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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
DOE OSTI2025

Evaluation of an Accident Tolerant Fuel Leak in the Advanced Test Reactor

Accident Tolerant Fuels (ATF), which are nuclear fuel sources designed to withstand operational irregularities and incidents, have been a topic of interest in the nuclear industry for several decades. Interest in ATF technology surged following the 2011 accident at Fukushima Daiichi in Japan. At the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR), one of Idaho National Laboratory’s (INL) four operating nuclear reactors, the ATF program is a collaborative effort between the national laboratory and various stakeholders within the nuclear industry. This program focuses on the research and development of novel fuel compositions, cladding, and component materials with enhanced accident-resistant properties. During one of ATR’s 60-day operating cycles in 2024, the reactor experienced five unplanned shutdowns. Following the fifth shutdown, radiation monitors detected an increase in radiation levels coming from the loop piping. Subsequent water samples confirmed the cause was a leak of fission products from the ATF experiment, designated as ATF-2C. The source of the leak was identified as the instrumented section of the test train. The primary discussions in this paper are 1) the design of the ATF test train, 2) the operating parameters leading up to and following the detection of the leak, and 3) the quantification and characterization of the released fission products.

Accident Tolerant Fuels↗
DOE OSTI2025

Evaluation of an Accident Tolerant Fuel Leak in the Advanced Test Reactor

Accident Tolerant Fuels (ATF), which are nuclear fuel sources designed to withstand operational irregularities and incidents, have been a topic of interest in the nuclear industry for several decades. Interest in ATF technology surged following the 2011 accident at Fukushima Daiichi in Japan. At the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR), one of Idaho National Laboratory’s (INL) four operating nuclear reactors, the ATF program is a collaborative effort between the national laboratory and various stakeholders within the nuclear industry. This program focuses on the research and development of novel fuel compositions, cladding, and component materials with enhanced accident-resistant properties. During one of ATR’s 60-day operating cycles in 2024, the reactor experienced five unplanned shutdowns. Following the fifth shutdown, radiation monitors detected an increase in radiation levels coming from the loop piping. Subsequent water samples confirmed the cause was a leak of fission products from the ATF experiment, designated as ATF-2C. The source of the leak was identified as the instrumented section of the test train. The primary discussions in this presentation are 1) the design of the ATF test train, 2) the operating parameters leading up to and following the detection of the leak, and 3) the quantification and characterization of the released fission products.

11 - NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
NASA NTRS1991

The space exploration initiative. Operational efficiency panel space-basing technology requirements

The topics covered include the following: (1) space basing technology requirements sources; (2) orbit transfer vehicle (OTV) processing heritage; (3) ground processing progression to space processing; (4) technology requirements for space based OTV servicing and maintenance; (5) design and development schedule for OTV's and OTV accommodations/ support hardware; (6) cryogenic technology test program development; (7) cryogenic propellant transfer, storage, and reliquefaction management summary; (8) propellant transfer technology analysis and ground testing; (8) OTV propellant storage depot development critical scaling relationships; (9) flight experiment options; (10) OTV maintenance; (11) automated fault detection/ isolation and system checkout summary; (12) engine replacement; (13) alternative docking operation; (14) OTV/payload integration; and (15) technology criticality and capability assessment. This document is presented in viewgraph form.

Pena, Luis R.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Extending JuTrack’s capabilities to the FRIB accelerator to enhance online modeling

JuTrack is a Julia-based accelerator modeling and tracking package that utilizes compiler-level automatic differentiation (AD) to enable fast and accurate derivative calculations. While JuTrack provides a solid foundation for beam dynamics simulations, its capabilities must be extended to support the Facility for Rare Isotopes (FRIB) linac. This includes modeling heavy-ion linac accelerator components such as the liquid-lithium charge stripper, which facilitates efficient acceleration by remove electrons from heavy isotopes, and incorporating multi-charge state acceleration tracking, which allows for charge-dependent beam dynamics. These extensions address challenges such as the beam matching and optimization of multi charge state through various accelerating structures and beam-material interaction modeling while maintaining the auto differentiation capability. This work focuses on adapting JuTrack to incorporate these elements, enhancing its online modeling abilities. We present modifications to JuTrack’s framework and demonstrate their performance in FRIB simulations.

Accelerator Physics↗
NASA NTRS1971

The feasibility of electrohydrodynamic heat pipes

The effect of a nonuniform electrostatic field on insulating dielectric liquids in heat pipes was studied. Topics discussed include the theory of operation, design criteria, and evaluation of optimal design features. It is concluded that the electrodynamic heat pipes offer advantages that must be weighed against the disadvantages in order to arrive at a proper assessment of their value in solving heat transfer problems.

Jones, T. B.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Interagency Workshop on Lighter than Air Vehicles, Monterey, Calif., September 9-13, 1974, Proceedings

Papers are presented which review modern lighter-than-air (LTA) airship design concepts and LTA structures and materials technology, as well as perform economic and market analyses for assessment of the viability of future LTA development programs. Potential applications of LTA vehicles are examined. Some of the topics covered include preliminary estimates of operating costs for LTA transports, an economic comparison of three heavy lift airborn systems, boundary layer control for airships, computer aided flexible envelope designs, state-of-the-art of metalclad airships, aspects of hybrid-Zeppelins, the LTA vehicle as a total cargo system, unmanned powered balloons, and a practical concept for powered or tethered weight-lifting LTA vehicles. Individual items are announced in this issue.

Vittek, J. F., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Modulation techniques

Bandwidth efficient digital modulation techniques, proposed for use on and/or applied to satellite channels, are reviewed. In a survey of recent works on digital modulation techniques, the performance of several schemes operating in various environments are compared. Topics covered include: (1) quadrature phase shift keying; (2) offset - QPSK and MSK; (3) combined modulation and coding; and (4) spectrally efficient modulation techniques.

Schilling, D. L.↗
NASA NTRS1987

High performance architecture for robot control

Practical aspects of the design and implementation of a modular, high performance, parallel computer control system for telerobots are discussed. Topics of consideration include system architecture, operator interface, and control execution. In a laboratory environment, a telerobotics test control configuration is used to obtain measurements on communications and control loop timing for use in an effective full scale operational system design. The feasibility of the selected architectural approach has been successfully demonstrated. The modularity of the software and hardware enables ease of transport for use in the operational system. The distributed partioning of the control algorithms and the performance measurements acquired during control system implementation are discussed.

Byler, E.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Interoperability for Space Mission Monitor and Control: Applying Technologies from Manufacturing Automation and Process Control Industries

Various issues associated with interoperability for space mission monitor and control are presented in viewgraph form. Specific topics include: 1) Space Project Mission Operations Control Architecture (SuperMOCA) goals and methods for achieving them; 2) Specifics on the architecture: open standards ad layering, enhancing interoperability, and promoting commercialization; 3) An advertisement; 4) Status of the task - government/industry cooperation and architecture and technology demonstrations; and 5) Key features of messaging services and virtual devices.

Jones, Michael K.↗
NASA NTRS1998

NASA CORE (Central Operation of Resources for Educators) Educational Materials Catalog

This educational materials catalog presents NASA CORE (Central Operation of Resources for Educators). The topics include: 1) Videocassettes (Aeronautics, Earth Resources, Weather, Space Exploration/Satellites, Life Sciences, Careers); 2) Slide Programs; 3) Computer Materials; 4) NASA Memorabilia/Miscellaneous; 5) NASA Educator Resource Centers; 6) and NASA Resources.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1999

Hitchhiker Payload Mission

The primary objective is to demonstrate and to characterize optical and radio communications techniques for small satellites in a flight environment. The topics include: 1) Functional Requirements; 2) Operational Requirements; and 3) Constraints. This paper is presented in viewgraph form.

Horan, Stephen↗
NASA NTRS2001

Robot and Human Surface Operations on Solar System Bodies

This paper presents a comparison of robot and human surface operations on solar system bodies. The topics include: 1) Long Range Vision of Surface Scenarios; 2) Human and Robots Complement Each Other; 3) Respective Human and Robot Strengths; 4) Need More In-Depth Quantitative Analysis; 5) Projected Study Objectives; 6) Analysis Process Summary; 7) Mission Scenarios Decompose into Primitive Tasks; 7) Features of the Projected Analysis Approach; and 8) The "Getting There Effect" is a Major Consideration. This paper is in viewgraph form.

Weisbin, C. R.↗
NASA NTRS2005

NASA Outer Solar System Exploration

A viewgraph presentation on NASA's Outer Solar System Exploration is shown. The topics include: 1) Completed Missions; 2) Operating Missions; 3) Missions in Development; and 4) Future Missions.

Bergstralh, Jay T.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Initial Experimental Airworthiness Certification Guidance for UAS. UAS Experimental Certification Process and Guidance

This paper addresses the regulatory processes and requirements already in place by which an applicant might obtain experimental airworthiness certification for a civil Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS). It is more extensive and subsequent to an earlier, similar deliverable, PD007, which was an interim study of the same topic. Since few regulatory airworthiness and operating standards exist for UAS like those for traditional manned aircraft and since most UAS have historically been developed and operated under military auspices, civil use of UAS in the NAS is a new and unfamiliar challenge requiring specific and unique considerations. Experimental certification is the most basic level of FAA approval toward routine UAS operation in the NAS. The paper reviews and explains existing FAA requirements for an applicant seeking experimental airworthiness approval and details the process for submission of necessary information. It summarizes the limited purposes for which experimental aircraft may be used and addresses pertinent aspects of UAS design, construction and operation in the NAS in harmony with traditional manned aircraft. Policy IPT position is that UAS, while different from manned aircraft, can use the same initial processes to gain civil operating experience under the experimental approval. Particular note is taken of those UAS-unique characteristics which require extra attention to assure equivalent safety of operation, such as the UAS control station and sense-and-avoid. The paper also provides "best practices" guidance for UAS manufacturers and FAA personnel in two appendices. The material in Appendix A is intended to provide guidance on assuring UAS safety to FAA, and provides FAA personnel with a suggested list of items to review, with a focus on UAS unique factors, prior to issuance of an experimental airworthiness certificate. Appendix B provides an outline for a program letter which a manufacturer could use in preparing the application for an UAS experimental airworthiness certificate.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2016

Geocam Space: Enhancing Handheld Digital Camera Imagery from the International Space Station for Research and Applications

Handheld astronaut photography of the Earth has been collected from the International Space Station (ISS) since 2000, making it the most temporally extensive remotely sensed dataset from this unique Low Earth orbital platform. Exclusive use of digital handheld cameras to perform Earth observations from the ISS began in 2004. Nadir viewing imagery is constrained by the inclined equatorial orbit of the ISS to between 51.6 degrees North and South latitude, however numerous oblique images of land surfaces above these latitudes are included in the dataset. While unmodified commercial off-the-shelf digital cameras provide only visible wavelength, three-band spectral information of limited quality current cameras used with long (400+ mm) lenses can obtain high quality spatial information approaching 2 meters/ground pixel resolution. The dataset is freely available online at the Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth site (http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov), and now comprises over 2 million images. Despite this extensive image catalog, use of the data for scientific research, disaster response, commercial applications and visualizations is minimal in comparison to other data collected from free-flying satellite platforms such as Landsat, Worldview, etc. This is due primarily to the lack of fully-georeferenced data products - while current digital cameras typically have integrated GPS, this does not function in the Low Earth Orbit environment. The Earth Science and Remote Sensing (ESRS) Unit at NASA Johnson Space Center provides training in Earth Science topics to ISS crews, performs daily operations and Earth observation target delivery to crews through the Crew Earth Observations (CEO) Facility on board ISS, and also catalogs digital handheld imagery acquired from orbit by manually adding descriptive metadata and determining an image geographic centerpoint using visual feature matching with other georeferenced data, e.g. Landsat, Google Earth, etc. The lack of full geolocation information native to the data makes it difficult to integrate astronaut photographs with other georeferenced data to facilitate quantitative analysis such as urban land cover/land use classification, change detection, or geologic mapping. The manual determination of image centerpoints is both time and labor-intensive, leading to delays in releasing geolocated and cataloged data to the public, such as the timely use of data for disaster response. The GeoCam Space project was funded by the ISS Program in 2015 to develop an on-orbit hardware and ground-based software system for increasing the efficiency of geolocating astronaut photographs from the ISS (Fig. 1). The Intelligent Robotics Group at NASA Ames Research Center leads the development of both the ground and on-orbit systems in collaboration with the ESRS Unit. The hardware component consists of modified smartphone elements including cameras, central processing unit, wireless Ethernet, and an inertial measurement unit (gyroscopes/accelerometers/magnetometers) reconfigured into a compact unit that attaches to the base of the current Nikon D4 camera - and its replacement, the Nikon D5 - and connects using the standard Nikon peripheral connector or USB port. This provides secondary, side and downward facing cameras perpendicular to the primary camera pointing direction. The secondary cameras observe calibration targets with known internal X, Y, and Z position affixed to the interior of the ISS to determine the camera pose corresponding to each image frame. This information is recorded by the GeoCam Space unit and indexed for correlation to the camera time recorded for each image frame. Data - image, EXIF header, and camera pose information - is transmitted to the ground software system (GeoRef) using the established Ku-band USOS downlink system. Following integration on the ground, the camera pose information provides an initial geolocation estimate for the individual film frame. This new capability represents a significant advance in geolocation from the manual feature-matching approach for both nadir and off-nadir viewing imagery. With the initial geolocation estimate, full georeferencing of an image is completed using the rapid tie-pointing interface in GeoRef, and the resulting data is added to the Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth online database in both Geotiff and Keyhole Markup Language (kml) formats. The integration of the GeoRef software component of Geocam Space into the CEO image cataloging workflow is complete, and disaster response imagery acquired by the ISS crew is now fully georeferenced as a standard data product. The on-orbit hardware component (GeoSens) is in final prototyping phase, and is on-schedule for launch to the ISS in late 2016. Installation and routine use of the Geocam Space system for handheld digital camera photography from the ISS is expected to significantly improve the usefulness of this unique dataset for a variety of public- and private-sector applications.

Stefanov, William L.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Lessons from the COVID Era and Visions for the Future

In December 2020, the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science convened a virtual Roundtable of its 27 operating scientific user facilities to discuss facility challenges and lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as facility responses, best practices, and innovations that could be adopted going forward. Roundtable participants included facility staff, users, and user executive committee chairs. This report summarizes their discussions, which encompassed topics such as user research and facility operations in virtual and physically distanced contexts; user training and engagement; computation, data, and network resources; and crosscutting issues.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
NASA NTRS1976

Viking Mars encounter

Various phases of planetary operations related to the Viking mission to Mars are described. Topics discussed include: approach phase, Mars orbit insertion, prelanding orbital activities, separation, descent and landing, surface operations, surface sampling and operations starting, orbiter science and radio science, Viking 2, Deep Space Network and data handling.

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