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At least 181 records · Page 10

Assessment of Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical (EEE) Parts Copper Wire Bonds for Space Programs

The NASA Electronic Parts and Packaging Program co-manager, requested the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) to compile a body of publicly available knowledge on copper (Cu) wire bonds and perform reliability testing and analysis on these bonds, including environment tests, sample destructive physical analysis, and bond pull/shear tests during environment test intervals. The goal was to understand the risks of using Cu wire bonds for space applications and develop guidelines on Cu bond pull/shear limits for NASA applications. This document contains the results of the NESC assessment.

Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical↗

4D structural changes and pore network model of biomass during pyrolysis

Biochar is an engineered carbon-rich substance used for soil improvement, environmental management, and other diverse applications. To date, the understanding of how biomass affects biochar microstructure has been limited due to the complexity of analysis involved in tracing the changes in the physical structure of biomass as it undergoes thermochemical conversion. In this study, we used synchrotron x-ray micro-tomography to visualize changes in the internal structure of biochar from diverse feedstock (miscanthus straw pellets, wheat straw pellets, oilseed rape straw pellets, and rice husk) during pyrolysis by collecting a sequence of 3D scans at 50 °C intervals during progressive heating from 50 °C to 800 °C. The results show a strong dependence of biochar porosity on feedstock as well as pyrolysis temperature, with observed porosity in the range of 7.41–60.56%. Our results show that the porosity, total surface area, pore volume, and equivalent diameter of the largest pore increases with increasing pyrolysis temperature up to about 550 °C. The most dramatic development of pore structure occurred in the temperature range of 350–450 °C. This understanding is pivotal for optimizing biochar’s properties for specific applications in soil improvement, environmental management, and beyond. By elucidating the nuanced variations in biochar’s physical characteristics across different production temperatures and feedstocks, this research advances the practical application of biochar, offering significant benefits in agricultural, environmental, and engineering contexts.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Eucalyptus Are Unlikely to Escape Plantations and Invade Surrounding Forests Managed with Prescribed Fire in Southeastern US

Woody biomass production can increase through establishment of non-native tree species exhibiting greater growth potential than traditional native species. Interest in growing Eucalyptus in the southeastern US has raised concern over its potential spread and invasion, which could impact ecosystem properties and functions. Within the matrix of land use where Eucalyptus establishment is being considered in the southeastern US, surrounding pine forests managed with fire represent a likely pathway for invasion. We used greenhouse and field experiments to evaluate the potential invasion risk of Eucalyptus benthamii. We were specifically interested in determining if seeds could successfully germinate in fire-maintained pine forests and if fire-return intervals influenced germination through impacts on litter accumulation and light availability. The greenhouse experiment investigated the influence of light availability on germination success, whereas the field study investigated the influence of time since fire, and thus litter accumulation and light availability, on germination success. Percent germination was similar under non-shaded controls and moderate shade, but complete shade resulted in low germination rates. Germination was lower in the field compared to the greenhouse and was influenced by litter and light availability, which varied according to fire-return intervals. Litter increased, and light availability decreased, with time since burn. Germination was negatively related to litter depth and positively related to light availability, thereby decreasing with time since fire. Germination increased with litter removal but remained positively related to light availability after litter removal. Higher germination with litter removal suggests germination is influenced by litter, but higher germination with increased light availability, regardless of raking, suggests germination is also influenced by light availability. Despite these relationships, no seedlings persisted through the growing season. The low germination rates under a variety of field conditions coupled with the lack of persistence suggests establishment may be unlikely, regardless of the surrounding land matrix.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Human Factors in Training

Future space missions will be significantly longer than current Shuttle missions and new systems will be more complex than current systems. Increasing communication delays between crews and Earth-based support means that astronauts need to be prepared to handle the unexpected on their own. As crews become more autonomous, their potential span of control and required expertise must grow to match their autonomy. It is not possible to train for every eventuality ahead of time on the ground, or to maintain trained skills across long intervals of disuse. To adequately prepare NASA personnel for these challenges, new training approaches, methodologies, and tools are required. This research project aims at developing these training capabilities. Training efforts in FY07 strongly focused on crew medical training, but also began exploring how Space Flight Resource Management training for Mission Operations Directorate (MOD) Flight Controllers could be integrated with systems training for optimal Mission Control Center operations. Beginning in January 2008, the training research effort will include team training prototypes and tools. The Training Task addresses Program risks that lie at the intersection of the following three risks identified by the Project: 1) Risk associated with poor task design; 2) Risk of error due to inadequate information; 3) Risk associated with reduced safety and efficiency due to poor human factors design.

Barshi, Immanuel↗

The application of remote sensing technology to the solution of problems in the management of resources in Indiana

The author has identified the following significant results. Of the sampling techniques considered, a combination soil mapping and area sampling offered the most practical method for gathering soils data. Using the dot grid count, a relative percentage composition of soils can be calculated for each spectral class. From these percentages, a legend describing the dominant soils and inclusions can be developed. Interval drainage class seemed to be correlated with magnitude. For every parent material area, the more poorly drained soils had a lower magnitude of reflectance. Soil spectral classes seemed to be predominantly one internal drainage class.

Weismiller, R. A.↗

Preliminary Test Design and Plan for a Canister Deposition Field Demonstration

This report provides a high-level test plan for deploying three commercial 32PTH2 spent nuclear fuel (SNF) canisters inside NUHOMS Advanced Horizontal Storage Modules (AHSM) from Orano (formerly Transnuclear Inc.). The details contained in this report represent the best designs and approaches explored for testing as of this publication. Given the rapidly developing nature of this test program, some of these plans may change to accommodate new objectives or adapt in response to conflicting requirements. The goal of the testing is to collect highly defensible and detailed surface deposition measurements from the surface of dry storage systems in a marine coastal environment to guide chloride-induced stress corrosion crack (CISCC) research. To facilitate surface sampling, the otherwise highly prototypic dry storage systems will not contain SNF but rather will be electrically heated to mimic the thermal-hydraulic environment. Instrumentation throughout the canister, storage module, and environment will provide an extensive amount of information for the use of model validation. Manual sampling over a comprehensive portion of the canister surface at regular time intervals will offer a high-fidelity quantification of the conditions experienced in a harsh yet realistic environment.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Status Update for the Canister Deposition Field Demonstration

This report updates the high-level test plan for evaluating surface deposition on three commercial 32PTH2 spent nuclear fuel (SNF) canisters inside NUTECH Horizontal Modular Storage (NUHOMS) Advanced Horizontal Storage Modules (AHSM) from Orano (formerly Transnuclear Inc.) and provides a description of the surface characterization activities that have been conducted to date. The details contained in this report represent the best designs and approaches explored for testing as of this publication. Given the rapidly developing nature of this test program, some of these plans may change to accommodate new objectives or requirements. The goal of the testing is to collect highly defensible and detailed surface deposition measurements from the surface of dry storage canisters in a marine coastal environment to guide chloride-induced stress corrosion crack (CISCC) research. To facilitate surface sampling, the otherwise highly prototypic dry storage systems will not contain SNF but rather will be electrically heated to mimic the thermal-hydraulic-environment. Instrumentation throughout the canister, storage module, and environment will provide an extensive amount of information for the use of model validation. Manual sampling over a comprehensive portion of the canister surface at regular time intervals will offer a high-fidelity quantification of the conditions experienced in a harsh yet realistic environment.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Flow Regime Based Climatologies of Lightning Probabilities for Spaceports and Airports

Objective: provide forecasters with a "first guess" climatological lightning probability tool (1) Focus on Space Shuttle landings and NWS T AFs (2) Four circles around sites: 5-, 10-, 20- and 30 n mi (4) Three time intervals: hourly, every 3 hr and every 6 hr It is based on: (1) NLDN gridded data (2) Flow regime (3) Warm season months of May-Sep for years 1989-2004 Gridded data and available code yields squares, not circles Over 850 spread sheets converted into manageable user-friendly web-based GUI

Bauman, William H., III↗

Field Validation of Air-Source Heat Pumps for Cold Climates

Heating energy is the largest end-use for U.S. residential buildings accounting for approximately one-third of residential building energy consumption (EIA 2021). Historically, air-source heat pumps have been limited to temperate climates because of subpar performance at extremely cold outdoor air temperatures. However, recent advances to cold-climate air-source heat pump technology, which typically rely on inverter-driven, variable-speed compressors and variable-speed fans, have significantly improved low-temperature heat pump performance enabling the technology to save energy for many homes in cold climates. The primary objective of this project was to measure in-field performance of centrally ducted, variable-capacity air-source heat pumps in cold climates to validate performance and develop field-based performance maps. The project focused on quantifying heat pump performance at cold temperatures. The sites identified for the study were primarily located in the Northwest United States since homes in the region tend to have all-electric space heating systems and high-efficiency heat pumps have been incentivized in the region for several years. NREL partnered with Ecotope, Inc., a small energy consulting firm located in Seattle, WA, for site recruitment, monitoring equipment installation, data quality management. All the sites included in the study had previously installed a high-efficiency, central heat pump system. One site was in a Denver, CO suburb, which was the only dual fuel heat pump in the study. We used airside and power measurements, collected at 5-second intervals, to quantify heat pump capacity, coefficient of performance (COP), and auxiliary heater energy consumption. We developed algorithms to automatically determine the heat pump operating mode including defrost and auxiliary heating operation. A whole-house thermal and duct audit was completed during the initial site visit to estimate winter heating loads and assess heat pump sizing. Whole-home heating design loads were calculated at ASHRAE 99% design temperatures and compared to manufacturer-reported maximum capacities to assess the heat pump sizing at each site.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Phase fluctuation spectra: New radio science information to become available in the DSN tracking system Mark III-77

An algorithm was developed for the continuous and automatic computation of Doppler noise concurrently at four sample rate intervals, evenly spanning three orders of magnitude. Average temporal Doppler phase fluctuation spectra will be routinely available in the DSN tracking system Mark III-77 and require little additional processing. The basic (noise) data will be extracted from the archival tracking data file (ATDF) of the tracking data management system.

Berman, A. L.↗

A fuzzy set preference model for market share analysis

Consumer preference models are widely used in new product design, marketing management, pricing, and market segmentation. The success of new products depends on accurate market share prediction and design decisions based on consumer preferences. The vague linguistic nature of consumer preferences and product attributes, combined with the substantial differences between individuals, creates a formidable challenge to marketing models. The most widely used methodology is conjoint analysis. Conjoint models, as currently implemented, represent linguistic preferences as ratio or interval-scaled numbers, use only numeric product attributes, and require aggregation of individuals for estimation purposes. It is not surprising that these models are costly to implement, are inflexible, and have a predictive validity that is not substantially better than chance. This affects the accuracy of market share estimates. A fuzzy set preference model can easily represent linguistic variables either in consumer preferences or product attributes with minimal measurement requirements (ordinal scales), while still estimating overall preferences suitable for market share prediction. This approach results in flexible individual-level conjoint models which can provide more accurate market share estimates from a smaller number of more meaningful consumer ratings. Fuzzy sets can be incorporated within existing preference model structures, such as a linear combination, using the techniques developed for conjoint analysis and market share estimation. The purpose of this article is to develop and fully test a fuzzy set preference model which can represent linguistic variables in individual-level models implemented in parallel with existing conjoint models. The potential improvements in market share prediction and predictive validity can substantially improve management decisions about what to make (product design), for whom to make it (market segmentation), and how much to make (market share prediction).

Turksen, I. B.↗

NASA Metrology and Calibration, 1980

The proceedings of the fourth annual NASA Metrology and Calibration Workshop are presented. This workshop covered (1) review and assessment of NASA metrology and calibration activities by NASA Headquarters, (2) results of audits by the Office of Inspector General, (3) review of a proposed NASA Equipment Management System, (4) current and planned field center activities, (5) National Bureau of Standards (NBS) calibration services for NASA, (6) review of NBS's Precision Measurement and Test Equipment Project activities, (7) NASA instrument loan pool operations at two centers, (8) mobile cart calibration systems at two centers, (9) calibration intervals and decals, (10) NASA Calibration Capabilities Catalog, and (11) development of plans and objectives for FY 1981. Several papers in this proceedings are slide presentations only.

Source record↗

A fast data acquisition system for the study of transient events by high repetition rate time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Recent advances in commercially available data acquisition electronics embodying high speed A/D conversion coupled to increased memory storage have now made practical (at least within time intervals of a third of a millisecond or more) the capturing of all of the data generated by a high repetition rate time-of-flight mass spectrometer producing complete spectra every 25 to 35 microseconds. Such a system was assembled and interfaced with a personal computer for control and management of data. The applications are described for recording time-resolved spectra of individual vapor plumes induced from the pulsed-laser heating of material. Each laser pulse triggers the system to generate automatically a 3-dimensional (3-D) presentation of the time-resolved spectra with m/z labeling of the major mass peaks, plus an intensity versus time display of both the laser pulse and the resulting vapor pulse. The software also permits storing of data and its presentation in various additional forms.

Lincoln, K. A.↗

Analysis of Factors for Incorporating User Preferences in Air Traffic Management: A system Perspective

This paper presents an analysis of factors that impact user flight schedules during air traffic congestion. In pre-departure flight planning, users file one route per flight, which often leads to increased delays, inefficient airspace utilization, and exclusion of user flight preferences. In this paper, first the idea of filing alternate routes and providing priorities on each of those routes is introduced. Then, the impact of varying planning interval and system imposed departure delay increment is discussed. The metrics of total delay and equity are used for analyzing the impact of these factors on increased traffic and on different users. The results are shown for four cases, with and without the optional routes and priority assignments. Results demonstrate that adding priorities to optional routes further improves system performance compared to filing one route per flight and using first-come first-served scheme. It was also observed that a two-hour planning interval with a five-minute system imposed departure delay increment results in highest delay reduction. The trend holds for a scenario with increased traffic.

Sheth, Kapil S.↗

The Effects of Vegetative Type, Edges, Fire History, Rainfall and Management in Fire-Maintained Ecosystems

The combined effects of repeated fires, climate, and landscape features (e.g., edges) need greater focus in fire ecology studies, which usually emphasize characteristics of the most recent fire and not fire history. Florida scrub-jays are an imperiled, territorial species that prefer medium (1.2-1.7 m) shrub heights. We measured short, medium, and tall habitat quality states annually within 10 ha grid cells that represented potential territories because frequent fires and vegetative recovery cause annual variation in habitat quality. We used multistate models and model selection to test competing hypotheses about how transition probabilities between states varied annually as functions of environmental covariates. Covariates included vegetative type, edges, precipitation, openings (gaps between shrubs), mechanical cutting, and fire characteristics. Fire characteristics not only included an annual presenceabsence of fire covariate, but also fire history covariates: time since the previous fire, the maximum fire-free interval, and the number of repeated fires. Statistical models with support included many covariates for each transition probability, often including fire history, interactions and nonlinear relationships. Tall territories resulted from 28 years of fire suppression and habitat fragmentation that reduced the spread of fires across landscapes. Despite 35 years of habitat restoration and prescribed fires, half the territories remained tall suggesting a regime shift to a less desirable habitat condition. Measuring territory quality states and environmental covariates each year combined with multistate modeling provided a useful empirical approach to quantify the effects of repeated fire in combinations with environmental variables on transition probabilities that drive management strategies and ecosystem change.

Breininger, David R.↗

IIA Incremental Interval Assignment

IIA is a solver for optimizing integer matrix problems Ax=b. It was developed to decide the number of mesh edges on model curves (intervals) for quad and hex meshing. Meshing schemes impose constraints ranging from the mild requirement (i.e. that any quad mesh must have an even number of edges on its boundary) to structured mapped patches where opposite sides of a rectangle must have exactly equal numbers of edges. Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525. SAND2020-13618 M

MItchell, Scott↗

Determining Trends in Impervious Cover for the Mobile Bay, AL Region for 1974-2008, Based on a Landsat Time Series

This presentation will discuss the development and use of Landsat-based impervious cover products in conjunction with land use land cover change products to assess multi-decadal urbanization across the Mobile Bay region at regional and watershed scales. This nationally important coastal region has undergone a variety of ephemeral and permanent land use land cover change since the mid-1970s, including gradual but consequential increases in urban surface cover. This urban sprawl corresponds with increased regional percent impervious cover. The region s coastal zone managers are concerned about the increasing percent impervious cover, since it can negatively influence water quality and is an important consideration for coastal conservation and restoration work. In response, we processed multi-temporal Landsat data to compute maps of percent impervious cover for multiple dates from 1974 through 2008, roughly at 5-year intervals. Each year of product was classified using one single date of leaf-on and leaf-off Landsat data in conjunction with Cubist software. We are assessing Landsat impervious cover product accuracy through comparisons to available reference data, including available NLCD impervious cover products from the USGS, raw Landsat data, plus higher spatial resolution aerial and satellite data. In particular, we are quantitatively comparing the 2008 Landsat impervious cover products to those from QuickBird 2.4-meter multispectral data. Initial visual comparisons with the QuickBird impervious cover product suggest that the 2008 Landsat product tends to underestimate impervious cover for high density urban areas and to overestimate impervious cover in established residential subdivisions mixed with forested cover. Landsat TM and ETM data appears to produce more accurate impervious cover products compared to those using lower resolution Landsat MSS data. Although imperfect, these Landsat impervious cover products have helped the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program visualize basic urbanization trends for multiple HUC-12 watersheds of concern to them and their constituents

Spruce, Joseph P.↗

A meta-analysis of global cropland soil carbon changes due to cover cropping

Including cover crops within agricultural rotations may increase soil organic carbon (SOC). However, contradictory findings generated by on-site experiments make it necessary to perform a comprehensive assessment of interactions between cover crops, environmental and management factors, and changes in SOC. In this study, we collected data from studies that compared agricultural production with and without cover crops, and then analyzed those data using meta-analysis and regression. Our results showed that including cover crops into rotations significantly increased SOC, with an overall mean change of 15.5% (95% confidence interval of 13.8% to 17.3%). Whereas medium-textured soils had highest SOC stocks with (mean = 39 Mg ha-1) and without (mean = 37 Mg ha-1) cover crops, fine-textured soils showed the greatest increase in SOC after the inclusion of cover crops (mean change of 39.5%). Coarse-textured (11.4%) and medium-textured soils (10.3%) had comparatively smaller changes in SOC. Cover crop mixtures resulted in greater increases in SOC compared to mono-species cover crops, and using legumes resulted in greater SOC increases than grasses and broadleaf species. Cover cropping was associated with significant SOC increases in shallow soils (= 30 cm), but not in subsurface soils (> 30 cm). The regression analysis revealed that SOC changes from cover cropping were correlated with improvements in soil quality, specifically decreased runoff and erosion and increased mineralizable carbon, mineralizable nitrogen, and soil nitrogen. Soil carbon change was also affected by annual temperature, number of years after start of cover crop usage, latitude, and initial SOC concentrations. Finally, the mean rate of carbon sequestration from cover cropping across all studies was 0.56 Mg ha-1 yr-1. If 15% of current global cropland were to adopt cover crops, this value would translate to 0.17 Pg of carbon sequestered per year or ~1-2% of current fossil fuels emissions. Altogether, these results indicated that inclusion of cover crops into agricultural rotations can enhance soil carbon concentrations, improve many soil quality parameters, and serve as a potential sink for atmosphere CO2.

Cover crop, soil organic carbon, soil quality, soi↗