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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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Abstracts of research in the areas of biological rhythms, body fluids, botany, endrocrinology, enzymology, exobiology, genetics, human performance, immunology, life support systems, mathematical modeling, and numerous other topics related to space and life sciences are given.
Space-based and space-related research in the life sciences is presented in reviews and reports. Topics examined include the long-term effects of weightlessness, cosmic chemistry and chemical and biological evolution, life-support systems for space travel, planetary protection, and the g-scale factor in gravitational biology. Consideration is given to the role of Ca ions in cytological effects of hypogravity, the organic aerosols of Titan, the role of meteorite impacts in the formation of organic molecules, prebiotic synthesis of purines and pyrimidines, atmosphere behavior of gas-closed mouse-algal systems, air and water regeneration in advanced regenerative environmental-control and life-support systems, and the influence of gravity on the development of animal systems.
The test procedure used and the results obtained from an evaluation test program conducted to obtain thermal performance data on a life sciences double-glazed air solar collector under simulated conditions is discussed. These tests were made using the Marshall Space Flight Center's solar simulator. A time constant test and incident angle modifier test were also conducted to determine the transient effect and the incident angle effect on the collector. These results and the results of the collector load test are also discussed.
The effects of microgravity on the anatomy and physiology of rodent and primate systems will be investigated on the Spacelab Life Sciences 2 (SLS-2) mission. Here, the payload being developed at NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) is described and illustrated with drawings. The ARC payload will build upon the success of previous missions. Experiments includes asssessment of rodent cardiovascular and vestibular system responses, primate thermoregulation and metabolic responses.
Sensors 2000! (S2K!) is a NASA Ames Research Center engineering initiative designed to provide biosensor and bio-instrumentation systems technology expertise to NASA's life sciences spaceflight programs. S2K! covers the full spectrum of sensor technology applications, ranging from spaceflight hardware design and fabrication to advanced technology development, transfer and commercialization. S2K! is currently developing sensor systems for space biomedical applications on BION (a Russian biosatellite focused on Rhesus Monkey physiology) and NEUROLAB (a Space Shuttle flight devoted to neuroscience). It's Advanced Technology Development-Biosensors (ATD-B) project focuses efforts in five principle areas: biotelemetry Systems, chemical and biological sensors, physiological sensors, advanced instrumentation architectures, and data and information management. Technologies already developed and tested included, application-specific sensors, preamplifier hybrids, modular programmable signal conditioners, power conditioning and distribution systems, and a fully implantable dual channel biotelemeter. Systems currently under development include a portable receiver system compatible with an off-the-shelf analog biotelemeter, a 4 channel digital biotelemetry system which monitors pH, a multichannel, g-processor based PCM biotelemetry system, and hand-held personal monitoring systems. S2K! technology easily lends itself to telescience and telemedicine applications as a front-end measurement and data acquisition device, suitable for obtaining and configuring physiological information, and processing that information under control from a remote location.
The results of the updated 30-day life sciences dedicated laboratory scheduling and costing activities are documented, and the 'low cost' methodology used to establish individual equipment item costs is explained in terms of its allowances for equipment that is commerical off-the-shelf, modified commercial, and laboratory prototype; a method which significantly lowers program costs. The costs generated include estimates for non-recurring development, recurring production, and recurring operations costs. A cost for a biomedical emphasis laboratory and a Delta cost to provide a bioscience and technology laboratory were also generated. All cost reported are commensurate with the design and schedule definitions available.
Exploratory studies conducted by NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and several contractors in connection with defining the design requirements, parameters, and tradeoffs of the Life Sciences Research Facilities for nonhuman test subjects aboard the Space Station are reviewed. The major system discriminators which determine the size of the accommodation system are identified, along with a number of mission options. Moreover, characteristics of several vivarium concepts are summarized, focusing on the cost, size, variable-g capability, and the number of specimens accommodated. Finally, the objectives of the phase B studies of the Space Station Laboratory, which are planned for FY85, are described.
The Cosmic Dust Collection and Gas Grain Simulation Facilities represent collaborative efforts between the Life Sciences and Solar System Exploration Divisions designed to strengthen a natural exobiology/Planetary Sciences connection. The Cosmic Dust Collection Facility is a Planetary Science facility, with Exobiology a primary user. Conversely, the Gas Grain Facility is an exobiology facility, with Planetary Science a primary user. Requirements for the construction and operation of the two facilities, contained herein, were developed through joint workshops between the two disciplines, as were representative experiments comprising the reference payloads. In the case of the Gas Grain Simulation Facility, the astrophysics Division is an additional potential user, having participated in the workshop to select experiments and define requirements.
A specification catalog to define the equipment to be used for conducting life sciences experiments in a space laboratory is presented. The specification sheets list the purpose of the equipment item, and any specific technical requirements which can be identified. The status of similar hardware for ground use is stated with comments regarding modifications required to achieve spaceflight qualified hardware. Pertinent sketches, commercial catalog sheets, or drawings of the applicable equipment are included.
The main objective was to determine the feasibility of using a computer-based interactive information recall module for the Life Sciences Project Division (LSPD) at NASA, Johnson Space Center. LSPD personnel prepare payload experiments to test and monitor physiological functions in zero gravity. Training refreshers and other types of online help are needed to support personnel in their tasks during mission testing and in flight. Results of a survey of other hypermedia and multimedia developers and lessons learned by the developer of the LSPD prototype module are presented. Related issues and future applications are also discussed and further hypermedia development within the LSPD is recommended.
We develop integrated instruments and platforms suitable for economical, frequent space access for autonomous life science experiments and processes in outer space. The technologies represented by three of our recent free-flyer small-satellite missions are the basis of a rapidly growing toolbox of miniaturized biologically/biochemically-oriented instrumentation now enabling a new generation of in-situ space experiments. Autonomous small satellites (~ 1 50 kg) are less expensive to develop and build than fullsize spacecraft and not subject to the comparatively high costs and scheduling challenges of human-tended experimentation on the International Space Station, Space Shuttle, and comparable platforms. A growing number of commercial, government, military, and civilian space launches now carry small secondary science payloads at far lower cost than dedicated missions; the number of opportunities is particularly large for so-called cube-sat and multicube satellites in the 1 10 kg range. The recent explosion in nano-, micro-, and miniature technologies, spanning fields from telecommunications to materials to bio/chemical analysis, enables development of remarkably capable autonomous miniaturized instruments to accomplish remote biological experimentation. High-throughput drug discovery, point-of-care medical diagnostics, and genetic analysis are applications driving rapid progress in autonomous bioanalytical technology. Three of our recent missions exemplify the development of miniaturized analytical payload instrumentation: GeneSat-1 (launched: December 2006), PharmaSat (launched: May 2009), and O/OREOS (organism/organics exposure to orbital stresses; scheduled launch: May 2010). We will highlight the overall architecture and integration of fluidic, optical, sensor, thermal, and electronic technologies and subsystems to support and monitor the growth of microorganisms in culture in these small autonomous space satellites, including real-time tracking of their culture density, gene expression, and metabolic activity while in the space environment. Flight data and results will be presented from GeneSat-1, which tracked gene expression levels of GFP-labeled E. coli and from PharmaSat, which monitored the dose dependency of an antifungal agent against S. cerevisiae. The O/OREOS SESLO instrument, which will study the effects of radiation and microgravity upon the viability and growth characteristics of B. subtilis and the halophile Halorubrum chaoviatoris for periods of 0 - 6 months in space, will be described as well. The ongoing expansion of the small satellite toolbox of biological technologies will be summarized.
As custodian of the unique and irreplaceable collections of human subject research data generated by the Human Research Program and its predecessors throughout the agency’s history, the Life Sciences Data Archive (LSDA) is charged with protecting participants’ privacy and implementing their consent decisions as it provides retrospective data for use in new studies. This active, stewardship-focused approach to data management and preservation shapes the products that LSDA provides to researchers and the responsibilities of researchers in using the data and publishing their results. This presentation reviews how federal and agency mandates shape LSDA’s data management procedures and expectations for researchers. Topics covered will include LSDA’s movement towards implementation of the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles and how the archive’s evolving data management practices support FAIR-ness; collaboration between LSDA and the Lifetime Surveillance of Astronaut Health (LSAH) project (the repository of astronaut medical data); LSDA’s response to the challenges of performing its stewardship role and maintaining trust given the public profiles of the subjects whose data it preserves; and the ever-increasing challenges to expectations of subject privacy stemming from the growing power and ubiquity of of data analysis and aggregation tools.
As custodians of the unique and irreplaceable collections of human subject research data generated by the Human Research Program and its predecessors throughout the agency’s history, the Life Sciences Data Archive (LSDA) is charged with protecting participants’ privacy and implementing their consent decisions as it provides retrospective data for use in new studies. This active, stewardship-focused approach to data management and preservation shapes the products that LSDA provides to researchers and the responsibilities of researchers in using the data and publishing their results. This presentation reviews how federal and agency mandates shape LSDA’s data management procedures and expectations for researchers. Topics covered will include LSDA’s movement towards implementation of the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles and the archive’s evolving data management practices; collaboration between LSDA and the Lifetime Surveillance of Astronaut Health (LSAH) project (the repository of astronaut medical data); LSDA’s response to the challenges of performing its stewardship role and maintaining trust given the public profiles of the subjects whose data it preserves; and the ever-increasing challenges to expectations of subject privacy stemming from the growing power and ubiquity of data analysis and aggregation tools.
The use of the space shuttle in carrying out biological and medical research programs, with emphasis on the sortie module, is examined. Detailed descriptions are given of the goals of space life science disciplines, how the sortie can meet these goals, and what shuttle design features are necessary for a viable biological and medical experiment program. Conclusions show that the space shuttle sortie module is capable of accommodating all biological experiments contemplated at this time except for those involving large specimens or large populations of small animals; however, these experiments can be done with a specially designed module. It was also found that at least two weeks is required to do a meaningful survey of biological effects.
This article examines how data readiness for AI principles apply to large scientific datasets used to train foundation models. We analyze archetypal workflows across four representative domains—climate, nuclear fusion, life sciences, and materials—to identify common preprocessing patterns and domain‐specific constraints. We introduce a two‐dimensional readiness model that combines canonical preprocessing patterns with a five‐level operational readiness scale, both tailored to high‐performance computing (HPC) environments. This construct helps outline key challenges in transforming large‐scale scientific data into formats suitable for scalable AI training. Together, these dimensions form a conceptual maturity matrix that characterizes scientific data readiness and guides infrastructure development toward standardized, cross‐domain support for scalable and reproducible AI for science. Finally, we evaluate this maturity matrix in the context of case studies including ClimaX (climate), AFLOW (materials), OpenFold (proteomics), and DIII‐D fusion disruption‐prediction workflows, from which we distill lessons learned and provide recommendations to guide practitioners in developing robust AI‐readiness pipelines. Finally, we discuss remaining cross‐cutting challenges that persist across scientific domains.
Jay C. Buckey, M.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas served as an alternate payload specialist astronaut for the Spacelab Life Sciences 2 Space Shuttle Mission from January 1992 through December 1993. This report summarizes his opinions on the mission and offers suggestions in the areas of selection, training, simulations, baseline data collection and mission operations. The report recognizes the contributions of the commander, payload commander and mission management team to the success of the mission. Dr. Buckey's main accomplishments during the mission are listed.
The third in a series of Spacelab Mission Development tests was a joint effort of the Ames Research and Johnson Space Centers to evaluate planned operational concepts of the Space Shuttle life sciences program. A three-man crew conducted 26 experiments and 12 operational tests, utilizing both human and animal subjects. The crew lived aboard an Orbiter/Spacelab mockup for the seven-day simulation. The Spacelab was identical in geometry to the European Space Agency design, complete with removable rack sections and stowage provisions. Communications were controlled as currently planned for operational Shuttle flights. A Science Operations Remote Center at the Ames Research Center was managed by simulated Mission Control and Payload Operation Control Centers at the Johnson Space Center. This paper presents the test objectives, describes the facilities and test program, and outlines the results of this test.
The conceptual designs and programmatics for a Space Station Nonhuman Life Sciences Research Facility (LSRF) are highlighted. Conceptual designs and programmatics encompass an Initial Orbital Capability (IOC) LSRF, a growth or Follow-on Orbital Capability (FOC), and the transitional process required to modify the IOC LSRF to the FOC LSRF.