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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 199 records · Page 11
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Science of Scale-Up: Accelerating chemical manufacturing technology development workshop report

The Science of Scale-Up: Accelerating chemical manufacturing technology development workshop report outlines key insights and actionable recommendations for accelerating the scale-up of disruptive chemical manufacturing technologies. Convened in October 2024, the workshop brought together approximately fifty experts from academia, industry, national laboratories, and government agencies to address the barriers and solutions for maturing technologies from proof-of-concept to commercialization. The report identifies seven critical themes for enabling faster scale-up. These themes were explored through general discussions and breakout sessions focused on three specific chemical manufacturing technologies—electrochemical, thermochemical, and biological conversion processes. The findings emphasize the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, robust funding mechanisms, and shared resources to overcome technical barriers and accelerate technology deployment. The report also highlights technology-specific challenges and opportunities, including the need for advanced materials, scalable manufacturing processes, and integrated testing environments. For electrochemical manufacturing processes, durability and material optimization are key priorities, while thermochemical processes require novel reactor designs and better supply chain integration. Biological conversion processes face hurdles in strain engineering, reactor design, and process integration. Across all technologies, the workshop emphasized the importance of leveraging computational tools, standardized protocols, and collaborative networks to address knowledge gaps and technical barriers. By acting on these insights, stakeholders can reduce the timeline for scaling up critical chemical manufacturing technologies, ensuring their timely impact on manufacturing competitiveness, and environmental sustainability.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
NASA NTRS1999

The Mars Environmental Compatibility Assessment (MECA) Wet Chemistry Experiment on the Mars 2001 Lander

The Mars Environmental Compatibility Assessment (MECA) is an instrument suite that will fly on the Mars Surveyor 2001 Lander Spacecraft. MECA is sponsored by the Human Exploration and Development of Space (HEDS) program and will evaluate potential hazards that the dust and soil of Mars might present to astronauts and their equipment on a future human mission to Mars. Four elements constitute the integrated MECA payload: a microscopy station, patch plates, an electrometer, and the wet chemistry experiment (WCE). The WCE is the first application of electrochemical sensors to study soil chemistry on another planetary body, in addition to being the first measurement of soil/water solution properties on Mars. The chemical composition and properties of the watersoluble materials present in the Martian soil are of considerable interest to the planetary science community because characteristic salts are formed by the water-based weathering of rocks, the action of volcanic gases, and biological activity. Thus the characterization of water-soluble soil materials on Mars can provide information on the geochemical history of the planet surface. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

Grannan, S. M.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Sample Caching Subsystem

A paper describes the Sample Caching Subsystem (SCS), a method for storing planetary core and soil samples in a container that seals the samples away from the environment to protect the integrity of the samples and any organics they might contain. This process places samples in individual sleeves that are sealed within a container for use by either the current mission or by following missions. A sample container is stored with its sleeves partially inserted. When a sample is ready to be contained, a transfer arm rotates over and grasps a sleeve, pulls it out of the container from below, rotates over and inserts the sleeve into a funnel where it is passively locked into place and then released from the arm. An external sampling tool deposits the sample into the sleeve, which is aligned with the tool via passive compliance of the funnel. After the sampling tool leaves the funnel, the arm retrieves the sleeve and inserts it all the way into the sample container. This action engages the seal. Full containers can be left behind for pick-up by subsequent science missions, and container dimensions are compatible for placement in a Mars Ascent Vehicle for later return to Earth.

Backes, Paul G.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Actions, Observations, and Decision-Making: Biologically Inspired Strategies for Autonomous Aerial Vehicles

This paper details the development and demonstration of an autonomous aerial vehicle embodying search and find mission planning and execution srrategies inspired by foraging behaviors found in biology. It begins by describing key characteristics required by an aeria! explorer to support science and planetary exploration goals, and illustrates these through a hypothetical mission profile. It next outlines a conceptual bio- inspired search and find autonomy architecture that implements observations, decisions, and actions through an "ecology" of producer, consumer, and decomposer agents. Moving from concepts to development activities, it then presents the results of mission representative UAV aerial surveys at a Mars analog site. It next describes hardware and software enhancements made to a commercial small fixed-wing UAV system, which inc!nde a ncw dpvelopnent architecture that also provides hardware in the loop simulation capability. After presenting the results of simulated and actual flights of bioinspired flight algorithms, it concludes with a discussion of future development to include an expansion of system capabilities and field science support.

Pisanich, Greg↗
DOE OSTI2026

Non-Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Corrective Action Unit (CAU) Post-Closure Inspection Report, Nevada National Security Site, Nevada For Calendar Year 2025

This report includes visual inspection results, descriptions of maintenance and repair activities, and recommendations for CY 2025 for use restrictions (URs) at corrective action sites (CASs) located on the Nevada National Security Site and on the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR) that are accessed through the NNSS Main Gate. This document is arranged by project activity (i.e., Industrial Sites, Soils, and Defense Threat Reduction Agency [DTRA]); then by corrective action unit (CAU); and then by CAS. Post-closure UR inspections are performed on an annual basis, unless as noted in text. Post-closure UR inspections verify the condition of physical controls required by each UR, which may include the following activities: • Visual verification of the legibility of signs • Visual inspection of fencing, signs, monuments, and/or markers for indications of wear • Visual inspection of soil covers for indications of subsidence, erosion, or unauthorized use Deficiencies in UR requirements that were identified during CY 2024 inspections and not addressed in the CY 2024 report are addressed in this CY 2025 report.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Artificial Intelligence for Earth System Predictability (AI4ESP) (2021 Workshop Report)

In October 2021, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) welcomed participants to the Artificial Intelligence for Earth System Predictability (AI4ESP) Workshop, hosted by the Office of Biological and Environmental Research (BER)—Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR). The workshop is part of BER-ASCR’s ambition to more radically and aggressively advance prediction capabilities in the climate, Earth, and environmental sciences through the use of modern data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI). Advances in these capabilities are needed to improve predictions of climate change and extreme events that provide actionable information for planning and building resilience to their impacts.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Increased exposure of coastal cities to sea-level rise due to internal climate variability

Adaptation to future sea-level rise is based on projections of continuously improving climate models. These projections are accompanied by inherent uncertainties, including those due to internal climate variability (ICV). The ICV arises from complex and unpredictable interactions within and between climate-system components, rendering its impact irreducible. Although neglecting this uncertainty can lead to an underestimation of future sea-level rise, its estimation and impacts have not been fully explored. Combining the Community Earth System Model version 1 Large Ensemble experiments with power-law statistics, we show that, by 2100, if the ICV uncertainty reaches its upper limit, new sea-level-rise hotspots would appear in Southeast Asian megacities (Chennai, Kolkata, Yangon, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City and Manila), in western tropical Pacific Islands and the Western Indian Ocean. Here, the better the ICV uncertainty is taken into account and correctly estimated, the more effective adaptation strategies can be elaborated with confidence and actions to follow.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

X-ray crystallographic and hydrogen deuterium exchange studies confirm alternate kinetic models for homolog insulin monomers

Despite the crucial role of various insulin analogs in achieving satisfactory glycemic control, a comprehensive understanding of their in-solution dynamic mechanisms still holds the potential to further optimize rapid insulin analogs, thus significantly improving the well-being of individuals with Type 1 Diabetes. Here, we employed hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry to decipher the molecular dynamics of newly modified and functional insulin analog. A comparative analysis of H/D dynamics demonstrated that the modified insulin exchanges deuterium atoms faster and more extensively than the intact insulin aspart. Additionally, we present new insights derived from our 2.5 Å resolution X-ray crystal structure of modified hexamer insulin analog at ambient temperature. Furthermore, we obtained a distinctive side-chain conformation of the Asn3 residue on the B chain (AsnB3) by operating a comparative analysis with a previously available cryogenic rapid-acting insulin structure (PDB_ID: 4GBN). The experimental conclusions have demonstrated compatibility with modified insulin’s distinct cellular activity, comparably to aspart. Additionally, the hybrid structural approach combined with computational analysis employed in this study provides novel insight into the structural dynamics of newly modified and functional insulin vs insulin aspart monomeric entities. It allows further molecular understanding of intermolecular interrelations driving dissociation kinetics and, therefore, a fast action mechanism.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Peripheral Nerve Magnetoneurography With Optically Pumped Magnetometers

Electrodiagnosis is routinely integrated into clinical neurophysiology practice for peripheral nerve disease diagnoses, such as neuropathy, demyelinating disorders, nerve entrapment/impingement, plexopathy, or radiculopathy. Measured with conventional surface electrodes, the propagation of peripheral nerve action potentials along a nerve is the result of ionic current flow which, according to Ampere’s Law, generates a small magnetic field that is also detected as an “action current” by magnetometers, such as superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) Magnetoencephalography (MEG) systems. Optically pumped magnetometers (OPMs) are an emerging class of quantum magnetic sensors with a demonstrated sensitivity at the 1 fT/√Hz level, capable of cortical action current detection. But OPMs were ostensibly constrained to low bandwidth therefore precluding their use in peripheral nerve electrodiagnosis. With careful OPM bandwidth characterization, we hypothesized OPMs may also detect compound action current signatures consistent with both Sensory Nerve Action Potential (SNAP) and the Hoffmann Reflex (H-Reflex). In as much, our work confirms OPMs enabled with expanded bandwidth can detect the magnetic signature of both the SNAP and H-Reflex. Taken together, OPMs now show potential as an emerging electrodiagnostic tool.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Bemnifosbuvir: An HCV NS5B Inhibitor With Multiple Modes of Action

Bemnifosbuvir (BEM) is a potent, pan-genotypic inhibitor targeting the hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS5B polymerase. Its antiviral activity was evaluated in an ascending dose phase I clinical trial involving 30 patients treated once a day for 7 days. After treatment initiation, plasma HCV RNA declined in a biphasic manner with a mean reduction of 2.3 log 10 IU/mL after 24 hours and 4.4 log10 IU/mL by day 7 for the highest dose. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) also normalized in most patients. We employed a multiscale mathematical model fitted to the HCV RNA and ALT dynamics to quantify the antiviral activity and evaluate the modes of action of BEM. We found that models in which BEM only acted as a typical HCV RNA polymerase inhibitor and reduced the intracellular production of HCV RNA did not fit the data as well as models in which BEM had multiple modes of action, including suppressing viral assembly and secretion and enhancing intracellular HCV RNA degradation. BEM's effectiveness in inhibiting intracellular HCV RNA production increased with dose (150 mg/day: 88.2%, 300 mg/day: 98.8%, 600 mg/day: 99.5%), while inhibition of viral assembly and release was ~95% effective regardless of dose. We observed a dose-dependent enhancement in the degradation of intracellular HCV RNA, with degradation rates 1.5-fold higher in patients receiving 300 mg/day and 2.7-fold higher in those receiving 600 mg/day than in patients receiving 150 mg/day. No significant differences in antiviral activity were detected between HCV genotypes 1b and 3 or between patients with and without compensated cirrhosis.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1991

Strategic plan, 1991: A strategy for leadership in space through excellence in space science and applications

In 1988, the Office of Space Science and Applications (OSSA) developed and published a Strategic Plan for the United States' space science and applications program during the next 5 to 10 years. The Plan presented the proposed OSSA program for the next fiscal year and defined a flexible process that provides the basis for near-term decisions on the allocation of resources and the planning of future efforts. Based on the strategies that have been developed by the advisory committees both of the National Academy of Sciences and of NASA, the Plan balances major, moderate, and small mission initiatives, the utilization of Space Station Freedom, and the requirements for a vital research base. The Plan can be adjusted to accommodate varying budget levels, both those levels that provide opportunities for an expanded science and applications program, and those that constrain growth. SSA's strategic planning is constructed around five actions: establish a set of programmatic themes; establish a set of decision rules; establish a set of priorities for missions and programs within each theme; demonstrate that the strategy can yield a viable program; and check the strategy for consistency with resource constraints. The outcome of this process is a clear, coherent strategy that meets both NASA's and OSSA's goals, that assures realism in long-range planning and advanced technology development, and that provides sufficient resiliency to respond and adapt to both known and unexpected internal and external realities. The OSSA Strategic Plan is revised annually to reflect the approval of new programs, improved understanding of requirements and issues, and any major changes in the circumstances, both within NASA and external to NASA, in which OSSA initiatives are considered.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1994

Field Experiments using Telepresence and Virtual Reality to Control Remote Vehicles: Application to Mars Rover Missions

This paper will describe a series of field experiments to develop and demonstrate file use of Telepresence and Virtual Reality systems for controlling rover vehicles on planetary surfaces. In 1993, NASA Ames deployed a Telepresence-Controlled Remotely Operated underwater Vehicle (TROV) into an ice-covered sea environment in Antarctica. The goal of the mission was to perform scientific exploration of an unknown environment using a remote vehicle with telepresence and virtual reality as a user interface. The vehicle was operated both locally, from above a dive hole in the ice through which it was launched, and remotely over a satellite communications link from a control room at NASA's Ames Research center, for over two months. Remote control used a bidirectional Internet link to the vehicle control computer. The operator viewed live stereo video from the TROV along with a computer-gene rated graphic representation of the underwater terrain showing file vehicle state and other related information. Tile actual vehicle could be driven either from within the virtual environment or through a telepresence interface. In March 1994, a second field experiment was performed in which [lie remote control system developed for the Antarctic TROV mission was used to control the Russian Marsokhod Rover, an advanced planetary surface rover intended for launch in 1998. Marsokhod consists of a 6-wheel chassis and is capable of traversing several kilometers of terrain each day, The rover can be controlled remotely, but is also capable of performing autonomous traverses. The rover was outfitted with a manipulator arm capable of deploying a small instrument, collecting soil samples, etc. The Marsokhod rover was deployed at Amboy Crater in the Mojave desert, a Mars analog site, and controlled remotely from Los Angeles. in two operating modes: (1) a Mars rover mission simulation with long time delay and (2) a Lunar rover mission simulation with live action video. A team of planetary geologists participated in the mission simulation. The scientific goal of the science mission was to determine what could be learned about the geologic context of the site using the capabilities of imaging and mobility provided by the Marsokhod system in these two modes of operation. I will discuss the lessons learned from these experiments in terms of the strategy for performing Mars surface exploration using rovers. This research is supported by the Solar System Exploration Exobiology, Geology, and Advanced Technology programs.

Stoker, Carol↗
NASA NTRS2009

Heavy Lift for National Security: The Ares V

The NASA Ares Projects Office is developing the launch vehicles to move the United States and humanity beyond low earth orbit. Ares I is a crewed vehicle, and Ares V is a heavy lift vehicle being designed to launch cargo into LEO and transfer cargo and crews to the Moon. This is a snapshot of development and capabilities. Ares V is early in the requirements formulation stage of development pending the outcome of the Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee and White House action. The Ares V vehicle will be considered a national asset, creating unmatched opportunities for human exploration, science, national security, and space business.

Sumrall, Phil↗
NASA NTRS2021

GRACE Follow-On Early In-Flight Challenges

The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) Follow-On Mission is a successor to the highly successful GRACE Mission, which operated from 2002-2017. It is a partnership between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the German Research Center for Geosciences, GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam (GFZ). Under this partnership, the United States provides the project management, satellites and instruments, Germany provides the launch and mission operations. The partners share responsibilities for producing science data products. GRACE Follow-On, like its predecessor GRACE, consists of twin satellites which fly in a tandem formation at a near polar orbit separated by about 200 km along track. The mission continues the work of GRACE by tracking the movement of water, observing changes in ice sheets and sea level to provide a unique view of Earth’s changing climate. The satellites were launched May 22, 2018 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, in California, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket. Launch and Early Operations (LEOP) were completed within the first week and on-orbit commissioning proceeded for the next 8 months. The GRACE Follow-On mission is designed to last five years. The mission operations team has had to address several technical challenges early into the planned five-year mission life. The commissioning period was extended by 5 months to successfully address these issues, making it possible for the mission to meet key requirements for delivery and quality of the science data products. This paper will address the challenges faced by GRACE Follow-On and the actions taken by the mission operations team to continue to safely operate the mission.

Witkowski, M.M.↗
NASA NTRS2004

An Ontology for Requesting Distant Robotic Action: A Case Study in Naming and Action Identification for Planning on the Mars Exploration Rover Mission

This paper focuses on the development and use of the abbreviated names as well as an emergent ontology associated with making requests for action of a distant robotic rover during the 2003-2004 NASA Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission, run by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The infancy of the domain of Martian telerobotic science, in which specialists request work from a rover moving through the landscape, as well as the need to consider the interdisciplinary teams involved in the work required an empirical approach. The formulation of this ontology is grounded in human behavior and work practice. The purpose of this paper is to identify general issues for an ontology of action (specifically for requests for action), while maintaining sensitivity to the users, tools and the work system within a specific technical domain. We found that this ontology of action must take into account a dynamic environment, changing in response to the movement of the rover, changes on the rover itself, as well as be responsive to the purposeful intent of the science requestors. Analysis of MER mission events demonstrates that the work practice and even robotic tool usage changes over time. Therefore, an ontology must adapt and represent both incremental change and revolutionary change, and the ontology can never be more than a partial agreement on the conceptualizations involved. Although examined in a rather unique technical domain, the general issues pertain to the control of any complex, distributed work system as well as the archival record of its accomplishments.

Wales, Roxana C.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Streamlined Approach for Environmental Restoration (SAFER) Plan for Corrective Action Unit 114: Area 25 EMAD Facility Nevada National Security Site, Nevada

This Streamlined Approach for Environmental Restoration (SAFER) Plan addresses the actions needed to achieve closure for Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 114, Area 25 EMAD Facility, identified in the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (FFACO). CAU 114 comprises the following corrective action sites (CASs) located in Area 25 of the Nevada National Security Site: • 25-41-03, EMAD Facility (Building 3900) • 25-99-23, Manned Control Car (MCC) and Engine Installation Vehicle (EIV) • 25-33-05, Building 3901, Engine Transport System Maintenance Building (Train Shed) This plan provides the methodology for field activities needed to gather the necessary information for closing CAU 114. There is sufficient information and process knowledge from historical documentation and investigations of similar sites regarding the expected nature and extent of potential contaminants to recommend closure of CAU 114 using the SAFER process. Additional information will be obtained by conducting a field investigation before selecting the appropriate corrective actions for CAU 114. It is anticipated that the results of the field investigation and implementation of corrective actions will support a defensible recommendation that no further corrective action is necessary. The purpose of the corrective action investigation will be to document and verify the adequacy of existing information; to affirm the decision for either clean closure, closure in place, or no further action; and to provide sufficient data to implement the corrective action. The actual corrective action selected will be based on characterization activities implemented under this SAFER Plan. If specific conditions or findings fall outside the bounds of the conceptual site model, such as an unanticipated release, the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) will be consulted to determine the path forward before proceeding. Upon completion of SAFER activities, a closure report (CR) will be prepared and submitted to NDEP for review and approval. The schedule for completion of the CR will be established in consultation with NDEP.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2015

Robotic Missions to Small Bodies and Their Potential Contributions to Human Exploration and Planetary Defense

Introduction: Robotic missions to small bodies will directly address aspects of NASA's Asteroid Initiative and will contribute to future human exploration and planetary defense. The NASA Asteroid Initiative is comprised of two major components: the Grand Challenge and the Asteroid Mission. The first component, the Grand Challenge, focuses on protecting Earth's population from asteroid impacts by detecting potentially hazardous objects with enough warning time to either prevent them from impacting the planet, or to implement civil defense procedures. The Asteroid Mission involves sending astronauts to study and sample a near-Earth asteroid (NEA) prior to conducting exploration missions of the Martian system, which includes Phobos and Deimos. The science and technical data obtained from robotic precursor missions that investigate the surface and interior physical characteristics of an object will help identify the pertinent physical properties that will maximize operational efficiency and reduce mission risk for both robotic assets and crew operating in close proximity to, or at the surface of, a small body. These data will help fill crucial strategic knowledge gaps (SKGs) concerning asteroid physical characteristics that are relevant for human exploration considerations at similar small body destinations. These data can also be applied for gaining an understanding of pertinent small body physical characteristics that would also be beneficial for formulating future impact mitigation procedures. Small Body Strategic Knowledge Gaps: For the past several years NASA has been interested in identifying the key SKGs related to future human destinations. These SKGs highlight the various unknowns and/or data gaps of targets that the science and engineering communities would like to have filled in prior to committing crews to explore the Solar System. An action team from the Small Bodies Assessment Group (SBAG) was formed specifically to identify the small body SKGs under the direction of the Human Exploration and Operations Missions Directorate (HEOMD), given NASA's recent interest in NEAs and the Martian moons as potential human destinations. The action team organized the SKGs into four broad themes: 1) Identify human mission targets; 2) Understand how to work on and interact with the small body surface; 3) Understand the small body environment and its potential risk/benefit to crew, systems, and operational assets; and 4) Understand the small body resource potential. Of these four SKG themes, the first three have significant overlap with planetary defense considerations. The data obtained from investigations of small body physical characteristics under these three themes can be directly applicable to planetary defense initiatives. Conclusions: Missions to investigate small bodies can address small body strategic knowledge gaps and contribute to the overall success for human exploration missions to asteroids and the Martian moons. In addition, such reconnaissance of small bodies can also provide a wealth of information relevant to the science and planetary defense of NEAs.

Abell, Paul A.↗