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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2015

Life Beyond the Planet of Origin and Implications for the Search for Life on Mars

Outer space is vast, cold, devoid of matter, radiation filled with essentially no gravity. These factors present an environmental challenge for any form of life. Earth's biosphere has evolved for more than 3 billion years shielded from the hostile environment of outer space by the protective blanket of the atmosphere and magnetosphere. Space is a nutritional wasteland with no liquid water and readily available organic carbon. Moving beyond a life's planet of origin requires a means for transport, the ability to withstand transport, and the ability to colonize, thrive and ultimately evolve in the new environment. Can life survive beyond its home planet? The key to answering this question is to identify organisms that first have the ability to withstand space radiation, space vacuum desiccation and time in transit, and second the ability to grow in an alien environment. Within the last 60 years space technology allowed us to transport life beyond Earth's protective shield so we may study, in situ, their responses to selected conditions of space. To date a variety of microbes ranging from viruses, to Bacteria, to Archaea, to Eukarya have been tested in the space environment. Most died instantly, but not all. These studies revealed that ultraviolet radiation is the near-term lethal agent, while hard radiation is the long-term lethal agent when the organism is shielded from ultraviolet radiation. In fact, bacterial spores, halophilic cyanobacteria and Archaea as well as some lichens survive very well if protected from ultraviolet radiation [1]. Some microbes, then, may be able to survive the trip in outer space to Mars on a spacecraft or in a meteorite. Once on Mars can a terrestrial microbe survive? Although the conditions on Mars are not as harsh as those in space, they are not hospitable for a terrestrial microbe. Studies, however, have shown that certain microbes that can survive in space for several years may also be able to survive on Mars if protected from ultraviolet radiation [1]. Laboratory simulation experiments using a mock-up of the Phoenix lander have shown that microbes transported to the surface of Mars on a spacecraft come off the spacecraft and mix into the Martian regolith [2]. Additionally, studies simulating Martian dust storms demonstrate that microbes can survive in the Martian wind blown dust and be scattered across the Martian surface away from the spacecraft. Would these microbes that may survive on Mars metabolize and propagate? Growth requires liquid water, a carbon source and an energy source. Survival on Mars also requires protection from ultraviolet radiation. In the cold, dry environment of Mars the probability of microbial metabolism and growth at or just beneath the surface is extremely low. Although the probability is low, Mars may be contaminated with potentially live terrestrial organisms. In light of that statistic we must be extremely diligent and cautious in our search for Martian life. If we are not cautious we may find life on Mars and it may be a contaminant from Earth.

Survival in Space↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Polymer Aerogels for Lunar Survivability (PALS)

As the Space Community endeavors to reach new heights of exploration, materials for extreme environment are on the forefront of research. One such material would include polymer aerogels; lightweight solids with nano-scale pore size (10-20 nm), high internal surface area (500-850 m2/g), low thermal conductivity (~20 mW/K), low density ( 0.15-0.05 g/cm3) and extremely high porosities (>95%). Due to these interesting properties, aerogels are ideal as thermal insulators and are by no means limited to this application. The high porosity combined with high surface area, make aerogels an ideal host system for particle incorporation for applications such as IR filtration, sensor platforms, as well as vibro-acoustic, dust, and radiation mitigation materials.

Stephanie Vivod↗
DOE OSTI2026

Daily evapotranspiration changes during heatwaves at 32 NEON sites, 2019-2021

This dataset provides partitioned evapotranspiration (ET, the combined loss of water from soil and plant surfaces) anomalies during heatwave events—soil evaporation (E) and transpiration (T)—for 268 heatwave events across 32 National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) flux sites in the contiguous United States from 2019–2021. Using an ensemble of four high-frequency turbulence methods (Flux-variance Similarity, Conditional Eddy Covariance [CEC], CEC with Water-Use Efficiency, and Conditional Eddy Accumulation; see Zahn and Bou-Zeid 2024), half-hourly transpiration-to-evapotranspiration (T/ET) ratios were derived from 20 hertz (Hz, cycles per second) eddy covariance measurements of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and water vapor (H₂O) concentrations. The dataset spans six vegetation types including evergreen and deciduous forests, grasslands, cultivated crops, shrublands, and emergent herbaceous wetlands. Data Package Contents: The dataset includes a single CSV (comma-separated values) file containing daily anomalies (deviations from baseline conditions) for transpiration (Delta_T), evaporation (Delta_E), total evapotranspiration (Delta_ET), and T/ET ratio (Delta_T_ET) during each day of identified heatwave events. The file also includes site codes, dates, heatwave event identifiers, and day-of-heatwave indicators. The CSV file can be opened with spreadsheet software (Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets) or programming environments (Python, R, MATLAB). This resource enables researchers to investigate ecosystem-specific responses to thermal extremes, validate land surface model partitioning of ET fluxes, and examine feedbacks between water cycling and surface energy balance during heatwaves. The dataset is particularly valuable for studies linking vegetation hydraulic strategies to climate resilience, as it captures the divergent responses of shallow-rooted versus deep-rooted ecosystems. Potential applications include improving drought early warning systems, informing irrigation management strategies, and advancing our mechanistic understanding of land-atmosphere interactions under extreme heat conditions.

Day of Heatwave↗
NASA NTRS1985

MgS grain component in circumstellar shells

In this letter, far-infrared spectrophotometry (30-55 microns) and photometry (53-200 microns) are presented which define, for the first time, the long wavelength limit of the previously unidentified 30 micron emission feature found in certain extreme carbon star spectra. The spectral similarities are sufficiently similar to those of solid MgS that MgS is proposed to be the band carrier. This is interpreted as the first direct evidence that chemical surface reactions occur on dust grains in circumstellar environments. The presence of MgS indicates that either the oxygen abundance is relatively low and/or the sulfur abundance is high in extreme carbon stars.

Goebel, J. H.↗
NASA NTRS2008

IR DirectFET Extreme Environments Evaluation Final Report

In 2007, International Rectifier (IR) introduced a new version of its DirectFET metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) packaging. The new version (referred to as 'Version 2') enhances device moisture resistance, makes surface mount (SMT) assembly of these devices to printed wiring boards (PWBs) more repeatable, and subsequent assembly inspection simpler. In the present study, the National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA) Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), in collaboration with Stellar Microelectronics (Stellar), continued an evaluation of the DirectFET that they started together in 2006. The present study focused on comparing the two versions of the DirectFET and examining the suitability of the DirectFET devices for space applications. This study evaluated both versions of two DirectFET packaged devices that had both been shown in the 2006 study to have the best electrical and thermal properties: the IRF6635 and IRF6644. The present study evaluated (1) the relative electrical and thermal performance of both versions of each device, (2) the performance through high reliability testing, and (3) the performance of these devices in combination with a range of alternate solder alloys in the extreme thermal environments of deep space....

electronic parts packaging↗
NASA NTRS1988

Scientific investigations at a lunar base

Scientific investigations to be carried out at a lunar base can have significant impact on the location, extent, and complexity of lunar surface facilities. Among the potential research activities to be carried out are: (1) Lunar Science: Studies of the origin and history of the Moon and early solar system, based on lunar field investigations, operation of networks of seismic and other instruments, and collection and analysis of materials; (2) Space Plasma Physics: Studies of the time variation of the charged particles of the solar wind, solar flares and cosmic rays that impact the Moon as it moves in and out of the magnetotail of the Earth; (3) Astronomy: Utilizing the lunar environment and stability of the surface to emplace arrays of astronomical instruments across the electromagnetic spectrum to improve spectral and spatial resolution by several orders of magnitude beyond the Hubble Space Telescope and other space observatories; (4) Fundamental physics and chemistry: Research that takes advantage of the lunar environment, such as high vacuum, low magnetic field, and thermal properties to carry out new investigations in chemistry and physics. This includes material sciences and applications; (5) Life Sciences: Experiments, such as those that require extreme isolation, highly sterile conditions, or very low natural background of organic materials may be possible; and (6) Lunar environmental science: Because many of the experiments proposed for the lunar surface depend on the special environment of the Moon, it will be necessary to understand the mechanisms that are active and which determine the major aspects of that environment, particularly the maintenance of high-vacuum conditions. From a large range of experiments, investigations and facilities that have been suggested, three specific classes of investigations are described in greater detail to show how site selection and base complexity may be affected: (1) Extended geological investigation of a complex region up to 250 kilometers from the base requires long range mobility, with transportable life support systems and laboratory facilities for the analysis of rocks and soil. Selection of an optimum base site would depend heavily on an evaluation of the degree to which science objectives could be met. These objectives could include lunar cratering, volcanism, resource surveys or other investigations; (2) An astronomical observatory initially instrumented with a VLF radio telescope, but later expanding to include other instruments, requires site preparation capability, "line shack" life support systems, instrument maintenance and storage facilities, and sortie mode transportation. A site perpetually shielded from Earth is optimum for the advanced stages of a lunar observatory; (3) an experimental physics laboratory conducting studies requiring high vacuum facilities and heavily instrumented experiments, is not highly dependent on lunar location, but will require much more flexibility in experiment operation and EVA capability, and more sophisticated instrument maintenance and fabrication facilities.

Extraterrestrial Environment↗
NASA NTRS2012

Achievable Performance and Effective Interrogator Design for SAW RFID Sensor Tags

For many NASA missions, remote sensing is a critical application that supports activities such as environmental monitoring, planetary science, structural shape and health monitoring, non-destructive evaluation, etc. The utility of the remote sensing devices themselves is greatly increased if they are passive V that is, they do not require any on-board power supply such as batteries V and if they can be identified uniquely during the sensor interrogation process. Additional passive sensor characteristics that enable greater utilization in space applications are small size and weight, long read ranges with low interrogator power, ruggedness, and operability in extreme environments (vacuum, extreme high/low temperature, high radiation, etc.) In this paper, we consider one very promising passive sensor technology, called surface acoustic wave (SAW) radio-frequency identification (RFID), that satisfies all of these criteria. In general, RFID is a method of identifying items using radio waves to interrogate tags encoded with a unique identifier that are affixed to the items of interest. In the case of passive tags, only the interrogator, which transmits power to the tags in the form of radio-frequency electromagnetic radiation, requires access to a power supply. Passive RFID technologies are used today in many applications, including asset tracking and management, security and access control, and remote sensing. To date, most of the development and application in RFID technology has focused on either asset/inventory tracking and control or security and access control because these are the largest commercial application areas. Recently however, there has been growing interest in using passive RFID technology for remote sensing applications, and SAW devices are at the forefront of RFID sensing technology development. Although SAW RFID tags have great potential for use in numerous space-based remote sensing applications, the limited collision resolution capability of current generation tags limits the performance in a cluttered sensing environment. That is, as more SAW-based sensors are added to the environment, numerous tag responses are superimposed at the receiver and decoding all or even a subset of the telemetry becomes increasingly difficult. Background clutter generated by reflectors other than the sensors themselves is also a problem, as is multipath interference and signal distortion, but the limiting factor in many remote sensing applications can be expected to be tag mutual interference. This problem may be greatly mitigated by proper design of the SAW tag waveform, but that remains an open research problem, and in the meantime, several other related questions remain to be answered including: (1) What are the fundamental relationships between tag parameters such as bit-rate, time-bandwidth-product, SNR, and achievable collision resolution? (2) What are the differences in optimal or near-optimal interrogator designs between noise-limited environments and interference-limited environments? (3) What are the performance characteristics of different interrogator designs in term of parameters such as transmitter power level, range, and number of interfering tags? In this paper, we will present the results of a research effort aimed at providing at least partial answers to all of these questions.

Barton Richard J.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Ultrasonic/Sonic Driller/Corer (USDC) as a Subsurface Sampler and Sensors Platform for Planetary Exploration Applications

The search for existing or past life in the Universe is one of the most important objectives of NASA's mission. For this purpose, effective instruments that can sample and conduct in-situ astrobiology analysis are being developed. In support of this objective, a series of novel mechanisms that are driven by an Ultrasonic/Sonic actuator have been developed to probe and sample rocks, ice and soil. This mechanism is driven by an ultrasonic piezoelectric actuator that impacts a bit at sonic frequencies through the use of an intermediate free-mass. Ultrasonic/Sonic Driller/Corer (USDC) devices were made that can produce both core and powdered cuttings, operate as a sounder to emit elastic waves and serve as a platform for sensors. For planetary exploration, this mechanism has the important advantage of requiring low axial force, virtually no torque, and can be duty cycled for operation at low average power. The advantage of requiring low axial load allows overcoming a major limitation of planetary sampling in low gravity environments or when operating from lightweight robots and rovers. The ability to operate at duty cycling with low average power produces a minimum temperature rise allowing for control of the sample integrity and preventing damage to potential biological markers in the acquired sample. The development of the USDC is being pursued on various fronts ranging from analytical modeling to mechanisms improvements while considering a wide range of potential applications. While developing the analytical capability to predict and optimize its performance, efforts are made to enhance its capability to drill at higher power and high speed. Taking advantage of the fact that the bit does not require rotation, sensors (e.g., thermocouple and fiberoptics) were integrated into the bit to examine the borehole during drilling. The sounding effect of the drill was used to emit elastic waves in order to evaluate the surface characteristics of rocks. Since the USDC is driven by piezoelectric actuation mechanism it can designed to operate at extreme temperature environments from very cold as on Titan and Europa to very hot as on Venus. In this paper, a review of the latest development and applications of the USDC will be given.

sampling↗
NASA NTRS2004

Oxygen Profile of a Thermo-Haliophilic Community in the Badwater Salt Flat

Badwater is the lowest, saltiest, and hottest, place in North America. This extreme environment is 86 meters (282 feet) below sea level surrounded by four mountain ranges. Due to the geographical location Badwater does not receive moisture from the prevailing winds, this intern results in a hot, arid, and salty environment. Despite these extreme living conditions, microbes manage to flourish within the salt flat. The salt acts as an insulator making life just beneath the surface more comfortable In this paper, we compare the microbial population versus oxygen concentration; and the importance of and the role of oxygen in metabolic functions by these thermo-haliophiles. Furthermore a model of the oxygen profile will also provide an insight to the oxygen cycle in salty environments. This research has implications for the limits of life on Earth and Mars. Recent results from the MER rovers show that water on Mars was very salty. Measuring the oxygen profile in these salty environments on Earth provides a framework within which potential life on Mars can be evaluated. The use of an oxygen profile could also be used as a search criteria for life.

Smith, H. D.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Thermocouple and RTD Drift Due to Neutron Irradiation and Temperature for Space Nuclear Applications: A Review

Temperature measurement is a key factor in the safe and reliable operation of nuclear reactors. Thermocouples and resistance temperature detectors (RTDs) are among the most common and reliable tools deployed for temperature measurement, and some are capable of operating in extreme environments such as very high temperature and neutron radiation fields anticipated in nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) or fission surface power. These devices are known to exhibit drifting behavior in their temperature readings throughout their operational lifetimes. Here, to help select appropriate instrumentation, it is important to identify the factors that influence drift as well as typical behavior in these environments. This work is focused on identifying contributing factors in the performance of thermocouples and RTDs. An extensive literature review is included that discusses several experimental results in different environments. Although individual instrument performance may vary with construction methods, materials selection, and vendors, this review aims to assist in the selection process and identify typical expected behaviors of several devices.

Chesser, Ryan J. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (O↗
NASA NTRS2002

Candidate Coatings and Dry Traction Drives for Planetary Vehicles

Robert Fusaro and Fred Oswald of the Mechanical Components Branch discussed 'Candidate Coatings and Dry Traction Drives for Planetary Vehicles'. Vehicles to be designed for exploration of planets and moons of the solar system will require reliable mechanical drives to operate efficiently. Long-term operation of these drives will be challenging because of extreme operating conditions. These extreme conditions include: very high and/or very cold temperatures, wide temperature ranges, dust, vacuum or low-pressure atmospheres, and corrosive environments. Most drives used on Earth involve oil-lubricated gears. However, due to the extreme conditions on planetary surfaces, it may not be advisable or even possible to use oil lubrication. Unfortunately, solid lubricants do not work well when applied to gears because of the high contact stress conditions and large sliding motion between the teeth, which cause wear and limit life. We believe traction drives will provide an attractive alternative to gear drives. Traction drives are composed of rollers that provide geometry more conducive to solid lubrication. Minimal slip occurs in this contact geometry and thus there is very low wear to the solid lubricant. The challenge for these solid-lubricated drives is finding materials or coatings that provide the required long-life while also providing high traction. We seek materials that provide low wear with high friction.

Fusaro, Robert↗
DOE OSTI2024

Power over fiber development for HEP detectors

Power-over-Fiber (PoF) technology has been used extensively in settings where high voltages require isolation from ground and electromagnetic isolation is critical. In cryogenic environments, PoF offers a reliable power transmission technology, leveraging optical fibers to transfer power with minimal system degradation. PoF technology excels in maintaining low noise levels and isolation when delivering power to sensitive electronic systems operating in extreme temperature ranges and high voltage environments. Here, in a novel application of PoF for a HEP detector, power is provided to photon detector modules located on a surface at ~300 kV with respect to ground in the planned DUNE experiment. This summary paper of the PoF talk at the 16th PISA Meeting on Advanced Detectors highlights the R&D effort of PoF in extreme conditions and underscores its capacity to revolutionize power delivery and management in critical applications offering a dependable solution with low noise, optimal efficiency, and superior isolation. The DUNE (Abi et al., 2020) experiment will soon deploy large liquid argon (LAr) time projection chambers (TPC) to detect neutrino interactions and other particle physics phenomena. In addition to the particle tracking provided by the TPC, photon detectors, powered by a first ever PoF system, in the cryostat will leverage the high scintillation light yield of LAr to provide crucial timing and additional calorimetric information.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
NASA NTRS1997

Life in Extreme Environments

Although the Viking results may indicate that Mars has no life today, there is direct geomorphological evidence that, in the past, Mars had large amounts of liquid water on its surface - possibly due to a thicker atmosphere. From a biological perspective the existence of liquid water, by itself motivates the question of the origin of life on Mars. One of the martian meteorites dates back to this early period and may contain evidence consistent with life. From studies of the Earth's earliest biosphere we know that by 3.5 Gyr. ago, life had originated on Earth and reached a fair degree of biological sophistication. Surface activity and erosion on Earth make it difficult to trace the history of life before the 3.5 Gyr timeframe. Ecosystems in cold, dry locations on Earth - such as the Antarctic - provide examples of how life on Mars might have survived and where to look for fossils.

McKay, Christopher P.↗
NASA NTRS1996

High Temperature Testing with Sapphire Fiber White-Light Michelson Interferometers

In the design of new aerospace materials, developmental testing is conducted to characterize the behavior of the material under severe environmental conditions of high stress, temperature, and vibration. But to test these materials under extreme conditions requires sensors that can perform in harsh environments. Current sensors can only monitor high temperature test samples using long throw instrumentation, but this is inherently less accurate than a surface mounted sensor, and provides no means for fabrication process monitoring. A promising alternative is the use of sapphire optical fiber sensors. Sapphire is an incredibly rugged material, being extremely hard (9 mhos), chemically inert, and having a melting temperature (over 2000 C). Additionally, there is a extensive background of optical fiber sensors upon which to draw for sapphire sensor configurations.

Barnes, A.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Electronics for Extreme Environments

Most of the NASA missions involve extreme environments comprising radiation and low or high temperatures. Current practice of providing friendly ambient operating environment to electronics costs considerable power and mass (for shielding). Immediate missions such as the Europa orbiter and lander and Mars landers require the electronics to perform reliably in extreme conditions during the most critical part of the mission. Some other missions planned in the future also involve substantial surface activity in terms of measurements, sample collection, penetration through ice and crust and the analysis of samples. Thus it is extremely critical to develop electronics that could reliably operate under extreme space environments. Silicon On Insulator (SOI) technology is an extremely attractive candidate for NASA's future low power and high speed electronic systems because it offers increased transconductance, decreased sub-threshold slope, reduced short channel effects, elimination of kink effect, enhanced low field mobility, and immunity from radiation induced latch-up. A common belief that semiconductor devices function better at low temperatures is generally true for bulk devices but it does not hold true for deep sub-micron SOI CMOS devices with microscopic device features of 0.25 micrometers and smaller. Various temperature sensitive device parameters and device characteristics have recently been reported in the literature. Behavior of state of the art technology devices under such conditions needs to be evaluated in order to determine possible modifications in the device design for better performance and survivability under extreme environments. Here, we present a unique approach of developing electronics for extreme environments to benefit future NASA missions as described above. This will also benefit other long transit/life time missions such as the solar sail and planetary outposts in which electronics is out open in the unshielded space at the ambient space temperatures and always exposed to radiation. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

Patel, J. U.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Materials for Power Transmission in Extreme Environments

NASA’s goal for a sustained human presence on the Moon and a future Lunar economy requires the development of novel power transmission materials for extreme environments. As an increasing number of public and private entities set their sights towards a future on the Moon, the demand for surface power will dramatically increase – potentially up to megawatt levels. A Lunar economy is envisioned to include a human habitat, manned and unmanned science exploration assets, excavation rovers and systems, and large-scale infrastructure construction such as solar arrays and power grids. A NASA trade study estimated that 1 to 3 km of power transmission lines (1 to 3 KV ac and dc) will be needed over time. Current high power and voltage SOA cables/wire can easily exceed 1 kg/m where mass is not as critical. Connectors, deployment spools and robots further increase the subsystem mass significantly increasing costs. On the other hand, advances in aeronautics provides path towards space missions. The operating environment on the Moon presents substantial risk to safe and reliable power transmission due to space weathering and degradation. These challenges include cosmic and UV radiation, extreme temperatures swings, the electrostatic Lunar exosphere, and the electrostatic and abrasive lunar regolith. The critical need for lightweight, safe and reliable power cables/wires materials is evident. In this presentation, the extreme high altitude and lunar environments and recent materials development from NASA Glenn Research Center’s High Voltage Materials team towards meeting NASA’s objectives and goals for aeronautics and space missions.

Cu/CNT conductors↗
NASA NTRS2020

Breakthrough Materials for Space Applications Workshop

In the course of its 60 year history, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has blazed trails in the development and advancement of aerospace materials and the transition of these advancements to industry. The Agency has overseen the infusion of new high-performance materials into a diverse array of mission applications, including aeronautics, planetary science, and human spaceflight. The next generation of demanding exploration missions, including a return to the lunar surface with humans in the 2020s, will present new and unprecedented material challenges. Selecting or developing materials to survive the environments of launch and the high temperatures present in propulsion systems, operate in a microgravity and/or a vacuum environment (which includes exposure to radiation), and/or survive years on a planetary surface is an immense challenge. In addition to functioning in their intended use environment, materials for space must also possess extremely high-performance characteristics. The anecdotal Von Braun quote “space is weightlifting” reminds us of the need to minimize the mass of a space system while still meeting safety margins. The cost of launching a kg to orbit is estimated currently at $10,000; barring a drastic reduction in launch costs, lightweight and high-strength materials will remain the most sought-after spaceflight materials for the foreseeable future. Other primary considerations for materials in spaceflight applications include affordability, compatibility with other systems and materials, and manufacturability. The emergence of new advanced manufacturing processes such as friction stir welding and additive manufacturing have revolutionized the aerospace industry in recent years. Additive manufacturing in particular allows for rapid fabrication of components and greater design freedom. With the advent of these new processes, however, comes the need to develop new specifications, process control approaches (including material modeling), testing, and nondestructive evaluation techniques to ensure that parts meet the stringent functional requirements for spaceflight.

Prater, T.↗