Search NASA⌕ Search

Engineering topics

Ray Pitts

Publications and source records attributed to Ray Pitts.

At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2024

Logistics Reduction Advancements and Future Plans for NASA's Exploration Missions

Management of logistics on exploration missions includes both looking for ways to minimize the quantities, mass and volume of various consumables, supplies, spares, and equipment as well as ways to minimize the crew time needed for locating and handling those items. Also included are ways to minimize the waste, handling, and resultant products from the processes of maintaining a crew on these missions. The Logistics Reduction project encompasses technologies for management of waste, trash, autonomous logistics, and clothing. This paper provides a status of work from 2023 in these areas including recent accomplishments and challenges encountered. Future objectives and plans for 2024 will also be covered along with the work currently in progress. Specifically, the paper will cover technologies in waste management, namely, the Universal Waste Management System (UWMS) or exploration toilet and work on an alternative waste collection container, the Alternate Fecal Canister. Trash management technologies work on the Trash Compaction Processing System (TCPS) and Trash to Gas (TtG) is summarized with progress to date as well as information on how Jettison as an option is related. Progress and summary of recent accomplishment on the RFID (Radio Frequency ID) Enabled Autonomous Logistics Management (REALM) and the Autonomous Logistics (AL) technologies is detailed. Advanced Clothing System (ACS) and work in the area of Systems Engineering and Integration (SE&I) is also included. Status of the technologies, accomplishments and how the focus areas inform program decisions will be addressed.

Toilet↗
NASA NTRS2024

Lunar Soil Enrichment for Plant Production: WILD (Waste Improved Lunar Dirt)

To identify a process to generate a fertile soil for plant growth using lunar regolith and waste compost, several qualitative and quantitative investigations were performed. The primary focus of this project was to demonstrate the feasibility of microbe bioleaching to extract inorganic plant nutrients (P and K) from lunar regolith simulant. This was achieved by developing a screening test method to identify microbial candidates that would effectively bioleach P and K from JSC-1A. Quantitative bioleaching test using the downselected microbes (Pantoea Agglomerans (P. agglo) and a plant-relevant consortium) were then performed. The second focus of the project was to validate the approach of waste compost utilization to improve water retention and fertility of lunar regolith for food production. This was achieved by measuring the water retention property of the mixture of compost and regolith at different ratio and conducting microgreen growth experiments with compost/regolith mixtures. The team also discovered from this study that some native microbes associated with JSC-1A can form biofilm containing JSC-1A particles (a type of soil crust), which showed potential as an ISRU geomicrobiological dust mitigation method for Lunar or Martian applications.

Ray Pitts↗
NASA NTRS2024

Input Waste Stream Modeling for Trash Management, Recycling, and Manufacturing Processes

Astronaut waste is an important aspect of the planning and execution of long-term crewed missions, especially to the Moon and Mars. However, as new technologies arise and mission planning evolves, the projected composition of the waste similarly evolves. This poses a problem for researchers who are investigating various approaches to mitigating crew waste, since the investigation of each new waste-mitigation technology typically uses a static waste composition that is based on a simulant developed at the time of the research; several such waste simulants have been developed over recent years. To mitigate the ‘moving target’ aspect of crew waste composition and use, researchers at NASA KSC have developed a computational tool wherein researchers can adjust the composition of the crew waste, as well as other important parameters such as crew size, mission duration, and waste mitigation method (e.g., incineration, compaction, jettison, etc.). The computational tool then returns important mission metrics such as waste-related mass reduction, power consumed, water produced or consumed, elemental mass balance, and available feedstock for in-space manufacturing (ISM) applications. This tool can then be used to adjust aspects of a waste model (e.g., removal of metal aluminum (Al) for ISM applications) and determine an associated set of metrics in order to inform mission planning.

Ray Pitts↗
NASA NTRS2024

Metal Extraction from Trash via Trash-to-Gas Processing for Use in 3D Printing

This work synergized state-of-the-art trash-to-gas (TtG) and in-space manufacturing (ISM) technologies to successfully extract metals from astronaut waste items for use in 3D printing. This was accomplished by isolating pure aluminum (Al 1235) from astronaut multilayer food packaging via TtG processing, cleaning the extracted aluminum, and preparing it for compatibility with the bound metal deposition (BMD) 3D printing process. A suite of material analyses was performed on the extracted aluminum product to fully characterize the key properties linked to effective additive manufacturing, including particle size distribution, oxygen content quantitation, and elemental composition. Metal extraction from Lunar and Martian regolith has become a significant area of interest for the in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) community to produce metallic equipment for various mission scenarios. However, the extraction of metals from astronaut waste streams has yet to be investigated. This project demonstrated an end-to-end waste metallic reuse process which may garner considerable metal production that would otherwise be disposed of.

Ray Pitts↗
NASA NTRS2023

Plasma Treatment of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

Plasma is an energetic source that has thermal and non-thermal chemistry applications. For this work, we pursued the investigation of plasma as a non-consumable based method of treating spacecraft volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in order to mitigate or eliminate potential hazards. This work focused on select compounds but also applied the technology to program-funded trash-to-gas (TtG) effluent gas.

Logistics Management↗
NASA NTRS2022

Plasma Assisted Nutrient Recovery from Inedible Biomass via Ash Leaching

Sustaining a human presence on the Moon, Mars, or deep space will require closing loops on many life support systems. Some form of agriculture will be required because plants produce the vitamins, antioxidants, and essential oils in our diets that degrade over time in stored foods. In addition, they provide dietary fiber, restore air, and purify water. Growing plants will require recycling nutrients trapped in inedible vegetation. Researchers at KSC have investigated the use of a thermal plasma with various carrier gases to thermally degrade inedible plant biomass for nutrient recovery. Previous work demonstrated a thermally degrading environment such as a muffle furnace improved nutrient recovery from inedible biomass prior to an acid leaching process. However, a muffle furnace is an inefficient process. We have explored the use of a small scale, thermal plasma for degradation of pellets to enhance the breakdown of plant stems, leaves, and debris to further close the nutrient loop. Plasma carrier gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen (N2), and air were used to explore variations in recovery and potential chemical by-products. Plasma processed inedible biomass was added to varying concentrations of acid solution for leaching of nutrients (e.g. potassium (K) , magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), and phosphorus (P)) for reuse in the crop production cycle. We also examined total N2 recovery. Results are presented showing the impact of plasma processing prior to acid leaching on recovery of plant nutrients.

Kenneth Engeling↗
NASA NTRS2022

Trash-to-Gas: Trash Preparation and Feed Mechanism

One method of reducing the mass and volume of astronaut waste items during future exploration missions is a process called Trash-to-Gas (TtG), which uses thermal degradation to convert various astronaut waste items into a gas that can either be repurposed onboard or safely vented overboard. This project aims to determine which methods for pre-processing waste may enhance the gasification efficiency within a microgravity TtG reactor. Preparation methods that were investigated include mixing, pre-drying, shredding, compacting, and raw unprocessed waste. Each of these preparation methods was tested within the state-of-the-art subscale TtG system, known as the Orbital Syngas/Commodity Augmentation Reactor (OSCAR), and the resulting solid-to-gas conversion and burn durations were compared. Full-scale CAD models of these various preparation methods in conjunction with a projected full-scale TtG reactor were created using Creo Parametric. An Equivalent System Mass (ESM) analysis was then performed to trade the benefits of improved solid-to-gas performance with the costs associated with implementing the additional components that would increase system mass, power, volume, and design complexity. The results of this ESM analysis will be leveraged for future full-scale TtG system development to help reduce the overall mass, power, and volume of the system while ensuring effective reactor performance.

Ray Pitts↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Developing Mass Spectrometry for Water Quantitation and Volatiles Analysis from In-Situ Regolith

With a revived focus to create a sustainable hu-man presence on the moon, and in preparation for future Mars exploration, it is imperative that all resources are utilized to their fullest potential [1]. In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) will be critical for future mission success as it would enable in-dependent operation of missions while reducing the dependence on the complex supply chain created between the Earth, the moon and Mars. One of the most critical resources that has been identified for ISRU on the lunar surface is water [2]. Water is a versatile resource that can be used in various space operations, such as ra-diation shielding and conversion to oxygen (O2) for propellant [3,4]. One of the most water rich resources is thought to be within the regolith lo-cated in the permanently shadowed regions (PSR) of the Moon; several upcoming missions, such as PRIME-1 and VIPER, are already sched-uled to confirm this hypothesis [5,6]. However, there are currently no missions planned to quanti-fy the abudance of water at these regions. The quantity of water contained in the ice will inform and help the development of future ISRU plants and operation. Water and other volatile gases can be detect-ed upon controlled heating of icy lunar regolith for an accurate quantification of water. This method is similar to thermogravimetric analysis, which was used to analyze Apollo lunar regolith sam-ples. However, losses via sublimation/evaporation or contamination may have occurred with the samples due to the transit and exposure to the terrestrial environment. Furthermore, water would not be expected for these samples since they were not collected from a PSR. Thus, for more accurate results, icy lunar regolith should be ana-lyzed in situ to provide the most representative composition of both water and other volatile gas-es. The Light Water Analysis and Volatile Extract (LightWAVE) project aims to address this knowledge gap. A system has been developed to collect, heat and analyze evolved gases from lu-nar regolith on the lunar surface. The gases will be analyzed by a modified commercial off the shelf (COTS) residual gas analyzer (RGA) quad-rupole mass spectrometer. Evolved gases from heated regolith samples can be identified by the observed mass-to-charge (m/z) ratios, and the peak intensities correlate to the abundances of the observed gases for quantitation. Therefore, our group is developing a calibration methodology utilizing a COTS RGA to quantitate water from in-situ regolith samples on the lunar surface. The partial pressure of water and ideal gas law will be used to quantify the total water evolved from a regolith sample. Here we present our methodol-ogy for the design and calibration for water quan-titation using a COTS RGA.

Nilab Azim↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

In-Situ Reaction Monitoring for Lunar Applications Utilizing a Single Quadrupole Residual Gas Analyzer

With a revived focus to create a permanent presence on the moon and in preparation for future Mars exploration ,it is imperative that all resources are utilized to their fullest potential.[1] In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU)will be critical for future mission success as it would enable independent operation of missions while minimally relying on the complex supply chain created between the Earth, moon and Mars.One of the most critical resources that have been identified for ISRU is the creation of liquid oxygen (LO2)for not only breathable air, but also for rocket propellant.On the moon and potentially Mars, one of the most O2rich resources is in the presence of regolith.[2],[3]Although there are numerous minerals within regolith and various processes to extract O2, this is not the scope of this poster

Thomas T Barnes III↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Investigating Waste Preparation Methods for Trash-to-Gas Technologies

Trash-to-Gas technologies show promise in addressing the need for a proper waste management system onboard a long-duration space mission. However, there is a clear need to better understand how the initial waste preparation can affect the overall conversion efficiency. Factors such as the waste size, moisture content, and packing density can have significant impacts on the reactor performance. This paper will focus on the effects of various pre-processing steps on the overall solid-to-gas conversion on the state of the art Trash-to-Gas system developed at NASA Kennedy Space Center. These results will help inform future Trash-to-Gas technologies on what types of supporting subsystems will be necessary to operate effectively for exploration missions.

Trash to Gas↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Plasma Abatement of Volatile Organic Compounds for Treatment of Spacecraft Trash Combustion Gaseous Effluents.

One approach that has been investigated for trash management aboard long-duration crewed exploration space missions is the so-called Trash-to-Gas approach. This technology uses a thermal process (i.e., combustion, pyrolysis, etc.) to convert crew trash into relatively non-reactive gases (i.e., CO2, CO, etc.) that can be easily vented overboard. One difficulty with this approach is the potential for the contamination of the spacecraft habitable volume from the myriad volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are concurrently produced from these thermal processes. One possible VOC abatement process is to apply a plasma to the effluent gases. Plasmas provide high energy electrons and ions that are capable of breaking down gaseous organic species generally into smaller compounds. To explore Plasma VOC abatement, the authors constructed a plasma gas system that recirculates a particular VOCladen gas mixture through a plasma torch. This allows the periodic collection of aliquots of gaseous samples for subsequent analyses via gas chromatography mass spectrometry, designed to quantify the remaining VOC materials. The VOCs evaluated included 100 ppm of acetone, benzene, ethanol, and pentane in a background of carbon dioxide. The plasma conversion of all analytes followed first order rate kinetics, and complete VOC elimination was observed after 10 min or less of treatment, for all analytes measured. Additionally, it was observed that the plasma caused the conversion of CO2 into oxygen and CO.

Joel A. Olson↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Plasma Abatement of Volatile Organic Compounds

One difficulty with crewed space operations is the potential for the contamination of the spacecraft habitable volume from volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that may be present. One possible VOC abatement process is to apply a plasma to the contaminated gases. Plasmas provide high energy electrons and ions that are capable of breaking down gaseous organic species generally into smaller compounds. To explore plasma VOC abatement, the authors constructed a plasma gas system that recirculates a particular VOC-laden gas mixture through a plasma torch. This allows for the periodic collection of aliquots of gaseous samples for subsequent analyses via gas chromatography mass spectrometry, designed to quantify the remaining VOC materials. The VOCs evaluated included 100 ppm of acetone, benzene, ethanol, and pentane in a background of carbon dioxide. The plasma conversion of all analytes followed first-order rate kinetics, and VOC elimination was observed after 10 min or less of treatment for all analytes measured. Additionally, it was observed that the plasma caused the conversion of CO 2 into oxygen and CO.

Joel A. Olson↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Logistics Reduction Advancements and Future Plans for NASA's Exploration Missions

Management of logistics on exploration missions includes both looking for ways to minimize the quantities, mass and volume of various consumables, supplies, spares, and equipment as well as ways to minimize the crew time needed for locating and handling those items. Also included are ways to minimize the waste, handling, and resultant products from the processes of maintaining a crew on these missions. The Logistics Reduction project encompasses technologies for management of waste, trash, autonomous logistics, and clothing. This paper provides a status of work from 2023 in these areas including recent accomplishments and challenges encountered. Future objectives and plans for 2024 will also be covered along with the work currently in progress. Specifically, the paper will cover technologies in waste management, namely, the Universal Waste Management System (UWMS) or exploration toilet and work on an alternative waste collection container, the Alternate Fecal Canister. Trash management technologies work on the Trash Compaction Processing System (TCPS) and Trash to Gas (TtG) is summarized with progress to date as well as information on how Jettison as an option is related. Progress and summary of recent accomplishment on the RFID (Radio Frequency ID) Enabled Autonomous Logistics Management (REALM) and the Autonomous Logistics (AL) technologies is detailed. Advanced Clothing System (ACS) and work in the area of Systems Engineering and Integration (SE&I) is also included. Status of the technologies, accomplishments and how the focus areas inform program decisions will be addressed.

Toilet↗