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NASA NTRS2024

NASA’s Top Human System Research and Technology Needs for Mars

NASA is working with industry and international partners to return humans to the Moon and to eventually enable humans to explore Mars. Within NASA, several organizations work together to identify, prioritize, fund, execute, and operationalize the research and technology development (R&TD) that will be necessary to enable crew health and performance (CHP) during these future missions. These organizations include flight programs, the Health and Medical Technical Authority (HMTA), the Human Research Program, the Space Technology Mission Directorate, System Capability Leadership Teams, and other organizations, many of which existed for several years prior to the creation of the Moon-to-Mars (M2M) Program Office in 2023. A variety of constructs, vocabularies, and processes exist for managing risks and supporting strategic planning across these organizations. For example, M2M objectives, program risks, human system risks, human research gaps, capability gaps, and envisioned futures are all constructs currently used within NASA to identify and prioritize R&TD needs. These strategic planning constructs are evolving to allow M2M objectives and R&TD investments to be aligned and traced at a detailed level. A recognized need exists among stakeholder organizations to identify and communicate the highest CHP R&TD priorities in a unified and digestible way that addresses the perspectives of NASA’s CHP community. To achieve this, the HMTA arranged a series of discussions with representatives of NASA’s CHP community, during which the 8 highest priority CHP capabilities that will enable human missions to Mars, referred to as the “top human system capability needs for Mars”, were identified. The list includes Earth-independent human operations; Mars-duration food system; Mars-duration effects on human physiology; risk mitigations for vehicle atmospheres; computational injury and anthropometric models; exploration exercise countermeasures; individual variability in responses to spaceflight; and sensorimotor countermeasures. Existing tools and processes for strategic planning and risk management were evaluated, as well as the technical practicalities, cost, and schedule feasibility associated with potential R&TD investments in different capability need areas. This capability needs report is not owned by any one NASA organization and does not replace existing strategic or program planning processes; rather it aims to complement and inform them with a unified set of community generated priorities. These top capability needs will be re-evaluated periodically based on R&TD progress and the evolving M2M architecture.

technology gaps↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA’s Top Human System Research and Technology Needs for Mars

technology gaps↗

NASA NTRS2016

Engaging Students, Teachers, and the Public with NASA Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) Assets

Engaging students, teachers, and the public with NASA Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) assets, including Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) experts and NASA curation astromaterial samples, provides an extraordinary opportunity to connect citizens with authentic aspects unique to our nation's space program. Effective engagement can occur through both virtual connections such as webcasts and in-person connections at educator workshops and public outreach events. Access to NASA ARES assets combined with adaptable resources and techniques that engage and promote scientific thinking helps translate the science and research being facilitated through NASA exploration, elicits a curiosity that aims to carry over even after a given engagement, and prepares our next generation of scientific explorers.

Graff, P. V.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Physics in NASA Exploration

The primary focus of the workshop was NASA's new concentration on sending crewed missions to the Moon by 2020, and then on to Mars and beyond. Several speakers, including JPL s Fred O Callaghan and NASA's Mark Lee, broached the problem that there is now a serious reduction of capability to perform experiments in the ISS, or to fly significant mass in microgravity by other means. By 2010, the shuttle fleet will be discontinued and Russian craft will provide the only access to the ISS. O Callaghan stated that the Fundamental Physics budget is being reduced by 70%. LTMPF and LCAP are slated for termination. However, ground-based experiments are continuing to be funded at present, and it will be possible to compete for $80-90 million in new money from the Human Research Initiative (HRI). The new program thrust is for exploration, not fundamental physics. Fundamental, we were told by Lee, does not ring well in Washington these days. Investigators were advised to consider how their work can benefit missions to the Moon and Mars. Work such as that regarding atomic clocks is looked upon with favor, for example, because it is considered important to navigation and planetary GPS. Mark Lee stressed that physicists must convey to NASA senior management that they are able and willing to contribute to the new exploration research programs. The new mentality must be we deliver products, not do research. This program needs to be able to say that it is doing at least 50% exploration-related research. JPL s Ulf Israelsson discussed the implications to OBPR, which will deliver methods and technology to assure human health and performance in extraterrestrial settings. The enterprise will provide advanced life-support systems and technology that are reliable, capable, simpler, less massive, smaller, and energy-efficient, and it may offer other necessary expertise in areas such as low-gravity behavior. Like Dr. Lee, he stated that the focus must be on products, not research. While there is not yet a formal direction, he said, LTMPF and PARCS ISS flight projects are slated to terminate in October 2004. All flight investigations are being returned to ground programs and phased out by the end of FY07. Physics ground programs are intact for now, but to survive we must shift about 50% of research to supporting exploration. Basic research programs in other disciplines are being cancelled. Product lines will support human health, safety and life-support, including countermeasures against radiation and other hazards, as well as advances in time-keeping, navigation and communications technologies. Israelsson said that the new Fundamental Physics for Exploration Roadmap points to how fundamental physics research can and does support exploration. JPL will use the roadmap to argue for support for fundamental physics research under several codes. Nicholas Bigelow of the University of Rochester encouraged attendees not to become discouraged, but rather to embrace the opportunities presented by NASA's new direction.

O'Callaghan, Fred↗

NASA NTRS1964

Nutrition and related studies in the office of advanced research and technology, nasa

Water, protein, fat, and carbohydrate metabolism - space exploration

SPACE EXPLORATION↗

NASA NTRS2007

Gravity-Dependent Combustion and Fluids Research - From Drop Towers to Aircraft to the ISS

Driven by the need for knowledge related to the low-gravity environment behavior of fluids in liquid fuels management, thermal control systems and fire safety for spacecraft, NASA embarked on a decades long research program to understand, accommodate and utilize the relevant phenomena. Beginning in the 1950s, and continuing through to today, drop towers and aircraft were used to conduct an ever broadening and increasingly sophisticated suite of experiments designed to elucidate the underlying gravity-dependent physics that drive these processes. But the drop towers and aircraft afford only short time periods of continuous low gravity. Some of the earliest rocket test flights and manned space missions hosted longer duration experiments. The relatively longer duration low-g times available on the space shuttle during the 1980s and 1990s enabled many specialized experiments that provided unique data for a wide range of science and engineering disciplines. Indeed, a number of STS-based Spacelab missions were dedicated solely to basic and applied microgravity research in the biological, life and physical sciences. Between 1980 and 2000, NASA implemented a vigorous Microgravity Science Program wherein combustion science and fluid physics were major components. The current era of space stations from the MIR to the International Space Station have opened up a broad range of opportunities and facilities that are now available to support both applied research for technologies that will help to enable the future exploration missions and for a continuation of the non-exploration basic research that began over fifty years ago. The ISS-based facilities of particular value to the fluid physics and combustion/fire safety communities are the Fluids and Combustion Facility Combustion Integrated Rack and the Fluids Integrated Rack.

Urban, David L.↗

NASA NTRS2012

Revitalization of the NASA Langley Research Center's Infrastructure

The NASA Langley Research Center (Langley) was founded in 1917 as the nation's first civilian aeronautical research facility and NASA's first field center. For nearly 100 years, Langley has made significant contributions to the Aeronautics, Space Exploration, and Earth Science missions through research, technology, and engineering core competencies in aerosciences, materials, structures, the characterization of earth and planetary atmospheres and, more recently, in technologies associated with entry, descent, and landing. An unfortunate but inevitable outcome of this rich history is an aging infrastructure where the longest serving building is close to 80 years old and the average building age is 44 years old. In the current environment, the continued operation and maintenance of this aging and often inefficient infrastructure presents a real challenge to Center leadership in the trade space of sustaining infrastructure versus not investing in future capabilities. To address this issue, the Center has developed a forward looking revitalization strategy that ties future core competencies and technical capabilities to the Center Master Facility Plan to maintain a viable Center well into the future. This paper documents Langley's revitalization strategy which integrates the Center's missions, the Langley 2050 vision, the Center Master Facility Plan, and the New Town repair-by-replacement program through the leadership of the Vibrant Transformation to Advance Langley (ViTAL) Team.

Weiser, Erik S.↗

NASA NTRS2008

Infusing Stretch Goal Requirements into the Constellation Program

In 2004, the Vision for Space Exploration (VSE) was announced by the United States President's Administration in an effort to explore space and to extend a human presence across our solar system. Subsequently, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) established the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) to develop a constellation of new capabilities, supporting technologies, and foundational research that allows for the sustained and affordable exploration of space. Then, ESMD specified the primary mission for the Constellation Program to carry out a series of human expeditions, ranging from Low Earth Orbit (LEO) to the surface of Moon, Mars, and beyond for the purposes of conducting human exploration of space. Thus, the Constellation Program was established at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) to manage the development of the flight and ground infrastructure and systems that can enable continued and extended human access to space. Constellation Program's "Design Objectives" call for an early attention to the program's life cycle costs management through the Program's Need, Goals, and Objectives (NGO) document, which provides the vision, scope, and key areas of focus for the Program. One general policy of the Constellation Program, found in the Constellation Architecture Requirements Document (CARD), states: "A sustainable program hinges on how effectively total life cycle costs are managed. Developmental costs are a key consideration, but total life cycle costs related to the production, processing, and operation of the entire architecture must be accounted for in design decisions sufficiently to ensure future resources are available for ever more ambitious missions into the solar system....It is the intent of the Constellation Program to aggressively manage this aspect of the program using the design policies and simplicity." To respond to the Program's strong desire to manage the program life cycle costs, special efforts were established to identify operability requirements to influence flight vehicle and ground infrastructure design in order to impact the life cycle operations costs, and stretch goal requirements were introduced to the Program. This paper will describe how these stretch goal requirements were identified, developed, refined, matured, approved, and infused into the CARD. The paper will also document several challenges encountered when infusing the stretch goal requirements into the Constellation Program.

Operability↗

NASA NTRS2015

Recent Efforts in Communications Research and Technology at the Glenn Research Center in Support of NASA's Mission

As it has done in the past, NASA is currently engaged in furthering the frontiers of space and planetary exploration. The effectiveness in gathering the desired science data in the amount and quality required to perform this pioneering work relies heavily on the communications capabilities of the spacecraft and space platforms being considered to enable future missions. Accordingly, the continuous improvement and development of radiofrequency and optical communications systems are fundamental to prevent communications to become the limiting factor for space explorations. This presentation will discuss some of the research and technology development efforts currently underway at the NASA Glenn Research Center in the radio frequency (RF) and Optical Communications. Examples of work conducted in-house and also in collaboration with academia, industry, and other government agencies (OGA) in areas such as antenna technology, power amplifiers, radio frequency (RF) wave propagation through Earths atmosphere, ultra-sensitive receivers, thin films ferroelectric-based tunable components, among others, will be presented. In addition, the role of these and other related RF technologies in enabling the NASA next generation space communications architecture will be also discussed.

RF and Optical communications↗

NASA NTRS2015

Small Business Innovation Research, Post-Phase II Opportunity Assessment

This report outlines current Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Post-Phase II opportunity contract award results for the SBIR technology program from 2007 to 2011 for NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD), Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD), Science Mission Directorate (SMD), and Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD). The report provides guidelines for incorporating SBIR technology into NASA programs and projects and provides a quantitative overview of the post-Phase II award patterns that correspond with each mission directorate at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC). In recent years, one of NASA's goals has been to not only transfer SBIR technologies to commercial industries, but to ensure that NASA mission directorates incorporate SBIR technologies into their program and project activities. Before incorporating technologies into MD programs, it is important to understand each mission directorate structure because each directorate has different objectives and needs. The directorate program structures follow.

infusion process↗

NASA NTRS2008

Advanced Materials for Exploration Task Research Results

The Advanced Materials for Exploration (AME) Activity in Marshall Space Flight Center s (MSFC s) Exploration Science and Technology Directorate coordinated activities from 2001 to 2006 to support in-space propulsion technologies for future missions. Working together, materials scientists and mission planners identified materials shortfalls that are limiting the performance of long-term missions. The goal of the AME project was to deliver improved materials in targeted areas to meet technology development milestones of NASA s exploration-dedicated activities. Materials research tasks were targeted in five areas: (1) Thermal management materials, (2) propulsion materials, (3) materials characterization, (4) vehicle health monitoring materials, and (5) structural materials. Selected tasks were scheduled for completion such that these new materials could be incorporated into customer development plans.

Cook, M. B.↗

NASA NTRS2011

The International Space Station: A National Science Laboratory

After more than a decade of assembly missions and on the heels of the final voyage of Space Shuttle Discovery, the International Space Station (ISS) has reached assembly completion. With visiting spacecraft now docking with the ISS on a regular basis, the Station now serves as a National Laboratory to scientists back on Earth. ISS strengthens relationships among NASA, other Federal entities, higher educational institutions, and the private sector in the pursuit of national priorities for the advancement of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. In this lecture we will explore the various areas of research onboard ISS to promote this advancement: (1) Human Research, (2) Biology & Biotechnology, (3) Physical & Material Sciences, (4) Technology, and (5) Earth & Space Science. The ISS National Laboratory will also open new paths for the exploration and economic development of space.

Giblin, Timothy W.↗

NASA NTRS2010

Quiet, Efficient Fans for Spaceflight: An Overview of NASA's Technology Development Plan

A Technology Development Plan to improve the aerodynamic and acoustic performance of spaceflight fans has been submitted to NASA s Exploration Technology Development Program. The plan describes a research program intended to make broader use of the technology developed at NASA Glenn to increase the efficiency and reduce the noise of aircraft engine fans. The goal is to develop a set of well-characterized government-owned fans nominally suited for spacecraft ventilation and cooling systems. NASA s Exploration Life Support community will identify design point conditions for the fans in this study. Computational Fluid Dynamics codes will be used in the design and analysis process. The fans will be built and used in a series of tests. Data from aerodynamic and acoustic performance tests will be used to validate performance predictions. These performance maps will also be entered into a database to help spaceflight fan system developers make informed design choices. Velocity measurements downstream of fan rotor blades and stator vanes will also be collected and used for code validation. Details of the fan design, analysis, and testing will be publicly reported. With access to fan geometry and test data, the small fan industry can independently evaluate design and analysis methods and work towards improvement.

Koch, L. Danielle↗

NASA NTRS1995

In-Flight Thermal Performance of the Lidar In-Space Technology Experiment

The Lidar In-Space Technology Experiment (LITE) was developed at NASA s Langley Research Center to explore the applications of lidar operated from an orbital platform. As a technology demonstration experiment, LITE was developed to gain experience designing and building future operational orbiting lidar systems. Since LITE was the first lidar system to be flown in space, an important objective was to validate instrument design principles in such areas as thermal control, laser performance, instrument alignment and control, and autonomous operations. Thermal and structural analysis models of the instrument were developed during the design process to predict the behavior of the instrument during its mission. In order to validate those mathematical models, extensive engineering data was recorded during all phases of LITE's mission. This inflight engineering data was compared with preflight predictions and, when required, adjustments to the thermal and structural models were made to more accurately match the instrument s actual behavior. The results of this process for the thermal analysis and design of LITE are presented in this paper.

Roettker, William↗

NASA NTRS2024

Biomedical Research for Human Spaceflight

This invited presentation will offer an overview of the biomedical research – both from a biomedical sciences and engineering perspective – of human physiology and performance during spaceflight. Focused on the unique expertise within the Biomedical Sciences Branch, NASA Johnson Space Center, the talk will elucidate the critical role of biomedical laboratories in synergistic activities in clinical sciences, space physiology, applied research, technology development, and operational support for human space exploration. Together, the efforts within this branch play a crucial role in supporting astronauts' health, performance, and safety. The branch Scientists, Researchers, and Engineers conduct biomedical research in flight on board the International Space Station and on-earth space environment analogs. This dual approach allows for a nuanced understanding of the effects of micro- and planetary gravitation fields on human physiology and the assessment of potential clinical and biomedical interventions (countermeasures) to mitigate astronaut clinical and performance decrements. The talk aims to underscore the synergistic collaborative efforts of biomedical engineers, physiologists, clinicians, and computational researchers, emphasizing these experts' pivotal role in advancing human spaceflight's frontiers.

Biomedical Research↗

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 NTRS2002

NASA Langley/CNU Distance Learning Programs

NASA Langley Research Center and Christopher Newport University (CNU) provide, free to the public, distance learning programs that focus on math, science, and/or technology over a spectrum of education levels from K-adult. The effort started in 1997, and we currently have a suite of five distance-learning programs. We have around 450,000 registered educators and 12.5 million registered students in 60 countries. Partners and affiliates include the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the Aerospace Education Coordinating Committee (AECC), the Alliance for Community Media, the National Educational Telecommunications Association, Public Broadcasting System (PBS) affiliates, the NASA Learning Technologies Channel, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), the Council of the Great City Schools, Hampton City Public Schools, Sea World Adventure Parks, Busch Gardens, ePALS.com, and Riverdeep. Our mission is based on the "Horizon of Learning," a vision for inspiring learning across a continuum of educational experiences. The programs form a continuum of educational experiences for elementary youth through adult learners. The strategic plan for the programs will evolve to reflect evolving national educational needs, changes within NASA, and emerging system initiatives. Plans for each program component include goals, objectives, learning outcomes, and rely on sound business models. It is well documented that if technology is used properly it can be a powerful partner in education. Our programs employ both advances in information technology and in effective pedagogy to produce a broad range of materials to complement and enhance other educational efforts. Collectively, the goals of the five programs are to increase educational excellence; enhance and enrich the teaching of mathematics, science, and technology; increase scientific and technological literacy; and communicate the results of NASA discovery, exploration, innovation and research. All pre-college distance learning programs support the national mathematics, science, and technology standards; support K-12 systemic change; involve educators in their development, implementation, and evaluation; and are based on alliances and partnerships. In addition the programs seek to invoke a sense of geographic, ethnic and cultural diversity by featuring schools from all over the U.S.; schools from urban, suburban, and rural areas; public, private, and religious schools; and schools with large populations of African-American, Asian and Hispanic students.

Caton, Randall↗

NASA NTRS2006

Standard Lunar Regolith Simulants for Space Resource Utilization Technologies Development: Effects of Materials Choices

As NASA turns its exploration ambitions towards the Moon once again, the research and development of new technologies for lunar operations face the challenge of meeting the milestones of a fastpace schedule, reminiscent of the 1960's Apollo program. While the lunar samples returned by the Apollo and Luna missions have revealed much about the Moon, these priceless materials exist in too scarce quantities to be used for technology development and testing. The need for mineral materials chosen to simulate the characteristics of lunar regoliths is a pressing issue that is being addressed today through the collaboration of scientists, engineers and NASA program managers. The issue of reproducing the properties of lunar regolith for research and technology development purposes was addressed by the recently held 2005 Workshop on Lunar Regolith Simulant Materials at Marshall Space Flight Center. The recommendation of the workshop of establishing standard simulant materials to be used in lunar technology development and testing will be discussed here with an emphasis on space resource utilization. The variety of techniques and the complexity of functional interfaces make these simulant choices critical in space resource utilization.

Sibille, Laurent↗