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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 NTRS1994

Analytical control test plan and microbiological methods for the water recovery test

Qualitative and quantitative laboratory results are important to the decision-making process. In some cases, they may represent the only basis for deciding between two or more given options or processes. Therefore, it is essential that handling of laboratory samples and analytical operations employed are performed at a deliberate level of conscientious effort. Reporting erroneous results can lead to faulty interpretations and result in misinformed decisions. This document provides analytical control specifications which will govern future test procedures related to all Water Recovery Test (WRT) Phase 3 activities to be conducted at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration/Marshall Space Flight Center (NASA/MSFC). This document addresses the process which will be used to verify analytical data generated throughout the test period, and to identify responsibilities of key personnel and participating laboratories, the chains of communication to be followed, and ensure that approved methodology and procedures are used during WRT activities. This document does not outline specifics, but provides a minimum guideline by which sampling protocols, analysis methodologies, test site operations, and laboratory operations should be developed.

Traweek, M. S.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Quarantine and protocol

The purpose of the Orbiting Quarantine Facility is to provide maximum protection of the terrestrial biosphere by ensuring that the returned Martian samples are safe to bring to Earth. The protocol designed to detect the presence of biologically active agents in the Martian soil is described. The protocol determines one of two things about the sample: (1) that it is free from nonterrestrial life forms and can be sent to a terrestrial containment facility where extensive chemical, biochemical, geological, and physical investigations can be conducted; or (2) that it exhibits "biological effects" of the type that dictate second order testing. The quarantine protocol is designed to be conducted on a small portion of the returned sample, leaving the bulk of the sample undisturbed for study on Earth.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2021

Railroad Valley Radiometric Calibration Test Site (RadCaTS) as Part of a Global Radiometric Calibration Network (RadCalNet)

The Radiometric Calibration Network (RadCalNet) is a coordinated multinational effort to provide in situ data that are suitable for the radiometric calibration and validation of Earth observation sensors that operate in the visible to shortwave infrared solar reflective spectral region (400 nm to 1000 nm). The main goals of RadCalNet are to provide top-of-atmosphere reflectance data to the scientific community, standardize data collection protocols for automated test sites, and to document the SI-traceable uncertainty budgets for each automated test site, of which there are currently four. The data available from RadCalNet are suitable for the calibration and validation of spaceborne imaging spectrometers. The work presented here provides a description of RadCalNet as well as a sample of the current results from the Radiometric Calibration Test Site (RadCaTS), which is located at Railroad Valley, Nevada, USA. Selected sensors for comparison include Terra and Aqua MODIS, SNPP and NOAA-20 VIIRS, and Sentinel-3A and -3B OLCI.

RadCalNet↗

NASA NTRS2014

Treadmill Exercise with Increased Body Loading Enhances Post Flight Functional Performance

The goals of the Functional Task Test (FTT) study were to determine the effects of space flight on functional tests that are representative of high priority exploration mission tasks and to identify the key underlying physiological factors that contribute to decrements in performance. Ultimately this information will be used to assess performance risks and inform the design of countermeasures for exploration class missions. We have previously shown that for Shuttle, ISS and bed rest subjects functional tasks requiring a greater demand for dynamic control of postural equilibrium (i.e. fall recovery, seat egress/obstacle avoidance during walking, object translation, jump down) showed the greatest decrement in performance. Functional tests with reduced requirements for postural stability (i.e. hatch opening, ladder climb, manual manipulation of objects and tool use) showed little reduction in performance. These changes in functional performance were paralleled by similar decrements in sensorimotor tests designed to specifically assess postural equilibrium and dynamic gait control. The bed rest analog allows us to investigate the impact of axial body unloading in isolation on both functional tasks and on the underlying physiological factors that lead to decrements in performance and then compare them with the results obtained in our space flight study. These results indicate that body support unloading experienced during space flight plays a central role in postflight alteration of functional task performance. Given the importance of body-support loading we set out to determine if there is a relationship between the load experienced during inflight treadmill exercise (produced by a harness and bungee system) and postflight functional performance. ISS crewmembers (n=13) were tested using the FTT protocol before and after 6 months in space. Crewmembers were tested three times before flight, and on 1, 6, and 30 days after landing. To determine how differences in body-support loading experienced during inflight treadmill exercise impacts postflight functional performance, the loading history for each subject during inflight treadmill (T2) exercise was correlated with postflight measures of performance. Crewmembers who walked on the treadmill with higher pull-down loads had less decrement in postflight postural stability and dynamic locomotor control than those subjects who exercised with lighter loads. These data point to the importance of providing significant body loading during inflight treadmill exercise. This and the addition of specific balance training may further mitigate decrements in critical mission tasks that require dynamic postural stability and mobility. Inflight treadmill exercise provides a multi-disciplinary platform to provide sensorimotor, aerobic and bone mechanical stimuli benefits. Forward work will focus on the development of an inflight training system that will integrate aerobic, resistive and balance training modalities into a single interdisciplinary countermeasure system for exploration class missions.

Bloomberg, J. J.↗

NASA NTRS2003

The Mobile Agents Integrated Field Test: Mars Desert Research Station April 2003

The Mobile Agents model-based, distributed architecture, which integrates diverse components in a system for lunar and planetary surface operations, was extensively tested in a two-week field "technology retreat" at the Mars Society s Desert Research Station (MDRS) during April 2003. More than twenty scientists and engineers from three NASA centers and two universities refined and tested the system through a series of incremental scenarios. Agent software, implemented in runtime Brahms, processed GPS, health data, and voice commands-monitoring, controlling and logging science data throughout simulated EVAs with two geologists. Predefined EVA plans, modified on the fly by voice command, enabled the Mobile Agents system to provide navigation and timing advice. Communications were maintained over five wireless nodes distributed over hills and into canyons for 5 km; data, including photographs and status was transmitted automatically to the desktop at mission control in Houston. This paper describes the system configurations, communication protocols, scenarios, and test results.

Clancey, William J.↗

NASA NTRS2003

Measuring sleep habits without using a diary: the sleep timing questionnaire

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To develop a single-administration instrument yielding equivalent measures of sleep to those obtained from a formal (2-week) sleep diary. DESIGN & SETTING: A single-administration Sleep riming Questionnaire (STQ) is described (and reproduced in the Appendix). Test-retest reliability was examined in 40 subjects who were given the STQ on two occasions separated by less than 1 year. Convergent validity was measured both by comparing STO-derived measures with objective measures derived from wrist actigraphy (n=23) and by comparing STQ-derived measures with other subjective measures derived from a detailed 2-week sleep diary in two nonoverlapping samples (n=101, 93). Correlations of STQ measures with age and momingness-eveningness (chronotype) were also examined. SUBJECTS: The analyses used sample sizes of 40, 23, 101, and 93 (both genders, overall age range 20y-89y). Most subjects were healthy volunteers; some Study 4 subjects were patients (enrolled in research protocols). RESULTS: Test-retest reliability for the STQ was demonstrated for estimates of bedtime (r = 0.705, p < 0.001) and waketime (r = 0.826, p < 0.001). Convergent validity using wrist actigraphy was demonstrated by correlations of 0.592 (p < 0.005) for bedtime, and of 0.769 (p < 0.001) for waketime. Diary studies indicated STQ bedtime and waketime data to be highly correlated (at about 0.8) with those obtained from a formal 2-week sleep diary. The STQ also provided data on estimated sleep latency and wake after sleep onset (WASO), which correlated reliably (at about 0.7) with average nightly ratings of these variables from a 2-week sleep diary. Mean estimated values of sleep latency and WASO from the two instruments were within 1 minute of each other. ST-derived bedtimes and waketimes correlated with both age and chronotype in the expected direction (older subjects earlier, morning types earlier). CONCLUSION: The STQ may be a reliable valid measure of sleep timing that could provide a time-efficient alternative to traditional sleep diaries.

Validation Studies↗

NASA NTRS2012

A Performance Evaluation of NACK-Oriented Protocols as the Foundation of Reliable Delay- Tolerant Networking Convergence Layers

Delay-Tolerant Networking (DTN) is an active area of research in the space communications community. DTN uses a standard layered approach with the Bundle Protocol operating on top of transport layer protocols known as convergence layers that actually transmit the data between nodes. Several different common transport layer protocols have been implemented as convergence layers in DTN implementations including User Datagram Protocol (UDP), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), and Licklider Transmission Protocol (LTP). The purpose of this paper is to evaluate several stand-alone implementations of negative-acknowledgment based transport layer protocols to determine how they perform in a variety of different link conditions. The transport protocols chosen for this evaluation include Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) File Delivery Protocol (CFDP), Licklider Transmission Protocol (LTP), NACK-Oriented Reliable Multicast (NORM), and Saratoga. The test parameters that the protocols were subjected to are characteristic of common communications links ranging from terrestrial to cis-lunar and apply different levels of delay, line rate, and error.

Iannicca, Dennis↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Nasa Exploration Atmosphere Tests 3 & 4: Development and Validation of Planetary Extravehicular Activity Prebreathe Protocols for Alternate Atmospheres and Suit Pressures

INTRODUCTION: Space suits operate at low pressures to optimize astronauts’ performance. The drop in pressure from the habitat environment to the suit carries a risk of decompression sickness (DCS), which is mitigated by a 95% O2 prebreathe protocol. Prebreathe protocols for the lunar surface have a significantly higher risk compared to International Space Station microgravity Extravehicular Activities (EVA). In previous studies, we validated a prebreathe protocol from a 56.5 kPa 34% O2 cabin to a 29.6 kPa EVA pressure; however, the enriched oxygen cabin environment poses a flammability risk that requires significant changes to material design and selections. Here, we report outcomes for prebreathe protocols from a sub-30% O2 cabin and associated changes necessary to control DCS risk critical to upcoming lunar missions. METHODS: Fourteen volunteers completed 11-day hypobaric chamber studies with an “alternate exploration atmosphere” of 66.2kPa, 28.5% O2. Subjects acclimated for 48 hrs and then participated in five 6-hour simulated EVAs at 29.6 or 35.6kPa, 95% O2. Prior to EVA, subjects underwent a 20, 90, or 150-minute prebreathe. The EVA simulation was designed to be representative of future planetary EVAs, proportionate to the subject’s VO2max. Decompression stress was monitored by real-time doppler and echocardiograph alternating every 15 min, as well as clinical monitoring for DCS signs/symptoms. Venous gas emboli (VGE) and DCS outcomes were verified against NASA-STD-3001 acceptance criteria. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Venous gas emboli (VGE) were identified during all EVAs. A neurological DCS case was identified in the 90-min/29.6kPa prebreathe, terminating further testing of this protocol. No DCS cases were identified in the 150 min/29.6kPa protocol. The 20 min/36.5kPa protocol was rejected due to a Type II DCS case. All DCS symptoms resolved with treatment, with no sequelae post initial treatment of DCS. These various test points highlighted to the significant benefit of elevated suit pressure to shorten prebreathe protocols, but also the difficulty in assessing and managing DCS during sustained EVA operations in remote planetary surfaces.

decompression sickness↗

DOE OSTI2024

Hanford Double Shell Waste Tank Corrosion Studies (Final Report FY2023)

For fiscal year (FY) 2023, the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) focused on two experimental tasks related to Hanford Double Shell Tank (DST) chemistry and integrity. The first task focused on understanding risk of corrosion due to formation of either continuous layers or discrete patches of solids on the tanks’ inner sidewalls and bottoms. Differences in the conductivity between various layers of the tank (e.g., solids, liquid, etc.) could result in differences in the electrochemical potential of the tank metal at various locations. The electrochemical potential difference may result in a corrosion current between the coupled surfaces. In FY23, SRNL investigated test configurations and protocols that could evaluate the presence of a galvanic couple between the tank bottom and the tank wall.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

DOE OSTI2024

TrustDER: Trusted, Private and Scalable Coordination of Distributed Energy Resources

In this project, the Stanford and SLAC Teams have developed a Trusted, Private and Scalable platform for coordinating Coordination of Distributed Energy Resources (TrustDER). This is a layered system that ensures private, trusted and scalable coordination and monitoring of DERs. It accommodates a variety of resources, such as solar generation, gensets and loads, with a particular focus on battery systems-based resources, as they are a transformational technology experiencing fast growth in adoption by large critical facilities. The platform can be used as standalone or added to existing aggregation systems to enable trust, privacy and resilience. TrustDER consists of layers that address each of the shortcomings of the existing state of the art. Each layer in the platform can operate independently but provides information to the layers above it to enable a novel form of overall coordination architecture. The project consists of several tasks, with each task dedicated to the design of each layer. Task 2 Resource Virtualization defined a software abstraction layer for distributed energy resources (DERs). The goal of this abstraction was to simplify the implementation of algorithms utilizing cooperation of DERs resources in a variety of use cases. Task 3 is on Secure ID for Asset Authentication. Identity Management Systems (IDMS) are a foundational infrastructure for interactions between entities (organizations, users, devices, and services). Secure ID is blockchain-based a distributed identity management system allowing (1) identity provisioning, (2) authentication, (3) authorization, and (4) identity data sharing for IoT-enabled assets on the electricity grid. In this project, the SLAC team focused on designing and testing Keymaker, a protocol for authenticating device identity managed by Secure ID. Task 5 Private and Safe Integration is focused on the design and evaluation of a DER cooperation scheme which allows for the aggregation of DERs without impacting network reliability. The approach is designed based on realistic assumptions regarding data availability, communication infrastructure limitations, and privacy. Task 6 Scalable Distributed Privacy for Information explored how virtualized batteries could be managed privately. Specifically, it examined the case in which a principal provides a partitioned battery to multiple clients. Task 7 Use Cases was to ensure that this technology was applied in relevant situations and scenarios. Primarily, this means that virtualization needed to be employed in a manner that either improved flexibility, bolstered security or privacy, or decreased costs.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

NASA NTRS1975

Medical Support and Findings of the Skylab Program

Specific equipment used in carrying out Skylab medical experiments is outlined and illustrated. Also included are reviews of the techniques, frequency, and protocols of the tests designed to study the long term effects of weightlessness on the human body. In-flight investigations were an evaluation of the cardiovascular system, a study of metabolic activity, investigations in the field of neurophysiology, the determination of changes in body fluids, a precise measurement of total body metabolism, and a study of crew performance by use of a time and motion experiment. Significant data obtained from in-flight and postflight tests are outlined.

Johnston, Richard S.↗

NASA NTRS1995

International Space Station environmental control and life support system. Phase 3: Water Recovery Test Stage 9

A test has been completed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) to evaluate the latest water recovery system design for the United States On-Orbit Segment (USOS) of the International Space Station (ISS) with higher fidelity hardware and integration than has been achieved in previous Water Recovery Test (WRT) Stages. This test is referred to as WRT Stage 9. Potable and urine processing assemblies were integrated with end-use equipment and operated for 116 days. The overall integrated configuration of the test system included a single water recovery loop that was automated and controlled from a central computer. This report summarizes the test objectives, system design, test activities and protocols, significant results, anomalies and lessons learned throughout the WRT Stage 9.

D L Carter↗

NASA NTRS1994

Accommodating Heterogeneity in a Debugger for Distributed Computations

In an ongoing project at NASA Ames Research Center, we are building debugger for distributed computations running on a heterogeneous set of machines. Historically, such debuggers have been built as front-ends to existing source-level debuggers on the target platforms. In effect, these back-end debuggers are providing a collection of debugger services to a client. The major drawback is that because of inconsistencies among the back-end debuggers, the front-end must use a different protocol when talking to each back-end debugger. This can make the front-end quite complex. We have avoided this complexity problem by defining the client-server debugger protocol. While it does require vendors to adapt their existing debugger code to meet the protocol, vendors are generally interested in doing so because the approach has several advantages. In addition to solving the heterogenous platform debugging problem, it will be pos~sible to write interesting debugger user interfaces that can be easily ported across a variety of machines. This will likely encourage investment in application-domain specific debuggers. In fact, the user interface of our debugger will be geared to scientists developing computational fluid dynamics codes. This paper describes some of the problems encountered in developing a portable debugger for heterogenous, distributed computing and how the architecture of our debugger avoids them. It then provides a detailed description of the debugger client-server protocol. Some of the more interesting attributes of the protocol are: (1) It is object-oriented; (2) It uses callback functions to capture the asynchronous nature of debugging in a procedural fashion; (3) It contains abstractions, such as in-line instrumentation, for the debugging of computationally intensive programs; (4) For remote debugging, it has operations that enable the implementor to optimize message passing traffic between client and server. The soundness of the protocol is being tested through the implementation of a prototype client and server pair.

Hood, Robert↗

NASA NTRS2003

Taguchi statistical design and analysis of cleaning methods for spacecraft materials

In this study, we have extensively tested various cleaning protocols. The variant parameters included the type and concentration of solvent, type of wipe, pretreatment conditions, and various rinsing systems. Taguchi statistical method was used to design and evaluate various cleaning conditions on ten common spacecraft materials.

Taguchi cleaning spacecraft materials↗

NASA NTRS2007

Promoting Robust Design of Diode Lasers for Space: A National Initiative

The Diode-laser Array Working Group (DAWG) is a national-level consumer/provider forum for discussion of engineering and manufacturing issues which influence the reliability and survivability of high-power broad-area laser diode devices in space, with an emphasis on laser diode arrays (LDAs) for optical pumping of solid-state laser media. The goals of the group are to formulate and validate standardized test and qualification protocols, operational control recommendations, and consensus manufacturing and certification standards. The group is using reliability and lifetime data collected by laser diode manufacturers and the user community to develop a set of standardized guidelines for specifying and qualifying laser diodes for long-duration operation in space, the ultimate goal being to promote an informed U.S. Government investment and procurement strategy for assuring the availability and durability of space-qualified LDAs. The group is also working to establish effective implementation of statistical design techniques at the supplier design, development, and manufacturing levels to help reduce product performance variability and improve product reliability for diodes employed in space applications

Tratt, David M.↗

NASA NTRS2011

Cardiovascular Aspects of Space Shuttle Flights: At the Heart of Three Decades of American Spaceflight Experience

The advent of the Space Shuttle era elevated cardiovascular deconditioning from a research topic in gravitational physiology to a concern with operational consequences during critical space mission phases. NASA has identified three primary cardiovascular risks associate with short-duration (less than 18 d) spaceflight: orthostatic intolerance; decreased maximal oxygen uptake; and cardiac arrhythmias. Orthostatic hypotension (OH) was observed postflight in Mercury astronauts, studied in Gemini and Apollo astronauts, and tracked as it developed in-flight during Skylab missions. A putative hypotensive episode in the pilot during an early shuttle landing, and well documented postflight hypotension in a quarter of crewmembers, catalyzed NASA's research effort to understand its mechanisms and develop countermeasures. Shuttle investigations documented the onset of OH, tested mechanistic hypotheses, and demonstrated countermeasures both simple and complex. Similarly, decreased aerobic capacity in-flight threatened both extravehicular activity and post-landing emergency egress. In one study, peak oxygen uptake and peak power were significantly decreased following flights. Other studies tested hardware and protocols for aerobic conditioning that undergird both current practice on long-duration International Space Station (ISS) missions and plans for interplanetary expeditions. Finally, several studies suggest that cardiac arrhythmias are of less concern during short-duration spaceflight than during long-duration spaceflight. Duration of the QT interval was unchanged and the frequency of premature atrial and ventricular contractions was actually shown to decrease during extravehicular activity. These investigations on short-duration Shuttle flights have paved the way for research aboard long-duration ISS missions and beyond. Efforts are already underway to study the effects of exploration class missions to asteroids and Mars.

Charles, John B.↗

NASA NTRS2014

High-Resolution Imaged-Based 3D Reconstruction Combined with X-Ray CT Data Enables Comprehensive Non-Destructive Documentation and Targeted Research of Astromaterials

Providing web-based data of complex and sensitive astromaterials (including meteorites and lunar samples) in novel formats enhances existing preliminary examination data on these samples and supports targeted sample requests and analyses. We have developed and tested a rigorous protocol for collecting highly detailed imagery of meteorites and complex lunar samples in non-contaminating environments. These data are reduced to create interactive 3D models of the samples. We intend to provide these data as they are acquired on NASA's Astromaterials Acquisition and Curation website at http://curator.jsc.nasa.gov/.

Blumenfeld, E. H.↗

NASA NTRS2019

Tactical Scientific Decision-Making during Crewed Astrobiology Mars Missions

The limitations placed upon human explorers on the surface of Mars will necessitate a methodology for scientific exploration that is different from standard approaches to terrestrial fieldwork and prior crewed exploration of the Moon. In particular, the data transmission limitations and communication latency between Earth and Mars create a unique situation for surface crew in contact with a terrestrial science team. The BASALT research program simulated a series of extravehicular activities (EVAs) in Mars analog terrains under various Mars-relevant bandwidth and latency conditions to investigate how best to approach this problem. Here we discuss tactical decision-making under these conditions, that is, how the crew on Mars interacts with a team of scientists and support personnel on Earth to collect samples of maximum scientific interest. We describe the strategies, protocols, and tools tested in BASALT EVAs and give recommendations on how best to conduct human exploration of Mars with support from Earth-based scientists. We find that even with scientists supporting them, the crew performing the exploration must be trained in the appropriate scientific disciplines in order to provide the terrestrial scientists with enough information to make decisions, but that with appropriate planning and structure, and tools such as a ‘‘dynamic leaderboard,’’ terrestrial scientists can add scientific value to an EVA, even under Mars communication latency

Decision-making↗