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NASA NTRS2021

The Enceladus Orbilander Mission Concept: Balancing Return and Resources in the Search for Life

Enceladus’s long-lived plume of ice grains and water vapor makes accessing oceanic material readily achievable from orbit (around Saturn or Enceladus) and from the moon’s surface. In preparation for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine 2023–2032 Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey, we investigated four architectures capable of collecting and analyzing plume material from orbit and/or on the surface to address the most pressing questions at Enceladus: Is the subsurface ocean inhabited? Why, or why not? Trades specific to these four architectures were studied to allow an evaluation of the science return with respect to investment. The team found that Orbilander, a mission concept that would first orbit and then land on Enceladus, represented the best balance. Orbilander was thus studied at a higher fidelity, including a more detailed science operations plan during both orbital and landed phases, landing site characterization and selection analyses, and landing procedures. The Orbilander mission concept demonstrates that scientifically compelling but resource-conscious Flagship-class missions can be executed in the next decade to search for life at Enceladus.

Shannon M. MacKenzie↗

NASA NTRS2013

The Origin of Carbon-bearing Volatiles in Surprise Valley Hot Springs in the Great Basin: Carbon Isotope aud Water Chemistry Characterizations

There are numerous hydrothermal fields within the Great Basin of North America, some of which have been exploited for geothermal resources. With methane and other carbon-bearing compounds being observed, in some cases with high concentrations, however, their origins and formation conditions remain unknown. Thus, studying hydrothermal springs in this area provides us an opportunity to expand our knowledge of subsurface (bio)chemical processes that generate organic compounds in hydrothermal systems, and aid in future development and exploration of potential energy resources as well. While isotope measurement has long been used for recognition of their origins, there are several secondary processes that may generate variations in isotopic compositions: oxidation, re-equilibration of methane and other alkanes with CO2, mixing with compounds of other sources, etc. Therefore, in addition to isotopic analysis, other evidence, including water chemistry and rock compositions, are necessary to identify volatile compounds of different sources. Surprise Valley Hot Springs (SVHS, 41º32'N, 120º5'W), located in a typical basin and range province valley in northeastern California, is a terrestrial hydrothermal spring system of the Great Basin. Previous geophysical studies indicated the presence of clay-rich volcanic and sedimentary rocks of Tertiary age beneath the lava flows in late Tertiary and Quaternary. Water and gas samples were collected for a variety of chemical and isotope composition analyses, including in-situ pH, alkalinity, conductivity, oxidation reduction potential (ORP), major and trace elements, and C and H isotope measurements. Fluids issuing from SVHS can be classified as Na-(Cl)-SO4 type, with the major cation and anion being Na+ and SO4 2-, respectively. Thermodynamic calculation using ORP and major element data indicated that sulfate is the most dominant sulfur species, which is consistent with anion analysis results. Aquifer temperatures at depth estimated by both dissolved SiO2 and Na-K-Ca geothermometers are in the range of 125.0 to 135.4 oC, and higher than the values measured at orifices (77.3 to 90.0 oC). CO2 and homologs of straight chain alkanes (C1-C5) were identified in gas samples. Carbon isotope values of alkanes increase with carbon numbers. The 13C fractionation between CO2 and dissolved inorganic carbon suggests they are out of carbon isotope equilibrium. The hypothesis regarding the formation of carbon-bearing compounds in SVHS may involve two processes: 1) Under high heat flow conditions which are caused by regional faulting and crustal extension, original high molecular weight organic compounds (kerogens) in clay-rich rocks decomposed to generate methane and other alkane homologs. 2) The SVHS area is associated with outflow structures, and distant from the heat source. Anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) with sulfate at shallow depth (< 90 oC) is suggested as being responsible for the generation of CO2 in SVHS.

Fu, Qi↗

NASA NTRS2013

The Origin of Carbon-bearing Volatiles in Surprise Valley Hot Springs in the Great Basin: Carbon Isotope and Water Chemistry Characterizations

There are numerous hydrothermal fields within the Great Basin of North America, some of which have been exploited for geothermal resources. With methane and other carbon-bearing compounds being observed, in some cases with high concentrations, however, their origins and formation conditions remain unknown. Thus, studying hydrothermal springs in this area provides us an opportunity to expand our knowledge of subsurface (bio)chemical processes that generate organic compounds in hydrothermal systems, and aid in future development and exploration of potential energy resources as well. While isotope measurement has long been used for recognition of their origins, there are several secondary processes that may generate variations in isotopic compositions: oxidation, re-equilibration of methane and other alkanes with CO2, mixing with compounds of other sources, etc. Therefore, in addition to isotopic analysis, other evidence, including water chemistry and rock compositions, are necessary to identify volatile compounds of different sources. Surprise Valley Hot Springs (SVHS, 41 deg 32'N, 120 deg 5'W), located in a typical basin and range province valley in northeastern California, is a terrestrial hydrothermal spring system of the Great Basin. Previous geophysical studies indicated the presence of clay-rich volcanic and sedimentary rocks of Tertiary age beneath the lava flows in late Tertiary and Quaternary. Water and gas samples were collected for a variety of chemical and isotope composition analyses, including in-situ pH, alkalinity, conductivity, oxidation reduction potential (ORP), major and trace elements, and C and H isotope measurements. Fluids issuing from SVHS can be classified as Na-(Cl)-SO4 type, with the major cation and anion being Na+ and SO4(2-), respectively. Thermodynamic calculation using ORP and major element data indicated that sulfate is the most dominant sulfur species, which is consistent with anion analysis results. Aquifer temperatures at depth estimated by both dissolved SiO2 and Na-K-Ca geothermometers are in the range of 125.0 to 135.4 C, and higher than the values measured at orifices (77.3 to 90.0 C). CO2 and homologs of straight chain alkanes (C1-C5) were identified in gas samples. Carbon isotope values of alkanes increase with carbon numbers. The C-13 fractionation between CO2 and dissolved inorganic carbon suggests they are out of carbon isotope equilibrium. The hypothesis regarding the formation of carbon-bearing compounds in SVHS may involve two processes: 1) Under high heat flow conditions which are caused by regional faulting and crustal extension, original high molecular weight organic compounds (kerogens) in clay-rich rocks decomposed to generate methane and other alkane homologs. 2) The SVHS area is associated with outflow structures, and distant from the heat source. Anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) with sulfate at shallow depth (< 90 C) is suggested as being responsible for the generation of CO2 in SVHS.

Fu, Qi↗

NASA NTRS2015

Rover Traverse Planning to Support a Lunar Polar Volatiles Mission

Studies of lunar polar volatile depositsare of interest for scientific purposes to understandthe nature and evolution of the volatiles, and alsofor exploration reasons as a possible in situ resource toenable long term exploration and settlement of theMoon. Both theoretical and observational studies havesuggested that significant quantities of volatiles exist inthe polar regions, although the lateral and horizontaldistribution remains unknown at the km scale and finerresolution. A lunar polar rover mission is required tofurther characterize the distribution, quantity, andcharacter of lunar polar volatile deposits at thesehigher spatial resolutions. Here we present two casestudies for NASA’s Resource Prospector (RP) missionconcept for a lunar polar rover and utilize this missionarchitecture and associated constraints to evaluatewhether a suitable landing site exists to support an RPflight mission.

NASAaEuro(TM)s Resource Prospector (RP) mission↗

NASA NTRS2024

Transboundary sky waters in the Middle East: definition, challenges, and opportunities

Transboundary water disputes in the Middle East have increased in recent years due to growing constraints on water resources. Efforts to harvest more water from the atmosphere through weather intervention projects have exacerbated existing conflicts. Here, we propose that atmospheric water vapor should be recognized as a transboundary resource that involves substantial uncertainty. As such, this note serves as a starting point for characterizing various components of this concept, the knowledge gaps, and a roadmap to address those gaps. These efforts would reduce uncertainties and help integrate the sky water into transboundary water negotiations and collaborative understanding.

Amin Dezfuli↗

NASA NTRS2018

Developing a Novel Platform for Characterizing Thermoelectric Materials for Uncooled Detectors for Land Imaging Applications

Thermal land imaging (imaging at ~8-14 micron optical wavelength) is an essential tool for understanding and managing terrestrial freshwater resources. Current thermal imaging instruments employ low temperature detectors, which require cryocoolers. Consequently, cost-saving reductions in size, weight, and power can be achieved by employing uncooled detectors. One uncooled detector concept, which NASA is pursuing, is a thermopile detector with sub-micron thick doped-Si thermoelectric materials. In order to characterize the thermoelectric properties of the doped silicon, we designed and optimized a novel apparatus. This simple apparatus measures the Seebeck coefficient with thermally isolated stages and LABVIEW automation. We optimized thermal stability using PID tuning and optimized the thermal contact between the thin film samples and stages using electrically conductive springs. Utilizing our apparatus, we measured the Seebeck coefficient of 0.45 micron thick phosphorus-doped single crystal Si samples bonded to alumina substrates. Using these Seebeck coefficient measurements and four-wire electrical resistivity measurements, we determined the relationship between the thermoelectric figure of merit and dopant concentration. These characterization results for doped-Si will guide our thermopile detector design to provide an optimal and competitive detector alternative for future thermal imaging instruments.

Reid, Riley A.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Use of CFD in the Design of the 10- by 10-Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel Characterization Array

At the 10- by 10-Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel at the NASA Glenn Research Center, a future full test section characterization generated an ideal opportunity to design and build new characterization hardware to improve the understanding of the flow field, including flow quality, uniformity, and uncertainty in primary variables of interest. An array of flow sensing probes, referred to as the Characterization Array, was designed and built to replace 1960’s-era test section characterization hardware. Many references exist to guide wind tunnel characterization practitioners in the design of new hardware to properly measure various aspects of the flow within their wind tunnel facilities. Although reliable sources of information, these references tend to be over 30 years old and are not exhaustive. In scenarios where design decisions needed to be validated, computational simulations of the flow field around the characterization hardware were used. Decisions regarding probe location, probe spacing, and performance of various probes were justified using computational fluid dynamic simulations and rules-of-thumb from the legacy resources available in literature. This paper is intended to serve as an example of the benefits from integrating CFD into the design of wind tunnel hardware, particularly hardware for wind tunnel characterization.

CFD↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Use of CFD in the Design of the 10- by 10-Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel Characterization Array

CFD↗

NASA NTRS1990

Extraterrestrial resource utilization for economy in space missions

The NASA/University of Arizona Space Engineering Research Center is dedicated to research on the discovery, characterization, mapping, beneficiation, extraction, processing, and fabrication of useful products from extraterrestrial material. Schemes for the automated production of low-technology products that are likely to be desired in large quantities in the early stages of any large-scale space activity are identified and developed. This paper summarizes the research program, concentrating upon the production of (1) propellants, both cryogenic and storable, (2) volatiles such as water, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide for use in life-support systems (3) structural metals, and (4) refractories for use in aerobrakes and furnace linings.

Lewis, J. S.↗

NASA NTRS1997

There's Iron in Them Thar Hills: A Geologic Look at the Aristarchus Plateau as a Potential Landing Site for Human Lunar Return

Lunar pyroclastic deposits are unique among lunar soils. Composed of very fine grained glass beads rich in Fe, Ti and Mg they yield unique spectral signatures. From the spectra two major classes and five subclasses of lunar dark mantling deposits have been identified. Recent work by me and others has shown that the larger regional deposits are more numerous, extensive, thicker, and widely distributed than previously thought, leading us to suggest that they would make ideal resource feedstock for future lunar surface activities. Returned sample studies and the recently collected Galileo and Clementine data also corroborate these findings. Recent planning for return to the Moon indicates that large cost savings can result from using locally produced oxygen, and recent JSC laboratory results indicate that iron-rich pyroclastic dark mantling deposits may be the richest oxygen resource on the Moon. My earlier work demonstrated that instead of using regolith, bulk lunar pyroclastic deposits are better suited for beneficiation as they are thick (lO's m's), unconsolidated, fine-grained deposits. In addition, the lack of rocks and boulders and the typically flat to gently rolling terrain will facilitate their mining and processing. In preparation for the Human Lunar Return (HLR) I have characterized the Aristarchus Plateau (24 deg. N 52 deg. W) as a potential landing site for an in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) demonstration. The geologic diversity and large volume of Fe-rich pyroclastic material present at the Aristarchus site make it an ideal target for extracting O2, H2 and halogens. This paper (1) describes the current understanding of the geology of Aristarchus plateau; (2) describes the resource potential of the Aristarchus plateau; and (3) presents several candidate landing sites on the plateau for future lunar activities.

Coombs, Cassandra R.↗

NASA NTRS2015

Resource Prospector (RP) - Early Prototyping and Development

The Resource Prospector (RP) is an In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) technology demonstration mission under study by the NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate's (HEOMD) Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) Division. The mission, currently planned to launch in 2020, will demonstrate extraction of oxygen from lunar regolith to validate ISRU capability. The mission will address key Strategic Knowledge Gaps (SKGs) for robotic and human exploration to the Moon, Near Earth Asteroids (NEAs), and ultimately Mars, as well as meet the strategic goals of the Global Exploration Roadmap (GER), offered by the International Space Exploration Coordination Group (ISECG). In this roadmap, the use of local resources is specifically addressed relating to human exploration. RP will provide knowledge to inform the selection of future mission destinations, support the development of exploration systems, and reduce the risk associated with human exploration. Expanding human presence beyond low-Earth orbit to asteroids and Mars will require the maximum possible use of local materials, so-called in-situ resources. The moon presents a unique destination to conduct robotic investigations that advance ISRU capabilities, as well as providing significant exploration and science value. Lunar regolith contains useful resources such as oxygen, water, silicon, and light metals, like aluminum and titanium. Oxygen can be separated from the regolith for life support (breathable air), or used to create rocket propellant (oxidizer). Regolith can be used to protect against radiation exposure, be processed into solar cells, or used to manufacture construction materials such as bricks and glass. RP will characterize the constituents and distribution of water and other volatiles at the poles of the Moon, enabling innovative uses of local resources, in addition to validating ISRU capabilities. This capability, as well as a deeper understanding of regolith, will be valuable in the exploration of near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) and Mars. In order to reduce risk and explore system designs, the RP project is attempting two-fold approaches to development as it looks towards flight. We continue to explore flight planning, requirements, and interfaces definition by using Engineering Test Units (ETUs), looking towards lunar deployment, while also using fiscal year 2015 to develop, build and test an earth-terrestrial prototype rover and payload system. This terrestrial prototype, called "RP15", is built to both inform the system design, and to be a partnership advocacy tool for this unique mission. RP15 must be affordable within the resource and time constraints of fiscal year 2015, while working to the following Needs, Goals, and Objectives provided by HEOMD/AES: 1. Demonstrate rover mobility in a 1g environment 2. The Surface Segment (prototype rover + payload system) shall represent the flight system concept with as much fidelity as affordable (limited by cost and schedule) - Surface Segment shall be the approximate size/dimension/footprint -Surface Segment shall package all the expected devices (instruments, systems, etc.), even if some facets are mocked-up due to time/cost constraints -Overall Surface Segment fidelity negotiable to make achievable 3. Priority should be given to illustrating mission functionality over support functionality, which exists solely to support mission functionality This paper will provide an overview of RP project developments, including the design and build, capturing the development and initial integrated testing of RP15 in relevant environments.

Lunar↗

NASA NTRS2009

The Integrated Medical Model - Optimizing In-flight Space Medical Systems to Reduce Crew Health Risk and Mission Impacts

The Integrated Medical Model (IMM) is a decision support tool used by medical system planners and designers as they prepare for exploration planning activities of the Constellation program (CxP). IMM provides an evidence-based approach to help optimize the allocation of in-flight medical resources for a specified level of risk within spacecraft operational constraints. Eighty medical conditions and associated resources are represented in IMM. Nine conditions are due to Space Adaptation Syndrome. The IMM helps answer fundamental medical mission planning questions such as What medical conditions can be expected? What type and quantity of medical resources are most likely to be used?", and "What is the probability of crew death or evacuation due to medical events?" For a specified mission and crew profile, the IMM effectively characterizes the sequence of events that could potentially occur should a medical condition happen. The mathematical relationships among mission and crew attributes, medical conditions and incidence data, in-flight medical resources, potential clinical and crew health end states are established to generate end state probabilities. A Monte Carlo computational method is used to determine the probable outcomes and requires up to 25,000 mission trials to reach convergence. For each mission trial, the pharmaceuticals and supplies required to diagnose and treat prevalent medical conditions are tracked and decremented. The uncertainty of patient response to treatment is bounded via a best-case, worst-case, untreated case algorithm. A Crew Health Index (CHI) metric, developed to account for functional impairment due to a medical condition, provides a quantified measure of risk and enables risk comparisons across mission scenarios. The use of historical in-flight medical data, terrestrial surrogate data as appropriate, and space medicine subject matter expertise has enabled the development of a probabilistic, stochastic decision support tool capable of optimizing in-flight medical systems based on crew and mission parameters. This presentation will illustrate how to apply quantitative risk assessment methods to optimize the mass and volume of space-based medical systems for a space flight mission given the level of crew health and mission risk.

Kerstman, Eric↗

NASA NTRS2016

Characterization of Stereo Vision Performance for Roving at the Lunar Poles

Surface rover operations at the polar regions of airless bodies, particularly the Moon, are of particular interest to future NASA science missions such as Resource Prospector (RP). Polar optical conditions present challenges to conventional imaging techniques, with repercussions to driving, safeguarding and science. High dynamic range, long cast shadows, opposition and white out conditions are all significant factors in appearance. RP is currently undertaking an effort to characterize stereo vision performance in polar conditions through physical laboratory experimentation with regolith simulants, obstacle distributions and oblique lighting.

Sensor Characterization↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

VIPER – Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover: Mission Overview

VIPER is a low cost, lunar volatiles detection and measurement mission that will be delivered to the lunar south pole by one of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services partners and will characterize the nature of the volatiles in the area and extrapolate this data to create global lunar water resource maps. It will be the first mining expedition on another world while simultaneously addressing fundamental planetary science questions. Prospecting for lunar water at the poles is the next step in understanding the resource potential and addressing key theories about water emplacement and retention. It now appears that potentially economically significant amounts of water ice exists at the poles of the Moon, however, the distribution of this water is still not understood at a level sufficient to fully evaluate economic models. The water ice (and other potential volatiles), the “ore body”, needs to be understood at the scales of 10s to 100s of meters to evaluate localization, extraction and processing techniques. To accomplish this, VIPER will survey permanently-shadowed regions, semi-permanent shadowed regions, and even semi and full sunlit areas in order to have a comprehensive survey of polar region volatiles, to best inform future mission architectures. In order to characterize the volatiles, a payload suite consisting of a neutron spectrometer, mass spectrometer, near infrared spectrometer and a 1-meter drill will be hosted on the VIPER mobile lunar rover platform. Since VIPER is a relatively low cost, schedule-constrained, risk-tolerant mission, there are architectural limitations that require unique mission planning constraints to enable exploration of the lunar south pole region. These regions offer unique challenges such as uncertain terrain conditions, rock and crater hazards, lunar dust, multipath communications effects, extreme thermal environments and multiple overlapping planning constraints. Mission design/traverse planning, system design capabilities and mission operations are all highly linked through initial development phases. We will describe the current mission overview and the unique approaches taken by the VIPER project based on our programmatic framework and unique mission environment.

VIPER↗

NASA NTRS2021

Trees Outside Forests are an Underestimated Resource in a Country with Low Forest Cover

Trees outside forests (TOF) are an underrepresented resource in forest poor nations. As a result of their frequent omission from national forest resource assessments and a lack of readily available very-high-resolution remotely sensed imagery, TOF status and characterization has until now, been unknown. Here, we assess the capacity of openly available 10 m ESA Sentinel constellation satellite imagery for mapping TOF extent at the national level in Bangladesh. In addition, we estimate canopy height for TOF using a TanDEM-X DEM. We map 2,233,578 ha of TOF in Bangladesh with a mean canopy height of 7.3 m. We map 31 and 53% more TOF than existing estimates of TOF and forest, respectively. We find TOF in Bangladesh is nationally fragmented as a consequence of agricultural activity, yet is capable of maintaining connectedness between remaining stands. Now, TOF accounting is feasible at the national scale using readily available datasets, enabling the mainstream inclusion of TOF in national forest resource assessments for other countries.

Nathan Thomas↗

NASA NTRS1995

The Nature of Procedural Interrupts in Ground Operations in Aerospace Systems

This study proposes a methodology for characterizing the causal context and consequences of procedural interrupts in ground operations tasks. Behavioral science researchers observed 26 tasks at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. From these tasks, 81 procedural interrupts were identified and coded for the following information: source of the interrupt, circumstances surrounding the interrupt, and consequences of the interrupt. We found that more interrupts were equipment or personnel-related than procedure-related. More interrupts were due to unavailable resources or resources being incorrect than resources being inaccessible, and most interrupts resulted in some action being taken. Variation in duration of procedural interrupts across causal categories was also examined. The characterization process helps to identify those interrupts that are disruptive, those that cannot be avoided, and those that may have been prevented through better planning or scheduling of resources. Implications for the use of the methodology and suggestions for further research are discussed.

Irwin, Cheryl M.↗

NASA NTRS1993

A mission concept of Phobos/Deimos exploration

We have been designing the concept of Phobos/Deimos mission using the Japanese H-2 rocket as a first step in asteroid exploration. In planning the mission concept, we focused on development of methods to characterize the materials of Phobos/Deimos. The development of such methods will contribute to both scientific and resource explorations of asteroids. Here we report the preliminary concept of the mission.

Matsushima, K.↗

NASA NTRS1998

Workshop on New Views of the Moon: Integrated Remotely Sensed, Geophysical, and Sample Datasets

It has been more than 25 years since Apollo 17 returned the last of the Apollo lunar samples. Since then, a vast amount of data has been obtained from the study of rocks and soils from the Apollo and Luna sample collections and, more recently, on a set of about a dozen lunar meteorites collected on Earth. Based on direct studies of the samples, many constraints have been established for the age, early differentiation, crust and mantle structure, and subsequent impact modification of the Moon. In addition, geophysical experiments at the surface, as well as remote sensing from orbit and Earth-based telescopic studies, have provided additional datasets about the Moon that constrain the nature of its surface and internal structure. Some might be tempted to say that we know all there is to know about the Moon and that it is time to move on from this simple satellite to more complex objects. However, the ongoing Lunar Prospector mission and the highly successful Clementine mission have provided important clues to the real geological complexity of the Moon, and have shown us that we still do not yet adequately understand the geologic history of Earth's companion. These missions, like Galileo during its lunar flyby, are providing global information viewed through new kinds of windows, and providing a fresh context for models of lunar origin, evolution, and resources, and perhaps even some grist for new questions and new hypotheses. The probable detection and characterization of water ice at the poles, the extreme concentration of Th and other radioactive elements in the Procellarum-Imbrium-Frigon's resurfaced areas of the nearside of the Moon, and the high-resolution gravity modeling enabled by these missions are examples of the kinds of exciting new results that must be integrated with the extant body of knowledge based on sample studies, in situ experiments, and remote-sensing missions to bring about the best possible understanding of the Moon and its history.

Jolliff, Brad L.↗