature ionic conductivity of 1.01 mS/cm -1 , the high transference number of 0.57 and the stabilized lithium electrolyte interface, this improved new SPE delivers an excellent lithium plating/stripping CE of 99% and 1800 hours of stable cycling in Li||Li symmetric cells (0.2 mA/cm -2 , 1mAh/cm -2 ). Furthermore, this improved cathodic stability along with the high anodic stability enables record high cycle life of >2000 cycles for Li||LiFePO 4 and >400 cycles for Li||LiCoO 2 full cells.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Synergic grain boundary segregation and precipitation in W- and W-Mo-containing high-entropy borides

The structures of W- and W-Mo-containing high-entropy borides (HEBs) are systematically studied by combining atomic-resolution transmission electron microscopy imaging, electron diffraction, and chemical analysis. Here, we reveal that W or W-Mo addition in HEBs leads to segregation of these elements to the grain boundaries (GBs). In the meantime, W- or W-Mo-rich precipitates also form along the GBs. Crystallographic analysis and atomic-scale imaging show that the GB precipitates in both W- and W-Mo-containing HEBs have a cube-on-cube orientation relationship with the matrix. With further strain analysis, the coherency of the precipitate/matrix interface is validated. Nanoindentation tests show that the simultaneous GB segregation and coherent precipitation, as a supplement to the grain hardening, provide additional hardening of the HEBs. Our work provides an in-depth understanding of the GB segregation and precipitation behaviors of HEBs. It suggests that GB engineering could be potentially used for optimizing the performance of high-entropy ceramics.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

The Way Point Planning Tool: Real Time Flight Planning for Airborne Science

Airborne real time observation are a major component of NASA's Earth Science research and satellite ground validation studies. For mission scientist, planning a research aircraft mission within the context of meeting the science objective is a complex task because it requires real time situational awareness of the weather conditions that affect the aircraft track. Multiple aircraft are often involved in the NASA field campaigns the coordination of the aircraft with satellite overpasses, other airplanes and the constantly evolving dynamic weather conditions often determine the success of the campaign. A flight planning tool is needed to provide situational awareness information to the mission scientist and help them plan and modify the flight tracks successfully. Scientists at the University of Alabama Huntsville and the NASA Marshal Space Flight Center developed the Waypoint Planning Tool (WPT), an interactive software tool that enables scientist to develop their own flight plans (also known as waypoints), with point and click mouse capabilities on a digital map filled with time raster and vector data. The development of this Waypoint Planning Tool demonstrates the significance of mission support in responding to the challenges presented during NASA field campaigns. Analyses during and after each campaign helped identify both issues and new requirements, initiating the next wave of development. Currently the Waypoint Planning Tool has gone through three rounds of development and analysis processes. The development of this waypoint tool is directly affected by the technology advances on GIS/Mapping technologies. From the standalone Google Earth application and simple KML functionalities to the Google Earth Plugin and Java Web Start/Applet on web platform, as well as to the rising open source GIS tools with new JavaScript frameworks, the Waypoint planning Tool has entered its third phase of technology advancement. The newly innovated, cross-platform, modular designed JavaScript-controled Waypoint tool is planned to be integrated with the NASA Airborne Science Mission Tool Suite. Adapting new technologies for the Waypoint Planning Tool ensures its success in helping scientist reach their mission objectives. This presentation will discuss the development process of the Waypoint Planning Tool in responding to field campaign challenges, identifying new information technologies, and describing the capabilities and features of the Waypoint Planning Tool with the real time aspect, interactive nature, and the resultant benefits to the airborne science community.

He, Yubin↗

The Waypoint Planning Tool: Real Time Flight Planning for Airborne Science

NASA Earth science research utilizes both spaceborne and airborne real time observations in the planning and operations of its field campaigns. The coordination of air and space components is critical to achieve the goals and objectives and ensure the success of an experiment. Spaceborne imagery provides regular and continual coverage of the Earth and it is a significant component in all NASA field experiments. Real time visible and infrared geostationary images from GOES satellites and multi-spectral data from the many elements of the NASA suite of instruments aboard the TRMM, Terra, Aqua, Aura, and other NASA satellites have become norm. Similarly, the NASA Airborne Science Program draws upon a rich pool of instrumented aircraft. The NASA McDonnell Douglas DC-8, Lockheed P3 Orion, DeHavilland Twin Otter, King Air B200, Gulfstream-III are all staples of a NASA's well-stocked, versatile hangar. A key component in many field campaigns is coordinating the aircraft with satellite overpasses, other airplanes and the constantly evolving, dynamic weather conditions. Given the variables involved, developing a good flight plan that meets the objectives of the field experiment can be a challenging and time consuming task. Planning a research aircraft mission within the context of meeting the science objectives is complex task because it is much more than flying from point A to B. Flight plans typically consist of flying a series of transects or involve dynamic path changes when "chasing" a hurricane or forest fire. These aircraft flight plans are typically designed by the mission scientists then verified and implemented by the navigator or pilot. Flight planning can be an arduous task requiring frequent sanity checks by the flight crew. This requires real time situational awareness of the weather conditions that affect the aircraft track. Scientists at the University of Alabama-Huntsville and the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center developed the Waypoint Planning Tool, an interactive software tool, that enables scientists to develop their own flight plans (also known as waypoints) with point-and-click mouse capabilities on a digital map draped with real time satellite imagery. The Waypoint Planning Tool has further advanced to include satellite orbit predictions and seamlessly interfaces with the Real Time Mission Monitor which tracks the aircraft s position when the planes are flying. This presentation will describe the capabilities and features of the Waypoint Planning Tool highlighting the real time aspect, interactive nature and the resultant benefits to the airborne science community.

He, Yubin↗

The 2nd Generation Real Time Mission Monitor (RTMM) Development

The NASA Real Time Mission Monitor (RTMM) is a visualization and information system that fuses multiple Earth science data sources, to enable real time decisionmaking for airborne and ground validation experiments. Developed at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Marshall Space Flight Center, RTMM is a situational awareness, decision-support system that integrates satellite imagery and orbit data, radar and other surface observations (e.g., lightning location network data), airborne navigation and instrument data sets, model output parameters, and other applicable Earth science data sets. The integration and delivery of this information is made possible using data acquisition systems, network communication links, network server resources, and visualizations through the Google Earth virtual globe application. In order to improve the usefulness and efficiency of the RTMM system, capabilities are being developed to allow the end-user to easily configure RTMM applications based on their mission-specific requirements and objectives. This second generation RTMM is being redesigned to take advantage of the Google plug-in capabilities to run multiple applications in a web browser rather than the original single application Google Earth approach. Currently RTMM employs a limited Service Oriented Architecture approach to enable discovery of mission specific resources. We are expanding the RTMM architecture such that it will more effectively utilize the Open Geospatial Consortium Sensor Web Enablement services and other new technology software tools and components. These modifications and extensions will result in a robust, versatile RTMM system that will greatly increase flexibility of the user to choose which science data sets and support applications to view and/or use. The improvements brought about by RTMM 2nd generation system will provide mission planners and airborne scientists with enhanced decision-making tools and capabilities to more efficiently plan, prepare and execute missions, as well as to playback and review past mission data. To paraphrase the old television commercial RTMM doesn t make the airborne science, it makes the airborne science easier.

Blakeslee, Richard↗

Integrating and Visualizing Tropical Cyclone Data Using the Real Time Mission Monitor

The Real Time Mission Monitor (RTMM) is a visualization and information system that fuses multiple Earth science data sources, to enable real time decision-making for airborne and ground validation experiments. Developed at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, RTMM is a situational awareness, decision-support system that integrates satellite imagery, radar, surface and airborne instrument data sets, model output parameters, lightning location observations, aircraft navigation data, soundings, and other applicable Earth science data sets. The integration and delivery of this information is made possible using data acquisition systems, network communication links, network server resources, and visualizations through the Google Earth virtual globe application. RTMM is extremely valuable for optimizing individual Earth science airborne field experiments. Flight planners, scientists, and managers appreciate the contributions that RTMM makes to their flight projects. A broad spectrum of interdisciplinary scientists used RTMM during field campaigns including the hurricane-focused 2006 NASA African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses (NAMMA), 2007 NOAA-NASA Aerosonde Hurricane Noel flight, 2007 Tropical Composition, Cloud, and Climate Coupling (TC4), plus a soil moisture (SMAP-VEX) and two arctic research experiments (ARCTAS) in 2008. Improving and evolving RTMM is a continuous process. RTMM recently integrated the Waypoint Planning Tool, a Java-based application that enables aircraft mission scientists to easily develop a pre-mission flight plan through an interactive point-and-click interface. Individual flight legs are automatically calculated "on the fly". The resultant flight plan is then immediately posted to the Google Earth-based RTMM for interested scientists to view the planned flight track and subsequently compare it to the actual real time flight progress. We are planning additional capabilities to RTMM including collaborations with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the joint development of a Tropical Cyclone Integrated Data Exchange and Analysis System (TC IDEAS) which will serve as a web portal for access to tropical cyclone data, visualizations and model output.

Goodman, H. Michael↗

Enhancements and Evolution of the Real Time Mission Monitor

The Real Time Mission Monitor (RTMM) is a visualization and information system that fuses multiple Earth science data sources, to enable real time decision-making for airborne and ground validation experiments. Developed at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Marshall Space Flight Center, RTMM is a situational awareness, decision-support system that integrates satellite imagery, radar, surface and airborne instrument data sets, model output parameters, lightning location observations, aircraft navigation data, soundings, and other applicable Earth science data sets. The integration and delivery of this information is made possible using data acquisition systems, network communication links, network server resources, and visualizations through the Google Earth virtual globe application. RTMM has proven extremely valuable for optimizing individual Earth science airborne field experiments. Flight planners, mission scientists, instrument scientists and program managers alike appreciate the contributions that RTMM makes to their flight projects. We have received numerous plaudits from a wide variety of scientists who used RTMM during recent field campaigns including the 2006 NASA African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses (NAMMA), 2007 Tropical Composition, Cloud, and Climate Coupling (TC4), 2008 Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites (ARCTAS) missions, the 2007-2008 NOAA-NASA Aerosonde Hurricane flights and the 2008 Soil Moisture Active-Passive Validation Experiment (SMAP-VEX). Improving and evolving RTMM is a continuous process. RTMM recently integrated the Waypoint Planning Tool, a Java-based application that enables aircraft mission scientists to easily develop a pre-mission flight plan through an interactive point-and-click interface. Individual flight legs are automatically calculated for altitude, latitude, longitude, flight leg distance, cumulative distance, flight leg time, cumulative time, and satellite overpass intersections. The resultant flight plan is then generated in KML and quickly posted to the Google Earth-based RTMM for interested scientists to view the planned flight track and then compare it to the actual real time flight progress. A description of the system architecture, components, and applications along with reviews and animations of RTMM during the field campaigns, plus planned enhancements and future opportunities will be presented.

Goodman, Michael↗