Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “habitats”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 199 records · Page 11
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Common Habitat Base Camp for Moon and Mars Surface Operations

The Common Habitat uses the SLS Core Stage Liquid Oxygen tank as the primary structure (similar to Skylab) and has an internal architecture compatible with microgravity, lunar gravity, and Mars gravity, such that identical versions of the same design can be used in all three environments. Applying the large dimensions and eight-person crew size of the Common Habitat to a surface architecture leads to a unique base camp configuration. A notional such base camp is described in this analysis. The base camp includes four distributed zones – habitation, landing, power, and resource production. The base camp is deployed and assembled in three phases: site preparation, element staging, and habitat delivery, each of which are briefly discussed. Crew arrival and departure is discussed, including variations caused by orbital mechanics-induced differences between the Moon and Mars base camps. Trash and logistics operations are described. Finally, crew operations within the base camp are described.

Lunar Outpost↗
NASA NTRS2023

Survival of Juvenile Florida Scrub-Jays is Habitat Specific, Positively Correlated With Month and Negatively Correlated With Male Breeder Death

Juvenile survival in birds is difficult to estimate but this vital rate can be an important consideration for management decisions. We estimated juvenile survival of cooperatively breeding Florida Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens) in a landscape degraded by fire suppression and fragmentation using data from marked (n = 325) and unmarked juveniles (n = 1,306) with an integrated hierarchical Bayesian model. To assess the combined analyses, we also analyzed these datasets separately, with a Cormack-Jolly-Seber (CJS) model (marked) and young model (unmarked). Our data consisted of monthly censuses of territorial family groups from Florida Scrub-Jay populations in East Central Florida collected over a 22-yr period. Juvenile survival was estimated from July when young Florida Scrub-Jays begin developing independence to March when they become first year individuals and grouped according to the habitat quality class of their natal territory that were based on shrub height (with intermediate shrub heights being optimal and short and tall shrub heights being suboptimal) and the presence of sandy openings (the preferred open having many sandy openings; closed not having enough). Parameter estimates in the combined analysis were intermediate to the separate analyses. Notable differences among the separate analyses were that suboptimal habitat survival was lower in the unmarked analysis, the unmarked analysis showed a linear effect of time not seen in the marked analysis, and there was an effect of male breeder death in the marked but not unmarked analysis. The combined data analysis provided more inference than did either data set analyzed separately including juveniles in optimal-closed territories unexpectedly had higher survival than those in optimal-open, survival increased through time, and male breeder death had a negative effect on survival. This study suggests that optimal-closed habitat may play an important role in juvenile Florida Scrub-Jay survival perhaps by providing better cover from predators and warrants further investigation for management implications.

Florida Scrub-Jay↗
NASA NTRS2021

Very High-Resolution Satellite-Derived Bathymetry and Habitat Mapping Using Pleiades-1 and ICESat-2

Accurate and reliable bathymetric data are needed for a wide diversity of marine research and management applications. Satellite-derived bathymetry represents a time saving method to map large shallow waters of remote regions compared to the current costly in situ measurement techniques. This study aims to create very high-resolution (VHR) bathymetry and habitat mapping in Mayotte island waters (Indian Ocean) by fusing 0.5 m Pleiades-1 passive multispectral imagery and active ICESat-2 LiDAR bathymetry. ICESat-2 georeferenced photons were filtered to remove noise and corrected for water column refraction. The bathymetric point clouds were validated using the French naval hydrographic and oceanographic service Litto3D® dataset and then used to calibrate the multispectral image to produce a digital depth model (DDM). The latter enabled the creation of a digital albedo model used to classify benthic habitats. ICESat-2 provided bathymetry down to 15 m depth with a vertical accuracy of bathymetry estimates reaching 0.89 m. The benthic habitats map produced using the maximum likelihood supervised classification provided an overall accuracy of 96.62%. This study successfully produced a VHR DDM solely from satellite data. Digital models of higher accuracy were further discussed in the light of the recent and near-future launch of higher spectral and spatial resolution satellites.

Bathymetry↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Mars Surface Habitat Concept Design

An initial Mars Surface Habitat (MSH) concept design study was conducted as part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Habitation Systems Development Office’s effort to inform NASA crewed Mars architecture decisions. The study assessed the unique challenges, risks, and benefits of a surface habitation element within the Mars architecture trade space. The goal of the study was to identify unique functional capabilities necessary to support a crewed mission on the Martian surface, the unique challenges and risks associated with such an architecture, and the areas of further analysis required to make such a mission possible. Continuing NASA’s development and execution of the Moon to Mars lunar surface missions, attention will continue progressing toward the initial crewed Mars mission. To prepare for this, NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate (ESDMD) has established a strategic analysis cycle (SAC) where an architectural trade space is identified and evaluated. Given that the Mars architecture and mission profile are still in this trade space, the architecture and mission considered for this study is SAC21. In addition, reference conceptual designs are being refined for the Mars Transit Habitat (TH) and MSH systems which will enable crew to safely travel to and inhabit the surface of Mars. The NASA Mars architectures trade space includes the use of a Pressurized Rover (PR) to address both crew habitation and mobility needs. This study assesses the use of a dedicated habitat via the MSH and an unpressurized terrain vehicle for crew mobility and exploration in lieu of the PR. Determining the optimum mission architecture will require continued analysis by ESDMD teams and this study is intended to support of such a study. The MSH concept design team aims to explore this area of the Mars habitation trade space, and in doing so, inform and highlight the considerations associated with a MSH in the surface architecture. It is not the intention of this study to make specific habitation or architecture decisions, but instead to provide a habitation element concept compatible with the Mars architecture trade space.

Mars Surface Habitat↗
NASA NTRS1971

Application of Remote Sensing Techniques for Appraising Changes in Wildlife Habitat

An attempt was made to investigate the potential of airborne, multispectral, line scanner data acquisition and computer-implemented automatic recognition techniques for providing useful information about waterfowl breeding habitat in North Dakota. The spectral characteristics of the components of a landscape containing waterfowl habitat can be detected with airborne scanners. By analyzing these spectral characteristics it is possible to identify and map the landscape components through analog and digital processing methods. At the present stage of development multispectral remote sensing techniques are not ready for operational application to surveys of migratory bird habitat and other such resources. Further developments are needed to: (1) increase accuracy; (2) decrease retrieval and processing time; and (3) reduce costs.

Nelson, H. K.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Remote sensing in Michigan for land resource management: Waterfowl habitat management at Pointe Mouillee

For many years the Pointe Mouillee State Game Area, located on the Lake Erie shoreline just south of Detroit, has been a prime waterfowl habitat. The usefulness of the site for this purpose has been impaired because of the gradual deterioration of the marshland and severe flooding and storms during the spring of 1973. Also, it has been proposed that a dredge spoils area be located in or near the marsh. To aid the future management of a diked refuge area of 148 hectares within the State Game Area, a detailed vegetation inventory was prepared by photointerpretation and a generalized vegetation inventory was obtained by processing multispectral scanner imagery. Also, an analysis was conducted to determine the magnitude of past losses of marshland and the possibilities of replacing this lost habitat. The analysis indicated that large additions to waterfowl habitat could be provided by changes in management of vegetation in existing sections of the State Game Area, through acquisition and conversion of adjacent land by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and by the proposed construction of a barrier dike offshore of Pointe Mouillee. Altogether, the various measures considered in this report could affect a total area of nearly 13 sq. km.

Sellman, A. N.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Snow as a habitat for microorganisms

There are three major habitats involving ice and snow, and the microorganisms studied from these habitats are most eukaryotic. Sea ice is inhabited by algae called diatoms, glacial ice has sparse populations of green algai cal desmids, and the temporary and permanent snows in mountainous regions and high latitudes are inhabited mostly by green algal flagellates. The life cycle of green algal flagellates is summarized by discussing the effects of light, temperature, nutrients, and snow melts. Specific examples of optimal conditions and environmental effects for various snow algae are given. It is not likely that the eukaryotic snow algae presented are candidated for life on the planet Mars. Evolutionally, eukaryotic cells as know on Earth may not have had the opportunity to develop on Mars (if life evolved at all on Mars) since eukaryotes did not appear on Earth until almost two billion years after the first prokaryotic organisms. However, the snow/ice ecosystems on Earth present themselves as extreme habitats were there is evidence of prokaryotic life (eubacteria and cyanbacteria) of which literally nothing is known. Any future surveillances of extant and/or extinct life on Mars should include probes (if not landing sites) to investigate sites of concentrations of ice water. The possibility of signs of life in Martian polar regions should not be overlooked.

Hoham, Ronald W.↗
NASA NTRS1989

A preliminary design of interior structure and foundation of an inflatable lunar habitat

A preliminary structural design and analysis of an inflatable habitat for installation on the moon was completed. The concept takes the shape of a sphere with a diameter of approximately 16 meters. The interior framing provides five floor levels and is enclosed by a spherical air-tight membrane holding an interior pressure of 14.7 psi (101.4kpa). The spherical habitat is to be erected on the lunar surface with the lower one third below grade and the upper two thirds covered with a layer of lunar regolith for thermal insulation and shielding against radiation and meteoroids. The total dead weight (earth weight) of the structural aluminum, which is of vital interest for the costly space transportation, is presented. This structural dead weight represents a preliminary estimate without including structural details. The design results in two versions: one supports the weight of the radiation shielding in case of deflation of the fabric enclosure and the other assumes that the radiation shielding is self supporting. To gain some indication of the amount of structural materials needed if the identical habitat were installed on Mars and Earth, three additional design versions were generated where the only difference is in gravity. These additional design versions are highly academic since the difference will be much more than in gravity alone. The lateral loading due to dust storms on Mars and wind loads on Earth are some examples. The designs under the lunar gravity are realistic. They may not be adequate for final material procurement and fabrication, however, as the connection details, among other reasons, may effect the sizes of the structural members.

Yin, Paul K.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Sensitivity of wildlife habitat models to uncertainties in GIS data

Decision makers need to know the reliability of output products from GIS analysis. For many GIS applications, it is not possible to compare these products to an independent measure of 'truth'. Sensitivity analysis offers an alternative means of estimating reliability. In this paper, we present a CIS-based statistical procedure for estimating the sensitivity of wildlife habitat models to uncertainties in input data and model assumptions. The approach is demonstrated in an analysis of habitat associations derived from a GIS database for the endangered California condor. Alternative data sets were generated to compare results over a reasonable range of assumptions about several sources of uncertainty. Sensitivity analysis indicated that condor habitat associations are relatively robust, and the results have increased our confidence in our initial findings. Uncertainties and methods described in the paper have general relevance for many GIS applications.

Stoms, David M.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Conceptual design of a fleet of autonomous regolith throwing devices for radiation shielding of lunar habitats

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in conjunction with Universities Space Research Association (USRA) has requested that the feasibility of a fleet of regolith tossing devices designed to cover a lunar habitat for radiation protection be demonstrated. The regolith, or lunar soil, protects the lunar habitat and its inhabitants from radiation. Ideally, the device will operate autonomously in the lunar environment. To prove the feasibility of throwing regolith on the Moon, throwing solutions were compared to traditional, Earth-based methods for moving soil. Various throwing configurations were investigated. A linear throwing motion combined with a spring and motor energizing system proved a superior solution. Three different overall configurations for the lunar device are presented. A single configuration is chosen and critical parameters such as operating procedure, system volume, mass, and power are developed. The report is divided into seven main sections. First, the Introduction section gives background information, defines the project requirements and the design criteria, and presents the methodology used for the completion of this design. Next, the Preliminary Analysis section presents background information on characteristics of lunar habitats and the lunar environment. Then, the Alternate Designs section presents alternate solutions to each of the critical functions of the device. Fourth, a detailed analysis of throwing the regolith is done to demonstrate its feasibility. Then, the three overall design configurations are presented. Next, a configuration is selected and the conceptual design is expanded to include system performance characteristics, size, and mass. Finally, the Conclusions and Recommendations for Future Work section evaluates the design, outlines the next step to be taken in the design process, and suggests possible goals for future design work.

Armstrong, Karem↗
NASA NTRS1992

A horizontal inflatable habitat for SEI

The inflatable habitat described in this paper is a horizontally-oriented cylindrical pneumatic structure. It is part of NASA's ongoing effort to study inflatables as alternative habitats for the Space Exploration Initiative. This inflatable habitat provides a living and working environment for a crew of 12. It is an 8-m diameter by 45.34-m cylinder containing 2145 cu m of volume. Two levels of living and working areas make up the 547 sq m of floor space.

Kennedy, Kriss J.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Development and implementation of a scrub habitat compensation plan for Kennedy Space Center

Kennedy Space Center (KSC), located on Merritt Island on the east coast of central Florida, is one of three remaining major populations of the Florida Scrub Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens coerulescens), listed as threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) since 1987. Construction of new facilities by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on KSC over the next five years has the potential to impact up to 193 ac (78.1 ha) of Scrub Jay habitat. Under an early consultation process with the Endangered Species Office of the USFWS, NASA agreed to a compensation plan for loss of Scrub Jay habitat. The compensation plan required NASA to restore or create scrub on KSC at a 2:1 ratio for that lost. The compensation plan emphasized restoration of scrub habitat that is of marginal or declining suitability to Scrub Jays because it has remained unburned. Although prescribed burning has been conducted by the USFWS Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (MINWR) for more than ten years, significant areas of scrub remain unburned because they have been excluded from fire management units or because landscape fragmentation and a period of fire suppression allowed scrub to reach heights and diameters that are fire resistant. For such areas, mechanical cutting followed by prescribed burning was recommended for restoration. A second part of the restoration plan is an experimental study of scrub reestablishment (i.e., creation) on abandoned, well drained agricultural sites by planting scrub oaks and other scrub plants. The compensation plan identified 260 ac (105 ha) of scrub restoration in four areas and a 40 ac (16 ha) scrub creation site. Monitoring of restoration sites required under the plan included: establishing permanent vegetation sample transects before treatment and resampling annually for ten years after treatment, and color banding Scrub Jays to determine territories prior to treatment followed by monitoring reproductive success and survival for ten years after treatment. Monitoring scrub creation sites included determining survival of planted material for five years and establishing permanent transects to follow vegetation development for ten years after planting. Scrub Jay monitoring of creation sites is incorporated with that of adjacent restoration sites.

Schmalzer, Paul A.↗
NASA NTRS1994

External Device to Incrementally Skid the Habitat (E-DISH)

A Mars habitat transport system was designed as part of the NASA Mars exploration program. The transport system, the External Device to Incrementally Skid the Habitat (E - DISH), will be used to transport Mars habitats from their landing sites to the colony base and will be detached after unloading. The system requirements for Mars were calculated and scaled for model purposes. Specific model materials are commonly found and recommendations for materials for the Mars design are included.

Brazell, J. W.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Integral habitat transport system

In the 1993 Fall quarter, the ME 4182 design class was sponsored to study various scenarios that needed to be studied for Martian travel. The class was sponsored by NASA and there were several different design projects. The design that group three chose was an integral transport system for a Martian habitat. An integral transport system means the design had to be one that was attached to the habitat. There were several criteria that the design had to meet. Group three performed an in depth study of the Martian environment and looked at several different design ideas. The concept group three developed involved the use of kinematic linkages and the use of Martian gravity to move the habitat. The various design concepts, the criteria matrices and all other aspects that helped group three develop their design can be found in their 1993 ME 4182 design report. Now it is Winter quarter 1994 and group three is faced with another problem. The problem is building a working prototype of their Fall design. The limitations this quarter were the parts. The group had to make the prototype work with existing manufactured parts or make the parts themselves in a machine shop. The prototype was scaled down roughly about twelve times smaller than the original design. The following report describes the actions taken by group three to build a working model.

Elliott, Bill↗
NASA NTRS1995

Forest and wildlife habitat analysis using remote sensing and geographic information systems

Forest and wildlife habitat analyses were conducted at the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest in the Central Cascade Mountains of Oregon using remotely sensed data and a geographic information system (GIS). Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data were used to determine forest successional stages, and to analyze the structure of both old and young conifer forests. Two successional stage maps were developed. One was developed from six TM spectral bands alone, and the second was developed from six TM spectral bands and a relative sun incidence band. Including the sun incidence band in the classification improved the mapping accuracy in the two youngest successional stages, but did not improve overall accuracy or accuracy of the two oldest successional stages. Mean spectral values for old-growth and mature stands were compared in seven TM bands and seven band transformations. Differences between mature and old-growth successional stages were greatest for the band ratio of TM 4/5 (P = 0.00005) and the multiband transformation of wetness (P = 0.00003). The age of young conifer stands had the highest correlation to TM 4/5 values (r = 0.9559) of any of the TM band or band transformations used. TM 4/5 ratio values of poorly regenerated conifer stands were significantly different from well regenerated conifer stands after age 15 (P = 0.0000). TM 4/5 was named a 'Successional Stage Index' (SSI) because of its ability to distinguish forest successional stages. The forest successional stage map was used as input into a vertebrate richness model using GIS. The three variables of (1) successional stage, (2) elevation, and (3) site moisture were used in the GIS to predict the spatial occurrence of small mammal, amphibian, and reptile species based on primary and secondary habitat requirements. These occurrence or habitat maps were overlayed to tally the predicted number of vertebrate at any given point in the study area. Overall, sixty-three and sixty-seven percent of the model predictions for vertebrate occurrence matched the vertebrates that were trapped in the field in eight forested stands. Of the three model variables, site moisture appeared to have the greatest influence on the pattern of high vertebrate richness in all vertebrate classes.

Fiorella, Maria↗
NASA NTRS2000

Robotic Precursor Missions for Mars Habitats

Infrastructure support for robotic colonies, manned Mars habitat, and/or robotic exploration of planetary surfaces will need to rely on the field deployment of multiple robust robots. This support includes such tasks as the deployment and servicing of power systems and ISRU generators, construction of beaconed roadways, and the site preparation and deployment of manned habitat modules. The current level of autonomy of planetary rovers such as Sojourner will need to be greatly enhanced for these types of operations. In addition, single robotic platforms will not be capable of complicated construction scenarios. Precursor robotic missions to Mars that involve teams of multiple cooperating robots to accomplish some of these tasks is a cost effective solution to the possible long timeline necessary for the deployment of a manned habitat. Ongoing work at JPL under the Mars Outpost Program in the area of robot colonies is investigating many of the technology developments necessary for such an ambitious undertaking. Some of the issues that are being addressed include behavior-based control systems for multiple cooperating robots (CAMPOUT), development of autonomous robotic systems for the rescue/repair of trapped or disabled robots, and the design and development of robotic platforms for construction tasks such as material transport and surface clearing.

Huntsberger, Terry↗
NASA NTRS1996

Characterization of Anopheles darlingi (Diptera: Culicidae) larval habitats in Belize, Central America

Surveys for larvae of Anopheles darlingi Root were conducted in April, May, and August 1994 in riverine habitats of central Belize (Cayo and Belize districts). An. darlingi was present during both the dry and wet seasons. Larvae were encountered most frequently in patches of floating debris along river margins. The floating mats were often formed by bamboo hanging over the banks and dense submersed bamboo roots. Larvae were found less frequently in lake margins, small lagoons, and ground pools with submersed roots and patches of floating leaves or vegetation. In addition to their association with floating debris, larvae of An. darlingi were associated positively with shade and submersed plants in riverine environments. Samples from river habitats showed the larvae of Anopheles albimanus Wiedemann to be strongly associated with sun-exposed sites containing green or blue-green algae. Unlike An. darlingi, An. albimanus was an ubiquitous mosquito, the immatures of which occurred in a wide variety of riverine and nonriverine aquatic habitats. Based on published reports and our experience, the association of An. darlingi with river systems was verified, and its distribution in Central America and Mexico was mapped.

NASA Discipline General Space Life Sciences↗
NASA NTRS2005

Robotic Technologies for Surveying Habitats and Seeking Evidence of Life: Results from the 2004 Field Experiments of the "Life in the Atacama" Project

The Chilean Atacama Desert is the most arid region on Earth and in several ways analogous to Mars. Evidence suggests that the interior of the Atacama is lifeless, yet where the desert meets the Pacific coastal range dessication-tolerant microorganisms are known to exist. The gradient of biodiversity and habitats in the Atacama's subregions remain unexplored and are the focus of the Life in the Atacama project. Our field investigation attempts to bring further scientific understanding of the Atacama as a habitat for life through the creation of robotic astrobiology. This involves capabilities for autonomously traversing hundreds of kilometers while deploying sensors to survey the varying geologic and biologic properties of the environment, Fig. 1. Our goal is to make genuine discoveries about the limits of life on Earth and to generate knowledge about life in extreme environments that can be applied to future planetary missions. Through these experiments we also hope to develop and practice the methods by which a rover might best be employed to survey desert terrain in search of the habitats in which life can survive, or may have in the past.

Wettergreen, D.↗