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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 253 records · Page 14
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2016

Biospecimen Retrieval from NASA's Rodent Research-1: Maximizing Science Return from Flight Missions

Rodent Research (RR)-1 was conducted to validate flight hardware, operations, and science capabilities that were developed to support long duration missions on the International Space Station. After 37 days in microgravity twenty mice were euthanized and frozen on orbit. Upon return to Earth the carcasses were dissected and yielded 32 different types of tissues from each mouse and over 3200 tissue aliquots. Many tissues were distributed to the Space Life and Physical Sciences (SLPS) Biospecimen Sharing Program (BSP) Principal Investigators (PIs) through the Ames Life Science Data Archive (ALSDA). A second round of dissections was performed to collect additional tissues from the remaining carcasses thawed for a second time for additional BSP PIs. Tissues retrieved included vaginal walls, aorta, pelvis, brown adipose tissue, tail, spine and forearms. Although the analyses are still in progress, some of the PIs have reported that the quality of the tissues was acceptable for their study. In a separate experiment we tested the RNA quality of the tissues that were dissected from frozen carcasses that were subjected to euthanasia, freezing, first and second thaw dissections. Timelines simulated the on-orbit RR-1 procedures to assess the quality of the tissues retrieved from the second thaw dissections. We analyzed the RIN values of select tissues including kidney, brain, white adipose tissue (WAT) and brown adipose tissue (BAT). Overall the RIN values from the second thaw were lower compared to those from the first by about a half unit; however, the tissues yielded RNA that are acceptable quality for some quantitative gene expression assays. Interestingly, RIN values of brain tissues were 8.4+/-0.6 and 7.9+/-0.7 from first and second round dissections, respectively (n=5). Kidney and WAT yielded RIN values less than 8 but they can still be used for qPCR. BAT yielded higher quality RNA (8.2+/-0.5) than WAT (5.22+/-0.9), possibly due to the high fat content. Together, these data show that select tissues can be utilized for gene expression studies even if they are retrieved from carcasses that were subjected to at least two freezing and thawing processes; this further expands science return from valuable and infrequent rodent experiments in space.

rodent↗
NASA NTRS2016

Genelab: Scientific Partnerships and an Open-Access Database to Maximize Usage of Omics Data from Space Biology Experiments

NASA's mission includes expanding our understanding of biological systems to improve life on Earth and to enable long-duration human exploration of space. The GeneLab Data System (GLDS) is NASA's premier open-access omics data platform for biological experiments. GLDS houses standards-compliant, high-throughput sequencing and other omics data from spaceflight-relevant experiments. The GeneLab project at NASA-Ames Research Center is developing the database, and also partnering with spaceflight projects through sharing or augmentation of experiment samples to expand omics analyses on precious spaceflight samples. The partnerships ensure that the maximum amount of data is garnered from spaceflight experiments and made publically available as rapidly as possible via the GLDS. GLDS Version 1.0, went online in April 2015. Software updates and new data releases occur at least quarterly. As of October 2016, the GLDS contains 80 datasets and has search and download capabilities. Version 2.0 is slated for release in September of 2017 and will have expanded, integrated search capabilities leveraging other public omics databases (NCBI GEO, PRIDE, MG-RAST). Future versions in this multi-phase project will provide a collaborative platform for omics data analysis. Data from experiments that explore the biological effects of the spaceflight environment on a wide variety of model organisms are housed in the GLDS including data from rodents, invertebrates, plants and microbes. Human datasets are currently limited to those with anonymized data (e.g., from cultured cell lines). GeneLab ensures prompt release and open access to high-throughput genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics data from spaceflight and ground-based simulations of microgravity, radiation or other space environment factors. The data are meticulously curated to assure that accurate experimental and sample processing metadata are included with each data set. GLDS download volumes indicate strong interest of the scientific community in these data. To date GeneLab has partnered with multiple experiments including two plant (Arabidopsis thaliana) experiments, two mice experiments, and several microbe experiments. GeneLab optimized protocols in the rodent partnerships for maximum yield of RNA, DNA and protein from tissues harvested and preserved during the SpaceX-4 mission, as well as from tissues from mice that were frozen intact during spaceflight and later dissected on the ground. Analysis of GeneLab data will contribute fundamental knowledge of how the space environment affects biological systems, and as well as yield terrestrial benefits resulting from mitigation strategies to prevent effects observed during exposure to space environments.

bioinformatics↗
NASA NTRS2016

Biospecimen Retrieval from NASA's Rodent Research-1: Maximizing Science Return from Flight Missions

Rodent Research (RR)-1 was conducted to validate flight hardware, operations, and science capabilities that were developed to support long duration missions on the International Space Station. After 37 days in microgravity twenty mice were euthanized and frozen on orbit. Upon return to Earth the carcasses were dissected and yielded 32 different types of tissues from each mouse and over 3200 tissue aliquots. Many tissues were distributed to the Space Life and Physical Sciences (SLPS) Biospecimen Sharing Program (BSP) Principal Investigators (PIs) through the Ames Life Science Data Archive (ALSDA). A second round of dissections was performed to collect additional tissues from the remaining carcasses thawed for a second time for additional BSP PIs. Tissues retrieved included vaginal walls, aorta, pelvis, brown adipose tissue, tail, spine and forearms. Although the analyses are still in progress, some of the PIs have reported that the quality of the tissues was acceptable for their study. In a separate experiment we tested the RNA quality of the tissues that were dissected from frozen carcasses that were subjected to euthanasia, freezing, first and second thaw dissections. Timelines simulated the on-orbit RR-1 procedures to assess the quality of the tissues retrieved from the second thaw dissections. We analyzed the RIN values of select tissues including kidney, brain, white adipose tissue (WAT) and brown adipose tissue (BAT). Overall the RIN values from the second thaw were lower compared to those from the first by about a half unit; however, the tissues yielded RNA that are acceptable quality for some quantitative gene expression assays. Interestingly, RIN values of brain tissues were 8.4+/-0.6 and 7.9+/-0.7 from first and second round dissections, respectively (n5). Kidney and WAT yielded RIN values less than 8 but they can still be used for qPCR. BAT yielded higher quality RNA (8.2+/-0.5) than WAT (5.2+/-20.9), possibly due to the high fat content. Together, these data show that select tissues can be utilized for gene expression studies even if they are retrieved from carcasses that were subjected to at least two freezing and thawing processes; this further expands science return from valuable and infrequent rodent experiments in space.

rodents↗
NASA NTRS2018

A NICER Spectrum of MAXI J1535-571: Near-Maximal Black Hole Spin and Potential Disk Warping

We report on a Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) observation of the Galactic X-ray binary and stellar-mass black hole candidate, MAXI J1535−571. The source was likely observed in an "intermediate" or "very high" state, with important contributions from both an accretion disk and hard X-ray corona. The 2.3-10 keV spectrum shows clear hallmarks of relativistic disk reflection. Fits with a suitable model strongly indicate a nearmaximal spin parameter of a = cJ/GM(exp 2) = 0.994(2) and a disk that extends close to the innermost stable circular orbit, r/r(sub ISCO) = 1.08(8) (1σ statistical errors). In addition to the relativistic spectrum from the innermost disk, a relatively narrow Fe K emission line is also required. The resolution of NICER reveals that the narrow line may be asymmetric, indicating a specific range of emission radii. Fits with a relativistic line model suggest an inner radius of r = 144 +140/-60 GM/c(exp 2) for the putative second reflection geometry; full reflection models suggest that radii a few times larger are possible. The origin of the narrow line is uncertain, but a warp likely provides the most physically plausible explanation. We discuss our results in terms of the potential for NICER to reveal new features of the inner and intermediate accretion disk around black holes.

Miller, J. M.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Processing CCD Images to Detect Transits of Earth-Sized Planets: Maximizing Sensitivity While Achieving Reasonable Downlink Requirements

We have performed end-to-end laboratory and numerical simulations to demonstrate the capability of differential photometry under realistic operating conditions to detect transits of Earth-sized planets orbiting solar-like stars. Data acquisition and processing were conducted using the same methods planned for the proposed Kepler Mission. These included performing aperture photometry on large-format CCD images of an artificial star fields obtained without a shutter at a readout rate of 1 megapixel/sec, detecting and removing cosmic rays from individual exposures and making the necessary corrections for nonlinearity and shutterless operation in the absence of darks. We will discuss the image processing tasks performed `on-board' the simulated spacecraft, which yielded raw photometry and ancillary data used to monitor and correct for systematic effects, and the data processing and analysis tasks conducted to obtain lightcurves from the raw data and characterize the detectability of transits. The laboratory results are discussed along with the results of a numerical simulation carried out in parallel with the laboratory simulation. These two simulations demonstrate that a system-level differential photometric precision of 10-5 on five- hour intervals can be achieved under realistic conditions.

Earth-size planets↗
NASA NTRS2016

GeneLab: Scientific Partnerships and an Open-Access Database to Maximize Usage of Omics Data from Space Biology Experiments

NASA's mission includes expanding our understanding of biological systems to improve life on Earth and to enable long-duration human exploration of space. The GeneLab Data System (GLDS) is NASAs premier open-access omics data platform for biological experiments. GLDS houses standards-compliant, high-throughput sequencing and other omics data from spaceflight-relevant experiments. The GeneLab project at NASA-Ames Research Center is developing the database, and also partnering with spaceflight projects through sharing or augmentation of experiment samples to expand omics analyses on precious spaceflight samples. The partnerships ensure that the maximum amount of data is garnered from spaceflight experiments and made publically available as rapidly as possible via the GLDS. GLDS Version 1.0, went online in April 2015. Software updates and new data releases occur at least quarterly. As of October 2016, the GLDS contains 80 datasets and has search and download capabilities. Version 2.0 is slated for release in September of 2017 and will have expanded, integrated search capabilities leveraging other public omics databases (NCBI GEO, PRIDE, MG-RAST). Future versions in this multi-phase project will provide a collaborative platform for omics data analysis. Data from experiments that explore the biological effects of the spaceflight environment on a wide variety of model organisms are housed in the GLDS including data from rodents, invertebrates, plants and microbes. Human datasets are currently limited to those with anonymized data (e.g., from cultured cell lines). GeneLab ensures prompt release and open access to high-throughput genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics data from spaceflight and ground-based simulations of microgravity, radiation or other space environment factors. The data are meticulously curated to assure that accurate experimental and sample processing metadata are included with each data set. GLDS download volumes indicate strong interest of the scientific community in these data. To date GeneLab has partnered with multiple experiments including two plant (Arabidopsis thaliana) experiments, two mice experiments, and several microbe experiments. GeneLab optimized protocols in the rodent partnerships for maximum yield of RNA, DNA and protein from tissues harvested and preserved during the SpaceX-4 mission, as well as from tissues from mice that were frozen intact during spaceflight and later dissected on the ground. Analysis of GeneLab data will contribute fundamental knowledge of how the space environment affects biological systems, and as well as yield terrestrial benefits resulting from mitigation strategies to prevent effects observed during exposure to space environments.

spaceflight↗
NASA NTRS2019

Explicit IMF B(sub y)-Effect Maximizes at Subauroral Latitudes (Dedicated to the Memory of Eigil Friis-Christensen)

The most important parameter in the coupling between solar wind and geomagnetic activity is the B(sub z)‐component of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). However, recent studies have shown that IMF B(sub y) is an additional, independent driver of geomagnetic activity. We use here local geomagnetic indices from a large network of magnetic stations to study how IMF B(sub y) affects geomagnetic activity at different latitudes for all solar wind and, separately, during coronal mass ejections. We show that geomagnetic activity, for all solar wind, is 20% stronger for B(sub y) > 0 than for B(sub y) < 0 at subauroral latitudes of about 60° corrected geomagnetic latitude. During coronal mass ejections, the B(sub y)‐effect is larger, about 40%, at slightly lower latitudes of about 57° (corrected geomagnetic) latitude. These results highlight the importance of the IMF B(sub y)‐component for space weather at different latitudes and must be taken into account in space weather modeling

Holappa, L.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Maximizing Earth Science Observations with Data Harmonization: Harmonized Landsat/Sentinel-2

In August 2021, NASA released science quality harmonized Landsat/Sentinel-2 products for both cloud-based access and direct download from the Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LP DAAC). These 30-meter products, HLSS30 (Sentinel-2 component) and HLSL30 (Landsat component) are placed on the same grid and are generated and distributed fully in the cloud. Similarly, ESA is prototyping harmonized Landsat Sentinel-2 products at 10-meter resolution. The data production and science teams from NASA and ESA will present technical details on the data production system, data product status and availability, and the benefit of harmonizing instruments with similar sensing characteristics between the agencies.

Earth Science↗