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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 217 records · Page 12
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1989

Review of wildlife resources of Vandenberg Air Force Base, California

Wildlife resources are reviewed for purposes of developing a Base Biological Monitoring Program (BMP) for Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) in Santa Barbara County, California. The review and recommendations were prepared by review of applicable scientific literature and environmental documents for VAFB, discussing information needs with natural resource management professionals at VAFB, and observations of base field conditions. This process found that there are 29 federally listed vertebrates (endangered, threatened, or Category 2) that occur or may occur in the vicinity of VAFB. There are also 63 other state listed or regionally declining species that may occur in the vicinity of VAFB. Habitats of VAFB represent a very valuable environmental resource for rare and declining wildlife in California. However, little information is available on VAFB wildlife resources other than lists of species that occur or are expected to occur. Recommendations are presented to initiate a long-term wildlife monitoring program at VAFB to provide information for environmental impact assessment and wise land use planning.

Breininger, David R.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Development of the Space Station Freedom Environmental Health System

The Environmental Health System (EHS), a subsystem of the Space Station Freedom (SSF) Crew Health Care System, was established to ensure that crewmembers will have a safe and healthy environment in which to live and work. EHS is comprised of six subsystems: Microbiology, Toxicology, Water Quality, Radiological Health, Vibroacoustics, and Barothermal Physiology. Each subsystem contributes to the overall functions of the EHS including environmental planning, environmental monitoring, environmental monitoring, environmental health assessments, and operations support. The EHS will provide hardware for monitoring the air, water, and internal surfaces of Freedom, including capabilities for inflight sample collection, processing, and analysis. The closed environment of SSF, and its dependence on recycled air and water, will necessitate a reliable monitoring system to alert crewmembers if contamination levels exceed the maximum allowable limits established to ensure crew health and safety. This paper describes the functions and hardware design status of the EHS.

Richard, Elizabeth E.↗
NASA NTRS1990

The origin and early evolution of life on earth

Results of the studies that have provided insights into the cosmic and primitive earth environments are reviewed with emphasis on those environments in which life is thought to have originated. The evidence bearing on the antiquity of life on the earth and the prebiotic significance of organic compounds found in interstellar clouds and in primitive solar-system bodies such as comets, dark asteroids, and carbonaceous chondrites are assessed. The environmental models of the Hadean and early Archean earth are discussed, as well as the prebiotic formation of organic monomers and polymers essential to life. The processes that may have led to the appearance in the Archean of the first cells are considered, and possible effects of these processes on the early steps of biological evolution are analyzed. The significance of these results to the study of the distribution of life in the universe is evaluated.

Oro, J.↗
NASA NTRS1993

EOS/AMSU-A NASA/Aerojet Interface Meeting

The topics are presented in viewgraph form and include the following: an instrument and changes overview; mechanical requirements; thermal requirements; electrical command and data handling; contamination; software; integration and test; and environmental requirements assessments.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1992

Astronaut observations of the Persian (Arabian) Gulf during STS-45

As a result of the 1991 Persian Gulf war, between mid-January and June 1991, the Persian Gulf was contaminated with an estimated 4 to 6 million barrels of crude oil, released directly into the Gulf from refinement facilities, transhipment terminals, and moored tankers along the coast of Kuwait, and precipitated from oil fire smoke plumes. To assess the environmental impact of the oil, an international team of marine scientists representing 14 nations was assembled under the auspices of the United Nations International Oceanic Commission and the Regional Organization for Protection of the Marine Environment to conduct detailed surveys of the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Gulf of Oman, including hydrographic, chemical, and biological measurements. To supplement the field surveys and to serve as an aid in data interpretation, astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis photographed water features and coastal habitats in the Persian Gulf during mission STS-45 (24 March to 02 April 1992). The astronauts collected 111 hand-held, color photographs of the Gulf (72 70-mm photographs and 39 5-inch photographs) from an altitude of 296 km (160 n.mi.). The photographs reveal distributions in water turbidity associated with outflow from the Shatt-al-Arab and water circulation along the entire coast of Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, coastal wetlands and shallow-water habitats, and sticks appearing in the sunglint pattern, which appear to be oil.

Ackleson, Steven G.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Science priorities for the human dimensions of global change

The topics covered include the following: defining research needs; understanding land use change; improving policy analysis -- research on the decision-making process; designing policy instruments and institutions to address energy-related environmental problems; assessing impacts, vulnerability, and adaptation to global changes; and understanding population dynamics and global change.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1994

An expert system for diagnosing anomalies of spacecraft

Although the analysis of anomalous behavior of satellites is difficult because it is a very complex process, it is important to be able to make an accurate assessment in a timely manner when the anomaly is observed. Spacecraft operators may have to take corrective action or to 'safe' the spacecraft; space-environment forecasters may have to assess the environmental situation and issue warnings and alerts regarding hazardous conditions, and scientists and engineers may want to gain knowledge for future designs to mitigate the problems. Anomalies can be hardware problems, software errors, environmentally induced, or even the cause of workmanship. Spacecraft anomalies attributable to electrostatic discharges have been known to cause command errors. A goal is to develop an automated system based on this concept to reduce the number of personnel required to operate large programs or missions such as Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and Mission to Planet Earth (MTPE). Although expert systems to detect anomalous behavior of satellites during operations are established, diagnosis of the anomaly is a complex procedure and is a new development.

Lauriente, Michael↗
NASA NTRS1995

Trajectory modeling of emissions from lower stratospheric aircraft

A series of isentropic trajectory calculations has been performed for emissions by stratospheric aircraft moving across the northern midlatitude oceanic flight corridors. Emission of exhaust is simulated by the daily initialization of air parcels along a flight path on the 500 K isentropic surface. Parcels are tracked during the first three weeks of each January from 1980 to 1994 in order to determine the interannual variability in the spatial distribution of the exhaust and the likelihood of exposure to cold temperatures. Few parcels emitted along these flight paths at this time of year had experienced nitric acid trihydrate (NAT) formation temperatures, except for the particularly cold Januarys 1986, 1987, and 1992. Large zonal fluctuations in the distribution of the emissions are typical for this time year and are strongly dependent on flight path. An extended 6-month (January-June) run in which parcels were released daily along the New York-London route shows that emissions in the flight corridor increase at a time-averaged rate which is nearly twice the rate at which the zonal average increases. In addition, local fluctuations of pollutant density can be several times higher than the zonal average and can persist for several weeks. A rapid buildup of emissions occurred during the summer months. These elevated emission levels must be considered in the interpretation of environmental impact assessments based on two-dimensional transport models.

Sparling, Lynn C.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Heterogeneous Chemistry of HONO on Liquid Sulfuric Acid: A New Mechanism of Chlorine Activation on Stratospheric Sulfate Aerosols

Heterogeneous chemistry of nitrous acid (HONO) on liquid sulfuric acid (H2SO4) Was investigated at conditions that prevail in the stratosphere. The measured uptake coefficient (gamma) of HONO on H2SO4 increased with increasing acid content, ranging from 0.03 for 65 wt % to about 0.1 for 74 wt %. In the aqueous phase, HONO underwent irreversible reaction with H2SO4 to form nitrosylsulfuric acid (NO(+)HSO4(-). At temperatures below 230 K, NO(+)HSO4(-) was observed to be stable and accumulated in concentrated solutions (less than 70 wt % H2SO4) but was unstable and quickly regenerated HONO in dilute solutions (less than 70 wt %). HCl reacted with HONO dissolved in sulfuric acid, releasing gaseous nitrosyl chloride (ClNO). The reaction probability between HCl and HONO varied from 0.01 to 0.02 for 60-72 wt % H2SO4. In the stratosphere, ClNO photodissociates rapidly to yield atomic chlorine, which catalytically destroys ozone. Analysis of the laboratory data reveals that the reaction of HCl with HONO on sulfate aerosols can affect stratospheric ozone balance during elevated sulfuric acid loadings after volcanic eruptions or due to emissions from the projected high-speed civil transport (HSCT). The present results may have important implications on the assessment of environmental acceptability of HSCT.

Zhang, Renyi↗
NASA NTRS1999

NASA AMES Remote Operations Center for 2001

There is a Memorandum of Agreement between NASA Ames, JPL, West Virginia University and University of Arizona which led to funding for the MECA microscope and to the establishment of an Ames facility for science analysis of microscopic and other data. The data and analysis will be by agreement of the Mars Environmental Compatibility Assessment (MECA), Robotic Arm Camera (RAC) and other PI's. This facility is intended to complement other analysis efforts with one objective of this facility being to test the latest information technologies in support of actual mission science operations. Additionally, it will be used as a laboratory for the exploration of collaborative science activities. With a goal of enhancing the science return for both Human Exploration and Development of Space (HEDS) and Astrobiology we shall utilize various tools such as superresolution and the Virtual Environment Vehicle Interface (VEVI) virtual reality visualization tools. In this presentation we will describe the current planning for this facility.

Sims, M.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Dust on Mars: An Aeolian Threat to Human Exploration?

The NASA HEDS Program is duly concerned for human explorers regarding the potential hazard posed by the ubiquitous dust mantle on Mars. To evaluate properties of dust that could be hazardous to humans, the MPS 2001 Lander payload will include the Mars Environmental Compatibility Assessment (MECA) experiment. This includes optical and atomic-force microscopy to evaluate soil grains for shape and size, wet chemistry to evaluate toxic substances, electrometry to evaluate triboelectric charging, and test-material palets to evaluate electrostatic and magnetic adhesion, and the hardness/abrasiveness of soil grains; these experimental subcomponents are delivered samples by the camera-equipped robotic arm of the lander which will acquire material from depths of 0.5 to 1.0 m in the soil. Data returned by MECA will be of value to both the BEDS and planetary/astrobiology communities. Dust poses a threat to human exploration because the martian system does not hydrologically or chemically remove fine particles that are being continuously generated by thermal, aeolian, and colluvial weathering, and by volcanism and impact over billions of years. The dust is extremely fine-grained, in copious quantities, ubiquitous in distribution, continually mobile, and a source of poorly-grounded static charges -- a suite of characteristics posing a particulate and electrical threat to explorers and their equipment. Dust is mobilized on global and regional scales, but probably also unpredictably and violently at local scales by dust devils. The latter might be expected in great abundance owing to near surface atmospheric instability (dust devils were detected by Pathfinder during its brief lifetime). Preliminary laboratory experiments suggest that space-suit materials subjected to windblown dust may acquire a uniform, highly adhesive dust layer that is also highly cohesive laterally owing to electrostatic forces. This layer will obscure visibility through the helmet visor, penetrate joints and fabrics, change the thermal properties of the suit, and possibly affect electronic/electrical suit functions. It is paramount that future missions address the issue of interparticle forces, and in particular, the role played by ionizing radiation in affecting these forces on Mars.

Marshall, J.↗
NASA NTRS1999

MECA Electrometer: Initial Experimental Results

The Mars '01 lander contains an electrometer designed to evaluate the electrostatic nature of the Martian regolith (soil) and atmosphere. The electrometer is part of MECA (Mars Environmental Compatibility Assessment) project. The objective is to gain a better understanding of the hazards related to the human exploration of Mars The sensor has an electric field sensitivity of 35 kV/cm-V and room temperature drift of about 3 microV/sec. The sensor has been operated as low as -60 C where the drift is undetected.

Buehler, M.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Dust on Mars: An Aeolian Threat to Human Exploration?

The NASA HEDS Program is duly concerned for human explorers regarding the potential hazard posed by the ubiquitous dust mantle on Mars. To evaluate properties of dust that could be hazardous to humans, the NMS 2001 Lander payload will include the Mars Environmental Compatibility Assessment (MECA) experiment. This includes optical and atomic-force microscopy to evaluate soil grains for shape and size, wet chemistry to evaluate toxic substances, electrometry to evaluate triboelectric charging, and test-material palets to evaluate electrostatic and magnetic adhesion, and the hardness/abrasiveness of soil grains; these experimental subcomponents are delivered samples by the camera-equipped robotic arm of the lander which will acquire material from depths of 0.5 to 1.0 m in the soil. Data returned by MECA will be of value to both the hEDS and planetary/astrobiology communities. Dust poses a threat to human exploration because the martian system does not hydrologically or chemically remove fine particles that are being continuously generated by thermal, aeolian, and colluvial weathering, and by volcanism and impact over billions of years. The dust is extremely fine-grained, in copious quantities, ubiquitous in distribution, continually mobile, and a source of poorly-grounded static charges -- a suite of characteristics posing a particulate and electrical threat to explorers and their equipment. Dust is mobilized on global and regional scales, but probably also unpredictably and violently at local scales by dust devils. The latter might be expected in great abundance owing to near surface atmospheric instability (dust devils were detected by Pathfinder during its brief lifetime). Preliminary laboratory experiments suggest that space-suit materials subjected to windblown dust may acquire a uniform, highly adhesive dust layer that is also highly cohesive laterally owing to electrostatic forces. This layer will obscure visibility through the helmet visor, penetrate joints and fabrics, change the thermal properties of the suit, and possibly affect electronic/electrical suit functions. It is paramount that future missions address the issue of interparticle forces, and in particular, the role played by ionizing radiation in affecting these forces on Mars.

Marshall, J.↗
NASA NTRS1999

AFM Studies of Lunar Soils and Application to the Mars 2001 Mission

The upcoming Mars 01 mission will carry an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) as part of the Mars Environmental Compatibility Assessment (MECA) instrument. By operating in a tapping mode, the AFM is capable of sub-nanometer resolution in three dimensions and can distinguish between substances of different compositions by employing phase contrast imaging. To prepare for the Mars 01 mission, we are testing the AFM on a lunar soil to determine its ability to define particle shapes and sizes and grain-surface textures. The test materials are from the Apollo 17 soil 79221, which is a mixture of agglutinates, impact and volcanic beads, and mare and highland rock and mineral fragments. The majority of the lunar soil particles are less than 100 microns in size, comparable to the sizes estimated for martian dust. We have used the AFM to examine several different soil particles at various resolutions. The instrument has demonstrated the ability to identify parallel ridges characteristic of twinning on a 150 micron plagioclase feldspar particle. Extremely small (10-100 nanometer) adhering particles are visible on the surface of the feldspar grain, and they appear elongate with smooth surfaces. Phase contrast imaging of the nanometer particles shows several compositions to be present. When the AFM was applied to a 100 micron glass spherule, it was possible to define an extremely smooth surface; this is in clear contrast to results from a basalt fragment which exhibited a rough surface texture. Also visible on the surface of the glass spherule were chains of 100 nanometer and smaller impact melt droplets. For the '01 Mars mission, the AFM is intended to define the size and shape distributions of soil particles, in combination with the NMCA optical microscope system and images from the Robot Arm Camera (RAC). These three data sets will provide a means of assessing potentially hazardous soil and dust properties. The study that we have conducted on the lunar soils now suggests that the NMCA experiment will be able to define grain transport and weathering processes. For example, it should be possible to determine if Martian grains have been subjected to aeolian or water transport, volcanic activity, impact melting processes, in-situ weathering, and a host of other processes. Additionally, textural maturity could be assessed (via freshness and form of fracture patterns and grain shapes). Thus, the AFM has the potential to shed new light on Martian surface processes by adding the submicroscopic dimension to planetary investigations.

Weitz, C. M.↗
NASA NTRS1999

The MECA Payload as a Dust Analysis Laboratory on the MSP 2001 Lander

In a companion abstract, the "Mars Environmental Compatibility Assessment" (MECA) payload for Mars Surveyor Program 2001 (MSP 2001) is described in terms of its capabilities for addressing exobiology on Mars. Here we describe how the same payload elements perform in terms of gathering data about surface dust on the planet. An understanding of the origin and properties of dust is important to both human exploration and planetary geology. The MECA instrument is specifically designed for soil/dust investigations: it is a multifunctional laboratory equipped to assess particulate properties with wet chemistry, camera imagery, optical microscopy (potentially with LTV fluorescence capability), atomic force microscopy (AFM; potentially with mineral-discrimination capabilities), electrometry, active & passive external materials-test panels, mineral hardness testing, and electrostatic & magnetic materials testing. Additionally, evaluation of soil chemical and physical properties as a function of depth down to about 50 cm will be facilitated by the Lander/MECA robot arm on which the camera (RAC) and electrometer are mounted. Types of data being sought for the dust include: (1) general textural and grain-size characterization of the soil as a whole --for example, is the soil essentially dust with other components or is it a clast-supported material in which dust resides only in the clast interstices, (2) size frequency distribution for dust particles in the range 0.01 to 10.00 microns, (3) particle-shape distribution of the soil components and of the fine dust fraction in particular, (4) soil fabric such as grain clustering into clods, aggregates, and cemented/indurated grain amalgamations, as well as related porosity, cohesiveness, and other mechanical soil properties, (5) cohesive relationship that dust has to certain types of rocks and minerals as a clue to which soil materials may be prime hosts for dust "piggybacking", (6) particle, aggregate, and bulk soil electrostatic properties, (7) particle hardness, (8) particle magnetic properties, (9) bulk dust geochemistry (solubility, reactivity, ionic and mineral species). All of these quantities are needed in order for the human exploration program to make assessments of hazards on Mars, and to better enable the production on earth, of soil/dust simulants that can act as realistic test materials in terms of those properties that render dust a contaminant.Such properties include the small grain size that enables penetration of space-suit joints, mechanical interfaces and bearings, seals, etc., and presents difficulty for filtration systems. Size also plays a critical role in the potential for lung disease in long-term habitats. The properties of grain shape and hardness are important parameters in determining the abrasiveness of dust as it enters mechanical systems, or bombards helmet visors and habitat windows in dust-laden winds. Adhesive electrostatic and magnetic properties of dust will be prime causes of contamination of space suits and equipment. Contamination causes mechanical malfunction, tracking of dirt into habitats, "piggybacking" of toxins on dust into habitats, changes in albedo and efficiency of solar arrays and heat exchangers, and changes in electrical conductivity of suit surfaces and other materials that may have specific safety requirements regarding electrical conductivity. Other potentially hazardous properties of dust include the possibility of high solubility of some component grains (rendering them reactive), and toxicity of some materials --grains of superoxidants and heavy metals (there is always the slim, but not inconceivable possibility of biogenic components such as spores). Because Mars has no active surface aqueous regime, volcanic emissions, meteoritic debris, weathering products, and photochemical products of Mars have nowhere to go except reside in the surface; there are few mechanical or chemical (buffering) processes to remove the accumulation of eons. From a planetology perspective, there are many enigmatic issues relating to dust and the aeolian regime in general. MECA will be able to address many questions in this area. For example, if MECA determines a particular particle size distribution (size and sorting values), it will be possible to make inferences about the origin of the dust - - is it all aeolian, or a more primitive residue of weathering, volcanic emissions, and meteoritic gardening? Trenching with the Lander/MECA robot arm will enable local stratigraphy to be determined in terms of depositional rates, amounts and cyclicity in dust storms and/or local aeolian transport. Grain shape will betray the origin of the dust fragments as being the product of recent or ancient weathering, or the comminution products of aeolian transport --the dust-silt ratio might be a measure of aeolian comminution energy. Additional information is contained in the original.

Marshall, J.↗
NASA NTRS1999

The MECA Payload as an Exobiology Laboratory on the MSP 2001 Lander

The "Mars Environmental Compatibility Assessment" (MECA) payload for Mars Surveyor Project 2001 (MSP 2001) is comprised of a multifunctional laboratory equipped to assess martian soil properties with wet chemistry, camera imagery, optical microscopy (potentially with UV fluorescence capability), atomic force microscopy (AFM; potentially with mineral-discrimination capabilities), electrometry, active & passive external materials-test panels, mineral hardness testing, and electrostatic and magnetic materials testing. Additionally, evaluation of soil chemical and physical properties as a function of depth down to -50 cm will be facilitated by the Lander/MECA robot arm on which the camera (RAC) and electrometer are mounted. MECA was designed as a NASA Human Exploration and Development of Space (HEDS) payload for determining the properties of martian soil that may be detrimental to human exploration. It is, however, well equipped to address exobiology questions in the following areas: (1)Geochemical clues to Aqueous Mineralogy and Oxidant formation; (2) Soil structures and microfabrics as indicators of water-volatiles migration; (3) Minerals and rocks as clues to ancient hydrology; (4) Grain textures as indicators of aqueous activity and weathering. Additional information is contained in the original.

Marshall, J.↗
NASA NTRS1999

The Mars Surveyor '01 Rover and Robotic Arm

The Mars Surveyor 2001 Lander will carry with it both a Robotic Arm and Rover to support various science and technology experiments. The Marie Curie Rover, the twin sister to Sojourner Truth, is expected to explore the surface of Mars in early 2002. Scientific investigations to determine the elemental composition of surface rocks and soil using the Alpha Proton X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) will be conducted along with several technology experiments including the Mars Experiment on Electrostatic Charging (MEEC) and the Wheel Abrasion Experiment (WAE). The Rover will follow uplinked operational sequences each day, but will be capable of autonomous reactions to the unpredictable features of the Martian environment. The Mars Surveyor 2001 Robotic Arm will perform rover deployment, and support various positioning, digging, and sample acquiring functions for MECA (Mars Environmental Compatibility Assessment) and Mossbauer Spectrometer experiments. The Robotic Arm will also collect its own sensor data for engineering data analysis. The Robotic Arm Camera (RAC) mounted on the forearm of the Robotic Arm will capture various images with a wide range of focal length adjustment during scientific experiments and rover deployment

Bonitz, Robert G.↗
NASA NTRS2000

MECA Electrometer: An Old Instrument Finds a New Application

The Mars '01 binder contains an electrometer designed to evaluate the electrostatic nature of the Martian regolith (soil) and atmosphere. The electrometer is part of MECA (Mars Environmental Compatibility Assessment) project. The objective is to gain a better understanding of the hazards related to the human exploration of Mars. The electrometer was designed to fit into the heel of the scoop of the robotic arm. The instrument has four sensor types: (a) triboelectric field, (b) electric-field, (c) ion current, and (d) temperature. The triboelectric field sensor array contains five insulating materials to determine material charging effects as the scoop is dragged through the Martian regolith. The sensor has an electric field sensitivity of 35 kV/cm-V and room temperature drift of approx.3 micro V/sec. The sensor has been operated as low as -60 C where the drift is undetected. This talk with focus on the operating principles of the triboelectric sensors and present some of test results.

Buehler, Martin↗