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NASA NTRS1996

Flights of Discovery: 50 Years at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center

As part of the NASA History Series, this report (NASA SP-4309) describes fifty years of aeronautical research at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center. Starting with early efforts to exceed the speed of sound with the X-1 aircraft, and continuing through to the X-31 research aircraft, the report covers the flight activities of all of the major research aircraft and lifting bodies studied by NASA. Chapter One, 'A Place for Discovery', describes the facility itself and the surrounding Mojave Desert. Chapter Two, 'The Right Stuff', is about the people involved in the flight research programs. Chapter Three, 'Higher, Faster' summarizes the early years of transonic flight testing and the development of several lifting bodies. Chapter Four, 'Improving Efficiency, Maneuverability & Systems', outlines the development of aeronautical developments such as the supercritical wing, the mission adaptive wing, and various techniques for improving maneuverability fo winged aircraft. Chapter 5, 'Supporting National Efforts', shows how the research activities carried out at Dryden fit into NASA's programs across the country in supporting the space program, in safety and in problem solving related to aircraft design and aviation safety in general. Chapter Six, ' Future Directions' looks to future research building on the fifty year history of aeronautical research at the Dryden Flight Research Center. A glossary of acronyms and an appendix covering concepts and innovations are included. The report also contains many photographs providing a graphical perspective to the historical record.

Lane E Wallace↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

From NASA's EOS to ESO: Advancing Applications of the Future Atmosphere Observing (AOS) Mission

The NASA Earth System Observatory (ESO) Atmosphere Observing System (AOS) is being designed to explore the fundamental questions of how interconnections between aerosols, clouds and precipitation impact our weather and climate, addressing real-world challenges to benefit society. A fundamental component of the AOS mission is ensuring that applications for economic and societal benefit are considered to the greatest extent possible in mission design. As a result, the AOS Applications Impact Team (AIT) was formed to address this objective. The overarching goal of the AIT is to help improve capacity for transitioning science to applications to make it possible to more quickly and effectively inform decisions that will directly benefit society. We seek to maximize AOS benefit to impact decisions through early engagement in the mission development phase in order to prepare stakeholders to apply observations as soon as AOS mission data become available. A critical component of preparing future users of AOS mission data is building on the successes of applications of NASA’s existing Earth Observing System (EOS), A-Train, and sub-orbital campaigns with the goal of advancing current mission applications activities and preparing for innovative AOS mission observations. NASA’s GPM mission forms a framework to enhance AOS precipitation applications while AOS health and air quality applications benefit from the heritage of CALIPSO and MODIS. Additionally, AOS will likely benefit from current and future missions such as TROPICS, MAIA, TEMPO, and PACE which launch before AOS. Additionally, current sub-orbital field campaigns, such as NASA IMPACTS and ACTIVATE, provide rich data sources to highlight future AOS capabilities. Engaging with existing missions and sub-orbital field campaigns helps to identify and understand data needs, gaps, and opportunities for current and future stakeholders, determine what data products are of highest value and use, and connect stakeholders with current mission data that can serve as AOS proxy data, among others. In this presentation, we provide an overview of AOS AIT activities, initiatives, and the AOS Applications Seminar Series to highlight how existing EOS, A-Train, and sub-orbital missions can play a critical role in advancing AOS applications prior to launch.

Emily B. Berndt↗

DOE OSTI2020

Restoring Pre-Industrial CO2 Levels While Achieving Sustainable Development Goals

Unless humanity achieves United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 and restores the relatively stable climate of pre-industrial CO2 levels (as early as 2140), species extinctions, starvation, drought/floods, and violence will exacerbate mass migrations. This paper presents conceptual designs and techno-economic analyses to calculate sustainable limits for growing high-protein seafood and macroalgae-for-biofuel. We review the availability of wet solid waste and outline the mass balance of carbon and plant nutrients passing through a hydrothermal liquefaction process. The paper reviews the availability of dry solid waste and dry biomass for bioenergy with CO2 capture and storage (BECCS) while generating Allam Cycle electricity. Sufficient wet-waste biomass supports quickly building hydrothermal liquefaction facilities. Macroalgae-for-biofuel technology can be developed and straightforwardly implemented on SDG-achieving high protein seafood infrastructure. The analyses indicate a potential for (1) 0.5 billion tonnes/yr of seafood; (2) 20 million barrels/day of biofuel from solid waste; (3) more biocrude oil from macroalgae than current fossil oil; and (4) sequestration of 28 to 38 billion tonnes/yr of bio-CO2. Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) costs are between 25–33% of those for BECCS with pre-2019 technology or the projected cost of air-capture CDR.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

NASA NTRS2010

Project Interface Requirements Process Including Shuttle Lessons Learned

Most failures occur at interfaces between organizations and hardware. Processing interface requirements at the start of a project life cycle will reduce the likelihood of costly interface changes/failures later. This can be done by adding Interface Control Documents (ICDs) to the Project top level drawing tree, providing technical direction to the Projects for interface requirements, and by funding the interface requirements function directly from the Project Manager's office. The interface requirements function within the Project Systems Engineering and Integration (SE&I) Office would work in-line with the project element design engineers early in the life cycle to enhance communications and negotiate technical issues between the elements. This function would work as the technical arm of the Project Manager to help ensure that the Project cost, schedule, and risk objectives can be met during the Life Cycle. Some ICD Lessons Learned during the Space Shuttle Program (SSP) Life Cycle will include the use of hardware interface photos in the ICD, progressive life cycle design certification by analysis, test, & operations experience, assigning interface design engineers to Element Interface (EI) and Project technical panels, and linking interface design drawings with project build drawings

Bauch, Garland T.↗

DOE OSTI2026

Coupling Microstructural Evolution Simulations to Material Property Degradation Predictions for Plasma-Facing Materials

Reliable material performance is required for plasma-facing material (PFM) candidates. Previous research has shown that plasma and neutron radiation exposure induces microstructural changes in PFMs; changes in thermal and electrical conductivities and in material hardening and embrittlement were also observed after neutron irradiation. These material property changes will negatively impact the performance of the PFMs in a fusion reactor. Despite the well-known connection between material microstructure, properties, and performance, there is a need for validated modeling capabilities connecting PFM property degradation with microstructural evolution under fusion-relevant conditions. We are developing a simulation capability to couple plasma-induced microstructural evolution to material property degradation. Our approach relies on deliberate mapping between individual simulation models and experimental characterization for validation. The open-source Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE) software was used for this simulation capability development. A MOOSE phase-field model was coupled with the cluster dynamics code, Xolotl, to predict microstructural evolution. Microstructure characterization techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) are used to validate these microstructural evolution simulations. Calculation of thermal and electrical conductivities with first principles simulations was performed for bulk material and for grain boundaries; these results are used within MOOSE models to calculate effective thermal and electrical conductivities as a function of grain characteristics. Thermoreflectance and four-probe techniques were employed to measure the thermal and electrical conductivities, respectively. A MOOSE crystal plasticity model was adapted to predict microstructure-sensitive deformation behavior, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to collect bulk dislocation density data for validation. After individual simulation validation, these models are coupled to predict material property changes resulting from plasma exposure. We focused here on an experimental design to emphasize the separate effects of moderate thermal loads and plasma exposure using tungsten. Annealing of tungsten was performed under a protective environment for temperatures ranging from 500 C to 1500 C. The plasma exposure was completed in the Tritium Plasma Experiment at Idaho National Laboratory under a deuterium flux of 1e22 D/m^2-s. This incremental approach is employed to build confidence in the modeling capability: separate-effects tests ensure that the models capture key mechanisms from single environmental conditions before predicting PFM property degradation under combined loads. We will show our early results from coupling these simulation models to predict PFM property changes from microstructural evolution. Comparisons of the simulation results with preliminary validation data will be discussed.

36 - MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

NASA NTRS1981

Satellite services - An added benefit of the space transportation system

It is argued that the greatest economic benefit can be achieved by the Space Shuttle Orbiter's use as a satellite servicing platform if the following conditions are fulfilled: (1) the international user community must build serviceability features into its satellite and orbital platform designs, based on a common set of guidelines; (2) the various tools required for satellite servicing must be developed in a timely manner; and (3) servicing costs must be kept as low as possible, in order to appeal to the greatest number and variety of satellite operators. A three-part program development schedule is proposed, beginning with near-Orbiter servicing in low earth orbit, continuing with servicing at orbital heights between the low and geosynchronous at greater distances from the Orbiter, and culminating in the early 1990's with the use of the Space Operations Center (SOC) platform for servicing at all orbital heights.

Herardian, M. M.↗

NASA NTRS1993

System performance predictions for Space Station Freedom's electric power system

Space Station Freedom Electric Power System (EPS) capability to effectively deliver power to housekeeping and user loads continues to strongly influence Freedom's design and planned approaches for assembly and operations. The EPS design consists of silicon photovoltaic (PV) arrays, nickel-hydrogen batteries, and direct current power management and distribution hardware and cabling. To properly characterize the inherent EPS design capability, detailed system performance analyses must be performed for early stages as well as for the fully assembled station up to 15 years after beginning of life. Such analyses were repeatedly performed using the FORTRAN code SPACE (Station Power Analysis for Capability Evaluation) developed at the NASA Lewis Research Center over a 10-year period. SPACE combines orbital mechanics routines, station orientation/pointing routines, PV array and battery performance models, and a distribution system load-flow analysis to predict EPS performance. Time-dependent, performance degradation, low earth orbit environmental interactions, and EPS architecture build-up are incorporated in SPACE. Results from two typical SPACE analytical cases are presented: (1) an electric load driven case and (2) a maximum EPS capability case.

Kerslake, Thomas W.↗

NASA NTRS2003

A National Virtual Specimen Database for Early Cancer Detection

Access to biospecimens is essential for enabling cancer biomarker discovery. The National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Early Detection Research Network (EDRN) comprises and integrates a large number of laboratories into a network in order to establish a collaborative scientific environment to discover and validate disease markers. The diversity of both the institutions and the collaborative focus has created the need for establishing cross-disciplinary teams focused on integrating expertise in biomedical research, computational and biostatistics, and computer science. Given the collaborative design of the network, the EDRN needed an informatics infrastructure. The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, the National Cancer Institute,and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) teamed up to build an informatics infrastructure creating a collaborative, science-driven research environment despite the geographic and morphology differences of the information systems that existed within the diverse network. EDRN investigators identified the need to share biospecimen data captured across the country managed in disparate databases. As a result, the informatics team initiated an effort to create a virtual tissue database whereby scientists could search and locate details about specimens located at collaborating laboratories. Each database, however, was locally implemented and integrated into collection processes and methods unique to each institution. This meant that efforts to integrate databases needed to be done in a manner that did not require redesign or re-implementation of existing system

distributed↗

DOE OSTI2026

Higher Efficiency, Demand Flexible Refrigerator with On-Demand Micro-Vibrational De-icing Technology

Refrigerator technology has advanced significantly over the last couple of decades. Today’s refrigerators use only about 25% of the energy that was required to power models built in 1975. Even as they continually improve efficiency to meet standards, refrigerators have increased in size by almost 20%, added energy-consuming features such as through-the-door ice, and provide more benefits than ever before. However, a few challenges and technology gaps are preventing further improvement of the demand responsiveness and efficiency of the refrigerators. One of the major technology gaps in existing refrigerators is their outdated de-icing process. When the evaporator generates frost, an old-fashioned resistive heating element melts the ice. Most refrigerators have a timed defrost cycle, rather than an active system that could monitor the state of the frost. In these systems, not only is the precious electricity used at its least efficient form of conversion (direct conversion of electricity to heat), but also all the latent heat associated with the ice is wasted during the melting process. On top of that, the refrigerator needs to work harder to pull the temperature down after defrosting, and, last but not least, the food quality is severely impacted by the temperature swings during the defrost cycle. According to a study, the EU alone wastes 89 million tons of food in the supply chain every year. Any temperature swing during defrosting (about 6F according to Emerson for low-temperature cases) can negatively impact the shelf life of meat and other products for multiple days. All these issues can happen during the peak demand time of the electric grid. Unlike the conventional systems, the proposed novel advanced micro-vibrational deicing process uses no heat for defrosting. Instead, it uses the micro vibrations generated by a piezoelectric or vibration-generating module to mechanically break ice from the heat exchanger almost instantaneously. The project titled “Higher Efficiency, Demand Flexible Refrigerator with On-Demand Micro-Vibrational De-icing Technology, performed by Ultrasonic Technology Solutions, LLC (UTS) of Knoxville, TN, in collaboration with Emerson (now Copeland), represents the final phase of a multi-year effort funded under the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building Technologies Office (BTO) BENEFIT FOA 2020. Initiated on October 1, 2021, and completed after a nine-month no-cost extension ending September 30, 2025, this project aimed to develop and validate a novel micro-vibrational mechanical defrosting system, achieving more than 25% improvement in defrosting energy efficiency over conventional baseline defrosting technologies. Over sixteen quarters, the project advanced from fundamental ice-mechanical characterization and prototype development to full-scale system integration and validation. Initial efforts established project management infrastructure and characterized ice adhesion properties, followed by the design and fabrication of early aluminum-based prototypes for resonance frequency testing. Subsequent quarters saw rapid technical progression, including the identification of optimal piezoelectric and motor-based vibration mechanisms, the demonstration of effective de-icing over 6x6-inch aluminum surfaces. The team achieved its Go/No-Go milestone by exceeding the 25% energy-efficiency improvement target—reaching up to 3,340% under optimized conditions—and later confirmed that motor-driven systems offered superior performance and energy efficiency compared to piezoelectric alternatives. Continued refinement led to the development of amplifier systems on printed circuit boards, improved control and instrumentation hardware, and integration into full-scale heat exchanger (HX) prototypes at both UTS and Copeland facilities. Multiple vibration-mounting studies and frost-growth experiments guided mechanical optimization and noise-mitigation strategies, achieving a 17.5 dB reduction in sound pressure level and verifying robust mechanical performance. Advanced analyses, including modal and harmonic simulations, established a quantitative understanding of vibrational behavior and de-icing efficiency across >1000 cm² systems. The final project phase successfully demonstrated scalable integration within reach-in and chest freezer prototypes, confirmed >25% efficiency improvements in large-area systems, and completed a comprehensive business model and scale-up strategy identifying electric defrost systems as the primary beachhead market. The culmination of this DOE-supported effort establishes micro-vibrational defrosting as a viable, high-efficiency, low-noise, and demand-flexible de-icing technology, paving the way for commercial deployment and broader application in next-generation refrigeration systems.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

NASA NTRS2016

Unmanned Aircraft Systems Traffic Management (UTM) Safely Enabling UAS Operations in Low-Altitude Airspace

Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Traffic Management (UTM) Enabling Civilian Low-Altitude Airspace and Unmanned Aircraft System Operations What is the problem? Many beneficial civilian applications of UAS have been proposed, from goods delivery and infrastructure surveillance, to search and rescue, and agricultural monitoring. Currently, there is no established infrastructure to enable and safely manage the widespread use of low-altitude airspace and UAS operations, regardless of the type of UAS. A UAS traffic management (UTM) system for low-altitude airspace may be needed, perhaps leveraging concepts from the system of roads, lanes, stop signs, rules and lights that govern vehicles on the ground today, whether the vehicles are driven by humans or are automated. What system technologies is NASA exploring? Building on its legacy of work in air traffic management for crewed aircraft, NASA is researching prototype technologies for a UAS Traffic Management (UTM) system that could develop airspace integration requirements for enabling safe, efficient low-altitude operations. While incorporating lessons learned from the today's well-established air traffic management system, which was a response that grew out of a mid-air collision over the Grand Canyon in the early days of commercial aviation, the UTM system would enable safe and efficient low-altitude airspace operations by providing services such as airspace design, corridors, dynamic geofencing, severe weather and wind avoidance, congestion management, terrain avoidance, route planning and re-routing, separation management, sequencing and spacing, and contingency management. One of the attributes of the UTM system is that it would not require human operators to monitor every vehicle continuously. The system could provide to human managers the data to make strategic decisions related to initiation, continuation, and termination of airspace operations. This approach would ensure that only authenticated UAS could operate in the airspace. In its most mature form, the UTM system could be developed using autonomicity characteristics that include self-configuration, self-optimization and self-protection. The self-configuration aspect could determine whether the operations should continue given the current andor predicted windweather conditions. NASA envisions concepts for two types of possible UTM systems. The first type would be a Portable UTM system, which would move from between geographical areas and support operations such as precision agriculture and disaster relief. The second type of system would be a Persistent UTM system, which would support low-altitude operations and provide continuous coverage for a geographical area. Either system would require persistent communication, navigation, and surveillance (CNS) coverage to track, ensure, and monitor conformance. What is NASA doing to test the technologies? NASA's near-term goal is the development and demonstration of a possible future UTM system that could safely enable low-altitude airspace and UAS operations. Working alongside many committed government, industry and academic partners, NASA is leading the research, development and testing that is taking place in a series of activities called Technology Capability Levels (TCL), each increasing in complexity. UTM TCL1 concluded field testing in August 2015 and is undergoing additional testing at an FAA site.

UTM Low-altitude↗

NASA NTRS2008

Technical Progress on the Ares I-X Flight Test

Ares I-X will be NASA's first test flight for a new human-rated launch vehicle since 1981, and the team is well on its way toward completing the vehicle's design and hardware fabrication for an April 2009 launch. This uncrewed suborbital development test flight gives NASA its first opportunities to: gather critical data about the flight dynamics of the integrated launch vehicle; understand how to control its roll during flight; better characterize the stage separation environments during future flight; and demonstrate the first stage recovery system. The Ares I-X Flight Test Vehicle (FTV) incorporates a mix of flight and mockup hardware. It is powered by a four-segment solid rocket booster, and will be modified to include a fifth, spacer segment; the upper stage, Orion crew exploration vehicle, and launch abort system are simulator hardware to make the FTV aerodynamically similar to the same size, shape, and weight of Ares I. The Ares IX first stage includes an existing Shuttle solid rocket motor and thrust vector control system controlled by an Ascent Thrust Vector Controller (ATVC) designed and built by Honeywell International. The avionics system will be tested in a dedicated System Integration Laboratory located at Lockheed Martin Space Systems (LMSS) in Denver, Colorado. The Upper Stage Simulator (USS) is made up of cylindrical segments that will be stacked and integrated at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) for launch. Glenn Research Center is already building these segments, along with their internal access structures. The active Roll Control System (RoCS) includes two thruster units harvested from Peacekeeper missiles. Duty cycle testing for RoCS was conducted, and fuel tanking and detanking tests will occur at KSC in early 2008. This important flight will provide valuable experience for the ground operations team in integrating, stacking, and launching Ares I. Data from Ares I-X will ensure the safety and reliability of America's newest launch vehicle.

Davis, S.R.↗

DOE OSTI2026

Connect microstructure evolution to property degradation with validated simulation

Reliable material performance is required for plasma-facing material (PFM) candidates. Previous research has shown that plasma and neutron radiation exposure induces microstructural changes in PFMs; changes in thermal and electrical conductivities and in material hardening and embrittlement were also observed after neutron irradiation. These material property changes will negatively impact the performance of the PFMs in a fusion reactor. Despite the well-known connection between material microstructure, properties, and performance, there is a need for validated modeling capabilities connecting PFM property degradation with microstructural evolution under fusion-relevant conditions. We are developing a simulation capability to couple plasma-induced microstructural evolution to material property degradation. Our approach relies on deliberate mapping between individual simulation models and experimental characterization for validation. The open-source Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE) software was used for this simulation capability development. A MOOSE phase-field model was coupled with the cluster dynamics code, Xolotl, to predict microstructural evolution. Microstructure characterization techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) are used to validate these microstructural evolution simulations. Calculation of thermal and electrical conductivities with first principles simulations was performed for bulk material and for grain boundaries; these results are used within MOOSE models to calculate effective thermal and electrical conductivities as a function of grain characteristics. Thermoreflectance and four-probe techniques were employed to measure the thermal and electrical conductivities, respectively. A MOOSE crystal plasticity model was adapted to predict microstructure-sensitive deformation behavior, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to collect bulk dislocation density data for validation. After individual simulation validation, these models are coupled to predict material property changes resulting from plasma exposure. We focused here on an experimental design to emphasize the separate effects of moderate thermal loads and plasma exposure using tungsten. Annealing of tungsten was performed under a protective environment for temperatures ranging from 500$^o$C to 1500$^o$C. The plasma exposure was completed in the Tritium Plasma Experiment at Idaho National Laboratory under a deuterium flux of 1e22 $\frac{D}{m^2s}$. This incremental approach is employed to build confidence in the modeling capability: separate-effects tests ensure that the models capture key mechanisms from single environmental conditions before predicting PFM property degradation under combined loads. We will show our early results from coupling these simulation models to predict PFM property changes from microstructural evolution. Comparisons of the simulation results with preliminary validation data will be discussed.

36 - MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2023

Fiscal Year 2023 Software Quality Assurance Activities for the ARC Software

The Argonne Reactor Code (ARC) software suite [1-17] has been developed by Argonne researchers for fast reactor design and analysis since the 1970s. With the ARC software suite, a user can quickly build a model of a proposed or existing fast spectrum reactor and carry out fuel cycle, nominal thermal analysis and flow requirements, and assess, as is appropriate, whether the core design and constraint system yield an acceptable mechanical behavior. For transient reactor analysis with SAS4A [18], the ARC software suite can be used to generate reactivity coefficients and kinetics parameters at any modeled fuel cycle time point which forms part of the input to SAS4A. The ARC suite was consistently being developed until the 1990s and followed a software QA program which was an appropriate standard for the time. In the 1990s, the DOE funding to fast reactor research and development was all but eliminated and the ARC software was put into maintenance mode. In the early 2000s, the software quality assurance (SQA) program for ARC was still in place to define an official version, but by 2005 it all but was abandoned as there were insufficient staff to fill the work roles. Since 2005, there has been a considerable increase in research and design work on fast spectrum reactors. The ARC software as a whole has since been exported to many universities and commercial companies and ANL support has been given to the various projects over the years [19-23]. Further, MC 2 -3, PERSENT, and DASSH were all developed after 2005 without any adherence to a software standard. In recent time, the DOE VTR project [22] paid for verification work to be done on the ARC software as part of the goal of making it NQA-1 complaint. The VTR project was not considered the appropriate pathway to fund and maintain a SQA program for the ARC software and while software developments (DASSH) were made and several manuals were updated and software verification work was carried out, the ARC software is not NQA-1 compliant. More recently the Advanced Reactor Development Program (ARDP [23]) has funded the creation of manuals for some ARC utility programs and funded additional software verification work on DIF3D [6, 7] and MC 2 -3 [2-5] for the purpose of commercial grade dedication. Because of the VTR and ARDP projects, software verification work was completed on MC 2 -3 and DIF3D, and detailed reports were created for each piece of software, which discuss the inputs and outputs from the codes that are covered by the verification work and link various analytic, code-to-code, and hand calculation based verification work presented in the report with verification test problems provided with the software. This is a key part of the commercial grade dedication work and constitutes the bulk of the cost to get the ARC software to commercial grade. The ARC software suite is a valuable asset as a fast reactor design and analysis tool set that has been reasonably well verified and validated with various fast reactor benchmark problems and experiments over decades. Some or all of the ARC software suite has been utilized for designing the IFR [20], PGSFR [21], VTR [22], and Natrium [23] reactors and we can expect it to continue to be used for advanced fast reactor design and/or confirmatory calculation purposes in the future. Due to increased interest by commercial companies and regulatory bodies, it is becoming more important to make the ARC software suite complete and ready-to-use in terms of its SQA pedigree and commercial grade dedication needs. This report discusses the achievements made towards building a new SQA program for the ARC software and dealing with outstanding identified QA gaps.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Unbounded Learning Environments as an Approach to Preserving Design Flexibility Demonstrated With Nasa Stem Enhancement in Earth Science (SEES) Students

The Artemis Lunar program is providing opportunity for young scientists and engineers to contribute towards leading edge design concepts regarding early on-surface work areas that are aligned with major national initiatives. Therefore, it is imperative in any discovery process that those young scientists and engineers be provided the bandwidth or operating in a ‘greenfield’ technology environment that encourages new ideas, and perhaps the discovery of ideas that would not be realized within typical structured engineering constraints. To facilitate this concept, the use of unbounded teaching methods was utilized to provide a low-constraint environment from which students can design and discover the requirements that are bounded by the natural environment of the lunar surface, and then build up design requirements un-hindered by budgetary and/or logistics realizations of the moment funding capabilities. Specifically, this design exercise provided the students to operate with unlimited budgets, and unlimited up-mass lifts to the lunar surface to develop a preliminary feasible process for establishing a working lunar research based upon the near-area permanently shadowed regions within the lunar surface. In concept, working near PSRs will be advantageous as they receive near eternal shielding from solar radiation and may potentially host numerous volatile substances such as water ice, methane, hydrogen sulfide and helium-3 that will be the target of scientific investigation and in-situ resource utilization ISRU. The advantage of an upstream working area is that the quality of return materials could potentially be exponential when including an upstream analysis prior to earth-return missions. Furthermore, it’s well known within the scientific and engineering community that working with the base materials in front of human eyes elucidates new features and observations that may not survive when stored and shipped to Earth. Finally, it is theorized that these methods and techniques developing on the lunar surface would be applicable to other planets or cometary surfaces.

Education↗

NASA NTRS2010

International Space Station Common Cabin Air Assembly Water Separator On-Orbit Operation, Failure, and Redesign

The ability to control the temperature and humidity of an environment or habitat is critical for human survival. These factors are important to maintaining human health and comfort, as well as maintaining mechanical and electrical equipment in good working order to support the human and to accomplish mission objectives. The temperature and humidity of the International Space Station (ISS) United States On-orbit Segment (USOS) cabin air is controlled by the Common Cabin Air Assembly (CCAA). The CCAA consists of a fan, a condensing heat exchanger (CHX), an air/water separator, temperature and liquid sensors, and electrical controlling hardware and software. The Water Separator (WS) pulls in air and water from the CHX, and centrifugally separates the mixture, sending the water to the condensate bus and the air back into the CHX outlet airstream. Two distinct early failures of the CCAA Water Separator in the Quest Airlock forced operational changes and brought about the re-design of the Water Separator to improve the useful life via modification kits. The on-orbit operational environment of the Airlock presented challenges that were not foreseen with the original design of the Water Separator. Operational changes were instituted to prolong the life of the third installed WS, while waiting for newly designed Water Separators to be delivered on-orbit. The modification kit design involved several different components of the Water Separator, including the innovative use of a fabrication technique to build the impellers used in Water Separators out of titanium instead of aluminum. The technique allowed for the cost effective production of the low quantity build. This paper will describe the failures of the Water Separators in the Quest Airlock, the operational constraints that were implemented to prolong the life of the installed Water Separators throughout the USOS, and the innovative re-design of the CCAA Water Separator.

Balistreri, Steven F., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS2026

PROTECT: Production and Reuse of Thermally Efficient Ceramic Thermal Protection Systems

PROTECT (Production and Reuse Of Thermally Efficient Ceramic TPS) is a NASA Early Career Initiative focused on developing the next generation of reusable ceramic thermal protection systems (TPS). This project addresses key challenges in TPS design, including temperature capability, thermal stability, and refurbishment time, by integrating novel material development with predictive modeling. Leveraging enhanced capabilities in NASA’s Porous Microstructure Analysis (PuMA) software, PROTECT introduces new modeling tools to predict the thermal and mechanical behavior of fibrous ceramic materials. These tools enable accurate prediction of performance metrics such as thermal conductivity and structural integrity, reducing reliance on costly physical testing. Preliminary advances in these areas will be presented. To support model validation, PROTECT is building a comprehensive database of raw material properties using advanced characterization techniques, including micro computed tomography (CT) scanning in collaboration with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). The presentation will detail the sampling workflows and analysis methods used to generate this detailed microstructural data and how it is used to develop improved models in PuMA. This multi-center collaboration, spanning NASA (JSC, ARC, KSC, GRC), Oak Ridge National Laboratory, UIUC, and SpaceX, is developing tailored TPS solutions for LEO, lunar, and Martian missions. By bridging heritage systems with the demands of modern spaceflight, PROTECT contributes to the advancement of reusable TPS technologies for future exploration missions.

Propulsion, Refractory, and Coating Materials↗

NASA NTRS2026

PROTECT: Production and Reuse of Thermally Efficient Ceramic Thermal Protection Systems

Propulsion, Refractory, and Coating Materials↗

DOE OSTI2024

DOE Cold Climate Heat Pump Challenge: Development, Metrics, and Early Field Observations

Space heating in residential buildings is a major contributor of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions in the United States. New, advanced electric heat pumps are poised to provide a low carbon alternative to traditional fossil-based heating, especially in colder climates. Widespread deployment of cold climate heat pumps could help address the significant portion of building emissions and primary energy used in American households, but these gains will require broader acceptance from consumers and decision makers. As part of the “Energy, Emissions, and Equity” (E3) initiative, the U.S. Department of Energy launched the Cold Climate Heat Pump Challenge (CCHP) in 2021 to accelerate the deployment of the next generation of air source heat pumps. The Challenge is currently focused on residential, centrally ducted, electric heat pumps, with a nominal cooling capacity greater than or equal to 24,000 Btu/h (2 tons) and less than or equal to 65,000 Btu/h (5 tons). The Challenge specifications represent a best-in-class heat pump product that provides high-efficiency heating performance in cold climates, employs environmentally friendly low-Global Warming Potential (GWP) refrigerants, and is designed to be grid interactive. Spearheaded by DOE in partnership with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), the CCHP Challenge brings together numerous major heat pump manufacturers and key stakeholders including utilities and state agencies across the country. In addition to performance testing in a laboratory environment, a key component of this research is evaluating the in-field performance of the prototype heat pumps developed as part of the Challenge. This paper will discuss the development of the CCHP Challenge, key performance specifications, and the energy and non-energy metrics that will be evaluated through the field study. The types of data that are being collected from the units installed in homes across North America as part of the field validation will be described, including details about the sensors and data acquisition system. Data cleaning and analysis methodologies will be discussed, along with early observations from the winter 2022-2023, spring and summer performance periods, and an assessment of non-energy metrics through pre- and post-installation homeowner surveys. Challenges uncovered and lessons learned throughout the process will also be discussed. Finally, the paper will discuss next steps for the second winter assessment period, areas needing additional research, and potential applications of the data collected and analyzed through this work.

Mendon, Vrushali V.↗