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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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NASA NTRS2020

Washington Health & Air Quality: Quantifying Air Quality Parameters and Validating Air Pollution Sources Impacting the Health of Puget Sound Residents Through the Use of NASA and ESA Remote Sensing Data

In the Puget Sound region of Washington, high levels of air pollutants put residents’ health at risk by increasing their likelihood of developing critical respiratory conditions. This project used remotely-sensed data to investigate aerosol optical depth (AOD) from NASA satellite sensors including the Terra and Aqua MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and European Space Agency Copernicus Sentinel-5 Precursor TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI). The team visualized the most recent data in Google Earth Engine (GEE) API to display air pollution trends from Northern California to British Columbia, which will support the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency’s (PSCAA) decision-making processes. The team performed linear regressions using the Multi-Angle Implementation of Atmospheric Correction (MAIAC) algorithm to form a relationship between ground-level microscopic particles (PM2.5) and AOD in the Puget Sound region, validating the relationship using concentration readings taken from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) air quality monitors. The team utilized estimated PM2.5 and other satellite data to produce a web-based tool and to evaluate the effectiveness of using such a tool for near real-time air quality monitoring within a particular region. The team found that the tool provides useful supplementary data that fills in the gaps of the PSCAA’s air monitoring network.

Health & Air Quality↗
NASA NTRS1985

Mechanisms of Basalt-plains Ridge Formation

The morphologic similarities between the Columbia Plateau ridges and ridges on the Moon, Mercury and Mars form a strong basis for the interpretation of basalt-plains ridges as compressional folds. The basalt-plains ridges appear to have formed on competent flood basalt units deformed at the surface with essentially no confining pressure. Estimates of compressive strain for planetary ridges range from a few tenths of a percent on the Moon to up to 0.4% on Mars, to as high as 35% for Columbia Plateau folds with associated thrust faults. Such values have strong implications for both deformational mechanisms as well as for the source of stress. Deformational mechanisms that will attempt to account for the morphology, fold geometry, possible associated thrust faulting and regular spacing of the basalt-plains ridges on the terrestrial planets are under investigation.

Watters, T. R.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Summary Report of Mission Acceleration Measurements for MSL-1: STS-83, Launched April 14, 1997; STS-94, Launched July 1, 1997

The microgravity environment of the Space Shuttle Columbia was measured during the STS-83 and STS-94 flights of the Microgravity Science Laboratory (MSL-1) mission using four different accelerometer systems: the Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment (OARE), the Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS), the Microgravity Measurement Assembly (MMA), and the Quasi-Steady Acceleration Measurement (QSAM) system. All four accelerometer systems provided investigators with acceleration measurements downlinked in near-real-time. Data from each system was recorded for post-mission analysis. The OARE measured the Shuttle's acceleration with high resolution in the quasi-steady frequency regime below about 0.1 Hz. The SAMS provided investigators with higher frequency acceleration measurements up to 25 Hz. The QSAM and MMA systems provided investigators with quasi-steady and higher frequency (up to 100 Hz) acceleration measurements, respectively. The microgravity environment related to various Orbiter maneuvers, crew activities, and experiment operations as measured by the OARE and MMA is presented and interpreted in section 8 of this report.

Moskowitz, Milton E.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Electrochemical growth of linear conducting crystals in microgravity

Much attention has been given to the synthesis of linear conducting materials. These inorganic, organic, and polymeric materials have some very interesting electrical and optical properties, including low temperature superconductivity. Because of the anisotropic nature of these compounds, impurities and defects strongly influences the unique physical properties of such crystals. Investigations have demonstrated that electrochemical growth has provided the most reproducible and purest crystals. Space, specifically microgravity, eliminates phenomena such as buoyancy driven convection, and could permit formation of crystals many times purer than the ones grown to date. Several different linear conductors were flown on Get Away Special G-007 on board the Space Shuttle Columbia, STS 61-C, the first of a series of Project Explorer payloads. These compounds were grown by electrochemical methods, and the growth was monitored by photographs taken throughout the mission. Due to some thermal problems, no crystals of appreciable size were grown. The experimental results will be incorporated into improvements for the next 2 missions of Project Explorer. The results and conclusions of the first mission are discussed.

Cronise, Raymond J., IV↗
NASA NTRS1997

Summary Report of Mission Acceleration Measurements for STS-78. Launched June 20, 1996

The microgravity environment of the Space Shuttle Columbia was measured during the STS-78 mission using accelerometers from three different instruments: the Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment, the Space Acceleration Measurement System and the Microgravity Measurement Assembly. The quasi-steady environment was also calculated in near real-time during the mission by the Microgravity Analysis Workstation. The Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment provided investigators with real-time quasi-steady acceleration measurements. The Space Acceleration Measurement System recorded higher frequency data on-board for post-mission analysis. The Microgravity Measurement Assembly provided investigators with real-time quasi-steady and higher frequency acceleration measurements. The Microgravity Analysis Workstation provided calculation of the quasi-steady environment. This calculation was presented to the science teams in real-time during the mission. The microgravity environment related to several different Orbiter, crew and experiment operations is presented and interpreted in this report. A radiator deploy, the Flight Control System checkout, and a vernier reaction control system reboost demonstration had minimal effects on the acceleration environment, with excitation of frequencies in the 0.01 to 10 Hz range. Flash Evaporator System venting had no noticeable effect on the environment while supply and waste water dumps caused excursions of 2 x lO(exp -6) to 4 x 10(exp -6) g in the Y(sub b) and Z(sub b) directions. Crew sleep and ergometer exercise periods can be clearly seen in the acceleration data, as expected. Accelerations related to the two Life Science Laboratory Equipment Refrigerator/Freezers were apparent in the data as are accelerations caused by the Johnson Space Center Projects Centrifuge. As on previous microgravity missions, several signals are present in the acceleration data for which a source has not been identified. The causes of these accelerations are under investigation.

Hakimzadeh, Roshanak↗
NASA NTRS1988

Wrinkle ridge assemblages on the terrestrial planets

The morphological and dimensional similarities of the structures within the wrinkle ridge assemblages observed on terrestrial planets are investigated, including structures that occur in mare basalts on the moon and in smooth plains on Mars and Mercury. These structures can be classified as either arches or ridges on the basis of morphology, and ridges can be subdivided onto first-, second-, and third-order ridges on the basis of dimensions. Using ridge structures on the Columbia Plateau (U.S.) as analogs, a basis for a structural interpretation of the wrinkle ridge assemblages on the terrestrial planets is established. It is shown that the anticlinal ridges of the Columbia Plateau are appropriate analogs to the first-order ridges, supporting tectonic interpretations for the ridges.

Watters, Thomas R.↗
NASA NTRS1983

The SIR-A atlas

The scientific payload on the Space Shuttle Columbia carried into Earth orbit is discussed. Part of the payload was the Shuttle Imaging Radar system (SIR-A). The objectives of the SIR-A experiment were to acquire radar images of a wide variety of different geologic terrains around the Earth, to demonstrate the capability of the Shuttle as a platform for conducting spaceborne scientific investigations, and to analyze and interpret the data in the radar images. The SIR-A sensor imaged about 10 million sq km of the Earth's surface. High resolution images were acquired over portions of every continent and some of the oceans between latitudes 41 N and 35 S. The SIR-A incidence angle ranges from 47 deg to 53 across an image swath of approximately 50 km.

Ford, J. P.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Syncom 4 deploy, LDEF retrieval highlight 10-day Columbia flight

The objectives of Space Shuttle Mission STS-32 are described along with major flight activities, prelaunch and launch operations, trajectory sequence of events, and landing and post-landing operations. The primary objectives of STS-32 are the deployment of a Navy synchronous communications satellite (Syncom 4) and the retrieval of the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) launched from the Challenger in April 1984. Secondary STS-32 payloads include a protein crystal growth experiment, the Fluids Experiment Apparatus (FEA) for the investigation of microgravity materials processing, the Mesoscale Lighting Experiment, the Latitude-Longitude Locator Experiment, the Americal Flight Echocardiograph, and an experiment to investigate neurospora circadian rhythms in a microgravity environment.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2000

Reflight of the Gamma-Ray Arcminute Telescope Imaging System (GRATIS) Payload

The Gamma-Ray Arcminute Telescope Imaging System (GRATIS) balloon payload was prepared for reflight. This involved repair of damage caused in the previous flight to structural members of the payload (the gondola support structure) as well as damage to some of the pointing system elements and electronics modules. This work was successfully completed. An extensive pre-calibration of the CsI(Na) imaging detectors was then done. The plan was to take several months to calibrate the 36 detectors and to compare the results with the post-calibration from the previous flight in Alice Springs Australia. During the course of the pre-calibrations it was noted that the light output of the crystals was severely degraded in more than half the detectors compared to the values recorded 1.5 years earlier. Subsequent investigation revealed that the light yield degradation was not unreasonable. The CsI crystals had in fact performed well past their rated life from hygroscopic contamination. The crystals had spent the majority of their life either in the desert or in the extremely low humidity conditions of Livermore California. where the GRATIS payload had been based prior to transfer to Columbia. The extreme summer humidity of New York simply exacerbated a degradation process that had been artificially delayed by dry conditions. Because such a large part of the detector array had been degraded we did not feel it was appropriate to refly the payload because the scientific performance would have been compromised.

Hailey, Charles J.↗
NASA NTRS1996

STS-78 Flight Day 15

On this fifteenth day of the STS-78 mission, the 4th of July, Cmdr. Terence T. Henricks, Pilot Kevin R. Kregel, Payload Cmdr. Susan J. Helms, Mission Specialists Richard M. Linnehan, Charles E. Brady, Jr., and Payload Specialists Jean-Jacques Favier, Ph.D. and Robert B. Thirsk, M.D., are awakened with Bruce Springsteen's 'Born in the USA' and Lee Greenwood's 'I'm Proud to be an American' to begin another a day on orbit. Mission Commander Tom Henricks responded to Mission Control's wake up call by saying that the five US-born crew members were very proud to be Americans, particularly on the day America celebrates its 220th anniversary. Work in the Spacelab module will continue with investigations into the effects of microgravity on muscle strength and endurance, lung function, and adaptation of the neurovestibular system to a microgravity environment. Henricks and Pilot Kevin Kregel will complete work with a laptop computer designed to test the crew's critical thinking skills and reaction time. They also will test a voice control system that allows them to reposition Columbia's closed-circuit television cameras with verbal cues, keeping their hands free to perform other tasks.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2010

Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessels (COPV): Developing Flight Rationale for the Space Shuttle Program

Introducing composite vessels into the Space Shuttle Program represented a significant technical achievement. Each Orbiter vehicle contains 24 (nominally) Kevlar tanks for storage of pressurized helium (for propulsion) and nitrogen (for life support). The use of composite cylinders saved 752 pounds per Orbiter vehicle compared with all-metal tanks. The weight savings is significant considering each Shuttle flight can deliver 54,000 pounds of payload to the International Space Station. In the wake of the Columbia accident and the ensuing Return to Flight activities, the Space Shuttle Program, in 2005, re-examined COPV hardware certification. Incorporating COPV data that had been generated over the last 30 years and recognizing differences between initial Shuttle Program requirements and current operation, a new failure mode was identified, as composite stress rupture was deemed credible. The Orbiter Project undertook a comprehensive investigation to quantify and mitigate this risk. First, the engineering team considered and later deemed as unfeasible the option to replace existing all flight tanks. Second, operational improvements to flight procedures were instituted to reduce the flight risk and the danger to personnel. Third, an Orbiter reliability model was developed to quantify flight risk. Laser profilometry inspection of several flight COPVs identified deep (up to 20 mil) depressions on the tank interior. A comprehensive analysis was performed and it confirmed that these observed depressions were far less than the criterion which was established as necessary to lead to liner buckling. Existing fleet vessels were exonerated from this failure mechanism. Because full validation of the Orbiter Reliability Model was not possible given limited hardware resources, an Accelerated Stress Rupture Test of a flown flight vessel was performed to provide increased confidence. A Bayesian statistical approach was developed to evaluate possible test results with respect to the model credibility and thus flight rationale for continued operation of the Space Shuttle with existing flight hardware. A non-destructive evaluation (NDE) technique utilizing Raman Spectroscopy was developed to directly measure the overwrap residual stress state. Preliminary results provide optimistic results that patterns of fluctuation in fiber elastic strains over the outside vessel surface could be directly correlated with increased fiber stress ratios and thus reduced reliability.

Kezirian, Michael T.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Wind power research at Oregon State University

There have been two primary thrusts of the research effort to date, along with several supplementary ones. One primary area has been an investigation of the wind fields along coastal areas of the Pacific Northwest, not only at the shoreline but also for a number of miles inland and offshore as well. Estimates have been made of the influence of the wind turbulence as measured at coastal sites in modifying the predicted dependence of power generated on the cube of the wind speed. Wind flow patterns in the Columbia River valley have also been studied. The second primary thrust has been to substantially modify and improve an existing wind tunnel to permit the build up of a boundary layer in which various model studies will be conducted. One of the secondary studies involved estimating the cost of building an aerogenerator.

Hewson, E. W.↗
NASA NTRS2011

The Columbia Accident: Synopsis of CAIB Report Regarding the Physical Cause of the Accident and and Personal Thoughts

This seminar describes the process of determining the physical cause of The Shuttle Columbia Accident. The presentation is based on the published CIAB Report, and is based mainly on Appendix F2, Vol IV of the CIAB report by J. O. Arnold, H. E. Goldstein and D. J. Rigalli. As a part of the seminar, I would also indicate how my education in Engineering Physics at the University of Kansas helped prepare me to accept the assignment to serve as an investigator for the CAIB. A similar presentation was given at Purdue in 2005. Presentation charts are attached.

Arnold, James O.↗
NASA NTRS1998

One Year Report for SAMS and OARE on STS-73/USML-2

The Second United States Microgravity Laboratory (USML-2) payload flew on the orbiter Columbia on mission STS-73 from October 20 to November 5, 1995. The USML-2 payload on STS-73 was dedicated to microgravity experiments. Two accelerometer systems managed by the NASA Lewis Research Center (LeRC) flew to support these experiments, namely the Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment (OARE) and the Space Acceleration Measurements System (SAMS). OARE downlinked real-time quasi-steady acceleration data, which were provided to the investigators. The SAMS recorded higher frequency data onboard for post-mission analysis. The Principal Investigator Microgravity Services (PIMS) project at NASA LeRC supports principal investigators of microgravity experiments as they evaluate the effects of varying acceleration levels on their experiments. A summary report was prepared by PIMS to furnish interested experiment investigators with a guide to evaluate the acceleration environment during STS-73, and as a means of identifying areas which require further study. The summary report provides an overview of the STS-73 mission, describes the accelerometer systems flown on this mission, discusses some specific analyses of the accelerometer data in relation to the various activities which occurred during the mission, and presents plots resulting from these analyses as a snapshot of the environment during the mission. Numerous activities occurred during the STS-73 mission that are of interest to the low-gravity community. Specific activities of interest during this mission were crew exercise, payload bay door motion, Glovebox fan operations, water dumps, Ku band antenna activity, orbital maneuvering system, and primary reaction control system firings, and attitude changes. The low-gravity environment related to these activities is discussed in the summary report.

Hakimzadeh, Roshanak↗
NASA NTRS2018

NASA: 60 Years and Counting...

Sputnik launched on 4 Oct 1057. On July 29, 1958, Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act, the creation of NASA. The Soviets launched the first human into orbit, Yuri Gagarin, on April 12, 1961. On 5 May 1961, Alan Shepard's Freedom 7 Mercury capsule lifted off at 9:34 a.m. from Launch Complex 5 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and flew a suborbital trajectory lasting 15 minutes and 22 seconds, America's first man in space. On 25 May 1961, Kennedy delivered a speech to a joint session of Congress. In that speech, he stated "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth." The rest, as they say, is history. Project Mercury, the first U.S. program to put humans in space, made 25 flights, six of which carried astronauts between 1961 and 1963. The Gemini program primarily tested equipment and mission procedures and trained astronauts and ground crews for future Apollo missions to the Moon. Exactly eight years, one month and 26 days after President Kennedy challenged Americans to reach for the Moon, Project Apollo landed the first humans on the lunar surface and returned them safely to Earth. In 1973, Skylab expeditions paved the way for the International Space Station. Over 30 years, NASA's space shuttle fleet, ”Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour,” flew 135 missions and carried 355 different people to space. The space shuttle carried people into orbit repeatedly; launched, recovered and repaired satellites; conducted cutting-edge research; and built the largest structure in space, the International Space Station. Tragically, NASA lost two crews of seven in the 1986 Challenger accident and the 2003 Columbia accident. The International Space Station is a model for global cooperation and scientific advancements that is enabling growth of private industry in low-Earth orbit and development of new technologies to advance human space exploration. Built between 1998 and 2011, the space station has housed humans continuously since Nov. 2, 2000. NASA has contracted with commercial companies SpaceX, Orbital ATK, and Sierra Nevada Corporation to deliver science investigations, cargo, and supplies to the crews living in space, and soon Boeing and SpaceX will transport astronauts to and from the station. Today, NASA is working on many fronts to advance man's presence in space. NASA's Exploration Campaign will establish U.S. preeminence in cislunar space through the operations and the deployment of a U.S.-led Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway (LOPG). Together with the Orion and SLS Programs, the LOPG is central to advancing and sustaining human space exploration goals, and is the unifying single stepping off point for human cislunar operations, lunar surface access and missions to Mars. As one might expect, EMC for all this activity is challenging, to say the least. In the next half-hour or so, I will talk about some of those challenges and how the different programs are meeting them.

Scully, Bob↗
NASA NTRS1991

The nature and origin of periodically spaced tectonic features on Mars

The final report on the nature and origin of periodically spaced tectonic features on Mars is presented. The focus of this investigation was to characterize and model the periodically spaced wrinkle ridges observed in ridged plains material on Mars. The investigation centered on the wrinkle ridges in ridged plains material on the Tharsis Plateau. Wrinkle ridges are interpreted to be structural in origin, resulting from buckling followed by reverse or thrust faulting of the ridged plains material. The study extended beyond Tharsis to other ridged plains units, particularly those in Hesperia Planum. As a corollary, an analysis of the spacing of the anticlinal ridges of the Yakima Fold Belt of the Columbia Plateau in the NW United States was undertaken.

Watters, Thomas R.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Goddard DEVELOP Students: Using NASA Remote Sensing Technology to Study the Chesapeake Bay Watershed

The DEVELOP National Program is an Earth Science research internship, operating under NASA s Applied Sciences Program. Each spring, summer, and fall, DEVELOP interns form teams to investigate Earth Science related issues. Since the Fall of 2003, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has been home to one of 10 national DEVELOP teams. In past terms, students completed a variety of projects related to the Applied Sciences Applications of National Priority, such as Public Health, Natural Disasters, Water Resources, and Ecological Forecasting. These projects have focused on areas all over the world, including the United States, Africa, and Asia. Recently, Goddard DEVELOP students have turned their attention to a local environment, the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. The Chesapeake Bay Watershed is a complex and diverse ecosystem, spanning approximately 64,000 square miles. The watershed encompasses parts of six states: Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia, as well as the District of Columbia. The Bay itself is the biggest estuary in the United States, with over 100,000 tributaries feeding into it. The ratio of fresh water to salt water varies throughout the Bay, allowing for a variety of habitats. The Bay s wetlands, marshes, forests, reefs, and rivers support more than 3,600 plant and animal species, including birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and crabs. The Bay is also commercially significant. It is ranked third in the nation in fishery catch, and supplies approximately 500 million pounds of seafood annually. In addition to its abundant flora and fauna, the Chesapeake Bay watershed is home to approximately 16.6 million people, who live and work throughout the watershed, and who use its diverse resources for recreational purposes. Over the past several decades, the population throughout the watershed has increased rapidly, resulting in land use changes, and ultimately decreasing the health of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Over the course of 2009-2010, student teams carried out two independent research projects focused on the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. The first investigated the threat of invasive species to forests in Maryland. The second investigated the detection of winter cover crops throughout the watershed from satellite data.

Moore, Rachel↗
NASA NTRS2003

Analysis Of MSL-1 Measurements Of Heptane Droplet Combustion

A droplet combustion experiment (DCE) was performed on the MSL-1 mission of the Space Shuttle Columbia. There were two flights of this mission - STS-83 in April of 1997 and STS-94 in July of 1997. The reflight occurred because a fuel-cell power problem onboard the shuttle forced an early termination of the first flight; this was the only shuttle mission to be flown twice. DCE data were obtained during both flights. A fiber-supported droplet combustion (FSDC) experiment also was run on STS-94. This smaller 'glovebox' experiment, which investigated the combustion of fiber-supported droplets in Spacelab cabin air, had previously flown on the first United States Microgravity Laboratory (USML-1) mission of STS-73, but successful measurements with heptane as the fuel in this experiment were first obtained on STS-94. Although heptane droplet combustion in convective flow also was studied on STS-94, only data without forced convection are considered here. The objective of the present paper is to analyze the results on heptane droplet combustion in quiescent atmospheres.

Ackerman, Malissa↗